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Katy Seven Lakes OL Caleb Benenoch has seen his stock blow up this spring despite an early commitment to Michigan State.
Benenoch has been in contact with UT recently, but he was fearful that things might be cooling off after Texas didn't make it to his spring game a couple weeks ago. As of Thursday night, things could again be heating up.
Benenoch spoke with Oscar Giles on Thursday night. "The O-line coach watched my spring tape and love it so they want me at camp on Sunday," Benenoch said.
The 6-5, 321-pound Benenoch is supposed to call Giles on Friday after he figures out if he and his family can work out some last-minute travel plans. We'll follow up with this one on Friday or Saturday. (Suchomel)
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A little more detail on the top players from New Orleans Edna Karr that are expected to be at this weekend's UT camp, starting with 2013 CB Noel Ellis.
Edna Karr head coach Jabbar Juluke gave Ellis high praise, and he thinks there's a good chance Ellis could land a scholarship offer from the Texas coaches.
"He's the ultimate competitor. He competes on every play, on the field, in the film room as well," coach Juluke said. "He wants to be the best at his craft and he's going to give everything he has.
"Bo Davis came by during spring football. He watched him, saw his film and they needed cornerbacks. He checked him out and fell in love with him," Juluke said. "Coach Davis wants the DB coach to see him in person and evaluate him more. He liked what he saw but he wants the DB coach do his own evaluations."
"I don't know for sure but think they want to offer him. They wanted to go back in their staff meetings, get everything situated. But he's definitely a BCS ball player."
Ellis' father said he and his son are both looking forward to the trip to Austin.
"They reached out to us and obviously, we were happy to hear from them. We're looking forward to going down there on the third and competing, showing what he can do," Mr. Ellis said. "He's really excited and amped about the opportunity to show the coaches that he's not only the best cornerback in Louisiana, but one of the best in the South.
"Texas is a top-notch program on the big stage. We feel like a place like that is where we he wants to be when his decision is made. He wants to be in a position to play on the big state and Texas definitely fits the bill. It's an awesome university and the football program speaks for itself. If an offer was to be extended from Texas, that would definitely put them in our top three schools (along with Texas A&M and Tennessee)."
Ellis will camp at Texas A&M on June 9 and Tennessee June 11-13.
Three top 2014 prospects are also planning to attend Sunday's camp, per coach Juluke.
"I know they're interested in Donnie Alexander that can play WILL or SAM linebacker."
Coach Juluke expects all three of his 2014 players to rank among the nation's elite. We'll have more on all four prospects over the weekend. (Suchomel)
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New names keep popping up as possible DB candidates, and here's another worth filing away ... Dila Rosemond.
According to his coach, Texas came by this spring to check on the Cypress Springs prospect. Rosemond said a lot of schools came through - so many that he got some mixed up. He said Texas left some information for him and asked for him to make contact, so he put in a call.
"I think they said they're looking at me as a safety and on special teams. They asked me if I could visit up there," Rosemond said.
The 5-10, 180-pound Rosemond has recently picked up offers from Houston, Purdue, SMU, Texas A&M, Texas State and Utah. We'll do some more checking on this one to get more confirmation or further details of UT's interest. (Suchomel)
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When we talked to Manvel CB Kyrion Parker last week in Houston, both noted that UT showed an interest this spring but neither player knew if they'd be able to attend a Texas camp. We mentioned it earlier in the week, but both players are now planning to go to UT's one-day camp on June 10.
Garner is a Texas Tech commitment but he's pretty open that he's keeping the door open, and he told us he does have a strong interest in hearing more from UT. Parker was leaning towards playing in the SEC, but he could be a guy worth watching if he performs well at next weekend's camp. (Suchomel)
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Speaking of wide receivers, not a lot of new information to report on top WR target Robbie Rhodes.
The Fort Worth Southwest standout picked up an offer from Alabama this week and did tell another Rivals reporter on Thursday that he's planning on camping at Baylor. Other camp stops are a possibility but he doesn't have anything lined up. In talking to that same reporter, Rhodes listed his top schools as Baylor, TCU and Oklahoma with Texas "somewhat" in his group of leaders. We'll follow up with Rhodes at some point, but it sounds like Texas has some ground to make up and may need to get him back on campus at some point this summer. (Suchomel)
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When we talked to top 2014 OL prospect Cameron Robinson a few weeks ago, the Monroe (La.) Ouachita Parish standout told us he was "90 percent sure" he'd be camping at Texas.
Normally, when talking to out-of-state recruits, talks of camp visits can be taken with a bit of a grain of salt but the big fella was true to his word. He'll be riding up on Saturday, along with teammate WR Cameron Sims with one of their high school coaches who will be working UT's one-day camp this Sunday.
"I'm just coming to show some athleticism, that I can move. I want to show them some quickness and explosiveness," Robinson said. "Another thing I'm looking to do is just form a better relationship with the coaches."
The 6-6, 320-pound Robinson is one of the nation's hottest prospects for the 2014 class. He picked up a scholarship offer from Oklahoma on Wednesday to go with previous offers from the likes of Alabama, LSU, Arkansas, Michigan, TCU and Washington.
"I think I kind of formed a top three that I like the best," Robinson said of early favorites. "In no particular order, it's Alabama, LSU and Texas. I just like the style they play and they play good competition. Those three are just kind of standing out with me right now."
Sounds a little similar to what we heard from fellow Louisiana native Torshiro Davis last year. (Suchomel)
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A quick note on UT commitment Kyle Hicks ...
When talking to Hicks this week about his broken foot that he suffered during his leg of the 4X200 relay in the regional meet, he gave a glimpse of his competitiveness.
"It was very painful. When I popped it (about 200 yards into his leg), I was going to quit. Then the dude behind me passed me and something just kicked in. I was like, 'I'm not going to let him beat me.' So I caught him and finished the race and then walked off the track."
Immediately after finishing his portion of the race, Hicks realized his foot was probably broken again. (Suchomel)
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When Honolulu (HI) Moanulua DT Scott Pagano makes his way to Austin on July 14, it will not be the first trip he has taken to the state of Texas in 2012. On March 25, Pagano was in Dallas for the Nike Football Training Camp.
“It was a great experience competing against the nation’s best in Texas,” Pagano said. “It was fun. I learned some new things. I faced some great competition. It was good for me.”
In addition to competing against those guys, he was also able to form a few relationships.
“A’Shawn Robinson, I met him. Torrodney (Prevot), Christian Lacouture … they’re great guys.”
Robinson, a longtime Texas commit and Rivals100 prospect, has kept in touch with Pagano over the past few months.
“A’Shawn just tells me more about Texas,” Pagano said. “It’s a big school, probably the best college in Texas and how the atmosphere is just crazy on gameday. The fans are loyal. I’ll kind of have a good feel for it when I go to Texas and I’m just excited and can’t wait to go on campus and get a tour.”
Over the course of the recruiting process, Pagano has struck up friendships with a few prospects out there, but he has gotten particularly close with another top-ranked defensive lineman.
“I would have to say me and Eddie Vanderdoes are super close,” he said. “We’re like really twins in a way - same height, same weight, everything … we look the same. We’ve talked about what colleges we like and me and him are trying to go to the same college together and play d-line together. We’re trying to see what colleges stand out the most to us and what’s the best fit for us.”
Of course, a package deal is not a guarantee but there are plenty of similarities among their offer list. For one, both seem to have offers from everywhere and I’m sure there’s not a school out there that’s going to tell them they are going to have to split up.
Now let’s get back on track. In Pagano’s previous visit to Texas he attended the Nike Camp at the Dallas Cowboys training facility in Valley Ranch and then he took an unofficial visit to Baylor. The visit to Baylor has pretty much been his only unofficial visit of the spring.
This trip to Texas, he will arrive in Austin and plans to spend a couple of days in the area as he checks outs the school before moving down the road to LSU.
So when did things pick up between Pagano and the Longhorns?
“Probably about the last month,” Pagano said. “We talk once a week or once every two weeks. They said even though they haven’t offered they said just keep in contact and we can talk about family or recruiting or school or just any of the football things. That’s good that coaches say that. He’s not always just talking about football and where you are going to go.”
The Longhorns have left an impression and are a program on Pagano’s mind, a mind many programs are trying to leave an impression. Early on he hoped to narrow his choices in July and planned to make an August 10 decision, but he has since seen his offer list grow and grow and grow. As the list grows, narrowing his list has become harder and harder, and where there was once a top four of Baylor, Nebraska, LSU and Clemson now things are not so nice and neat.
“Nebraska I kind of dropped. Nebraska and Baylor I’m not as high on anymore,” Pagano said. “Clemson, I am. That’s a family thing. A lot of my family went to Clemson so it’s kind of hard not to go there. A lot of my family and friends can watch me play in South Carolina as well. They are always a team on my radar.
“Now I’m liking LSU, they’re my No. 1 school, but I’m not committing anywhere. Right now, they’re No. 1, and I heard from the Florida Gators yesterday and that was my top school growing up. And now Texas and Florida St. are talking to me. And Oklahoma, Oklahoma St., and Ole Miss, and Alabama, so it’s getting kind of crazy. But I’m going to somehow make my top five sooner or later.”
Where do things sit right now?
“Right now I’m trying to make a top 15 list, but I’m liking LSU, Florida St., Florida, Clemson, Oklahoma St., Ole Miss, Baylor, Wisconsin, Oklahoma, Bama, Florida, Miami, Texas A&M and even Texas,” he said.
“Even though they haven’t offered me and coach Giles and coach (Manny) Diaz have a great relationship. Even though I don’t have an offer it’s good just to talk every once in awhile and know what’s going on and know we’re on the same page.”
What are his thoughts on the Longhorns, and where does a team like Texas fit into the mix?
“Texas is a big school to me,” he said. “They’re a power in a powerhouse conference ? the Big 12. They’re a BCS team, their d-line coach, Bo Davis, is great, and their defensive players are just amazing. They’re all athletes. I want to be a part of a BCS team and win games and go to a championship.”
Pagano plans to take his five official visits in the fall and right now says LSU, Florida, and Florida St. are on his official visit list. When he makes his way through the states in July he plans to visit LSU, Ole Miss, Alabama, and Clemson in addition to Texas. Visits to Florida St. and Florida have not been counted out during that time. (Howell)
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Red Oak, Texas tight end Jeremiah Gaines has been on the Texas recruiting radar for quite some time. He attended the second Junior Day in February and in fact, the Longhorns continue to keep in touch. However, this morning Gaines’ father Fred Gaines said he did not see Texas offering unless something drastically changed with the type of tight ends the Longhorns were targeting.
Mr. Gaines did say there was definitely an open door between them and Texas and coach Bruce Chambers has done a great job building the relationship.
This summer, Gaines is not planning to participate in any camps however he may attend some as an observer. Mr. Gaines did not count out the possibility of visiting Austin but did say it would not be this weekend. I would say the possibilities of a visit right now are remote.
Gaines has seen his offer numbers rise considerably over the course of spring ball shooting into double digits and just shy of 20. He now counts offers from the likes of Arizona St., Cal, Iowa, Mississippi St., Ole Miss, and Washington St. (Howell)
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Broken Arrow, Okla. 2014 signal caller Coleman Key is regarded as one of the top signal callers in the Sooner state along with Edmond Santa Fe’s Justice Hansen.
Last Friday, Texas co-offensive coordinator Major Applewhite stopped through to check out Broken Arrow’s talent-laden 2014 class. Following the visit, Key was able to catch up with Applewhite and the two hit it off pretty well.
“He’s really nice,” Key said. “I like him a lot. He was just cool and laid back and we just talked. Then we talked about the camp schedule. He was really nice. I liked him.”
Key is hard to miss at 6-4 and 200 pounds and even though he has yet to start a varsity game, the attention is coming from several college programs. This weekend will be a Red River Weekend he will attend camp at Oklahoma on Saturday and head directly to Austin for a camp at Texas.
He will be joined by 2014 standout running back Devon Thomas in Austin on Sunday.
The weekend is a big one for Key. He has been attending camps for quite some time now as college programs watched his brother Kasen Key very closely. This summer he will be the one in the spotlight.
“It’s definitely going to be different because I’m not going to be the little brother anymore,” Key said. “They’re going to be watching me. Coach Heupel has seen me, but it’s going to be nice for him to see me as the main guy he’s looking at. I’m sure there’s going to be a lot of other athletes out there he’s going to be looking at, but I’m not going to be the little brother any more. I’m going to be the guy he wants to see out there throw.”
Growing up in Oklahoma, the Sooners and Cowboys were quick to catch his attention, but Texas is also a program he holds in high regard.
“I would love to go to a school like Texas because they’ve always had a good football program,” he said. “Obviously they’ve been down a little bit the pass couple of years, but pretty soon they’re going to be back to normal. They have a great football program and a great campus and obviously a bunch of good coaches. It’s always a possibility to go to a great program like that.” (Howell)
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Fort Worth All Saints offensive lineman Demetrius Knox says he plans to camp at Texas June 10. He said “I called coach Searels today and he said he was fired up about me getting down there.” Judging from Knox's tone it sounded like Searels was not the only one in that two party conversation fired up about the camp. (Howell)
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Here’s a working list of guys we have coming in for camps. Some may end up changing dates or not making it in, but this is what we have so far. We will continue to update the list as we receive more info.
June 3
Antwuan Davis, 2013 CB, Bastrop, Texas commit
Deoundrei Davis, 2013 LB, Cy Woods, Texas commit
Daeshon Hall, 2013 DE, Lancaster, Texas commit
Kyle Hicks, 2013 RB, Arlington Martin, Texas commit (probably not due to injury)
Naashon Hughes, 2013 LB, Harker Heights, Texas commit
Darius James, 2013 OL, Harker Heights, Texas commit
Jake Oliver, 2013 WR, Dallas Jesuit, Texas commit
Kent Perkins, 2013 OL, Dallas Lake Highlands, Texas commit
Jake Raulerson, 2013 OL/DE, Celina, Texas commit
A’Shawn Robinson, 2013 DT, Fort Worth Arlington Heights, Texas commit
Ricky Seals-Jones, 2013 WR, Sealy, Texas commit
Durham Smythe, 2013 TE, Belton, Texas commit
Tyrone Swoopes, 2013 QB, Whitewright, Texas commit
Jacorey Warrick, 2013 WR, Cy Falls, Texas commit
Torrodney Prevot (maybe the 10th), 2013 DE, Alief Taylor
Chevoski Collins, 2013 CB, Livingston
Alfred Pullom, 2013 S, Cy Woods
Robbie Wells, 2013 TE, Katy Taylor
Hardreck Walker, 2013 DT, Spring Westfield
Caleb Benenoch, 2013 OL, Katy Seven Lakes
Sergio Phillips, 2013 OL, DeSoto
Noel Ellis, 2013 CB, New Orleans (La.) Edna Karr
Devante Noil, 2014 ATH, New Orleans (La.) Edna Karr
Gerald Willis III, 2014 DE, New Orleans (La.) Edna Karr
Donnie Alexander, 2014 LB, New Orleans (La.) Edna Karr
Cameron Robinson, 2014 OL, Monroe (La.) Ouachita
Coleman Key, 2014 QB, Broken Arrow, Okla.
Devon Thomas, 2014 RB, Broken Arrow, Okla.
June 10
Corey Avery, 2014 RB, Dallas Carter
Cameron Hampton, 2014 LB, Dallas Carter
Jaylon Scott, 2013 CB, Dallas Carter
Josh Pitts, 2013 DT, Dallas Carter
D’Onta Foreman, 2014 RB/LB, Texas City
Armanti Foreman, 2014 WR, Texas City
Blake Blackmar (June 6-10), 2014 OL, Clear Lake
Demetrius Knox, 2014 OL, Fort Worth All Saints
Zach Whitley, 2014 LB, Galena Park North Shore
Hoza Scott, 2014 LB, La Porte
Nick Harvey, 2014 ATH, Lancaster
Solomon Thomas, 2014 DL, Coppell
Derick Roberson, 2014 DE, San Antonio Brennan
Jerrod Heard (June 6), 2014 QB, Denton Guyer
KD Cannon, 2014 WR, Mount Pleasant
Josh Walker, 2014 LB, Gilmer
Jacob Bragg, 2014 OL, Nacogdoches
Sean Matthews, 2014 LB, Nacogdoches
Chris Hardeman, 2014 CB, Alief Taylor
Keenen Brown, 2014 WR, Alief Taylor
Nick Watkins, 2014 CB, Dallas Bishop Dunne
Willie Ivery, 2014 ATH, Sulphur Springs
Tavares Garner, 2013 CB, Manvel, Texas Tech commit
Kyrion Parker, 2013 WR, Manvel
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Here’s a look at some of the offers handed out around the state this week that you might have missed of note:
Class of 2013
(LSR No.28) Fort Worth Southwest athlete Robbie Rhodes was offered by Alabama..
(LSR No.32) San Antonio Madison defensive tackle Vincent Taylor committed to Oklahoma State.
(LSR No.52) Killeen Shoemaker running back Johnny Jefferson was offered by Texas Tech.
(LSR No: 80) Red Oak tight end Jeremiah Gaines was offered by Arizona State, Washington State, California, Central Florida, Texas State, Iowa and Mississippi State.
(LSR NR): Manvel cornerback Tavares Garner was offered by San Jose State.
(LSR NR) Killen safety Deric Robertson committed to Oklahoma State.
(LSR: NR) Proper quarterback David Webb committed to Texas Tech.
(LSR: NR) Frisco Centennial defensive back Ranthony Texada was offered by Baylor.
2014
(LSR No.2) Lancaster cornerback Nick Harvey was offered by Notre Dame and Oklahoma.
(LSR No.9) Denton Guyer quarterback Jerrod Heard was offered by LSU.
(LSR No.20) Alief Taylor cornerback Chris Hardeman was offered by Wake Forest
(LSR No.23) Dallas Bishop Dunne defensive back Nick Watkins was offered Georgia, LSU and Notre Dame.
(LSR NR): Arlington Martin defensive lineman Myles Garrett was offered by Arkansas and Minnesota.
(GK)
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If you missed the pinned thread, 2012 five-star small forward Devonta Pollard (Kemper County HS, Mississippi) will finally announce his college destination Friday evening at his school.
As most of you know, this recruitment has been basically impossible to get a feel for. While on visits, Pollard hasn’t tipped his hand to coaching staffs. In addition to that, Pollard hasn’t really done interviews in a very long time, and for the first time recently, his mother did one interview to speak about the announcement date, but she has not returned calls. I think that the Pollards wanted this decision to stay within the family, and it has.
What’s interesting is that according to Pollard’s mother in a recent ESPN report, her son signed four letters of intent before the May 16th signing period ended. Evidently, there is a brief window that would allow the Pollards to turn in the LOI that they wanted to, and it would bind them to that school.
The list of schools is supposed to still remain at Georgetown, Texas, Alabama, and Missouri. A Missouri source I communicated with tonight suggested the Tigers are out, which makes since considering they have used their 13 scholarships for next season. Georgetown lost the assistant coach in charge of recruiting Pollard to LSU, and it sounds like it has really hurt the Hoyas’ chances. Could LSU surprise everyone and gain Pollard’s signature? It’s possible. I wouldn’t rule anything out when you consider that the 6-7 slashing small forward hasn’t talked much, and a source familiar with the Georgetown program suggested not to count LSU out. However, his mother’s recent quotes suggest that the four schools are the only ones he’ll be choosing from. Your head is spinning, I know. Mine too.
So, it would seem that Pollard, rated as the No. 22 player nationally in the Rivals150, is down to Alabama and Texas. At least that’s what you would think. Earlier in the process, some felt Missouri was the team to beat, and then it was a two-horse race with Georgetown and Alabama. You haven’t really heard Texas’ name mentioned much, but the way this thing has developed, you’d think that the Horns have to be right there near the top with Alabama.
In 2009, Pollard lost his father and just a short time after that, lightning struck their home and it burned to the ground. There is a lot of speculation behind the scenes that the old recruiting thought about Mom ? if you win Mom you win the signature ? is certainly in play here. Considering how much the family has been through, the location, and that Pollard has been to Tuscaloosa about 10 times or more, it would be tough not to bet on the Crimson Tide here. However, with the complete lack of anything coming from the family or coaches, it’s still impossible to know for sure.
As for Texas, one source indicated that its recruiting attention recently has been focused on Pollard; it is recruiting him as much as it can until the end of this. The source, a very dialed in one, also suggested that no one really knows for sure which way this will ultimately go.
It’s rare that a big-time recruit can go through a long process without anyone knowing where he’ll ultimately pick, but that’s the case with Pollard, who will announce at 5 PM Friday.
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Last week in the War Room, I went into detail about Skip Johnson’s relationship with Texas Tech interim head coach Tim Tadlock, and the possibility of Tech trying to get Johnson away from Texas.
I checked back in with a source this week, and the source suggested there is still no reason to worry at all about Johnson leaving.
As for the buzz around the Longhorn program right now, it sounds like Augie Garrido wasn’t kidding when he told the media on Monday that he’ll be thoroughly examining his program. Garrido is already taking a very close look at every piece of the puzzle.
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I got a chance to chat with recent baseball commitment Codey McElroy (Eastern Oklahoma College) about his recent commitment to Texas.
His recent visit to Texas…
“Coach (Tommy) Harmon, he was talking to me around spring break. He came down and watched me play a couple of times. We stayed in contact. We tried to get a visit set up, it was hard with our schedules, and I finally got to go down there (to Austin). I liked it a lot. Drew Bishop (director of baseball operations) took me around and showed me around the school. I really like the coaches a lot. They seem personable. Obviously, they’re great coaches and they win, but they seemed like they really had good relationships with the players.”
On where Texas told him he fits in the program
“They want me to come in and try to play shortstop. That’s what they recruited me as. Obviously, they’re not going to just give it to me. You can’t have a strong program if you do that. I’m going to come in and compete.”
A quote y’all will love
“I talked to OU and TCU, those are the main two. I liked OU a lot. When I went to Texas, everything was a lot better. I liked it a lot more. Even though it’s my home state school, I really couldn’t choose OU over Texas.”
On how he became such a tall shortstop
“I’m 6-6, 210 pounds. I was always really small growing up which is why I played shortstop. Then, sophomore year high school, I was 5-10 and went to 6-6. I grew into my body. I was able to keep my feet when I got bigger so I could play shortstop.”
His hitting approach…
“I like to get on the ball early in the count, but I’m not afraid to hit with two strikes. I’m a gap-to-gap guy. I’m trying to hit it up the middle and the gaps and I’ve got some power in me.” (McComas)
This post was edited on 5/31 11:05 PM by Jason Howell
This post was edited on 6/1 8:29 AM by Suchomel
Katy Seven Lakes OL Caleb Benenoch has seen his stock blow up this spring despite an early commitment to Michigan State.
Benenoch has been in contact with UT recently, but he was fearful that things might be cooling off after Texas didn't make it to his spring game a couple weeks ago. As of Thursday night, things could again be heating up.
Benenoch spoke with Oscar Giles on Thursday night. "The O-line coach watched my spring tape and love it so they want me at camp on Sunday," Benenoch said.
The 6-5, 321-pound Benenoch is supposed to call Giles on Friday after he figures out if he and his family can work out some last-minute travel plans. We'll follow up with this one on Friday or Saturday. (Suchomel)
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A little more detail on the top players from New Orleans Edna Karr that are expected to be at this weekend's UT camp, starting with 2013 CB Noel Ellis.
Edna Karr head coach Jabbar Juluke gave Ellis high praise, and he thinks there's a good chance Ellis could land a scholarship offer from the Texas coaches.
"He's the ultimate competitor. He competes on every play, on the field, in the film room as well," coach Juluke said. "He wants to be the best at his craft and he's going to give everything he has.
"Bo Davis came by during spring football. He watched him, saw his film and they needed cornerbacks. He checked him out and fell in love with him," Juluke said. "Coach Davis wants the DB coach to see him in person and evaluate him more. He liked what he saw but he wants the DB coach do his own evaluations."
"I don't know for sure but think they want to offer him. They wanted to go back in their staff meetings, get everything situated. But he's definitely a BCS ball player."
Ellis' father said he and his son are both looking forward to the trip to Austin.
"They reached out to us and obviously, we were happy to hear from them. We're looking forward to going down there on the third and competing, showing what he can do," Mr. Ellis said. "He's really excited and amped about the opportunity to show the coaches that he's not only the best cornerback in Louisiana, but one of the best in the South.
"Texas is a top-notch program on the big stage. We feel like a place like that is where we he wants to be when his decision is made. He wants to be in a position to play on the big state and Texas definitely fits the bill. It's an awesome university and the football program speaks for itself. If an offer was to be extended from Texas, that would definitely put them in our top three schools (along with Texas A&M and Tennessee)."
Ellis will camp at Texas A&M on June 9 and Tennessee June 11-13.
Three top 2014 prospects are also planning to attend Sunday's camp, per coach Juluke.
"I know they're interested in Donnie Alexander that can play WILL or SAM linebacker."
Coach Juluke expects all three of his 2014 players to rank among the nation's elite. We'll have more on all four prospects over the weekend. (Suchomel)
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New names keep popping up as possible DB candidates, and here's another worth filing away ... Dila Rosemond.
According to his coach, Texas came by this spring to check on the Cypress Springs prospect. Rosemond said a lot of schools came through - so many that he got some mixed up. He said Texas left some information for him and asked for him to make contact, so he put in a call.
"I think they said they're looking at me as a safety and on special teams. They asked me if I could visit up there," Rosemond said.
The 5-10, 180-pound Rosemond has recently picked up offers from Houston, Purdue, SMU, Texas A&M, Texas State and Utah. We'll do some more checking on this one to get more confirmation or further details of UT's interest. (Suchomel)
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When we talked to Manvel CB Kyrion Parker last week in Houston, both noted that UT showed an interest this spring but neither player knew if they'd be able to attend a Texas camp. We mentioned it earlier in the week, but both players are now planning to go to UT's one-day camp on June 10.
Garner is a Texas Tech commitment but he's pretty open that he's keeping the door open, and he told us he does have a strong interest in hearing more from UT. Parker was leaning towards playing in the SEC, but he could be a guy worth watching if he performs well at next weekend's camp. (Suchomel)
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Speaking of wide receivers, not a lot of new information to report on top WR target Robbie Rhodes.
The Fort Worth Southwest standout picked up an offer from Alabama this week and did tell another Rivals reporter on Thursday that he's planning on camping at Baylor. Other camp stops are a possibility but he doesn't have anything lined up. In talking to that same reporter, Rhodes listed his top schools as Baylor, TCU and Oklahoma with Texas "somewhat" in his group of leaders. We'll follow up with Rhodes at some point, but it sounds like Texas has some ground to make up and may need to get him back on campus at some point this summer. (Suchomel)
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When we talked to top 2014 OL prospect Cameron Robinson a few weeks ago, the Monroe (La.) Ouachita Parish standout told us he was "90 percent sure" he'd be camping at Texas.
Normally, when talking to out-of-state recruits, talks of camp visits can be taken with a bit of a grain of salt but the big fella was true to his word. He'll be riding up on Saturday, along with teammate WR Cameron Sims with one of their high school coaches who will be working UT's one-day camp this Sunday.
"I'm just coming to show some athleticism, that I can move. I want to show them some quickness and explosiveness," Robinson said. "Another thing I'm looking to do is just form a better relationship with the coaches."
The 6-6, 320-pound Robinson is one of the nation's hottest prospects for the 2014 class. He picked up a scholarship offer from Oklahoma on Wednesday to go with previous offers from the likes of Alabama, LSU, Arkansas, Michigan, TCU and Washington.
"I think I kind of formed a top three that I like the best," Robinson said of early favorites. "In no particular order, it's Alabama, LSU and Texas. I just like the style they play and they play good competition. Those three are just kind of standing out with me right now."
Sounds a little similar to what we heard from fellow Louisiana native Torshiro Davis last year. (Suchomel)
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A quick note on UT commitment Kyle Hicks ...
When talking to Hicks this week about his broken foot that he suffered during his leg of the 4X200 relay in the regional meet, he gave a glimpse of his competitiveness.
"It was very painful. When I popped it (about 200 yards into his leg), I was going to quit. Then the dude behind me passed me and something just kicked in. I was like, 'I'm not going to let him beat me.' So I caught him and finished the race and then walked off the track."
Immediately after finishing his portion of the race, Hicks realized his foot was probably broken again. (Suchomel)
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When Honolulu (HI) Moanulua DT Scott Pagano makes his way to Austin on July 14, it will not be the first trip he has taken to the state of Texas in 2012. On March 25, Pagano was in Dallas for the Nike Football Training Camp.
“It was a great experience competing against the nation’s best in Texas,” Pagano said. “It was fun. I learned some new things. I faced some great competition. It was good for me.”
In addition to competing against those guys, he was also able to form a few relationships.
“A’Shawn Robinson, I met him. Torrodney (Prevot), Christian Lacouture … they’re great guys.”
Robinson, a longtime Texas commit and Rivals100 prospect, has kept in touch with Pagano over the past few months.
“A’Shawn just tells me more about Texas,” Pagano said. “It’s a big school, probably the best college in Texas and how the atmosphere is just crazy on gameday. The fans are loyal. I’ll kind of have a good feel for it when I go to Texas and I’m just excited and can’t wait to go on campus and get a tour.”
Over the course of the recruiting process, Pagano has struck up friendships with a few prospects out there, but he has gotten particularly close with another top-ranked defensive lineman.
“I would have to say me and Eddie Vanderdoes are super close,” he said. “We’re like really twins in a way - same height, same weight, everything … we look the same. We’ve talked about what colleges we like and me and him are trying to go to the same college together and play d-line together. We’re trying to see what colleges stand out the most to us and what’s the best fit for us.”
Of course, a package deal is not a guarantee but there are plenty of similarities among their offer list. For one, both seem to have offers from everywhere and I’m sure there’s not a school out there that’s going to tell them they are going to have to split up.
Now let’s get back on track. In Pagano’s previous visit to Texas he attended the Nike Camp at the Dallas Cowboys training facility in Valley Ranch and then he took an unofficial visit to Baylor. The visit to Baylor has pretty much been his only unofficial visit of the spring.
This trip to Texas, he will arrive in Austin and plans to spend a couple of days in the area as he checks outs the school before moving down the road to LSU.
So when did things pick up between Pagano and the Longhorns?
“Probably about the last month,” Pagano said. “We talk once a week or once every two weeks. They said even though they haven’t offered they said just keep in contact and we can talk about family or recruiting or school or just any of the football things. That’s good that coaches say that. He’s not always just talking about football and where you are going to go.”
The Longhorns have left an impression and are a program on Pagano’s mind, a mind many programs are trying to leave an impression. Early on he hoped to narrow his choices in July and planned to make an August 10 decision, but he has since seen his offer list grow and grow and grow. As the list grows, narrowing his list has become harder and harder, and where there was once a top four of Baylor, Nebraska, LSU and Clemson now things are not so nice and neat.
“Nebraska I kind of dropped. Nebraska and Baylor I’m not as high on anymore,” Pagano said. “Clemson, I am. That’s a family thing. A lot of my family went to Clemson so it’s kind of hard not to go there. A lot of my family and friends can watch me play in South Carolina as well. They are always a team on my radar.
“Now I’m liking LSU, they’re my No. 1 school, but I’m not committing anywhere. Right now, they’re No. 1, and I heard from the Florida Gators yesterday and that was my top school growing up. And now Texas and Florida St. are talking to me. And Oklahoma, Oklahoma St., and Ole Miss, and Alabama, so it’s getting kind of crazy. But I’m going to somehow make my top five sooner or later.”
Where do things sit right now?
“Right now I’m trying to make a top 15 list, but I’m liking LSU, Florida St., Florida, Clemson, Oklahoma St., Ole Miss, Baylor, Wisconsin, Oklahoma, Bama, Florida, Miami, Texas A&M and even Texas,” he said.
“Even though they haven’t offered me and coach Giles and coach (Manny) Diaz have a great relationship. Even though I don’t have an offer it’s good just to talk every once in awhile and know what’s going on and know we’re on the same page.”
What are his thoughts on the Longhorns, and where does a team like Texas fit into the mix?
“Texas is a big school to me,” he said. “They’re a power in a powerhouse conference ? the Big 12. They’re a BCS team, their d-line coach, Bo Davis, is great, and their defensive players are just amazing. They’re all athletes. I want to be a part of a BCS team and win games and go to a championship.”
Pagano plans to take his five official visits in the fall and right now says LSU, Florida, and Florida St. are on his official visit list. When he makes his way through the states in July he plans to visit LSU, Ole Miss, Alabama, and Clemson in addition to Texas. Visits to Florida St. and Florida have not been counted out during that time. (Howell)
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Red Oak, Texas tight end Jeremiah Gaines has been on the Texas recruiting radar for quite some time. He attended the second Junior Day in February and in fact, the Longhorns continue to keep in touch. However, this morning Gaines’ father Fred Gaines said he did not see Texas offering unless something drastically changed with the type of tight ends the Longhorns were targeting.
Mr. Gaines did say there was definitely an open door between them and Texas and coach Bruce Chambers has done a great job building the relationship.
This summer, Gaines is not planning to participate in any camps however he may attend some as an observer. Mr. Gaines did not count out the possibility of visiting Austin but did say it would not be this weekend. I would say the possibilities of a visit right now are remote.
Gaines has seen his offer numbers rise considerably over the course of spring ball shooting into double digits and just shy of 20. He now counts offers from the likes of Arizona St., Cal, Iowa, Mississippi St., Ole Miss, and Washington St. (Howell)
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Broken Arrow, Okla. 2014 signal caller Coleman Key is regarded as one of the top signal callers in the Sooner state along with Edmond Santa Fe’s Justice Hansen.
Last Friday, Texas co-offensive coordinator Major Applewhite stopped through to check out Broken Arrow’s talent-laden 2014 class. Following the visit, Key was able to catch up with Applewhite and the two hit it off pretty well.
“He’s really nice,” Key said. “I like him a lot. He was just cool and laid back and we just talked. Then we talked about the camp schedule. He was really nice. I liked him.”
Key is hard to miss at 6-4 and 200 pounds and even though he has yet to start a varsity game, the attention is coming from several college programs. This weekend will be a Red River Weekend he will attend camp at Oklahoma on Saturday and head directly to Austin for a camp at Texas.
He will be joined by 2014 standout running back Devon Thomas in Austin on Sunday.
The weekend is a big one for Key. He has been attending camps for quite some time now as college programs watched his brother Kasen Key very closely. This summer he will be the one in the spotlight.
“It’s definitely going to be different because I’m not going to be the little brother anymore,” Key said. “They’re going to be watching me. Coach Heupel has seen me, but it’s going to be nice for him to see me as the main guy he’s looking at. I’m sure there’s going to be a lot of other athletes out there he’s going to be looking at, but I’m not going to be the little brother any more. I’m going to be the guy he wants to see out there throw.”
Growing up in Oklahoma, the Sooners and Cowboys were quick to catch his attention, but Texas is also a program he holds in high regard.
“I would love to go to a school like Texas because they’ve always had a good football program,” he said. “Obviously they’ve been down a little bit the pass couple of years, but pretty soon they’re going to be back to normal. They have a great football program and a great campus and obviously a bunch of good coaches. It’s always a possibility to go to a great program like that.” (Howell)
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Fort Worth All Saints offensive lineman Demetrius Knox says he plans to camp at Texas June 10. He said “I called coach Searels today and he said he was fired up about me getting down there.” Judging from Knox's tone it sounded like Searels was not the only one in that two party conversation fired up about the camp. (Howell)
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Here’s a working list of guys we have coming in for camps. Some may end up changing dates or not making it in, but this is what we have so far. We will continue to update the list as we receive more info.
June 3
Antwuan Davis, 2013 CB, Bastrop, Texas commit
Deoundrei Davis, 2013 LB, Cy Woods, Texas commit
Daeshon Hall, 2013 DE, Lancaster, Texas commit
Kyle Hicks, 2013 RB, Arlington Martin, Texas commit (probably not due to injury)
Naashon Hughes, 2013 LB, Harker Heights, Texas commit
Darius James, 2013 OL, Harker Heights, Texas commit
Jake Oliver, 2013 WR, Dallas Jesuit, Texas commit
Kent Perkins, 2013 OL, Dallas Lake Highlands, Texas commit
Jake Raulerson, 2013 OL/DE, Celina, Texas commit
A’Shawn Robinson, 2013 DT, Fort Worth Arlington Heights, Texas commit
Ricky Seals-Jones, 2013 WR, Sealy, Texas commit
Durham Smythe, 2013 TE, Belton, Texas commit
Tyrone Swoopes, 2013 QB, Whitewright, Texas commit
Jacorey Warrick, 2013 WR, Cy Falls, Texas commit
Torrodney Prevot (maybe the 10th), 2013 DE, Alief Taylor
Chevoski Collins, 2013 CB, Livingston
Alfred Pullom, 2013 S, Cy Woods
Robbie Wells, 2013 TE, Katy Taylor
Hardreck Walker, 2013 DT, Spring Westfield
Caleb Benenoch, 2013 OL, Katy Seven Lakes
Sergio Phillips, 2013 OL, DeSoto
Noel Ellis, 2013 CB, New Orleans (La.) Edna Karr
Devante Noil, 2014 ATH, New Orleans (La.) Edna Karr
Gerald Willis III, 2014 DE, New Orleans (La.) Edna Karr
Donnie Alexander, 2014 LB, New Orleans (La.) Edna Karr
Cameron Robinson, 2014 OL, Monroe (La.) Ouachita
Coleman Key, 2014 QB, Broken Arrow, Okla.
Devon Thomas, 2014 RB, Broken Arrow, Okla.
June 10
Corey Avery, 2014 RB, Dallas Carter
Cameron Hampton, 2014 LB, Dallas Carter
Jaylon Scott, 2013 CB, Dallas Carter
Josh Pitts, 2013 DT, Dallas Carter
D’Onta Foreman, 2014 RB/LB, Texas City
Armanti Foreman, 2014 WR, Texas City
Blake Blackmar (June 6-10), 2014 OL, Clear Lake
Demetrius Knox, 2014 OL, Fort Worth All Saints
Zach Whitley, 2014 LB, Galena Park North Shore
Hoza Scott, 2014 LB, La Porte
Nick Harvey, 2014 ATH, Lancaster
Solomon Thomas, 2014 DL, Coppell
Derick Roberson, 2014 DE, San Antonio Brennan
Jerrod Heard (June 6), 2014 QB, Denton Guyer
KD Cannon, 2014 WR, Mount Pleasant
Josh Walker, 2014 LB, Gilmer
Jacob Bragg, 2014 OL, Nacogdoches
Sean Matthews, 2014 LB, Nacogdoches
Chris Hardeman, 2014 CB, Alief Taylor
Keenen Brown, 2014 WR, Alief Taylor
Nick Watkins, 2014 CB, Dallas Bishop Dunne
Willie Ivery, 2014 ATH, Sulphur Springs
Tavares Garner, 2013 CB, Manvel, Texas Tech commit
Kyrion Parker, 2013 WR, Manvel
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Here’s a look at some of the offers handed out around the state this week that you might have missed of note:
Class of 2013
(LSR No.28) Fort Worth Southwest athlete Robbie Rhodes was offered by Alabama..
(LSR No.32) San Antonio Madison defensive tackle Vincent Taylor committed to Oklahoma State.
(LSR No.52) Killeen Shoemaker running back Johnny Jefferson was offered by Texas Tech.
(LSR No: 80) Red Oak tight end Jeremiah Gaines was offered by Arizona State, Washington State, California, Central Florida, Texas State, Iowa and Mississippi State.
(LSR NR): Manvel cornerback Tavares Garner was offered by San Jose State.
(LSR NR) Killen safety Deric Robertson committed to Oklahoma State.
(LSR: NR) Proper quarterback David Webb committed to Texas Tech.
(LSR: NR) Frisco Centennial defensive back Ranthony Texada was offered by Baylor.
2014
(LSR No.2) Lancaster cornerback Nick Harvey was offered by Notre Dame and Oklahoma.
(LSR No.9) Denton Guyer quarterback Jerrod Heard was offered by LSU.
(LSR No.20) Alief Taylor cornerback Chris Hardeman was offered by Wake Forest
(LSR No.23) Dallas Bishop Dunne defensive back Nick Watkins was offered Georgia, LSU and Notre Dame.
(LSR NR): Arlington Martin defensive lineman Myles Garrett was offered by Arkansas and Minnesota.
(GK)
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If you missed the pinned thread, 2012 five-star small forward Devonta Pollard (Kemper County HS, Mississippi) will finally announce his college destination Friday evening at his school.
As most of you know, this recruitment has been basically impossible to get a feel for. While on visits, Pollard hasn’t tipped his hand to coaching staffs. In addition to that, Pollard hasn’t really done interviews in a very long time, and for the first time recently, his mother did one interview to speak about the announcement date, but she has not returned calls. I think that the Pollards wanted this decision to stay within the family, and it has.
What’s interesting is that according to Pollard’s mother in a recent ESPN report, her son signed four letters of intent before the May 16th signing period ended. Evidently, there is a brief window that would allow the Pollards to turn in the LOI that they wanted to, and it would bind them to that school.
The list of schools is supposed to still remain at Georgetown, Texas, Alabama, and Missouri. A Missouri source I communicated with tonight suggested the Tigers are out, which makes since considering they have used their 13 scholarships for next season. Georgetown lost the assistant coach in charge of recruiting Pollard to LSU, and it sounds like it has really hurt the Hoyas’ chances. Could LSU surprise everyone and gain Pollard’s signature? It’s possible. I wouldn’t rule anything out when you consider that the 6-7 slashing small forward hasn’t talked much, and a source familiar with the Georgetown program suggested not to count LSU out. However, his mother’s recent quotes suggest that the four schools are the only ones he’ll be choosing from. Your head is spinning, I know. Mine too.
So, it would seem that Pollard, rated as the No. 22 player nationally in the Rivals150, is down to Alabama and Texas. At least that’s what you would think. Earlier in the process, some felt Missouri was the team to beat, and then it was a two-horse race with Georgetown and Alabama. You haven’t really heard Texas’ name mentioned much, but the way this thing has developed, you’d think that the Horns have to be right there near the top with Alabama.
In 2009, Pollard lost his father and just a short time after that, lightning struck their home and it burned to the ground. There is a lot of speculation behind the scenes that the old recruiting thought about Mom ? if you win Mom you win the signature ? is certainly in play here. Considering how much the family has been through, the location, and that Pollard has been to Tuscaloosa about 10 times or more, it would be tough not to bet on the Crimson Tide here. However, with the complete lack of anything coming from the family or coaches, it’s still impossible to know for sure.
As for Texas, one source indicated that its recruiting attention recently has been focused on Pollard; it is recruiting him as much as it can until the end of this. The source, a very dialed in one, also suggested that no one really knows for sure which way this will ultimately go.
It’s rare that a big-time recruit can go through a long process without anyone knowing where he’ll ultimately pick, but that’s the case with Pollard, who will announce at 5 PM Friday.
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Last week in the War Room, I went into detail about Skip Johnson’s relationship with Texas Tech interim head coach Tim Tadlock, and the possibility of Tech trying to get Johnson away from Texas.
I checked back in with a source this week, and the source suggested there is still no reason to worry at all about Johnson leaving.
As for the buzz around the Longhorn program right now, it sounds like Augie Garrido wasn’t kidding when he told the media on Monday that he’ll be thoroughly examining his program. Garrido is already taking a very close look at every piece of the puzzle.
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I got a chance to chat with recent baseball commitment Codey McElroy (Eastern Oklahoma College) about his recent commitment to Texas.
His recent visit to Texas…
“Coach (Tommy) Harmon, he was talking to me around spring break. He came down and watched me play a couple of times. We stayed in contact. We tried to get a visit set up, it was hard with our schedules, and I finally got to go down there (to Austin). I liked it a lot. Drew Bishop (director of baseball operations) took me around and showed me around the school. I really like the coaches a lot. They seem personable. Obviously, they’re great coaches and they win, but they seemed like they really had good relationships with the players.”
On where Texas told him he fits in the program
“They want me to come in and try to play shortstop. That’s what they recruited me as. Obviously, they’re not going to just give it to me. You can’t have a strong program if you do that. I’m going to come in and compete.”
A quote y’all will love
“I talked to OU and TCU, those are the main two. I liked OU a lot. When I went to Texas, everything was a lot better. I liked it a lot more. Even though it’s my home state school, I really couldn’t choose OU over Texas.”
On how he became such a tall shortstop
“I’m 6-6, 210 pounds. I was always really small growing up which is why I played shortstop. Then, sophomore year high school, I was 5-10 and went to 6-6. I grew into my body. I was able to keep my feet when I got bigger so I could play shortstop.”
His hitting approach…
“I like to get on the ball early in the count, but I’m not afraid to hit with two strikes. I’m a gap-to-gap guy. I’m trying to hit it up the middle and the gaps and I’ve got some power in me.” (McComas)
This post was edited on 5/31 11:05 PM by Jason Howell
This post was edited on 6/1 8:29 AM by Suchomel
