7:30 p.m. update - Vernon Jackson signed with A&M. Well, that was fun.
6:30 p.m. update - To make things more interesting, A&M did in fact land Charles Strong, the Aggies' second RB signee of the day. With Jackson thinking he'll get a shot at offense should he sign with A&M, it'll be interesting to see if this is enough to push him in UT's direction.
For what it's worth, I've heard that A&M still feels like they're going to get him, but I'm not sure anyone truly knows how this one will shake out.
Jackson is supposed to decide at about 7 p.m., but I'm not sure we can even count on that at this point.
5:25 p.m. update - Random rumor of the night regarding Vernon Jackson ...
He's obviously still torn and A&M bringing in more RBs, it's causing Jackson to have second thoughts on where he stands with A&M. And here's the kicker, I'm hearing TCU is a major player in this one that nobody is talking about. In fact, one person I spoke with thought the reason for Jackson waiting so long was to see what A&M's running back numbers would wind up looking like (they got one commit today from Jashaun Corbin and are still in it for Charles Strong) and he could then decide on Texas or even TCU.
Wednesday 5 p.m. update - Recording a podcast and trying to do some checking, but it's now sounding like Vernon Jackson will (hopefully) have a decision tonight at about 7 p.m.
Texas' press release earlier and Tom Herman's comments made it sound like Texas was done at 27 commitments, but until Vernon Jackson actually sends in his letter of intent, anything could happen with this one. Like I said earlier, one of the weirder, more unpredictable recruitments I can remember covering in a long while.
2:50 p.m. update - Texas just issued a press release ...
"Texas Football adds eight to complete 2018 signing class"
Looks like no Vernon Jackson (or Waddle).
11:20 a.m. - Tommy Bush just announced that he'll be going to Georgia. Texas tried to get in late but it was too much of a gap to overcome.
11 a.m. update -
Andrew Parker sticks with Arkansas ...
10:40 a.m. update - WR Lawrence Keys has signed with Notre Dame. Texas made a nice run at the end but came up just short.
10:35 a.m. update -
The Texas Longhorns have been plucking off commitments left and right, adding three pledges over the last three days.
On Wednesday morning, National Signing Day, Texas added another to make it four consecutive days with a commitment. And it’s a big one.
Conroe Oak Ridge defensive end Joseph Ossai, one of Texas’ top recruiting targets for the better part of the last year, has committed to Texas, giving the Longhorns yet another key piece in their 2018 recruiting class.
Ossai was part of a tightly-contested back and forth recruiting battle between Texas and Texas A&M that was too close to call for most of his recruitment. In fact, there were moments when it appeared A&M had seized the lead, only to see Texas come charging back late in the process and surge into the lead in January. On Wednesday morning, Ossai put an end to the suspense, making his Texas commitment official.
The 6-4, 210-pound Ossai took official visits to Notre Dame, Texas and Texas A&M in the fall before squeezing in an Oregon visit last weekend. A dynamic athlete off the edge, Ossai is a versatile defender who can use his quickness and athleticism to rush the passer, play the run or drop back into coverage.
“Physically, there’s so much to like,” said Rivals.com regional recruiting analyst Nick Krueger. “He’s one of the best looking dudes standing around as far as football players go. I think there’s some technique things he needs to get sorted out in terms of when to go to what moves, when to read and react, but he’ll pick that up over time. I would like to see him be more consistent of a threat on a play by play basis, but at any point when he turns it on, he can run around you, run through you, can put on a second move and get past you. With him, it’s just a matter of a little more seasoning but he has a lot of potential.”
Ossai is a four-star prospect and the nation’s No. 14-ranked weakside defensive end prospect. He’s ranked No. 34 on the Lone Star Recruiting Top 100.
10:30 a.m. update - As expected, QB Tanner McKee signs with Stanford.
9:05 a.m. update - Christian Jones is in.
8:24 a.m. update - Keaontay Ingram is in.
8:19 a.m. update - Pic from Moro Ojomo's signing ....
8:04 a.m. update - Josh Moore is in.
7:40 a.m. update - From Keondre Coburn
7:37 a.m. update - I'm hearing Andrew Parker now won't announce until 10 a.m. Was originally scheduled for 9 a.m.
7:35 a.m. update - Back to back DTs are in, this time it's Moro Ojomo.
7:30 update - So much for the drama with Keondre Coburn. He's in.
7:25 a.m. update - From someone at Boling High School this morning ... still no word on what Vernon Jackson is going to do, and still no set time on when he'll send in his LOI.
One of the more unique recruitments I've seen in a while.
7:13 a.m. update - Daniel Carson is official.
7:10 a.m. update - Mike Williams is in.
7:07 a.m. update - Daniel Carson is signing right now.
Tuesday 9:45 p.m. update - A couple Tuesday night updates as we get ready for what should be an interesting Wednesday ...
--- It's being reported by SECCountry that Alabama and Vernon Jackson have parted ways. Jackson wasn't expected to stick with Bama, but it is a bit surprising after Alabama had invested so much time in trying to hold onto his commitment.
So that leaves Texas and Texas A&M. There's no real consensus on which way this one will go, but I did hear tonight that one person with knowledge of the situation thought Texas' chances had improved. Does that mean improved enough to overtake the lead and land him? Not sure, honestly, and Jackson doesn't tip his hand.
Of note, there's no planned ceremony for Jackson tomorrow and from what I've gathered, no real schedule for him to decide and send in his letter of intent. This one could be a guessing game down to the very end.
--- It's looked like it will be a Texas-Arkansas battle for linebacker Andrew Parker, but that may not necessarily be the case. Ole Miss offered today and I'm hearing they actually are being considered. And other programs have been sniffing around as well.
Parker took visits to Arkansas and Texas, but this one is all over the place (and has been, including him waiting until the last minute to decide on his official visits). Could a shock happen tomorrow morning when he signs at 9 a.m.? It's not out of the question.
--- Lawrence Keys tells me tonight he's still down to Texas and Notre Dame, but I still expect that one to go Notre Dame's way tomorrow morning. Remember, the Irish have been recruiting him for a long time while Texas is fairly new to the race.
Tuesday 6:20 p.m. update -
There was a time not too long ago when Texas Longhorn fans were worried about the Longhorns’ defensive line recruiting efforts. Suddenly, on the eve of National Signing Day, things are looking pretty good for Texas.
Katy defensive tackle Moro Ojomo, one of the top remaining prospects on the Longhorns’ recruiting board, announced on Monday night that he has committed to Texas. It marks the third consecutive day the Longhorns have picked up a pledge after wide receiver Joshua Moore committed on Sunday and offensive lineman Christian Jones committed on Monday.
In Ojomo, Texas lands a disruptive defensive lineman who has the size and strength to play on the interior, but could also line up at defensive end if needed.
“The thing I like best about him is his ability to play as a power defensive lineman,” said Rivals.com regional recruiting analyst Nick Krueger. “When you look at him physically, there’s not a lot of bad weight. He’s not the biggest guy, but that doesn’t matter because he has so much muscle. He’s a guy you can line up on the interior or at strongside defensive end in some cases, and he can collapse the line, get in the pocket, pressure the quarterback. He can do a little bit of everything.
“When you look at him the way he’s built physically for such a young guy, when you think of what he’ll be when he’s 20 or 21 is really scary. To get involved in a weight and nutrition program like he’ll get at Texas, he’s just going to be a monster in a couple years.”
Ojomo’s stock really started to shoot through the roof in December when Texas extended a scholarship offer. Following that development, several other schools followed, including Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Miami and Alabama.
Ojomo took his first official visit to Oklahoma on January 12 and there was some buzz following that trip that the Sooners may have moved into the top position. A visit to Notre Dame followed before Ojomo then settled on a Texas visit for the weekend of January 26. Though Ojomo is tight-lipped on the recruiting process, the buzz surrounding him leaning to Texas began to pick up steam following his weekend in Austin. He would finish off the process with late visits to Miami and Oregon, but neither school was able to pry him away from Texas.
A three-star prospect, Ojomo becomes the Longhorns’ 26th commitment in the 2018 class. He becomes Texas’ second defensive tackle commitment, joining Keondre Coburn. Coburn, out of Houston Westfield, did not sign with Texas in the early period and has flirted with Miami, but is expected to sign with Texas on Wednesday morning. If Texas secure both signatures, as expected, it will give the Longhorns a very solid two-man defensive tackle class to go along with a defensive end class that has added two recent commitments in Daniel Carson and Mike Williams.
Tuesday 5:10 p.m. update - This will be our official thread to bring you all the news for National Signing Day (version 2.0). We'll provide updates on relevant news tonight, and update the thread in the morning as letters of intent are sent in.
Speaking of that, here are some confirmed signing times for tomorrow. I'm still trying to track down a few others:
Daniel Carson 7:15 a.m.
Keondre Coburn 8:15 a.m.
Keaontay Ingram 8:30 a.m.
Andrew Parker 9 a.m. (now 10 a.m.)
Joseph Ossai 9 a.m.
Lawrence Keys 10 a.m.
Tommy Bush 10:30 a.m.
Josh Moore 12:30 p.m.
Christian Jones 1:30 p.m.
Mike Williams 2:40 p.m.
Up next ... defensive tackle Moro Ojomo is set to announce his decision tonight at 6 p.m. Luke Brockermeyer will decide sometime tonight as well, likely around 7 p.m.
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