THREE THINGS WE LEARNED
1. Anthony Hill sees a difference in Texas in year two under Steve Sarkisian
Denton Ryan linebacker Anthony Hill was one of the top players to make his way to Austin last weekend as the UT staff hosted a number of recruits for Saturday’s practice. The five-star banger has been on the UT campus for more recruiting events than I can count, and last weekend’s stop was another that made a strong impression. Hill was joined on the visit by recruiting colleagues/friends Johntay Cook and Rueben Owens. Those three spent much of the day hanging out, which can only be a benefit for Texas. But in talking to Hill’s father, his son is taking a methodical approach to the recruiting process so anyone assuming he’ll be swayed by the decisions of other players is misreading things a bit.
“They’re all pretty cool. They’ve been cool for a couple years now, just knowing each other football-wise, then they all go to the same places,” Mr. Hill said. “They talk about it, but at the end of the day, it’s going to come down to wherever these kids feel most comfortable. We joke about (them playing together) as dads, but at end of the day it’s what’s best for each of the kids.”
Hill and the other recruits got a chance to watch Texas go through a spring practice on Saturday and according to Mr. Hill, Anthony was practically ready to strap on a helmet and get involved.
“We’ve been there a bunch. This visit was mostly about football. We were at the facility, but were there for spring practice, talked to the coaches, met with linebackers coach (Pete Kwiatkowski) and Sark. It was just really about football,” Mr. Hill said. “He enjoyed the practice. He was dialed in. A couple times, we had to yell ‘get out of the way.’ The inside drills, he loved that – the physicality, the contact. When they went live, he loved that part. Watching the linebackers, watching Ja’Tavion (Sanders), that’s a good friend of his. He hung out with (DeMarvion) Overshown. It was mainly about ball. It’s just going to come down to him feeling comfortable.”
It’s no secret that Texas has a significant and deep need at linebacker in the 2023 class. That fact, and the opportunity to play early, has been expressed to Hill, but his father said Anthony’s eventual decision will come down to much more than just depth charts.
“The schools he’s considering, they all do a pretty damn good job with that. That’s not going to be a determining factor,” Mr. Hill said. “It’s going to be what Ant feels is best, what we feel is best for his career. He wants to play championship football, wants to play elite defense.”
Hill will be at Texas A&M this weekend and then will travel to Miami the weekend after that. He’s looking at hitting OU’s spring game on April 23. A trip to USC is another that the family has discussed. The nation’s No. 16-ranked prospect overall is in no hurry to make a decision, but he is planning to enroll early.
“He’ll probably take a couple officials this summer. We just haven’t narrowed down an exact date,” Mr. Hill said. “He’s not just going to be going anywhere and everywhere for nothing. Ant doesn’t like the glitz and glamour. He’s not going to waste anyone’s time.
“As of right now, it could go to December (for a decision). After the summer, after a couple visits to places we haven’t been, that’s what we’ll focus on. … As far as commitment, it could be any time before fall or into December.”
2. The talk of Texas having a different energy at Saturday’s practice was a common theme
I found it extremely interesting in talking to more than a half-dozen different recruits who took in Saturday’s practice that every single one of them mentioned that the physicality and/or energy stood out. Literally … every single one. If I didn’t know any better, I would think that the recruits were given those buzz words as actual talking points, but I can’t imagine that being the case at all. More likely, the Texas players and coaches – including a couple new young staff members – were displaying passion and a bounce in their step that wasn’t always the case last year.
Some comments …
WR Kyle Parker – “They practiced well. High intensity, everyone flying around. The wide receivers were producing, making plays. Seeing the coaches in action was a great thing.”
DL Zalance Heard – “I liked the practice. It was pretty good. I liked the competitiveness. I’m competitive myself.”
DL Jaren Woods – “The highlights were we went and watched the team practice. What stood out is I liked the energy and I liked how competitive they were.”
DB Jordan Matthews – “Probably the competing in practice (stood out). Everybody was just having great energy, just stepping up for each drill and bringing that energy to practice.”
WR Jaquaize Pettaway – “The practice was electric. Everyone out there had great energy. In my eyes, everybody on the team wanted to be competitive, just dogs. They wanted to get after it. I just like that energy on the team.”
LB Anthony Hill, Sr. – "He already pointed that out yesterday. He's already seen a different culture. Guys are out there banging (at practice), scuffling around. We talked to a couple coaches about that. They didn’t have scuffles last year. This year, guys are out there really competing. They want to win, want that championship culture."
Will any of that amount to a hill of beans in the long run? We’ll see. I’m usually the first to say I need to see it with my own eyes … and usually multiple times … before I’m ready to fully buy in but if you’re a Texas fan you’d much rather hear those types of comments than some talk of how nice the weather was or even how the facilities stood out.
3. Texas is in a good spot with La Grange defensive tackle Jaren Woods
La Grange defensive tackle Jaren Woods was a player I was interested in catching up with following his visit to UT last weekend since I’d never been able to reach him previously. After talking to Woods on Sunday night, it sounds like the time spent in Austin made a strong impact and as a prospect who excels both in the classroom and on the field, this is one in which I expect Texas to receive very strong consideration.
As noted in the section above, Woods cited the energy and competitiveness of the Saturday practice, and he said there was a healthy respect from everyone on the field, even when directly competing against each other.
“I just saw that when they went live, when the team was on the field, they went offense versus defense and the defensive side, me being with Bo Davis, when they stopped a play the players on the sideline were cheering, hyped,” Woods said. “There was no negative energy. Everybody was just telling each other good job. It was physical as well. In practice, when they were in individuals, they were just physical with each other. But there were no hard feelings. Physical is part of football. It was a cool experience.”
Woods, who counts places like Yale, Cal, Texas, TCU, Texas Tech, Baylor, and Houston among his offers, said he’s still pretty open at this point. He does point out that academics will play a part in his eventual decision.
“That’s pretty important. A good degree for the life after football is important,” Woods said. “I think I want to study computer tech or kinesiology.”
The 6-5, 278-pound Woods doesn’t have a formal list of favorites but said if he did, Texas would be near the top.
“Texas, if I absolutely had to pick a top three right now, Texas would definitely be in it,” Woods said. “Just the coaching staff and the campus - it’s all nice. I like it. They’d most definitely be top three.”
Last weekend was Woods’ second time visiting UT after he previously was on campus for a junior day in January. He spent time on Saturday talking with Bo Davis, who expressed to Woods that Woods would fit in well as Texas transitions to the SEC.
“He was just telling me that he thinks I’m a great fit. And that he doesn’t really care about recruiting for the Big 12. It’s about recruiting for the SEC and he feels I could play at that level,” Woods said. “He just thinks I’d be a great fit for their team.”
Woods wants to take some official visits before making a commitment. He said a likely timeline for deciding would be after his senior season. Texas will “for sure” get an official visit, he said.
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TWO QUESTIONS
1. Does Texas have a chance with OL/DL Zalance Heard?
When I spoke with Rivals250 OL/DL Zalance Heard back in late February, he was heaping praise on the Longhorns after having visited UT a couple times in the summer and last fall.
“I’m pretty open as of right now. But Texas man, I love me some Texas … I just like the environment at Texas,” Heard told OB back in February.
When we caught up with the Monroe (LA) Neville standout on Sunday, he was a bit more bland with his comments. Most likely it was because I caught heard while he was in the car on a long ride home, but he said he’d pretty much seen everything at Texas before so he was having trouble picking any one thing that truly stood out.
The 6-6, 300-pound Heard, who is being recruited as a defensive lineman by Texas, did point out how “physical and intense” Texas was a Saturday’s practice and once again said he relates well to Bo Davis.
“He’s just a cool dude,” Heard said.
The big fella said he’s unsure of any other visits at this point and even said an offer from in-state LSU last week didn’t really shake things up in his recruitment.
“Not that much,” Heard said of the impact from the LSU offer.
Again … not the most exciting comments but we’ll follow up again later this spring to see if things have changed.
2. Could Texas eventually make a move on OL Trevor Goosby?
Offensive lineman Trevor Goosby is an intriguing prospect who could really see his stock blow up during the spring evaluation period and over the course of the summer. The Melissa standout already has a handful of offers and has been in contact with a number of other schools who have told him they’re going to continue to evaluate him, including Texas and Florida State.
“Right now TCU and SMU are the top two that are really standing out,” Goosby said (both have offered). “I like the hospitality of both schools and what they have in store for me is really promising to me.”
As for Texas, Goosby has been in touch with Blake Gideon and Kyle Flood and the coaches told him they’ll keep their eye on him moving forward.
“They just want to see how I develop throughout the summer. I went to one of their junior days and they seem super interested,” Goosby said. “Now I just need to keep developing. Maybe it’s there, maybe it’s not.”
Why is Goosby so intriguing? At 6-6, he’s a true tackle. He played at about 240 pounds last year but his body has really filled out and he’s now a bit over 280 while keeping his mobility. Goosby broke his elbow last season and practiced through it but later fell on it and completely broke the bone. He had surgery and is now back to full strength. His father also spent a minute in the NFL so there’s some talent in the bloodlines.
Should Texas eventually pick up its interest in the way of an offer, Goosby said the Longhorns would immediately move towards the top of his list.
“They would definitely be in my top three right now, no doubt,” he said. “My whole mom’s side of the family went to Texas so I have a really big love for Texas. I also really like how they coach.”
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ONE PREDICTION – At LEAST six players from the list below wind up committing to Texas …
Arch Manning
Rueben Owens
Johntay Cook
Jaden Greathouse
Lafayette Kaiuway
William Randle
Jaydon Chatman
Andre Cojoe
Ashton Porter
Jordan Matthews
