With the All-American games in full swing, it's been a very active week of recruiting rumors. Let's dive right in for this New Year's Day version of the War Room
Texas fans have been a bit worried about the status of safety commitment DeShon Elliott, who has taken a couple official visits to Oklahoma and TCU.
In talking to Elliott in Orlando during the Under Armour AA week, he seems to be completely locked into his UT commitment. In fact, Elliott is actively recruiting on Texas' behalf.
Consider this conversation, after Elliott told me he watched the Texas Bowl in Malik Jefferson's room with Jefferson, Daylon Mack, Kyler Murray, Damarkus Lodge and Christian Kirk.
Elliott: "Everybody is trying to work on Daylon. You can't really read him that well."
Me: And Lodge?
Elliott: "Nah, he ain't coming. But I was talking to Nicholas (Brossette) too."
Me: Who else are you working on?
"Nicholas and Anthony (Wheeler). I think Anthony's coming. Nicholas, I told him he and I need to sit down and have a man to man talk."
Me: Most people have Anthony going to Oklahoma.
Elliott: "He's not going to Oklahoma. Not after that loss (to Clemson). I talked to him."
As for Elliott, he's been working with a footwork coach to increase his speed and quickness and it appeared to be paying off at Under Armour practices, where he more than held his own against the nation's best.
Elliott will take his official visit to Texas on January 23. He talks to UT assistant Chris Rumph almost every day and also communicates with Charlie Strong, Chris Vaugh and Vance Bedford.
As for his official visit to TCU?
"I'm just trying to have fun. I'm a high school kid, trying to have some fun before I graduate. I'm a Texas guy, die hard. I bleed burnt orange. That's my home," Elliott said. "I'm not going anywhere It's time to lock it down, get focused on track."
Elliott had a message for fans worrying about his commitment status
"They need to calm down, I'm not going anywhere," he said. (Suchomel)
******
Gladewater DT Daylon Mack will give Texas a look during an official visit in January, but this one may have shifted again mid-week with Texas A&M hiring John Chavis.
The good news for Texas is that the Longhorns will at least have a chance in this one, which didn't appear to be the case as of a few weeks ago.
"I think they had the number one defense in the Big 12 this year. So getting my friend (Malik Jefferson) and having the number one defense in the Big 12, with Charlie Strong being a first-year head coach at Texas, that's big to me," Mack said.
Mack primarily keeps in touch with Chris Rumph and Vance Bedford.
"They just say playing early, playing great defense is a selling point," Mack said. "And coach Strong is a great leader for the team. He's a guy that's going to take care of you, but you're going to be disciplined too. I really feel like he has a lot of Urban Meyer in him. He's a good coach, but he disciplines his kids and takes care of them too.
(Save the Meyer Jokes, please )
"He's more of a players' coach, honestly. His players have to be disciplined, but he's more of a players' coach."
Mack's father favors Texas, so the Longhorns can lean on that a bit down the stretch. I asked Mack what he would say to Longhorn fans who are quietly confident that he'll wind up at Texas after he takes his UT official visit.
"They have a lot of reasons to be confident. I'll visit them with two weeks to go until Signing Day, so they'll be fresh on my mind," Mack said. "But I feel like it'll be a good decision. It'll be tough but I can't go wrong with any school." (Suchomel)
******
Most players we talked to said Texas' loss in the bowl game really didn't impact them. The one player who admitted it may impact his decision is wide receiver commitment John Burt, who is trying to decide between Texas and Auburn.
"It's unfortunate, really. I was expecting them to play a lot better and it didn't go the way they wanted it to. It didn't go the way I wanted either," Burt said. "That wasn't really a good representation of what coach Strong had envisioned for the program. It's really unfortunate."
Does that one game affect Burt, or does he take a big-picture approach? The answer both.
"It kind of does. From looking at the game, it seems like they have more issues than just losing two receivers. But it's not just from looking at that game, really. From the whole season," Burt said. "I've been following them and watching them. It's not just losing Shipley and Harris. It's Swoopes, the whole offense. There are a lot of inconsistencies with the offense that I'm looking at."
Burt said he's now struggling with the decision of whether or not he could come in and help jump-start the Texas offense, or if there are enough offensive issues where he'd be better off taken what he feels is the safer bet in Auburn.
"Either way, coach (Chris) Vaughn has told me, as long as I know what to do, I'm going to come in and fill John Harris' position. That's something I have to think about - how big of an impact I could make on the offense?," Burt said.
I don't think this one is dead by any means, but in reading Burt's body language and talking to others close to the Auburn program, it seems like the Tigers may have the inside track with one month left. (Suchomel)
******
It has looked for a long while like Texas' chances with Florida State commitment Kai Locksley were all but dead. Maybe not, after talking to Locksley this week.
"Texas is recruiting me pretty hard still," said Locksley, an athletic QB prospect out of Baltimore. "They think there's definitely a lot of time to maybe get me to make that switch. They want to get me out there for a visit, maybe in late January. That's what I've been talking to coach Strong and coach Watson about."
Locksley talks to UT QB coach Shawn Watson every couple weeks and head coach Charlie Strong about once a month.
"I would say the possibilities are looking pretty good (for Texas) to maybe get an official. You get five so I might make use of them to compare it to my Florida State official," Locksley said.
Along with UT, Maryland is also being considered for an official visit. Locksley's father, Mike Locksley, is the offensive coordinator for Maryland.
Locksley said the opportunity to play early is UT's biggest selling point right now.
"At the quarterback position, it looks like it's still up in the air. So that's always intriguing to see a team that's in need and you could hurry up and make an impact," Locksley said. "They're really pushing the competition thing. It's open, they say, when you get out here, you'd be able to compete early on and maybe even get that starting job. That's basically been the main memo, competition and being able to compete early."
Locksley's father and Strong have been friends for a long time, and Locksley said he really likes what he knows of Strong from his interactions with the UT head coach.
"That kind of started things and sparked the interest in Texas, my dad knowing him and knowing I'd be in good hands. Some of the stuff he's told me about coach Strong, and some of the things I've seen, it's the kind of things you want in a head coach," Locksley said. (Suchomel)
******
There's been a lot of talk about Texas getting back in it with Cedar Hill wide receiver Damarkus Lodge, including the possibility of Lodge taking an official visit to UT at some point.
After talking to Lodge (and others) this week, I think it's safe to assume that the Longhorns are a pretty big longshot, unless something happens where Darrell Wyatt enters the mix for one of UT's open coaching positions.
"I'm going to take an official on January 23 to Ole Miss. I haven't thought about it yet (for the last two), probably Baylor and A&M," Lodge said.
And Texas?
"They're still in there," Lodge said. "I'm trying to decide if I'm going to get there."
Lodge admitted that Texas is playing catch-up to some other programs, including Ole Miss, but said the UT coaches continue to work on him.
"The program speaks for itself. They're pretty much just telling me they want me and what I could do for their program," Lodge said. "They don't tell me I'm going to come in and start because you can't guarantee that to anybody."
We'll see how this one plays out, but Texas definitely has ground to make up at this point. (Suchomel)
******
Perhaps the most surprising news of the week came from five-star offensive tackle Drew Richmond, who told OB he'll take a visit to Texas on January 30.
According to Richmond, who is committed to Ole Miss, his official visit schedule will include stops at Alabama, Ole Miss and Texas, in that order.
I asked Richmond, to clarify, if he was locked in to visit Texas or if it was a possibility ...
"I'm for sure" he said.
Richmond said he'd been hoping for a Texas offer going back to his junior year. The Longhorns came into the picture a couple months ago, and Richmond said he's anxious to see what Texas has to offer.
"The chance for me to play early is there. Coach Strong is a good guy," Richmond said. "He has a lot of ties with my coach, actually. So that's a good thing."
UT assistants Joe Wickline and Chris Vaughn both visited Richmond in Memphis in December. Charlie Strong has a connection with Richmond's coach (Richmond wasn't sure of the specifics, but thought Strong had recruited his head coach when his coach was in high school). Richmond did say distance will play a small factor in his final decision, but he's going to give both Texas and Florida State a chance to win him over when he takes his visits.
"I'm going with an open mind, but I'm committed (to Ole Miss). That's all I can say really," Richmond said. (Suchomel)
******
In a Carlos Strickland mentioned that Texas did a recent in-home visit with him.
Strickland has mentioned the possibility of taking a visit to Texas in January. He already has a trip set up for UCLA for January 16, and the Bruins are believed to be a threat to pry Strickland away from his current Texas Tech commitment.
Strickland's a terrific talent who would be a good replacement if John Burt does peel off his UT commitment. With the Longhorns also chasing Gilbert Johnson, it'll be interesting to see how this one plays out over the next few weeks.
Texas fans have been a bit worried about the status of safety commitment DeShon Elliott, who has taken a couple official visits to Oklahoma and TCU.
In talking to Elliott in Orlando during the Under Armour AA week, he seems to be completely locked into his UT commitment. In fact, Elliott is actively recruiting on Texas' behalf.
Consider this conversation, after Elliott told me he watched the Texas Bowl in Malik Jefferson's room with Jefferson, Daylon Mack, Kyler Murray, Damarkus Lodge and Christian Kirk.
Elliott: "Everybody is trying to work on Daylon. You can't really read him that well."
Me: And Lodge?
Elliott: "Nah, he ain't coming. But I was talking to Nicholas (Brossette) too."
Me: Who else are you working on?
"Nicholas and Anthony (Wheeler). I think Anthony's coming. Nicholas, I told him he and I need to sit down and have a man to man talk."
Me: Most people have Anthony going to Oklahoma.
Elliott: "He's not going to Oklahoma. Not after that loss (to Clemson). I talked to him."
As for Elliott, he's been working with a footwork coach to increase his speed and quickness and it appeared to be paying off at Under Armour practices, where he more than held his own against the nation's best.
Elliott will take his official visit to Texas on January 23. He talks to UT assistant Chris Rumph almost every day and also communicates with Charlie Strong, Chris Vaugh and Vance Bedford.
As for his official visit to TCU?
"I'm just trying to have fun. I'm a high school kid, trying to have some fun before I graduate. I'm a Texas guy, die hard. I bleed burnt orange. That's my home," Elliott said. "I'm not going anywhere It's time to lock it down, get focused on track."
Elliott had a message for fans worrying about his commitment status
"They need to calm down, I'm not going anywhere," he said. (Suchomel)
******
Gladewater DT Daylon Mack will give Texas a look during an official visit in January, but this one may have shifted again mid-week with Texas A&M hiring John Chavis.
The good news for Texas is that the Longhorns will at least have a chance in this one, which didn't appear to be the case as of a few weeks ago.
"I think they had the number one defense in the Big 12 this year. So getting my friend (Malik Jefferson) and having the number one defense in the Big 12, with Charlie Strong being a first-year head coach at Texas, that's big to me," Mack said.
Mack primarily keeps in touch with Chris Rumph and Vance Bedford.
"They just say playing early, playing great defense is a selling point," Mack said. "And coach Strong is a great leader for the team. He's a guy that's going to take care of you, but you're going to be disciplined too. I really feel like he has a lot of Urban Meyer in him. He's a good coach, but he disciplines his kids and takes care of them too.
(Save the Meyer Jokes, please )
"He's more of a players' coach, honestly. His players have to be disciplined, but he's more of a players' coach."
Mack's father favors Texas, so the Longhorns can lean on that a bit down the stretch. I asked Mack what he would say to Longhorn fans who are quietly confident that he'll wind up at Texas after he takes his UT official visit.
"They have a lot of reasons to be confident. I'll visit them with two weeks to go until Signing Day, so they'll be fresh on my mind," Mack said. "But I feel like it'll be a good decision. It'll be tough but I can't go wrong with any school." (Suchomel)
******
Most players we talked to said Texas' loss in the bowl game really didn't impact them. The one player who admitted it may impact his decision is wide receiver commitment John Burt, who is trying to decide between Texas and Auburn.
"It's unfortunate, really. I was expecting them to play a lot better and it didn't go the way they wanted it to. It didn't go the way I wanted either," Burt said. "That wasn't really a good representation of what coach Strong had envisioned for the program. It's really unfortunate."
Does that one game affect Burt, or does he take a big-picture approach? The answer both.
"It kind of does. From looking at the game, it seems like they have more issues than just losing two receivers. But it's not just from looking at that game, really. From the whole season," Burt said. "I've been following them and watching them. It's not just losing Shipley and Harris. It's Swoopes, the whole offense. There are a lot of inconsistencies with the offense that I'm looking at."
Burt said he's now struggling with the decision of whether or not he could come in and help jump-start the Texas offense, or if there are enough offensive issues where he'd be better off taken what he feels is the safer bet in Auburn.
"Either way, coach (Chris) Vaughn has told me, as long as I know what to do, I'm going to come in and fill John Harris' position. That's something I have to think about - how big of an impact I could make on the offense?," Burt said.
I don't think this one is dead by any means, but in reading Burt's body language and talking to others close to the Auburn program, it seems like the Tigers may have the inside track with one month left. (Suchomel)
******
It has looked for a long while like Texas' chances with Florida State commitment Kai Locksley were all but dead. Maybe not, after talking to Locksley this week.
"Texas is recruiting me pretty hard still," said Locksley, an athletic QB prospect out of Baltimore. "They think there's definitely a lot of time to maybe get me to make that switch. They want to get me out there for a visit, maybe in late January. That's what I've been talking to coach Strong and coach Watson about."
Locksley talks to UT QB coach Shawn Watson every couple weeks and head coach Charlie Strong about once a month.
"I would say the possibilities are looking pretty good (for Texas) to maybe get an official. You get five so I might make use of them to compare it to my Florida State official," Locksley said.
Along with UT, Maryland is also being considered for an official visit. Locksley's father, Mike Locksley, is the offensive coordinator for Maryland.
Locksley said the opportunity to play early is UT's biggest selling point right now.
"At the quarterback position, it looks like it's still up in the air. So that's always intriguing to see a team that's in need and you could hurry up and make an impact," Locksley said. "They're really pushing the competition thing. It's open, they say, when you get out here, you'd be able to compete early on and maybe even get that starting job. That's basically been the main memo, competition and being able to compete early."
Locksley's father and Strong have been friends for a long time, and Locksley said he really likes what he knows of Strong from his interactions with the UT head coach.
"That kind of started things and sparked the interest in Texas, my dad knowing him and knowing I'd be in good hands. Some of the stuff he's told me about coach Strong, and some of the things I've seen, it's the kind of things you want in a head coach," Locksley said. (Suchomel)
******
There's been a lot of talk about Texas getting back in it with Cedar Hill wide receiver Damarkus Lodge, including the possibility of Lodge taking an official visit to UT at some point.
After talking to Lodge (and others) this week, I think it's safe to assume that the Longhorns are a pretty big longshot, unless something happens where Darrell Wyatt enters the mix for one of UT's open coaching positions.
"I'm going to take an official on January 23 to Ole Miss. I haven't thought about it yet (for the last two), probably Baylor and A&M," Lodge said.
And Texas?
"They're still in there," Lodge said. "I'm trying to decide if I'm going to get there."
Lodge admitted that Texas is playing catch-up to some other programs, including Ole Miss, but said the UT coaches continue to work on him.
"The program speaks for itself. They're pretty much just telling me they want me and what I could do for their program," Lodge said. "They don't tell me I'm going to come in and start because you can't guarantee that to anybody."
We'll see how this one plays out, but Texas definitely has ground to make up at this point. (Suchomel)
******
Perhaps the most surprising news of the week came from five-star offensive tackle Drew Richmond, who told OB he'll take a visit to Texas on January 30.
According to Richmond, who is committed to Ole Miss, his official visit schedule will include stops at Alabama, Ole Miss and Texas, in that order.
I asked Richmond, to clarify, if he was locked in to visit Texas or if it was a possibility ...
"I'm for sure" he said.
Richmond said he'd been hoping for a Texas offer going back to his junior year. The Longhorns came into the picture a couple months ago, and Richmond said he's anxious to see what Texas has to offer.
"The chance for me to play early is there. Coach Strong is a good guy," Richmond said. "He has a lot of ties with my coach, actually. So that's a good thing."
UT assistants Joe Wickline and Chris Vaughn both visited Richmond in Memphis in December. Charlie Strong has a connection with Richmond's coach (Richmond wasn't sure of the specifics, but thought Strong had recruited his head coach when his coach was in high school). Richmond did say distance will play a small factor in his final decision, but he's going to give both Texas and Florida State a chance to win him over when he takes his visits.
"I'm going with an open mind, but I'm committed (to Ole Miss). That's all I can say really," Richmond said. (Suchomel)
******
In a Carlos Strickland mentioned that Texas did a recent in-home visit with him.
Strickland has mentioned the possibility of taking a visit to Texas in January. He already has a trip set up for UCLA for January 16, and the Bruins are believed to be a threat to pry Strickland away from his current Texas Tech commitment.
Strickland's a terrific talent who would be a good replacement if John Burt does peel off his UT commitment. With the Longhorns also chasing Gilbert Johnson, it'll be interesting to see how this one plays out over the next few weeks.
