1. OL Cam Williams has goals in place before he gets to Austin
Texas OL signee Cameron Williams knows he has work to do before he enrolls at Texas in the summer, but he’s determined to meet some goals he’s set in his mind. First and foremost, Williams wants to finish out his year at Duncanville strong academically. In terms of football preparation, Williams is working to tune up his body and he’s already seen results.
After playing his senior season for Duncanville at about 370 pounds, Williams says he’s now weighing in at 360. His goal, by the time he reports, is to get down to 340 pounds.
“It’s really just working out every day, just staying active,” Williams said.
The December UT signee is doing workouts that the Texas strength and conditioning staff sent him, he’s doing some work on his own and with coaches at Duncanville and he’s also throwing the shot for Duncanville’s track team.
Looking back at his recruitment, Williams says he wouldn’t change a thing. He was committed to Oregon for a little more than five months before opening things up on December 8. Four days later, he committed to Texas and then signed a few days later.
“I feel 100 percent about it. I’m just ready to get down there right now,” Williams said.
When former Oregon coach Mario Cristobal left for Miami, it threw a pretty big wrench into Williams’ plans but he moved on quickly to find a home in Austin. He had actually taken an official visit to Miami under when Manny Diaz was running the program and considered giving Miami a second visit after Cristobal was hired. In the end though, he said he felt more comfortable switching his pledge to Texas. The UT staff, headlined by Kyle Flood and Steve Sarkisian, stayed in touch with Williams every day after his Oregon commitment. They stressed to him about the Longhorns’ need for offensive linemen and their efforts paid off when things went south with Williams and Oregon.
“They were really with me the whole time I was committed to Oregon. They just kept trying their hardest, staying with me until the end,” Williams said. “I was 100 percent with Oregon until coach Cristobal and Mirabel left. I was thinking that initially (he’d look at Miami) but I just talked to my mom. She said to just go with my heart and my heart was with Texas.”
Williams will head to Austin as part of a seven-man offensive line class for the Longhorns. While some prospects might turn away from that much competition at their position, Williams said he looks forward to the challenge.
“It’s going to be competition now that we have a lot of O-linemen. I feel like I just have to compete and I’ll be straight, might even have a starting job,” Williams said. “To me (coming in with a large offensive line class) is really good because the o-line … we have coming in, it’s very talented. I feel like we can come in and win a national championship.”
2. Ansel Nedore was thrilled to pick up a Texas offer last month
Round rock defensive tackle Ansel Nedore was one of a handful of prospects who attended UT’s junior day in January to pick up an offer. The 6-3, 265-pound Nedore knew he was on the Texas staff’s radar, but he didn’t go into the visit expecting an offer. When it came through, Nedore said he was practically speechless. In fact, he still is.
“It’s an absolute blessing, getting it from my hometown school. When we sat down, had that conversation, I don’t know how to describe it. It just felt good,” Nedore said.
The Texas staff had been by Round Rock to check on Nedore this spring and when they met in Austin, defensive line coach Bo Davis told Nedore he likes his “twitchiness.” With the UT offer in hand, the Longhorns are one of the schools that sit high on Nedore’s list.
“Any standouts, I’m not sure. Texas Tech, Texas, Baylor - they’ve all been hitting me up frequently so I’d say those three stand out,” Nedore said.
After the dead period lifts, Nedore said he plans to get up to Nebraska sometime in March. He’d like to check out as many of the seven schools that have offered him as possible.
“I’m really just trying to see all my options, see what’s right for me and my family,” Nedore said. “Then I’ll make my decision.”
Along with Davis, Nedore said he’s spent some time talking to new UT assistant Tashard Choice. It’s those connections with the UT staff that have the Longhorns in a strong position.
“What I like about Texas is the coaching staff. They’re great people up there,” Nedore said. “I felt like I clicked with almost all of them.”
3. New DT offer Samu Taumanupepe has Texas in his top three
Texas put an offer on the table for 2023 defensive tackle Samu Taumanupepe on Friday, and that offer made a strong impression. Taumanupepe said the offer immediately puts Texas in his top three, along with Oregon and Texas A&M.
The Humble Atascocita standout is impossible to miss on the field, at one time tipping the scales at about 390 pounds. He’s cut his weight down to 380 and plans to lower that number over the course of the next six months.
“I went to a camp (at Texas) at the beginning of summer. I was out of shape coming off an injury,” Taumanupepe said. “I’m 380 now. My goal for the off-season is to get to 350. Once I get to 350, then it’s better for my body and I can be more explosive.”
Taumanupepe did visit Oregon and A&M in January and it sounds like the Ducks, who have offered, might have the early inside track.
“With Oregon, it’s everything really,” Taumanupepe said. “I just love the environment.”
With Texas, Taumanupepe said it’s the presence of D-line coach Davis, and what he saw from Davis at last summer’s camp, that has the Longhorns in contention.
“It’s their coaches. Coach Davis to be exact. He’s a good defensive line coach,” Taumanupepe said.
Taumanupepe said he’s taking his time with the recruiting process and doesn’t anticipate making a decision until late next year.
“Probably at the end of the season. I’m just trying to see what my best options are,” Taumanupepe said.
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TWO QUESTIONS
1. What are UT’s chances with RB Cameron Cook?
Stony Point running back Cameron Cook was another who picked up a UT offer at the Texas junior day in January, and this is another recruitment we’ll be watching closely. Not only does Cook live a short drive from the Forty Acres, he has some family connections to the University of Texas.
“It was great. I never thought Texas would offer me, never seen anybody from my area go to Texas at running back. Obviously Texas is one of my top schools because I’m in the environment a lot,” Cook said. “My mom also went to Texas so she was really happy.”
Cook, who currently holds 13 scholarship offers, says he’s going to wait until the late summer to release a list of favorites. When he does make an announcement, expect Texas to make the cut.
“Texas is one of my top schools on my list,’ Cook said. “Coach Choice, he’s just a great person, has a great personality. I can tell that he’s a great person to be around.”
After the dead period lifts, Cook said he plans to get out to Penn State and Ole Miss for unofficial visits. Another stop by the Forty Acres wouldn’t be a surprise for the Rivals250 member.
2. What does an ideal class for Texas look like in 2023?
According to the Rivals.com database, the Longhorns have put out nearly 150 scholarship offers for the 2023 class as of this week. Obviously, some of those aren’t currently “committable” offers, and for some of those players, Texas won’t be much of a factor over the course of their recruitment.
Let’s take a stab at what a perfect class might look like for Texas if we’re focusing on only the realistic candidates on UT’s radar, and if we’re projecting a 26-man class (which makes for some tough cuts).
QB Arch Manning – New Orleans Isadore Newman School
RB Rueben Owens II – El Campo
RB Cameron Cook – Round Rock Stony Point
WR Jalen Hale – Longview
WR Johntay Cook II – DeSoto
WR Braylon James – Del Valle
WR Jaquaize Pettaway – Langham Creek
WR/TE Jaden Greathouse – Westlake
TE Lafayette Kaiuway – Arlington Sam Houston
TE Will Randle – New Orleans Isadore Newman School
OL Jaydon Chatman – Harker Heights
OL Isaiah Robinson – Arlington Lamar
OL Connor Stroh – Frisco Wakeland
OL Harris Sewell – Odessa Permian
DT Ansel Nedore – Round Rock
DE David Hicks Jr. – Allen
DE Jayden Wayne – Tacoma (WA) Lincoln
DE Jordan Renaud – Tyler Legacy
LB Anthony Hill – Denton Ryan
LB Derion Gullette – Marlin
LB Carson Dean – Carrollton Hebron
DB Javien Toviano – Arlington Martin
DB Bravion Rogers – La Grange
DB Malik Muhammad – South Oak Cliff
DB Jamel Johnson - Arlington Seguin
ATH Dalton Brooks - Shiner
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ONE PREDICTION – Rams over the Bengals in the Super Bowl
I’m expecting a close, competitive game on Sunday but the guess here is that the Rams are able to pressure Joe Burrow enough to get the job done. Matt Stafford and company come away with a 27-24 victory.
Keep in mind that I was 0-2 on my conference championship picks, so you can pretty safely take your paycheck and bet it on the Bengals.
--- Interested in sponsoring the 3-2-1 and our Recruiting Q&A, email jason@orangebloods.com.
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