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Aside from two huge commitments, there wasn't a ton of recruiting movement this week. As such, we decided to check with some guys we hadn't talked to in a while, including some of the Horns' 2012 signees.
Mansfield defensive end Hassan Ridgeway was one of UT's most talked about recruits down the stretch run of the recruiting year. Ridgeway took a late visit to Texas A&M that quickly became public. Shortly after the visit, Ridgeway commented repeatedly that he had solidified his commitment to Texas and it was pretty uneventful from there. Ridgeway signed with the Horns on national signing day, and the rest is history.
Except, it turns out, Ridgeway had a lot to think about in those final few days before signing day.
"I thought about switching before I went on my official visit. I was about to. But I changed my mind at the last minute. I talked to the Texas coaches again and I just changed my mind," Ridgeway said. "But it was really a split decision. I didn't really know until signing day that it was Texas."
UT's gain is A&M's loss. Ridgeway said the deciding factor for him was feeling that Texas is on its way up, while A&M could be on its way down.
"It was just the program where I think they'll be at in the next couple years. I think we'll be winning and I don't think A&M will be," Ridgeway said.
"I'm happy. Wherever I went, I was going to have to work for whatever I get. That didn't affect the decision as much. The main thing is that I wanted to win. I'm very happy with my decision."
Since signing day, Ridgeway has been utilizing the workouts that the Texas strength and conditioning coaches sent him, and he's also throwing the shot and discus. The workouts are going well.
"Some of the stuff is the same, some is a little different. You just have to adjust to it. They want everything fast-paced but most of my workouts are fast anyway," Ridgeway said. "I know as much as I prepare, I don't think I'll be fully prepared for it when I get there (to campus). But I'm going to try to be in the best condition when I go."
The 6-4 Ridgeway is weighing in at about 270 pounds. He's hoping that he can come in right away and contribute to the defensive end rotation, but he knows there will be a lot of competition.
"I just want to go in there and give my best. I hope to play, but whether or not I do, I'll give my best. They have a lot of defensive ends coming in too.
"I'll just go out there and give as much effort as I can, try to make some plays." (Suchomel)
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Curtis Riser battled a number of injuries during his high school career, but he's now fully healthy and he's feeling as good as he has in a long time.
"I'm definitely feeling good. I ran a 4.95 a couple weeks ago. I'm feeling back to 100 percent," said the 6-3, 285-pound Riser.
The DeSoto product is throwing the shot and discus, and he also works out with the DeSoto sprinters to focus on his conditioning. On top of that, he just got his UT workout program and he's going to start adding that to his schedule.
"Basically, feel like I'll be ready, but can't wait to get down there to see how the weight program is," Riser said. "I'm going to have to get used to it. I'm anxious to see how I react to it. I need to keep working hard, but I feel like I can keep up."
There were rumors late in the recruiting process that Riser might be considering LSU. He was informed of that speculation just before signing day, and he said there was absolutely no truth to those talks. He was all Texas all along.
"On signing day, my coach came up to me and said 'Are you going to come up to me and go to LSU?' I was like 'what?' He said that's what people were saying on the internet and the Texas coaches had been calling to check. I said 'no.' When he asked me, I had on a burnt orange polo, had orange balloons, and had all my Texas stuff on the table."
What was it that led Riser to Texas?
"We had a family bond. When I went down to Texas the first time for the spring game my sophomore year, there wasn't any awkward silence," Riser said. "We all (the recruits) bonded and kept that for the last two years. Now we'll all become teammates at Texas and hopefully win a national championship in the next couple years.
"In the beginning of recruiting, I told my coaches it would be between Texas and LSU. I like LSU, but that's kind of far away from my family. We talked it over, as recruiting kept going, I felt like Texas was my home. I went down there several times and Texas was the one for me."
Riser said he's been told by the UT coaches that there's a strong chance he'll play as a freshman. The coaches have said they'll try to trim some of the baby fat that's currently on his frame and replace it with muscle mass.
"I feel my feet and athletic ability are high. They want to get me down there and work with them. They're looking for me to play early," Riser said.
While we had Riser on the phone, we asked his opinion on where DeSoto RB Dontre Wilson will wind up. Most feel it will either be Texas or Oregon, and Riser concurred.
"I would love Dontre to come to UT. But he has to think of it from his point of view. He's definitely highly recruited. I let him do his own thing. I would love for him to be at Texas though," Riser said. (Suchomel)
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Spoke with 2013 DB Colin Janice this week. Janice, out of West Orange-Stark, attended UT's second junior day.
Janice has also attended a junior day at LSU and he's planning to visit Baylor in April. He enjoyed his junior day stop in Austin and was told by Duane Akina that Akina will do further evaluations through the spring and summer.
Janice lists Texas, LSU, Texas A&M, Baylor and Alabama as schools that are standing out. If Texas were to eventually offer, the Longhorns would likely move to the very top of his list. We'll have more from Janice over the weekend. (Suchomel)
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It was just over a month ago that Shreveport (La.) Woodlawn defensive end Torshiro Davis shocked many by signing with the University of Texas on Signing Day.
Davis had been committed to LSU for almost a year before making the signing day switch, but he had been looking at both Texas and Alabama over the course of the recruiting process.
Shortly after signing with Texas Davis said, “Me and my mom… we’ve been talking for the last three or four days about this decision and we finally came to the conclusion that Texas is the best place for me.”
When asked to reflect back on the decision he does not hesitate to answer, “I feel real good about the decision. I really can’t say too much about it other than it felt right.”
There were some hurt feelings and Davis has gotten some negative feedback but he says he just sits back with his friends and laughs. He is also quick to point out he has received quite a bit of positive feedback.
“There were a lot of people who were LSU fans who came and said congratulations and good decision and job well done and told me not to worry about the negative,” he said. “So it wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be.”
Since making his decision everything has died down quite a bit. He has received his workout from Texas strength and conditioning coach Bennie Wylie. In fact he says he received that about a week after signing. He is now up to 231 pounds and is preparing to run the 100m, 4x100m, and 4x200m for the Woodlawn track team.
When looking back at the recruiting process there are several positive experiences that standout; however, it did get difficult at the end.
“That last two weeks of it…that’s probably the worst part. Other than that it was pretty good,” Davis said.
What was it about those last two weeks?
“Time is ticking down and everybody is looking for an answer,” he said. “So when you say can I have a little time to think about it and you don’t know…you don’t have that luxury anymore.”
Of all the positive experiences there is one aspect of the process that stands above the rest.
“It gave me a chance and opportunity to meet new people,” Davis said. “Before this all started I had never been outside of North Louisiana. That part was the best moment…the traveling part.” (Howell)
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Davis was certainly the signing day shocker, but he was not the only Texas signee to see things get interesting at the end.
About a week before signing day Plano West defensive end Bryce Cottrell’s name began to surface as a big time target high on the Texas radar. At the time Cottrell was committed to Oregon, and had been since mid-October.
Texas was not the only one to show interest. Cottrell held offers from Arizona, Arizona St., Arkansas, Baylor, Boston College, Mississippi St., Purdue and many others and many of those schools reached out to see if he wanted to take one last look before signing day.
“A lot of the schools called me towards the end. I told everyone else no, I’m sticking with Oregon until Texas called and talked to my coach,” Cottrell said.
Then the craziness began. The last week was crazy enough for those following on Orangebloods.com, you can only imagine what it must have been like for Cottrell.
“Stressful, man. Real, real stressful,” he said.
His decision to take a look at Texas was made easier when Oregon head coach Chip Kelly flirted with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
“Chip Kelly going to the NFL, it put things in perspective,” he said. “Would he be there for the next four years of my career, and if he leaves what’s going to happen to me?”
Kelly’s flirtation was one thing, but Texas also had a draw of its own.
“It’s just the school in general and it’s always been my dream school to play for,” Cottrell said. “I want to major in business and you know how good their business school is. It was just like I have to go see this.”
The contact a week before signing day by the Longhorns was not the first contact for Cottrell with Texas. They did reach out in the spring and there was some talk here and there, but this time was different.
Cottrell says Texas basically made their presence felt at Plano West that final week. At the end of the week he took an official visit to Texas, but Oregon did not exit the picture without putting up a fight.
“They came to my house the day before I left to go to Texas for an in-home visit,” Cottrell said of the Ducks. “They asked me if I was still staying with Oregon. At the time I couldn’t really tell them no. So I told them ‘yeah, I’m still with Oregon right now, but I don’t know I’ve never seen Texas and it’s always been my dream school.’ That’s exactly what I told him. [Coach Don Pellum] was like I understand so go check it out and if you like it you like it and we’ll go from there and if you don’t we’ll be over here. After I visited Texas and everything… we went from there.”
We all know the end of the story, but there are some interesting twist and turns. Like by the time Friday night rolled around, Chip Kelly and his crew had changed their stance on the visit to Texas, and decided to give Cottrell a call.
“It was the most awkward conversation in the world. You don’t even want to know,” he said. “It was in front of all the coaches and the president of the school. I looked at my phone and was like ‘Oh, Chip Kelly.’ He said not to go and I was already kind of there.”
They let him know if he was looking, they were looking, which is understandable.
The conversation did not do anything to dampen his time on the Texas campus.
“It was amazing,” Cottrell said of the visit. “I never knew Texas was like that before. I took an unofficial before but when we went on my official visit I was like ‘Wow, they have a lot of stuff here.’ It was crazy.”
While on the visit he began to get a good feel for everything, but there was one moment while in Austin it hit him that he was headed to the University of Texas.
“Sunday afternoon before I left Austin in coach Brown’s office talking to him,” Cottrell said. “He asked me a question and I’ll never forget it. He asked me do I want to play for Oregon and play for the Civil War every year, or do I want to play in the Red River Rivalry? I was like yeah that’s a good point. And he asked me what school I wanted to go to before if football wasn’t an option, Texas or Oregon? I was like Texas and that’s when I knew I wanted to go to Texas.”
Some of Cottrell’s friends and family knew even before that moment that he would pick Texas.
“They knew it was going to happen because they knew deep down it was the school I always wanted to go to since I was little,” he said. “They just told me Bryce it’s your decision so I sat down and prayed about it and looked over my options with both schools and Texas was more in favor. I didn’t go there because of my girlfriend or anything. I went there for me.”
In fact, Cottrell’s mother even made a purchase in advance on the feeling she had that her son would end up in Austin.
“She wanted me to go to UT,” Cottrell said. “She bought a belt buckle and everything before I even knew I was going to UT. She said ‘Bryce, I’m being a belt buckle now. It’s a nice belt buckle. I’ll have to show you sometime.’ It’s a nice diamond belt buckle with a Longhorn. She was like ‘Yeah, you’re going to UT. I can see it now.’ And it came true, I’m going to UT.”
The Monday following his official visit to Texas he made the call to the Texas staff and officially became a Texas Longhorn. It was too much of an opportunity to pass up.
“Basically the family environment and Coach Brown, and they didn’t just want me they kind of needed me,” he said. “They only have four defensive ends coming into the spring and it just seemed like a better fit for me then actually. I asked my coaches and friends and family and they told me I would be better at defensive end than linebacker.”
The call to Texas was not the only call he had to make though, and while the first call was one of excitement the other was much harder to make. In fact he describes the call to the Oregon staff a day before signing day as the most difficult aspect of the recruiting process.
It was not all easy, but in the end the he enjoyed it all. The end was fast and crazy, but there is zero doubt in Cottrell’s mind the decision to sign with the Longhorns was the right choice.
“It feels great because I’m going to a school I’ve always wanted to go to, to be honest,” he said. “It kind of felt surreal when it started happening. When I look back on it I made the best decision of my life. I’m going to the school I’ve always wanted to play for, and I get to wear orange and beat Oklahoma every year. There’s nothing bad about it.” (Howell)
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With the Longhorn 2013 class already sitting at 13 commitments it’s time to take a look ahead and Orangebloods.com will certainly be doing that in the near future with the release of the first Lone Star Recruiting’s 2014 Top 100.
Already a few names are becoming popular. LaPorte’s Nick Harvey, who already holds offers from Baylor and Texas A&M. There are others but tonight in this edition of the War Room we bring a more in depth look at a few guys whose names you will probably recognize…at least vaguely.
*****We’ll start off in a familiar place with one of Dallas Skyline’s finest. The last few years it has been a receiver earning top billing or a linebacker but in 2014 cornerback Cedric Collins is already picking up headliner status.
Collins has been a fixture in the Skyline defensive backfield the last two years. He has played cornerback and safety, and when he is on the field feels like he can do it all.
“I can do it all, but playing man there’s just something I have a hunger for,” Collins said. I love competing.”
Colleges have taken notice and Baylor, Kansas St., and SMU have already offered. He has attended the Red River Rivalry, attended the Texas spring game, and competed at the Nike camp.
He has been tested and he has seen the best, he knows what it takes. He thought he had a chance to get recruited but it honestly a bit surprised to see it happening right now.
“It’s great for me,” Collins said of the recruiting attention. “I know all the hard work is paying off. It makes me that much more humble and work that much harder.”
“It’s just a blessing. I just try to do my best and hopefully it pays off in the end.”
As a Skyline Raider he has no shortage of friends and teammates to turn to for advice on the recruiting process. He listed Thomas Johnson, Ra’Shaad Samples, Mike Davis, Devante Kincade, and of course fellow DB Will Barrows as guys he has turned to with questions.
Collins is keeping an open mind but growing up Miami and Oklahoma were the teams he says he probably followed the closest.
****A little further up the road from Collins is standout quarterback Jerrod Heard, who led the way for Denton Guyer as a sophomore in 2011.
Heard completed 130 of 223 passes for 2,286 yards, 28 TDs, and only 10 INTs. He also added another 650 yards and 5 TDs on 136 carries. He received 7-5A Offensive Newcomer of the Year honors for his efforts.
For a first year starter it’s safe to say he had a pretty awesome year, his tape is even more impressive. While it may have been his first year as a starter he was around the varsity as they made a run to the 5A championship game with standout QB J.W. Walsh leading the way in 2010.
“I think that was the best experience because seeing him and how he took control of the game and his leadership out there and all of that I think really helped me this season,” Heard said. “Just watching him and how he interacted with the guys and everything. That was something I really tried to use for this season.”
It took him a little bit to get settled in, but he did eventually find his groove.
“I’d say probably our second district game,” Heard said. “We won and everything started to click with my reads and everything I needed to see to distribute the ball. At that time I knew I can do this, I can handle this and play my game.”
This summer Heard plans to hit the camp circuit attending as many camps as he can. He attended Elite 11 camp workouts at TCU last spring and plans to do it all once again. When it comes to recruiting it is still early and he is keeping an open mind, but he does admit there is a school he has grown up watching closely.
“It was definitely Texas. That’s all that was in this house. That’s how I grew up,” Heard said. “All of my family is Texas fans and I grew up and knew I liked Texas.”
*****In Austin there is another 2014 already drawing attention. Pflugerville Hendrickson running back Samaje Perine already holds an offer from Purdue and has received interest from Clemson.
Perine may live right down the road from Texas, but he is originally from the small town of Jackson, Alabama. He still has family ties to the Southwest corner of Alabama, and The Crimson Tide and Oregon Ducks are two teams he says he usually roots for on Saturdays.
As a sophomore, Perine was quick to catch the eye of onlookers at 5-11, 205 pounds while sharing the backfield with 2012 Texas signee Daje Johnson.
“It was fun. He always stayed positive and kept me motivated,” Perine said. “Just watching him and how he hit the hole and just his breakaway speed just encouraged me to work on my speed a little bit.”
Perine was named 16-4A Offensive Newcomer of the year for his efforts but did suffer a knee injury in the final game of the 2011 season. He has already had surgery and doctors have let him know that he is ahead of schedule and should be cleared to play in 2012. (Howell)
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Some buzz going around that Texas might have been in contact with De La Salle (California) linebacker Michael Hutchings. I was able to catch up with the 6-2 linebacker tonight.
“Texas A&M offered. UT didn’t,” stated the nation’s No. 17 prospect in the Rivals100. “I want to get in contact with them (Texas). I know they stay in state most of the time, but they will probably start venturing out.
Hutchings is actually planning on reaching out to the Longhorns on his own.
“Yeah, I want to reach out to them on the own,” said Hutchings. “I’ll probably call the athletic offices and their desk phones this week and hopefully get an answer and introduce myself.”
The standout linebacker from California hasn’t really visited many schools recently. He’s got a visit planned soon, has already taken one, and will likely visit nearby schools if he does decide to take more unofficial visits.
“I’ve only been to one junior day so far,” stated the native of Concord, California. “I went to Cal because it was right down the road from me. I’ll probably go down to USC at the end of the month.”
Hutchings indicated that he’ll likely go through the entire process, and that if schools away from the west coast really show a lot of interest, they would likely earn one of his officials once he narrows down his list.
“Offers are just coming in right now,” stated Hutchings. “I can’t put a leader on it right now. I’ll start to sort things out in the summer. I grew up a USC fan, but I have to throw that out of the picture for the recruiting process. I think I’m going to go through the whole process, see how the incoming freshmen I know do and how the new Pac-12 coaches do. I want to see how they (the freshmen he competed against and knows) compete on that college level at their schools. I want to see the impact they make.”
When I asked the linebacker what makes him one of the nation’s best, he cited his versatility ? Hutchings plays inside, outside, and safety ? and that he’s a big guy that can move well. We’ll check in with Hutchings over the next few weeks to see if he reaches out to Texas. He was one of the best-spoken kids I’ve ever talked to. Heck, I felt like he was about to interview me. (McComas)
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Another OOS linebacker that was thought to have a Texas offer is Miramar (Florida) linebacker Jermaine Grace. We’re still working on more details, but when I texted Miramar head coach Damon Cogdell about Grace receiving a Texas offer this week, his only response was “Texas A&M.” Considering how stingy Texas has been with linebacker offers and how tight the numbers are, it doesn’t seem like Grace would be a guy that receives an offer. Additionally, Texas A&M is issuing a lot of OOS linebacker offers right now, so it could be a little bit of a mix-up in communication. (McComas)
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This week in recruiting… From A-to-X in the Lone Star State
Sometimes there can be so much information flying by your eyes in any given week that you miss some of the small stuff. Knowing that, here’s a look at some notes to know from the Class of 2013 from this week, as compiled by the entire Rivals network.
a. Dallas Kimball defensive tackle Justin Manning (No.4 on the LSR) was offered by Oklahoma.
b. Alief Taylor defensive end Torrodney Prevot (No.9 on the LSR) picked up offers from Notre Dame and Oklahoma State.
c. West Mesquite safety Kameron Miles (No.11 on the LSR) was offered by Wake Forest
d. Colleyville Heritage quarterback Cody Thomas (No.15 on the LSR) was offered by Notre Dame.
e. Cypress Cy Ranch running back Keith Ford (No.17 on the LSR) committed to Oklahoma.
F. Cedar Hill athlete Laquivionte Gonzales (No.21 on the LSR) and Quincy Adeboyejo committed to Texas A&M.
G. West Mesquite wide receiver Eldridge Massington (No.28 on the LSR) was offered by Houston, Notre Dame and Michigan.
H. San Antonio Madison defensive lineman Vincent Taylor (No.31 on the LSR) was offered by Houston.
I. Rockwall-Heath safety Raaquan Davis (No.32 on the LSR) was offered by Ole Miss and Tulsa.
J. Wylie East wide receiver Marcell Ateman (No.35 on the LSR) picked up offers from East Carolina, Illinois and Houston.
K. Ft. Bend Marshall linebacker Deon Hollins Jr. (No.37 on the LSR) was offered by Vandy.
L. Southlake Carroll quarterback Kenny Hill (No.41 on the LSR) was offered by Texas A&M, Baylor, Texas Tech, Ole Miss, North Carolina and Kansas State.
M. Waco University defensive tackle Ben Hughes (No.44 on the LSR) was offered by Tulsa.
N. Mansfield safety George Baltimore (No.45 on the LSR) was offered by Vanderbilt and Arkansas and TCU.
O. Denton Guyer wide receiver E.J. Jefferson (No.46 on the LSR) was offered by Purdue.
P. Wylie East wide receiver Vequan Jones (No.57 on the LSR) was offered by Arkansas, Texas Tech and Houston.
Q. Dallas Skyline quarterback Devante Kincade (No.62 on the LSR) was offered by SMU.
R. A&M Consolidated defensive end Christian Lacouture (No.74 on the LSR) de-committed from Texas A&M and was offered by LSU.
S. Waco High defensive tackle Andrew Billings (No.75 on the LSR) was offered by Baylor.
T. San Antonio Madison wide receiver Dannon Cavil (No.78 on the LSR) committed to Ole Miss.
U. Denton Guyer offensive lineman Patrick Morris (No.93 on the LSR)was offered by TCU.
V. Sharpstown linebacker Reggie Chevis was offered by Texas Tech.
W. Fort Worth All Saints tight end Charlie Reid was offered by Mississippi State, U.Conn and Arizona.
X. Prosper wide receiver Torii Hunter Jr. (NR) was offered by Oklahoma and West Virginia. (Ketchum)
This post was edited on 3/9 12:03 AM by Ketchum
This post was edited on 3/9 12:06 AM by DustinMcComas
Aside from two huge commitments, there wasn't a ton of recruiting movement this week. As such, we decided to check with some guys we hadn't talked to in a while, including some of the Horns' 2012 signees.
Mansfield defensive end Hassan Ridgeway was one of UT's most talked about recruits down the stretch run of the recruiting year. Ridgeway took a late visit to Texas A&M that quickly became public. Shortly after the visit, Ridgeway commented repeatedly that he had solidified his commitment to Texas and it was pretty uneventful from there. Ridgeway signed with the Horns on national signing day, and the rest is history.
Except, it turns out, Ridgeway had a lot to think about in those final few days before signing day.
"I thought about switching before I went on my official visit. I was about to. But I changed my mind at the last minute. I talked to the Texas coaches again and I just changed my mind," Ridgeway said. "But it was really a split decision. I didn't really know until signing day that it was Texas."
UT's gain is A&M's loss. Ridgeway said the deciding factor for him was feeling that Texas is on its way up, while A&M could be on its way down.
"It was just the program where I think they'll be at in the next couple years. I think we'll be winning and I don't think A&M will be," Ridgeway said.
"I'm happy. Wherever I went, I was going to have to work for whatever I get. That didn't affect the decision as much. The main thing is that I wanted to win. I'm very happy with my decision."
Since signing day, Ridgeway has been utilizing the workouts that the Texas strength and conditioning coaches sent him, and he's also throwing the shot and discus. The workouts are going well.
"Some of the stuff is the same, some is a little different. You just have to adjust to it. They want everything fast-paced but most of my workouts are fast anyway," Ridgeway said. "I know as much as I prepare, I don't think I'll be fully prepared for it when I get there (to campus). But I'm going to try to be in the best condition when I go."
The 6-4 Ridgeway is weighing in at about 270 pounds. He's hoping that he can come in right away and contribute to the defensive end rotation, but he knows there will be a lot of competition.
"I just want to go in there and give my best. I hope to play, but whether or not I do, I'll give my best. They have a lot of defensive ends coming in too.
"I'll just go out there and give as much effort as I can, try to make some plays." (Suchomel)
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Curtis Riser battled a number of injuries during his high school career, but he's now fully healthy and he's feeling as good as he has in a long time.
"I'm definitely feeling good. I ran a 4.95 a couple weeks ago. I'm feeling back to 100 percent," said the 6-3, 285-pound Riser.
The DeSoto product is throwing the shot and discus, and he also works out with the DeSoto sprinters to focus on his conditioning. On top of that, he just got his UT workout program and he's going to start adding that to his schedule.
"Basically, feel like I'll be ready, but can't wait to get down there to see how the weight program is," Riser said. "I'm going to have to get used to it. I'm anxious to see how I react to it. I need to keep working hard, but I feel like I can keep up."
There were rumors late in the recruiting process that Riser might be considering LSU. He was informed of that speculation just before signing day, and he said there was absolutely no truth to those talks. He was all Texas all along.
"On signing day, my coach came up to me and said 'Are you going to come up to me and go to LSU?' I was like 'what?' He said that's what people were saying on the internet and the Texas coaches had been calling to check. I said 'no.' When he asked me, I had on a burnt orange polo, had orange balloons, and had all my Texas stuff on the table."
What was it that led Riser to Texas?
"We had a family bond. When I went down to Texas the first time for the spring game my sophomore year, there wasn't any awkward silence," Riser said. "We all (the recruits) bonded and kept that for the last two years. Now we'll all become teammates at Texas and hopefully win a national championship in the next couple years.
"In the beginning of recruiting, I told my coaches it would be between Texas and LSU. I like LSU, but that's kind of far away from my family. We talked it over, as recruiting kept going, I felt like Texas was my home. I went down there several times and Texas was the one for me."
Riser said he's been told by the UT coaches that there's a strong chance he'll play as a freshman. The coaches have said they'll try to trim some of the baby fat that's currently on his frame and replace it with muscle mass.
"I feel my feet and athletic ability are high. They want to get me down there and work with them. They're looking for me to play early," Riser said.
While we had Riser on the phone, we asked his opinion on where DeSoto RB Dontre Wilson will wind up. Most feel it will either be Texas or Oregon, and Riser concurred.
"I would love Dontre to come to UT. But he has to think of it from his point of view. He's definitely highly recruited. I let him do his own thing. I would love for him to be at Texas though," Riser said. (Suchomel)
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Spoke with 2013 DB Colin Janice this week. Janice, out of West Orange-Stark, attended UT's second junior day.
Janice has also attended a junior day at LSU and he's planning to visit Baylor in April. He enjoyed his junior day stop in Austin and was told by Duane Akina that Akina will do further evaluations through the spring and summer.
Janice lists Texas, LSU, Texas A&M, Baylor and Alabama as schools that are standing out. If Texas were to eventually offer, the Longhorns would likely move to the very top of his list. We'll have more from Janice over the weekend. (Suchomel)
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It was just over a month ago that Shreveport (La.) Woodlawn defensive end Torshiro Davis shocked many by signing with the University of Texas on Signing Day.
Davis had been committed to LSU for almost a year before making the signing day switch, but he had been looking at both Texas and Alabama over the course of the recruiting process.
Shortly after signing with Texas Davis said, “Me and my mom… we’ve been talking for the last three or four days about this decision and we finally came to the conclusion that Texas is the best place for me.”
When asked to reflect back on the decision he does not hesitate to answer, “I feel real good about the decision. I really can’t say too much about it other than it felt right.”
There were some hurt feelings and Davis has gotten some negative feedback but he says he just sits back with his friends and laughs. He is also quick to point out he has received quite a bit of positive feedback.
“There were a lot of people who were LSU fans who came and said congratulations and good decision and job well done and told me not to worry about the negative,” he said. “So it wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be.”
Since making his decision everything has died down quite a bit. He has received his workout from Texas strength and conditioning coach Bennie Wylie. In fact he says he received that about a week after signing. He is now up to 231 pounds and is preparing to run the 100m, 4x100m, and 4x200m for the Woodlawn track team.
When looking back at the recruiting process there are several positive experiences that standout; however, it did get difficult at the end.
“That last two weeks of it…that’s probably the worst part. Other than that it was pretty good,” Davis said.
What was it about those last two weeks?
“Time is ticking down and everybody is looking for an answer,” he said. “So when you say can I have a little time to think about it and you don’t know…you don’t have that luxury anymore.”
Of all the positive experiences there is one aspect of the process that stands above the rest.
“It gave me a chance and opportunity to meet new people,” Davis said. “Before this all started I had never been outside of North Louisiana. That part was the best moment…the traveling part.” (Howell)
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Davis was certainly the signing day shocker, but he was not the only Texas signee to see things get interesting at the end.
About a week before signing day Plano West defensive end Bryce Cottrell’s name began to surface as a big time target high on the Texas radar. At the time Cottrell was committed to Oregon, and had been since mid-October.
Texas was not the only one to show interest. Cottrell held offers from Arizona, Arizona St., Arkansas, Baylor, Boston College, Mississippi St., Purdue and many others and many of those schools reached out to see if he wanted to take one last look before signing day.
“A lot of the schools called me towards the end. I told everyone else no, I’m sticking with Oregon until Texas called and talked to my coach,” Cottrell said.
Then the craziness began. The last week was crazy enough for those following on Orangebloods.com, you can only imagine what it must have been like for Cottrell.
“Stressful, man. Real, real stressful,” he said.
His decision to take a look at Texas was made easier when Oregon head coach Chip Kelly flirted with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
“Chip Kelly going to the NFL, it put things in perspective,” he said. “Would he be there for the next four years of my career, and if he leaves what’s going to happen to me?”
Kelly’s flirtation was one thing, but Texas also had a draw of its own.
“It’s just the school in general and it’s always been my dream school to play for,” Cottrell said. “I want to major in business and you know how good their business school is. It was just like I have to go see this.”
The contact a week before signing day by the Longhorns was not the first contact for Cottrell with Texas. They did reach out in the spring and there was some talk here and there, but this time was different.
Cottrell says Texas basically made their presence felt at Plano West that final week. At the end of the week he took an official visit to Texas, but Oregon did not exit the picture without putting up a fight.
“They came to my house the day before I left to go to Texas for an in-home visit,” Cottrell said of the Ducks. “They asked me if I was still staying with Oregon. At the time I couldn’t really tell them no. So I told them ‘yeah, I’m still with Oregon right now, but I don’t know I’ve never seen Texas and it’s always been my dream school.’ That’s exactly what I told him. [Coach Don Pellum] was like I understand so go check it out and if you like it you like it and we’ll go from there and if you don’t we’ll be over here. After I visited Texas and everything… we went from there.”
We all know the end of the story, but there are some interesting twist and turns. Like by the time Friday night rolled around, Chip Kelly and his crew had changed their stance on the visit to Texas, and decided to give Cottrell a call.
“It was the most awkward conversation in the world. You don’t even want to know,” he said. “It was in front of all the coaches and the president of the school. I looked at my phone and was like ‘Oh, Chip Kelly.’ He said not to go and I was already kind of there.”
They let him know if he was looking, they were looking, which is understandable.
The conversation did not do anything to dampen his time on the Texas campus.
“It was amazing,” Cottrell said of the visit. “I never knew Texas was like that before. I took an unofficial before but when we went on my official visit I was like ‘Wow, they have a lot of stuff here.’ It was crazy.”
While on the visit he began to get a good feel for everything, but there was one moment while in Austin it hit him that he was headed to the University of Texas.
“Sunday afternoon before I left Austin in coach Brown’s office talking to him,” Cottrell said. “He asked me a question and I’ll never forget it. He asked me do I want to play for Oregon and play for the Civil War every year, or do I want to play in the Red River Rivalry? I was like yeah that’s a good point. And he asked me what school I wanted to go to before if football wasn’t an option, Texas or Oregon? I was like Texas and that’s when I knew I wanted to go to Texas.”
Some of Cottrell’s friends and family knew even before that moment that he would pick Texas.
“They knew it was going to happen because they knew deep down it was the school I always wanted to go to since I was little,” he said. “They just told me Bryce it’s your decision so I sat down and prayed about it and looked over my options with both schools and Texas was more in favor. I didn’t go there because of my girlfriend or anything. I went there for me.”
In fact, Cottrell’s mother even made a purchase in advance on the feeling she had that her son would end up in Austin.
“She wanted me to go to UT,” Cottrell said. “She bought a belt buckle and everything before I even knew I was going to UT. She said ‘Bryce, I’m being a belt buckle now. It’s a nice belt buckle. I’ll have to show you sometime.’ It’s a nice diamond belt buckle with a Longhorn. She was like ‘Yeah, you’re going to UT. I can see it now.’ And it came true, I’m going to UT.”
The Monday following his official visit to Texas he made the call to the Texas staff and officially became a Texas Longhorn. It was too much of an opportunity to pass up.
“Basically the family environment and Coach Brown, and they didn’t just want me they kind of needed me,” he said. “They only have four defensive ends coming into the spring and it just seemed like a better fit for me then actually. I asked my coaches and friends and family and they told me I would be better at defensive end than linebacker.”
The call to Texas was not the only call he had to make though, and while the first call was one of excitement the other was much harder to make. In fact he describes the call to the Oregon staff a day before signing day as the most difficult aspect of the recruiting process.
It was not all easy, but in the end the he enjoyed it all. The end was fast and crazy, but there is zero doubt in Cottrell’s mind the decision to sign with the Longhorns was the right choice.
“It feels great because I’m going to a school I’ve always wanted to go to, to be honest,” he said. “It kind of felt surreal when it started happening. When I look back on it I made the best decision of my life. I’m going to the school I’ve always wanted to play for, and I get to wear orange and beat Oklahoma every year. There’s nothing bad about it.” (Howell)
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With the Longhorn 2013 class already sitting at 13 commitments it’s time to take a look ahead and Orangebloods.com will certainly be doing that in the near future with the release of the first Lone Star Recruiting’s 2014 Top 100.
Already a few names are becoming popular. LaPorte’s Nick Harvey, who already holds offers from Baylor and Texas A&M. There are others but tonight in this edition of the War Room we bring a more in depth look at a few guys whose names you will probably recognize…at least vaguely.
*****We’ll start off in a familiar place with one of Dallas Skyline’s finest. The last few years it has been a receiver earning top billing or a linebacker but in 2014 cornerback Cedric Collins is already picking up headliner status.
Collins has been a fixture in the Skyline defensive backfield the last two years. He has played cornerback and safety, and when he is on the field feels like he can do it all.
“I can do it all, but playing man there’s just something I have a hunger for,” Collins said. I love competing.”
Colleges have taken notice and Baylor, Kansas St., and SMU have already offered. He has attended the Red River Rivalry, attended the Texas spring game, and competed at the Nike camp.
He has been tested and he has seen the best, he knows what it takes. He thought he had a chance to get recruited but it honestly a bit surprised to see it happening right now.
“It’s great for me,” Collins said of the recruiting attention. “I know all the hard work is paying off. It makes me that much more humble and work that much harder.”
“It’s just a blessing. I just try to do my best and hopefully it pays off in the end.”
As a Skyline Raider he has no shortage of friends and teammates to turn to for advice on the recruiting process. He listed Thomas Johnson, Ra’Shaad Samples, Mike Davis, Devante Kincade, and of course fellow DB Will Barrows as guys he has turned to with questions.
Collins is keeping an open mind but growing up Miami and Oklahoma were the teams he says he probably followed the closest.
****A little further up the road from Collins is standout quarterback Jerrod Heard, who led the way for Denton Guyer as a sophomore in 2011.
Heard completed 130 of 223 passes for 2,286 yards, 28 TDs, and only 10 INTs. He also added another 650 yards and 5 TDs on 136 carries. He received 7-5A Offensive Newcomer of the Year honors for his efforts.
For a first year starter it’s safe to say he had a pretty awesome year, his tape is even more impressive. While it may have been his first year as a starter he was around the varsity as they made a run to the 5A championship game with standout QB J.W. Walsh leading the way in 2010.
“I think that was the best experience because seeing him and how he took control of the game and his leadership out there and all of that I think really helped me this season,” Heard said. “Just watching him and how he interacted with the guys and everything. That was something I really tried to use for this season.”
It took him a little bit to get settled in, but he did eventually find his groove.
“I’d say probably our second district game,” Heard said. “We won and everything started to click with my reads and everything I needed to see to distribute the ball. At that time I knew I can do this, I can handle this and play my game.”
This summer Heard plans to hit the camp circuit attending as many camps as he can. He attended Elite 11 camp workouts at TCU last spring and plans to do it all once again. When it comes to recruiting it is still early and he is keeping an open mind, but he does admit there is a school he has grown up watching closely.
“It was definitely Texas. That’s all that was in this house. That’s how I grew up,” Heard said. “All of my family is Texas fans and I grew up and knew I liked Texas.”
*****In Austin there is another 2014 already drawing attention. Pflugerville Hendrickson running back Samaje Perine already holds an offer from Purdue and has received interest from Clemson.
Perine may live right down the road from Texas, but he is originally from the small town of Jackson, Alabama. He still has family ties to the Southwest corner of Alabama, and The Crimson Tide and Oregon Ducks are two teams he says he usually roots for on Saturdays.
As a sophomore, Perine was quick to catch the eye of onlookers at 5-11, 205 pounds while sharing the backfield with 2012 Texas signee Daje Johnson.
“It was fun. He always stayed positive and kept me motivated,” Perine said. “Just watching him and how he hit the hole and just his breakaway speed just encouraged me to work on my speed a little bit.”
Perine was named 16-4A Offensive Newcomer of the year for his efforts but did suffer a knee injury in the final game of the 2011 season. He has already had surgery and doctors have let him know that he is ahead of schedule and should be cleared to play in 2012. (Howell)
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Some buzz going around that Texas might have been in contact with De La Salle (California) linebacker Michael Hutchings. I was able to catch up with the 6-2 linebacker tonight.
“Texas A&M offered. UT didn’t,” stated the nation’s No. 17 prospect in the Rivals100. “I want to get in contact with them (Texas). I know they stay in state most of the time, but they will probably start venturing out.
Hutchings is actually planning on reaching out to the Longhorns on his own.
“Yeah, I want to reach out to them on the own,” said Hutchings. “I’ll probably call the athletic offices and their desk phones this week and hopefully get an answer and introduce myself.”
The standout linebacker from California hasn’t really visited many schools recently. He’s got a visit planned soon, has already taken one, and will likely visit nearby schools if he does decide to take more unofficial visits.
“I’ve only been to one junior day so far,” stated the native of Concord, California. “I went to Cal because it was right down the road from me. I’ll probably go down to USC at the end of the month.”
Hutchings indicated that he’ll likely go through the entire process, and that if schools away from the west coast really show a lot of interest, they would likely earn one of his officials once he narrows down his list.
“Offers are just coming in right now,” stated Hutchings. “I can’t put a leader on it right now. I’ll start to sort things out in the summer. I grew up a USC fan, but I have to throw that out of the picture for the recruiting process. I think I’m going to go through the whole process, see how the incoming freshmen I know do and how the new Pac-12 coaches do. I want to see how they (the freshmen he competed against and knows) compete on that college level at their schools. I want to see the impact they make.”
When I asked the linebacker what makes him one of the nation’s best, he cited his versatility ? Hutchings plays inside, outside, and safety ? and that he’s a big guy that can move well. We’ll check in with Hutchings over the next few weeks to see if he reaches out to Texas. He was one of the best-spoken kids I’ve ever talked to. Heck, I felt like he was about to interview me. (McComas)
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Another OOS linebacker that was thought to have a Texas offer is Miramar (Florida) linebacker Jermaine Grace. We’re still working on more details, but when I texted Miramar head coach Damon Cogdell about Grace receiving a Texas offer this week, his only response was “Texas A&M.” Considering how stingy Texas has been with linebacker offers and how tight the numbers are, it doesn’t seem like Grace would be a guy that receives an offer. Additionally, Texas A&M is issuing a lot of OOS linebacker offers right now, so it could be a little bit of a mix-up in communication. (McComas)
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This week in recruiting… From A-to-X in the Lone Star State
Sometimes there can be so much information flying by your eyes in any given week that you miss some of the small stuff. Knowing that, here’s a look at some notes to know from the Class of 2013 from this week, as compiled by the entire Rivals network.
a. Dallas Kimball defensive tackle Justin Manning (No.4 on the LSR) was offered by Oklahoma.
b. Alief Taylor defensive end Torrodney Prevot (No.9 on the LSR) picked up offers from Notre Dame and Oklahoma State.
c. West Mesquite safety Kameron Miles (No.11 on the LSR) was offered by Wake Forest
d. Colleyville Heritage quarterback Cody Thomas (No.15 on the LSR) was offered by Notre Dame.
e. Cypress Cy Ranch running back Keith Ford (No.17 on the LSR) committed to Oklahoma.
F. Cedar Hill athlete Laquivionte Gonzales (No.21 on the LSR) and Quincy Adeboyejo committed to Texas A&M.
G. West Mesquite wide receiver Eldridge Massington (No.28 on the LSR) was offered by Houston, Notre Dame and Michigan.
H. San Antonio Madison defensive lineman Vincent Taylor (No.31 on the LSR) was offered by Houston.
I. Rockwall-Heath safety Raaquan Davis (No.32 on the LSR) was offered by Ole Miss and Tulsa.
J. Wylie East wide receiver Marcell Ateman (No.35 on the LSR) picked up offers from East Carolina, Illinois and Houston.
K. Ft. Bend Marshall linebacker Deon Hollins Jr. (No.37 on the LSR) was offered by Vandy.
L. Southlake Carroll quarterback Kenny Hill (No.41 on the LSR) was offered by Texas A&M, Baylor, Texas Tech, Ole Miss, North Carolina and Kansas State.
M. Waco University defensive tackle Ben Hughes (No.44 on the LSR) was offered by Tulsa.
N. Mansfield safety George Baltimore (No.45 on the LSR) was offered by Vanderbilt and Arkansas and TCU.
O. Denton Guyer wide receiver E.J. Jefferson (No.46 on the LSR) was offered by Purdue.
P. Wylie East wide receiver Vequan Jones (No.57 on the LSR) was offered by Arkansas, Texas Tech and Houston.
Q. Dallas Skyline quarterback Devante Kincade (No.62 on the LSR) was offered by SMU.
R. A&M Consolidated defensive end Christian Lacouture (No.74 on the LSR) de-committed from Texas A&M and was offered by LSU.
S. Waco High defensive tackle Andrew Billings (No.75 on the LSR) was offered by Baylor.
T. San Antonio Madison wide receiver Dannon Cavil (No.78 on the LSR) committed to Ole Miss.
U. Denton Guyer offensive lineman Patrick Morris (No.93 on the LSR)was offered by TCU.
V. Sharpstown linebacker Reggie Chevis was offered by Texas Tech.
W. Fort Worth All Saints tight end Charlie Reid was offered by Mississippi State, U.Conn and Arizona.
X. Prosper wide receiver Torii Hunter Jr. (NR) was offered by Oklahoma and West Virginia. (Ketchum)
This post was edited on 3/9 12:03 AM by Ketchum
This post was edited on 3/9 12:06 AM by DustinMcComas
