It wasn't the wildest week of recruiting with students in the state taking the TAKS test and the UT coaches staying close to home, but we were able to round up some notes of interest.
Let's start off with an update on top OL target Kennedy Estelle ...
Estelle said this week that he wants to take at least one unofficial visit this spring/summer. He's still trying to decide which school he'll visit, but Texas appears to be in pretty good shape on this one. Estelle's parents are both pushing for Texas, but the Pearland Dawson standout said he wants to make his own decision.
"Coaches and other people are going to push you to go to a certain school. I know that's (Texas) where everyone wants me to go. But I'm still going to take my time," Estelle said.
Estelle talks to UT coaches Stacy Searels and Major Applewhite and has struck up a good relationship with both coaches.
"I've met them before. They're both really cool people," Estelle said. "They ask about my family a lot, so I know they care. They treat you almost like friends but they're still coaches." (Suchomel)
******
Caught up with Shreveport Woodlawn defensive end Torshiro Davis on Sunday night for a quick update.
Davis, who is committed to LSU, is still planning to attend a UT camp on June 5. Stacy Searels visited Davis at school in the first week of the spring evaluation period and Bo Davis is still expected to go by at some point in the next few weeks. Davis talked to Bo Davis the day after Searels visited.
"He basically told me he wants to offer me a scholarship. He asked if he offered me, if I was going to come and does he still have a chance, or am I set in stone for LSU," Davis said.
And Davis' response?
"LSU not set in stone just yet. I want to make sure I feel LSU is the best school for me."
Davis said early playing time will be a key factor in his decision. As for his commitment to LSU that he gave in early February, Davis said it was his only offer at the time and he didn't realize he'd have so many other options. He now plans to look at a few schools, with Texas, Nebraska, OU, Alabama and Auburn listed as possible spots for visits. (Suchomel)
******
Early in the week, we noted that we had heard that San Antonio Sam Houston defensive lineman Javonte Magee may be leaning pretty heavily to Baylor.
Magee's teammate, Leo Thomas, had this to say (Magee, Thomas and OL Ralphael Green visited Baylor for the Bears' spring game):
"Javonte, we're thinking of going to Baylor together but we don't know for sure yet. We're putting our emphasis on Baylor. But we're also still waiting for LSU."
I asked Magee for his thoughts on possibly winding up at Baylor with Thomas and Green ...
"We're trying to go to the same college. We're really close, like family. We want to go to the same school."
Like Thomas, Magee noted during our conversation that he was hoping to hear more from LSU. We heard late in the week that a member of the LSU coaching staff had stopped by Sam Houston, so we'll see if the Tigers' interest picks up.
So where does Texas fall in?
"They're up there on my list," Magee said. "They're in that top group with Baylor, Texas A&M, and I want to go visit LSU." (Suchomel)
******
We were finally able to catch up with top DL prospect Quay Evans' coach this week. Evans, a DT out of Morton, Miss. is one of the country's hottest prospects and UT assistant Bo Davis stopped by his school a couple weeks ago to check in.
Evans' coach, Miles Porter, said Evans is taking the recruiting process slowly. Evans isn't talking to anyone and coach Porter didn't have much to say as far as potential leaders or how Texas could figure in the mix. He did talk about Evans' strengths as a player.
"He's so agile for a man his size. He's 6-2 and 300 pounds," coach Porter said. He's got feet like a skill player, like a running back. He ran a 4.9 40-yard dash. He's unbelievably strong. He benched 225 pounds 28 times as a sophomore. He's the best out there. He has all the tools. He's also very smart. He knows what every kid on the defense is supposed to be doing."
We'll keep our ears open to see if anything progresses on this one. (Suchomel)
******
We mentioned last week that Texas was expected to go check on Rockdale ATH (and current OU commitment) Daniel Brooks.
According to Rockdale head coach Jeff Miller, UT assistant Darrell Wyatt did stop by the school two Thursdays ago and picked up tape (Miller was at Rockdale's regional golf tournament and was not at the school).
Coach Miller's been told that the UT staff is supposed to meet to discuss the prospects that are still on the table, but he did not know where exactly things stood with Brooks. This one may be a long shot though. Most likely, if Texas was going to make a run at Brooks, the UT coaches would probably want Brooks to come to a camp. Coach Miller said that's highly unlikely to happen. As he put it, Brooks already has a spot locked down with OU so he's probably not going to go work out for other coaches with the hopes of gaining an offer. If Brooks is going to look around, and even that's up in the air, he'd need an actual offer on the table. (Suchomel)
******
The last time we caught up with Waco (Texas) La Vega offensive lineman/defensive end Michael Starts he just wrapped up a solid day at the Nike Camp. He mentioned he was keeping his options open and talked about taking visits to a few out of state programs like Notre Dame, Michigan, and Auburn.
Today, I caught up with his father, Willie Starts, and things are pretty much the same. Starts is currently competing at regionals in the shot put, and his father said Michael was keeping his college options open.
Mr. Starts did say they would probably take visits to Oklahoma and Texas this month, and they are still trying to schedule visits to programs like Notre Dame, Michigan, and Auburn. (Howell)
******
Over the last few War Rooms we’ve taken looks at the recruiting of several area and Big 12 programs, and for this installment we caught up with our friends around the network to take a look at TCU, Oklahoma, Iowa St., Kansas St., and Missouri.
Oklahoma Sooners
Number of Commitments: 5
Scholarships left: 8-10
Latest Commitment: DeVante Harris, CB, Mesquite (Texas) Horn (4/29/11)
Key Targets:
Gunner Kiel, QB, Columbus (Ind.) East
Dorial Green-Beckham, WR, Springfield (Mo.) Hillcrest
Danielle Hunter, DE, Katy (Texas) Morton Ranch
Key Postion Needs: DE, CB, OT (Elite OT)
Early Headliners: Alex Ross, ATH, Jenks, Okla.
Next in line for an offer: Blake Belcher, OL, Guthrie, Okla.
Next commit: Colin Blake, CB, San Antonio (Texas) Brandeis
TCU Horned Frogs
Number of Commitments: 10
Scholarships left: 6-7
Latest Commitment: DeVonte Fields, DE, Arlington (Texas) Martin (4/29/11)
Key Targets:
Colin Blake, CB, San Antonio (Texas) Brandeis
Hiva Lutui, OL, Euless (Texas) Trinity
Michael Starts, OL, Waco (Texas) La Vega
Key Postion Needs: DE, OL
Early Headliners: Devante Fields, DE, Arlington (Texas) Martin/Edward Pope, S, Carthage, Texas
Next in line for an offer: Trey Keenan, OL, Argyle, Texas
Next commit: Colin Blake, CB, San Antonio (Texas) Brandeis/Devin Fuller, ATH, Old Tappan, N.J.
Missouri Tigers
Number of Commitments: 3
Scholarships left: 20-22
Latest Commitment: Jonathan Williams, RB, Allen, Texas (4/16/11)
Key Targets:
Duron Neal, WR, St. Louis (Mo.) DeSmet
Evan Beohm, OL, Lee’s Summit (Mo.) Lee’s Summit West
Gunner Kiel, QB, Columbus (Ind.) East
Dorial Green-Beckham, WR, Springfield (Mo.) Hillcrest
Key Postion Needs: DT, WR, MLB
Early Headliners: Jonathan Williams, RB, Allen, Texas
Next in line for an offer: Kasen Key, QB, Owasso, Okla.
Next commit: Donavin Newsom, LB, St. Louis (Mo.) Parkway North
Kansas St. Wildcats
Number of Commitments: 3
Scholarships left: 20-22
Latest Commitment: Will Davis, LB, Southlake (Texas) Carroll (4/24/11)
Key Targets:
Stephen Amoako, CB, Arlington (Texas) Martin
Eric Amoako, S, Arlington (Texas) Martin
Alex Lyons, LB, DeSoto, Texas
Jessie Rogers, DE, Arlington (Texas) Bowie
Key Postion Needs: DL, LB
Early Headliners: Tavarius Bender, QB, Lincoln (Neb.) Lincoln Southwest
Next in line for an offer: Dominic Spencer, LB, Dallas (Texas) Skyline
Next commit: Stephen Amoako, CB, Arlington (Texas) Martin/Eric Amoako, S, Arlington (Texas) Martin
Iowa St. Cyclones
Number of Commitments: 3
Scholarships left: 22
Latest Commitment: Barkley Hill, RB, Cedar Falls, Iowa (4/11/11)
Key Targets:
Charles Rogers, ATH, Iowa City (Iowa) West
Amara Darboh, WR, West Des Moines (Iowa) Dowling
Kyle Fuller, OL, Wylie, Texas
Nathanael Lohn, DE, Kansas City (Mo.) Staley
Kendall Ehrlich, LB, Pearland, Texas
Kendrick Daniels, RB, Sulphur Springs, Texas
Kingsley Ike, DE, Pflugerville (Texas) Hendrickson
Victor Irokansi, DE, Pflugerville (Texas) Hendrickson
Key Postion Needs: DT, CB, WR
Early Headliners: Luke Knott, QB, Lee’s Summit (Mo.) Lee’s Summit West
Next in line for an offer: James Brooks, WR, Groveland (Fla.) South Lake
Next commit: Kendrick Daniels, Sulphur Springs, Texas/Michael Malloy, RB, Sioux City (Iowa) Bishop Heelan (Howell)
******
As I type this, 2012 point guard D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera is on the UT campus for an unofficial visit. After the Nike EYBL showcase in Frisco, Texas, the talented, 6-3 guard from Indiana made his way to the UT campus. I spoke briefly with Smith-Rivera’s Indy Spiece AAU coach Jared Quarles.
“He went over the practice facility and met with Rick Barnes tonight. They’ll do a tour of campus tomorrow and meet with the assistants,” stated Quarles.
Basically, it’s a typical unofficial visit, but this is big for UT to get this him on campus because now the Longhorns are truly players. As for his AAU teammate A.J. Hammons, he won’t be taking a visit until after school ends in a couple of weeks, but it still sounds like UT will be earning a visit.
Recently, the UT staff checked in on 2012 power forward Alex Poythress of Northeast High School in Clarksville, Tennessee. At 6-8, 215 pounds, Poythress ranks as the No. 35 player in the nation. Also, 2012 big man Mitch McGary earned a visit from the UT staff. He’s 6’10, 250 and his stock is blowing up . Expect Texas to do its best to get McGary on campus for a visit, and there is some serious buzz that the Longhorns would be in his top group. (McComas)
This post was edited on 5/2 11:32 AM by Jason Howell
Let's start off with an update on top OL target Kennedy Estelle ...
Estelle said this week that he wants to take at least one unofficial visit this spring/summer. He's still trying to decide which school he'll visit, but Texas appears to be in pretty good shape on this one. Estelle's parents are both pushing for Texas, but the Pearland Dawson standout said he wants to make his own decision.
"Coaches and other people are going to push you to go to a certain school. I know that's (Texas) where everyone wants me to go. But I'm still going to take my time," Estelle said.
Estelle talks to UT coaches Stacy Searels and Major Applewhite and has struck up a good relationship with both coaches.
"I've met them before. They're both really cool people," Estelle said. "They ask about my family a lot, so I know they care. They treat you almost like friends but they're still coaches." (Suchomel)
******
Caught up with Shreveport Woodlawn defensive end Torshiro Davis on Sunday night for a quick update.
Davis, who is committed to LSU, is still planning to attend a UT camp on June 5. Stacy Searels visited Davis at school in the first week of the spring evaluation period and Bo Davis is still expected to go by at some point in the next few weeks. Davis talked to Bo Davis the day after Searels visited.
"He basically told me he wants to offer me a scholarship. He asked if he offered me, if I was going to come and does he still have a chance, or am I set in stone for LSU," Davis said.
And Davis' response?
"LSU not set in stone just yet. I want to make sure I feel LSU is the best school for me."
Davis said early playing time will be a key factor in his decision. As for his commitment to LSU that he gave in early February, Davis said it was his only offer at the time and he didn't realize he'd have so many other options. He now plans to look at a few schools, with Texas, Nebraska, OU, Alabama and Auburn listed as possible spots for visits. (Suchomel)
******
Early in the week, we noted that we had heard that San Antonio Sam Houston defensive lineman Javonte Magee may be leaning pretty heavily to Baylor.
Magee's teammate, Leo Thomas, had this to say (Magee, Thomas and OL Ralphael Green visited Baylor for the Bears' spring game):
"Javonte, we're thinking of going to Baylor together but we don't know for sure yet. We're putting our emphasis on Baylor. But we're also still waiting for LSU."
I asked Magee for his thoughts on possibly winding up at Baylor with Thomas and Green ...
"We're trying to go to the same college. We're really close, like family. We want to go to the same school."
Like Thomas, Magee noted during our conversation that he was hoping to hear more from LSU. We heard late in the week that a member of the LSU coaching staff had stopped by Sam Houston, so we'll see if the Tigers' interest picks up.
So where does Texas fall in?
"They're up there on my list," Magee said. "They're in that top group with Baylor, Texas A&M, and I want to go visit LSU." (Suchomel)
******
We were finally able to catch up with top DL prospect Quay Evans' coach this week. Evans, a DT out of Morton, Miss. is one of the country's hottest prospects and UT assistant Bo Davis stopped by his school a couple weeks ago to check in.
Evans' coach, Miles Porter, said Evans is taking the recruiting process slowly. Evans isn't talking to anyone and coach Porter didn't have much to say as far as potential leaders or how Texas could figure in the mix. He did talk about Evans' strengths as a player.
"He's so agile for a man his size. He's 6-2 and 300 pounds," coach Porter said. He's got feet like a skill player, like a running back. He ran a 4.9 40-yard dash. He's unbelievably strong. He benched 225 pounds 28 times as a sophomore. He's the best out there. He has all the tools. He's also very smart. He knows what every kid on the defense is supposed to be doing."
We'll keep our ears open to see if anything progresses on this one. (Suchomel)
******
We mentioned last week that Texas was expected to go check on Rockdale ATH (and current OU commitment) Daniel Brooks.
According to Rockdale head coach Jeff Miller, UT assistant Darrell Wyatt did stop by the school two Thursdays ago and picked up tape (Miller was at Rockdale's regional golf tournament and was not at the school).
Coach Miller's been told that the UT staff is supposed to meet to discuss the prospects that are still on the table, but he did not know where exactly things stood with Brooks. This one may be a long shot though. Most likely, if Texas was going to make a run at Brooks, the UT coaches would probably want Brooks to come to a camp. Coach Miller said that's highly unlikely to happen. As he put it, Brooks already has a spot locked down with OU so he's probably not going to go work out for other coaches with the hopes of gaining an offer. If Brooks is going to look around, and even that's up in the air, he'd need an actual offer on the table. (Suchomel)
******
The last time we caught up with Waco (Texas) La Vega offensive lineman/defensive end Michael Starts he just wrapped up a solid day at the Nike Camp. He mentioned he was keeping his options open and talked about taking visits to a few out of state programs like Notre Dame, Michigan, and Auburn.
Today, I caught up with his father, Willie Starts, and things are pretty much the same. Starts is currently competing at regionals in the shot put, and his father said Michael was keeping his college options open.
Mr. Starts did say they would probably take visits to Oklahoma and Texas this month, and they are still trying to schedule visits to programs like Notre Dame, Michigan, and Auburn. (Howell)
******
Over the last few War Rooms we’ve taken looks at the recruiting of several area and Big 12 programs, and for this installment we caught up with our friends around the network to take a look at TCU, Oklahoma, Iowa St., Kansas St., and Missouri.
Oklahoma Sooners
Number of Commitments: 5
Scholarships left: 8-10
Latest Commitment: DeVante Harris, CB, Mesquite (Texas) Horn (4/29/11)
Key Targets:
Gunner Kiel, QB, Columbus (Ind.) East
Dorial Green-Beckham, WR, Springfield (Mo.) Hillcrest
Danielle Hunter, DE, Katy (Texas) Morton Ranch
Key Postion Needs: DE, CB, OT (Elite OT)
Early Headliners: Alex Ross, ATH, Jenks, Okla.
Next in line for an offer: Blake Belcher, OL, Guthrie, Okla.
Next commit: Colin Blake, CB, San Antonio (Texas) Brandeis
TCU Horned Frogs
Number of Commitments: 10
Scholarships left: 6-7
Latest Commitment: DeVonte Fields, DE, Arlington (Texas) Martin (4/29/11)
Key Targets:
Colin Blake, CB, San Antonio (Texas) Brandeis
Hiva Lutui, OL, Euless (Texas) Trinity
Michael Starts, OL, Waco (Texas) La Vega
Key Postion Needs: DE, OL
Early Headliners: Devante Fields, DE, Arlington (Texas) Martin/Edward Pope, S, Carthage, Texas
Next in line for an offer: Trey Keenan, OL, Argyle, Texas
Next commit: Colin Blake, CB, San Antonio (Texas) Brandeis/Devin Fuller, ATH, Old Tappan, N.J.
Missouri Tigers
Number of Commitments: 3
Scholarships left: 20-22
Latest Commitment: Jonathan Williams, RB, Allen, Texas (4/16/11)
Key Targets:
Duron Neal, WR, St. Louis (Mo.) DeSmet
Evan Beohm, OL, Lee’s Summit (Mo.) Lee’s Summit West
Gunner Kiel, QB, Columbus (Ind.) East
Dorial Green-Beckham, WR, Springfield (Mo.) Hillcrest
Key Postion Needs: DT, WR, MLB
Early Headliners: Jonathan Williams, RB, Allen, Texas
Next in line for an offer: Kasen Key, QB, Owasso, Okla.
Next commit: Donavin Newsom, LB, St. Louis (Mo.) Parkway North
Kansas St. Wildcats
Number of Commitments: 3
Scholarships left: 20-22
Latest Commitment: Will Davis, LB, Southlake (Texas) Carroll (4/24/11)
Key Targets:
Stephen Amoako, CB, Arlington (Texas) Martin
Eric Amoako, S, Arlington (Texas) Martin
Alex Lyons, LB, DeSoto, Texas
Jessie Rogers, DE, Arlington (Texas) Bowie
Key Postion Needs: DL, LB
Early Headliners: Tavarius Bender, QB, Lincoln (Neb.) Lincoln Southwest
Next in line for an offer: Dominic Spencer, LB, Dallas (Texas) Skyline
Next commit: Stephen Amoako, CB, Arlington (Texas) Martin/Eric Amoako, S, Arlington (Texas) Martin
Iowa St. Cyclones
Number of Commitments: 3
Scholarships left: 22
Latest Commitment: Barkley Hill, RB, Cedar Falls, Iowa (4/11/11)
Key Targets:
Charles Rogers, ATH, Iowa City (Iowa) West
Amara Darboh, WR, West Des Moines (Iowa) Dowling
Kyle Fuller, OL, Wylie, Texas
Nathanael Lohn, DE, Kansas City (Mo.) Staley
Kendall Ehrlich, LB, Pearland, Texas
Kendrick Daniels, RB, Sulphur Springs, Texas
Kingsley Ike, DE, Pflugerville (Texas) Hendrickson
Victor Irokansi, DE, Pflugerville (Texas) Hendrickson
Key Postion Needs: DT, CB, WR
Early Headliners: Luke Knott, QB, Lee’s Summit (Mo.) Lee’s Summit West
Next in line for an offer: James Brooks, WR, Groveland (Fla.) South Lake
Next commit: Kendrick Daniels, Sulphur Springs, Texas/Michael Malloy, RB, Sioux City (Iowa) Bishop Heelan (Howell)
******
As I type this, 2012 point guard D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera is on the UT campus for an unofficial visit. After the Nike EYBL showcase in Frisco, Texas, the talented, 6-3 guard from Indiana made his way to the UT campus. I spoke briefly with Smith-Rivera’s Indy Spiece AAU coach Jared Quarles.
“He went over the practice facility and met with Rick Barnes tonight. They’ll do a tour of campus tomorrow and meet with the assistants,” stated Quarles.
Basically, it’s a typical unofficial visit, but this is big for UT to get this him on campus because now the Longhorns are truly players. As for his AAU teammate A.J. Hammons, he won’t be taking a visit until after school ends in a couple of weeks, but it still sounds like UT will be earning a visit.
Recently, the UT staff checked in on 2012 power forward Alex Poythress of Northeast High School in Clarksville, Tennessee. At 6-8, 215 pounds, Poythress ranks as the No. 35 player in the nation. Also, 2012 big man Mitch McGary earned a visit from the UT staff. He’s 6’10, 250 and his stock is blowing up . Expect Texas to do its best to get McGary on campus for a visit, and there is some serious buzz that the Longhorns would be in his top group. (McComas)
This post was edited on 5/2 11:32 AM by Jason Howell
