THREE THINGS WE LEARNED
1. Texas will host a big-time visitor this weekend in five-star running back Kendall Milton
Clovis (CA) Buchanan running back Kendall Milton is one of the country’s hottest prospects, with more than 40 scholarship offers. The nation’s No. 2-ranked running back prospect, Milton has been in touch with the UT staff and he’ll be in Austin this weekend for his first look at what Texas has to offer. According to Milton, it’s his relationships with the UT staff that is making him want to get to Austin.
“Talking to coach (Stan) Drayton, he’s a running backs coach who has developed a lot of running backs at the next level. That’s something I look at a lot. Coach (Tom) Herman, he’s been able to lead the team – the difference between last year’s team and this year’s team is a huge growth seeing how they’ve adjusted. That’s big for me, seeing how a team has bounced back from adversity,” Milton said. “That coaching staff has opened my eyes up a lot and led me to take a visit to Texas.
“I’m going to go out there on the 23rd, just get a feel for the campus, see the facilities and just spend some time with the coaches to see if I can feel comfortable with them for three or four years of my college experience, see how everything goes.”
While in town, Milton said he wants to not only get a feel for the people in the UT program, he also wants get a good look at the Texas business school, which should make a strong impression.
“The biggest thing to me is just being comfortable with the campus, comfortable with the school,” Milton said. “Spending time there that long, you can’t feel uncomfortable there. The other thing, is seeing how I feel around the coaching staff, seeing how I can adapt to them, how open I can be with them. And also the strength of the business school because I want to major in business and finance, so seeing how strong the business school is will be something big for me.”
Milton is aware of Drayton’s history of putting backs in the NFL and he’s also aware of Texas’ rich running back history. Both topics have been discussed in his conversations with the UT staff.
“It gets brought up a lot. They let me know I can go out there and be that dominant back, and that’s something that’s big to me,” Milton said. “Seeing how much they produce at the next level, I could see myself being one of those backs that’s three and done, chasing the dream and going to the league.”
Along with Texas, Milton said programs like Alabama, LSU, Georgia, Oklahoma and Ohio State are recruiting him the hardest. He’s trying to squeeze in a handful of unofficial visits this spring before deciding on five official visits. Milton said Texas will still be in contention for an official visit in addition to this weekend’s visit. He plans to make a commitment during the early signing window in December.
“Right now, I’m trying to plan out some visits to places in the south and then go hit Ohio State. I want to be able to take my official visits before the summer and then take one during the season so I can be able to make my decision before the early signing period,” Milton said.
When it comes down to a final decision, Milton listed a few key factors, and they’re all elements that Texas should be able to showcase.
“The first thing is the strength of the business school because I want to be able to set myself up well after football. The second thing is seeing how the depth chart is because I want to go in and get early playing time,” Milton said. “The third thing is just seeing how the teams can benefit you after college because once that clock ticks and it’s all said and done, you have to be able to be set up for life after football because it’s still a long life to live. I want to go to a school that can help me succeed off the field after everything is all said and done.”
2. Texas is in a good position for five-star cornerback Kelee Ringo
Scottsdale Saguaro five-star cornerback Kelee Ringo is no stranger to UT or the Texas campus. The Longhorns have been recruiting Ringo for the better part of a year, and he’s actually made two unofficial visits to UT already. Needless to say, Ringo’s interest in the Longhorns is strong.
“I like coach Herman and coach (Jason) Washington a lot. I’ve actually been there twice and I haven’t been to any other school twice in the nation,” Ringo said. “So I feel like Texas would definitely be a huge school I’m looking at in this whole process.”
Ringo has told OB that he plans to get back to Austin for another visit, likely this spring. A Texas official visit is also expected to happen. The 6-1, 180-pound standout said he gets a good feel every time he steps foot on the Texas campus.
“It’s all family out there. Whether you’re a stranger or not, they welcome you with open arms. I like it there for sure,” Ringo said.
The nation’s No. 2-ranked corner prospect and the No. 9-ranked prospect regardless of position, the Texas staff has done a great job in recruiting Ringo up to this point.
“My relationship with the coaches,” Ringo said when asked what stands out about Texas. “I feel like Texas, I have the best relationship with them right now. I was in all their film rooms. The players, the whole atmosphere at Texas, I like it a lot.”
Ringo’s DB coach at Saguaro is none other than Bryant Westbrook. The former Texas all-American corner stays in Ringo’s ear about UT, which can only help. Westbrook’s message?
“Don’t go to Oklahoma. Don’t go to Oklahoma,” Ringo said with a laugh. “Just go around, be open and honest with everybody.”
Ringo said he’d like to take several more unofficial visits to help him decide which schools will then get official visits. He’s planning to take the recruiting process at a slow pace before making an eventual decision. When it comes time to make a commitment, Ringo said his relationship with the people in the program will be the biggest factor.
“How I vibe with the coaches. I know I’m going to be with my position coach 95 percent of the time I’m on campus. So that relationship with my position coach is going to be a huge thing for me,” Ringo said. “The head coach too. And the players overall. That Texas atmosphere has definitely sets the standard.”
3. Add five-star TE Darnell Washington to the list of players wanting to visit UT soon
Las Vegas Desert Pines tight end Darnell Washington is the nation’s top-ranked prospect at his position. Texas has offered and while Washington doesn’t know a ton about UT just yet, he did say he’s hoping to get to Austin soon.
“I haven’t been there yet. I plan on coming out sometime soon. I’m not sure when or what day, but I know for sure I’m going to go visit them,” Washington said. “I just want to communicate with the coaches more.
“My thoughts about Texas, when they come into the picture, I don’t know how to describe it but they have tons of history and everybody knows what Texas is and who they are. I know they play hard, fast, physical, smart.”
Texas has stressed to Washington how instrumental the tight end position is to UT’s offense. That’s one area that Washington said will weigh heavily into his eventual decision, as will education and how he meshes with the team. As for a timeline, Washington said he’s simply trying to work through the process right now before deciding on some official visits.
“First, I’m going to continue taking unofficials. I want to take unofficials multiple times, make sure that’s a school I want to take an official visit to since you only get five,” Washington said. “I want to just explore, make sure that’s a school I want to take it to.”
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TWO QUESTIONS
1. What kind of impression did Texas make on Willie Tyler on his official visit last weekend?
Iowa Western Community College offensive lineman Willie Tyler took a Texas official visit last weekend. At this point, Tyler doesn’t hold a UT offer but he said it was a tremendous visit nonetheless.
On his overall impressions of the visit:
“The visit was great. I guess we got an at home feeling from it. All the players brought me in with open arms. They didn’t sugar coat everything, told me the coaches they loved, how the weight room program was, how willingly helpful the coaches are to you as a person, as a football player. When we went through the tour and broke down the education, I really saw that. That gave me a great feel. What stood out to me was the weight room and all the coaches, really. They all seemed to know about me, were interested in me, wanted to talk to me. Everybody was really just showing love. Coach Yancy (McKnight), he was great, the way he broke down things.”
On what he was told about a possible offer:
“They said they have another official visit weekend with a grad transfer. They really want to get a feel for him and stuff, see how the players feel about him and then they’ll decide.
“Coach (Herb) Hand said he didn’t know if he’d have one or two scholarships, but hopefully he’ll have two. But I should know shortly after those other visits.”
On whether or not he’ll take other visits:
“I might take an official visit Oklahoma and maybe Kentucky, possibly Illinois. I’m just talking to them right now. They all said they’d hit me up this week and go from there.”
On what he’d do if Texas does offer:
"I would definitely jump at it immediately," Tyler said. "I feel like no weight room program can compete with theirs. It would be great players all around me, so I would obviously get better whether I redshirt or come in and play. I just feel like that the O-line chemistry, it’s not like that at every school. Some schools have groups, at Texas there’s a bond, there's no separation at all between the players."
2. What kind of impression did Texas make on R.J. Proctor on his official visit last weekend?
Virginia graduate transfer offensive lineman R.J. Proctor was also in Austin last weekend for an official visit. Like Tyler, he has not been formally offered but Proctor said it was a good visit overall.
On his overall impressions of the visit:
"Everyone here is really close, really friendly. It feels good coming to another place and feeling like it’s home," Proctor said. "All the players are really close. It’s kind of like an upgraded version of Virginia. Texas football is just something different. People don’t take it lightly here. They were telling me some history, how they had like 105,000 people at a game. That’s just crazy. I would love to play in a place like that."
On his hosts:
Christian Jones was one host. Denzel Okafor too. They’re both really cool, people. We clicked. They showed me around, the facilities are beautiful. It really showed me what a top tier program looks like.”
On the facility upgrades and his impression of Tom Herman:
“They’re rebuilding it, which is crazy. I was like, ‘This right here is heaven to me.’ The locker room is crazy. Coach Herman is a great guy, reminds me a lot of coach Bronco (Mendenhall) with his principles. He’s a really down to earth guy. We went to his house. I feel like I just clicked with everyone down there. That’s big with me. Being a fifth-year guy, it’s about business and relationships for me.”
On if he’ll still be taking his scheduled visits to Ohio State, Oklahoma, Florida State and Houston:
“That’s what I would say the plan is. But really I’m just going by what my heart is. If I go on an official visit and fall in love, I might commit on the spot. I got that vibe from Texas, but (they haven’t offered me). If they did, that changes a lot of things. I don’t know yet. For right now, I’m just going on my other visits.”
On Herb Hand:
“Coach Hand is a great guy. I’ve been studying coach Hand’s principles ever since I was a sophomore in college. It was good seeing him, talking to him in person, chopping it up. It was really good seeing him again.”
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ONE PREDICTION – Six Rivals 5-Star Challenge invitations go out at this weekend’s Rivals 3 Stripe Camp in Houston
Some of the top prospects from the state of Texas will be in Houston this weekend for the Rivals 3 Stripe Camp, where the players will compete with hopes of getting an invitation to the Five-Star Challenge in June.
Zachary Evans is a no-brainer to make the Five-Star Challenge for the second year in a row. Bryson Washington, who visited UT last weekend, is a pretty safe bet as well. I’ll go with Troy Omeire, Damieon George, Vernon Broughton and Reuben Fatheree II as four others who get invited.
