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Just a quick nugget fans should keep an eye out for on defense this weekend versus USC: In talking with a few people around the program, I'm getting the idea there could be a shake up with the secondary starters for USC. I don't have 100 percent confirmation on it, but there's certainly some smoke around this one. Don't be surprised if DaVante Davis runs out with the ones at CB in place of Kris Boyd on Saturday night. If Davis doesn't start, I definitely expect he'll be worked in much more than we've seen thus far in 2017. (Dunlap)
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Quick … who is going to be Texas’ next commitment?
Most people will point to DB D’Shawn Jamison, who is scheduled to announce his decision on October 14, but there is one prospect that might beat Jamison to the punch. And he was in Austin last weekend.
Cuero wide receiver/safety Jordan Whittington, one of the nation’s top prospects in the 2019 class, is set to announce his commitment on October 1 (his birthday). He’s officially down to Texas, Texas A&M, Florida and UCLA, but the smart money is on him staying in state. And most believe he’ll pick Texas now that the Longhorns have told him he’ll get a shot to play at receiver and not just DB.
Last weekend, Whittington was in Austin for yet another visit (he took several visits to UT in the summer) and once again, he said things went well.
“The visit was great. I got to see the offense, which was the only thing I really need to see,” Whittington said. “In the game, they did well. I like the coaches a lot. I always say that. I was there just getting a better relationship with them basically.”
Whittington got to talk to the UT staff after the win over San Jose State and said everyone was “all hyped up.” The coaches talked to him about how he’d be used should he pick Texas.
“They said I’d play in the slot, maybe some wildcat stuff,” Whittington said, noting it would be a role similar to Lil’Jordan Humphrey or Armanti Foreman.
Whittington will be at A&M’s game on Saturday to watch the Aggies play Louisiana-Lafayette. He said he’d like to visit Florida and UCLA before he makes his commitment but doesn’t have anything set up.
Interestingly, Whittington said his mind has been made up for about a month, yet he continues to take multiple visits.
“It’s a big relief (having his mind made up). I can worry about more my football and my high school career,” Whittington said.
Ranked No. 52 on the 2019 Rivals100, Whittington took multiple visits to both Texas and Texas A&M over the summer. There was a time when A&M was the perceived favorite, but when Texas offered Whittington as a receiver, most feel the momentum shifted in Texas’ direction. We’ll see if that vibe changes after Whittington’s visit to A&M this weekend, but the guess right now is that the Longhorns are the lead team with less than two weeks to go before Whittington announces. (Suchomel)
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The Longhorns have two tight end commitments (Dominick Anderson and Malcolm Epps) but the Longhorns continue to make a couple other tight ends top priority. Texas will recruit Mustapha Muhammad all the way up until National Signing Day, and according to the father of Rivals100 member Luke Ford, the Longhorns are still actively pursuing him as well.
“All the time,” Mr. Ford said when I asked if Texas was still making quite a bit of contact.
A one-time Arkansas commitment, Ford is planning to visit Alabama in early November. His father said Ford still plans to take an official visit to Texas, but no date has been set up yet. (Suchomel)
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Texas quarterback commitment Roschon Johnson was champing at the bit to get on the football field last week after Port Neches-Groves first games were cancelled due to Hurricane Harvey. It turns out, it was worth the wait.
Johnson accounted for 416 yards of offense and six touchdowns in his team’s season-opening 55-31 over Baytown Sterling. He completed 15-of-20 passes in throwing for 342 yards and five scores while adding 74 yards and another TD on the ground.
Not a bad start, but Johnson feels like he left some plays on the field.
“I felt pretty good about it,” he said. “A lot of going back and watching the film, there are a lot of things I feel I could have done better- making certain reads and certain decisions.
“There’s always something you can do better. A couple passes I one-hopped, certain decisions I made I feel I can do better. There are always things you can do better. There’s no such thing as perfect.”
Johnson said he had built up good chemistry with his receivers before their forced “break,” and they just picked up where they had left off. A dual-threat QB, Johnson said it was nice to go out and make so many plays with his arm to quiet any critics who may feel he’s more of a runner than a passer.
“For sure … a lot of people try to put that label on me as far as calling me an athlete. I know for sure I can throw when I need to, run when I need to,” Johnson said. “But I’m confident in myself that I can make any pass on the field.”
Johnson was in attendance for the Longhorns’ season-opening loss to Maryland. He wasn’t able to make it back to Austin for the San Jose State game, but did watch it on television.
“I felt like they did pretty good. The start was kind of slow as far as getting points on the board, but I felt like the offense really needed to get in synch with Sam (Ehlinger),” Johnson said. “There are going to be some growth pains while they get in synch, but I felt like they did pretty good for the most part. It was a big confidence builder for them going into this week”
Johnson’s prediction for this week’s big game against Southern Cal?
“I have to stay faithful. I can’t pick USC to win. I can’t tell you a score, but I have to stay faithful in my team. I believe in coach Herman and coach Orlando, they’ll whip up something on offense and defense,” Johnson said. (Suchomel)
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A bit more on the visit of defensive end Ronnie Perkins, who was in Austin last weekend for an official visit.
The St. Louis Lutheran North product and Rivals250 member said the whole weekend was a highlight, and he was blown away by the attention he received not only from the UT football staff, but also Texas fans at the San Jose State game.
“Some people recognized me, surprisingly,” Perkins said. “I didn’t expect that but I had some fans recognize me so that was really cool.”
Last weekend’s visits went so well that Perkins said he wants to return at some point this fall for a Big 12 game. If that trip comes to fruition, it’ll have to be on Perkins’ own dime and his available weekends are limited, so I’ll be a bit surprised to see it happen. Regardless, the fact that he even wants to come back for a second visit is pretty telling of how much Perkins liked his visit.
One of the biggest draws to Texas, Perkins said, is the opportunity to play right away.
“Basically it’s a great opportunity to come in and play early. They’re talking about turning the program around, getting back to the old Texas,” Perkins said of UT’s message during his visit.
Perkins said he plans on taking all five of his official visits before making a commitment. He said he doesn’t have any other trips on his schedule just yet because he doesn’t know which schools he wants to visit.
Oklahoma has always been a school that’s been at or near the top of Perkins’ list, and while he’s keeping an open mind, he said last week’s visit to UT helped the Longhorns’ chances.
“I’m open. But I was already high on Texas,” Perkins said. “They were already one of my top schools. Definitely though, seeing the campus and being around the team, it made it better.” (Suchomel)
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Although the Texas versus Maryland football game didn’t go according to plan for the Longhorns, the hoops program made strides that weekend with its top priority, 2018 five-star guard Keldon Johnson. I caught up with Keldon’s father, Chris, who discussed that visit and much more.
“Great visit. Really, really good visit. I had some questions when I went out there and when I left they were all answered. I wanted to know how he fits, where the coaches saw him playing at,” said Mr. Johnson. “Whether he had a chance to be a starter or not. Could he fit in the system? That’s how we looked at film and he showed Keldon would definitely fit in and have a chance to be a starter.”
Johnson’s recruitment is interesting from this standpoint: there’s only one team, truly in the hunt, that’s recruited him the longest and the hardest. Maryland hired a new assistant coach in April. N.C. State’s new coaching staff was hired around that time too. Florida State snuck in before July to make a move, and Kentucky most recently joined the mix.
“Oh, yeah. Hands down,” he responded when asked if Texas has recruited Keldon the longest and most intensely. “I would say that because Maryland came in when coach (Kevin) Broaddus got the job. Coach Keatts came in when he got the job. I can say hands down that Texas has recruited him the longest. I can say this: all the coaches that are recruiting him have really turned it up. They’re saying, ‘Hey, Keldon could be the man for our team. Just blessed to have the opportunities.”
Mr. Johnson stated that Texas was the first or second school to offer his son, and the offer came when he was in the ninth grade. So the relationship between Texas and the five-star prospect – in particular Shaka Smart and assistant Mike Morrell, who have been recruiting Johnson for years – has really evolved into something more than coach and prospect.
“They feel like family, you know? I just look at them… they love Keldon. They’ve been doing this for what, four or five years now? They’ve definitely put the time in,” stated Johnson. “I told coach Morrell they look at Keldon like I look at him.”
It isn’t just Smart and Morrell, though. Texas’s recruitment of Johnson, who will spend his senior season at Oak Hill Academy, has turned into a total team effort. Some have speculated location (Johnson’s father noted that the N.C. State visit went well and it’s 72 miles from home) could be an issue for Texas, but it doesn’t sound that way after the official visit.
“That’s one of my things my wife and I talked about, but when we were on the official visit we felt like that if Texas is the school we knew Keldon would be fine. Keldon could just name all the coaches… he talks to all them. They care about him like we do,” he said. “He’d be in good hands.”
Speaking of Oak Hill Academy and a total Texas team effort, the best thing Texas has going for it right now in this recruitment is Matt Coleman.
“Really close. They might talk every night. They really do… Matt was one of the reasons why we came to the Nike circuit. He really recruited Keldon hard from the adidas circuit. Oh, yeah they’re almost like they’re joined at the hip,” Mr. Johnson responded when asked if Coleman and his son are really close. “Matt is a really, really good kid. He’s beyond his age in terms of maturity. We know Matt is like a big brother to him… it could work: point guard shooting guard… we have to figure out what the best option is.”
This weekend, Johnson will accompany his son on an official visit to Kentucky. And he’ll arrive with some questions.
“It looks good on the resume that they offered Keldon. It’s a good program. I think they were trying to figure out some things,” he responded about the offer, referencing that it came late in the process. “At the end of the day when we go up there, there are going to be some questions – how does he fit in? Why did you come in late? He’s (John) Calipari he’s done that a lot of times.”
After the Kentucky visit, Johnson said there will be a Maryland visit the last weekend in September, and then they want to visit Florida State sometime in October. FSU head coach Leonard Hamilton is making his in-home visit tonight, and the Seminoles had to change their plans earlier this month because of Hurricane Irma.
As for a timetable, Johnson says he’s pushing for a decision during or before November, but it’s ultimately Keldon’s call.
“I’m pushing for November. At the end of the day it’s Keldon’s call. All the love these guys are showing him I think he’ll [need to] have a clear mind when he decides.”
My take: Texas is in a good position following the official visit, and has spent more time recruiting Johnson than anyone else, and there isn’t a close second. Combine that with Coleman’s bond with Johnson, and his father’s comments, and it seems like Texas is in good position. Now, the Longhorns have to do the hard part: close, and close with Kentucky in hot pursuit in addition to other local programs. (McComas)
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Also on that official visit to Texas this first weekend of September was another huge priority for Texas, four-star forward Kamaka Hepa.
“I think it went well. He had a really good time with the football game and doing the official deal and being around all the players, which is something he didn’t get to do so much last time,” Hepa’a AAU coach Mike Plank said, referencing when Hepa took an unofficial visit to Texas this summer. “Having Keldon with him was fun. It all worked out well. It went good. I think it left a good impression on him.”
Texas really values having a skilled four that can shoot. Longhorn fans will see that from Dylan Osetkowski this season. Texas coaches hope they’ll see it from Hepa in the future.
“Yeah, they showed him that on film. They used examples from their Australia trip and years past just ways they’d use him,” said Plank about Texas discussing how Hepa would fit. “It worked for him. It’s the same way everyone else would, put him in balls screen pop situations, handle, and touch the ball a lot. Pretty similar I’d think to anywhere he’d go. Showing it on film was helpful.”
Plank told Orangebloods.com a couple weeks back that Texas has recruited Hepa the hardest this year. I asked him about Hepa’s relationship with the Texas staff following the official visit.
“Good. I think it’s right on target with how it was before. Probably just affirmed more. He and his parents spent a lot of time with Shaka. I know they have a really good relationship I know that’s going to be really important is relationship,” said Plank.
Last weekend, Hepa visited Gonzaga, who many consider to be Texas’s toughest competition. Interestingly, Plank noted the difference in programs through Hepa’s view.
“He liked it. He enjoyed it there. Different feel than Texas. Kind of opposite in some ways. They’re kind of low key and very traditional there,” Plank said about Gonzaga. “So, they have their culture and way of doing things down and it’s worked well for them whereas Texas is still trying to build and trying to establish their identity. More freshness and newness to what they’re doing. Third years is when people really define who they are, I think. There were some differences but a lot of comfortability there both ways.”
Plank told me tonight that Hepa is taking this week to decide whether to take more official visits or not. As of tonight, a decision hadn’t been made. Hepa’s mother returns to work this next week, and wouldn’t be able to accompany her son on another official visit until October. (McComas)
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Notice Matt Coleman’s role in the Keldon Johnson recruitment? Five-star Quentin Grimes also mentioned Coleman at length this week when he talked to Rivals.com about his final four of Texas, Kansas, Kentucky and Marquette.
I asked around this week if Coleman is already taking a key role as a leader in the program. The reply from a source was simple.
“Yes.” (McComas)
