THREE THINGS WE LEARNED
1. Vernon Broughton faces a tough decision coming up
Defensive lineman Vernon Broughton has had a plan over the last couple weeks. The Cy Ridge standout intended to get through the Rivals100 and The Opening Finals, pick a night to sit down his mother and grandmother at a nice restaurant, go over the pros and cons of the schools on his list and come to a decision. Both national recruiting events are over, meaning Broughton and his family could be meeting at any time, and this race is still too close to call heading into what will be an all-important brainstorming session.
Formally, Broughton is still considering all five schools he used for official visits – Texas, LSU, Arkansas, Ohio State and Texas A&M. Realistically, it’s a three-team race between the Longhorns, Aggies and Buckeyes. Indications have been given behind the scenes that it’s A&M and Ohio State that have a slight edge in Broughton’s mind heading into the family meeting, but the opinions of those close to him could hold enough weight to tip the scales in any direction.
According to Broughton, there’s still a lot to sort through.
“Really, every school is nice. It’s really where I’m going to fit in, living, if I’m going to stay in Texas or not,” Broughton said. “That’s the big thing. And a big family thing, every school shows that they love my family, but see what it’s really like.”
The Longhorns have been heavily involved in this one from the very beginning. In fact, most insiders felt Texas was the clear team to beat coming out of the Longhorns’ official visit in early May, only to see other schools shoot up Broughton’s list when he spent time on their campuses. Broughton has been very open that Texas is still very much involved, and there are a lot of elements that have UT squarely in the mix.
“Texas, my family can come down since it’s like two hours out. They have nice facilities and everything,” Broughton said. “I’m good with coach (Oscar) Giles, coach (Tom) Herman. Really cool with them.
“Coach Herman, he is involved 100 percent. He texts me every other day to see what I’m doing, checking in to see if I’m still good with them. I am still good with them.”
The 6-6, 285-pound Broughton hasn’t publicly trimmed his list from the five aforementioned schools, but he does admit that there’s a smaller grouping that is standing out in his mind. Not one, but a few.
“I have several to be honest, but one? Not really. That’s why I’m going to sit down, write it all out, see where I’m really focused at,” he said.
There’s been a lot of debate and discussion among fans on whether or not scheme will impact Broughton’s decision (some have assumed he wants to be an outside rush end) but Broughton himself has said he likes the idea of being able to show off his versatility. He reiterated that point again.
“I know I’m going to grow some more. People say d-tackle but I don’t really care to be honest. I just want to get on the field,” Broughton said.
With Texas A&M getting the final official visit, there’s been a lot of buzz about the Aggies surging into the lead in this race. Broughton doesn’t deny that A&M made a very strong impression on his visit, but he insists his mind is not yet made up.
“Texas A&M, it’s amazing, it’s nice. The culture there is nice. The college itself, the people, it’s a great place,” Broughton said. “Coach (Terry) Price, coach Jimbo (Fisher), they’re all good people. I talked to coach Price here lately, just going over things like where he sees me at, depth chart. It was nice.”
Bottom line … the guesses on Broughton have been all over the place, with some Texas fans still feeling the Longhorns have the edge, while others proclaiming Texas is completely out of the race. The fact is that neither of those estimations are true, and there’s still some wiggle room in this one. Texas isn’t the leader down the stretch in Broughton’s mind, but there are others whose input will be valuable in this one and if the Longhorns’ standing is at or near the top with Broughton’s mother and grandmother (or even his sister), it could be enough to push Texas out in front. The odds aren’t great, but anyone throwing in the towel is making a mistake.
2. Princely Umanmielen could be nearing a decision
Manor defensive lineman Princely Umanmielen has said he’ll make a decision in October, after he gets a chance to see the schools on his list play some games, but he tweeted last week that he could be closer to a decision than he originally anticipated.
Umanmielen hasn’t given direct indication of what is causing him to consider moving his commitment date up, but the guess here is that Texas’s best chance is if Umanmielen continues on his path for an October decision, giving Todd Orlando, Oscar Giles and the rest of the UT staff a chance to continue their recruiting efforts.
As much as any other prospect UT is recruiting, Umanmielen has been influenced on what he’s been told about him being more successful in other schemes than in UT’s scheme. Texas has done a pretty good job of combating those negative sales pitches from other schools, but Umanmielen reiterated recently that defensive scheme will be a key factor in his decision.
“It’s really important to me. I’m trying to play in a four-man down,” Umanmielen said. “Some schools that are recruiting me play a three-man and four-man. That’s cool, but I’d prefer a four-man.”
Texas has told Umanmielen and shown him that he’d have a chance to play in a variety of fronts and while those talks have helped, he has said he’d like to evaluate UT and the other schools on his list (OU and A&M) this fall.
“They’ve been telling me that they do 60/40. They said in the spring game they really did more four- down than three-man down,” Umanmielen said. “They pulled up film showing me where I’d be playing, showing that I’d be playing some stand up and things like that.”
If Umanmielen waits until October to decide, as he had originally planned, he said it will be as much about seeing the teams he’s watching play as it will be developing relationships with the coaches recruiting him.
“Just watching how some games play out. I don’t want to, say, commit to Oklahoma and then coach Grinch’s defense isn’t what everybody says it is,” Umanmielen said of the reasoning for a possible October decision.
When OB talked to Umanmielen about a month ago, he listed Texas A&M as a slight leader. After visiting UT for the Heat Wave pool party, he said it’s now a tie at the top.
“I would probably give it a three-way tie with A&M, Oklahoma and Texas,” Umanmielen said.
Umanmielen’s thoughts on his three favorites:
Texas A&M – “Just the city, I like the people there. Coach Price, he’s a funny dude, he’s put people in the NFL in early rounds. Just the d-line tradition down there.”
Oklahoma – “Really, coach Riley. I talk to coach Riley a lot and he talks to my parents. Coach Grinch has a new defense, I’m excited to see how that plays out this season.”
Texas – “I’ve been building a relationship with coach Giles since I was a freshman. That’s really been good. I’ve been down there a lot so I know all the players there and when I’m there I just talk to them like they’re family.”
3. Texas is a favorite for LB Len’Neth Whitehead
When OB first caught up with LB Len’Neth Whitehead after Texas offered, the Athens (GA) Academy product mentioned his interest was strong and he’d definitely be taking an official visit to see UT at some point.
That visit has yet to happen (Whitehead said when we talked recently that it will in the fall), but Texas is in the top seven that Whitehead released last week, joining Georgia, Georgia Tech, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas A&M and Wisconsin.
Whitehead said his interest in Texas is still strong, and he’ll either take an unofficial visit later this summer or an official visit during the season, possibly both.
“It’s still heavy (with Texas). I plan on still visiting, whether it’s as soon as dead period is over or during the season. Sometime early on before I make my commitment,” Whitehead said. “I still talk to coach (Orlando) weekly so everything is going pretty well.”
What has UT on Whitehead’s radar?
“Just coach Orlando’s ability to put linebackers in the league,” he said. “And they’re giving me the option to play either linebacker or running back. That really appeals to me. They usually a nice running back with some size.”
A 6-2, 232-pounder, Whitehead is primarily being recruited as a defensive player, but he’s also a standout running back at the high school level. He’s likely to play linebacker at the next level, but feels he could also be successful at running back, especially at a school like Texas with a history of playing bigger backs.
“I bring size, speed. I think I get the game at running back, what to hit, what to take, whether I need to bounce it outside or just take my four and fall. I feel I have that understanding of the game,” Whitehead said. “At linebacker, I bring speed and strength. I can move pretty well for a big guy. Most people project me as a middle linebacker, so I feel like with my size and speed I can bring a lot to the game as far as plugging each hole or bouncing outside and running sideline to sideline.”
Whitehead lists Texas, Georgia and Tennessee as schools he knows will get official visits. As for what it would take for a school like Texas to pry him away from the Southeast, he said his decision will simply come down to finding a spot where he feels most comfortable.
“It would just have to be the atmosphere. If I get there on campus and I feel like I’m at home, that opens up a lot of doors for that school because I’m not against going away from the Southeast,” Whitehead said. “I don’t mind exploring and trying new things. It’s just an ability to feel at home and have a good relationship with the coaches. And seeing if I have an opportunity to play early on.”
Orlando has talked to Whitehead about UT’s lack of proven linebacker depth, which has caught Whitehead’s attention.
“He’s saying they’re not necessarily weak at linebacker, but they didn’t recruit a lot of linebackers. They’re pretty open at linebacker,” Whitehead said. “I feel like I can go in with a coach like that and make an impact early on and better myself.”
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TWO QUESTIONS
1. What are Texas’ chances with Zach Evans after his recent unofficial visit?
I haven’t really had a chance to address running back Zachary Evans’ somewhat surprise unofficial visit to Texas (and subsequently Texas A&M) in late June, just before dead period kicked in. The hope was to see Evans at either the Five-Star Challenge or The Opening (or both), but he wasn’t in attendance for either, so the chance to talk to him there fell through the cracks.
My gut feel on this one is that everyone needs to take a deep breath – as I’ve suggested all along – and let this recruitment run its course. This was never going to be a recruitment where one visit turned the tide, and frankly, anything that happens this summer isn’t worth getting too worked up over. When we get to the fall and beyond, when Evans starts taking official visits, that’s when it will truly be time to start trying to read between the lines and analyze/agonize over his every move.
Getting him on campus for an unofficial visit certainly can’t be a bad sign for Texas, especially after the Longhorns did not make his top five. Nor should it have been a shock for anyone paying attention. Even without Texas making the cut, it seemed like a pretty safe bet that he’d be back in Austin for a visit at some point. But I have to admit, I did not see it happening so soon.
There was some chatter last week that Evans had altered his top five and added Texas. I checked with Evans directly, and he said the talk of him having a new list that included Texas were “rumors.” Honestly, I’m not sure it matters. This one feels like it’s a case where a top five this early is going to be extremely flexible, and any team that makes the cut isn’t going to be locked in to its place among his favorites.
I did check with a source on Monday night and asked if Texas still has a chance here, or if the Longhorns are still way behind. The word I was given is that there’s a feeling that Texas does in fact have a shot.
As I’ve said all along in this one, there’s a long way to go, there’s going to be a lot of movement back and forth, but Texas getting him on campus for a visit a couple weeks ago was a step in the right direction for the Longhorns to at least stay in the race.
2. What are Texas’ chances with recent 2021 DE offer Shemar Turner?
DeSoto defensive end Shemar Turner picked up an offer from Texas while in town for the Texas Heat Wave in late June. The 2021 standout said it was a good visit overall, and he felt really good about getting the offer.
“We want on a tour around the trophy room, talked to the academic people, and we went in and talked to coach Herman and he offered me,” Turner said. “I was very surprised and excited.”
The 6-4, 245-pound Turner described himself as “explosive” and “quick for (his) size.” He plans to return to UT in late June for Texas’ night camp and hopes to have a decision towards the end of his junior season. As for Texas, Turner said he got a good feeling on his recent visit.
“It feels like I’m at home. Very comfortable here,” he said.
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ONE PREDICTION – Texas gets good recruiting news on Tuesday
This one isn’t exactly me going out to the edge of the weakest limb on the branch, but the guess here is that Texas will get good news when Prince Dorbah announces his decision on Tuesday afternoon. The Highland Park standout has a top five of Texas, LSU, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Oklahoma State, but this one feels like the Longhorns have had a commanding lead for several months.
Should Dorbah pick Texas, it’ll give the Longhorns yet another big commitment from the DFW area, this time from a Rivals100 defender.
