First off ... after talking to Lancaster DB Corian Gipson, I get the feeling that there has been some major movement in this one. Gipson visited Clemson recently, picked up an offer and the Tigers are now major players in this one. In fact, I'm not so sure Clemson hasn't moved into the driver's seat.
Gipson said he's going to drop a top five soon and could even make a commitment soon. He has official visits set up with Clemson, Bama and Texas. When asked if he was still taking his Texas visit in late June, he said "that's the plan" but didn't rule out the possibility of committing before his official visits. He still likes Texas a lot, but the Clemson offer is fresh and that one really moved the needle.
5-star WR Micah Hudson ran today and if Lake Belton doesn't make finals in the 4X200, which they likely won't, he plans to go by the UT football offices on Saturday to meet with the coaches. Hudson continues to keep an open mind but did say there's a lot to like about Texas. He and new WR coach Chris Jackson have developed a solid relationship and he really likes that Jackson coached and played the position at a high level. Texas Tech is very much a factor in this one and the Red Raider staff has done a really good job of building relationships of their own, including during his recent visit. He's going to start thinking of official visits soon and said a summer decision is possible, but not set in stone.
Selman Bridges said he'll likely visit UT with Hudson on Saturday. He'll visit TCU next week, Arkansas on April 8 and LSU on April 22. He's planning on taking a couple official visits in June, maybe three. Texas and USC will definitely get OVs. Bridges isn't planning on deciding until signing day in December. The fact that Steve Sarkisian has taken such a personal interest in this one is helping UT's chances.
Terry Bussey went by the football offices yesterday to meet with the coaches. Texas continues to recruit him mostly at defensive back (he talked to Sark and Blake Gideon), but he said he did talk to Chris Jackson some on yesterday's visit. I asked Bussey if he has a preference on playing offense or defense and he said he doesn't ... whatever gets him on the field. He has visits to Tennessee and Alabama in April and said he'll probably hit A&M on April 8. No officials set up yet.
Not a ton going on with Caden Durham. He keeps things pretty quiet and while he said he's in touch with UT and has an interest, it didn't sound like the Longhorns were major players at this point. Most of the chatter has been on Oklahoma but when I asked Durham if it's accurate to call the Sooners the leader, he said he's open and doesn't have one school over any others.
Gatlin Bair popped off a ridiculous 10.18 today in the 100M, the fastest time of the day. He stopped by the football offices yesterday and met with the coaches. Bair said he likes Chris Jackson, likes the idea of playing in Sark's offense and likes that UT can offer big-time football. He's working to set up some official visits. A recent trip to Nebraska made a strong impression. Texas is in the mix, for sure, but I get the feeling the Longhorns are down his list a bit and will need to get him in for an official visit to have any chance.
