THREE THINGS WE LEARNED
1. Texas seems to have managed most of the recruiting concerns that have come with the coaching changes
I mentioned in this column last week that I thought the overall recruiting impact of the Texas assistant coaching changes would be minimal, but there may be some questions that that remaining staff would have to answer. A week later, the waters seem to have calmed and it would appear that most guys are not only solid with their pledges, they’re ready sign next week.
Two of the program’s most important commitments, quarterbacks Hudson Card and Ja'Quinden Jackson, have never given any indication that they’re having any concerns. Card will enroll in January and has been one of UT’s most solid pledges all along. Jackson has said repeatedly that he’s solid, he’s been pro-Texas on social media and he put on a show last week in front of Tom Herman, hitting on all 8 of his pass attempts for 183 yards and accounting for 5 touchdowns in a win over Southlake Carroll.
Five-star running back Bijan Robinson is expected to sign next week and all looks good there, according to Bijan himself and his coaches at Tucson Salpointe. Should be another huge in for Texas. If there’s one concern that rings the loudest, it’s Ty Jordan, who remains radio silent after his recent Utah visit. This feels like one we may have to wait out until the last minute.
Receivers DaJon Harrison, Troy Omeire and Quentin Johnston appear to have all settled in, although schools like TCU are still pushing for Johnston. The Horned Frogs aren’t going to give up on that one but one source I communicated with on Monday night said things have quieted down on that front. Athlete Jaden Hullaby is another who has never wavered.
All four of the Longhorns’ offensive line commitments (Logan Parr, Jake Majors, Jaylen Garth, Andrej Karic) are locked in … more on some of those guys in a bit.
Defensively, the Longhorns have taken a couple hits this fall with decommitments from defensive linemen Princely Umanmielen and Van Fillinger, but arguably this biggest pledge on that side of the ball, Vernon Broughton, is completely locked in. In talking to people close to Broughton, don’t think anything could pry him away at this point.
Linebacker Prince Dorbah is ready to sign next week and the staff is looking for others to potentially add to the list, including JaQwondis Burns, who will sign next week.
There was chatter shortly after the coaching changes were announced that cornerback Kitan Crawford could be worth watching as he might explore other options. Texas did an in-home visit with the John Tyler standout last week and he claims he’s now locked in, although I do expect other schools to continue to reach out there. Texas has done a good job of selling what it has to offer (including him being the only corner in the class), but if something changes with Jason Washington’s status in the next week or so (unlikely) this one could still need some attention. Safeties Xavion Alford and Jerrin Thompson are locked in and ready to enroll next month.
2. Jake Majors just completed a successful senior year and is ready to start his UT career
Texas offensive line commitment Jake Majors and his Prosper teammates finished up a highly-successful 2019 season last week, falling to Rockwall in the regional final. It was a bit of a surprise season for Prosper, which exceeded most expectations in winning 11 games this year.
“In the beginning, not many people believed in us. We kind of had that chip on our shoulder all year,” Majors said. “We had a slogan, ‘Young swag versus the world.’ People didn’t believe in us because we were so young. We believed in each other, bought in and had a great run.”
The 6-4, 284-pound Majors has always been a devastating run blocker. This year, he worked on fine-tuning his mechanics and his pass blocking and felt his hard work paid off.
“I think this year I really improved on my pass protection,” Majors said. “My coach and I worked on it hard during practice and I feel like it showed. Zero sacks (given up), so it was a good year. I really wanted to focus on technique this year.”
Majors will sign on Wednesday, the first day of the early signing period. It’s been a long-time coming for Majors, who committed back in January, and he’s ready to make his Texas commitment “official.”
“I’m solid with UT for sure. I can’t wait to get to Austin,” Majors said. “It’s been a dream to play college football, and it’s even bigger playing at one of biggest universities in the county. I can’t wait to be part of the program, take Texas to where they belong.”
Like every other Texas commitment (and fan), Majors is watching to see how the Texas coaching staff will be filled out. He was informed of the ongoing changes via a conversation with Tom Herman, and Majors said he remains solid with his commitment.
“As long as coach (Herb) Hand and coach Herman are there, I’m good. Coach Herman called me and let me know about the situation. He told me he’s staying, he promised that when I got there we’d be a winning program. Said we took a step back, but we’re going to put this thing back on top,” Majors said. “Coach Hand texted me, said he’s not going anywhere and he wants to coach me, and that’s what we’re going to do.”
Majors will graduate in December. He and his Prosper teammates will have their team banquet on January 15, he’ll move to Austin on January 16 and he’ll then celebrate his 18th birthday on January 17, the same day Logan Parr will celebrate his birthday.
Speaking of Parr …
3. Logan Parr will take part in three UT bowl game practices
Texas offensive line commitment Logan Parr is another who is solid with his pledge, and he’s another early enrollee. With Parr set to graduate in December, he’s going to take advantage of a new rule that allows spring enrollees to take part in three of his future team’s bowl practices. Parr is excited to get back on the field for some work, and he’s understandably a bit nervous about being thrown to the wolves against the current Texas team members.
“I’m just going to go into it with good thoughts. I know it’s going to be a culture shock, but I’ll be prepared for it,” Parr said. “(The current players) have been in a college weight training program for the past year, then working out during the season. I’m basically just going to be put in there to see what I can do.”
As a senior for O’Connor, the 6-4, 290-pound Parr said he worked on his technique and little things like footwork and hand placement, and he feels like it helped him on the field.
“I think I showed my technique, how I’m a technician,” Parr said. “I really focused on that in the offseason and it really translated well to the field. I watched a lot of film on a lot of guys and I think I implemented it well.”
As one of the first commitments in the Longhorns’ 2020 class, Parr has been off the board for more than 13 months. He’s ready to sign next week to complete the recruiting process.
“It’s been like a year, almost a year and a half since I committed. I can’t wait to get up there and start playing ball,” Parr said.
Herb Hand visited Parr last week and returned again on Monday. Parr has no concerns about the offensive staff changes and said he’s let the coaches know he’s solid and ready to get to work.
“I’m good with anything they do. Honestly, as long as coach Hand is okay with it, I’m okay with it,” Parr said. “He knows I’m locked in, so he doesn’t really have to tell me too much about that. He just told me to be ready for changes and ready to get to work.”
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TWO QUESTIONS
1. How close is Xavion Alford to being back to full strength?
It’s been a while since we’ve caught up with Texas safety commitment Xavion Alford, so we decided to check with the Pearland Shadow Creek standout to get an update on his knee rehab, and his thoughts on signing with Texas next week.
Alford played in only one game this year before suffering a meniscus injury and undergoing surgery. Shadow Creek has run off a 14-0 record without having Alford on the field, and Alford said he’s doing anything he can on the sidelines and in the locker room to help his team succeed.
“Really, I’m just coaching our young players, passing on the wisdom I didn’t have at their age. I try to give them tips to make them play better, play faster,” Alford said. “I’m just being more of a leader. I’m graduating early, so I don’t have much more time. I’m really trying to step up in that role and set an example.”
Alford is about 14 weeks into his injury and said he’s “towards the end” of his rehab. He expects to be fully cleared in the next month or so.
“I’ll be more than fine for spring ball,” Alford said.
On the recruiting front, Alford remains solidly committed to Texas and he’s ready to sign his letter of intent next week. He knows he’ll have a lot of competition in the UT defensive backfield, but he’s confident he can come in and make an early impact.
“I’m very excited. I’m ready to get to Texas and work. At UT, I’ll have some big shoes to fill,” Alford said. “They want me to come in and be a playmaker. That’s what I am. I feel like I can make plays at any level. I want to come in and be best teammate I can be, be coachable and be ready to work.”
Alford has been following the coaching news at Texas closely. He’s a bit of a student in that he’s gone so far as to watch YouTube videos on potential defensive coordinator Chris Ash and studied up on his background. Like the other commitments, he hated to see some coaches let go, but Alford said it hasn’t shaken his confidence in the Longhorns or his desire to wear burnt orange and white.
“It’s reality. I don’t really have any control over that. I can only control who I can control. I’m just ready to be best teammate I can be and get to work,” he said.
2. What’s the latest in Jaylen Garth’s knee rehab?
Longtime Texas offensive line commitment Jaylen Garth missed his senior year with a severe knee injury, but he’s close to being back to full strength. In fact, Garth took a big step forward with his rehab last week and is on schedule to be back to normal on or ahead of schedule in March.
“I’ve been rehabbing and lifting every day, trying to get back in weight room shape,” Garth said. “I can do lower body stuff now and I started running last week. It’s pretty good to be able to do stuff again. It’s a little bit awkward but it’ll get back to normal.”
Garth, out of Port Neches-Groves, committed to Texas back in February and has never looked back. He’ll sign next week on the first day of the early signing period and is excited for the moment.
“I’m looking forward to it. I’ve been locked in for a long time, so I’m looking forward to it. I’m ready to make it official,” Garth said. “I’m very proud. I’m excited to be a Longhorn.”
Garth said the coaching changes on the Texas offense never really moved the needle for him, especially since Herb Hand was kept on staff. Those two have built a solid relationship and Garth is familiar with Hand’s reputation.
“We have a pretty good relationship. We’ve gotten very close over the past year and I’ve gotten to know him. We’ve gotten close,” Garth said. “I’ve heard about the success he’s had before Texas so I’m really looking forward to playing for him.”
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ONE PREDICTION – Sawyer Goram Welch commits to Texas
This one isn’t that hard to follow. Defensive end Sawyer Goram-Welch commits to Oklahoma State in October. Texas offers him in early December. Goram-Welch decommits from Oklahoma State a few days later and will now take an official visit to Texas this coming weekend. As an early enrollee and a player who will sign next week, you all can do the math on this one.
