Let us begin the Kyler Murray discussion by throwing out as many disclaimers we can think of.
We have not been told by Texas sourcing that Murray is interested in attending Texas, although sources from the Texas A&M side of things believe Texas, Oklahoma, Texas Tech and Oregon are in play. None of our Texas sources have hinted about the possibility of Murray landing in Austin. None of us are willing to guess where Murray’s destination might be after he leaves College Station. Simply put, we do not know what the Murray family is thinking.
That being said, we have to address the quarterback everyone in Texas is talking about once again after news surfaced on Wednesday about Murray’s desire to leave College Station.
Murray’s decision has caught everyone off guard. Now all of us in Austin are on guard about the possibility Murray may consider transferring to the University of Texas.
As most Longhorn fans know, Texas finished second to Texas A&M in the recruitment of Murray. He committed to Texas A&M early, and Texas was seemingly an afterthought for months.
However, we kept hearing rumors there was a chance Murray would consider the Longhorns, even though many of us at Orangebloods thought it was a long shot. The discussions between Charlie Strong and the Murray family continued throughout the 2014 season. We started hearing more chatter about Murray wanting to visit Texas in December of 2015. That is when we began to brace for the possibility of Murray visiting Texas – and maybe signing.
Murray was supposed to sneak into Austin for a secret visit on January 21. During Murray’s visit, he tweeted a picture of a Texas jersey with his number (No.1), giving Longhorn fans hope, and Aggie fans an ulcer. Murray to Texas never occurred, and he eventually decided to attend Texas A&M.
Clearly there is something wrong in College Station. Texas A&M quarterback Kenny Hill transferred earlier this year, quarterback Kyle Allen decided to transfer last week, and now Murray cannot wait to get out of town. It would be easy to label Murray as problematic, but there are more issues going on in that program than most know.
One A&M source told Orangebloods this week that it wasn't any single factor that turned Murray away from the A&M program, rather it was a number of far-ranging issues within the program. For instance, once source with A&M ties reports that Sumlin hasn't communicated with A&M OC Jake Spavital about his future and it's unclear how much the two are even speaking to each other at this point. Another A&M source mentioned this week that there's a serious disconnect right now between Sumlin and his players, as he has appeared distant and aloof to a number of players that have approached him this year.
Much of Sumlin's fate will be tied to the expected offensive coordinator hire he will make once he actually tells Spavital that he's out, but he's was unwilling to give Murray (or anyone else for that matter) any real information about the direction he intends to take.
Sources also report that Sumlin has dropped the ball in a number of different recruitments in the 2016 recruiting class and that the same communication problems that he's having with his players is occurring on the recruiting trails.
Back to the Texas side of things for a moment... so, why are we even mentioning Murray right now when none of our Texas sources have indicated the Longhorns might be in contention?
Unfortunately, the silence on the Texas front is a big reason why, although we’ve been told a handful of Texas players in the 2015 recruiting class are now recruiting Murray to come to Austin.
When Texas recruited Murray earlier this year, the family wanted a media blackout. They informed every member of the Longhorn staff if news of their recruitment appeared in any media outlet, Murray would not visit Texas. As a result of that threat, everyone within the building was on pins and needles. Nobody would discuss Murray recruitment to the media. The Murray’s received their wish, and Kyler eventually announced he was in Austin on Twitter.
As a result of Texas’ interest in Murray, high school quarterback Zach Gentry decided to switch his commitment from the Longhorns to Michigan.
From the moment we learned about Murray’s possible transfer from Texas A&M, we reached out to our sources. Nobody within the building is willing to talk about Murray at all. We keep hearing rumors Texas and Oklahoma are Murray’s top choices, but have not been able to verify that. It reminds us of the odd silence everyone associated with the program had last year around this time. It is possible we are just paranoid. Right now, we cannot rule out anything.
Logically, even if Murray wants to attend – and the Longhorns are interested – there are a lot of obstacles to overcome.
Murray cannot transfer to an SEC school or any team Texas A&M might face in the next four year. His best bet would be transferring to a junior college, playing baseball in 2016 and entering the draft, a path Dustin McComas said is available to Murray. Entering next year’s draft would give him the opportunity to pursue a baseball career, especially after he withdrew his name from the last draft.
Trying to acquire Murray could affect the verbal commitments from quarterbacks Shane Buechele (2016) and Sam Ehlinger (2017). If Murray had to sit out a year, it is hard to imagine Texas would have three young quarterbacks competing to start in 2017. Texas could lose at least one commitment if Murray landed in Austin.
Right now, we are not sure what the Murray’s are thinking.
We find out soon if that is a good or bad thing. (Richardson/Ketchum)
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The recent restructuring of Strong’s football staff will have only two results when we look back after the 2016 season.
Each move will either lead to success next season or be remembered as decisions that never helped his team win.
Either way, Strong entered this offseason with the goal of improving his staff.
So far, Strong has hired offensive coordinator Sterlin Gilbert and offensive line coach Matt Mattox. He decided not to re-sign quarterbacks coach Shawn Watson and offensive line coach Joe Wickline, two moves we expected. He also gave Jeff Traylor (special teams coordinator/tight ends coach) a raise.
Strong has not announced if he will re-sign running backs coach Tommie Robinson or retain receivers coach Jay Norvell. From what I have heard, Robinson has a very good chance of being re-signed and part of the 2016 coaching staff. Norvell has interviewed with more than one program and still remains at Texas. He remains a wildcard right now.
On defense, the contracts of Vance Bedford (defensive coordinator), Brian Jean-Mary (linebackers) and Chris Vaughan (defensive backs) will expire soon. Each will probably be retained, and it does not appear there will be any changes on defense, unless a member of Strong’s staff decides to leave.
Do not be surprised if staff members are informed of the future after the Christmas holiday. (Richardson)
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We spoke with multiple sources who have knowledge of junior DT Hassan Ridgeway's presumed impending decision regarding whether to return for his senior senior at Texas, or forego it and enter the 2016 NFL Draft.
One person from the NFL side told OB on Monday that "no decision has been made," indicating that, if nothing else, Ridgeway was or (or maybe still is) at least entertaining the idea of gauging his draft stock. We also heard rumors last week from other sources around the program that would correspondingly point to this being the case.
However, in speaking with a source close to Ridgeway on Thursday, OB was told that this person would be "shocked" if Ridgeway were not to return for his senior season. "We've talked about it, and the only plans I know of (Ridgeway) having are to come back (for another year at Texas)."
While nothing will be official until Ridgeway makes a public statement one way or the other (the declaration deadline in January 15th), it's good news for Texas fans that some close to Ridgeway (with a presumed good read on the situation) are very confident he'll continue playing on Saturdays for one more season. (Dunlap)
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OB's Anwar Richardson reported last weekend that UT President Greg Fenves and Athletic Director Mike Perrin reassured new UT offensive coordinator Sterlin Gilbert that Strong would not be fired after the 2016 season.
Last weekend, during the Longhorns' official visit weekend, that same message was delivered to some of the recruits.
One uncommitted prospect who was on campus for his official visit told us via text that Fenves and Perrin informed him and some others that Strong would be at Texas through at least 2017. It should be noted that another prospect, who is already committed to Texas, said he did not hear the same message.
As we've reported for a while, the support for Strong from high-ranking people in the athletic department continues to be strong, with one person this week telling us he feels Strong's support from decision makers is at an all-time high. (Suchomel)
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Speaking of official visitors, tight end Irvin Smith apparently had a very good time, and Texas definitely made up ground for the A&M commitment (more on that in a second).
"It was a great visit. I got to meet with all the coaches for the first time. I had actually met coach (Jeff) Traylor before, but I got to meet with coach Strong and all the other coaches for the first time. That was nice," Smith said. "I got to meet some of the players committed there since they were on their visit too. I built pretty good relationships moving forward into the future."
The big question ... with everything going on at Texas A&M, what is Smith's commitment status. Here's Smith's quote (as of Wednesday night, before Murray's transfer was reportedly finalized) ...
"It is alarming. But I'm hanging in there. I'm not going to rush anything. We have a dead period so nobody can go visit schools anyway. I'm just hanging in there right now," Smith said.
Not exactly a ringing endorsement for the Aggies.
Smith said the Texas visit "opened some doors" for him with the Longhorns. He is still technically committed to A&M, but is he planning to take at least one more visit.
"We'll see what happens," Smith said.
Smith is scheduled to visit Alabama the weekend of January 22. We'll see where this one goes over the next month, but I think it's safe to say Texas A&M has a tenuous grasp on his commitment at best.
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Waco DB Eric Cuffee was one of the big uncommitted prospects in Austin last weekend for an official visit.
Cuffee, who has previously visited Notre Dame, said the biggest highlight was getting to sit down and talk to the UT coaches and hanging out with the current UT players.
"Being involved with them, that meant a lot to me," said Cuffee, who is no stranger to visits to the Forty Acres.
Cuffee was hosted by Malik Jefferson, and he said DeShon Elliott was also very involved in his visit.
About midway through the season, Cuffee had a top five of Ole Miss, Auburn, TCU, Texas and Texas A&M. He told me this week he's not really limited to those five schools.
"It's not really a top five. I just kind of threw in those schools, it ended up getting out in the media. That's how that happened," Cuffee said.
Cuffee currently has a Texas A&M visit on the books for January 22. He's also looking at an Arkansas visit but does not have that one locked in. He said he'll likely have his decision made sometime between his A&M visit and National Signing Day.
Cuffee plays it close to the vest, but Texas definitely improved its standing with last week's visit.
"They showed me a really good time, showed me they wanted me a lot, that I'm their main target for cornerback, things like that," Cuffee said. "They showed my parents a good time, so that's a big consideration for me too."
In his conversations with the UT coaches, including Strong, Cuffee said it was emphasized that Strong plans to be at Texas for the long haul.
"They were just telling me about the school, how they weren't going to leave. Coach strong said the rumors about him going to leave, he was just clarifying that he's not going to leave, that there's nothing to worry about." (Suchomel)
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UT wide receiver commitment Collin Johnson will enroll at Texas in January. He was in town last weekend for his one and only official visit, and the playmaking pass catcher said it went well.
"It was really good. It was amazing," Johnson said. "Every time I come to Austin, I feel like it gets better. The trip overall was great, bonding with future teammates, things like that. We all had an awesome time. It really hit me, Shane (Buechele) and DeMarco (Boyd) how soon we're coming. The next time we come there, it will be official."
On Friday, the first day of the official visit, the news of Texas' pursuit of new-OC Sterlin Gilbert dominated the headlines. The players got to meet Gilbert and OL coach Matt Mattox on Saturday, and Gilbert made a strong first impression. Understandably, Johnson is excited about the prospect of playing in Gilbert's high-flying offense.
"Talking to him was great, he's really excited bout the future, getting around the players," Johnson said. "I'm really excited. I cannot wait to get started with him. He's a great coach, going to give me some great opportunities to make plays. That's all I can ask for. I'm going to work really hard, try to make an early impact, work my butt off and take advantage of everything that's in front of me."
Of the guys on campus last weekend, Johnson and QB Shane Buechele would seemingly have the most to gain by the new offense Texas will be running. Johnson said both players are excited about the opportunities in front of them, but they know there's a lot of work to be done.
"It was cool just bonding with my future teammates, getting closer and closer, building that brotherhood before we get there on campus," Johnson said. "It's just cool overall. Shane and I are both excited about what the future holds. But we're going to go in there expecting nothing to be given to us. We'll have to work and take advantage of the chances given to us."
Johnson missed most of his senior season with a shoulder injury but he said he's all the way back from his surgery and will be ready to go once he gets to campus. He had just finished lifting weights when I talked to him this week, and he's currently focuses on building his strength back up. (Suchomel)
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Of note, Johnson's brother, freshman RB Kirk Johnson, is also expected to be ready to go for spring ball after suffering a leg injury late in the 2015 season.
In talking to one person inside the UT football program this week, there are expectations that Johnson should be a big part of the offense next year due to his versatility and unique skill set. (Suchomel)
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Farmington (MI) linebacker David Reese took his official visit to Texas last weekend. He plans to announce his commitment on Friday out of a final grouping that includes Texas, TCU, Florida and Nebraska.
Florida has been thought to be the leader for a while, but Texas did make a very good impression during Reese's official visit.
"It was good. They showed us a great time," Mr. Reese said. "I can't complain about anything. It's a well-oiled machine. They treated us like family. The chemistry, eveything was outstanding.
In talking to a couple people today, we still feel it's trending Florida's way, but it sounds like Texas is a close second. Could things flip UT's way at the last minute? Anything's possible.
"All four are still really in play," Mr. Reese said. "They all have their unique value that he's noticed about them. Each of them has a major benefit to them."
TCU - "It's big-time football. It's a small-school atmosphere. But it has major college appeal as far as playing and being dominant recently in Big 12 Conference."
Texas - "Everything is big and beautiful. The facilities cannot be matched. The education cannot be matched."
Florida - "It's pro player U. They've had a rapid turnaround. It's the number 7 business school in the country."
Nebraska - "It's the Big 10 sleeping giant. You know they're going to come back. They have a tremendous fan base, 364 consecutive sellout games. Their power on twitter, they flood David every day. The fan base is crazy. Don't get me wrong, Texas and Florida are strong on Twitter too, but the Nebraska fan base is crazy."
Reese's announcement is expected to go public at 1 p.m. CST. (Suchomel)
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A quick note on Belton OL Zach Shackelford, who holds a UT offer.
Shackelford is still committed to Kansas State but he's slated to possibly take his Texas official visit the weekend of January 16. At last check, that date wasn't locked in, but we expect it to happen.
Shackelford was on Tulsa's radar and camped their last summer, and from what we've heard, Texas' chances have gone up considerably with the addition of Matt Mattox. However, Shackelford is very fond of the K-State coaches, including the OL coach, so this one is not the slam dunk some have stated.
I like UT's chances in the long run thanks to Mattox, but this one could be a bit of a battle (Suchomel)
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Texas' focus at RB is on Devwah Whaley and Kyle Porter, but do not rule out the possibility of the Longhorns pursuing a couple other targets.
There is some curiosity on the behalf of Texas on how Kam Martin would fit in with the new offensive scheme, but there are several steps that would need to be taken before that one officially hits the radar.
Another one that's a bit of a wildcard, but don't forget about George Ranch RB Darius Anderson, who is committed to Missouri. If Anderson waivers on his pledge to Mizzou due to the coaching change in Columbia, he's still a player that's high on UT's wish list. (Suchomel)
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At first blush, when LSU offered top UT DT target D'andre Christmas-Giles during his official visit to Texas, it looked like LSU, it felt like DCG was pretty much a shoe-in to commit to the Tigers.
After digging around some, the opinions depend on who you ask.
"He's only taken two visits to Texas and TCU so there's a lot of talk about those two. But I just think after he takes all his visits, especially with LSU one of the last ones, it's going to be really hard to get him away."
Another person I spoke with on Wednesday, who has been in contact with Christmas-Giles since his UT visit, feels pretty good about UT's chances.
"He said how much he likes Texas. He talks about Texas a lot. If I had to bet, I'd be on Texas right now," we were told.
We'll continue to track this one, but it sounds like the Longhorns have at least put themselves in striking position for a very talented player at a need position. (Suchomel)
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A quick update on Jake Raulerson, for those of you who have asked ...
Since announcing his intentions to transfer and further his academic and athletic career elsewhere, Raulerson has received a number of offers from top programs. Among them are Michigan, UCLA, Ole Miss, Arkansas and Vanderbilt.
There have been questions this week on whether or not Raulerson would ever consider returning to Texas now that there have been some changes to the offensive staff.
From what I'm told, Raulerson would be willing to talk to anyone who wants to reach out to him and he is not shutting any doors on any school. He absolutely holds no ill will towards Texas, and if new UT OL coach Matt Mattox, OC Sterlin Gilbert or even Charlie Strong reached out to him, he'd gladly accept their call. That has not happened as of Thursday night.
Does that mean he'd return to Texas if the lines of communication opened up? Not necessarily. But Raulerson is intelligent and mature enough that he's going to weigh each and every option very thoroughly, he's not going to lock anyone out, and he's simply going to go through the process in a deliberate fashion until he can find the best situation for himself, both on the field and in the classroom. (Suchomel)
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Recently the Longhorns have been searching the JUCO ranks for a option at quarterback and one name mentioned was Cisco Junior College signal caller Richard Lagow.
As first reported by Orangebloods two weeks ago, the Texas staff reached out to the coaches at Cisco to get film and find out more about the former Plano product.
Unfortunately, it sounds like they are now too late.
Members of the Texas coaching staff reached out once again to Lagow’s coaches and that conversation took place on Saturday, December 12th. The Cisco staff was told by Texas that they were very interested in him and wanted to evaluate him in person.
Lagow actually committed to Indiana earlier in the month, but told Orangebloods if Texas offered he would switch in a heartbeat. With the Horns not seriously pursing him, however, the 6-foot-5, 200-pound quarterback decided it was time to move on. Yesterday he made it official by signing with the Hoosiers and will enroll in January with three years of eligibility remaining.
This past season Lagow, who was considered one of the nation’s best JUCO QBs, threw for 2,285 yards and 21 touchdowns. (Munroe)
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On Wednesday, Texas coaches were in Las Vegas at the Tarkanian Classic watching 2017 prospects like Jarred Vanderbilt, Charles O’Bannon, Jr., Troy Brown, Billy Preston, and P.J. Washington. Washington, a 6-7 wing/forward from Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nevada; originally from Texas) was one of Texas’ first 2017 offers and is its top priority at the position. We checked in with Washington’s father, Paul, to see how he’s progressing, what they thought of Texas’ play this season, and recruiting.
“He went 2-for-3 from three last night,” said Mr. Washington. “Trying to get more versatile. Every college that’s recruiting P.J. says he’s a three. He can do both. We’re doing a lot of skill-development; mid-range and deep shooting.”
Washington said he caught Texas’ game against North Carolina, and liked what he saw.
“They looked good. It’s going to take a minute,” he said. “I like what he’s (Shaka Smart) doing.”
As for recruiting, Washington listed off most of the same schools that he’s mentioned in the past as top teams that are coming after his son the most.
“We hear from Kentucky, Cal, Texas, Texas A&M, UCLA, Arizona and Michigan State. Those are probably the top,” he said. “We took a visit to Arizona [recently].”
Washington, rated as the No. 27 prospect overall, said that during the Arizona visit the Wildcats brought up the idea of P.J. reclassifying to the 2016 class. Doesn’t sound like that’s an option.
“Why would we do that? That’s what’s best for them not what’s best for P.J.”
As for any sort of timetable, it doesn’t sound like Washington, who visited Texas during the summer, will take the amount of time to decide that most prospects do.
“He’s taking his ACT in February. We’ll start visits after that. He wants to make it sooner rather than later,” stated Washington.
From what we’ve heard, the three schools standing out the most right now for Washington, this comes from someone else and not his father, are Arizona, Kentucky, and Texas. Kentucky hasn’t offered yet. (McComas)
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While Washington is a top priority for Texas at one spot, Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Virginia) point guard Matt Coleman is clearly a top target for the Longhorns at the point guard spot. Coleman, who is rated as the No. 29 player overall in the 2017 Rivals150.
Coleman said he caught the end of Texas’ win over North Carolina, and thought it was a statement made by Smart, who has been recruiting and known the Virginia native for years.
“That’s big! Caught the eyes of a lot of people,” texted Coleman. “Shows what he’s capable of.”
Coleman listed off the following schools as ones consistently reaching out and recruiting him hard: Arizona, Texas, Ohio State, Virginia, NC State, Alabama, Louisville, Florida and Arizona State.
The 6-2 point guard visited Texas during the summer. (McComas)
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Rivals.com analyst Eric Bossi was at the Tarkanian Classic, and caught up briefly with Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nevada) guard Charles O’Bannon, Jr. The nation’s No. 44 prospect overall is planning on taking an unofficial visit to Texas in January. (McComas)
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On Monday, Hutchinson Community College (Hutchinson, Kansas) sophomore wing Bashir Ahmed arrived for his official visit at Texas, and returned back home after Tuesday night’s game. We checked in with Hutchinson C.C. head coach Steve Eck, who was unable to offer any info (hadn’t talked to Ahmed; didn’t know anything about a possible timetable for a decision; told us he’d have to ask Ahmed in order for his number to be given out).
However, a source indicated that Texas is definitely in this one after the official visit, and that the reported target date for a decision, end of December, is a possibility for the Bronx, New York native. If the Longhorns really turn up the heat and push hard the rest of the way, they will be a legit factor, although most believe that hometown St. John’s is in the driver’s seat. (McComas)
We have not been told by Texas sourcing that Murray is interested in attending Texas, although sources from the Texas A&M side of things believe Texas, Oklahoma, Texas Tech and Oregon are in play. None of our Texas sources have hinted about the possibility of Murray landing in Austin. None of us are willing to guess where Murray’s destination might be after he leaves College Station. Simply put, we do not know what the Murray family is thinking.
That being said, we have to address the quarterback everyone in Texas is talking about once again after news surfaced on Wednesday about Murray’s desire to leave College Station.
Murray’s decision has caught everyone off guard. Now all of us in Austin are on guard about the possibility Murray may consider transferring to the University of Texas.
As most Longhorn fans know, Texas finished second to Texas A&M in the recruitment of Murray. He committed to Texas A&M early, and Texas was seemingly an afterthought for months.
However, we kept hearing rumors there was a chance Murray would consider the Longhorns, even though many of us at Orangebloods thought it was a long shot. The discussions between Charlie Strong and the Murray family continued throughout the 2014 season. We started hearing more chatter about Murray wanting to visit Texas in December of 2015. That is when we began to brace for the possibility of Murray visiting Texas – and maybe signing.
Murray was supposed to sneak into Austin for a secret visit on January 21. During Murray’s visit, he tweeted a picture of a Texas jersey with his number (No.1), giving Longhorn fans hope, and Aggie fans an ulcer. Murray to Texas never occurred, and he eventually decided to attend Texas A&M.
Clearly there is something wrong in College Station. Texas A&M quarterback Kenny Hill transferred earlier this year, quarterback Kyle Allen decided to transfer last week, and now Murray cannot wait to get out of town. It would be easy to label Murray as problematic, but there are more issues going on in that program than most know.
One A&M source told Orangebloods this week that it wasn't any single factor that turned Murray away from the A&M program, rather it was a number of far-ranging issues within the program. For instance, once source with A&M ties reports that Sumlin hasn't communicated with A&M OC Jake Spavital about his future and it's unclear how much the two are even speaking to each other at this point. Another A&M source mentioned this week that there's a serious disconnect right now between Sumlin and his players, as he has appeared distant and aloof to a number of players that have approached him this year.
Much of Sumlin's fate will be tied to the expected offensive coordinator hire he will make once he actually tells Spavital that he's out, but he's was unwilling to give Murray (or anyone else for that matter) any real information about the direction he intends to take.
Sources also report that Sumlin has dropped the ball in a number of different recruitments in the 2016 recruiting class and that the same communication problems that he's having with his players is occurring on the recruiting trails.
Back to the Texas side of things for a moment... so, why are we even mentioning Murray right now when none of our Texas sources have indicated the Longhorns might be in contention?
Unfortunately, the silence on the Texas front is a big reason why, although we’ve been told a handful of Texas players in the 2015 recruiting class are now recruiting Murray to come to Austin.
When Texas recruited Murray earlier this year, the family wanted a media blackout. They informed every member of the Longhorn staff if news of their recruitment appeared in any media outlet, Murray would not visit Texas. As a result of that threat, everyone within the building was on pins and needles. Nobody would discuss Murray recruitment to the media. The Murray’s received their wish, and Kyler eventually announced he was in Austin on Twitter.
As a result of Texas’ interest in Murray, high school quarterback Zach Gentry decided to switch his commitment from the Longhorns to Michigan.
From the moment we learned about Murray’s possible transfer from Texas A&M, we reached out to our sources. Nobody within the building is willing to talk about Murray at all. We keep hearing rumors Texas and Oklahoma are Murray’s top choices, but have not been able to verify that. It reminds us of the odd silence everyone associated with the program had last year around this time. It is possible we are just paranoid. Right now, we cannot rule out anything.
Logically, even if Murray wants to attend – and the Longhorns are interested – there are a lot of obstacles to overcome.
Murray cannot transfer to an SEC school or any team Texas A&M might face in the next four year. His best bet would be transferring to a junior college, playing baseball in 2016 and entering the draft, a path Dustin McComas said is available to Murray. Entering next year’s draft would give him the opportunity to pursue a baseball career, especially after he withdrew his name from the last draft.
Trying to acquire Murray could affect the verbal commitments from quarterbacks Shane Buechele (2016) and Sam Ehlinger (2017). If Murray had to sit out a year, it is hard to imagine Texas would have three young quarterbacks competing to start in 2017. Texas could lose at least one commitment if Murray landed in Austin.
Right now, we are not sure what the Murray’s are thinking.
We find out soon if that is a good or bad thing. (Richardson/Ketchum)
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The recent restructuring of Strong’s football staff will have only two results when we look back after the 2016 season.
Each move will either lead to success next season or be remembered as decisions that never helped his team win.
Either way, Strong entered this offseason with the goal of improving his staff.
So far, Strong has hired offensive coordinator Sterlin Gilbert and offensive line coach Matt Mattox. He decided not to re-sign quarterbacks coach Shawn Watson and offensive line coach Joe Wickline, two moves we expected. He also gave Jeff Traylor (special teams coordinator/tight ends coach) a raise.
Strong has not announced if he will re-sign running backs coach Tommie Robinson or retain receivers coach Jay Norvell. From what I have heard, Robinson has a very good chance of being re-signed and part of the 2016 coaching staff. Norvell has interviewed with more than one program and still remains at Texas. He remains a wildcard right now.
On defense, the contracts of Vance Bedford (defensive coordinator), Brian Jean-Mary (linebackers) and Chris Vaughan (defensive backs) will expire soon. Each will probably be retained, and it does not appear there will be any changes on defense, unless a member of Strong’s staff decides to leave.
Do not be surprised if staff members are informed of the future after the Christmas holiday. (Richardson)
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We spoke with multiple sources who have knowledge of junior DT Hassan Ridgeway's presumed impending decision regarding whether to return for his senior senior at Texas, or forego it and enter the 2016 NFL Draft.
One person from the NFL side told OB on Monday that "no decision has been made," indicating that, if nothing else, Ridgeway was or (or maybe still is) at least entertaining the idea of gauging his draft stock. We also heard rumors last week from other sources around the program that would correspondingly point to this being the case.
However, in speaking with a source close to Ridgeway on Thursday, OB was told that this person would be "shocked" if Ridgeway were not to return for his senior season. "We've talked about it, and the only plans I know of (Ridgeway) having are to come back (for another year at Texas)."
While nothing will be official until Ridgeway makes a public statement one way or the other (the declaration deadline in January 15th), it's good news for Texas fans that some close to Ridgeway (with a presumed good read on the situation) are very confident he'll continue playing on Saturdays for one more season. (Dunlap)
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OB's Anwar Richardson reported last weekend that UT President Greg Fenves and Athletic Director Mike Perrin reassured new UT offensive coordinator Sterlin Gilbert that Strong would not be fired after the 2016 season.
Last weekend, during the Longhorns' official visit weekend, that same message was delivered to some of the recruits.
One uncommitted prospect who was on campus for his official visit told us via text that Fenves and Perrin informed him and some others that Strong would be at Texas through at least 2017. It should be noted that another prospect, who is already committed to Texas, said he did not hear the same message.
As we've reported for a while, the support for Strong from high-ranking people in the athletic department continues to be strong, with one person this week telling us he feels Strong's support from decision makers is at an all-time high. (Suchomel)
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Speaking of official visitors, tight end Irvin Smith apparently had a very good time, and Texas definitely made up ground for the A&M commitment (more on that in a second).
"It was a great visit. I got to meet with all the coaches for the first time. I had actually met coach (Jeff) Traylor before, but I got to meet with coach Strong and all the other coaches for the first time. That was nice," Smith said. "I got to meet some of the players committed there since they were on their visit too. I built pretty good relationships moving forward into the future."
The big question ... with everything going on at Texas A&M, what is Smith's commitment status. Here's Smith's quote (as of Wednesday night, before Murray's transfer was reportedly finalized) ...
"It is alarming. But I'm hanging in there. I'm not going to rush anything. We have a dead period so nobody can go visit schools anyway. I'm just hanging in there right now," Smith said.
Not exactly a ringing endorsement for the Aggies.
Smith said the Texas visit "opened some doors" for him with the Longhorns. He is still technically committed to A&M, but is he planning to take at least one more visit.
"We'll see what happens," Smith said.
Smith is scheduled to visit Alabama the weekend of January 22. We'll see where this one goes over the next month, but I think it's safe to say Texas A&M has a tenuous grasp on his commitment at best.
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Waco DB Eric Cuffee was one of the big uncommitted prospects in Austin last weekend for an official visit.
Cuffee, who has previously visited Notre Dame, said the biggest highlight was getting to sit down and talk to the UT coaches and hanging out with the current UT players.
"Being involved with them, that meant a lot to me," said Cuffee, who is no stranger to visits to the Forty Acres.
Cuffee was hosted by Malik Jefferson, and he said DeShon Elliott was also very involved in his visit.
About midway through the season, Cuffee had a top five of Ole Miss, Auburn, TCU, Texas and Texas A&M. He told me this week he's not really limited to those five schools.
"It's not really a top five. I just kind of threw in those schools, it ended up getting out in the media. That's how that happened," Cuffee said.
Cuffee currently has a Texas A&M visit on the books for January 22. He's also looking at an Arkansas visit but does not have that one locked in. He said he'll likely have his decision made sometime between his A&M visit and National Signing Day.
Cuffee plays it close to the vest, but Texas definitely improved its standing with last week's visit.
"They showed me a really good time, showed me they wanted me a lot, that I'm their main target for cornerback, things like that," Cuffee said. "They showed my parents a good time, so that's a big consideration for me too."
In his conversations with the UT coaches, including Strong, Cuffee said it was emphasized that Strong plans to be at Texas for the long haul.
"They were just telling me about the school, how they weren't going to leave. Coach strong said the rumors about him going to leave, he was just clarifying that he's not going to leave, that there's nothing to worry about." (Suchomel)
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UT wide receiver commitment Collin Johnson will enroll at Texas in January. He was in town last weekend for his one and only official visit, and the playmaking pass catcher said it went well.
"It was really good. It was amazing," Johnson said. "Every time I come to Austin, I feel like it gets better. The trip overall was great, bonding with future teammates, things like that. We all had an awesome time. It really hit me, Shane (Buechele) and DeMarco (Boyd) how soon we're coming. The next time we come there, it will be official."
On Friday, the first day of the official visit, the news of Texas' pursuit of new-OC Sterlin Gilbert dominated the headlines. The players got to meet Gilbert and OL coach Matt Mattox on Saturday, and Gilbert made a strong first impression. Understandably, Johnson is excited about the prospect of playing in Gilbert's high-flying offense.
"Talking to him was great, he's really excited bout the future, getting around the players," Johnson said. "I'm really excited. I cannot wait to get started with him. He's a great coach, going to give me some great opportunities to make plays. That's all I can ask for. I'm going to work really hard, try to make an early impact, work my butt off and take advantage of everything that's in front of me."
Of the guys on campus last weekend, Johnson and QB Shane Buechele would seemingly have the most to gain by the new offense Texas will be running. Johnson said both players are excited about the opportunities in front of them, but they know there's a lot of work to be done.
"It was cool just bonding with my future teammates, getting closer and closer, building that brotherhood before we get there on campus," Johnson said. "It's just cool overall. Shane and I are both excited about what the future holds. But we're going to go in there expecting nothing to be given to us. We'll have to work and take advantage of the chances given to us."
Johnson missed most of his senior season with a shoulder injury but he said he's all the way back from his surgery and will be ready to go once he gets to campus. He had just finished lifting weights when I talked to him this week, and he's currently focuses on building his strength back up. (Suchomel)
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Of note, Johnson's brother, freshman RB Kirk Johnson, is also expected to be ready to go for spring ball after suffering a leg injury late in the 2015 season.
In talking to one person inside the UT football program this week, there are expectations that Johnson should be a big part of the offense next year due to his versatility and unique skill set. (Suchomel)
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Farmington (MI) linebacker David Reese took his official visit to Texas last weekend. He plans to announce his commitment on Friday out of a final grouping that includes Texas, TCU, Florida and Nebraska.
Florida has been thought to be the leader for a while, but Texas did make a very good impression during Reese's official visit.
"It was good. They showed us a great time," Mr. Reese said. "I can't complain about anything. It's a well-oiled machine. They treated us like family. The chemistry, eveything was outstanding.
In talking to a couple people today, we still feel it's trending Florida's way, but it sounds like Texas is a close second. Could things flip UT's way at the last minute? Anything's possible.
"All four are still really in play," Mr. Reese said. "They all have their unique value that he's noticed about them. Each of them has a major benefit to them."
TCU - "It's big-time football. It's a small-school atmosphere. But it has major college appeal as far as playing and being dominant recently in Big 12 Conference."
Texas - "Everything is big and beautiful. The facilities cannot be matched. The education cannot be matched."
Florida - "It's pro player U. They've had a rapid turnaround. It's the number 7 business school in the country."
Nebraska - "It's the Big 10 sleeping giant. You know they're going to come back. They have a tremendous fan base, 364 consecutive sellout games. Their power on twitter, they flood David every day. The fan base is crazy. Don't get me wrong, Texas and Florida are strong on Twitter too, but the Nebraska fan base is crazy."
Reese's announcement is expected to go public at 1 p.m. CST. (Suchomel)
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A quick note on Belton OL Zach Shackelford, who holds a UT offer.
Shackelford is still committed to Kansas State but he's slated to possibly take his Texas official visit the weekend of January 16. At last check, that date wasn't locked in, but we expect it to happen.
Shackelford was on Tulsa's radar and camped their last summer, and from what we've heard, Texas' chances have gone up considerably with the addition of Matt Mattox. However, Shackelford is very fond of the K-State coaches, including the OL coach, so this one is not the slam dunk some have stated.
I like UT's chances in the long run thanks to Mattox, but this one could be a bit of a battle (Suchomel)
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Texas' focus at RB is on Devwah Whaley and Kyle Porter, but do not rule out the possibility of the Longhorns pursuing a couple other targets.
There is some curiosity on the behalf of Texas on how Kam Martin would fit in with the new offensive scheme, but there are several steps that would need to be taken before that one officially hits the radar.
Another one that's a bit of a wildcard, but don't forget about George Ranch RB Darius Anderson, who is committed to Missouri. If Anderson waivers on his pledge to Mizzou due to the coaching change in Columbia, he's still a player that's high on UT's wish list. (Suchomel)
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At first blush, when LSU offered top UT DT target D'andre Christmas-Giles during his official visit to Texas, it looked like LSU, it felt like DCG was pretty much a shoe-in to commit to the Tigers.
After digging around some, the opinions depend on who you ask.
"He's only taken two visits to Texas and TCU so there's a lot of talk about those two. But I just think after he takes all his visits, especially with LSU one of the last ones, it's going to be really hard to get him away."
Another person I spoke with on Wednesday, who has been in contact with Christmas-Giles since his UT visit, feels pretty good about UT's chances.
"He said how much he likes Texas. He talks about Texas a lot. If I had to bet, I'd be on Texas right now," we were told.
We'll continue to track this one, but it sounds like the Longhorns have at least put themselves in striking position for a very talented player at a need position. (Suchomel)
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A quick update on Jake Raulerson, for those of you who have asked ...
Since announcing his intentions to transfer and further his academic and athletic career elsewhere, Raulerson has received a number of offers from top programs. Among them are Michigan, UCLA, Ole Miss, Arkansas and Vanderbilt.
There have been questions this week on whether or not Raulerson would ever consider returning to Texas now that there have been some changes to the offensive staff.
From what I'm told, Raulerson would be willing to talk to anyone who wants to reach out to him and he is not shutting any doors on any school. He absolutely holds no ill will towards Texas, and if new UT OL coach Matt Mattox, OC Sterlin Gilbert or even Charlie Strong reached out to him, he'd gladly accept their call. That has not happened as of Thursday night.
Does that mean he'd return to Texas if the lines of communication opened up? Not necessarily. But Raulerson is intelligent and mature enough that he's going to weigh each and every option very thoroughly, he's not going to lock anyone out, and he's simply going to go through the process in a deliberate fashion until he can find the best situation for himself, both on the field and in the classroom. (Suchomel)
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Recently the Longhorns have been searching the JUCO ranks for a option at quarterback and one name mentioned was Cisco Junior College signal caller Richard Lagow.
As first reported by Orangebloods two weeks ago, the Texas staff reached out to the coaches at Cisco to get film and find out more about the former Plano product.
Unfortunately, it sounds like they are now too late.
Members of the Texas coaching staff reached out once again to Lagow’s coaches and that conversation took place on Saturday, December 12th. The Cisco staff was told by Texas that they were very interested in him and wanted to evaluate him in person.
Lagow actually committed to Indiana earlier in the month, but told Orangebloods if Texas offered he would switch in a heartbeat. With the Horns not seriously pursing him, however, the 6-foot-5, 200-pound quarterback decided it was time to move on. Yesterday he made it official by signing with the Hoosiers and will enroll in January with three years of eligibility remaining.
This past season Lagow, who was considered one of the nation’s best JUCO QBs, threw for 2,285 yards and 21 touchdowns. (Munroe)
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On Wednesday, Texas coaches were in Las Vegas at the Tarkanian Classic watching 2017 prospects like Jarred Vanderbilt, Charles O’Bannon, Jr., Troy Brown, Billy Preston, and P.J. Washington. Washington, a 6-7 wing/forward from Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nevada; originally from Texas) was one of Texas’ first 2017 offers and is its top priority at the position. We checked in with Washington’s father, Paul, to see how he’s progressing, what they thought of Texas’ play this season, and recruiting.
“He went 2-for-3 from three last night,” said Mr. Washington. “Trying to get more versatile. Every college that’s recruiting P.J. says he’s a three. He can do both. We’re doing a lot of skill-development; mid-range and deep shooting.”
Washington said he caught Texas’ game against North Carolina, and liked what he saw.
“They looked good. It’s going to take a minute,” he said. “I like what he’s (Shaka Smart) doing.”
As for recruiting, Washington listed off most of the same schools that he’s mentioned in the past as top teams that are coming after his son the most.
“We hear from Kentucky, Cal, Texas, Texas A&M, UCLA, Arizona and Michigan State. Those are probably the top,” he said. “We took a visit to Arizona [recently].”
Washington, rated as the No. 27 prospect overall, said that during the Arizona visit the Wildcats brought up the idea of P.J. reclassifying to the 2016 class. Doesn’t sound like that’s an option.
“Why would we do that? That’s what’s best for them not what’s best for P.J.”
As for any sort of timetable, it doesn’t sound like Washington, who visited Texas during the summer, will take the amount of time to decide that most prospects do.
“He’s taking his ACT in February. We’ll start visits after that. He wants to make it sooner rather than later,” stated Washington.
From what we’ve heard, the three schools standing out the most right now for Washington, this comes from someone else and not his father, are Arizona, Kentucky, and Texas. Kentucky hasn’t offered yet. (McComas)
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While Washington is a top priority for Texas at one spot, Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Virginia) point guard Matt Coleman is clearly a top target for the Longhorns at the point guard spot. Coleman, who is rated as the No. 29 player overall in the 2017 Rivals150.
Coleman said he caught the end of Texas’ win over North Carolina, and thought it was a statement made by Smart, who has been recruiting and known the Virginia native for years.
“That’s big! Caught the eyes of a lot of people,” texted Coleman. “Shows what he’s capable of.”
Coleman listed off the following schools as ones consistently reaching out and recruiting him hard: Arizona, Texas, Ohio State, Virginia, NC State, Alabama, Louisville, Florida and Arizona State.
The 6-2 point guard visited Texas during the summer. (McComas)
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Rivals.com analyst Eric Bossi was at the Tarkanian Classic, and caught up briefly with Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nevada) guard Charles O’Bannon, Jr. The nation’s No. 44 prospect overall is planning on taking an unofficial visit to Texas in January. (McComas)
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On Monday, Hutchinson Community College (Hutchinson, Kansas) sophomore wing Bashir Ahmed arrived for his official visit at Texas, and returned back home after Tuesday night’s game. We checked in with Hutchinson C.C. head coach Steve Eck, who was unable to offer any info (hadn’t talked to Ahmed; didn’t know anything about a possible timetable for a decision; told us he’d have to ask Ahmed in order for his number to be given out).
However, a source indicated that Texas is definitely in this one after the official visit, and that the reported target date for a decision, end of December, is a possibility for the Bronx, New York native. If the Longhorns really turn up the heat and push hard the rest of the way, they will be a legit factor, although most believe that hometown St. John’s is in the driver’s seat. (McComas)
