THREE THINGS WE LEARNED
1. All the Javonne Shepherd drama last week was unnecessary
It seemed like there was daily hand-wringing on the board over Javonne Shepherd last week, with fans wondering if he’d make it to Austin for his second visit in the past couple weeks, wondering if he’d make it to College Station for a visit, wondering if Texas still led or if A&M would make a move if he did go check out the Aggies.
As it turns out, there really wasn’t a cause for any drama at all and Shepherd’s recruitment continues to trend well for the Longhorns.
After visiting Texas A&M on Friday, Shepherd did in fact make his way over to Austin for the Texas Heat Wave party on Saturday. Once again, Texas made a big impression on the Houston North Forest standout.
“It was really nice. I enjoyed everything about it,” Shepherd said. “Really, it’s just recruiting. I’m just being really patient, seeing how everything goes.”
When Shepherd visited Texas a couple weeks ago he told us that the Longhorns were standing alone atop his list. There was some thought that the race could tighten up after Friday’s visit to Texas A&M, but when I asked Shepherd if Texas still held the lead, his answer was pretty telling.
“For sure. Hook’em, forever,” he said. “It’s just the team, the staff and just everything else. The staff, the players, they treat you like you’re family or more.
“I’m very cool with Herb Hand, Tom Herman, Corby Meekins – really the whole staff. It’s really like they care for me more than just as a player. It’s as a person as well.”
There’s been some thought that Shepherd could make an early commitment and while he is known to kind of make some decisions on the fly, Shepherd said this weekend that his current plan is to take his official visits in the fall and then make a decision. He does want to visit Georgia and Alabama at some point this summer.
“I’m being patient. Just being really patient, going slow with everything,” Shepherd said.
This one feels like it could take some twists and turns as it runs its course, but Texas has every reason to feel confident right now. Shepherd’s words and actions are all pro-UT and having people in his corner that like and respect the Texas staff has this one trending very well for the Longhorns.
2. The early out-of-state pledges are rock solid with their commitments
The Texas coaches have done an incredible job with their out-of-state recruiting efforts, including four early pledges from prospects who are all on the radars of top programs from all over the nation.
Brayden Liebrock and Jake Smith are fairly new additions to the Texas recruiting class. De'Gabriel Floyd was one of Texas’ earliest commitments and he’s never once wavered. In fact, he’s become one of the Longhorns’ most vocal supporters on social media, he’s made multiple trips back to the Forty Acres since his commitment and he’ll spend a good portion of July in Austin as well.
Defensive back Kenyatta Watson committed to Texas on May 1 and returned to Austin for the first time as a Longhorn commitment last weekend. The Loganville (GA) Grayson product said it was another really good visit and he’s started to develop strong bonds with several current team members.
“Everything so far is going really well. I got here (on Friday) and I was introduced to Jalen (Green), who I’m staying with,” Watson said. “Everything has been cool since then. Everyone has been really hospitable and it’s just been fun hanging out with everybody.”
Watson had offers from pretty much every major college football program before he committed to Texas and other schools have tried to continue to recruit him, but he said he still feels great about his decision.
“It’s still a really strong commitment,” Watson said. “This is really where I want to be, where I want to take my talents to in a year.”
And what separated Texas from the close to 40 other schools that offered him, including bridesmaid Notre Dame?
“Something about Texas is just different, just the vibe they give off. Plus this is somewhere as a player I think I could really see myself wearing,” Watson said. “Even back when NCAA was out, I played as the Texas Longhorns. It’s just something I always wanted to be a part of.”
Last weekend, Watson did some recruiting of his own and said he connected with top 2020 athlete Mookie Cooper. When he wasn’t around the other recruits, he was getting better acquainted with current team members and said everyone he came across was very welcoming.
“It’s been really cool. They act like I’m already here,” Watson said. “It’s not like anybody is trying to exclude me from doing anything. Everyone is all ‘Come join what we’re doing.’ It’s been really cool.”
3. Oscar Giles did a good job in recruiting Peter Mpagi
Texas landed a commitment from defensive end Peter Mpagi on Saturday, and while Mpagi had been high on the Longhorns for a long time, that doesn’t take away from the job defensive line coach Oscar Giles did in recruiting him and the relationship Giles built with the George Ranch product over the better part of the last year.
In talking to Mpagi, who is extremely intelligent and mature, he highlighted the comfort level he had built with Giles during the course of his recruitment, saying he “can tell him anything.” Mpagi said his conversations with Giles are straightforward and sincere, whereas some coaches came across as too much of a salesman in their recruiting pitches. I spoke to a source with knowledge of Giles as a recruiter and how he handled Mpagi’s situation, and he echoed those sentiments.
“Some other coaches, they’re almost too aggressive whereas coach Giles worked on building the relationship. It wasn’t about pushing a sales pitch, it was more about building on things, showing new things each time Peter visited, building the comfort level,” the source said.
Mpagi just picked up his UT offer last week and committed a few days later. He was open about the Texas offer being one he was hoping to acquire, and Texas did a good job of keeping him in the loop throughout the process. Giles stayed in close contact with Mpagi for over a year and made it clear that when Texas offers, it’s a committable offer. Mpagi and those around him were smart enough to read between the lines with other schools, who often-times hand out offers just to placate a prospect and keep them happy while they sort through other options at the position.
“Texas isn’t that way. As soon as they offer, it’s a committable offer. So with some kids, they wait a little longer,” the source said. “Take 2019 and 2020. Defensive end is a big need for Texas,” the source said. “They’re going to take four or five defensive ends and b-backers in this class, so when they offer they have to be sure.
“So it kind of handcuffs the coaches sometimes. Giles has to be really good, has to develop that relationship. (Mpagi) had already started a relationship with Giles three or four months before he visited for the spring game last year. Giles liked him, liked his film, but wanted to see more of him, bring him around, get him acclimated to the program.
“What was great bout Giles, in between visits, he was tweeting or texting two or three times a week, telling him how much he liked him, getting into conversations outside of football, talking about life. Peter got really comfortable with him. … Just the way he fostered the relationship over time was very impressive. Every time Peter would call, Giles would answer all of his questions and was very thorough about everything.”
Mpagi is Texas’ second defensive line commitment in the 2019 class, joining Huntsville’s T’Vondre Sweat, which was a battle Texas won very early over the likes of Texas A&M, OU and TCU. Texas is still involved in a number of other defensive line prospects and hosted a couple uncommitted targets (Jermaine Johnson and Taurean Carter) for unofficial visits last weekend.
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TWO QUESTIONS
1. How did Herb Hand do at the Angelo Football Clinic last week?
Texas offensive line coach Herb Hand was one of the presenters at last week’s Angelo Football Clinic (along with others like Nick Saban, Jimbo Fisher, Jay Boulware and Dave Aranda).
I caught up with a high school coaching contact of mine, who raved about Hand’s presentation.
“Hand is the real deal,” the coach said. “His attention to detail is at a level I haven’t really seen from an offensive line guy.”
I’ve been told this summer that the current Texas offensive linemen speak very highly of Hand after working with him in spring football, and the high school coach I spoke with this week said Hand’s personality won over the coaches in attendance at last weeks’ conference.
“Very engaging. He profusely thanked the high school coaches for how we develop kids in the state of Texas,” the source said. “He was 100 percent in line with every other presentation by this Texas staff since Tom Herman got the job, that there’s an open door to high school coaches.
“You can tell he’s a no bullshit guy and that he’ll rip your ass if the expectation isn’t met, but that he pours into them and loves on them just as hard.”
2. Where do things stand with defensive tackle Taurean Carter?
Mansfield Legacy defensive tackle Taurean Carter made his first visit to Texas on Saturday since picking up his UT offer in the spring, and he said there was a different vibe to this visit.
“People just notice you. Quite a few people already knew my name before I got here,” Carter said before he left the UT campus. “People I didn’t even know, so I got to meet other people. Once you get that offer, the people that have been offered and are committed, they’re trying to recruit you. It makes the decision even harder.”
Carter said Texas commitment T’Vondre Sweat was one of the players recruiting him the hardest, and Carter spent quite a bit of time in the football offices with Giles after the Heat Wave pool party had ended.
The 6-3, 250-pound Carter listed Texas and TCU as his two favorites and said he views the two in a very similar light.
“It’s just the environment (at Texas),” Carter said when asked what stands out about the Longhorns. “The situation that they have going for themselves. Just a winning attitude. And even the possibility of a national championship.
“It’s the same (at TCU). They’re a contender for a national championship. They have great drive, a great attitude, a great coaching staff, and a great fan base.”
Carter said Texas is recruiting him to play all along the defensive line. While Texas is tied atop his list right now, we do feel that …
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ONE PREDICTION – The Longhorns eventually win out for Taurean Carter
Carter lists Texas and TCU as being even, and he does have a long list of other offers, but I’ll put my money on the Longhorns right now. What I’m hearing behind the scenes is that Texas is the team to beat, and throw in the possibility of UT landing two of his teammates (Jalen Catalon and his cousin, Jefferey Carter), and this one looks pretty good for Texas.
