As we first reported Thursday morning (and have since followed up with multiple sources), Auburn offensive line coach Jeff Grimes flew into Austin on Wednesday night and returned on a flight that departed Austin at 10 p.m. Orangebloods.com was at the airport but there was no comment given by Grimes, who was taken directly to the plane.
The obvious question, is he going to be the next Longhorn O-line coach? That depends on who you talk to. Our contacts in Auburn seemed to think earlier in the day that it’s no guarantee that Grimes would immediately accept the UT position. One reporter we talked to has a source who he said talked to Grimes last week. That person indicated that Grimes’ thoughts last week were that he and his family were extremely happy at Auburn and a raise by Auburn would make it very tough for him and his family to leave. Could be wishful thinking by Auburn, but there’s talk from multiple people that the Grimes wasn’t a slam dunk to leave the Tiger program when he stepped on the plane to head to Austin.
Now, let’s talk about what we’re hearing from our sources, people we’ve talked to over the course of Thursday. Word from the Forty Acres has been very quiet, as always, but there’s some talk that the visit went very, very well, and one person we talked to thought Texas’ chances of adding Grimes to the staff were very, very good.
Mack Brown doesn’t bring people in to Austin if he has no intention of offering them the job. A visit that’s covered close to a full 24 hours seems like more than just a meet and greet. And, when Texas has brought in people from Auburn in the past, it was to get them started on the job immediately with no looking back. Interviewing for other jobs when one is coaching at Auburn or Alabama is different than interviewing while employed at, shall we say, less passionate programs. If history is any indicator, coaches from Auburn don’t spend time talking about job opportunities at Texas unless they plan on making the move.
To be clear, we have yet to receive any sort of firm confirmation on Grimes making a decision one way or the other, just filling you all in on some of what we’ve heard today. The gut feeling based on bits of information gathered from some of our better sources is that Grimes will be the final piece to the UT coaching staff puzzle, but we’ve had nobody actually tell us it’s a done deal and we’re working to get confirmation. (Suchomel)
******
Let’s talk about how the Grimes situation affects offensive line commitment Christian Westerman.
If it’s Grimes to Texas, Westerman is locked and loaded for the Longhorns. Plain and simple.
If Grimes were to stay at Auburn, there’s been speculation that it could pull Westerman to Auburn as well. Not so fast.
In my conversations with Westerman’s father this week, he indicated that if Texas did not get Grimes, it’s in no way a nail in the coffin for Texas. Mr. Westerman said he and the family would still want to wait and see who Texas brought in. In fact, we were told that if Texas ended up hiring Joe Wickline, Westerman would probably stick with Texas.
So, hiring Grimes is not make or break for Texas, but it certainly would not hurt. The entire Westerman family has really struck up a relationship with Grimes and they respect him both as a coach and as a person. Bottom line … if Grimes comes to Texas, Westerman’s recruitment is over. If Grimes sticks with Auburn, Texas still has a fighting chance but it’s still a waiting game. (Suchomel)
******
A little late on getting the Trey Williams update up, apologies for that.
Williams told us this week that he saw a lot of teams come by the Spring Dekaney football offices in the past few weeks, including Arkansas, Texas, Missouri, Purdue and Texas Tech.
The 5-8, 175-pound Williams is planning to hit junior days at Texas A&M and Texas (he has not settled on a date for the UT visit), but he said he’s keeping an open mind at this point and was reluctant to name leaders.
“At this point, everybody is in the same category. There’s nobody that's really over anybody else. Everyone in the same category,” he said. “I just look at it as it's just getting kind of overcrowded, so I’m going to take my time. I’m not going to put anybody over the rest. I’ve only gone to three schools ? LSU, Auburn and Texas A&M. I haven't even been to Texas.”
As for the UT coaching changes, Williams is aware that the Horns have some new faces on staff, but he has yet to really dive into evaluations of the new coaches.
“I haven't really gone through it yet. It's not really that big of a deal right now. I know Boise State is a really good program. Hopefully they (Texas) make a big change,” Williams said.
As for Williams’ thoughts on Texas?
“I think Texas is a great program. Texas is a nice school. I wouldn't mind being a part of their running back tradition,” Williams said. “Texas has great athletes. I wouldn't mind being a part of that tradition.”
We’ll follow up with Williams in the near future to see if he locks down a UT junior day visit. (Suchomel)
******
Earlier today we put up the latest on Brenham DE Brandon Alexander. Right now we have that he will visit TCU (Jan. 14) and Texas (Jan. 21) with a possibility of either Arkansas or Florida the following weekend.
It certainly looks good for the in-state programs right now and it was not always like that. In fact, at one point it appeared his January visit schedule was sure to include stops at Oklahoma St., Arkansas and Florida. I couldn’t tell you why there was a change of heart, but his trip to TCU this weekend and what seems like a likely trip to Texas the following week are definitely good news for Texas A&M, TCU and Texas.
From what I’m hearing, Texas improved its standing with a solid in-home visit last week. We’ll continue to pass along anything we get so keep your ears open. (Howell)
*****
Humble, Texas defensive tackle Paul Boyette, Jr. is one of the top prospects in Texas and has already attracted college offers from Alabama, Nebraska and Oklahoma.
The 6-4, 280-pound defender has the size and athleticism coveted for interior line prospects and the Texas Longhorns are one program that has taken a strong interest in the 2012 standout. Recently, he was visited by Texas defensive tackle coach Bo Davis, who was also recruiting him for Alabama.
“Me and coach Davis were always good,” Boyette said. “I talked to him a little bit during the season when he was at Alabama. He offered me a scholarship to Alabama. He’s a very well known coach and I would love to play for him.”
Boyette admits he was shocked at first to see Davis in Texas gear, but Davis’s addition to the Longhorn staff has helped UT’s cause.
“I had to look twice. I said Texas? Oh ok, ok,” he said. “Don’t get me wrong I never had Texas out of my top schools because Texas was always one of my favorites growing up. They were my No. 2 to play for in my top 5, so when I saw him I was like, ‘Oh ok.’”
Boyette was invited to Oklahoma’s junior day earlier this year, but was unable to attend due to the playoffs and weather. Next up on his schedule are junior days at Texas A&M and Texas, two programs he has become very familiar with over the years.
“Texas A&M, I have been talking to them since my sophomore year in the summer time,” he said. “Me and coach Williams always talk. I went to two of their games when they played Nebraska and OU and they won those two big games. The atmosphere at Kyle Field is a good atmosphere. Watching them on TV you think the crowd is ok, but when you’re there the crowd is amazing.”
“I got invited to the Texas/Oklahoma St. game, but I couldn’t go because we were playing in the playoffs. What I can say is Texas has a good program. My mom talked to coach Brown last year and they have a good facility and I really do like Texas.”
He listed Texas, Alabama, Oregon, Texas A&M, LSU and Oklahoma as his top programs. He mentioned the possibility of visiting Oregon in the future, and also said Texas was at the top of his list and an offer from the Longhorns would be hard to pass up.
“Like I told my parents if Texas does offer me…. Ever since I was like five I told my mom I wanted to be a Longhorn,” Boyette said. “I went up there and I visited and saw the campus and their practice facilities and I just thought wow I’m really doing my dream. I never pictured myself doing that. Like as a kid you never think your dream will actually come true.
“I’m just blessed that God gave me some ability and I’ve worked hard to improve myself. When I was up at Texas I told my mom this is just what I imagined it. I just imagined myself walking with them pregame onto the field and imagined myself playing at UT.”
Boyette was named unanimous first-team all-district and is currently ranked No. 38 in the Lone Star Recruiting’s 2012 Top 100. (Howell)
******
San Antonio Sam Houston defensive tackle Quincy Russell was held out of some Army All-American Bowl practices after injuring his knee. He was able to play in the game, but his knee has been bothering him a little bit.
He went to see the doctor this week and will go in for surgery to clean up some scar tissue next Friday (Jan. 21).
He does not have an official visit set to Texas at this point. (Howell)
******
Brownwood Army All-American Jaxon Shipley will have an interesting spring working out with his brother, former UT All-American and current Cincinnati Bengal receiver, Jordan Shipley.
Jaxon graduated early from Brownwood High but instead of enrolling at Texas, he’ll spend the spring picking his brother’s brain as he prepares for Texas. Hard to argue with that decision. He will enroll at Texas in June. (Howell)
******
As of midweek, there’s still been no word from the NCAA on whether 2010 UT LB commitment Tevin Jackson would be allowed to return to Texas (Jackson went through the summer sessions last year before the NCAA notified Jackson that he was not eligible to stay in school for the fall semester).
With the Texas team set to report this weekend and with classes set to begin on Tuesday of next week, one would have to assume it’s not looking good for Jackson to be in school by the start of the spring semester. (Suchomel)
This post was edited on 1/13 10:25 PM by Suchomel
The obvious question, is he going to be the next Longhorn O-line coach? That depends on who you talk to. Our contacts in Auburn seemed to think earlier in the day that it’s no guarantee that Grimes would immediately accept the UT position. One reporter we talked to has a source who he said talked to Grimes last week. That person indicated that Grimes’ thoughts last week were that he and his family were extremely happy at Auburn and a raise by Auburn would make it very tough for him and his family to leave. Could be wishful thinking by Auburn, but there’s talk from multiple people that the Grimes wasn’t a slam dunk to leave the Tiger program when he stepped on the plane to head to Austin.
Now, let’s talk about what we’re hearing from our sources, people we’ve talked to over the course of Thursday. Word from the Forty Acres has been very quiet, as always, but there’s some talk that the visit went very, very well, and one person we talked to thought Texas’ chances of adding Grimes to the staff were very, very good.
Mack Brown doesn’t bring people in to Austin if he has no intention of offering them the job. A visit that’s covered close to a full 24 hours seems like more than just a meet and greet. And, when Texas has brought in people from Auburn in the past, it was to get them started on the job immediately with no looking back. Interviewing for other jobs when one is coaching at Auburn or Alabama is different than interviewing while employed at, shall we say, less passionate programs. If history is any indicator, coaches from Auburn don’t spend time talking about job opportunities at Texas unless they plan on making the move.
To be clear, we have yet to receive any sort of firm confirmation on Grimes making a decision one way or the other, just filling you all in on some of what we’ve heard today. The gut feeling based on bits of information gathered from some of our better sources is that Grimes will be the final piece to the UT coaching staff puzzle, but we’ve had nobody actually tell us it’s a done deal and we’re working to get confirmation. (Suchomel)
******
Let’s talk about how the Grimes situation affects offensive line commitment Christian Westerman.
If it’s Grimes to Texas, Westerman is locked and loaded for the Longhorns. Plain and simple.
If Grimes were to stay at Auburn, there’s been speculation that it could pull Westerman to Auburn as well. Not so fast.
In my conversations with Westerman’s father this week, he indicated that if Texas did not get Grimes, it’s in no way a nail in the coffin for Texas. Mr. Westerman said he and the family would still want to wait and see who Texas brought in. In fact, we were told that if Texas ended up hiring Joe Wickline, Westerman would probably stick with Texas.
So, hiring Grimes is not make or break for Texas, but it certainly would not hurt. The entire Westerman family has really struck up a relationship with Grimes and they respect him both as a coach and as a person. Bottom line … if Grimes comes to Texas, Westerman’s recruitment is over. If Grimes sticks with Auburn, Texas still has a fighting chance but it’s still a waiting game. (Suchomel)
******
A little late on getting the Trey Williams update up, apologies for that.
Williams told us this week that he saw a lot of teams come by the Spring Dekaney football offices in the past few weeks, including Arkansas, Texas, Missouri, Purdue and Texas Tech.
The 5-8, 175-pound Williams is planning to hit junior days at Texas A&M and Texas (he has not settled on a date for the UT visit), but he said he’s keeping an open mind at this point and was reluctant to name leaders.
“At this point, everybody is in the same category. There’s nobody that's really over anybody else. Everyone in the same category,” he said. “I just look at it as it's just getting kind of overcrowded, so I’m going to take my time. I’m not going to put anybody over the rest. I’ve only gone to three schools ? LSU, Auburn and Texas A&M. I haven't even been to Texas.”
As for the UT coaching changes, Williams is aware that the Horns have some new faces on staff, but he has yet to really dive into evaluations of the new coaches.
“I haven't really gone through it yet. It's not really that big of a deal right now. I know Boise State is a really good program. Hopefully they (Texas) make a big change,” Williams said.
As for Williams’ thoughts on Texas?
“I think Texas is a great program. Texas is a nice school. I wouldn't mind being a part of their running back tradition,” Williams said. “Texas has great athletes. I wouldn't mind being a part of that tradition.”
We’ll follow up with Williams in the near future to see if he locks down a UT junior day visit. (Suchomel)
******
Earlier today we put up the latest on Brenham DE Brandon Alexander. Right now we have that he will visit TCU (Jan. 14) and Texas (Jan. 21) with a possibility of either Arkansas or Florida the following weekend.
It certainly looks good for the in-state programs right now and it was not always like that. In fact, at one point it appeared his January visit schedule was sure to include stops at Oklahoma St., Arkansas and Florida. I couldn’t tell you why there was a change of heart, but his trip to TCU this weekend and what seems like a likely trip to Texas the following week are definitely good news for Texas A&M, TCU and Texas.
From what I’m hearing, Texas improved its standing with a solid in-home visit last week. We’ll continue to pass along anything we get so keep your ears open. (Howell)
*****
Humble, Texas defensive tackle Paul Boyette, Jr. is one of the top prospects in Texas and has already attracted college offers from Alabama, Nebraska and Oklahoma.
The 6-4, 280-pound defender has the size and athleticism coveted for interior line prospects and the Texas Longhorns are one program that has taken a strong interest in the 2012 standout. Recently, he was visited by Texas defensive tackle coach Bo Davis, who was also recruiting him for Alabama.
“Me and coach Davis were always good,” Boyette said. “I talked to him a little bit during the season when he was at Alabama. He offered me a scholarship to Alabama. He’s a very well known coach and I would love to play for him.”
Boyette admits he was shocked at first to see Davis in Texas gear, but Davis’s addition to the Longhorn staff has helped UT’s cause.
“I had to look twice. I said Texas? Oh ok, ok,” he said. “Don’t get me wrong I never had Texas out of my top schools because Texas was always one of my favorites growing up. They were my No. 2 to play for in my top 5, so when I saw him I was like, ‘Oh ok.’”
Boyette was invited to Oklahoma’s junior day earlier this year, but was unable to attend due to the playoffs and weather. Next up on his schedule are junior days at Texas A&M and Texas, two programs he has become very familiar with over the years.
“Texas A&M, I have been talking to them since my sophomore year in the summer time,” he said. “Me and coach Williams always talk. I went to two of their games when they played Nebraska and OU and they won those two big games. The atmosphere at Kyle Field is a good atmosphere. Watching them on TV you think the crowd is ok, but when you’re there the crowd is amazing.”
“I got invited to the Texas/Oklahoma St. game, but I couldn’t go because we were playing in the playoffs. What I can say is Texas has a good program. My mom talked to coach Brown last year and they have a good facility and I really do like Texas.”
He listed Texas, Alabama, Oregon, Texas A&M, LSU and Oklahoma as his top programs. He mentioned the possibility of visiting Oregon in the future, and also said Texas was at the top of his list and an offer from the Longhorns would be hard to pass up.
“Like I told my parents if Texas does offer me…. Ever since I was like five I told my mom I wanted to be a Longhorn,” Boyette said. “I went up there and I visited and saw the campus and their practice facilities and I just thought wow I’m really doing my dream. I never pictured myself doing that. Like as a kid you never think your dream will actually come true.
“I’m just blessed that God gave me some ability and I’ve worked hard to improve myself. When I was up at Texas I told my mom this is just what I imagined it. I just imagined myself walking with them pregame onto the field and imagined myself playing at UT.”
Boyette was named unanimous first-team all-district and is currently ranked No. 38 in the Lone Star Recruiting’s 2012 Top 100. (Howell)
******
San Antonio Sam Houston defensive tackle Quincy Russell was held out of some Army All-American Bowl practices after injuring his knee. He was able to play in the game, but his knee has been bothering him a little bit.
He went to see the doctor this week and will go in for surgery to clean up some scar tissue next Friday (Jan. 21).
He does not have an official visit set to Texas at this point. (Howell)
******
Brownwood Army All-American Jaxon Shipley will have an interesting spring working out with his brother, former UT All-American and current Cincinnati Bengal receiver, Jordan Shipley.
Jaxon graduated early from Brownwood High but instead of enrolling at Texas, he’ll spend the spring picking his brother’s brain as he prepares for Texas. Hard to argue with that decision. He will enroll at Texas in June. (Howell)
******
As of midweek, there’s still been no word from the NCAA on whether 2010 UT LB commitment Tevin Jackson would be allowed to return to Texas (Jackson went through the summer sessions last year before the NCAA notified Jackson that he was not eligible to stay in school for the fall semester).
With the Texas team set to report this weekend and with classes set to begin on Tuesday of next week, one would have to assume it’s not looking good for Jackson to be in school by the start of the spring semester. (Suchomel)
This post was edited on 1/13 10:25 PM by Suchomel
