THREE THINGS WE LEARNED
1. The Longhorns continue to scour the country for immediate help along the O-line
Texas took a bit of a hit last week when top JUCO offensive tackle Badara Traore chose LSU over the Longhorns, but the UT staff isn’t wasting any time in identifying possible replacements.
In the last couple weeks, the Longhorns have extended four scholarship offers to junior college offensive linemen and have been in contact with at least one other. An overview of where things stand …
Mikey Grandy – Grandy visited UCLA last weekend and though there’s obvious concern with the Bruins being the in-state school, Grandy didn’t make any sudden decisions and will still visit Texas this weekend. This one’s tough to call and proximity has a lot of folks predicting a UCLA win, but in my conversation with Grandy, he was pretty open that a big part of him wants to get out of California and try something different. Texas will have its chance to win him over this weekend.
Jahmir Johnson – The Arizona Western Community College product told OB last week that he’ll take an official visit to Texas this weekend and USC in January. He has already visited Arkansas and Missouri. As a May graduate, Johnson’s urgency isn’t quite at the same level as the other prospects, but his high ceiling and athleticism at the position make him a player worth recruiting for the long haul.
Levon Livingston – The Navarro Junior College product has visited North Texas and he visited Kansas last week. He’s trying to decide which school he’ll see this weekend for his final visit before making a decision. If Texas can get him on campus, you have to really like UT’s chances.
Noah Banks – Out of Iowa Western Community College, Banks is technically committed to Arkansas but he’ll visit Texas on Thursday and Friday before flying straight to Gainesville to visit Florida. More on Banks and UT’s chances later in this column.
Badara Traore – As mentioned above, Traore committed to LSU over Texas on Thursday. He was the JUCO OL prospect Texas had been recruiting the longest, so missing on him will sting a bit.
Trevor Elbert – Per his Twitter page, Elbert will visit Central Florida this weekend. Texas never offered.
2. Things appear to be getting interesting with wide receiver recruitment
Monday was an active day for the Longhorns’ in regards to their wide receiver recruiting efforts, with Texas extending two new scholarship offers. Current Baylor commitment Craig Williams announced his offer on Monday morning (he was actually offered over the weekend) and former Nebraska commitment Joshua Moore was “re-offered” on Monday night.
Why the flurry of activity?
Remember, Texas wide receiver commitment Rondale Moore has been rumored to be having thoughts of staying closer to his home in Louisville (KY), and though Moore has said the right things on the record when OB has talked to him, a person close to Moore told OB last week that Moore was planning to visit Purdue this weekend. That same source said Moore isn’t planning to sign until February (although I wouldn’t be shocked if he signed early if Purdue blows him away and he decides to flip on or shortly after his weekend visit).
With Rondale Moore on shaky ground, it’s imperative that the UT staff finds some potential back-up options to fill that slot WR/athlete position.
Williams, a do-it-all speedster, would be the perfect substitute since he and Moore’s skill set are so similar. Texas has talked to him about using him on special teams returns, as a slot receiver, on jet sweeps and even as a tailback. It’s the same sales pitch that won Rondale Moore over.
Joshua Moore isn’t quite as “versatile” as Williams or Rondale Moore, but he’s a very talented receiver who could certainly be a valuable commodity out of the slot. The problem with Josh Moore is that Texas may be facing an uphill battle to land him. He told OB on Monday that he’ll take a visit to Texas at some point, but with his brother committed to Texas A&M and previous ties with Jimbo Fisher and the then-Florida State staff, A&M looks like the most likely landing spot.
3. The early signing period has us all learning on the fly
In year one of the early football signing period, which runs from December 20-22, I’ve learned one thing already … it’s going to be a hectic, but fun ride up to that signing window.
We’ve seen a flurry of activity already this week and that’s likely to continue as teams try to settle in on as much of their recruiting classes as possible during the early period. With a big run of official visits set for late this week and weekend, it could be a furious run to the (first) finish for the Texas staff.
Take, for instance Rondale Moore. With him slated to visit Purdue this weekend (as of last check late last week), Texas can’t exactly sit around and wait for Moore to make a final decision before exploring other options. If Moore was to decide to flip his commitment and even sign early, Texas could be left in the cold with its other targets if the Longhorns didn’t at least show interest before the early signing period. Similarly, with most junior college prospects, it’s been crucial for Texas to move quickly after Connor Williams declared for the NFL (and the likely departures of Jake McMillon and Terrell Cuney), thus the rush over the past two weeks to not only extend offers, but get guys on campus for visits.
This is still new for everyone, including the Texas coaches, so the next 10 days will be fun to watch unfold. Will the staff try to identify and target any other last-minute prospects before those players potentially sign elsewhere in December, or will the coaches wait to see where the chips fall and then look to February signees, if necessary, which could significantly reduce their options? It’s an interesting dynamic in that the early signing period has been beneficial for prospects in many ways, but in a lot of ways it has put added pressure on college coaches to speed up their decisions on which players are suitable targets.
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TWO QUESTIONS
1. What are the Longhorns’ chances with new JUCO OL offer Noah Banks?
Texas has quietly been in talks with Iowa Western Community College offensive tackle Noah Banks for more than a month, and during a school visit by UT assistant Corby Meekins on Monday, Banks set up a Texas official visit. He’ll head to Texas on Thursday and spend that day and some of Friday in Austin before flying directly to Gainesville (FL) for a Florida Gators official visit.
Banks is committed to Arkansas. He’s originally from Pensacola (FL). On the surface, this one might look like a longshot for Texas, but that’s now how I’m viewing it. If Texas can make a strong impression during his visit (and I’d be shocked if it didn’t), I expect the Longhorns to draw strong consideration.
In talking to Banks on Monday, after he picked up his UT offer, he spoke very highly of the Texas program. In fact, he said he’s followed Texas as a college football fan going back to UT’s national championship appearances against Southern Cal and Alabama.
More importantly, Banks has been made aware of Texas’ need for immediate help at offensive tackle, and it sounds like he’s more familiar with UT’s depth chart than Florida’s. He does have some familiarity with the new Florida staff because Mississippi State was recruiting him, but he’s not yet up to speed on what opportunities Florida presents the way he is with Texas.
“I’m definitely excited to come to Texas,” Banks said. “I know they’re losing tackle who is going pro. Hopefully I can come play like him.”
As is the case with most JUCO prospects, Banks is looking for a place at which he can play early, and a place that can help him develop. He’ll sign on December 20 and will have two years to play two seasons of Division I ball, so he’s not looking for a place that will have him standing on the sidelines.
“Coming out of high school, I had a lot different perspective on recruiting, where I wanted to go. Coming out of high school, all the flashing lights would entertain me more than it does now,” Banks said. “I have two years left, so I have to focus on what’s going on with me, what’s going to make me better.
“Now, I want to go to a place that I think I can come in and make an impact. At Texas, the situation with their O-line coach, coach Herman being a new coach, I really like him. I think in a couple years, Texas will be really good and be back. That’s really big for me. I want a program going in a positive direction, so Texas and the success they’ve had in the past looks pretty good.”
Note: In case you missed it on Monday night, I posted some other interesting notes of interest about Banks’ recruitment, including how he was minutes away from visiting OU instead of Texas and an NCAA rules snafu that cost him a chance to visit Auburn. Read that report here.
2. Can Texas flip Craig Williams from Baylor?
This one’s tricky to predict because Craig Williams’ situation could depend on what happens with Rondale Moore, and the UT offer is so fresh that Williams hasn’t really tipped his hand to anyone close to him from what I’ve gathered.
Williams, out of Crosby, has been committed to Baylor for about four months, but he’s always planned on taking other visits and has followed through on those plans. He’s familiar with a lot of the Longhorns’ Houston-area commitments and one would think, on the surface at least, he’d at least give Texas a look considering he’s visited places like Missouri and Minnesota.
One source who talked to Williams on Monday, after UT offered, said Williams just kind of smiled when the UT offer came up.
“Any football player in the state of Texas, if Texas offers you, growing up almost any kid is going to smile at that opportunity. It’s the University of Texas,” the source said.
If things fall through with Moore (and with Jaylen Waddle presumably off the board), Williams would be a natural fit for what Texas wants in its slot receiver commitment. Running backs coach Stan Drayton and wide receivers coach Drew Mehringer have both been in touch, which is a pretty good indicator of Williams’ versatility.
“I think Texas likes him almost like a slot/athlete. From what Drayton said, ‘We’re going to get you the ball however we possibly can.’ They don’t have anything with his speed on the roster right now, so just getting him the ball on returns, jet sweeps, out of the slot, just have him on the field in a number of ways.”
The way this one is trending, I’ll be mildly surprised if Texas doesn’t get Williams on campus at some point.
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ONE PREDICTION – Mike Perrin will be remembered fondly for his time as Texas AD, and he should be
There’s a lot of excitement around the hire of new Athletic Director Chris Del Conte, and deservedly so. But in thinking about what Mike Perrin brought to the table for Texas in his two years leading the Texas athletics programs. Perrin made what I feel are two terrific hires in Tom Herman and David Pierce and he’s been very supportive of the men’s programs’ requests for updates and upgrades, including sweeping changes in the football program. Most importantly, Perrin came in when things were in danger of really going off the rails after the failed leadership of Steve Patterson and he did a good job of stabilizing things while always himself with class.
“I want to give my heartfelt thanks and gratitude to Mike Perrin. A little over two years ago, Mike stepped up to serve this university, to serve Texas Athletics,” UT President Greg Fenves said on Monday. “There was a lot of turbulence and a lot of problems within the athletics department, with our fans, our loyal fans, and Longhorn Nation.
“Over the past two years, Mike Perrin has provided integrity, stability, calmness, helped address a number of problems that were important to solve, and has brought Texas Athletics to a new stage.”
Job well done Mike Perrin, at a time when Texas really needed a steadying hand.
