War Room:
Nothing new to report on the
Baylor prospects who are hoping to get out of their letters of intent. I did get a call from a 2016 Baylor signee this week who told me and he and the other players are hoping to get word on their situations next week.
Based on what I heard on Thursday, don’t expect Baylor to grant any releases, unless something changes at the last minute. The player I spoke with said he’s been told by people in the Baylor football offices that there are no plans for the players to be given full releases.
If that happens, the next step for the players, should they decide to pursue it, will be to appeal to the National Letter of Intent Appeals Committee. If that happens, this one could drag out for a while.
From my perspective, this almost has the feel of both sides waiting to see if the other will cave. The players, understandably, are standing their ground. Baylor, for reasons I can’t really explain, does not seem to be willing to make it easy for the players who want to explore other options.
The player I spoke with this week said he’s ready to fight if that’s what it comes to.
“We don’t want to get lawyers involved, but if we have to, we’ve got someone and we’re ready,” I was told. (Suchomel)
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Parrish Cobb: Just a quick note on 2016 Baylor signee, Parrish Cobb. I heard from an additional source who is close to the Cobb family that Texas is his likely destination if he is released from his NLI. I’m told OU is still in the discussion but it sounds like it’s trending Texas. – (
Super K)
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A bit more information on the situation of Texas 2016 signee
Erick Fowler.
As most of you all read on Wednesday night, Fowler, the five-star linebacker out of Manor, had good news to report.
"I got them back,” Fowler said of his SAT scores. “They called me with good news, saying I did a lot better," Fowler said. "I have to bring my official transcript up there tomorrow. They'll let me know for sure then, but they said I did really well on the test.”
We haven’t had a chance to follow up with Fowler to find out how his meeting went on Thursday, or if it happened, but I was told by a source on Thursday that
those in the Texas program do expect Fowler to gain eligibility.
Obviously, they need to see his transcript and get it approved by the NCAA Clearinghouse before anything is official, but if the numbers line up the way people are thinking, Fowler should get in. From what I was told, Fowler is doing some summer school work, but that’s more as a precaution. Basically, to play it as safe as they can, Fowler is taking at least one summer school course if it turns out it’s not necessary. (Suchomel)
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Some quick-hitter recruiting updates as I type from a Houston hotel room after a trip down for what I’ll describe an uneventful UT satellite camp ...
There was a time when IMG linebacker
Dylan Moses listed Texas out in front. He has backed off that stance. Not because he doesn’t still like Texas quite a bit, it’s just that Moses is trying to not put much focus into recruiting right now.
“Ever since then I haven't really been talking about it, thinking about it,” Moses said. “I've just been focusing on getting better, trying to build a better relationship with my team, focusing on the season.”
So what was it about Moses’ visit to Texas on April 2 that had him listing Texas as his leader, ahead of Alabama?
“It was just the conversation I had with the coaches. Before that time I didn't have actual conversations with the coaches because they were in the midst of their season,” Moses said. “So that was my first time actually seeing them in a while. That was the main thing.”
Moses’ thoughts on Charlie Strong …
“He's more of a good person. He has a really nice demeanor. He's all about business, but at the same time he's a player's coach. He'll be there for you, talk to you about anything and just be there for you.”
Moses said he doesn’t have a list of favorites at this time and doesn’t have any plans for summer visits. He’ll take his official visits in the fall and then decide before enrolling in January.
Will Texas an official visit?
“They probably will, but nothing is set right now,” Moses said. (Suchomel)
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Not much new to report for five-star offensive lineman
Walker Little, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. This one still looks like it will come down to Texas, Stanford and Ole Miss. A lot of the focus from fans has been on Ole Miss because Little’s brother and sister are students there, but everything we’re hearing is that Stanford is actually UT’s biggest threat.
This summer, Little said he hopes to make visits to Texas, A&M, Florida State, LSU, Michigan and Alabama. When I talked to him last weekend, he didn’t have any trips set up, but was going to start reaching out to coaches soon to organize his summer schedule.
At the end of summer, Little said he wants to start narrowing his list “publicly.” UT, Stanford and Ole Miss are pretty much locks to make the cut.
“They're all great programs and I'm excited about having the opportunity to go to any of those three schools,” Little said.
Thoughts on Texas …
“I definitely talked a lot to coach (Matt) Mattox and coach (Charlie) Strong. I talk to those guys a lot,” Little said. “They definitely want me out there. They see me as a valuable piece and want me to stay home. I definitely love Texas. I've grown up around it, so they'll be a top school for me throughout the process.
“There's a lot of state pride in Texas already. It would be an awesome opportunity to be able to play for your state and the people you love are going to be all around you there.”
A quick note of interest … a few college coaches texted Little on the day he arrived in Atlanta for the Five-Star Challenge, but Strong was the only head coach who reached out. (Suchomel)
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Angleton DB
B.J. Foster is the top-ranked player on the 2018 LSR 100. You’d think Foster would be celebrating and walking around with a chip on his shoulder after receiving that honor last week. Not quite. Foster was aware of the ranking, but he’s a pretty calm guy and he takes everything with a low-key approach. That includes recruiting, at least at this stage.
Foster has 26 offers. He wants to narrow his list during his season next fall. That’s about the extent of the details he was willing to give, although I do like where Texas sits in this one right now.
“They fit in pretty good. I'm pretty cool with them,” Foster said about Texas. “They'll be in my top 10 when it comes out.”
Quandre Diggs is UT’s biggest supporter in this one. According to Foster, Diggs always sings the praises of UT and the Texas coaches when the two talk.
The potential five-star prospect doesn’t have any summer plans as far as visits, but he said he’s considering a trip to see one and only one school.
“I might go visit Texas this summer. That might be it,” Foster said. (Suchomel)
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File away the name of
Adrian Ealy as a player to watch as the recruiting process wears on. Ealy has been on UT’s radar for a while, so he won’t be new for some of you die-hards, but he’s a guy with whom things could very well heat up in the coming months.
Early, a Rivals250 member, said the Longhorns are “really in the picture” and he’s “really considering them.”
Texas was one of the first programs to offer Ealy, with only LSU having offered before. That early impact has made an impact on Ealy.
The Longhorns have been in touch with Ealy and if the 6-7, 295-pounder makes it to campus for a visit, either this summer or on an official visit, things could really take off. Schools Ealy plans to visit this summer are Mississippi State (that one is on the schedule for next week), Auburn, Texas, Florida, Florida State, Oklahoma and Miami visits.
No official visits are set in stone, but Ealy did say, as of this week, that Texas will get one of his five trips.
“I've talked to the offensive coordinator. He said they still really want me, they're still considering me, so I'm going up there,” Ealy said. “As of right now, I'm going to take an official there.” (Suchomel)
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On the surface, it may seem like Texas has very little chance with linebacker
Tyler Taylor. He’s from Georgia, and every school in the Southeast is in hot pursuit. Most kids don’t leave the Southeast region of the country, and Taylor may not either, but we heard from multiple sources this week that Taylor is very much open to the idea of playing anywhere in the country.
In late May, Taylor took unofficial visits to Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Texas, and we heard from a couple people this week that the Sooners and Longhorns will draw serious consideration for the Sugar Hill (GA) Lanier standout. In fact, coming into those visits, there’s some thought that everyone was chasing OU, but Texas did enough to put itself squarely in the mix.
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We mentioned this on Thursday afternoon, but the Longhorns are expected to get an unofficial visit from Norcross (Ga.) defensive end
Robert Beal on Monday.
Beal said he has a top 10 in his head, but he’s not really putting it out there publicly because things change daily. The Longhorns are in the top half of that grouping.
“Texas is top five, I’ll give them that,” Beal said. “I loved it when I was there (fall of 2015). Even though it was hot, I still love it.”
Beal will visit Alabama, Florida, Notre Dame and Texas this summer. That will be it.
The Rivals100 member talks to most of the UT coaches through Twitter and text. He’s transferring to IMG this summer and was hoping to make a decision before he leaves for Florida in mid-July, but said he’ll now probably slow things down.
Alabama is believed to be the leader, but Texas is within striking distance and the upcoming visit could be huge for the Longhorns’ chances. (Suchomel)