It's the news Texas fans don't want to hear. But according to a source close to the situation, LB Jordan Hicks will not play Saturday night against Oklahoma State because of the hip injury he suffered against Ole Miss.
Hicks is the team's leading tackler, and one of the team's most important leaders. Without Hicks on the field, the task of stopping the nation's No. 1 scoring offense will get significantly harder.
Linebackers Tevin Jackson and Kendall Thompson will get the first opportunity to fill in, and Texas will be in some nickel defense if Wes Lunt is playing quarterback and probably in some more base looks if J.W. Walsh, a scrambler, is playing QB for OSU.
This game will help determine if the Longhorns can stay on course for what could be a special season. Or if Texas is going to be plagued by a defense that continues to struggle with giving up big plays and falls off the lead in the conference race with games against West Virginia, Oklahoma and Baylor next up on the schedule.
Mack Brown said he thought Texas would learn about its team leadership on Saturday night, and it appears he's right.
Kicker Anthony Fera, who has missed the first three games with a groin injury, could be a game-time decision for the Longhorns. If it's a game that comes down to a field goal, the advantage would go to Oklahoma State, who has one of the best kickers in the country in Quinn Sharp, unless Fera plays and picks up where he left off at Penn State last season, when he made 14 of 17 FGs. (Chip Brown)
******
Sometimes when you're on the recruiting beat, guys are easy to read. Sometimes, prospects are very willing to talk and like the process. A'Shawn Robinson isn't one of those prospects that is easy to read, and his look when I asked him to hold a microphone for a video interview made me want to dive in the equipment room and hide. That being said, Robinson was kind enough to give me a couple of minutes after Arlington Heights' walk through before its big game against Aledo tomorrow night. To say Robinson is fired up about the game would be an understatement. It sounds like Aledo has given him and his team a little of bulletin board material.
The reason I drove from Austin to Fort Worth wasn't just to see the five-star put on a jersey to officially become an Army All-American. It was to find out the latest in his recruitment.
As most of you saw already, I passed along some notes to Suchomel after talking to the big fella, and there was an Army story filed as well. He's not a man of many words, but I was able to talk to some people around the school to try to get a pulse on his thoughts surrounding the recruitment process. Here are some impressions:
1) As I told Suchomel, Robinson made it a point to tell me he was still committed to Texas without me even asking. As soon as I brought up the official visit he took to Florida State last weekend, it didn't take long for him to talk about the visit and then make a point to say that he was still a UT commitment. That has to at least matter a little bit. He didn't give me a percentage on how committed he is, but rather a very stern look and a, "I'm still committed to Texas." It was clear that he wanted to make it known the moment I started talking recruiting that he was committed to Texas. I think that has to be a good sign for UT.
2) One person watching the practice told me that a USC coach stopped by recently to watch Heights practice and to watch Robinson. When I asked Robinson if he'd been hearing from any other schools a lot or if anyone stopped by, all he said was no. It was probably a quick answer because he wanted to get off camera, but I do find it a little interesting he didn't mention that a USC coach had been by recently considering it's a school he wants to visit. I was able to confirm with one of our cohorts at USCfootball.com that USC did have a coach there recently (Marvin Sanders) that was making his rounds to see Texas high schools and commits Torrodney Prevot and Eldridge Massington. I find it a little bit of a stretch that he didn't know a coach from USC was there if other people knew there was someone from USC on campus.
3) The vibe I got from talking to a couple of people that knew Robinson was that he's a tough guy to read even for them, but that they felt his recruitment could be ongoing for a while. One person that's talked to Robinson about recruiting indicated that after talking to the big fella he got the impression Texas was still on top but he had interest in seeing other schools and to make sure Texas was the right choice. Basically, this person didn't feel like the visit to Florida State was just to see a game. The fact that Robinson mentioned he couldn't make the visit earlier because of family issues indicates he has been talking to Florida State at least for a little while. We've also heard the USC visit rumors for a while, and the five-star did go watch Alabama against Michigan at Cowboys Stadium.
When I brought up location to two people that had talked to Robinson about recruiting, they didn't think leaving home or Texas was a huge deal. That kind of surprised be a little bit.
The general impression from the few people I talked to was that Texas needed to keep really recruiting Robinson because there is some curiosity regarding other schools. I didn't get the feel that Robinson was a stone cold lock to Texas. I also didn't get the impression that he was about to de-commit or anything like that, but the visits to other schools feel like more than just seeing a good game and a cool place.
Overall, my time spent at Arlington Heights leads me to believe, right now, that Texas is probably going to have to put up at least a little bit of a fight to keep Robinson in the mix. Robinson is a tough guy to read, doesn't say much, and is keeping the Texas coaches in the loop. However, USC was a school attached to him for a while in the summer, and another visit to Alabama means that he will have seen the Crimson Tide in person twice this year. The people I talked to thought the recruitment would go on for a while and wouldn't shut down soon; they felt like his thoughts about the process kind of changed week-to-week and he wants to make sure Texas is the right choice. (McComas)
******
We caught up with UT OL target Caleb Benenoch for a quick update following his official visit to Oklahoma last weekend.
As one would expect, OU made a favorable impression during the visit and Benenoch said the Sooners elevated their status in his eyes.
"I liked it. It's one of my top schools. I saw the things I needed to see, wanted to see," Benenoch said.
For the past couple months, Benenoch had been pretty open about listing Texas as his top school. He's backed off that stance recently, and he said this week that he has no clear leader.
"Everyone still kind of bunched up. I don't really have a number one," Benenoch said.
The Katy Seven Lakes product will be in Austin for next week's home game against West Virginia. Benenoch had planned on making the trip an unofficial visit, but he's now considering turning it into an official visit. He plans to talk to the Texas coaches next week to make that determination.
"I'm still thinking about it. It just depends on when I talk to them next week. We have a big game coming up, so I'm not too worried about that right now," Benenoch said.
Obviously, an official visit would benefit Texas in being able to get Benenoch on campus for a full 48 hours.
"You can do a lot more, get more one on one time with coaches," Benenoch said of an official visit. "And you get to hang out with the players afterword, get to see how the players interact. You get to experience college life, see what the campus is like. Officials are just a lot more in-depth."
Benenoch has a top five of Texas, OU, Baylor, Texas A&M and UCLA. Stanford, which appeared to be UT's biggest threat a couple months ago, has fallen off due to lack of communication by both parties. Benenoch still plans to take an official visit to UCLA shortly after Seven Lakes' season ends, and he's planning to wait to make a decision until that time.
Texas still appears to be the team to beat, and the Horns should solidify their standing next weekend, but the longer this one goes on the more the other schools seem to close the gap. (Suchomel)
******
We noted this on the board on Thursday afternoon, but it's worth repeating for those who missed it. Livingston athlete Chevoski Collins is planning to make a decision on October 8, the Monday after UT hosts West Virginia.
As of Thursday, Collins is undecided if he'll make it in for the Horns' game against WVU. He did take an official visit to Oklahoma last week.
Collins has kept pretty quiet with the recruiting process and he hasn't named an official leader for a long time. He listed a top three of UT, OU and TCU this week, but a source at Livingston said he expects the decision to come down to UT or OU. (Suchomel)
******
Texas safety commitment Erik Huhn suffered a knee injury in Cibolo Steele's season-opener, ending his season just as it was getting started.
Huhn committed to UT following a camp visit in June, and he's still happy with his decision.
"It's good," Huhn said of his decision. "I committed to Texas and I'm happy as can be now."
The playmaking DB said he's preparing for surgery and then will turn his attention towards getting ready for life as a Longhorn.
When the injury first happened, Huhn said his initial reaction was a feeling that he'd let his team down, but he's now trying to find ways to help from the sidelines.
"They have my back and I'm just supporting them as much as I can," Huhn said. "I help coach and go out to practice every day. I'm really good friends with my back-up and I help him out." (Suchomel)
******
Mansfield Timberview safety Edward Paris (2014) was the victim of a social media prank that spread like wildfire this week before Paris got things under control.
Early in the week, twitter was blowing up with talk that Paris had narrowed his list to a top five.
"A teammate got a hold of my phone. I didn't think anybody was going to notice but people started watching me, so I just went ahead and deleted it," Paris said. "I had fans mentioning me, fans from LSU, Michigan, Texas.
"I don't know why my teammate did that. I guess he was just playing around. It was funny how people reacted, but I kind of got on him because that puts me in a bad position with the other schools."
For those wondering, Paris remains wide open. He's planning to take his ACT test in late October, and he'll then start working on having a top 10.
Paris attended the Texas A&M-SMU game (he left at half). He's planning to attend a TCU game, he's going to Alabama-LSU and he's hoping to attend the Texas-OU game as a guest of the Sooners, who are the home team this year.
Paris said Texas continues to send him letters, but he hasn't had any direct communication with the UT coaches. His focus right now is on his junior season, and he said it's hard to keep up with the mail that comes in every day.
"I've been getting like 50 letters every day. It's crazy," Paris said. "It's tough when all these schools are screaming for your name. It's very overwhelming. That's why I don't have a top 10 or top 5 or anything." (Suchomel)
Of note ... Paris' teammate, Brandon Simmons, hasn't talked to UT about attending teh West Virginia game but he said he and his father may make it to Austin depending on wh at their schedule looks like that day. (Suchomel)
******
A quick note to file away ...
We mentioned in our report earlier in the week that UT defensive end commitment Derick Roberson returned to action last week.
Roberson remains solidly committed to Texas, but he did say he has colleges that reach out to his coaches and his family. They tell him who has called, but they try to keep Roberson focused on recruiting rather than recruiting efforts of other schools. Roberson said he's not opposed to talking to other schools, but he has no intention of swaying from his original decisino.
"I'll listen to see what they have to say, but I'm still committed to Texas," he said. (Suchomel)
******
Per a source close to his recruitment, Brenham DB Darrion Johnson (No. 9 on the 2014 LSR) made contact with the UT coaches and will be at the West Virginia game. We'll follow up on that one next week.
******
Let's finish up the football recruiting portion of this week's War Room with an overview of where things stand with the remaining uncommitted prospects on UT's radar.
Quarterback
Remaining targets: None
Running Back
Remaining targets: None
Wide Receiver
Remaining targets: Devon Allen, Laquan Treadwell, Robbie Rhodes
Allen: He'll be in Austin next week for an official visit. He's listing UCLA as his leader after having taken a recent official visit there, but people close to this one still feel like there's a good chance Texas will move back into the lead after next weekend. Allen has said it's possible he could commit while on a visit if he gets blown away, so we'll be following this one closely.
Treadwell: The nation's top WR prospect has four of his visits spoken for (Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Missouri, Ole Miss). The Ok-State date hasn't been set yet, but Treadwell has said repeatedly that the Cowboys will get a visit. Texas is hoping to get Treadwell's fifth visit, and Treadwell said he'll consider coming in for banquet weekend. This one's still in the beginning stages and things really can't get serious unless Treadwell makes it to campus.
Rhodes: Rhodes remains committed to Baylor and he hasn't given any signs that he wants to re-open his recruitment. If he does explore options, and that's a big if, it probably will not happen for a while.
Tight End
Remaining targets: None
Offensive Line
Remaining targets: Caleb Benenoch, Andrew Billings
Benenoch: We touched on him earlier in the War Room. He'll be in Austin next week. Benenoch isn't planning to make a decision any time soon and that's not likely to change. The smart money is still on Texas, if the staff is willing to wait this one out.
Billings: Stop me if you've heard this before, but Billlings should be closing in on a decision any day now. He's taken unofficial visits to his three favorites - Baylor, UT and TCU and those close to him expect him to make a commitment soon. TCU was thought to be trailing UT and Baylor before his visit to Fort Worth last weekend. Give the slightest of edges to Baylor right now, but this one's too close to call. If Texas misses on Billings and Benenoch continues to take things at a slow pace, watch for other prospects to emerge.
Defensive End
Remaining targets: Randy Gregory, Kewan Alfred
Gregory: He committed to Purdue out of high school, he's from Indiana and he's again committed to the Boilermakers as a JUCO prospect. Gregory isn't shutting the door on taking other visits, but he's said it's unlikely. In order for Texas to get him on campus, he's probably going to need a guaranteed offer, and even then it's no sure thing he'll visit.
Alfred: He's kept in contact with UT but things are moving at a slow pace right now. Alfred will probably need to turn in a strong 2012 season if he's going to work himself into the mix.
This is another position at which another name or two could jump into the mix later in the process, possibly a player who is committed elsewhere.
Defensive Tackle
Remaining targets: None
Linebacker
Remaining targets: None
Cornerback
Remaining target: Cole Luke, Chevoski Collins
Luke: He'll be in Austin next week as well, and most people feel like Texas has a clear edge over the other schools on his list. Luke has already visited Notre Dame and he has a visit set for Oklahoma in late October. Texas needs to make a strong impression next week in order to all but slam the door on this one.
Collins: We touched on him earlier, but this one will be decided in less than two weeks and it looks like it will come down to Texas and Oklahoma.
Safety
Remaining targets: Marcell Harris, Travon Blanchard
Harris: He's taken his official visits to UT and Oklahoma. He has trips set up with Florida and Florida State. Nothing has really changed on this one. Everything we hear is that it's still a Texas-Florida battle, with the Gators holding a slight edge. Texas will continue to wait on Harris, but other prospects are now being considered as alternatives.
Blanchard: He's been committed to Baylor for a while and remains solid, but he could be a guy that would listen if Texas was to show an increased interest. Safety, along with corner, are both positions at which new names could surface depending on what happens in the next few weeks. (Suchomel)
******
This isn't really a surprise, but Alex Klein of the RecruitScoop.com and the Rivals.com network spoke with someone that indicated the two unofficial leaders for Julius Randle (nation's No. 1 hoops recruit in class of 2013) were Kentucky and Duke with UNC in third place.
Also, Karviar Shepherd (2013 big man from Prime Prep Academy) will be taking an official visit to Texas A&M this weekend and some people think that the Aggies could lead.
Per his twitter account, 2013 combo guard Demarcus Croaker received a visit from UT assistant Chris Ogden yesterday. I reported recently that Croaker was planning on trying to make it to Texas this weekend for an official visit, but was waiting for his ACT scores to come in on Friday. I reached out the Croaker tonight but didn't receive a response. Croaker recently told me Texas was standing out the most, and barring some huge change the Horns still have to be in really good shape here. (McComas)
