2020 standout athlete
Mookie Cooper has been a pretty vocal supporter of Texas ever since he visited Austin in mid-June. Cooper will be back in Austin the weekend of September 15, and Texas continues to be a school that’s a major contender for his commitment.
“Texas, I’ll be back on the 15th of September. I’ve been talking to Nebraska a lot, Illinois, Michigan. I plan on going to a couple games, like Texas-USC, probably go to Georgia, going to an Illinois game for sure,” Cooper said. “I don’t have a set list of schools I’m most interested. September 1 is when they can really reach out to us so we’ll see.”
Cooper hasn’t publicly proclaimed the Longhorns as his leader – and he didn’t when I spoke to him this week - but Texas has done a really good job in this one, including the relationship Cooper has built up with Texas Director of Recruiting Bryan Carrington.
“First off, Bryan Carrington,” Cooper said when asked what has Texas high on his list. “He’s kind of like coach Cory (Patterson), our old head coach who left (now at Illinois). He’s a really cool dude, I can relate to him. When I got up there, all the coaches, they showed me love. I liked all the facilities. The way they’d use me in their offense. I talked to coach (Drew) Merhringer, they said I’d play kind of an H-back, start out in the slot but also line up in the backfield.”
Cooper’s visit is big in regards to Texas’ chances with the 2020 Rivals250 member, but it could also pay dividends with two of his St. Louis Trinity Catholic teammates, receiver
Marcus Washington and linebacker
Shammond Cooper.
“I just really liked it when I was down there. The atmosphere, I wanted to come see a game. I’m coming with Marcus Washington and probably Shammond Cooper.
“Me and Marcus, we talk about playing together a lot. I just started talking about it with Shammond. But me and Marcus, we talk about it pretty much daily.”
What are the odds he and Washington play together in college?
“I think it’s a high chance,” Cooper said.
While he doesn’t have an official list of favorites, Cooper said Texas is one of the schools that will be strongly considered.
“The top,” Cooper said when asked where UT fits in the big picture. “I’m not going to say the exact top, but they’re up there.”
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Round Rock Cedar Ridge wide receiver
Jaylen Ellis has been committed to Baylor for more than 14 months, but he’s kept an open mind with the recruiting process, and Texas is one of the schools showing interest. The Longhorns offered Ellis in late May, and while the contact has been light of late, Ellis said Texas is still in the mix.
The speedy Ellis said he’s “kind of” narrowed his list down, with schools like Michigan, Houston, Arizona, Tennessee and Ohio State catching his attention (in addition to Baylor). As for Texas, the Longhorns are still in the mix, but Ellis said he wants to get back to campus for a visit to get another feel for where things stand with him and the Longhorns.
“They’re still up there. I just feel like I need to get back up there to make sure that’s where I’d want to be,” Ellis said. “Texas is in my backyard, literally. So I can make that trip anytime. I just need to visit again.”
Ellis has taken one official visit to Arizona. He’ll visit Michigan the weekend of September 7. He’s hoping he can get back to the Forty Acres of the USC game on September 15.
“I’ll try to make that for sure. I’ll probably talk to Mehringer tonight,” Ellis said earlier this week. “I talk to him whenever I can. I want to talk to him about where’s my place, talk recruiting, see where things are at with me and them.”
The 6-0, 186-pound Ellis and his Cedar Ridge teammates kick off their 2018 season this week against Temple and current Texas commitment Jared Wiley. Ellis said he’s feeling great heading into his senior season and is expecting things to go well.
“I’m really hyped, just to start off my senior year, a team like that,” Ellis said. “Go against Jared. I’ve talked to him a couple times. Being able to play someone that tough will be good.
“I feel like I’ve gotten a lot better. I’ve noticed it form our scrimmage, feel it’s going to show against a highly-rated corner. I feel like I’ve improved my routes, just being able to create separation easier. When you look at little things, like separation and speed, now I can do it just off a move. Everything has just gotten a little easier. Some may think it’s just because you’re fast, but really it’s repetition, just doing it over and over again. I’ve gotten a lot smoother and a lot faster.”
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The Longhorns have two offensive tackle commitments, but Herb Hand and staff continue to look for guys who could possibly help in the interior.
Mission Hills (CA) Bishop Alemany offensive lineman
Dohnovan West is a player who had been in contact with the UT staff after Texas watched him at a satellite camp.
“I talked to them after the Cal Lutheran satellite camp a couple times. I haven’t talked with the OL coach in a few weeks though,” West said. “I talked to him about once a week for about a good month or two. I got invited to the night camp that they had but I couldn’t make it out there.”
In his conversations with Hand, West was told he could be a candidate to play on the interior of the Texas line, possibly at center. Hearing that prompted West to work on his snaps.
“He pretty much talked to about just how he would use me at Texas as like a center or guard. He just said to keep working hard throughout the summer,” West said. “I actually started taking snaps at center because that’s what he said I could play at the next level. I got my snaps down, so I can pretty much play any position on the line.”
If Texas does wind up offering, West said the Longhorns would be high on his list, along with schools like Nebraska, Utah and Boise State.
“They’d definitely be one of my top schools if they were to offer, maybe about top three,” West said. “They have a really good football program, good history at the school and the academics are pretty good too. You get the best of all angles.”
West has already taken an official visit to Nebraska. He’ll take one to Utah on October 20. He’s planning to graduate in December so wants to get the rest of his visits in this fall.
As for a possible UT offer, West said he’s unsure, but hopeful one comes his way after the coaches get to evaluate some of his senior film.
“(Hand) wants to see my first couple games. He wanted me to get out to the camp. I wasn’t able to make it, so he just wants to get to know me a little better,” West said.
