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THREE THINGS WE LEARNED
1. Texas is sitting in a favorable position with RB Jerrick Gibson.
It’s been no big secret that the Texas Longhorns have been one of a few programs that have been standing out for IMG Academy running back Jerrick Gibson for the past several months. People close to Gibson indicated to OB a while back that Texas, Georgia and Tennessee were probably the three teams setting the pace. This week, in talking to a source close to Gibson (and confirming it with sources in Austin), the steady vibe is that Texas has separated from the pack, with some key visit dates approaching.
Gibson, a Rivals100 member who checks in at No. 58 nationally, will be in Austin in mid-April for the UT spring game. He’ll then work through some key official visits in June before likely making a decision in July or August. Georgia will get the first crack at hosting Gibson on an official visit (June 2). Tennessee will be next (June 16), followed by Texas (June 23). Alabama is tentatively scheduled to get an OV on June 9, but I’m hearing the contact there has cooled of late so that trip is not yet set in stone.
The 5-11, 207-pound Gibson was last in Austin for UT’s junior day in January, and a source close to Gibson said the family loved what they saw and got a more “in-depth view” of what they had seen on their initial visit to Texas back in June of last year. Gibson, I’m told was also blown away by the football culture at Texas, and that extends beyond just the campus.
“One thing that stood out about them was the people. The fans in the airport, restaurants, they knew who he was. So that made him feel more special,” the source said.
The biggest factor separating Texas from the pack is running backs coach Tashard Choice, I’m told. Gibson and Choice have developed an extremely strong bond that was made even stronger on the January visit. Choice has actual running back skins on the wall after playing six seasons in the NFL, whereas some of the other coaches recruiting him don’t have that same experience.
“Jerrick and coach Choice get in the running back room, and they just go at it back and forth (with running back knowledge),” the source said.
The plan, albeit flexible, is for Gibson to commit this summer but those close to him are telling him not to force it if he’s not ready. The guess here is that Texas ultimately wins out before Gibson’s senior season at IMG begins, and my FutureCast was put in for the Longhorns on Sunday. Obviously, these next few months and those upcoming visits could change things, but Texas sits in a strong position as things stand right now.
2. Landing Tyanthony Smith is going to take some work
If you would have asked me about six months ago about Tyanthony Smith, I would have confidently predicted that the Jasper linebacker would be a part of the Longhorns’ 2024 recruiting class. Those same feelings held true as recently as two months ago, but the picture got a little murkier in late January when he decided to not attend UT’s junior day and instead visited Texas A&M.
To be clear … my money would still be placed on Texas in this race, but it’s going to be much more competitive than I originally believed.
Smith tells OB he’ll visit Alabama on March 4, he’ll be at Southern Cal for a couple of days over spring break and he’s “pretty sure” he’ll be in Austin for the junior day on March 25.
A Rivals250 member, Smith picked up an Alabama offer earlier this month and called that scholarship “a blessing.” USC offered a few months ago and that’s another one that intrigues him.
“Really (what stands out about USC) is just the connections and people I know that go there. (Darwin) Barlow the running back, I know him a little bit,” Smith said. “He’s been telling me about the school. I like that they’re different, have nice weather, nice coaches. Also Lincoln Riley, who wouldn’t want to play for Lincoln Riley?”
If he’s able to visit Texas in late March, as expected, it’ll be another chance for the Texas staff to make an impression and show Smith that he’s a priority.
“I just want to make more connections. I want to know I’m a top priority for them,” Smith said. “Once I feel I’m a top priority, I’ll continue to get deeper and deeper with them. That’s what I’m looking for there, and just meet all the coaches, more than I have.”
Jeff Choate is the primary recruiter for Texas, and Smith said the two have a good relationship.
“He’s a pretty straightforward type of dude. He’ll lay it down, let us know what opportunities are there, what benefits are there and will be there when we leave,” Smith said.
Along with Texas, programs like A&M, Notre Dame, Alabama, Oklahoma, Nebraska, USC and Baylor are in the mix. Smith should be formally trimming his list soon. He hopes to really narrow his focus in August with a decision coming any time after that. He says location won’t be a factor in his decision.
“I like ball enough, I can go anywhere and play. Especially if it’s a good opportunity, location doesn’t matter,” Smith said. “It would be good to stay in Texas, but it will be whichever school checks the most boxes for me.”
Texas is still at or near the top in this one, but the Longhorns are going to have to fend off some tough competition, including from in-state rival Texas A&M.
3. Texas has options to fill the void left by Jaden Allen’s decommitment
The decommitment of cornerback Jaden Allen on Saturday afternoon wasn’t necessarily expected in terms of the timing – I wasn’t sitting at home by the computer waiting for the news to drop - but I can’t say it was a complete surprise either if you’ve been paying attention to this one.
Allen did attend UT’s junior day in late January but he left early, and more importantly, followed that visit up with a trip to Alabama. That Bama visit prompted a flurry of social media activity by Allen with photos/videos from the visit. By comparison, there were no tweets following his Texas visit in January.
Allen and those close to him have been pretty quiet since his decommitment, so we haven’t yet heard an “official” reason for the change of heart, but in talking to a few other sources, this feels like one that Texas will be able to manage. The Longhorns are in good standing with some in-state cornerbacks, including guys like Kobe Black, Braylon Conley and Selman Bridges, and current UT commitment Hunter Moddon actually told OB this week that he slightly prefers cornerback over wide receiver.
There’s a thought that Alabama would be the choice by Allen if he had his way, but a source close to the Bama program told OB this week that the Crimson Tide are continuing to do evaluations at the cornerback position. USC could be a team to watch if the Trojans decide to push.
There’s always a chance things could heat back up with Texas – it happens infrequently that a recruit commits to a school twice, but it does happen. But we’re not expecting it at this point.
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TWO QUESTIONS
1. Is Tashard Choice the best recruiter on the staff?
@Cole Patterson and I were talking about this briefly as a topic for a future ‘CruitCast … which coaches on the Texas staff are the best recruiters?
If I’m picking one person as the best recruiter on the Texas staff, I’d probably lean toward head coach Steve Sarkisian because of the volume of players he’s involved in. Unlike a lot of college head coaches, Sark is heavily involved from the early stages of each recruitment of UT’s top targets, and he does a tremendous job of building strong relationships with both prospects and parents.
If we’re looking at UT assistants, many would probably point to tight ends coach Jeff Banks, and that certainly wouldn’t be a bad choice. Banks is a lot like Sark in that his ability to recruit players isn’t limited to any specific position, and he’s a guy who has the ability to connect with recruits beyond the scope of the tight end room.
Personally, I’d have to give the nod to Tashard Choice, which is pretty remarkable considering he’s only been a college position coach since 2018. Choice is still fairly new to the recruiting game, but his ability to recruit at a high level, especially since arriving at Texas, has been extremely impressive. Choice was hired in December of 2021 so he’s really only had one full recruiting cycle. All he did in that class is go into Florida and ink the nation’s No. 3-ranked running back in Cedric Baxter, in addition to Swiss Army Knife offensive weapon Tre Wisner. In this recruiting cycle, Choice is the sole reason that Texas is in the lead for Rivals100 runner Jerrick Gibson and he has Texas in the thick of the race for a number of other elite backs as he looks to bring in a two-RB class in 2024.
Every running back recruit I’ve talked to specifically mentions Choice’s personality and his energy as a reason Texas is so high on the prospect’s list. At UT’s junior day in January, none other than Bijan Robinson showed up and told the backs in attendance that it was Choice who helped him elevate his game. That message carried some weight, and it’s a testament to the kind of respect Choice earns from those under his tutelage. Throw in the fact that Choice is an active recruiter beyond just the running back position and oftentimes does some of the heavy lifting with prospects in Florida and the Southeast and a case can certainly be made that he’s the top recruiter on the UT staff.
2. What to expect with the dead period lifting at midnight tonight?
When the calendar officially turns over to March at midnight tonight, the monthlong February dead period will come to a close. While I won’t sit here and tell you to stay up late tonight in anticipation of some earth-shattering developments at 12:01 a.m., we should see an uptick of activity later this week with some continued action leading up to what should be an eventful junior day on March 25.
A handful of top underclassmen prospects are expected on campus this weekend and I’d expect that trend to continue with spring ball beginning on Monday, and players taking advantage of their spring breaks (mostly in March) to travel to hit college campuses. We’ll work on compiling a full list of junior day visitors closer to that event as players work out their schedules. In the meantime, some of the prospects who are expected in this weekend …
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ONE PREDICTION – The Texas women’s hoops team advances further in postseason play than the men’s team
Full disclosure, I decided on writing this prediction before the Texas women’s team suffered a critical and surprising home loss to Baylor on Monday night, but I’m going to stick to my guns.
I can’t say I’ve watched a lot of women’s hoops this year, but my gut tells me that the women’s team is better built to make a run in the NCAA Tournament than is the men’s team, which might actually go against common sense. The men’s team is fueled by a bunch of veterans, which should bode well for postseason play. It’s shown all year that it’s capable of battling back from deficits, so you can never count this team out of a game. Playing in a ridiculously tough Big 12 Conference should prepare the men’s team for the grind of postseason play, but I’m going against all that aforementioned logic because I have faith in Vic Schaefer in having his team ready to go when it matters most. Maybe Rodney Terry will do the same with the men’s team, but I could also see a scenario where that group digs itself into an early hole in the first weekend that it’s unable to get out of.
