Recruiting has been moving at 100 mph ever since the new staff was hired.
We take a look at three things we learned over the last week, two questions that are on our mind and one prediction. It's recruiting, recruiting and more recruiting in this week's edition of the 3-2-1 ...
THREE THINGS WE LEARNED
1. The amount of recruiting work the new staff has done has been second to none
This is a busy time for just about all college coaches, but it almost feels like the new UT staff is out putting in double duty in the last nine days.
Starting last week, when the contact period officially began, the entire group of Texas assistants has been all over the state of Texas, checking on the Horns’ current commitments, getting some face time with top targets who have been on UT’s radar for months and identifying some new prospects to the UT radar. Even head coach Tom Herman has jumped into the mix, hitting the road late last week and this week to make several key visits.
With only five coaches officially hired, it's been an incredible effort by the new staff and the work seems to be paying dividends. The group hit the ground running from the day it was hired and while Texas had an insurmountable deficit with some guys, like Baron Browning, the new coaches have done a terrific job of locking down their current commitments and putting the Longhorns in a position to at least have a chance with a number of the program's top targets - guys like Walker Little, Toneil Carter, Kary Vincent, J.K. Dobbins and a deep group of in-state receivers.
Hitting the road with a purpose was imperative since the staff had only last week and this week before the dead period begins, so the flurry of activity isn't exactly a surprise, but that doesn't mean it hasn't been an impressive, efficient and effective effort. The entire staff, including the new football support staff members, are only nine days in to their new jobs but it's been a very impressive performance so far.
2. The late recruiting philosophy by the previous staff has the new staff playing catch-up
Charlie Strong and his staff had a tremendous knack for closing the recruiting process with a bang - there's no denying that. In fact, Strong's ability to recruit well in December and January, despite Texas' struggles on the field, may have been the best thing he did while in Austin.
In the 2015 and 2016 classes, Texas never really lost momentum with the top players in the state and the staff did a good job of staying in touch with those players and keeping them engaged. This year, with rumors swirling pretty much all year about Strong's job stability, the Texas staff had pretty much put recruiting on the back burner for the past few months. Yes, the coaches were still in contact with prospects, but there really wasn't a recruiting "push" because they were hoping to do that later in the year, after the season turned around and Strong's future was on solid footing. That scenario never played out, and the new UT staff is having to play catch-up with most of the big fish on the recruiting radar.
On one hand, the situation has the new coaches scrambling a bit and having to play build quick relationships with a lot of guys, and it pretty much crushed Texas' chances with some early enrollees like Baron Browning and Anthony Hines. On the other hand, it has allowed the current staff to be ultra-aggressive and has freed the Longhorns up to recruit prospects they may not have otherwise pursued.
It's made covering the past couple weeks a bit of an adventure, but the new staff's job would have been much easier had Texas been recruiting in a more "traditional" method, where the primary focus could have been on maintaining the commitments in an already solid class.
3. There's been very little conversation on the offensive and defensive coordinator hires
In this column last week, my one prediction was that one of either Major Applewhite or Todd Orlando would be joining the Texas staff, and possibly both. A couple different sources had mentioned to me that the plan was to hire Applewhite and/or Orlando if they weren't hired to take over the Houston program, and the longer we go without any real movement in the coordinator positions, the more likely it is that this scenario is playing out.
Houston appears to have turned its focus to candidates outside the program, with guys like Lincoln Riley, Lane Kiffin and Les Miles drawing the most attention this week. If the staff does go the route of not hiring from within, it looks like a pretty safe bet that Applewhite and Orlando will both join the Texas staff. If that happens, as I'm expecting, Houston defensive assistant Craig Naivar is expected to be brought over as well. Following those three, I'd look for the remaining pieces of the staff to come together quickly.
Toneil Carter
TWO QUESTIONS
1. What is ... a recap of a busy 48 hours on the recruiting trail?
For those who haven't been click, click, clicking away on the message board updates over the last 48 hours, here are some rapid-fire updates on the most important news ...
- Georgia RB commitment Toneil Carter is expecting to take a visit to Texas this weekend, according to a source close to Carter. I was told on Monday the visit was "locked in" and Carter would be on campus on Saturday, but our friends at UGASports.com are hearing things aren't set in stone, and Georgia will do an in-home later this week in an attempt to try to talk Carter out of visiting.
- Looks like Marvin Wilson to Texas isn't going to happen. The Longhorn staff appears to be focusing its efforts on other targets, and Wilson told OB today that the door is closed with him and UT.
- Chuck Filiaga tells me he had a good visit to UT on Saturday (more on that tomorrow) and he believes the new staff will turn the Texas program around. I asked Filiaga if Texas was going by his school or his house this week and he did not think a visit would happen before dead period.
- Tom Herman will do an in-home with Walker Little on Wednesday night. Little may be the top priority for Texas, regardless of position.
- Texas offered Scottsdale Community College tight end Sal Cannella on Tuesday after tight ends coach Corby Meekins paid Cannella a visit. Cannella is trying to decide between a Texas visit and an Auburn visit for this weekend.
- Tom Herman will do an in-home with Cedar Hill WR Charleston Rambo on Tuesday night. Rambo is committed to OU but recently picked up a Texas offer. Rambo is unsure if he'll visit UT, but tells me if he does, it will be an unofficial visit.
- Baton Rouge Madison Prep defensive end Bryan Jones tells me he'll take an official visit to Texas on January 27.
- Texas stopped by to see J.K. Dobbins for one final pitch on Monday. No word yet if Dobbins will take a visit to UT this weekend (his last possible weekend for an official visit), but it won't shock me if something gets set up at the last minute, even if it's done under the radar. Not sure on that, just speculation because UT has made a dent here.
- Texas offered A&M tight end commitment Camron Horry on Monday. I haven't connected with Horry directly, but an A&M source tells me the Aggies feel confident they hang on to his pledge.
- Tom Herman stopped by DeSoto on Tuesday. Not sure yet if he was there to check on anyone in particular, or if it was just a "routine" stop by a powerhouse program.
- Texas offered Jenks (OK) tight endReese Leitaothis week. Leitao has been committed to Nebraska since this summer. Leitao didn't respond when asked about his interest level.
- Tom Herman visited LSU DB commitment Kary Vincent on Monday. Don't be at all surprised to see Vincent take a visit to UT in January. I mentioned this in the War Room, but I like the Horns' chances here if they can get him on campus.
- I haven't confirmed it yet, but I'd expect UT QB commitment Sam Ehlinger to be in for his official visit this weekend. Ehlinger is an early enrollee and this will be his last chance for his visit before the dead period starts.
2. What might the recruiting numbers look like in this signing class, in an ideal situation?
Quarterback (2) - Texas has one commitment, but I fully expect the staff to try to bring in another to add depth. Kyle Allen is a story we'll all be following, especially if more coaches come over from Houston as I expect. John Tyler's Bryson Smith is another strong candidate for an offer.
Running back (1 or 2) - Other candidates could jump into the picture, but the focus right now is on J.K. Dobbins, Toneil Carter and to a slightly lesser extent, Eno Benjamin. Texas will probably take two here if the right guys want to come aboard.
Wide receiver (2 or 3) - Texas has one commit in Damion Miller. The staff has been pretty aggressive in recruiting other top players in the state in the last two weeks, which is a bit surprising considering the numbers on the roster and the fact that UT doesn't yet have a WR coach. Charleston Rambo, Omar Manning, Jalen Reagor are guys who could wind up taking visits.
Tight end (2) - There was zero action on this one for Texas previously, but things have changed in a hurry. The new staff has offered Cade Brewer, Reese Leitao, Camron Horry and Sal Cannella. Texas also reached out to Brock Wright, but I'm expecting him to stick with Notre Dame.
Offensive line (2 or 3) - This isn't a position that needs big numbers, but the coaches would probably take three if the right guys wanted to join the fold. Walker Little and Chuck Filiaga are obvious takes. A new offer was extended to Grant Polley and there's been talk that UT reached out to A&M commit Grayson Reed. Houston has a couple OL who could come into play as well.
DL (3 or 4) - There's probably not going to be huge numbers here after last year's DT haul. Getting some playmakers at defensive end may be the bigger d-line priority. K'Lavon Chaisson is on top of the food chain. Bryan Jones will take a visit. Texas is supposed to visit Zach McKinney this week and a Kansas source said McKinney will visit UT. Brenham DE/LB Marqez Bimage is one worth watching very closely over the next couple weeks.
LB (1 or 2) - Things are pretty quiet here, and I'd guess the number winds up being one. Levi Jones probably isn't going to happen. Texas could make a run at someone like Mohamed Sanogo and he'd be an easy flip.
DB (4) - Texas is in good shape here with three commitments, but the staff will likely add one more if the right guy wants make a move. Kary Vincent is a top priority. Kendall Sheffield has an offer and Chevin Calloway could still visit at some point.
ONE PREDICTION – K’Lavon Chaisson chooses Texas in the near future
There has been talk for about six weeks that K’Lavon Chaisson was close to making a decision, and rumors popped up on this message board when Tom Herman was hired that Chaisson had committed to Texas. In checking around, those rumors were premature, but we were told the standout defensive end from North Shore would likely make his final decision after his senior season ended.
North Shore’s season came to an end on Friday at the hands of Atascocita, which could spring things into action for Chaisson. LSU has always been a factor in this one but someone who talked to Chaisson a few weeks ago told me he thought it was down to Houston and Texas. With Tom Herman making the move to Austin, this one feels like it’s going to fall UT’s way, probably sooner rather than later.
We take a look at three things we learned over the last week, two questions that are on our mind and one prediction. It's recruiting, recruiting and more recruiting in this week's edition of the 3-2-1 ...
THREE THINGS WE LEARNED
1. The amount of recruiting work the new staff has done has been second to none
This is a busy time for just about all college coaches, but it almost feels like the new UT staff is out putting in double duty in the last nine days.
Starting last week, when the contact period officially began, the entire group of Texas assistants has been all over the state of Texas, checking on the Horns’ current commitments, getting some face time with top targets who have been on UT’s radar for months and identifying some new prospects to the UT radar. Even head coach Tom Herman has jumped into the mix, hitting the road late last week and this week to make several key visits.
With only five coaches officially hired, it's been an incredible effort by the new staff and the work seems to be paying dividends. The group hit the ground running from the day it was hired and while Texas had an insurmountable deficit with some guys, like Baron Browning, the new coaches have done a terrific job of locking down their current commitments and putting the Longhorns in a position to at least have a chance with a number of the program's top targets - guys like Walker Little, Toneil Carter, Kary Vincent, J.K. Dobbins and a deep group of in-state receivers.
Hitting the road with a purpose was imperative since the staff had only last week and this week before the dead period begins, so the flurry of activity isn't exactly a surprise, but that doesn't mean it hasn't been an impressive, efficient and effective effort. The entire staff, including the new football support staff members, are only nine days in to their new jobs but it's been a very impressive performance so far.
2. The late recruiting philosophy by the previous staff has the new staff playing catch-up
Charlie Strong and his staff had a tremendous knack for closing the recruiting process with a bang - there's no denying that. In fact, Strong's ability to recruit well in December and January, despite Texas' struggles on the field, may have been the best thing he did while in Austin.
In the 2015 and 2016 classes, Texas never really lost momentum with the top players in the state and the staff did a good job of staying in touch with those players and keeping them engaged. This year, with rumors swirling pretty much all year about Strong's job stability, the Texas staff had pretty much put recruiting on the back burner for the past few months. Yes, the coaches were still in contact with prospects, but there really wasn't a recruiting "push" because they were hoping to do that later in the year, after the season turned around and Strong's future was on solid footing. That scenario never played out, and the new UT staff is having to play catch-up with most of the big fish on the recruiting radar.
On one hand, the situation has the new coaches scrambling a bit and having to play build quick relationships with a lot of guys, and it pretty much crushed Texas' chances with some early enrollees like Baron Browning and Anthony Hines. On the other hand, it has allowed the current staff to be ultra-aggressive and has freed the Longhorns up to recruit prospects they may not have otherwise pursued.
It's made covering the past couple weeks a bit of an adventure, but the new staff's job would have been much easier had Texas been recruiting in a more "traditional" method, where the primary focus could have been on maintaining the commitments in an already solid class.
3. There's been very little conversation on the offensive and defensive coordinator hires
In this column last week, my one prediction was that one of either Major Applewhite or Todd Orlando would be joining the Texas staff, and possibly both. A couple different sources had mentioned to me that the plan was to hire Applewhite and/or Orlando if they weren't hired to take over the Houston program, and the longer we go without any real movement in the coordinator positions, the more likely it is that this scenario is playing out.
Houston appears to have turned its focus to candidates outside the program, with guys like Lincoln Riley, Lane Kiffin and Les Miles drawing the most attention this week. If the staff does go the route of not hiring from within, it looks like a pretty safe bet that Applewhite and Orlando will both join the Texas staff. If that happens, as I'm expecting, Houston defensive assistant Craig Naivar is expected to be brought over as well. Following those three, I'd look for the remaining pieces of the staff to come together quickly.
Toneil Carter
TWO QUESTIONS
1. What is ... a recap of a busy 48 hours on the recruiting trail?
For those who haven't been click, click, clicking away on the message board updates over the last 48 hours, here are some rapid-fire updates on the most important news ...
- Georgia RB commitment Toneil Carter is expecting to take a visit to Texas this weekend, according to a source close to Carter. I was told on Monday the visit was "locked in" and Carter would be on campus on Saturday, but our friends at UGASports.com are hearing things aren't set in stone, and Georgia will do an in-home later this week in an attempt to try to talk Carter out of visiting.
- Looks like Marvin Wilson to Texas isn't going to happen. The Longhorn staff appears to be focusing its efforts on other targets, and Wilson told OB today that the door is closed with him and UT.
- Chuck Filiaga tells me he had a good visit to UT on Saturday (more on that tomorrow) and he believes the new staff will turn the Texas program around. I asked Filiaga if Texas was going by his school or his house this week and he did not think a visit would happen before dead period.
- Tom Herman will do an in-home with Walker Little on Wednesday night. Little may be the top priority for Texas, regardless of position.
- Texas offered Scottsdale Community College tight end Sal Cannella on Tuesday after tight ends coach Corby Meekins paid Cannella a visit. Cannella is trying to decide between a Texas visit and an Auburn visit for this weekend.
- Tom Herman will do an in-home with Cedar Hill WR Charleston Rambo on Tuesday night. Rambo is committed to OU but recently picked up a Texas offer. Rambo is unsure if he'll visit UT, but tells me if he does, it will be an unofficial visit.
- Baton Rouge Madison Prep defensive end Bryan Jones tells me he'll take an official visit to Texas on January 27.
- Texas stopped by to see J.K. Dobbins for one final pitch on Monday. No word yet if Dobbins will take a visit to UT this weekend (his last possible weekend for an official visit), but it won't shock me if something gets set up at the last minute, even if it's done under the radar. Not sure on that, just speculation because UT has made a dent here.
- Texas offered A&M tight end commitment Camron Horry on Monday. I haven't connected with Horry directly, but an A&M source tells me the Aggies feel confident they hang on to his pledge.
- Tom Herman stopped by DeSoto on Tuesday. Not sure yet if he was there to check on anyone in particular, or if it was just a "routine" stop by a powerhouse program.
- Texas offered Jenks (OK) tight endReese Leitaothis week. Leitao has been committed to Nebraska since this summer. Leitao didn't respond when asked about his interest level.
- Tom Herman visited LSU DB commitment Kary Vincent on Monday. Don't be at all surprised to see Vincent take a visit to UT in January. I mentioned this in the War Room, but I like the Horns' chances here if they can get him on campus.
- I haven't confirmed it yet, but I'd expect UT QB commitment Sam Ehlinger to be in for his official visit this weekend. Ehlinger is an early enrollee and this will be his last chance for his visit before the dead period starts.
2. What might the recruiting numbers look like in this signing class, in an ideal situation?
Quarterback (2) - Texas has one commitment, but I fully expect the staff to try to bring in another to add depth. Kyle Allen is a story we'll all be following, especially if more coaches come over from Houston as I expect. John Tyler's Bryson Smith is another strong candidate for an offer.
Running back (1 or 2) - Other candidates could jump into the picture, but the focus right now is on J.K. Dobbins, Toneil Carter and to a slightly lesser extent, Eno Benjamin. Texas will probably take two here if the right guys want to come aboard.
Wide receiver (2 or 3) - Texas has one commit in Damion Miller. The staff has been pretty aggressive in recruiting other top players in the state in the last two weeks, which is a bit surprising considering the numbers on the roster and the fact that UT doesn't yet have a WR coach. Charleston Rambo, Omar Manning, Jalen Reagor are guys who could wind up taking visits.
Tight end (2) - There was zero action on this one for Texas previously, but things have changed in a hurry. The new staff has offered Cade Brewer, Reese Leitao, Camron Horry and Sal Cannella. Texas also reached out to Brock Wright, but I'm expecting him to stick with Notre Dame.
Offensive line (2 or 3) - This isn't a position that needs big numbers, but the coaches would probably take three if the right guys wanted to join the fold. Walker Little and Chuck Filiaga are obvious takes. A new offer was extended to Grant Polley and there's been talk that UT reached out to A&M commit Grayson Reed. Houston has a couple OL who could come into play as well.
DL (3 or 4) - There's probably not going to be huge numbers here after last year's DT haul. Getting some playmakers at defensive end may be the bigger d-line priority. K'Lavon Chaisson is on top of the food chain. Bryan Jones will take a visit. Texas is supposed to visit Zach McKinney this week and a Kansas source said McKinney will visit UT. Brenham DE/LB Marqez Bimage is one worth watching very closely over the next couple weeks.
LB (1 or 2) - Things are pretty quiet here, and I'd guess the number winds up being one. Levi Jones probably isn't going to happen. Texas could make a run at someone like Mohamed Sanogo and he'd be an easy flip.
DB (4) - Texas is in good shape here with three commitments, but the staff will likely add one more if the right guy wants make a move. Kary Vincent is a top priority. Kendall Sheffield has an offer and Chevin Calloway could still visit at some point.
ONE PREDICTION – K’Lavon Chaisson chooses Texas in the near future
There has been talk for about six weeks that K’Lavon Chaisson was close to making a decision, and rumors popped up on this message board when Tom Herman was hired that Chaisson had committed to Texas. In checking around, those rumors were premature, but we were told the standout defensive end from North Shore would likely make his final decision after his senior season ended.
North Shore’s season came to an end on Friday at the hands of Atascocita, which could spring things into action for Chaisson. LSU has always been a factor in this one but someone who talked to Chaisson a few weeks ago told me he thought it was down to Houston and Texas. With Tom Herman making the move to Austin, this one feels like it’s going to fall UT’s way, probably sooner rather than later.
