When do you expect increased volume of decisions (good or bad)? Later this summer, or is it more likely to be when some OV’s can happen in the fall?
A bunch of guys have mentioned the possibility of making decisions this summer (Jaden Alexis, Brockermeyer brothers, etc), but a large number of those declarations were made under the assumption that players would be able to take official visits in the spring and the fall.
Texas went a long time between commitments last summer/fall to a run of eight commitments in the last two months, so things are definitely on the uptick. I expect you’ll see a couple more decisions this summer, but my guess is that most will wait to see if they can take some visits in the fall. Of course, even the idea of visits is very much up in the air so it’s tough to predict anything with much certainty.
Does the unrest on the team lead to a 7-5 and a collapse in recruiting?
I guess I’m not following that there’s unrest. If you’re referring to the situation with the Eyes of Texas and re-naming some buildings, I don’t think those issues have any carry over to the season, and they don’t seem to be impacting recruiting at all. In fact, one recruit I talked to this week said it’s only solidified his pledge and faith in Tom Herman.
What is the most positive recruiting news/belief you currently have with some high 4/5 stars?
Things are pretty quiet with most of the Horns’ highest-rated targets, guys like the Brockermeyers, Camar Wheaton and Bryce Foster. The good news, I guess, is that Texas is holding steady with those prospects and the Longhorns have recently reeled in three four-star commitments in Ishmael Ibraheem, JD Coffey and Jamier Johnson.
Who's cooking (Coffey tweet) and who does two smiley faces refer to (TexasHorn Recruiting tweet). Are they both referencing Cooks?
Mentioned it on the board on Monday, but Texas has piqued the interest of Kentucky wide receiver commitment Dekel Crowdus. A couple recruits, including Coffey, are working on him behind the scenes and Crowdus is listening.
What happened with Quay Davis? I was excited about that kid and it seemed like he was all Texas, but Texas wasn't all Quay Davis, am I right in that? Also if you had to put your money on any current committed player, to another team, flipping to Texas who would that be and why?
Quay Davis was a one-time SMU commitment, then a one-time Texas commitment. Then a one-time Texas “silent commitment” (for all intents and purposes), but he never seemed fully bought in. So yes, I think it’s fair to say Texas wasn’t all Quay and it was probably best for both parties that he looked elsewhere. Could Texas circle back on this one? I wouldn’t expect it, but with Quay nothing is out of the question.
If you’re looking at possible flip candidates, I’d start at the wide receiver position where guys like Dekel Crowdus and JoJo Earle are still in contact with the staff. Deuce Harmon has told me he’ll take visits, but that one feels like it might be tough. Notre Dame defensive line commitment David Abiara is another to watch, but he’s been tough to get a read on.
With some hesitancy around proceeding with a fall season coming up lately, is that changing the plans of recruits at all? Are any recruits talking about their high school seasons being altered? Do you know what JD Coffey's tweet was referencing? Is good news coming soon?
Can you give us insight of what happens after a recruit commits? Does the intensity of the recruiting continues or does a recruit go to the back burner?
I actually had a recruit mention to me the possibility of their fall season being cancelled or pushed to the spring for the first time on Monday. I don’t think most guys have really thought that far ahead, but it’s starting to feel more and more of a possibility so it’s at least beginning to cross players’ minds. As for whether or not the possibility of the season being delayed/cancelled is impacting recruits’ plans, I haven’t heard of anything too dramatic. If anything, we’ve already seen some guys move up their timelines with decisions that came a bit earlier than expected.
I mentioned Coffey’s tweet above. From what I’ve gathered, Texas has gained some momentum with Dekel Crowdus but I have not heard that a flip is on the immediate horizon.
On your last question, I think it’s probably fair to characterize that the “intensity” of the recruiting of committed players does drop a bit, but it’s more in a way that the coaches aren’t having to give hard sales pitches to committed guys. Instead, it’s more about the coaches staying in regular contact and just building relationships and gaining trust. It is a bit different for out-of-state commitments though … as one coach told me, you have to recruit those guys as if they’re uncommitted all the way until national signing day.
If we miss on Camar Wheaton and LJ Johnson, is the staff content to take Brooks as the only RB?
Any word on any more OL offers going out? Seems like a very precarious situation if we miss on our top targets.
Thanks!
I’m sure the coaches will continue to explore other options, but no new names at the running back position have surfaced in recent months. If Texas misses on Wheaton and LJ Johnson, you might very well see a one-back class, but with a lot of talent in the state for 2022 that wouldn’t be a horrible situation.
Offensive line recruiting is a bit tricky right now. Texas can’t afford to lessen its focus on the top targets on the UT board, but at the same time it would probably be wise for Herb Hand and staff to put out some feelers to some back-up options just in case. A quick check of Herb Hand’s recent Twitter follows shows he’s started following a handful of 2021 prospects – guys like Albert Reese, Jasper Lott, Remington Strickland and Jackson Anderson – but I haven’t heard of any talks of new offers just yet.
Prediction on the 2021 OL class?
1) Best case where we have a 40% shot against the field.
2) How you think it shakes out in the end.
1. Best case scenario where I have it at 40 percent or better, it would be Hayden Conner, Tommy Brockermeyer, James Brockermeyer, Bryce Foster and Savion Byrd. But let’s be clear … that’s awfully ambitious and not likely to come together.
2. How will it all shake out in the end? I honestly just don’t know. Texas is within striking distance of all the guys I mentioned in my first response, but I’m just not sure how the o-line class will play out. It’s the storyline I’m most interested in following down the stretch and the one that’s toughest to predict.
Where do we stand with Ketron Jackson?
How many more defensive backs do we take in this class? Are we done if we get Mukuba? And do you think we get him?
When I talked to Jackson a few weeks ago, he was still focused on seven schools and said he didn’t have any immediate plans to trim his list more. Texas is a school he’s followed ever since he was a kid, so that helps, but this one is a recruitment where having visits shut down has probably hindered UT’s chances. Arkansas had the last chance to make an impression and they’re at or near the top of his list. The best scenario for Texas is that Jackson waits things out, which he’s said he’s going to do, so UT can get him on campus.
If you would have asked me the DB question two weeks ago, I would have said Texas would have probably been done had they landed Andrew Mukuba to give the Longhorns four pure-DB commitments (five if you include Billy Bowman). Now, with Anthony Cook leaving the program, you could see Texas take another safety and one more corner in this class. Recent offer told me last week that he was given indication that UT would take three corners in this class. As for Mukuba, I’ve gone against the grain a bit on him and predicted Texas would get him and I’m sticking to that one for now. I think landing Coffey and Ibraheem could have been enough to tip that one in UT’s favor, if Texas can get them all on campus for a visit.
Should Texas be concerned with OL recruiting and...with OU continuing to stockpile top QB's?
Yes, and definitely yes. Oklahoma’s been an offensive juggernaut under Lincoln Riley with guys who haven’t been ranked as highly as Spencer Rattler or Caleb Williams, who were both ranked as the top QB prospect in the country. Texas really needs to knock OU off the Sooners’ perch atop the Big 12 this year to slow down some of OU’s momentum, because beating the Sooners probably isn’t going to get any easier anytime soon.
Regarding OL, where do we stand with Eric Cade out of Denton I believe? Are we pursuing him at all? Does he have any interest in us?
Erick Cade, out of Denton Braswell, told me recently he’s been in touch with Herb Hand. So Texas is still pursuing him, although other guys are bigger priorities. He told me does have an interest in Texas, but in talking to him I got the impression the Longhorns were behind a few others.
Any news on the twins with the virus we now have? It could be they might choose to stay close to home. It also could be that Texas bloodline might help. Anyway, just asking. I know you get tired of us asking but it never hurts to ask.
No harm in asking about the Brockermeyers since they’re arguably the biggest key to UT’s recruiting puzzle in this class.
I actually talked to James Brockermeyer on Monday and things are pretty much in a holding pattern. He (and Tommy) are still in close contact with Texas and the other schools on their list, but it sounds like they’re just continuing to sort through their options. There’s no firm timetable in place for a decision and all schools on their list (Texas, Alabama, LSU and Auburn) are still under consideration. I’ll have a full report from James later in the week.
What is the result in recruiting if they say no games this fall - games will be in the spring?
Good question. If games are pushed back to the spring, that likely changes the recruiting calendar and pushes back signing day to allow prospects to take visits next spring. That would make sense, but that’s a question even the NCAA probably doesn’t have an answer for right now.
Jalen Milroe or Caleb Williams? Any update on Savion Byrd? How did the Williams commit impact our chances with Quinn Ewers?
Man, I hate that first question because I’m a huge Jalen Milroe fan and love his competitiveness, but Caleb Williams is the top QB prospect in the country for a reason and you wouldn’t get an argument from me if you said he was the top overall prospect in the 2021 class. That guy’s film is scary good.
Nothing new to report on Savion Byrd for me. I’ve tried reaching out to him recently but haven’t had much success. I’ll continue to work on that. The last time I talked to him – about six weeks ago – he said no decision before he takes visits. Texas, LSU, Georgia and Oklahoma were schools he mentioned would get visits. And SMU is still a major factor, or course.
I need to check in with Quinn Ewers and will try to make that a priority for this week or next. In talking to someone close to him before Williams committed to OU, it didn’t sound like a Williams commitment would be a deal-breaker for the Sooners at all, but that person was also reasonable enough to say a commitment by Williams would be something Ewers would have to consider. Lincoln Riley has done a good job in that one but that QB depth chart is awfully full, and it could open the door for Mike Yurcich and Tom Herman.
Is there a part of the recruiting evaluation that we are missing? The heart of a champion. When you evaluate a player what is the most important factor and so on? Which is more important recruiting or coaching?
I’m combining questions from a couple different posters since they’re pretty similar. I think this staff does a good job of mental evaluations and recruiting the types of players that fit what they want in the locker room. I do think that was an issue with some of the players the previous staff recruited, and it’s taken Tom Herman and his staff some time to get everyone on the same page.
As for the most important factor, it really comes down to overall talent and in a nutshell, good quarterback play. You simply can’t be a dominant program at the collegiate level without elite QB play, and even the best coaches can’t overcome a lack of talent. The discrepancy in talent level from some rosters compared to others are what separates the Alabamas and LSUs (last year) from the rest of the world. Nick Saban isn’t Nick Saban if his roster isn’t stacked with five-star talent across the board.
When a kid enters the portal, is that the equivalent of quitting the team? Does he still have football privileges? Access to facilities and team mates? Does his scholly expire when he enters the portal or the end of current semester or when? In the past, players have returned to the team. Is that decided on a case-by-case basis or are there a set of guidelines applicable to all players equally?
I think you nailed it that it’s a case by case basis. Mostly it depends on whether or not the staff wants the player back. If the coaches want/need him to return, he pretty much gets recruited all over again and I can only assume he still has football privileges, although I’m not positive on that. On the flipside, if it’s a player who is buried on the depth chart, things are handled much differently and the coaches probably take a hands off approach or maybe even help him find a new landing spot.
How many of our 3 stars do you anticipate moving to 4 star status and who?
Good question. I think Jordon Thomas and Morice Blackwell get their eventually, and I do feel a strong case can be made for Jonathon Brooks as well, although the opportunities to evaluate him have been limited.
Who is the most underrated recruit in the state?
By the way you have Deuce Harmon rated to low. He is probably the best return guy in the state and in my opinion the best pure cover guy in the state. I hate we lost out on this kid as he is going to be a really good one.
As mentioned in the previous answer, I think a case can certainly be made for Morice Blackwell as being the most underrated guy in the state. I love what he flashes on film, so to have him in the bottom half of the state top 100 seems way off to me. Andrew Mukuba, Terrence Cooks, Jaydon Williams and Ikechukwu Iwunnah are other guys who I feel like need a good-sized bump.
Which position(s) that our recruiting is lackluster in so far - WR, OL, RB - are we most likely to end up in great shape?
Running back would really only take one commitment from a guy like Camar Wheaton or LJ Johnson to flip the narrative there, so that’s certainly possible. I expect wide receiver to come together eventually since there are a number of in-state and out-of-state guys who are high on Texas. Offensive line, to me, is the most worrisome group.
How would you compare our offensive recruiting to defensive recruiting so far for 2021?
The eventual landing spot of Billy Bowman could have a lot to say about that, but there’s no question that offensive recruiting is lagging behind defensive recruiting, even though Jalen Milroe is one hell of an equalizer. Seven out of the Longhorns’ last 10 commitments have been on defense and only two from offense (one from special teams). Those two offensive commitments were from a three-star WR and a three-star RB. Combine the lull of offensive commitments with the fact that Texas could miss on a number of top OL targets in a crazy-deep OL talent pool and that side of the ball is definitely behind the defensive recruiting.
I know winning cures everything and so does the NFL draft but with Cosmi and Kerstetter getting a lot of attention as potential high draft choices does that help with the Brocks?
As I mentioned earlier, I talked to James Brockermeyer on Monday and that topic came up. Schools like Alabama, LSU and Auburn can sell recent development and draft picks. For Texas, the development of Cosmi and to a lesser extent, Kerstetter, is one of the program’s biggest selling points in terms of development (along with obvious things like proximity and family connections). Will it be enough to get Texas over the hump? Not sure yet.
