It's one of the quieter weeks on the Forty Acres in terms of action in or around the football program. The players are on spring break and a good number of the UT coaches are scattered as well, catching their breath after the first week of spring football. Similarly, there wasn't a ton of recruiting news this week, but we were able to dig up a couple team and recruiting notes of interest ...
Texas tight end commitment
Major Tennison took an unofficial visit to Alabama last weekend. As one might expect, the visit went well and Tennison came away impressed, but the good news for the Longhorns is that he remains committed to Texas.
Key quote:"Obviously, it was a great experience to get to sit down with the coaches. I really enjoyed it, loved the campus," Tennison said. "I haven't decommitted or anything. I'm not really thinking about that. I still am committed. I always have loved the Longhorns. That's the best I can say it right there."
Details on the visit:Tennison said he got to sit down with a few of the Alabama coaches, including Nick Saban and described it as "overall a good experience." He also got to see an Alabama spring practice.
His thoughts on the meeting with Saban ...
"He's super intense, super to the point. It was awesome to get to talk to him. He's just a very disciplined man, all about business. I think in private, he's more lighthearted but he is intense," Tennison said.
Up next:Tennison will be at Michigan's spring game on April 1 and then will hit the Texas spring game on April 16. Those are the only two visits he has scheduled.
Contact with Texas:Tennison said he communicated with UT tight ends coach Jeff Traylor following the visit. He told Traylor via direct message on twitter that he enjoyed the visit but is still solid with Texas.
Confirming my thoughts:I mentioned in the War Room last week that view on this one is as follows:
- Tennison really likes Texas, thus the early commitment.
- Tennison committed early and probably didn't realize his stock was going to blow up the way it has.
- With Texas going through a change in offensive philosophy, he has concerns about the "unknowns" of the UT offense and how the tight end will be used.
- If Texas shows him this fall that the tight end will be a big part of the game plan, he'll likely stick. If not, it's going to make it tough for the Longhorns to hold on to his commitment.
I ran my thoughts by Tennison to see how close I was ...
"I'd say that's pretty darn accurate," Tennison said. (Suchomel)
******
Texas offered Houston Lamar safety
Grant Delpit earlier this spring. Delpit has been pretty quiet since receiving the UT offer, but I did exchange a couple direct messages on twitter with the four-star prospect.
Delpit has seen interest from schools really pick up this spring and he's now holding more than 20 offers. He has some heavy-hitters chasing him, but Delpit does sound like he has an interest in Texas.
"I've always wanted the UT offer. I love the town, the coaches, but they're up in my list," Delpit said.
The 6-1, 180-pounder said he's going to try to get to Austin for a spring practice at some point over the next few weeks.
"I like how they started so many freshman last year and how they play a lot or DBs," Delpit said.
For those wondering, Delpit transferred to Lamar last year so he said he really doesn't talk to former Houston Lamar products and current Longhorns John Bonney and Holton Hill about recruiting. (Suchomel)
******
I'll be making my way up I-35 tomorrow to get ready for Saturday's Rivals Camp Series Dallas event and Sunday's Dallas QB Challenge.
There should be a lot of talent on hand, so be on the lookout throughout the weekend and into next week for a bunch of recruiting updates.
Among the players on UT's radar who are expected to attend ...
DB
Robert Barnes - Southlake Carroll (OU commit, UT offer)
RB
Eno Benjamin - Wylie East
DB
Kobe Boyce - Lake Dallas
DE
Earnest Brown - Denton Ryan (UT offer)
LB
Baron Browning - Kennedale (UT offer)
WR
Camron Buckley - Cedar Hill (UT offer)
RB
Rajan Cunningham - Bishop Dunne
DT
Damion Daniels - Bishop Dunne (UT offer)
OL
Austin Deculus - Cy Fair
DB
Grant Delpit - Houston Lamar (UT offer)
RB
J.K. Dobbins - La Grange (Ohio State commit, UT offer)
DB
Darrion Green - Dallas Woodrow Wilson
LB
Anthony Hines - Plano East (UT offer)
OL
Matthew Huhn - San Antonio John Jay
OL
Edward Ingram - DeSoto (UT offer)
OL
Brendan Jaimes - Lake Travis
WR
CeeDee Lamb - Richmond Foster (OU commit)
OL
Will Lawrence - Memphis Harding Academy
OL
Walker Little - Houston Episcopal (UT offer)
WR
Omar Manning - Lancaster (UT offer)
QB
Jalen Mayden - Sacshe
WR
Manny Netherly - Crosby (A&M commit, UT offer)
WR
K.D. Nixon - DeSoto
DB
Jeffrey Okudah - South Grand Prairie (UT offer)
DE
Troy Porche - Houston Lamar
WR
Jalen Preston - Manvel (UT offer)
WR
Charleston Rambo - Cedar Hil
WR
Jalan Reagor - Waxahachie
OL
Grayson Reed - Cypress Creek (UT offer)
DE
Ondario Robinson - Hutto
OL
Tyrese Robinson - McKinney Boyd (OU commit, UT offer)
LB
Mohamed Sanogo - Plano West
WR
Tyrell Shavers - Lewisville
DT
Deiontae Watts - Plano East (UT offer)
DT
Marvin Wilson - Houston Episcopal (UT offer)
******
Last weekend was the Dallas Regional camp for The Opening (Nike Camp). We were able to catch up with a coach who was in attendance to get his thoughts on some of the players who showed up ...
"Wide receiver
Tyrell Shavers was the big winner of the day. He clocked an impressive sub-4.4 40 and went under 4.1 in the shuttle. Considering he is all of 6-foot-6 and he showed some great foot quickness, speed, and change of direction, he put himself squarely among the elite receivers from the start. He was on the radar before camp, but it is safe to say the attention is sure to increase soon.
"
Xavier Newman had the best day out of a strong DeSoto OL group which included
Edward Ingram and
Hyrin White. Ingram got beat a few times with quick inside moves and Hyrin White lost his technique and got too high at times, but Newman was able to handle the speed and strength of opponents while working at tackle throughout one-on-one drills.
"
Brey Walker (OU commit) was the most impressive OL prospect. He has a very large frame with little bad weight on it. He still has so much room to grow which is incredibly scary. His feet are not quick but he is very smooth and keeps a great base in pass protection. He covers so much ground at once that it is a bit deceiving but he was never caught off balance whether his opponent used speed or strength or a combination of both.
"The linebacker group was flat out ridiculous.
Anthony Hines, Levi Draper and Baron Browning were the big headliners, and all three lived up to their billing. Of the group, Browning seemed to have the better day. He used a strong combination of speed and strength and quickly conquered opponent after opponent during RB/LB drills. Hines and Draper were also very impressive during the drills and showed great range throughout the day. All have a lot of length and are comfortable working in space. Linebacker MVP went to Mohamed Sanogo. He has a rock solid build and a powerful base. He has the look of a true inside linebacker and he had a strong performance from beginning to end.
"Oklahoma quarterback commit
Chris Robison took home QB MVP honors, and defensive backs
Robert Barnes, Tre Brown and Justin Broiles (all OU commits) all showed they can play with anyone. Throw in Levi Draper and the Sooner defense is primed for a stout future. Offensive lineman Tyrese Robinson checked in at 6-4, 310 with some bad weight, but he was also light on his feet. He worked at offensive tackle during one-on-one drills and got his long arms in the chest of opponent after opponent.
"Quarterbacks
Chris Robison and Shawn Robinson took the headlines, but the guy who stole the day was
Cam Roane. The Colleyville Heritage quarterback is a known prospect around the state of Texas, but offers have been slow to arrive. He more than held his own. I fully expect to see him be the next QB college coaches jump on and he will be a steal.
"Denton Ryan defensive end
Earnest Brown has a great first step, a ton of length and a huge frame. His offer list has taken off because of those three things. On Sunday, he flashed those abilities, but he was not able to counter when he was not able to blow by his opponent. He has some stiffness to him but he also has some room to grow.
OL
Jack Anderson is polished and nasty and he does not have a lot of bad weight on his frame. He didn’t take many reps but he took care of business when he did.
Kennedale, Texas defensive tackle
Gjemar Daniels is going to get knocked because of his height but he was quick, explosive, and strong throughout drills and proved to be too much for interior offensive linemen. (Suchomel)