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Let’s start things off with an update on former Longhorn wide receiver commitment Ricky Seals-Jones …
For those that haven’t been on the site much this week, RSJ took an official visit to Texas A&M on Wednesday to get a better look at both the football and basketball programs. He was joined by his parents and his AAU coach.
On late Wednesday night, OB got word that RSJ was planning a Thursday visit to the Forty Acres. Initially, that trip was supposed to be for basketball only - Seals-Jones would be meeting with Rick Barnes and the hoops staff. But we were told through multiple sources that things changed on Thursday and the visit ended up covering both football and basketball.
How important was it for the football staff to get some face time with the nation’s top WR prospect? Mack Brown, wide receivers coach Darrell Wyatt and area recruiter Oscar Giles all cancelled their plans to go to the Angelo Football Clinic in San Angelo so they could be around to spend time with Seals-Jones. The trio made a strong impression
“Everyone left there very happy,” said a family member of Seals-Jones. “He’ll probably make a final decision in a couple of months.”
It’s not often that a player decommits from a school and then winds up giving a second commitment, but in talking to various people, including RSJ’s family, we continue to hear that the Longhorns are in a strong position on this one.
“It’s still up to Ricky but (Texas) is still at the top,” we were told after the UT visit. “People have all these ideas of what happened. It was nothing Texas did wrong. All that talk is just wrong. He just wants to be sure.”
During the visit with football staff, RSJ got a chance to talk to the Texas coaches about the “direction of the program,” how he’d be used, and he also talked to some key offensive skill players on the team.
The meeting with the basketball coaches reassured RSJ, his family and his AAU coach that Seals-Jones would be welcome to play both sports should he wind up at UT.
“We got a lot of questions answered,” the family member told us. “Rick Barnes is on the same page with everyone. A lot of people thought they weren’t (on the same page with basketball) but that’s not it at all.”
LSU has always been thought to be UT’s main competition, and that’s still believed to be the case. One prospect within the state of Texas who has communicated with Seals-Jones has been telling people behind the scenes that he’s hearing Texas A&M has made a major move up RSJ’s list (this prospect is close to A&M, so take that info for what it’s worth). After the UT visit, RSJ’s family member made sure to point out that Texas is still the team to beat, and one person who has been spot on with information on this recruitment from day one told us this week that he still thinks the Rivals100 member winds up at Texas. But don’t look for any sort of recommitment until Seals-Jones’ family is fully on board with a decision, we’re told.
Up next, Seals-Jones will head to Atlanta for the Rivals100 Five-Star Challenge, where he’ll be joined by several other UT commitments (he’ll room with Tyrone Swoopes). After that, he’s scheduled to be in Oregon for The Opening in early July.
We did ask about any other college campus visits, and we were told on Thursday that nothing has been scheduled at this point. (Suchomel)
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The commitment of Butte C.C. tight end Geoff Swaim was one of the bigger surprises that I can remember in covering UT recruiting, but the move makes sense. Swaim isn’t exactly a top national name, but he’s good at what he does -sticking his helmet in a defender’s chest and driving him backward. He knows what his role is, he loves it, and his talents would appear to be a natural fit for the Longhorn offense (Butte C.C. motions its tight ends a ton and Swaim lines up all over the place, much like he will at Texas).
Swaim will graduate in December and enroll at Texas in January, meaning he’ll go through spring ball next year. He’s not planning on spending a lot of time watching from the sidelines.
“I think they’re expecting me to have an immediate impact,” Swaim said. “That’s why you recruit the junior college level.”
Swaim knows it will be a big jump in the level of competition, but he’s ready for the challenge. In fact, he can’t wait to get started.
“Coach Brown talked about that - I’m extremely competitive. I can’t wait to win at a higher level. I want to be challenged. I want to play big-time football,” Swaim said. “I want to play for a national championship, in front of 101,000 people. Texas is as good as it gets. It’s a huge state with an incredible fan base, where you can win day in and day out. For me, the decision was easy. (Suchomel)
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In case you missed our report earlier in the week, remember the name Kewan Alfred.
The Trinity Valley DE has been in regular contact with UT of late. He’s been invited for an unofficial visit on June 27 and Alfred said he’s planning to attend. According to Alfred, he’s been told he has a strong chance of picking up an official offer from Mack Brown. If one is presented, a commitment is not out of the realm of possibility.
“I don’t know. I still have an open mind, but that’s Texas. That’s big,” Alfred said when asked if a commitment was a possibility. “They’re at the top of the chart. I still have an open mind, but my interest in Texas is very, very high.”
For those wondering how Alfred could fit into UT’s plans …
“I think it’s safe to say that (Texas) might be looking to bring in an older player at defensive end, since there’s a possibility Jackson (Jeffcoat) could always decide to leave early” a source said. (To be clear, we have not been told that Jeffcoat has expressed any intentions on leaving, but the coaches are choosing to cover their bases with all possible scenarios).
We’ll be keeping a close eye on this one over the next couple weeks. (Suchomel)
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There was a lot of hand-wringing from fans on Robbie Rhodes’ commitment to was a tough blow for UT, but the decision wasn’t completely unexpected. Word had begun to trickle out prior to Rhodes’ commitment that he was getting close to pulling the trigger and a day or two before his announcement, it was made clear to those close to the Baylor program that the Bears were in the clear lead.
Something worth filing away … shortly after Rhodes visited Texas on the weekend of the State Track & Field Meet, Rhodes told one person we talked to that Baylor had a slight lead. But he said back then that if Baylor struggled in 2012 and Texas had a really strong season, it could cause him to reconsider things.
We’re not projecting a decommitment and it remains to be seen how active Texas will be in recruiting Rhodes now that he’s committed, but that conversation is worth remembering. (Suchomel)
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Defensive end Solomon Thomas attended UT’s first mini-camp on June 3, where he was matched up with some of the Horns’ top targets in the 2013 class. Thomas said he felt good about his performance, and he appreciated the way the coaches worked him and the others during the drills and one-on-one match-ups.
“Definitely the competition and how the coaching staff was coaching us stood out,” Thomas said. “They were coaching us very well. At other camps, the coaches try not to be too hard on you. But they were coaching us pretty hard, teaching us as much as they could.”
Thoms spent time working with Oscar Giles and Bo Davis. He listed UT commitment Daeshon Hall as the player who most impressed him (“His skill level is pretty high, how he knew how to do everything.”).
Thomas attended a UCLA camp on June 9 and he’s scheduled to camp at Stanford on June 22. Texas continues to sit in a favorable position.
“It definitely puts them up there. I’m still young right now and I want to see as many places as I can, get a visual of every school,” Thomas said. “I want to take in as much as I can to make the right decision.
“The main factor is going to be academics. I just want to make sure if football doesn't fully work out, I want to make sure I get a degree and a good education. I definitely want to play as much as I can, so I’ll look at the depth chart. I love the game so much so I want to play. Those are probably going to be my two main factors.” (Suchomel)
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Katy (Texas) Seven Lakes offensive lineman Caleb Benenoch attended the Texas camp hoping to prove to the Texas coaches he was worthy of an offer from the Longhorns.
He knew Texas was interested in him, but it was not until after the camp that Benenoch knew just where he stood with the Longhorns. Following the camp on Sunday evening, Benenoch sat down with Mack Brown. Coach Stacy Searels and coach Oscar Giles were there. Coach Brown’s wife Sally was there, as were a few of members of the Benenoch family.
“They offered me and [coach Brown] told me he didn’t want me to think of committing right there,” Benenoch said. “He wanted me to go work things out.”
On Sunday night, that is exactly what Benenoch did. He knew he had to talk to his father before the next step was taken. However, there was no shortage of opinions from inside the Benenoch household.
“After Sunday, I came home and my mom really liked Texas,” Benenoch said. “My sister loved it and told me to commit right then and there. We talked about it and called my dad and decided (to de-commit from Michigan St.).”
The decision to de-commit from Michigan St. was not an easy one, and was not done on a whim.
“It was ridiculously hard. It’s still hard right now,” Benenoch said following his decision. “I talked to coach Dantonio about 20 minutes ago and he’s just a terrific guy. The whole program…it was hard for me to do that. It really was.”
What caused him to make the decision to de-commit?
“It wasn’t really the schools that came by, it was just the fact that I knew I wouldn’t be able to go up to East Lansing until an official visit in September. And we’re in football season so I may not make it until October or November. I would have to fit it in with my football schedule,” he said. “Then I was looking around and I couldn’t ask them to hold a roster spot with the chance I might go up there and say this isn’t for me. So I decided to make my decision.”
He did say Michigan St. is not out of the running, but since de-committing Arkansas, Baylor, Oklahoma, Texas and Texas A&M have emerged as a top five. He is also expecting to hear from Alabama in the next couple of days and could very well see an adjustment to his top five.
Of the schools in his top five he does have a couple of early leaders - Texas and Oklahoma. What has the two programs at the top?
“UT was my childhood dream team and coach Searels likes to play freshman and playing early is huge for me,” Benenoch said. “OU had done great things with offensive linemen over the past few years and they are in deep need of tackles.”
He does not have any more camp plans, but does plan to visit Arkansas, Baylor, Oklahoma, Texas, and Texas A&M this summer. He will be taking a look at several factors but a family atmosphere and potential playing time are high on his list. (Howell)
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Let’s stay with Benenoch a little longer.
The standout offensive lineman checked in at UT’s camp at 6-6 and worked at right tackle and right guard. Benenoch talked to Orangebloods on Monday about the competition of going up against Texas commit Jake Raulerson and how much he enjoyed working with Texas offensive line coach Stacy Searels. What we did not tell you was what he did not get to do.
On Sunday, Benenoch hoped to show the Texas coaches just how versatile he was, and he was able to do that with his work at guard and tackle. He said he felt natural at both positions, but he hoped to show a little more. He wanted to show the Texas staff he could play anywhere on the line from tackle to center.
That’s right, Benenoch wanted to work at center. He does not have much experience at center but it is something he has practiced.
“I do not have a lot of game experience at it but I have a lot of practice experience,” Benenoch said. “We have a really good offensive line at my school but we do not have a lot of depth. So if somebody goes down I’m able to fill that spot in. Let’s say if we have a good back-up at right tackle but don’t have a good back-up at center so that’s why I did that. It just makes myself more well rounded.”
Benenoch has also not been shy about wanting to play as early as possible in college and he sees the extra skill set as a big positive he can bring to the table.
“A lot of freshman don’t start and I might not start as a freshman, but I might be the No. 1 guy at every back-up position because I know how to play all of them because I practiced at it,” Benenoch said. (Howell)
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Speaking of big offensive line targets, they do not get much bigger than Fort Worth (Texas) All Saints Episcopal 2014 offensive tackle Demetrius Knox.
No doubt about it, Knox is one of the top 2014 prospects in Texas with offers from some of the nation’s top football programs. Following his performance at the Texas camp on Sunday, Texas re-iterated to him that he was approved for an offer from the Longhorns.
Knox is not stating a list of schools at this time but he has made it clear in the past that Texas is very high on his list and a school he has been a fan of growing up. After the visit, he told us that nothing had changed because Texas has always been high on his list and when asked what stood out about the visit he was not shy about his answer.
“Everything caught my attention,” Knox said. “UT is basically a city, a city dedicated to football. The college is huge and everyone is trying to do everything they can to help you as a student-athlete and to win a national championship.”
Knox was not the only All Saints prospect to catch the eye of the Texas coaches. Following the camp, Texas coaches got in touch with All Saints head coach Aaron Beck to find out where he had been with Knox, and two other teammates because the coaches wanted to meet with them. Running back Daniel Gresham (5-11, 226) was one of the prospects the Longhorns inquired about and they informed him that they would be watching this fall. Gresham admits the attention was nice.
“It was really cool. I’m used to standing around Meech (Demetrius Knox) and him talking to people all day,” Gresham said. “You know how you can sit next to someone and overhear what someone is saying out of the phone, that’s kind of like what happened. I didn’t really say anything, but coach Beck said Daniel, Mack Brown was asking about you and wanting to know why we got out of there so fast. He wanted you and Meech to come up there and sit in his office and talk to him for awhile.
“I’m not sure about UT, but coach Beck was asking about our transcripts today and I think he mentioned UT was asking for it. I think they really like me at fullback.”
All Saints athlete Kendall Adams (6-1, 175) also received interest from the Longhorns after working at receiver and safety during the camp. He enjoyed working with both coach Darrell Wyatt and coach Duane Akina, but did admit he does like playing receiver more than safety right now.
“It was great. I wasn’t expecting it, but UT who wouldn’t want to go there,” Adams said. “I went out there trying to get noticed but it was a little surprising to hear they called for us.”
Adams plays both ways for All Saints and this spring worked at quarterback. With Foster Sawyer, who camped at Texas the previous week, now at All Saints he is looking forward to moving back to receiver. (Howell)
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No doubt about it, Arlington (Texas) Martin defensive end Myles Garrett received some of the highest reviews of any prospect coming out of Sunday’s Texas mini-camp. The 6-4, Garrett certainly turned heads at the event and is a guy who has quickly made his way onto college radars.
Garrett became a big part of the Martin defense towards the latter part of the season and this spring coach Bob Wager saw the rough edges begin to smooth.
“I think the biggest thing with guys like that is you’re talking about a guy with a size 18 shoe, and they have to grow into the ability to control their appendages,” Arlington Martin head coach Bob Wager said. “That comes with age and hard work so he’s much more polished than he was a sophomore.”
Coach Wager cited a couple of reasons why Garrett has progressed as he has so far.
“First there’s the great athletic talent, but also the willingness to invest the time and energy to get better,” Coach Wager said.
Garrett’s size, athleticism, and work ethic have coach Wager and college coaches excited about his potential. In fact Wager sees Garrett as a guy who can contribute to all facets of the football game.
“He’s certainly a standout d-end and he plays a major role on special teams and we’ll play a lot of guys both ways and it will be shame on us if we don’t find a way to use a guy like him some on offense,” Coach Wager said.
Garrett already holds an offer from Minnesota, but if he continues to generate the buzz he created at the Texas camp on Sunday you can bet there will be plenty more to follow. (Howell)
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Mansfield, Texas tight end Trent Gow has been on the Texas radar for quite some time. He attended a Texas junior day, was at the Texas spring game, and on Sunday made his way to Austin for the Texas mini-camp.
“I tried to prove a lot with my receiving ability,” Gow said. “They know I can block and that’s a big reason why they’re looking at me. They wanted to know that I can catch and run too and I thought I did really well with that.”
Following the camp he talked to Texas tight ends coach Bruce Chambers who let him know there was interest.
“They told me they’re really interested and they’ve talked about a greyshirt,” Gow said. “They just told me to go home and talk to my mom and dad and coach Hulme about it. We’re cool with it so we already called them and told them, but he has to talk to coach Brown so nothing is 100-percent yet. I’m still waiting to hear back from them.”
He has yet to hear back from Texas, who has since picked up a commitment from Butte C.C. tight end Geoff Swaim. Gow did not know how the addition of Swaim might affect the potential grayshirt offer from the Longhorns, and is waiting to find out just where he stands.
In addition to Texas, LSU has also shown an interest and let him know they would be getting back to him in July. He also expects to hear back soon from Tulsa and Iowa St., and plans to visit Air Force, Colorado, and Colorado St. in the coming weeks. He also mentioned possibly visiting Kansas St.
My Take: After Swaim’s commitment it really looks like Gow is going to be out of luck even for a grayshirt opportunity. Swaim and Gow are similar in style and it appears Texas made their pick. (Of course, the way recruiting has gone the last couple of weeks, nothing would surprise me.)
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Following Sunday’s camp Dallas (Texas) Carter linebacker Corey Avery also did some damage.
“It was fun. I think I did good out there,” Avery said.
The Texas camp was his second of the summer. He also camped at Texas A&M and clocked a 4.53 on the day. At Texas he said the most fun of the day was the one-on-ones and he felt like he made plays regardless of the opponent. He enjoyed working with coach Applewhite and Texas is right at the top when it comes to recruiting along with Ohio St. (Howell)
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Clear Lake offensive lineman Blake Blackmar has grown up around the Texas program. He has been to Austin numerous times and the Longhorns have been on him since he made his first varsity start as a freshman.
Last week, Blackmar attended the Longhorns’ three-day camp, as well as the Sunday mini-camp. A big reason for attending the two camps was to get to know and work with Texas offensive line coach Stacy Searels. Blackmar learned a lot over the course of his week in Austin but there were a few things that really stood out.
“I think the one thing I took away from it the most is size isn’t everything with him,” Blackmar said. “He’s looking for more of what’s inside like your heart, drive, will to win, and winning attitude on the field. That’s the way he coaches too. If you mess up he will tell you right away and if you do good he will tell you right away also.”
This was a business trip for Blackmar, but that’s not to say he did not have fun.
“I had a great time,” he said. “For the first three and a half days there were a few d-line prospects that I went against every time for one-on-ones and stuff, but it was a lot of good quality coaching time with coach Searels and some of the other coaches who were there to help. I really got a lot out of it. I got a lot of help on my footwork and stuff like that.”
Blackmar went from Austin to Tyler, Texas where he attended the Oklahoma camp and then he was headed to camp at Florida St. (Howell)
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Sulphur Springs, Texas athlete Willie Ivery has had the Longhorns high on his list for awhile now and he has not been shy about it. On Sunday, Ivery worked at receiver at the Texas camp and felt good about the day in Austin.
“It was good. I liked it a lot,” Ivery said. “I liked the drills we did, the atmosphere, seeing all the coaches and football players. It was great to be out there.”
One of the highlights was working with Texas wide receiver coach Darrell Wyatt.
“It was good,” he said. “I like coach Wyatt the receivers coach. He’s a great guy. I like him a lot and he’s a great coach.”
In addition to receiver, Ivery is attracting attention at defensive back and running back. (Howell)
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Don't look for the coaches to move anyone from defense over to offense to help patch the holes left by Paden Kelley (quit football) and Camrhon Hughes (torn knee ligaments playing pickup basketball).
Mack Brown said Stacy Searels has done a great job of moving people around on the offensive line to create depth. And Mack hinted that if there's an injury to tackles Donald Hawkins or Josh Cochran that Trey Hopkins could move left guard to tackle.
The coaches are happy with the progress of Thomas Ashcraft and Sedrick Flowers. That's where the depth on the line is. In fact, Mack Brown said Ashcraft has looked good and is in "great shape."
Kennedy Estelle and Curtis Riser are on campus and going through summer workouts. Mack said he hopes both players can work their way into the mix to play this season.
By the way, Mack said Camrhon Hughes’ father said the only ball Camrhon will be picking up from here on out is a “medicine ball.” Mack said Hughes’ injury was just bad luck and won’t discourage his guys from playing pickup basketball.
Mack said the only other injury he could think of involving pickup basketball and torn knee ligaments involved RB Ivan Williams. (BROWN)
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Everyone wants to know what’s going on with the quarterbacks so far in the offseason. Here’s what Mack Brown had to say:
“The biggest thing they have to improve is their confidence and leadership and I’m seeing that.
“I’m so impressed with those two since summer. I walked by Case (McCoy) today and he was saying, ‘Everything’s going great. ‘ We’ve had receivers hurt and some leave, so we have to get better timing and consistency in our passing game. And I think that will happen.
“It’s hard with Marquise (Goodwin) because he’s gone all the time. You don’t have him in the spring or summer or early fall practice, so it’s more difficult for him. But the others should be much more comfortable.
“And you’ve got Bryant (Jackson) and Miles (Onyegbule) that won’t be involved in the throwing this summer because of injuries.”
If you missed it yesterday, Mack said Jackson (broken foot) and Onyegbule (torn pectoral muscle) will be the only ones not likely to be cleared for fall camp because of their injuries. Quandre Diggs (left wrist), Adrian Phillips (shoulder) and Jackson Jeffcoat (pectoral) are all expected to be cleared for fall camp. (BROWN)
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An update from the conference commissioners’ meeting in Chicago on Wednesday: the 11 commissioners and Notre Dame hit a road block and didn’t come up with a proposal to take to the presidents and chancellors on June 26 as planned.
Now, the commissioners will meet again in Chicago next week and will try to have a proposal to the presidents and chancellors sometime before Sept. 1, when ESPN’s exclusive negotiating window for the TV rights to what used to be the BCS national championship begins.
The differences may be significant enough that the commissioners give multiple proposals to the presidents and chancellors to pick from.
Here’s the dilemma, the Pac-12 is now pushing hard for a Plus-One model that preserves the current BCS bowl system and selects two teams to play in a national title game after those bowls. This would preserve the Rose Bowl as status quo.
The rest of the college football world appears ready for a four-team playoff that would probably allow some of the current bowls to bid for the right to be the semifinals and bid out the national title game annually.
And then you have to figure out how the four teams in a playoff would be selected and by whom.
If multiple proposals are presented to the presidents and chancellors, it could get interesting.
Stay tuned. (BROWN)
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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 committed to Baylor.
(LSR No.37) Fort Bend Marshall linebacker Deon Hollins Jr. was offered by Baylor and is now considered a soft commitment to UCLA.
(LSR No.45) Mansfield defensive back George Baltimore committed to TCU.
(LSR No.57) San Antonio East Central defensive back Austin Jupe committed to Baylor.
(LSR No.63) Irving Macarthur defensive back Taion Sells committed to Baylor.
(LSR NR): Sharpstown linebacker Reggie Chevis committed to Texas A&M.
2014
(LSR No.16) Dallas Carter linebacker Cameron Hampton was offered by Oklahoma and Oklahoma State.
(LSR No.19) Beaumont Ozen defensive back Tony Brown was offered by Oklahoma.
(LSR No.20) Alief Taylor cornerback Chris Hardeman was offered by Houston.
(LSR No.23) Dallas Bishop Dunne defensive back Nick Watkins was offered by Stanford.
(LSR No.23) Mansfield Timberview defensive back Brandon Simmons was offered by LSU.
(LSR No.45) Pearland linebacker Justin Phillips was offered by Oklahoma State.
(LSR No.58) West Mesquite defensive back Dylan Gardner committed to Clemson.
(LSR No.59): Dallas Skyline defensive end Victor Evans was offered by SMU.
(LSR NR) Dallas Skyline offensive tackle Ty Barren was offered by Texas Tech.
(LSR NR) Keller Timber Creek defensive back Cedric Dale was offered by Texas Tech. (GK)
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Regarding the coaching search for the UT baseball team, all is quiet right now. It’s still a little unclear which direction Texas will go.
Last week, we reported that Arkansas recruiting coordinator and assistant coach Todd Butler, thought to be one of the top candidates, would be very open to making the move from Arkansas to Texas. A source I spoke to this week indicated that Butler might even be doing a little campaigning behind the scene and making sure that UT knows he would likely take the job. Obviously, Arkansas is still in the College World Series, so no move would be made right now.
As I just said, Butler is thought to be one of the top candidates for the position of hitting coach at Texas, but is he the top candidate? That’s unknown at the moment as Texas could go a number of directions. Will Augie Garrido and Texas go get one of the biggest names out there, or go with someone they have connections with and already trust? We’ll see.
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At midnight tonight, college basketball coaches will be able to start calling, texting, and social mediaing (yes, I just made that word up) to recruits unlimitedly, including players that just finished their sophomore year. This is when summer recruiting should probably really take off. The only thing that is prohibited by the rule change is public recruiting efforts made my social media (basically, they all have to be private messages).
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If you missed it, a new NCAA rule went into effect this summer and it allows college basketball coaches to get up to two hours of practice with their team. Obviously, coaches, including Rick Barnes, are thrilled with the new rule as it gives the coaches a little bit of time each week to drill their guys, see them up close, and build relationships with them.
On the Big 12 coaches teleconference call today, Barnes was asked if any individuals were standing out during workout. As a Texas basketball or football coach usually does, the answer was the standard “they’re all looking good” or something along those lines.
So, I checked in with a source about the workouts - coaches have now been able to spend nearly two weeks with their players to get some thoughts about anyone that is standing out. I asked about the freshmen (all are on campus) in particular, and the source indicated that the group is adjusting well. Per the source, the workouts have been demanding, early and tough but the youngsters are turning heads.
One individual (of the freshmen) that was singled out was 6-11 center Prince Ibeh.
“The Texas coaches think he has the ability to be a potential star,” said the source. “They’re really pleased with him thus far, especially the effort. And he (Prince) knows he can get a lot of playing time early.”
It was a quick conversation, so I wasn’t able to get into many specifics about other players, but it sounds like the incoming Longhorns are experiencing more positives than negatives at this point. (McComas)
This post was edited on 6/14 10:35 PM by Ketchum
This post was edited on 6/15 10:39 AM by Suchomel
Let’s start things off with an update on former Longhorn wide receiver commitment Ricky Seals-Jones …
For those that haven’t been on the site much this week, RSJ took an official visit to Texas A&M on Wednesday to get a better look at both the football and basketball programs. He was joined by his parents and his AAU coach.
On late Wednesday night, OB got word that RSJ was planning a Thursday visit to the Forty Acres. Initially, that trip was supposed to be for basketball only - Seals-Jones would be meeting with Rick Barnes and the hoops staff. But we were told through multiple sources that things changed on Thursday and the visit ended up covering both football and basketball.
How important was it for the football staff to get some face time with the nation’s top WR prospect? Mack Brown, wide receivers coach Darrell Wyatt and area recruiter Oscar Giles all cancelled their plans to go to the Angelo Football Clinic in San Angelo so they could be around to spend time with Seals-Jones. The trio made a strong impression
“Everyone left there very happy,” said a family member of Seals-Jones. “He’ll probably make a final decision in a couple of months.”
It’s not often that a player decommits from a school and then winds up giving a second commitment, but in talking to various people, including RSJ’s family, we continue to hear that the Longhorns are in a strong position on this one.
“It’s still up to Ricky but (Texas) is still at the top,” we were told after the UT visit. “People have all these ideas of what happened. It was nothing Texas did wrong. All that talk is just wrong. He just wants to be sure.”
During the visit with football staff, RSJ got a chance to talk to the Texas coaches about the “direction of the program,” how he’d be used, and he also talked to some key offensive skill players on the team.
The meeting with the basketball coaches reassured RSJ, his family and his AAU coach that Seals-Jones would be welcome to play both sports should he wind up at UT.
“We got a lot of questions answered,” the family member told us. “Rick Barnes is on the same page with everyone. A lot of people thought they weren’t (on the same page with basketball) but that’s not it at all.”
LSU has always been thought to be UT’s main competition, and that’s still believed to be the case. One prospect within the state of Texas who has communicated with Seals-Jones has been telling people behind the scenes that he’s hearing Texas A&M has made a major move up RSJ’s list (this prospect is close to A&M, so take that info for what it’s worth). After the UT visit, RSJ’s family member made sure to point out that Texas is still the team to beat, and one person who has been spot on with information on this recruitment from day one told us this week that he still thinks the Rivals100 member winds up at Texas. But don’t look for any sort of recommitment until Seals-Jones’ family is fully on board with a decision, we’re told.
Up next, Seals-Jones will head to Atlanta for the Rivals100 Five-Star Challenge, where he’ll be joined by several other UT commitments (he’ll room with Tyrone Swoopes). After that, he’s scheduled to be in Oregon for The Opening in early July.
We did ask about any other college campus visits, and we were told on Thursday that nothing has been scheduled at this point. (Suchomel)
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The commitment of Butte C.C. tight end Geoff Swaim was one of the bigger surprises that I can remember in covering UT recruiting, but the move makes sense. Swaim isn’t exactly a top national name, but he’s good at what he does -sticking his helmet in a defender’s chest and driving him backward. He knows what his role is, he loves it, and his talents would appear to be a natural fit for the Longhorn offense (Butte C.C. motions its tight ends a ton and Swaim lines up all over the place, much like he will at Texas).
Swaim will graduate in December and enroll at Texas in January, meaning he’ll go through spring ball next year. He’s not planning on spending a lot of time watching from the sidelines.
“I think they’re expecting me to have an immediate impact,” Swaim said. “That’s why you recruit the junior college level.”
Swaim knows it will be a big jump in the level of competition, but he’s ready for the challenge. In fact, he can’t wait to get started.
“Coach Brown talked about that - I’m extremely competitive. I can’t wait to win at a higher level. I want to be challenged. I want to play big-time football,” Swaim said. “I want to play for a national championship, in front of 101,000 people. Texas is as good as it gets. It’s a huge state with an incredible fan base, where you can win day in and day out. For me, the decision was easy. (Suchomel)
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In case you missed our report earlier in the week, remember the name Kewan Alfred.
The Trinity Valley DE has been in regular contact with UT of late. He’s been invited for an unofficial visit on June 27 and Alfred said he’s planning to attend. According to Alfred, he’s been told he has a strong chance of picking up an official offer from Mack Brown. If one is presented, a commitment is not out of the realm of possibility.
“I don’t know. I still have an open mind, but that’s Texas. That’s big,” Alfred said when asked if a commitment was a possibility. “They’re at the top of the chart. I still have an open mind, but my interest in Texas is very, very high.”
For those wondering how Alfred could fit into UT’s plans …
“I think it’s safe to say that (Texas) might be looking to bring in an older player at defensive end, since there’s a possibility Jackson (Jeffcoat) could always decide to leave early” a source said. (To be clear, we have not been told that Jeffcoat has expressed any intentions on leaving, but the coaches are choosing to cover their bases with all possible scenarios).
We’ll be keeping a close eye on this one over the next couple weeks. (Suchomel)
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There was a lot of hand-wringing from fans on Robbie Rhodes’ commitment to was a tough blow for UT, but the decision wasn’t completely unexpected. Word had begun to trickle out prior to Rhodes’ commitment that he was getting close to pulling the trigger and a day or two before his announcement, it was made clear to those close to the Baylor program that the Bears were in the clear lead.
Something worth filing away … shortly after Rhodes visited Texas on the weekend of the State Track & Field Meet, Rhodes told one person we talked to that Baylor had a slight lead. But he said back then that if Baylor struggled in 2012 and Texas had a really strong season, it could cause him to reconsider things.
We’re not projecting a decommitment and it remains to be seen how active Texas will be in recruiting Rhodes now that he’s committed, but that conversation is worth remembering. (Suchomel)
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Defensive end Solomon Thomas attended UT’s first mini-camp on June 3, where he was matched up with some of the Horns’ top targets in the 2013 class. Thomas said he felt good about his performance, and he appreciated the way the coaches worked him and the others during the drills and one-on-one match-ups.
“Definitely the competition and how the coaching staff was coaching us stood out,” Thomas said. “They were coaching us very well. At other camps, the coaches try not to be too hard on you. But they were coaching us pretty hard, teaching us as much as they could.”
Thoms spent time working with Oscar Giles and Bo Davis. He listed UT commitment Daeshon Hall as the player who most impressed him (“His skill level is pretty high, how he knew how to do everything.”).
Thomas attended a UCLA camp on June 9 and he’s scheduled to camp at Stanford on June 22. Texas continues to sit in a favorable position.
“It definitely puts them up there. I’m still young right now and I want to see as many places as I can, get a visual of every school,” Thomas said. “I want to take in as much as I can to make the right decision.
“The main factor is going to be academics. I just want to make sure if football doesn't fully work out, I want to make sure I get a degree and a good education. I definitely want to play as much as I can, so I’ll look at the depth chart. I love the game so much so I want to play. Those are probably going to be my two main factors.” (Suchomel)
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Katy (Texas) Seven Lakes offensive lineman Caleb Benenoch attended the Texas camp hoping to prove to the Texas coaches he was worthy of an offer from the Longhorns.
He knew Texas was interested in him, but it was not until after the camp that Benenoch knew just where he stood with the Longhorns. Following the camp on Sunday evening, Benenoch sat down with Mack Brown. Coach Stacy Searels and coach Oscar Giles were there. Coach Brown’s wife Sally was there, as were a few of members of the Benenoch family.
“They offered me and [coach Brown] told me he didn’t want me to think of committing right there,” Benenoch said. “He wanted me to go work things out.”
On Sunday night, that is exactly what Benenoch did. He knew he had to talk to his father before the next step was taken. However, there was no shortage of opinions from inside the Benenoch household.
“After Sunday, I came home and my mom really liked Texas,” Benenoch said. “My sister loved it and told me to commit right then and there. We talked about it and called my dad and decided (to de-commit from Michigan St.).”
The decision to de-commit from Michigan St. was not an easy one, and was not done on a whim.
“It was ridiculously hard. It’s still hard right now,” Benenoch said following his decision. “I talked to coach Dantonio about 20 minutes ago and he’s just a terrific guy. The whole program…it was hard for me to do that. It really was.”
What caused him to make the decision to de-commit?
“It wasn’t really the schools that came by, it was just the fact that I knew I wouldn’t be able to go up to East Lansing until an official visit in September. And we’re in football season so I may not make it until October or November. I would have to fit it in with my football schedule,” he said. “Then I was looking around and I couldn’t ask them to hold a roster spot with the chance I might go up there and say this isn’t for me. So I decided to make my decision.”
He did say Michigan St. is not out of the running, but since de-committing Arkansas, Baylor, Oklahoma, Texas and Texas A&M have emerged as a top five. He is also expecting to hear from Alabama in the next couple of days and could very well see an adjustment to his top five.
Of the schools in his top five he does have a couple of early leaders - Texas and Oklahoma. What has the two programs at the top?
“UT was my childhood dream team and coach Searels likes to play freshman and playing early is huge for me,” Benenoch said. “OU had done great things with offensive linemen over the past few years and they are in deep need of tackles.”
He does not have any more camp plans, but does plan to visit Arkansas, Baylor, Oklahoma, Texas, and Texas A&M this summer. He will be taking a look at several factors but a family atmosphere and potential playing time are high on his list. (Howell)
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Let’s stay with Benenoch a little longer.
The standout offensive lineman checked in at UT’s camp at 6-6 and worked at right tackle and right guard. Benenoch talked to Orangebloods on Monday about the competition of going up against Texas commit Jake Raulerson and how much he enjoyed working with Texas offensive line coach Stacy Searels. What we did not tell you was what he did not get to do.
On Sunday, Benenoch hoped to show the Texas coaches just how versatile he was, and he was able to do that with his work at guard and tackle. He said he felt natural at both positions, but he hoped to show a little more. He wanted to show the Texas staff he could play anywhere on the line from tackle to center.
That’s right, Benenoch wanted to work at center. He does not have much experience at center but it is something he has practiced.
“I do not have a lot of game experience at it but I have a lot of practice experience,” Benenoch said. “We have a really good offensive line at my school but we do not have a lot of depth. So if somebody goes down I’m able to fill that spot in. Let’s say if we have a good back-up at right tackle but don’t have a good back-up at center so that’s why I did that. It just makes myself more well rounded.”
Benenoch has also not been shy about wanting to play as early as possible in college and he sees the extra skill set as a big positive he can bring to the table.
“A lot of freshman don’t start and I might not start as a freshman, but I might be the No. 1 guy at every back-up position because I know how to play all of them because I practiced at it,” Benenoch said. (Howell)
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Speaking of big offensive line targets, they do not get much bigger than Fort Worth (Texas) All Saints Episcopal 2014 offensive tackle Demetrius Knox.
No doubt about it, Knox is one of the top 2014 prospects in Texas with offers from some of the nation’s top football programs. Following his performance at the Texas camp on Sunday, Texas re-iterated to him that he was approved for an offer from the Longhorns.
Knox is not stating a list of schools at this time but he has made it clear in the past that Texas is very high on his list and a school he has been a fan of growing up. After the visit, he told us that nothing had changed because Texas has always been high on his list and when asked what stood out about the visit he was not shy about his answer.
“Everything caught my attention,” Knox said. “UT is basically a city, a city dedicated to football. The college is huge and everyone is trying to do everything they can to help you as a student-athlete and to win a national championship.”
Knox was not the only All Saints prospect to catch the eye of the Texas coaches. Following the camp, Texas coaches got in touch with All Saints head coach Aaron Beck to find out where he had been with Knox, and two other teammates because the coaches wanted to meet with them. Running back Daniel Gresham (5-11, 226) was one of the prospects the Longhorns inquired about and they informed him that they would be watching this fall. Gresham admits the attention was nice.
“It was really cool. I’m used to standing around Meech (Demetrius Knox) and him talking to people all day,” Gresham said. “You know how you can sit next to someone and overhear what someone is saying out of the phone, that’s kind of like what happened. I didn’t really say anything, but coach Beck said Daniel, Mack Brown was asking about you and wanting to know why we got out of there so fast. He wanted you and Meech to come up there and sit in his office and talk to him for awhile.
“I’m not sure about UT, but coach Beck was asking about our transcripts today and I think he mentioned UT was asking for it. I think they really like me at fullback.”
All Saints athlete Kendall Adams (6-1, 175) also received interest from the Longhorns after working at receiver and safety during the camp. He enjoyed working with both coach Darrell Wyatt and coach Duane Akina, but did admit he does like playing receiver more than safety right now.
“It was great. I wasn’t expecting it, but UT who wouldn’t want to go there,” Adams said. “I went out there trying to get noticed but it was a little surprising to hear they called for us.”
Adams plays both ways for All Saints and this spring worked at quarterback. With Foster Sawyer, who camped at Texas the previous week, now at All Saints he is looking forward to moving back to receiver. (Howell)
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No doubt about it, Arlington (Texas) Martin defensive end Myles Garrett received some of the highest reviews of any prospect coming out of Sunday’s Texas mini-camp. The 6-4, Garrett certainly turned heads at the event and is a guy who has quickly made his way onto college radars.
Garrett became a big part of the Martin defense towards the latter part of the season and this spring coach Bob Wager saw the rough edges begin to smooth.
“I think the biggest thing with guys like that is you’re talking about a guy with a size 18 shoe, and they have to grow into the ability to control their appendages,” Arlington Martin head coach Bob Wager said. “That comes with age and hard work so he’s much more polished than he was a sophomore.”
Coach Wager cited a couple of reasons why Garrett has progressed as he has so far.
“First there’s the great athletic talent, but also the willingness to invest the time and energy to get better,” Coach Wager said.
Garrett’s size, athleticism, and work ethic have coach Wager and college coaches excited about his potential. In fact Wager sees Garrett as a guy who can contribute to all facets of the football game.
“He’s certainly a standout d-end and he plays a major role on special teams and we’ll play a lot of guys both ways and it will be shame on us if we don’t find a way to use a guy like him some on offense,” Coach Wager said.
Garrett already holds an offer from Minnesota, but if he continues to generate the buzz he created at the Texas camp on Sunday you can bet there will be plenty more to follow. (Howell)
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Mansfield, Texas tight end Trent Gow has been on the Texas radar for quite some time. He attended a Texas junior day, was at the Texas spring game, and on Sunday made his way to Austin for the Texas mini-camp.
“I tried to prove a lot with my receiving ability,” Gow said. “They know I can block and that’s a big reason why they’re looking at me. They wanted to know that I can catch and run too and I thought I did really well with that.”
Following the camp he talked to Texas tight ends coach Bruce Chambers who let him know there was interest.
“They told me they’re really interested and they’ve talked about a greyshirt,” Gow said. “They just told me to go home and talk to my mom and dad and coach Hulme about it. We’re cool with it so we already called them and told them, but he has to talk to coach Brown so nothing is 100-percent yet. I’m still waiting to hear back from them.”
He has yet to hear back from Texas, who has since picked up a commitment from Butte C.C. tight end Geoff Swaim. Gow did not know how the addition of Swaim might affect the potential grayshirt offer from the Longhorns, and is waiting to find out just where he stands.
In addition to Texas, LSU has also shown an interest and let him know they would be getting back to him in July. He also expects to hear back soon from Tulsa and Iowa St., and plans to visit Air Force, Colorado, and Colorado St. in the coming weeks. He also mentioned possibly visiting Kansas St.
My Take: After Swaim’s commitment it really looks like Gow is going to be out of luck even for a grayshirt opportunity. Swaim and Gow are similar in style and it appears Texas made their pick. (Of course, the way recruiting has gone the last couple of weeks, nothing would surprise me.)
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Following Sunday’s camp Dallas (Texas) Carter linebacker Corey Avery also did some damage.
“It was fun. I think I did good out there,” Avery said.
The Texas camp was his second of the summer. He also camped at Texas A&M and clocked a 4.53 on the day. At Texas he said the most fun of the day was the one-on-ones and he felt like he made plays regardless of the opponent. He enjoyed working with coach Applewhite and Texas is right at the top when it comes to recruiting along with Ohio St. (Howell)
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Clear Lake offensive lineman Blake Blackmar has grown up around the Texas program. He has been to Austin numerous times and the Longhorns have been on him since he made his first varsity start as a freshman.
Last week, Blackmar attended the Longhorns’ three-day camp, as well as the Sunday mini-camp. A big reason for attending the two camps was to get to know and work with Texas offensive line coach Stacy Searels. Blackmar learned a lot over the course of his week in Austin but there were a few things that really stood out.
“I think the one thing I took away from it the most is size isn’t everything with him,” Blackmar said. “He’s looking for more of what’s inside like your heart, drive, will to win, and winning attitude on the field. That’s the way he coaches too. If you mess up he will tell you right away and if you do good he will tell you right away also.”
This was a business trip for Blackmar, but that’s not to say he did not have fun.
“I had a great time,” he said. “For the first three and a half days there were a few d-line prospects that I went against every time for one-on-ones and stuff, but it was a lot of good quality coaching time with coach Searels and some of the other coaches who were there to help. I really got a lot out of it. I got a lot of help on my footwork and stuff like that.”
Blackmar went from Austin to Tyler, Texas where he attended the Oklahoma camp and then he was headed to camp at Florida St. (Howell)
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Sulphur Springs, Texas athlete Willie Ivery has had the Longhorns high on his list for awhile now and he has not been shy about it. On Sunday, Ivery worked at receiver at the Texas camp and felt good about the day in Austin.
“It was good. I liked it a lot,” Ivery said. “I liked the drills we did, the atmosphere, seeing all the coaches and football players. It was great to be out there.”
One of the highlights was working with Texas wide receiver coach Darrell Wyatt.
“It was good,” he said. “I like coach Wyatt the receivers coach. He’s a great guy. I like him a lot and he’s a great coach.”
In addition to receiver, Ivery is attracting attention at defensive back and running back. (Howell)
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Don't look for the coaches to move anyone from defense over to offense to help patch the holes left by Paden Kelley (quit football) and Camrhon Hughes (torn knee ligaments playing pickup basketball).
Mack Brown said Stacy Searels has done a great job of moving people around on the offensive line to create depth. And Mack hinted that if there's an injury to tackles Donald Hawkins or Josh Cochran that Trey Hopkins could move left guard to tackle.
The coaches are happy with the progress of Thomas Ashcraft and Sedrick Flowers. That's where the depth on the line is. In fact, Mack Brown said Ashcraft has looked good and is in "great shape."
Kennedy Estelle and Curtis Riser are on campus and going through summer workouts. Mack said he hopes both players can work their way into the mix to play this season.
By the way, Mack said Camrhon Hughes’ father said the only ball Camrhon will be picking up from here on out is a “medicine ball.” Mack said Hughes’ injury was just bad luck and won’t discourage his guys from playing pickup basketball.
Mack said the only other injury he could think of involving pickup basketball and torn knee ligaments involved RB Ivan Williams. (BROWN)
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Everyone wants to know what’s going on with the quarterbacks so far in the offseason. Here’s what Mack Brown had to say:
“The biggest thing they have to improve is their confidence and leadership and I’m seeing that.
“I’m so impressed with those two since summer. I walked by Case (McCoy) today and he was saying, ‘Everything’s going great. ‘ We’ve had receivers hurt and some leave, so we have to get better timing and consistency in our passing game. And I think that will happen.
“It’s hard with Marquise (Goodwin) because he’s gone all the time. You don’t have him in the spring or summer or early fall practice, so it’s more difficult for him. But the others should be much more comfortable.
“And you’ve got Bryant (Jackson) and Miles (Onyegbule) that won’t be involved in the throwing this summer because of injuries.”
If you missed it yesterday, Mack said Jackson (broken foot) and Onyegbule (torn pectoral muscle) will be the only ones not likely to be cleared for fall camp because of their injuries. Quandre Diggs (left wrist), Adrian Phillips (shoulder) and Jackson Jeffcoat (pectoral) are all expected to be cleared for fall camp. (BROWN)
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An update from the conference commissioners’ meeting in Chicago on Wednesday: the 11 commissioners and Notre Dame hit a road block and didn’t come up with a proposal to take to the presidents and chancellors on June 26 as planned.
Now, the commissioners will meet again in Chicago next week and will try to have a proposal to the presidents and chancellors sometime before Sept. 1, when ESPN’s exclusive negotiating window for the TV rights to what used to be the BCS national championship begins.
The differences may be significant enough that the commissioners give multiple proposals to the presidents and chancellors to pick from.
Here’s the dilemma, the Pac-12 is now pushing hard for a Plus-One model that preserves the current BCS bowl system and selects two teams to play in a national title game after those bowls. This would preserve the Rose Bowl as status quo.
The rest of the college football world appears ready for a four-team playoff that would probably allow some of the current bowls to bid for the right to be the semifinals and bid out the national title game annually.
And then you have to figure out how the four teams in a playoff would be selected and by whom.
If multiple proposals are presented to the presidents and chancellors, it could get interesting.
Stay tuned. (BROWN)
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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 committed to Baylor.
(LSR No.37) Fort Bend Marshall linebacker Deon Hollins Jr. was offered by Baylor and is now considered a soft commitment to UCLA.
(LSR No.45) Mansfield defensive back George Baltimore committed to TCU.
(LSR No.57) San Antonio East Central defensive back Austin Jupe committed to Baylor.
(LSR No.63) Irving Macarthur defensive back Taion Sells committed to Baylor.
(LSR NR): Sharpstown linebacker Reggie Chevis committed to Texas A&M.
2014
(LSR No.16) Dallas Carter linebacker Cameron Hampton was offered by Oklahoma and Oklahoma State.
(LSR No.19) Beaumont Ozen defensive back Tony Brown was offered by Oklahoma.
(LSR No.20) Alief Taylor cornerback Chris Hardeman was offered by Houston.
(LSR No.23) Dallas Bishop Dunne defensive back Nick Watkins was offered by Stanford.
(LSR No.23) Mansfield Timberview defensive back Brandon Simmons was offered by LSU.
(LSR No.45) Pearland linebacker Justin Phillips was offered by Oklahoma State.
(LSR No.58) West Mesquite defensive back Dylan Gardner committed to Clemson.
(LSR No.59): Dallas Skyline defensive end Victor Evans was offered by SMU.
(LSR NR) Dallas Skyline offensive tackle Ty Barren was offered by Texas Tech.
(LSR NR) Keller Timber Creek defensive back Cedric Dale was offered by Texas Tech. (GK)
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Regarding the coaching search for the UT baseball team, all is quiet right now. It’s still a little unclear which direction Texas will go.
Last week, we reported that Arkansas recruiting coordinator and assistant coach Todd Butler, thought to be one of the top candidates, would be very open to making the move from Arkansas to Texas. A source I spoke to this week indicated that Butler might even be doing a little campaigning behind the scene and making sure that UT knows he would likely take the job. Obviously, Arkansas is still in the College World Series, so no move would be made right now.
As I just said, Butler is thought to be one of the top candidates for the position of hitting coach at Texas, but is he the top candidate? That’s unknown at the moment as Texas could go a number of directions. Will Augie Garrido and Texas go get one of the biggest names out there, or go with someone they have connections with and already trust? We’ll see.
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At midnight tonight, college basketball coaches will be able to start calling, texting, and social mediaing (yes, I just made that word up) to recruits unlimitedly, including players that just finished their sophomore year. This is when summer recruiting should probably really take off. The only thing that is prohibited by the rule change is public recruiting efforts made my social media (basically, they all have to be private messages).
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If you missed it, a new NCAA rule went into effect this summer and it allows college basketball coaches to get up to two hours of practice with their team. Obviously, coaches, including Rick Barnes, are thrilled with the new rule as it gives the coaches a little bit of time each week to drill their guys, see them up close, and build relationships with them.
On the Big 12 coaches teleconference call today, Barnes was asked if any individuals were standing out during workout. As a Texas basketball or football coach usually does, the answer was the standard “they’re all looking good” or something along those lines.
So, I checked in with a source about the workouts - coaches have now been able to spend nearly two weeks with their players to get some thoughts about anyone that is standing out. I asked about the freshmen (all are on campus) in particular, and the source indicated that the group is adjusting well. Per the source, the workouts have been demanding, early and tough but the youngsters are turning heads.
One individual (of the freshmen) that was singled out was 6-11 center Prince Ibeh.
“The Texas coaches think he has the ability to be a potential star,” said the source. “They’re really pleased with him thus far, especially the effort. And he (Prince) knows he can get a lot of playing time early.”
It was a quick conversation, so I wasn’t able to get into many specifics about other players, but it sounds like the incoming Longhorns are experiencing more positives than negatives at this point. (McComas)
This post was edited on 6/14 10:35 PM by Ketchum
This post was edited on 6/15 10:39 AM by Suchomel
