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It’s been a while since I’ve checked in with Rivals.com regional recruiting analyst Nick Krueger to pick his brain on some of the Longhorns’ top targets in the Lone Star State, so I did that this week. Krueger’s thoughts (and mine) on some of the state’s top players …
WR Dylan Wright – “I see him wear Texas stuff more often than not when I see him at places. I think he’s into them. He’s a guy, he’s closer to the mold of (Jordan) Whittington or Brennan Eagles, guys whose Texas’ track record of recruiting is more successful. We’ll have to see what happens. I know he’s interested in Arkansas pretty significantly. It’s not that he wouldn’t have his pick of programs, but I could see a scenario if spots start filling up in some classes, his decision might be narrowed for him. But he likes Texas. TCU could be interesting too. I think if he made today it would be between Texas and Arkansas.”
My thoughts: Wright keeps saying he wants to wait things out and may not decide until signing day, but all signs seem to point to Texas on this one if you pay attention to his social media presence. The Longhorns have felt like the leaders for a while and I haven’t heard anything to make me change that stance.
WR Elijah Higgins – “I think what he’s doing is enjoying the recruiting process a little, which isn’t a unique opinion or anything. From the very first time I’ve talked to him and even now, I know he’s had an interest in West Coast schools, schools with high academic standards. Stanford and Texas are in there. Ohio State too. I think he’s still trying to get his opinions together. I need to check in with him about his Stanford visit.
My thoughts: Higgins is another who is taking things pretty slowly, so I could see a couple swings in this one over the summer and fall if he does hold off on a decision. Right now, it feels like Stanford holds the edge after his recent visit out there, but if Texas can get him back on campus another couple times, which I expect, this one could still fall UT’s way.
WR Garrett Wilson – “I don’t think so (on him possibly flipping). I don’t know what his social situation is here, but I think he’s into the fact that he’s going home (to Ohio) with people who are part of his family, people he grew up with. And (former Lake Travis QB Matthew) Baldwin is up there still. I just don’t know if there’s enough influence outside of the program to sway his opinion. Ohio State is selling kids that their passing philosophy is going to be different. I think if we’re talking about offensive philosophies between Texas and Ohio State, you have to see what happens with Texas, but he seems pretty solid.
My thoughts: Wilson does seem very happy with his Ohio State commitment, but he’s also told me he’s not going to shut out the Texas coaches. I think IF Texas has a big season and IF the offense plays better and IF the Longhorns can land a commitment from Hudson Card, there is a chance Texas could win in the long run. But right now, a flip does feel like a longshot.
TE Jared Wiley – “I don’t see how he commits anywhere other than Texas.”
My thoughts: Agree with Krueger. Wiley is schedule to announce his commitment on Saturday at 3 p.m. (more from him later in this column). He’s down to Texas and Houston and this one feels like it’s going UT’s way.
OL Kenyon Green – “What I’ve always known, his dad loves Alabama and the SEC options. I think Oklahoma had a shot at hanging around in there. I know he had a passive interest in TCU a bit. The conversation now has been A&M, Texas. His top five has to be Texas, A&M, Oklahoma, LSU, Alabama. That has to be his top five.”
My thoughts: When I talked to Green after he visited Texas early this spring, I really came away thinking the Longhorns had surged up his list in a big way and maybe had even taken a slight lead. Since then, things have calmed down quite a bit and it feels like Texas has fallen back a bit. I do expect the Longhorns to remain in the mix until the very end and a UT official visit seems likely, but A&M has the edge right now. Texas’ best chances are to stack up some wins in the fall to build some momentum and try to get Green to be part of what could be a special OL class if the right pieces come together.
OL Tyler Johnson – “If he knows where he’s going, he’s going to pretend like he doesn’t. But A&M is out of it, I think. I think it’s just Texas and Oklahoma based on the last conversation I had with him. I know he’s picked up a couple big offers, said he wants to investigate, see what his level of interest is there. But I think the relationships and conversations are so advanced with the schools that have been in the picture, I think it’s Texas or Oklahoma. When I talked to him, he brought up signing day, but then said maybe it’ll be this summer. But the vibe I’ve gotten from him, he’s so far along with Texas and even Oklahoma, I wouldn’t understand the point of him waiting until signing day if that’s the scenario with him. Just based on what Texas needs on the O-line, he’s getting the red carpet treatment. I think there’s a better opportunity for him to come in and be a big impact player on Texas’ offensive line.”
My thoughts: Johnson likes to keep a pretty low profile, but he’s made multiple trips to Texas this spring (including an official visit) and he posts a lot of pro-Texas things on social media. He did visit OU, but Texas has a commanding lead here. This one’s not rocket science.
OL Andrew Coker – “I have to think that a team like Texas goes straight to near the top with him. He hasn’t taken any officials or been super proactive about getting around this spring. When a school like Texas comes through, a big in-state program, Texas would be easy to get to, you’d have to think they’ll have a real opportunity if they’re serious about bringing him in to land him. But I don’t know where they’re at numbers wise. A&M confident because he has a couple teammates that went there.”
My thoughts: I need to check in with Coker now that Texas has offered to get his direct thoughts on UT. For now, his focus appears to be elsewhere.
OL Javonne Shepherd – “He’s on the Tyler Johnson communication pattern. I met him at our (Rivals) camp, and it was like I made a new best friend, but he’s not easy to track down. I don’t think he’ll go very far from home. Him and Kenyon Green are relatively close, so I’m sure they’re bouncing ideas off each other.”
My thoughts: Early on, this one was trending A&M’s way but Texas and new OL coach Herb Hand have done a good job of closing the gap to the point that this one feels about 50/50 between Texas and A&M. Hard one to call right now and it could come down to where some other guys commit and how each team does in the fall.
OL Branson Bragg– It’s going to be tough for Stanford. Say it came down to Stanford and Texas for a guy like Bragg or even (Elijah) Higgins, they’re not having these kids out for officials until after the season is over. There’s a lot more opportunities for Texas to do legwork than there is for Stanford. Stanford really plays up their reputation, whereas Texas is much more creative with their methodology in recruiting. The spring game was a big help for Texas.
My thoughts: Stanford has been and still is a threat in this one, but after talking to Bragg following his most recent UT visit, this one feels like the Longhorns have taken complete control. Bragg wants to take his time with the process but I feel confident in Texas’ chances of landing him in the long run.
DL DeMarvin Leal – “I talked to him (on Wednesday). Terry Price and Tim Brewster were out there at the spring game. A&M is still very much on top of him. He said Texas is on him as well. He said he’s listening and he’s interested. He did his best to say he’s 100-percent committed, but I don’t k now, looking at his face and listening to him talk, I think the door is open a bit for a move to be made with him. But A&M has made him a priority too. It’s not like he’s there for the taking, it’s more like an opportunity but a lot of work needs to be done. But it's not like he’s not completely turned off by Texas or anyone else that’s seriously on him. He said he may hit A&M a couple times this summer.”
My thoughts: Leal took a Texas official visit so there’s clearly some interest despite his A&M commitment, but this one feels more and more like it may be tough to flip him. Each time he visits A&M’s campus, UT’s chances of landing him go down. Texas probably needs to get him back on campus multiple times over the course of his recruitment, and that may be tough.
DL Taurean Carter – Just from a recruitment perspective, I have to think Texas goes straight to the top of board for him now that they’ve offered.
My thoughts: Carter really likes Texas now that the Longhorns have offered, but he’s also eyeing a few other schools (more on him in a bit). If Texas pushes for a commitment, the Longhorns’ chances will be good, although he and Aledo’s Jeffery Carter want to play college ball together so that could come into play.
DL T'Vondre Sweat – “He’s a tough kid to figure, ranking wise. He’ll get a bump, but doesn’t have great film from his junior season and only a few clips from spring.”
My thoughts: No need for Texas fans to worry here, Sweat is locked into his UT pledge. I really like his potential and upside but wish he would have made it out to one or two of the big spring camps to see him match up against elite competition.
LB David Gbenda – “The linebacker class, it’s just so thin at linebacker this year. That’s where his real opportunity comes. I think he’ll probably end up going to a place, look at the teams that have offered and look at who else they’ve offered. I think it’ll be somewhat regional. I know he has some bigger national offers, but I think he stays closer to home. The kid I like is Zach Zimos (decommitted from Cal this week). He’s going to get a bump. He’s a legit 6-4, great in coverage because he used to play safety, has the athleticism you look for. If Texas really wants to beat A&M and some others to the punch, they really have an opportunity with Zimos.”
My thoughts: When Texas first offered, everyone thought Gbenda was locked in for UT and people expected him to commit right away. Gbenda himself has maintained all along that he wasn’t going to rush into a decision and was keeping an open mind. I’m inclined to believe him at this point, although I know he does really like the UT program and coaches. If the staff continues to push, I like Texas’ chances for a commitment at some point.
DB Marques Caldwell – “From what I gather, it’s an Oregon versus Texas thing. When I talked to him, he made it sound like it wasn’t as simple as him making the choice to go to Texas now that he has the offer in hand. The word he gave me was that he wanted to give Oregon a chance, for lack of a better phrase, for a rebuttal.”
My thoughts: If Texas pushes, the guess here is that this one gets done pretty quickly and he flips from Oregon.
DB Jalen Catalon – “Clemson had been his leader. But then he’s been to Texas and TCU a lot though. Those might be the top three for him. He’s unique enough of a player, I don’t think he’ll consider UT’s DB haul from last year in the way some other DBs would. He strikes me as more versatile than some other DBs.”
My thoughts: Every time I’ve talked to Catalon after his UT visits, he has raved about what he’s seen, his relationship with the UT staff and those close to him have also been very impressed. The baseball angle carries some weight since he may try two sports in college, so this one looks good for Texas.
******
Temple tight end Jared Wiley will announce his decision on Saturday afternoon. After previously narrowing his focus down to three schools – Texas, Houston and Missouri – this one is now a two-team race between the Longhorns and the Cougars.
Wiley talked about his two options …
Texas – “Man, there’s not really anything to not like about Texas. It’s really close to home. That junior day, my first day there, they treated us like family. Really it’s an unbelievable place.”
Houston – “It’s basically the same as Texas. The only difference is that it’s three hours away instead of 45 minutes to an hour. I think that’s why I’ve had so much trouble with the decision so far. Both in the future can feel like home for me. The coaches are amazing. All the players text me here and there talking about everything. It’s a really hard decision right now.”
Wiley will announce his commitment on Twitter at 3 p.m. He said it’s been tough coming to a final decision.
“I’ve been sitting down with my family, talking about it a lot. I’m weighing out the pros and cons with everything. I’ve been praying about it a lot too,” Wiley said.
The 6-5, 235-pound Wiley said he’s ready to have his decision out of the way so he can turn his focus towards his senior season and leading his team. He’ll make the move back to quarterback as a senior, which he said could actually be a blessing in disguise for his future at a tight end.
“I feel like quarterback helps me more than anything. I played quarterback since was 8 or 9 years old. For me to make that transition (to tight end last year) in a matter of weeks, I feel like I can do it again,” Wiley said. “Not playing tight end this year, it eliminates any bad habits I would have made by myself.”
Wiley has been on UT visits multiple times this year, and this one continues to look good for the Longhorns as his decision approaches.
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The Longhorns offered Mansfield Legacy defensive end Taurean Carter this week, and the defensive end said Texas immediately moved up his list.
“It’s a big decision, a big decision. Now, it’s a four-way tie between Texas Tech, Texas, TCU and Arkansas,” Carter said. “I’m kind discussing things with my cousin, Jeff Carter, see where we can pay our future at.”
How might teammate Jalen Catalon fit into the equation?
“No telling with him. He likes Texas too,” Carter said. “That would be a strong fit, but he also has other options.”
Carter said he and Catalon have discussed playing together in college, but it doesn’t sound like they’re dead set on going to the same school.
Carter has yet to set up any official visits but said he’d like to squeeze those in over the next month and try to come to a final decision before his senior season starts. As for Texas, he said there’s a lot to like.
“I like the scheme, just coach Giles’ plan for the defensive linemen - for them to beast on the field, get their job done, get their degree and hopefully get to the NFL,” Carter said. “He prepares youyou’re your degree, if you go the extra mile, stay after practice, he’ll project you to the NFL too.”
Carter said when it comes time to decide among his favorites, he’ll consider a variety of factors, including playing time, his relationship with the coaches and the chance to compete for championships.
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Kerwin Roach II will be back at Texas.
For the Texas Hoops program, it’s felt for a while now that these types of decisions would go the wrong way for Texas. Ahead of a season in which Shaka Smart desperately needs to break through, this decision went his way.
On the 40 Acres, there’s a feeling that Smart will enter a very important 2018-19 season with his best roster at Texas.
It makes sense. For the first time under Smart, Texas will have a blend of talented experience, depth, versatility, and athleticism; it has multiple point guards, the skilled fours it prioritizes, size and athleticism in the frontcourt, a true wing, and a guard group that can defend and play off one another offensively.
In some conversations I had today, a couple of interesting points came up:
Roach’s return gives Texas a guard group that can really put pressure on the ball defensively anywhere on the floor, and can also push tempo offensively. Before you ask if Texas is going to start full-court pressing all the time next season (in my opinion, I think it would be wise to incorporate that at least semi-frequently), I think that’s a question that will be answered after the summer when the coaching staff has time to be around its 2018-19 group. In the meantime, I believe Texas is going to place a huge emphasis on playing with more pace, and getting after opponents aggressively on both ends of the floor to push the tempo of the game.
Maybe this is a coincidence and maybe it’s not, but Texas just hired an assistant coach that comes from a place, Iowa State, that pushed pace on offense as well as anyone in the country. Neill Berry, who was announced as Texas’s newest assistant coach today, was also an assistant with Darrin Horn when Horn’s teams routinely ranked as one of the quickest tempo teams in the country.
Roach’s return is especially important from the experience it’ll add, and how much, with the help of returning and incoming players, it could help Texas dictate the speed of the game.
Another point mentioned was the experience Roach will bring back could allow him to play consistently with some of the confidence and swagger we saw from him throughout stretches of the season, like his career-high 26 points in the NCAA Tournament versus Nevada. His experience alone will help Texas significantly because it means Texas will start two seniors next season that have been through battles in a Longhorn uniform. Plus, there’s a feeling that with Roach back Texas is more likely to develop a team built off confidence, competitiveness, and swagger, which are things Texas showed at times last season but not nearly enough collectively. He will be the first player to play four seasons under Smart at Texas.
Interestingly, Courtney Ramey’s name came up a lot recently in conversations I had. The excitement level on campus is growing as the freshmen class will soon arrive June 2nd, and Ramey being added late to that bunch increased the potential impact level of that group significantly. He reminds people a lot of Matt Coleman because of the way he’s wired. As massive as adding Roach to next year’s roster was, I get the impressive from talking to people the addition of Ramey might be on that same level. Like Coleman, Ramey will arrive at Texas with a bit of a chip on his shoulder as he watched other point guards receive five-star and McDonald’s All-American status.
“All he cares about is winning,” said one person.
Ramey is pushing 6-4, and his competitiveness rates as high as it can for a freshman guard. He has the type of personality and live-in-the-gym mentality that can influence a program. As for his ability to shoot, people I spoke to believe his shot mechanics, shot-making, and touch displayed during his senior season will translate to someone that can knock down three-pointers as a spot-up shooter early in his career before his game progresses more.
Another player that continues to be mentioned often is Jericho Sims. Texas knew it signed a huge talent when it landed him out of Minnesota, but Sims is showing more and more elite flashes. Based on how he ended the season and went into individual work in the spring, Sims has a chance to emerge as one of the Big 12’s better players if he can consistently play with a confident, aggressive mindset.
(McComas)
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Working on gathering more information about new Texas assistant coach Neill Berry. In the meantime, I checked in with Rivals.com National Analyst Corey Evans to get his take on the new UT coach:
“Neill Berry is a tremendous hire for Texas. He brings a wealth of experience up and down the east coast and during his time at Iowa State, developed strong ties throughout the Midwest. He was the point man for landing top-30 guard Lindell Wigginton two years ago and has shown his value on the transfer market, too, drawing a handful of graduate and four-year transfer prospects to Ames during his tenure there. Representing a national brand that is the University of Texas, I struggle to see Berry not finding even greater success recruiting for the Longhorns as he should be on a handful of athletic director’s short lists for head coaching candidates in the years ahead.”
On the recruiting side of things, Rockwall (Rockwall) 2019 wing/forward Samuell Williamson is emerging as one of the Longhorns’ top recruiting priorities. Coincidentally, Berry was the point man at Iowa State in recruiting Williamson. (McComas)
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