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If former Tulsa cornerback Akayleb Evans was a poker player, he would be the guy wearing sunglasses that left everyone at the table guessing.
Evans recently released his top five schools, which were Texas, Missouri, Notre Dame, Texas Tech, and Jackson State. Mike Farrell recently said Nebraska was expected to be in Evans’ top five with Jackson State as a long shot. However, Evans’ defensive backfield teammate at Tulsa, Allie Green, has been rumored to be a package deal, which is why Jackson State is in contention.
On Tuesday, Evans visited Texas, and many college observers believed that gave the Longhorns a recruiting advantage. That was the first day players could visit college campuses, and Evans’ decision to sit down with Sarkisian and his staff before any other program supposedly gave Texas an advantage.
Nevertheless, my sources inside the building indicated they were unsure where Texas stood with Evans after his departure. Sarkisian’s staff intends to actively pursue Evans until he makes a decision. They just do not know where he is leaning.
Evans visited Notre Dame on Wednesday and posted a picture from the locker room on Twitter. If you are curious, Evans did not post anything about his Texas visit on Twitter.
According to a Notre Dame source, the Irish staff was unsure where they stood with Evans after his visit.
Evans reportedly has a strong relationship with defensive backs coach Aaron Fletcher, one of his former coaches at Tulsa who is now at Mizzou. Farrell said that will play a big part in the cornerback’s decision.
Texas previously pursued former Vanderbilt safety Donovan Kaufman, who committed to Auburn. Kaufman was reunited with former Vanderbilt coach Derek Mason, who is Auburn’s defensive coordinator.
I will keep you posted.
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(From Suchomel)
Where else to start the recruiting portion of this week’s War Room but with an update of this weekend’s official visitors. As it stands now, here are the guys we’ve confirmed will be in town …
LB Derrick Brown – First stop will be Austin, followed by key visits to A&M and Baylor later in the month. Oklahoma could get a fall trip but there’s some thought that Brown could stay in-state. (More on him in a bit.)
RB De’Anthony Gatson – Patton was pretty open about Texas being his top choice after UT offered. If Texas pushes for him to be the second RB in this class, I could see this one moving quickly. Visits to USC and Colorado are also on the schedule.
LB Jeremy Patton – Schools like Baylor and Oklahoma State might be UT’s main competition (he’ll visit both in June), so this certainly feels like a race Texas could win.
RB TreVonte' Citizen – The question here is how hard will LSU push? If the Tigers focus elsewhere, Texas could be in a good spot (More on him in a bit).
DT Bishop Thomas – He took an unofficial visit to Florida State this week and will take an FSU official visit late in the month. Tennessee will also get a trip. Thomas told Rivals.com earlier this week he hopes to decide this summer and has no clear-cut leader, but FSU is believed to be the team to beat.
LB Niuafe Tuihalamaka – Texas this week, Notre Dame next week. Those trips could very well decide this one (More on him in a bit.)
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With every weekend in June being jam-packed with visits, we thought it might be a good idea to list some other key visits that will be taking place this weekend for Texas targets.
WR Evan Stewart – Florida OV
WR Shazz Preston – USC OV
OL Kam Dewberry – LSU
OL Kelvin Banks – LSU
OL Devon Campbell – USC
OL Malik Agbo – Miami
OL Jacob Sexton – Alabama
OL Cameron Williams – Oregon
DL Anthony Jones – Miami
DL Aaron Bryant – Georgia
LB Harold Perkins – Texas A&M
LB Robby Snelling – Oregon
LB Sebastian Cheeks – North Carolina
LB Ish Harris – Utah (believe that one may have been changed)
DB Bryan Allen Jr. – Alabama (unofficial visit)
DB Bryce Anderson – Texas A&M
DB Denver Harris – Texas A&M
DB Terrance Brooks – Oregon
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Texas put an offer on the table for 2024 cornerback Jaden Allen this week (younger brother of current UT commitment BJ Allen) and while Jaden is a take in his own right, the timing of this almost certainly was not coincidental. Both brothers will visit Alabama this weekend (Jaden will camp, BJ will just be a spectator) after the Tide put an offer on the table for BJ earlier this week.
Alabama is always a program you have to worry about when you’re in a recruiting fight with Nick Saban, and it’s no secret that the Tide has always been a program that has piqued BJ’s interest. But in talking to Bryan Allen Sr., he feels it’ll be a tall order for Alabama (or anyone) to get BJ to reconsider his Texas commitment.
“It’s a low percentage. It’s a late offer,” Mr. Allen said. “If it was the beginning of when he decommitted from LSU, I would say he probably have been committed (to Alabama). But a couple guys I know they were looking at went different ways, then they started getting with BJ. You kind of want to stick with the guys who really want you, not the last option. It’s Bama, but he’s in a good place.”
As far as the UT offer to Jaden, the family was “super excited” and Mr. Allen said the thought of the boys continuing to play together in college is very appealing.
“They’ve been playing together for so long. They feed off each other well,” Mr. Allen said. “If it happens (playing together), of course we would love it. We wouldn’t be all across the country. We haven’t talked about it a lot. But I’m sure it may end up happening. We’re not trying to force them. It’s strictly up to them. In a dreamer’s world, BJ would be on his way out in his third year, so it would be up to Jaden if he wants to blaze his own trail or keep it in the family.”
The offer to Jaden came from Blake Gideon. It’s worth noting that Mr. Allen went out of his way to praise Gideon as a recruiter and a person.
“Coach Gideon. Coach Gideon. He’s awesome, man. As parent, we feel comfortable sending (BJ) down there to coach Gideon, coach (Terry) Joseph, coach Sark,” Mr. Allen said. “And just the overall life style of Austin in general. Of course there’s going to be football, but you want your kids to have fun the right way. It just felt right. LSU, he really fell into LSU’s lap. It was one of his dream schools, when they offered he went on and committed early. But then they weren’t actively recruiting him really, just keeping in touch. After a while, the safeties coach, they let him go, and kind of lost touch with him.”
More on coach Gideon that shows the connection goes beyond just football …
“I actually talked to him today. He was calling me and checking in on me. My father passed last Wednesday. He was checking on me, and then letting me know first they were going to offer Jayden,” Mr. Allen said.
The brothers will be in Austin on June 10 for Jaden to camp and then they’ll be back the following week for BJ’s official visit. Along with UT and Alabama, Jaden will also visit Oklahoma State, TCU and Baylor this month.
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A bit of a preview on this weekend’s official visit for Niuafe (Junior) Tuihalamaka
It’s been a long-time coming for the California native and one-time USC commitment to be able to visit some college campuses, and he’s ready to get the full experience of his first official visit and see how he could fit in should he pick Texas.
“I’m truly happy to finally to experience every kid’s dream and that’s going to schools that I’ve dreamed of playing at,” Tuihalamaka said. “I’m definitely hoping to see myself fit in the Texas environment and having my family love the experience when going out there.”
A Rivals100 member, Tuihalamaka will follow up this weekend’s visit with a trip to Notre Dame next weekend. Those are the only two on the calendar, although he said he’s considering an official visit to Oregon and an unofficial visit to Arizona State. Those last two trips could depend on whether or not he’s ready to commit to either Texas or Notre Dame following his upcoming official visits.
“My timeline (for a commitment) is based off of the visits, so some time in summer most likely,” Tuihalamaka said.
There’s confidence on the Notre Dame side of things coming into the two visits, but Texas will have its chance to change the narrative if things go well this weekend. Tuihalamaka has a good relationship with the UT staff, and said he feels the Texas coaches could maximize his talent.
“Coach (Jeff) Choate and Sarkisian are two well-known coaches to develop kids at their highest potential and I can see myself being coached under them,” Tuihalamaka said.
One note of interest, Notre Dame appears to have two spots left and is still pursuing three linebackers – Tuihalamaka, UT target Sebastian Cheeks and Jaylen Sneed. One Notre Dame source I talked with this week thought the Irish were in a position to win out with Tuihalamaka and Sneed, which could put Texas in a battle against North Carolina for Cheeks (he’ll visit UNC this week and Texas next week).
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Texas will host running back TreVonte' Citizen on an official visit this weekend, and while there’s been some buzz that the Longhorns could be moving up for the Rivals250 member, a source I spoke with on Thursday night thought it was still a longshot for Texas to land him. There’s been some question on how hard LSU was pushing since Citizen doesn’t yet have an LSU official visit set up, but he was on campus on Tuesday (and apparently took a “private” visit there in March as well).
Assuming LSU pushes, and I’m told as of today Citizen is a take, it looks like the in-state Tigers are going to be tough to beat.
Citizen did tell OB that he’s looking forward to his Texas visit and is “hoping to get a better picture of Texas and what they stand for.”
Along with UT, he has June visits set up for Texas A&M, USC and Arkansas. He told us this week his plan is to come to a decision in September.
And what has Texas in the mix?
“They’re a power house of a school,” Citizen said.
Battling LSU for kids in Louisiana is always a tough chore, but Texas will swing for the fences this weekend.
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Texarkana Texas High linebacker Derrick Brown will take his first official visit this weekend with a stop in Austin. Like all the other recruits that have been stuck in gridlock for the past 15 months, Brown is anxious to get a real taste for college recruiting.
“I’ve been waiting on this for the longest,” Brown said. “I’m hoping to get a UT experience.”
Visits to Texas A&M (June 18) and Baylor (June 25) are also on the schedule.
Brown said there’s no firm timetable for a decision and while he says he’s pretty open, one person I talked to this week thinks Texas could be the team to beat coming into his visits. We’ll see.
“I’m looking forward to seeing the school and the campus, the coaches and the team,” Brown said.
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(From Anwar)
Texas football coach Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorn coaching staff have embarked on an important stretch before the season opener against Louisiana on September 4.
The remaining freshmen players from the 2021 recruiting class, coupled with athletes who signed with Texas after spending time in the transfer portal, recently arrived in Austin and joined Sarkisian’s program. The freshmen who united with their teammates were running back Jonathon Brooks, receiver Xavier Worthy, receiver Keithron Lee, receiver Casey Cain, tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders, offensive lineman Max Merrill, defensive end Barryn Sorrell, defensive end David Abiara, defensive lineman Jordon Thomas, defensive tackle Byron Murphy, linebacker Morice Blackwell, and defensive back Ishmael Ibraheem. In addition, former Notre Dame defensive end Ovie Oghoufo, linebacker Devin Richardson (New Mexico State), and linebacker Ben Davis (Alabama) reported this week.
Prior to this week, QB Charles Wright, WR Jaden Alexis, TE Gunnar Helm, TE Juan Davis, OL Hayden Conner, LB Terrence Cooks, LB Derrick Harris, DB Jamier Johnson, DB JD Coffey, and P Isaac Pearson early enrollees, while LSU grad transfer linebacker Ray Thornton and McNeese State grad transfer cornerback Darion Dunn joined the Longhorn program in January.
Sarkisian recently addressed around 250 Longhorn fans at the Touchdown Club of Houston but expressed to the media why this third phase was important toward developing this year’s team.
“On Monday night [earlier this week], I've got a team meeting,” Sarkisian said. “We started our eight-week summer program. If you want to talk about a full-time job here in the month of June, there are no minutes off, never mind no days off. We definitely got to be going for it. I view the summer like phase three. I look at a college football program in five phases. Phase one is our winter conditioning program, which I thought went really well in implementing our new strength and conditioning program, which is functional mobility, explosiveness, movement. Football now is a game of movement. Burst, change direction, redirect, burst again. Point A, point B, point C. Then we went into spring ball and implementing our schemes. Now we're into phase three, which is our summer program of really starting to develop the team.
“When you think about it, we had our roster come back from last year. We had probably half of our class come early in January. But now we've got the next half of our class coming here on Monday, and then we've got about five transfers joining our team as well. So, this is really when we're going to come together as a team this summer. It's going to be hot. It's got to be hard. We've got to put in the work to develop that mentality of a team that we want moving forward. This is a big month that sets us up for phase four, which is training camp, and then ultimately, phase five is the season. We're kind of hitting that halfway point here, getting ready for the summer to make that happen, which is a big deal for us.”
From what I was told, the drills during summer conditioning will mirror what occurred during winter conditioning.
I previously reported Texas strength and conditioning coach Torre Becton is not a huge fan of heavy lifting, but his goal was for players to lift an adequate amount of weight to get stronger, create explosion, and play faster. Longhorn players participated in drills that create high-speed movement and improve their footwork.
In addition, the players worked out three days a week, with weekends off. Last year, they worked out five days a week.
I was also told Sarkisian expects his staff to continue developing relationships and trust with their players. The goal is to have several team-building exercises to solidify the relationships that have been built with players who have been on campus this year, plus form relationships with the new arrivals.
While in Houston, I asked Sarkisian to expand on his phase three expectations and explain what he wanted to accomplish.
His answer was enlightening.
“Well, I think phase three, summer conditioning, is what it is,” Sarkisian said. “It is hard. It's hot. I think we start to find our identity a little bit more as a team. Not necessarily from a scheme standpoint. We implement the rest of the freshmen that didn't come mid-year. We implement the transfers that come on board, so we really got to come together as a team. We've got to get physically fit. We've got to get stronger. We've got to get bigger.
“At the end of spring ball, I met with every player individually and told them the things that I think are their strengths. The things that maybe were their weaknesses and then the things that they needed to work on. In the summer, over the next eight weeks, is their chance to really start to dive into those things from a strength and conditioning standpoint, fundamental standpoint, or even a scheme standpoint, with their coaches. To start to dive into areas where they can improve to put themselves in the best position to be successful come fall camp.”
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The recruiting floodgates have opened in basketball as well. While Chris Beard and staff, like football, recently welcomed their signees to campus, they’ll soon welcome many 2022 recruiting targets as well. Unlike usual recruiting cycles when players often waited until the fall to take recruiting visits, expect more to occur in the summer as recruits are anxious to actually see campuses and meet coaching staffs face-to-face.
This is among many reasons why Keyonte George being on campus currently for an official visit is a huge deal for Texas. It was the first weekend colleges can host official visitors, and George picked Texas. There isn’t a team better positioned in his recruitment, and he’s a surefire five-star prospect. As for more recruits to follow for possible visits, consider this a working list of 2022 guys:
* Anthony Black - June 9th
* Yohan Traore - June 13th (unofficial)
* Kel’el Ware - June 20th
* Zuby Ejiofor - June 28th (unofficial)
* Kijani Wright - Expected to visit in June; haven’t confirmed date.
* Arterio Morris - told me no visits planned yet, but he’s one to follow.
* Cason Wallace - expected to visit sometime in June.
* Terrance Arceneaux - in the process of setting up a visit to Texas.
* Vince Iwuchukwu - some mentions about him visiting, but he told Tar Heel Illustrated he hasn’t planned anything for June; I think Baylor leads, but he’s been mentioning Texas lately after not mentioning them at all when I spoke to him in April.
* Sam Murray - under-the-radar forward set to blow up and one to follow for June visit.
* Bryce Griggs - Plans to visit Memphis, LSU and will try to hit all the Texas schools he’s interested in during June.
* Jordan Walsh - When I spoke to him in April, he mentioned visiting a lot of out of state programs because he’s already visited some Texas campuses in the past.
* Chandler Jackson - recent Texas point guard offer has Auburn visit planned and is hearing a lot from Chris Beard; seems like a guy Texas is working to bring in.
