Incoming freshman receiver Reggie Hemphill-Mapps always wanted to play football at Texas.
The feeling was not always mutual.
Hemphill-Mapps loved UT so much, he verbally committed to the program as a sophomore at Manvel High. Yep, after only two years on the varsity squad. Your math is correct – he committed to former Texas coach Mack Brown. For a young man, like Hemphill-Mapps, committing this early is a dream come true. The rest of us old and jaded football observers understand how unpredictable verbal commitments are, especially from a sophomore. Typically, the athlete verbally commits to a school, all is well, and eventually he decides to visit other programs. That is when verbal commitments become worthless pledges.
In Hemphill-Mapps’ case, UT took a step back.
After Mack was fired and Charlie Strong was hired in 2014, the new coach decided to assess every commitment made before he was brought on. Strong made the bold decision to rescind Hemphill-Mapps’ scholarship offer. He pledged to watch the receiver’s game film, and if Strong believed Hemphill-Mapps was good enough to play at UT, the scholarship would be re-offered. If not, well, you know.
“When I first heard it, I was upset,” Hemphill-Mapps said. “Then again, I realized it was a business.”
The business of recruiting meant Hemphill-Mapps was back on the market. True to his word, Strong watched the film and re-offered Hemphill-Mapps a scholarship. Instead of immediately accepting the offer, Hemphil-Mapps decided to look at other programs.
As most Longhorn followers know, Strong is not a high pressure salesman. He was in constant contact with the receiver, but never tried to squeeze a verbal commitment out of Hemphill-Mapps. Even with Clemson, Ole Miss and Baylor heavily recruiting the former UT commit, Strong never blinked. Eventually, Strong landed his man.
Hemphill-Mapps recommitted to Texas in October 2014, a few hours before watching Texas play against Baylor. This time, he had a different reason for deciding to become a Longhorn.
“At first, I committed because of a coach,” Hemphill-Mapps said. “I had to figure out I had to commit because of the school, not the coach. I had to commit to the school … I think I made the right decision because when I did open up my recruiting, there weren’t really other schools out there I wanted to go to. Just looking around. Traveling. Seeing if I like it or not. Texas was the top school for me, still.”
For those who have watched Strong successfully recruit through unconventional methods - picking up the majority of commits in January is one example – you may not be surprised to learn his decision to rescind Hemphill-Mapps’ offer did not hurt UT.
Hemphill-Mapps is the kind of person who appreciates brutal honesty. Even if it hurts, he would rather somebody tell him the truth than hear a lie. From the moment Strong took away his scholarship, he knew the coach was an honest man. It would have been easier for Strong to string him along and not risk losing a three-star recruit with a lot of potential. Hemphill-Mapps could have eliminated Texas from his list of top schools, even after the second offer, and nobody would have blamed him.
Instead, he respected Strong.
“From when I first met him, we clicked,” Hemphill-Mapps said. “He’s a really family-oriented guy. He’s straight up with you. That’s really all I can say. That’s what I want in a coach – for him to be straight up with you.”
Truthfully, Hemphill-Mapps is a fast receiver who could develop into a playmaker at Texas.
Hemphill-Mapps currently runs on Manvel’s 4x100 and 4x200 track teams. Manvel’s fastest 4x100 time this season is 40.5 seconds, and the squad ran a blazing time for 1:24 in the 4x200. Manvel is the reigning Class 6A track and field champions, and the Mavericks will defend their title this weekend during the state meet. As a result of his team’s success, Hemphill-Mapps has focused solely on track and not football. He intends to shift his focus after track season.
Right now, Hemphill-Mapps is 6-foot-2 and 175 pounds. He has not received any indication his lack of weight might prevent him from seeing playing time this season, but strength and conditioning coach Pat Moorer will likely begin adding muscle weight to the receiver’s thin frame this offseason.
“My goal is come in and play right away,” Hemphill-Mapps said. “I just need to learn the plays and get bigger. If it happens that I redshirt, even better. That gives me a chance to get bigger and go out there stronger.”
Of course, Hemphill-Mapps really wants to play with freshman quarterback Shane Buechele this season.
“When we both committed, we instantly became friends,” Hemphill-Mapps said. “We’ve been cool ever since … He was tossing that thing (during the spring game). He showed he can get out of the pocket and run a little bit, too.”
There is a lot of talent in the receiving room, which will make his goal to play right away a challenging task.
John Burt and Collin Johnson are expected to start this season. Meanwhile, Armanti Foreman, DeAndre McNeal, Jacorey “Petey” Warrick, Lorenzo Joe, Dorian Leonard, Ryan Newsome and Jake Oliver are competing for playing time. Hemphill-Mapps knows he is entering a competitive environment.
However, Hemphill-Mapps is no stranger to competition.
When Hemphill-Mapps was a freshman at Manvel, four senior receivers eventually signed scholarships that year. He played on the same team as Carlos Thompson (Texas Tech), Kwadre Wilson (Houston Baptist University), Kyrion Parker (Texas A&M) and Austin Bennett (Oklahoma). He believes the upcoming position will be similar to his fight for playing time as a freshman in high school.
“My mindset was I’m just as good as these guys,” Hemphill-Mapps said. “I’m on varsity as a freshman for a reason. You’re not better than me. I’m better than you. That’s how I thought … It’s going to be real competitive (at UT). You've got a lot of guys who like to compete. They’re going to compete against each other, but then again, they’re going to make each other better. It’s really a win-win because you learn how to compete. Then again, you make each other better.”
For Hemphill-Mapps, nothing is better than being a Longhorn.
Funniest Thing You Will See This Week
Actually, this might the funniest thing you see this year:
Sports On A Dime
1. It seems like Texas A&M and Baylor are just begging Strong to run recruiting in this state when you examine the off-the-field issues plaguing each program. Texas A&M continues to lose top recruits, while Baylor is Baylor. If Texas can put together at least eight wins this season, the recruiting avalanche could become an annual tradition.
2. Time does not heal all wounds. In fact, time is proving Joe Paterno was a horrible person:
3. Dallas owner Jerry Jones said the team will not put Jaylon Smith on injured reserve when the season starts, and many thought he was delusional. However, there is still a chance Smith could start this season on the physically unable to perform list. If that occurs, he is not eligible to return until after six weeks of the regular season. After that six-week regular season period, teams get a three-week window to decide whether to add a player to the 53-man roster, or put him on injured reserve.
4. Am I the only one who thinks Philadelphia quarterback Sam Bradford is a wus? Bradford received a two-year deal with $22 million guaranteed, he is expected to start this season, and this underachieving quarterback has a chance to make more money by signing a new deal with another team if he plays well. However, he remains butt hurt about Philadelphia’s decision to draft Carson Wentz. I cannot remember the last time I have seen an NFL player afraid to compete, but Bradford is clearly scared. Good luck in Philly.
5. This will be one of the rare times Robert Griffin puts on a uniform and does not obtain an injury this year:
6. Every athlete wants to be a rapper. Every rapper wants to be an athlete. Should Cam Newton stick to football?
7. Here is a quote by Denver general manager John Elway about rookie quarterback Paxton Lynch’s chances of starting this season that is guaranteed to make @randoke smile: "Is that going to happen tomorrow? Probably not, but you never know when it can happen," Broncos general manager John Elway said on Denver Sports 760, via Pro Football Talk. "We think he’s going to be ready quicker than a lot of people think." In other words, Elway has seen Mark Sanchez play before.
8. Sadly, for Atlanta, Al Horford’s dunk on Cleveland’s Kevin Love might be its only highlight of this series. Kyrie Irving and Channing Frye were spectacular during the fourth quarter of Cleveland 121-108 win against Atlanta to take a 3-0 lead in the series. The sweep is on.
9. Seriously, I thought Amir Khan's life was in jeopardy after Canelo Alvarez landed that devastating right in the sixth round. Very rarely are fighters the same after being knocked out like that. It is time for Alvarez to fight Triple G.
10. It was fun speculating about a possible Connor McGregor-Floyd Mayweather fight for a few hours before every reputable media outlet stomped out that story. I am sure many will want a Mayweather-Alvarez rematch. I just do not believe Alvarez can have the same success he enjoyed last night against Mayweather.
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