THREE THINGS WE LEARNED
1. Ra’Shaad Samples has helped UT’s recruiting efforts in Dallas
If you’re keeping score at home, both of UT’s recent commitments (Ja’Quinden Jackson and Quay Davis) mentioned Texas assistant wide receivers coach Ra’Shaad Samples in their tweets when they announced their decisions.
According to Davis, who committed on Sunday afternoon, Samples wasn’t just a key factor in his decision. Davis said without Samples being at UT, he’d still be on the market and weighing his options.
“He was big. Without him, I wouldn’t be committed to Texas,” Davis said. “I feel like whatever he says is true. He speaks facts.”
Samples is young. He’s very personable. He has a great reputation in the Dallas area and he relates well to prospects in that area. Back when Samples was a recruit coming out of Skyline, he was one of my favorite prospects to cover - polite, respectful, responsive … it makes sense that he’s a talented recruiter with a bright future, and Texas is reaping the rewards of late.
“Coach Ra’Shaad went to Skyline. I look up to him,” Davis said. “Whatever he tells me, even if something isn’t right, I can go to him. He tells me how it is. I talk to him every couple days. I talk to him more than anybody probably.”
With his commitment now a couple days old, Davis said he’s thrilled to have the decision behind him. He’s enjoyed seeing the positive reactions on social media and said again that he’s done with the recruiting process despite having two years of high school left.
“It feels good. To get it out of the way, I don’t have to worry about it anymore,” Davis said. “I’ve just been looking on Twitter, Instagram – everything’s been blowing up.”
As the first member of the Longhorns’ 2021 recruiting class, Davis said there’s a sense of pride that comes with his commitment. He knows people will be watching him as closely as ever now that he’s a Texas Longhorn pledge, and he’s ready for the extra attention.
“I do (feel pride) because I’m the first one. I have to be a leader. They expect me to be a leader,” Davis said. “Just paying attention, being on time, things like that. Be a leader in the community.”
Davis said he’s had numerous other schools reach out to him since committing – most of them simply telling him congratulations – but he’s happy with his commitment and doesn’t plan to take other visits.
2. Texas is surging in Dallas
There’s been a lot of discussion about Texas’ recruiting efforts in the DFW area but any concerns should be alleviated after two big-time pick-ups from Dallas in less than a one-week span.
Ja’Quinden Jackson isn’t going to be the most vocal recruiter – not publicly anyway – but the amount of respect he has from his peers in the Dallas area should help UT’s efforts with other players. Quay Davis is young but he’s another guy who is talented enough that other recruits may want to play with him, and Davis is hoping the recent trend of #DallasToAustin continues to thrive.
“I want to build up on it. Not too many from Dallas go to Austin. Let’s keep working it, keep grinding,” Davis said. “That’s what it’s all about. I got a lot of them I want to talk to.”
In our conversation, Davis mentioned the commitment of Jackson and how he’s hoping those two can start a trend. Jackson’s pledge didn’t really impact Davis’s decision to commit, but Davis said the two have known each other for years, he’s excited to play with Jackson at Texas and he’s hopeful the two of them can help bring other Metroplex talent to UT.
“That was good when he committed. He’s from the same neighborhood, same environment,” Davis said. “I know he can sling it to me. I’ve known Ja’Quinden since when I was young.”
3. Texas had a chance to impress safety Bryson Washington last weekend
Top UT safety target Bryson Washington was in Austin last weekend for a two-night unofficial visit. The Houston C.E. King standout has been a regular visitor to the Forty Acres and he said this visit was a good reminder of everything Texas has to offer.
“It was nice. It was a nice visit,” Washington said. “Kind of the usual visit to Austin. It was a good experience. It just reminded me of the fun you can have in Austin.”
Washington spent a lot of time with Texas receiver Brennan Eagles during the visit. He had planned to return home on Sunday afternoon but had some transportation issues that kept him in Austin until Sunday evening. That worked in UT’s favor since Washington was able to hang out with the coaches during Sunday’s mini-camp.
Washington is down to Texas and OU. He’ll take his Texas official visit the weekend of June 21 and is set to announce his decision on July 4. Right now, he claims it’s a dead heat between the Longhorns and the Sooners.
“It’s really tight. It’s the same thing with both sides - love both ways,” Washington said. “Everybody still even in my head, still thinking about which school will be good for me and my family. It’s still a close race.”
Washington did say he’s going to try to take an unofficial visit to OU before he decides (he’s already taken his official visit there) but time is limited with a dead period set to begin on June 24. While he said last weekend’s stop in Austin was a positive, he also said it didn’t really change the race between Texas and OU. The UT staff has done a good job of selling Washington on what a degree from UT can do for him long-term and on UT’s strong academic reputation. Whether or not those issues take hold could be what decides this one.
“Basically, they’re just telling me where do you want to play the next four years? Where can you say you can come back and visit (after graduating), where can you do that? Where can you get a good degree?,” Washington said.
After he takes his UT official visit, Washington said he’ll huddle up with those close to him – mostly his mother – and make a difficult decision.
“I feel right at home at both places. It’s crazy how they both have the same things. It’s going to hard one,” Washington said.”
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TWO QUESTIONS
1. What are Texas’ chances with Utah defensive end Van Fillinger?
It flew under the radar for most of the weekend, but the Longhorns hosted a key unofficial visitor last weekend in Draper (UT) Corner Canyon defensive end Van Fillinger.
I was able to catch up with Fillinger as he waited out the weather on Sunday night at the Austin airport (he was flying from Austin to Phoenix for an Arizona State unofficial visit) and shortly after he’d picked up a UT offer.
Fillinger was thrilled to have the Texas offer, and he said he was quick to set up the UT visit once the coaches started showing interest so there would be no question on how strongly he was interested in the Longhorns.
“They wanted to see if I was interested. They thought I was going to stay in state, but I’m not. As soon as they texted me I set (the visit) up because I’m very interested in Texas,” Fillinger said.
“I love the state. The state of Texas is a really good place. It’s a good environment, great atmosphere. I love the culture, the hard work. People at Texas are really genuine. They seem like they’re really hard working which is what I like.”
Fillinger is close to finishing up his round of unofficial visits, which means he’ll be releasing a list of favorites (probably five or six schools) soon. He’ll then start looking to set up official visit, and he said a return trip to Austin could happen as soon as this weekend.
“Texas probably will (make the cut). I might be coming for an official to Texas this weekend, depending on what might happen with some other things,” Fillinger said.
The 6-4, 255-pound Fillinger doesn’t have a firm timeline for a commitment, but said he could decide before his senior season begins if he finds the right spot. If that’s a possibility, getting him back on campus this weekend could be a big development for Texas. This one feels like there’s still work to be done, but the Longhorns took a huge step forward over the weekend and are squarely in the mix.
“It was great. Coming down, not being offered yet, I wasn’t sure how interested they were. They made it very clear they were very interested,” Fillinger said. “Just because they offered late, that doesn’t mean they weren’t interested. The showed a lot of love during the camp. They had a lot of people there at the camp and it was a busy weekend, so to have them show me love the whole day. That showed a lot. They just showed a lot of love.”
Texas didn’t give Fillinger a position-specific offer, instead telling him they’d just bring him in as a defensive lineman and figure out where he settles in. Fillinger is a young junior-to-be (he actually turns 17 today) so there’s a lot to like with his upside.
2. Will Denver Harris be a name to know in the future?
2022 North Shore cornerback Denver Harris was at Sunday’s UT mini-camp and he’s definitely a name to know moving forward. The 6-0, 176-pound Harris already holds a handful of offers and while Texas hasn’t formally offered yet, the Longhorns will likely enter the mix later this year.
Overall, Harris said the camp was a good experience, including working with current UT players and Texas cornerbacks coach Jason Washington.
“The camp was very good. I got better, very high-paced,” Harris said. “There were a couple players helping us get our technique right and stuff, so it was good.
“(The coaches) were just guiding me through. They know I’m young so they were just walking me through a little bit, taking it a little bit slower. It was good.”
Harris has already built up a good relationship with Washington and he likes UT’s history of producing top-tier DB talent.
“They have a good history. The coach communicates a lot with me. Their position coach is really good. Coach Washington, that’s my boy,” Harris said. “He talks a lot, he makes sure I get it. He moves at my pace. If I want to take it slower, he moves slower. If I want to ask him a question, he’s very patient with me.”
Up next, Harris plans to camp at LSU and Texas A&M.
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ONE PREDICTION – Warriors in 7
Despite the loss of Kevin Durant, and despite the refs seemingly trying to close out the series in game five, give me Golden State in 7. Steph Curry looks absolutely exhausted out there, but if he can find a way to keep his legs fresh and if Golden State can cut down on the silly turnovers, I think the Warriors just might pull of what nobody thought they could do and battle back from a 3-1 deficit to take the series.
