Just finished transcribing all my interviews from last night. I'll have more detailed report on these guys (and some others who I need to track down via phone) throughout the week, but here are some key notes from Saturday's Under the Lights camp.
A total of five offers have been extended as I'm writing this ...
2017 Nacodoches DB Josh Thompson
2018 South Grand Prairie DB Atanza Vongor
2018 Cibolo Steele DB Caden Sterns
2018 Marshall OL Chasen Hines
2018 San Antonio Marshall WR Stanley Lambert
Ondario Robinson - Said the camp experience was good overall. Texas is in his top four with Texas A&M, OU and Arizona State, but he said the Aggies hold the lead.
"They've been hitting my line for the last month seeing if I was going to come to camp. I got here, they showed me a lot of love - coach Strong, coach Haley," Robinson said. "Everybody was great. Texas is strongly up there ... I could see myself playing at Texas."
Robinson has a tentative plan to make a commitment at halftime of Hutto's season-opener but it doesn't sound like that date is set in stone. He's camping at Texas A&M today and plans to return to UT later this summer for another unofficial visit. He also plans to visit OU at some point this summer.
Baron Browning - This will surprise nobody, but Browning was getting a lot of attention from just about everyone during the camp. He spent a lot of time talking to Sam Ehlinger and he and Malik Jefferson were going to be hanging out quite a bit after the camp. That can't be a bad thing. At all.
Browning came in early before the camp and got some extra time with the coaches and a better view of the UT campus.
"I never saw the campus. I was getting a tour around campus. I went to see the dorms," Browning said. "I think it’s pretty cool you get to have your own dorm with your own restroom, and if you don’t want to move out, you can stay in the dorm for your three to four years. I think that’s pretty unique, you know? Stay on campus and save your money up. It was real nice."
Browning doesn't have any more visits planned for this summer.
Taquon Graham - There was some thought that the 2017 Temple DE might pull the trigger on a commitment, but that did not happen. Graham didn't work out, but spent the night bunched up with all the Longhorn commitments who were in attendance.
Graham said he'll take three of his official visits to UT, OU and USC before deciding. He mentioned Sam Ehlinger as the guy who was recruiting him the hardest.
"What I like so much about Texas. It's 45 minutes away from home," Graham said. "I like the coaches very well. Them being so close, my brother and my mom could see me. Even now my baby niece could come see my games. It's just so convenient for them to come see my games."
This one will be a surprise if it's not the Longhorns.
Alec Jackson - The Montgomery (Al.) Jefferson Davis DE already had a UT offer, so you have to like the fact that he made the road trip in and then worked out. He looked pretty damn good too.
"My biggest takeaway was just the defensive line, how they coach, getting a feel of it, really taking in the experience," Jackson said. "You only get to do this one time so I'm just taking it all in right now."
The 6-4, 238-pound Jackson said Texas is pretty high on his list but he has other places he wants to visit, so he's keeping an open mind. Other schools that are standing out are LSU, Alabama, Auburn, and Southern Cal.
Jackson said he has no other visits planned for this summer, and said it's possible he'll take an official visit to Texas in the fall.
Sam Ehlinger - Got a chance to talk to the UT QB commitment at the end of the night, and Sam told me he thought it was a very productive night for the program in terms of recruiting. As mentioned earlier, he spent some time working on Taquon Graham and he confirmed that Omar Manning had come in earlier in the day (Manning left town before the camp started).
Ehlinger also spent a couple hours breaking down film with Sterlin Gilbert, which had to be pretty damn cool, and he said he feels like he'll fit in very well with UT's new offense.
Tanner Mordecai - Didn't get much from the standout 2018 QB. He said Texas hasn't talked to him yet about their 2018 QB recruiting plans. I expect Mordecai will be heavily involved when the staff does start moving on those guys.
Great quote from Mordecai, who was obviously happy with his showing: "I didn't miss a throw. I was the best one there."
Stanley Lambert - One of the surprises of the night was Lambert, a 2018 WR out of San Antonio Marshall. Lambert certainly looks the part physically (6-3, good frame) and he backed it up with his play on the field. He was good enough that he got an offer after the camp.
A little background on Lambert, who should see his stock shoot through the roof now that UT has shown interest ...
"I worked so hard… I’ve been working hard since last year, when I just started playing football. I’ve just been working and working and God’s blessed me. I started my seventh grade year, but I really started training last year," Lambert said. "I played basketball, I was on varsity my first year, and this year on varsity. We went three rounds deep in the playoffs, and this is my last year playing basketball. So I’m just sticking to football."
Anthony Cook - I love that the Rivals100 member out of Houston Lamar came in and actually worked out. He has an offer so there wasn't any need for him to go out and try to impress, but that didn't stop Cook.
"It felt good to come out here and compete. Texas, it feels like home. When I’m out here, it’s good.
Keondre Coburn - Coburn is an impressive looking prospect. It's no surprise that schools like TCU, OU and A&M have offered. He had a solid day, but was handled a few times but OL Chasen Hines, who picked up a UT offer after his performance.
"I just love it. You see this. Huge stadium, environment, the fans," Coburn said. "I haven't even been offered yet and the fans are showing me love. The facilities. The coaches are excellent, so I like that."
Brennan Eagles - The 2018 Alief Taylor WR hasn't had a lot of contact with the UT coaches but that could be about to change. WR coach Charlie Williams started following him on twitter and gave Eagles some praise for his performance at the camp.
He's a possible offer candidate. Of the offers he has, he told me USC, TCU and Houston are high on his list. Texas would be up there too if the Longhorns offer.
Eagles is camping at A&M on today and wants to visit USC before summer ends.
Cameron Jones - Consider me a fan of Jones, a 2018 DB out of Euless Trinity. Truthfully, there was so much going on at the camp that I really didn't get a chance to watch Jones take some reps, but I love the kid's proactive approach.
He actually took a Greyhound bus into town to attend the camp. After the camp was over and Jones finished doing interviews, at about 9:30 p.m., he was going to go explore the campus. He was then going to consider busing over the A&M today before heading back home.
"Of course it's a childhood favorite growing up and a big-time school," Jones said of UT. "The Big 12 is where I want to be because it's a passing conference and I'm a DB. Also I have teammates up here - Patrick Vahe and Chris Daniels - who told me how the campus is, what's real and what's not."
Bumper Pool - The Lucas Lovejoy LB had a bunch of good things to say about the camp. Pool, who has seen his stock elevated this summer with some big offers, is a bright kid who handles himself in interviews like a professional so it's hard to get a good read on what he's really feeling, but he said the Longhorns made an impression.
As for the possibility of a UT offer ...
"He said they're going to sit down as a staff, that's what they usually do. So I'll probably be in talks with them either tonight or tomorrow," Pool said.
A total of five offers have been extended as I'm writing this ...
2017 Nacodoches DB Josh Thompson
2018 South Grand Prairie DB Atanza Vongor
2018 Cibolo Steele DB Caden Sterns
2018 Marshall OL Chasen Hines
2018 San Antonio Marshall WR Stanley Lambert
Ondario Robinson - Said the camp experience was good overall. Texas is in his top four with Texas A&M, OU and Arizona State, but he said the Aggies hold the lead.
"They've been hitting my line for the last month seeing if I was going to come to camp. I got here, they showed me a lot of love - coach Strong, coach Haley," Robinson said. "Everybody was great. Texas is strongly up there ... I could see myself playing at Texas."
Robinson has a tentative plan to make a commitment at halftime of Hutto's season-opener but it doesn't sound like that date is set in stone. He's camping at Texas A&M today and plans to return to UT later this summer for another unofficial visit. He also plans to visit OU at some point this summer.
Baron Browning - This will surprise nobody, but Browning was getting a lot of attention from just about everyone during the camp. He spent a lot of time talking to Sam Ehlinger and he and Malik Jefferson were going to be hanging out quite a bit after the camp. That can't be a bad thing. At all.
Browning came in early before the camp and got some extra time with the coaches and a better view of the UT campus.
"I never saw the campus. I was getting a tour around campus. I went to see the dorms," Browning said. "I think it’s pretty cool you get to have your own dorm with your own restroom, and if you don’t want to move out, you can stay in the dorm for your three to four years. I think that’s pretty unique, you know? Stay on campus and save your money up. It was real nice."
Browning doesn't have any more visits planned for this summer.
Taquon Graham - There was some thought that the 2017 Temple DE might pull the trigger on a commitment, but that did not happen. Graham didn't work out, but spent the night bunched up with all the Longhorn commitments who were in attendance.
Graham said he'll take three of his official visits to UT, OU and USC before deciding. He mentioned Sam Ehlinger as the guy who was recruiting him the hardest.
"What I like so much about Texas. It's 45 minutes away from home," Graham said. "I like the coaches very well. Them being so close, my brother and my mom could see me. Even now my baby niece could come see my games. It's just so convenient for them to come see my games."
This one will be a surprise if it's not the Longhorns.
Alec Jackson - The Montgomery (Al.) Jefferson Davis DE already had a UT offer, so you have to like the fact that he made the road trip in and then worked out. He looked pretty damn good too.
"My biggest takeaway was just the defensive line, how they coach, getting a feel of it, really taking in the experience," Jackson said. "You only get to do this one time so I'm just taking it all in right now."
The 6-4, 238-pound Jackson said Texas is pretty high on his list but he has other places he wants to visit, so he's keeping an open mind. Other schools that are standing out are LSU, Alabama, Auburn, and Southern Cal.
Jackson said he has no other visits planned for this summer, and said it's possible he'll take an official visit to Texas in the fall.
Sam Ehlinger - Got a chance to talk to the UT QB commitment at the end of the night, and Sam told me he thought it was a very productive night for the program in terms of recruiting. As mentioned earlier, he spent some time working on Taquon Graham and he confirmed that Omar Manning had come in earlier in the day (Manning left town before the camp started).
Ehlinger also spent a couple hours breaking down film with Sterlin Gilbert, which had to be pretty damn cool, and he said he feels like he'll fit in very well with UT's new offense.
Tanner Mordecai - Didn't get much from the standout 2018 QB. He said Texas hasn't talked to him yet about their 2018 QB recruiting plans. I expect Mordecai will be heavily involved when the staff does start moving on those guys.
Great quote from Mordecai, who was obviously happy with his showing: "I didn't miss a throw. I was the best one there."
Stanley Lambert - One of the surprises of the night was Lambert, a 2018 WR out of San Antonio Marshall. Lambert certainly looks the part physically (6-3, good frame) and he backed it up with his play on the field. He was good enough that he got an offer after the camp.
A little background on Lambert, who should see his stock shoot through the roof now that UT has shown interest ...
"I worked so hard… I’ve been working hard since last year, when I just started playing football. I’ve just been working and working and God’s blessed me. I started my seventh grade year, but I really started training last year," Lambert said. "I played basketball, I was on varsity my first year, and this year on varsity. We went three rounds deep in the playoffs, and this is my last year playing basketball. So I’m just sticking to football."
Anthony Cook - I love that the Rivals100 member out of Houston Lamar came in and actually worked out. He has an offer so there wasn't any need for him to go out and try to impress, but that didn't stop Cook.
"It felt good to come out here and compete. Texas, it feels like home. When I’m out here, it’s good.
Keondre Coburn - Coburn is an impressive looking prospect. It's no surprise that schools like TCU, OU and A&M have offered. He had a solid day, but was handled a few times but OL Chasen Hines, who picked up a UT offer after his performance.
"I just love it. You see this. Huge stadium, environment, the fans," Coburn said. "I haven't even been offered yet and the fans are showing me love. The facilities. The coaches are excellent, so I like that."
Brennan Eagles - The 2018 Alief Taylor WR hasn't had a lot of contact with the UT coaches but that could be about to change. WR coach Charlie Williams started following him on twitter and gave Eagles some praise for his performance at the camp.
He's a possible offer candidate. Of the offers he has, he told me USC, TCU and Houston are high on his list. Texas would be up there too if the Longhorns offer.
Eagles is camping at A&M on today and wants to visit USC before summer ends.
Cameron Jones - Consider me a fan of Jones, a 2018 DB out of Euless Trinity. Truthfully, there was so much going on at the camp that I really didn't get a chance to watch Jones take some reps, but I love the kid's proactive approach.
He actually took a Greyhound bus into town to attend the camp. After the camp was over and Jones finished doing interviews, at about 9:30 p.m., he was going to go explore the campus. He was then going to consider busing over the A&M today before heading back home.
"Of course it's a childhood favorite growing up and a big-time school," Jones said of UT. "The Big 12 is where I want to be because it's a passing conference and I'm a DB. Also I have teammates up here - Patrick Vahe and Chris Daniels - who told me how the campus is, what's real and what's not."
Bumper Pool - The Lucas Lovejoy LB had a bunch of good things to say about the camp. Pool, who has seen his stock elevated this summer with some big offers, is a bright kid who handles himself in interviews like a professional so it's hard to get a good read on what he's really feeling, but he said the Longhorns made an impression.
As for the possibility of a UT offer ...
"He said they're going to sit down as a staff, that's what they usually do. So I'll probably be in talks with them either tonight or tomorrow," Pool said.
