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Recruiting Thread 2017

War Room:

Texas will host a handful of prospects this weekend for the West Virginia game, but we're still a few weeks away from recruiting really picking back up full steam. I did check around with a variety of sources this week for some quick updates on a number of the Longhorns' top recruiting targets.

--- K'Lavon Chaisson - The Houston North Shore defensive end doesn't say much publicly, so it's tough to get much of a read on him. But Texas did make up ground over the summer and there was some thought heading into the season that the Longhorns may have been the team to beat. With so much undecided around the Forty Acres, it has given a lot of recruits reason to take a step back and slow things down, but one person we spoke with this week said Chaisson doesn't seem to phased with the coaching situations at schools high on his list - namely Texas, Houston and LSU.

"He should be committing fairly soon. I think he'll do one of those (Bleacher Report) videos. From what I've gathered, he might be going with a surprise commitment to Texas. That won't surprise me at all. Things kind of dissolved with OU and they haven't moved forward with LSU. Right now, it's either Houston or Texas. Houston has picking things up a bit, but they haven't been working any harder than Texas."

My thoughts: Honestly, Chaisson is so quiet that it's hard to pinpoint what he might be thinking, and in formulating a guess you have to try to put bits and pieces of third-hand information together, which is always risky. That being said, I think the odds favor Texas at this point after a few conversations I've had over the last month.

--- Marvin Wilson - The five-star DT has taken official visits to Oklahoma and Florida State. He'll be at Ohio State in two weeks. Wilson has said he may use one for an in-state school, which would almost certainly be Texas or Texas A&M. My money for the in-state visit would still be on Texas pretty heavily. Wilson's season ended last week so it would have been huge for Texas if it could have got him on campus this weekend for an unofficial visit, but Wilson told me midweek that he's not hitting any games on Saturday.

Wilson's an intelligent young man who doesn't really tip his hand, and he's not expected to make a decision until near (or on) National Signing Day. One source I spoke with this week thinks when it's all said and done, Wilson is going to have a hard time going too far away from his family, which would be huge for Texas, if true.

"He's close to his family and there are things there that I think will have an impact. If things break in a certain way, his best option is to .. it sounds like he'll pick best opportunity to play for a successful team and his family have a chance to come see him, wherever that may meet in the middle. Ohio State, you can't overlook them but it doesn't sound like that situation will matter because of family. If Texas does a major sell job with him, I think Texas, LSU or Florida State may be as far as he gets. But the coaching situation at these schools could impact things all over."

My thoughts: Wilson has always been pretty direct that he wants to play for a program that's winning, or at the very least on the rise. If Texas can continue its surge to end the season, and prove to Wilson that the UT staff is in it for the long haul, the idea of playing close to home for coaches he really likes could certainly tip the scales in UT's favor. But as of right now, I think there's still some work that needs to be done.

--- Damion Miller - The UT commitment took an unofficial visit to Texas A&M a couple weeks ago, so his situation is obviously worth watching. He did talk to the UT coaches after that trip to College Station and told them there's nothing to worry about, but if he winds up taking other official visits, this one could get a little dicey. One person I spoke with this week doesn't think A&M will be a huge factor.

"What's crazy to me, how proactive A&M has been about recruiting receivers. I don't know if they get the sense a couple guys might not stick or what. They have three guys committed. Early on, A&M was kind of the next team in line for him. At the beginning of the season, he said the only way he'd flip to A&M was if they could guarantee him a starting position. A&M is so loaded with the guys they have and guys they have coming in, I don't think they'll press for him."

My thoughts: Miller told me this week that he won't be able to make it in for the West Virginia game, but as long as Texas keeps playing well offensively I don't think there's a lot to be worried about here. Obviously, and coaching changes could impact things but as things look right now, I expect him to stick with Texas.

--- Walker Little - Little took an official visit to Florida State last weekend and his comments after the trip were pretty flattering. This one still feels like it will eventually boil down to Texas and Stanford, both of which will get visits. Texas is tentatively scheduled to host Little in early December, while Stanford will get him on campus in January. One person I spoke with on Thursday isn't buying into the recent Florida State talk.

"The problem with those kids, you can send them to anywhere - Pennsylvania - then when people interview them after, you'll think they're the new favorite. Alabama is a potential one to watch there if their offer is fully on the table. Even if the visit went well with FSU, I'm still not ready to put them in the conversation with Stanford and Texas."

My thoughts: Little is looking for a strong academic institution, which is the biggest reason this one feels like it will come down to the UT and Stanford. If Texas finishes with a flourish on the field, I like the Longhorns' chances to catch up with presumed favorite Stanford and probably even overtake them. But Stanford getting the last official visit can't be ignored.

--- Anthony Hines - Hines has taken four of his five official visits, including a recent trip to Ohio State. Texas is not expected to get an official visit. At one point early on, this one looked like a UT-OU battle and the Longhorns looked pretty good during the summer. The tide has shifted though and A&M is now thought by most to be the frontrunner.

"A&M feels good about it. It's hard to predict with him," one person told me on Thursday.

"If Texas can get him on campus one more time before he commits (November 29), you can't totally rule UT out. But right now I think they're behind A&M by quite a bit," said another person.

My thoughts: The fact that he's not taking an official visit makes me think it won't be Texas. The guess here is A&M. I'm hearing Ohio State isn't much of a factor.

--- Chuck Filiaga - The Aledo product has taken a few official visits and has talked about taking an official to Texas, but that seems unlikely at this point. USC has been long-believed to be the favorite, but a recent visit to Michigan has the Wolverines squarely in the mix as well.

"He doesn't say much about anybody. He's taken a couple visits and I think he may go visit Arkansas. He's likely to take visits where he can't take them on his own, but his officials are not his top five. Just because he doesn't take official, Texas definitely is not out of it."

My thoughts: Filiaga does like Texas and the UT coaches, but I still think he ultimately comes back to Southern Cal when the dust settles.

--- Baron Browning - The Kennedale product will take his final two official visits to UCLA next weekend and Ohio State on November 25, which means Texas won't be getting a visit.

"He's set to commit right after his official to Ohio State. If he goes there and has the time of his life, he might make his mind up while he's there and make it official later," a source said this week. "I've always thought TCU was next in line for him. Texas, he went there to go check it out a bunch and everybody thinks it's his type of school. But I'm not sure if that's because there's a Texas bias with people because of the history and tradition."

My thoughts: If there's a player who I could see choosing Texas without taking an official visit, it's Browning. He's been on campus a bunch, has a great relationship with the staff and has developed friendships with some UT players, including Malik Jefferson. Ohio State getting the last visit makes me think the Buckeyes may be the team to beat, but I wouldn't write off Texas in this one just yet.

--- J.K. Dobbins - The Ohio State commitment has gone pretty quiet ever since the summer started, but there's still communication going on behind the scenes. I did hear through the grapevine this week that the Ohio State coaches are not worried about losing Dobbins' commitment to Texas or anyone else. Basically, he's saying everything Ohio State needs to hear behind the scenes to indicate he's locked into his OSU commitment. Texas could make up some ground if the Longhorns continue to win and some of the coaching chatter dies down (and selling Dobbins that D'Onta Foreman will be in the NFL would help), but it sounds like it's going to be tough to flip Dobbins as it stands right now. (Suchomel)

*******

Here's a position-by-position look at where things currently stand in recruiting.

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Quarterback

Current scholarship players:(3) Tyrone Swoopes (Sr.), Matthew Merrick (Rs-Fr.) and Shane Buechele (Fr.)

Current 2017 Needs:Two

Current 2017 commitments:Sam Ehlinger (Austin Westlake)

Current 2017 targets:None

Breakdown:With the loss of Swoopes this off-season and the departure of Kai Locksley in October, the Longhorns will go into next season with three scholarship quarterbacks on campus with the addition of Ehlinger. You can make a compelling case that Texas needs to sign two quarterbacks in this class in an effort to protect itself from any potential potholes, but all indications are that the coaches are content with Ehlinger and there's no second quarterback on the immediate radar. If there's a JUCO quarterback out there with any talent at all, it might make a lot of sense to add someone to the depth chart that only brings a two-year scholarship commitment.
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Running Back


Current scholarship players:(6) D'Onta Foreman (Jr.), Roderick Bernard (Jr.), Chris Warren (So.), Kirk Johnson (So.), Tristian Houston (Rs-Fr.) and Kyle Porter (Fr.)

Current 2017 Needs:One or two.

Current 2017 commitments:None

Current 2017 targets:J.K. Dobbins (La Grange) and Anthony Davis (Lakeland, Florida)

Breakdown:The urgent nature of needing to hit on a big-time talent in this class is probably tied to the decision that D'Onta Foreman will make following the season, but if you're Texas, you need to find a way to add some kind of difference-maker to go along with a group that hasn't shown a lot of healthy dynamic talent outside of Warren's limited sample size. The cupboard is far from empty, but losing Foreman out of this group changes the quality of it instantly. As it stands, Texas has offered four backs this year and none of them are at the doorstep of signing with the Longhorns. The hope has always been that Dobbins would flip to the Longhorns late, but you have to wonder if that's more than just a bit of a long-shot dream. Davis is a wildcard because few can keep up with his forever-changing list of favorites, but there has been some discussion that OU is the preferred Big 12 team in his recruitment. At some point, you'd have to think the staff will target someone that hasn't yet been offered.
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Wide receivers

Current scholarship players (13):Petey Warrick (Sr.), Armanti Foreman (Jr.), Lorenzo Joe (Jr.), Dorian Leonard (Jr.), Jake Oliver (Jr.), John Burt (So.), Garrett Gray (So.), Collin Johnson (Fr.), Devin Duvernay (Fr.), Donovan Duvernay (Fr.), Reggie Hemphill (Fr.), Davion Curtis (Fr.) and Lil'Jordan Humphrey (Fr.)

Current 2017 Needs:One or two

Current 2017 commitments:Damion Miller (John Tyler)

Current 2017 targets:Omar Manning (Lancaster/Committed to TCU), Jalen Raegor (Waxahachie/Committed to TCU) and Mannie Netherly (Crosby/Committed to LSU)

Breakdown:With a dozen scholarship receivers, including eight underclassmen, scheduled to return in 2017, there's just not a huge need in terms of numbers. Assuming the Longhorns sign Miller in February, there's little need to add numbers for the sake of numbers until the clutter clears. If the staff is able to flip a player like Manning or Reagor, it probably won't worry about the numbers very much, but in truth there's not a huge need at this position after adding six players in the last nine months.

Tight Ends

Current scholarship players (3):Caleb Bluiett (Sr.), Andrew Beck (Jr.) and Peyton Aucoin (Fr.)

Current 2017 Needs:One

Current 2017 commitments:None

Current 2017 targets:Major Tennison (Bullard/Committed to Alabama) and Jake Paulson (Louisville Christian Academy )

Breakdown:You'd love to sign a big-time prospect at this position, even if the tight end position as a whole isn't a critical component of the offense the team runs, but with Tennison headed to Alabama, there's not a lot of apples to pluck from the tree at this point. The Longhorns could decide to make an offer to a three-star prospect like Paulson, but don't be surprised if this becomes an area where depth is added from within by moving players from the defensive side of the ball that aren't making an impact on the depth chart.
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Offensive line


Current scholarship players (17):Kent Perkins (Sr.), Tristian Nicholson (Jr.), Brandon Hodges (Jr.), Connor Williams (So.), Alex Anderson (So.), Patrick Vahe (So.) Jake McMillon (So.), Elijah Rodriguez (So.), Terrell Cuney (So.), Garrett Thomas (Rs-Fr.), Buck Major (Rs-Fr.), Jean Delance (Fr.), Top Imade (Fr.), JP Urquidez (Fr.), Denzel Okafor (Fr.), Patrick Hudson (Fr.) and Zach Shackelford (Fr.)

Current 2017 Needs:Two or three

Current 2017 commitments:None

Current 2017 targets:Walker Little (Houston Episcopal), Adrian Ealy (Gonzales) and Chuck Filiaga (Aledo)

Breakdown:It couldn't be any clearer that Little is the top target on the board, but the Longhorns have their hands full with the likes of expected leader Stanford and Florida State. Filiaga is being recruited by a myriad of national powers and it remains to be seen where the Longhorns stand in his recruitment at this point, but it's not looking very promising. Texas will wait until the very last second if it has to for Little, but don't be surprised if some new offers start to arrive soon in preparation for not ending up with zero prospects in this class following the de-commitment of Xavier Newman and his subsequent commitment to Colorado.
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Defensive tackles


Current scholarship players (8):Paul Boyette (Sr.), Poona Ford (Jr.), Chris Nelson (So.), D'Andre Christmas (Fr.), Jordan Elliott (Fr.), Chris Daniels (Fr.), Gerald Wilbon (Fr.) and Marcel Southall (Fr.)

Current 2017 Needs:One or two

Current 2017 commitments:None

Current 2017 targets:Marvin Wilson (Houston Episcopal), Damion Daniels (Dallas Bishop Dunne) and Deiontae Watts (Plano East/Committed to Nebraska)

Breakdown:After the class the Longhorns signed a year ago, the urgency to sign impact players isn't quite what it was a year ago, but if the Longhorns miss on Wilson, the drop-down in terms of what comes next is pretty significant. If Texas can get some momentum going down the stretch, you'd have to keep your eye on a possible flip from Watts, if for no other reason than we know Charlie Strong can flip guys late.
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Defensive ends

Current scholarship players (6):Bryce Cottrell (Sr.), Quincy Vasser (Sr.), Naashon Hughes (Fr.), Charles Omenihu (So.), Malcolm Roach (Fr.) and Andrew Fitzgerald

Current 2017 Needs:Three

Current 2017 commitments:Taquan Graham (Temple) and LaGaryonn Carson (Texarkana Liberty Eylau)

Current 2017 targets:K'Lavon Chaisson (North Shore) and Ondario Robinson (Hutto/Committed to Texas A&M)

Breakdown:I believe two of the most underrated prospects in the state are the two kids that are committed at this position, but in saying that you have to confess that Carson is a bit of a wildcard as a prospect based on what has happened over the course of the last year. Assuming he's good, the Longhorns would love to land Chaisson and perhaps call it a day.
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Linebackers

Current scholarship players (9):Tim Cole (Sr.), Malik Jefferson (So.), Edwin Freeman (So.) Breckyn hager (So.), Anthony Wheeler (So.), Cam Townsend (Rs-Fr.), Jeff McCulloch (Fr.), Erick Fowler (Fr.) and Demarco Boyd (Fr.)

Current 2017 Needs:One or two

Current 2017 commitments:None

Current 2017 targets:Baron Browning (Kennedale), Anthony Hines (Plano East) and Levi Jones (Austin Westlake)

Breakdown:With eight underclassmen in the program, numbers aren't an issue at all, but with the talent available in this year's in-state class, landing the right two has always been the hope. It remains to be seen whether it will include the players listed as targets above. It's just hard to say what's going to happen with this group at this point.
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Defensive backs

Current scholarship players (14):Sheroid Evans (Sr.), Dylan Haines (Sr.), Kevin Vaccaro (Sr.), Antwuan Davis (Jr.), Jason Hall (Jr.), John Bonney (So.), Kris Boyd (So.), Davante Davis (So.), Holton Hill (So.), DeShon Elliott (So.), PJ Locke (So.), Brandon Jones (Fr.), Eric Cuffee (Fr.) and Chris Brown (Fr.)

Current 2017 Needs:Two

Current 2017 commitments:Kobe Boyce (Lake Dallas), Montrell Estelle (Hooks) and Josh Thompson (Nacogdoches)

Current 2017 targets:Kary Vincent (Port Arthur Memorial/Committed to LSU), Chevin Calloway (Dallas Bishop Dunne) and Dayven Coleman (West Mesquite)

Breakdown:From a needs standpoint, the Longhorns are more than fine with their current numbers, It comes down to taking potential difference-makers at this point and Vincent ranks as the top target to keep an eye on in that capacity. (GK)
Bad coaching, not signing another QB besides Ehlinger. They lose Swoopes and Lockley, Merrick will never play, so they essentially are depending on a 5'11" 170 kids to be their QB, embellished to 6'1" 190, which is still very small for a D1 QB. Ehlinger also injured both knees and thumb and has had surgery and still only signing one QB?
 
Bad coaching, not signing another QB besides Ehlinger. They lose Swoopes and Lockley, Merrick will never play, so they essentially are depending on a 5'11" 170 kids to be their QB, embellished to 6'1" 190, which is still very small for a D1 QB. Ehlinger also injured both knees and thumb and has had surgery and still only signing one QB?

Troll Much? Buechele, Heard, Merrick, and Ehlinger. How would taking another freshman QB help?
 
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War Room:

On Texas recruiting...

* Things remain extremely quiet on the recruiting front for the Longhorns, but that should start changing soon. In-home visits begin on November 27 (two days after the TCU game) so that's another reason Texas needs to act swiftly whether Strong is retained or change is made.

* Earlier this week, there was a rumor that some of the recruits who were on campus for the West Virginia game were told by the Texas coaches that contact over the next two weeks would be minimal as the staff focused on the final two games of the season. The speculation was that the staff wasn't going to invest a ton of time recruiting because of the uncertainty of the coaches' futures beyond the next couple weeks. Multiple recruits told us that rumor was not true and those conversations never happened. In fact, from what we were told, it was business as usual with recruits both before the game and after the game.

* The Longhorns will likely have some recruits on campus for the TCU game on November 25, but high school playoff schedules could impact the turnout. Texas' first big official visit weekend is scheduled for December 2, with guys like Walker Little and a number of the current commitments expected to be in that weekend.

* In case you missed the update earlier in the week, Texas commitment LaGaryonn Carson said he's still all-in with UT. There's been a lot of speculation that Carson could be on thin ice with his pledge do to academics and other issues, but he told Orangebloods this week that he's been in contact with the Texas coaches as recently as this week and his academics are now in good standing. Look for a mini-War Room on Carson and a few other UT targets on Friday.

* Texas has done away with the annual banquet that was so famous (sometimes infamous) under Mack Brown. The current staff has had senior dinners instead. We're hearing that there is a plan to have a senior dinner again this year ... again, business as usual.
 
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FWIW: Reading on other sites a big time recruit will pull the trigger to the good guys within the next 3-4 weeks.

Probably during or after UT's first big OV weekend, which is Dec 2.

IMO I'm feeling its Chaisson. But who knows.
 
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anybody know what happened to the longhorn/spurs talk forums ?

I have no clue what happened, but down it went. I will start posting here on this site and maybe when i get in touch with Tfloss he can come over this way. Give me a few weeks to figure out this forum and hopefully i can contribute to this community. Does anyone know how to upload tweets?
 
FWIW: Reading on other sites a big time recruit will pull the trigger to the good guys within the next 3-4 weeks.

Probably during or after UT's first big OV weekend, which is Dec 2.

IMO I'm feeling its Chaisson. But who knows.

From HornSports (Agree on Chaisson):

Not much going on in recruiting (as is the case most weeks), but our ears did perk up when we were tipped off to something this weekend that could be pretty big. We can’t get into a lot of detail at this time, and the timetable is still a few weeks off, but we were told that a highly ranked player in the state was making indications behind the scenes that he was ready to make a commitment to Texas. The information we were given says it could happen in the early part of December, but we will be watching this particular player closely in the coming weeks.
 
Texas is interested in a tight end (TFB)

Chase Rogers: St. Stanislaus (MS) TE Chase Rogers unoffcially visited Texas on Saturday, and he decommitted from Tennessee the following day. Rogers hasn’t been offered by Texas yet, and said he isn’t doing interviews after he decommitted so I haven’t been able to get in touch with him just yet but I did speak to some folks close to him.

I was told that the message from the Texas staff was basically that they really like Rogers game, but they are fully focused on these last two games right now and that an offer could come after. Rogers also has some ties to the state of Texas and the University that I wasn’t aware of. He was born in Dallas, has some other family members that live in the state, and his cousin is a Texas soccer commit. Rogers is more of a pass catching TE, something that Texas has been looking for and is a guy to keep an eye on as we head towards February. – (Andrew)

BIO: http://247sports.com/Player/Chase-Rogers-79776
 
FYI- Jake McMillon and Zach Shackelford will not play this weekend per HD. Expect Elijah Rodriguez to play at center. Also, IT reporting Malik Jefferson was never cleared and he's not traveling to Kansas.
 
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(24/7)

Holland
— I have continued to hear nothing but great things about where Texas stands with four-star Galena Park North defensive end K’Lavon Chaisson. Whether it’s Charlie Strong or Tom Herman at the helm, I’m told Chaisson wants to be at Texas. I have also heard that Chaisson will make his official visit to Texas on the first weekend of December. With all of this said, Houston and LSU are major threats.

— I spoke to a couple of people about five-star outside linebacker Baron Browning, and things have taken an interesting turn. Alabama is now trending strong for Browning, who is still slated to make his decision on Nov. 29. Texas still has a shot, but the Strong situation is creating dark cloud around this recruitment. Perhaps no recruit is closer to Strong than Browning. Texas should be worried here.

— Texarkana Liberty-Eylau defensive lineman Lagaryonn Carson is finishing up his classes at Premier High School in Texarkana. Carson was suspended a couple of times this season and missed some key time in the classroom. Right now, I would be surprised if he qualifies. Another commit to keep an eye on from an academic standpoint is four-star wide receiver Damion Miller. He should be fine, but he still has work to do.

— Cy Ranch wide receiver RJ Sneed committed to Ole Miss earlier this month, but I’m told the Texas coaching staff is still keeping in contact with him. Sneed is the nephew of former Texas wide receiver Tony Jeffery and has always had high interest in the Longhorns. He could be an offer candidate late in the process.
 
FWIW: Reading on other sites a big time recruit will pull the trigger to the good guys within the next 3-4 weeks.

Probably during or after UT's first big OV weekend, which is Dec 2.

IMO I'm feeling its Chaisson. But who knows.

Sure as heck won't be Browning, we didn't even make his top 6..

Following a closely-watched recruitment process, Texas is no longer in the running for five-star linebacker Baron Browning.
Browning, out of Kennedale, released a list of his top six schools Friday evening, and the Longhorns failed to make the cut after pursuing him for some time. Among the final schools he will choose from are Michigan, TCU, UCLA, Florida State, Ohio State and Alabama.

edit: my guess would be Bama at this point...
 
You know, Charlie isn't going to finish like he did last year. My guess is we end up with a class between 15 and 25.

At this point if Charlie can't recruit, he needs to go, outside of recruiting, he doesn't have much else going for him.
 
His whole recruiting pitch is not going to hold much water this year.
"We are going to turn it around" - year three is not going well.
"Come here and play early" - we will have a full team of returning starters back. Not much room for freshmen to play.
"I'll develope your son into a man and make sure he gets his education" - recruits don't think he will be here much longer. If he doesn't win next year he's gone.
I don't think we will see the same results as in the past. I hope I'm wrong.
 
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I might be wrong but wasn't Browning the one who was supposed to be high on academics? Some of his top six don't belong if that's the case.
 
I might be wrong but wasn't Browning the one who was supposed to be high on academics? Some of his top six don't belong if that's the case.

Not only that, Browning was recruiting for us at some point this season. AND-his mother was all in on Charlie.

This is a good indication how far Strong has fallen out of favor to date with several 5* star recruits. He will do semi ok if he stays.. I too, predict a 20-25 rating.

That Cal game was a swift kick in the ass.
 
We can't afford to keep him, he just isn't a good coach and even with a legit Heisman candidate runningback he has proven he is no Mack Brown. Time to move on.
 
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I'm not going to cut and paste the article. Please click on the tweet and it will take you directly there. Good recruiting info. Things are about to pick-up.

 
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