THREE THINGS WE LEARNED
1. Andre Mukuba is keeping everyone guessing leading up to his commitment announcement
The big recruiting storyline we’ll be following this week is the scheduled commitment of Andrew Mukuba on Thursday. As it stands a few days before his announcement, the Austin LBJ safety is doing a good job of keeping everyone guessing.
Mukuba told me last week that his plan was to try to come to a decision over the weekend, but in checking around with sources, I don’t think that happened. From what I can gather, Mukuba is still very much torn, with Texas and Clemson being the two realistic finalists (LSU is still in play as well, but I don’t expect him to wind up there).
There’s a lot for Mukuba to consider, which is why he’s struggling so much with his decision. He likes the lure of Clemson and the championship opportunities the Tigers can offer. He’s also developed a strong relationship with Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables, but also knows Venables’ name is always mentioned with head coaching jobs.
In Texas, there’s a familiarity with the UT program much more than Clemson, since he was never able to visit the Clemson campus. Mukuba has a strong relationship with Tom Herman and Chris Ash, and he has friends on the Texas team, including freshman DB Jahdae Barron (Mukuba mentioned to me last week he might try to shoot down to campus one more time to see Barron). Location is an obvious plus for Texas, particularly since Mukuba is close to his family, including two younger siblings.
I know there was some confidence on the Clemson side after Mukuba spent some time talking to the Clemson coaches recently, but this one feels like it’s still up in the air and we genuinely might not get our answer until he announces his decision on Thursday. In fact, if he’s as torn as I believe him to be, it’s not inconceivable that he could delay that decision. I’m not expecting that, but something to file away.
2. Texas is a major player for tight end Donovan Green
Dickinson will open its season this weekend, and 2022 tight end Donovan Green is readying himself for a big junior season. Already a Rivals250 member, Green ranks as the No. 2 tight end prospect in the country by Rivals.com. His goal is to take over the top spot.
“I’m trying to show everybody why I’m the best tight end in the country. Just get better, work on my technique,” Green said. “I want to show everybody I can get down and block whenever coach needs me to. That’s what you need to be able to do as a tight end.”
The 6-4, 215-pound Green is holding close to 50 scholarship offers, and his size and athleticism make him a matchup nightmare at the high school level.
“I feel like anywhere you put me on the field, it’s going to be a tough matchup either way. If you put me in slot, have a linebacker covering me, I’m too fast. Put me against a corner, he’s too small,” Green said. “I feel like I’m just a mismatch anywhere I go. I feel like I’m good at blocking, but there’s always room for improvement. Same with my hands and route running.”
Green is keeping an open mind, but lists schools like Texas, Texas A&M, Ohio State, Michigan, Tennessee, USC and Florida among those that are recruiting him the hardest. Green is such a nice kid that he tries to respond to every single coach that reaches out, so much so that he estimated he probably spends about three hours a day responding to messages and calls. His life should become a little easier in October, when he plans to narrow his list.
“I’m going to come out with a list of top schools on my birthday, October 28,” Green said. “I’m not sure (how many), but it won’t be a top 10, will be less than that.”
Look for Texas to make the cut.
“Coach (Jay) Boulware, the tight ends coach, he talks me a lot. He texts me every day, asks how I’m doing,” Green said. “That shows me that he likes me, showing me attention. They just got a new OC from Ohio State, so I’m looking forward to seeing how they use their tight ends. The first game, the tight end scored, had yards. That was improvement, was good to see.”
Tom Herman is also involved in this one.
“Coach Herman talks to me too when he has some time. There aren’t a lot of head coaches who talk to recruits like that,” Green said.
When it comes time to eventually decide, Green has a few factors that will weigh into his decision.
“I told every school what I’ll look at is the atmosphere of the school, which school can set me up the best after college, and how they use their tight ends. Distance really isn’t a factor,” Green said.
3. New commitment Jaylon Guilbeau feels great about his decision
When cornerback Jaylon Guilbeau committed to Texas about 10 days ago, it was a decision that had been in the works for a while. The Port Arthur Memorial standout had released a top five that didn’t include the Longhorns to throw everyone off, but the truth is that Texas was the longtime leaders for the 2022 standout. Guilbeau told OB recently he’s still flying high from his decision.
“It feels good. I feel like I’m at home,” Guilbeau said. “Me and coach Jay (Valai) have a good bond. I’ve been talking to coach Jay since they offered. Coach Valai, he has good energy, brings it to the field. In order to have a good bond, you have to have the energy. He’s a good coach. I like the way he coaches up his DBs. He has his DBs playing physical.”
Guilbeau chose Texas over a group of offers that included Texas A&M, LSU, Alabama, Oregon and Penn State.
“Texas recruited me harder than any other school,” Guilbeau said. “I feel like that’s a school I’ll be good at, a school God put me in. They talk to me and it’s not just football. They talk about life and schoolwork too.”
At 6-0 and 175 pounds, Guilbeau is a Rivals250 member in the 2022 class. Despite that recognition, he said he feels he’s just scratching the surface of his potential.
“I feel like I can bring a lot to the table. There are still things I need to work on to improve my game,” Guilbeau said. “There are always things to learn. I’m a press guy, so I want to improve on my off technique more.”
It’s worth mentioning that Guilbeau said his recruiting process is “still open,” but this doesn’t feel like one that Texas fans need to worry about.
“I’m not done with it until I eventually sign. But I’m solid with it. I’m not decommitting,” Guilbeau said.
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TWO QUESTIONS
1. Which remaining 2021 targets are the biggest priorities?
With Texas picking up an offensive line commitment from Max Merrill last week, it feels like a good time to take a look at the top prospect on UT’s board. This week, we’ll rank the in-state guys on how we feel they stack up in order of importance.
1. OL Savion Byrd – I don’t necessarily like UT’s chances here, but he would be a huge get if Texas can somehow pull it off.
2. OL Bryce Foster – See Byrd. Foster’s an interior guy so he’s not quite as big of a need, but a commitment from him would change the feel of this class.
3. DL Shemar Turner – Texas has a couple d-line commitments, but Turner’s a terrific prospect and brings some position versatility to the line. Bringing him in one year behind Alfred Collins and Vernon Broughton would be big.
4. DL Albert Regis – He doesn’t get as much pub because he stays quiet and was kind of a late bloomer, but any time you can add a talented defensive tackle, that’s a big addition.
5. RB LJ Johnson – If we’re talking pure talent, he’d be higher on this list but the need at RB isn’t quite as high as some other positions, especially with Jonathon Brooks already committed.
6. LB Terrence Cooks – A key target in this class who could probably be higher on this list, but Texas does have a couple LBs already committed.
7. DB Andrew Mukuba – He’d be a terrific addition, but if you assume Billy Bowman is going to play defense, it bumps him down the list a bit.
8. OL Jacoby Jackson – Merrill’s commitment bumps Jackson down the list quite a bit, but he’s an offensive lineman so he’d still be valuable.
9. WR JJ Henry – Texas has young talent at the slot receiver position, so Henry sits pretty low on the list.
10. DL Ike Iwunnah – With Regis holding more of a priority position on this list, it bumps Iwunnah down.
11. OL Erick Cade – He’s still in touch with Herb Hand and could be a bit of a sleeper if Texas is able to land him.
2. How does the Big 12 stack up after last week’s action?
1. Texas (Last week: 2) – It feels odd having Texas at No. 1 when the team needed a miracle comeback against Tech, but that’s the Big 12 for you.
2. Baylor (Last week: 4) – Sure it was Kansas, but Baylor looked pretty good in Dave Aranda’s debut.
3. Oklahoma State (Last week: 3) – OSU isn’t playing very good football, but the Cowboys are one of only three teams in the league without a loss.
4. Oklahoma (Last week: 1) – I’m still shocked that they lost at home to K-State.
5. Iowa State (Last week: 7) – ISU got its offense going last week in a win over TCU.
6. Kansas State (Last week: 9) – Lose to Arkansas State at home and then beat Oklahoma … makes sense.
7. TCU (Last week: 5) – Max Duggan actually threw the ball well last week.
8. Texas Tech (Last week: 8) – The Red Raiders showed last week they can be a dangerous group when things are clicking.
9. West Virginia (Last week: 6) – The Mountaineers hung around with Oklahoma State in Stillwater but couldn’t muster enough offense.
10. Kansas (Last week: 10) – I think we can write it in ink in putting the Jayhawks in this spot.
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ONE PREDICTION – Andrew Mukuba to …
As I said above, this one is very tough to call and I don’t even think Mukuba himself has finalized his decision. This is pretty much a guess at this point, but I’m going to stick with Texas. I’ve had the Longhorns as slight leaders in this one ever since JD Coffey and Ishmael Ibraheem committed, and I think the combination of staying close to home and familiarity with the program will eventually win out.
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