Let’s start off with some interesting recruiting developments on an out-of-state name that really jumped onto the scene at last week’s Fort Worth Nike Camp …
Shreveport Woodlawn defensive end Torshiro Davis participated, and excelled, at last week’s camp. Word began to spread about the early LSU commitment might be open to looking around, and Texas could be in the picture.
I know what you’re thinking … “Spare me, a Louisiana kid who is already committed to LSU isn’t leaving the state.”
Sound logic most of the time, but there’s a bit more to this one.
Davis has built a very, very good relationship with UT assistant coach Bo Davis going back to Davis’ days at Alabama. And since arriving at Texas, Coach Davis has been in touch with Woodlawn head coach Carlos Holmes every few days to continue to recruit the talented DE.
Coach Holmes said, despite the LSU commitment, they’re simply trying to find the best situation for Torshiro. Miami called on Thursday to check in and they could creep into the picture, but right now coach Holmes said they’ve pretty much decided they’ll look at only a few schools. Current commit LSU is obviously in the mix … Texas, Nebraska and Oklahoma are the others that will be given consideration.
A bit about the 6-3, 222-pound Torshiro and his relationship with UT coach Davis that puts things into perspective on why UT could stand a chance ...
“He likes Bo. Bo was recruiting him at Alabama. He probably would have committed to Alabama if Bo was still there,” coach Holmes said. “He’s been around Bo since his 9th-grade summer when we took him to their camp.”
Torshiro Davis, like his coach, said staying in state is not a big factor and he’s only worried about finding the best spot for him over the next four years.
His thoughts on coach Davis … “He started recruiting me for Texas when he left Alabama. He's a cool dude. I had gone down there (Alabama) for the camp going into my sophomore year. I worked out with him and the d-linemen. I was an unknown but he pushed me, taught me some of the things that I brought back.”
Oh, and one more note to leave you all with …
Davis will be at UT’s first summer camp the first weekend of June. He hasn’t been offered yet, but he’s been told he has a good chance of picking up a ‘ship on that visit. (Suchomel)
******
We continue to hear that things aren’t completely dead between UT and current Oklahoma State commitment Kendall Sanders, but as of Friday morning, Sanders reports that he has not heard from Texas since his spring game visit.
Could that change when the UT coaches take to the road for the upcoming spring evaluation period? We’ll see, but Sanders isn’t completely closing the door should Texas reach out to him.
If Texas continues to recruit him? “I'd talk it over with my family,” Sanders said. “It is Texas.” (Suchomel)
******
One comment of interest from future Longhorn DE Cedric Reed …
Last year, there were repeated reports of Reed looking at switching his commitment away from Texas to Texas A&M, especially when Reed and his father showed up at an A&M-Nebraska game. Reed denied any interest in A&M at the time, and this week, looking back, he said it was a case of wishful thinking by the Aggie fans and media and he had no real intentions of decommitting from Texas.
“That was just people making a big deal out of nothing. Of course, if you're an athlete and you have 38 schools that want you and you have to pick just one, everyone is to wonder every now and then if they're making the right choice,” Reed said. “My dad grew up a big Nebraska fan. He wanted to go see a Neb game and A&M was right down the road. We took that trip with the (UT) coaches knowing. Then people were blowing it out of proportion, but I understand where they were from. That’s part of it. But it was never was like I was switching. Not at all. (Suchomel)
******
Every year Joey McGuire’s Cedar Hill program attracts recruiters from across the country. The Longhorns have signed the likes of Aaron Benson over the years, and soon recruiters will be making their way back to Cedar Hill to check out the talent.
One of the top talents already gaining a lot of attention is 2013 running back/athlete Laquvionte Gonzalez. As a sophomore the 5-10, 165-pound prospect proved his worth returning punts and kickoffs, and at receiver and running back. Growing up he has played safety, quarterback, cornerback, receiver, and running back and he says his strength on the field is his speed.
Speed is understating it just a little bit. He has been clocked at 4.41 in the forty and just this week high jumped 6-6 to win the district meet. He has speed, explosion and eyes-in-the-back-of-his-head vision. It didn’t take long for Cedar Hill head coach Joey McGuire to see the talent and he knew he had a guy who could be an immediate contributor.
“The biggest thing was during spring football we realized how fluid he was,” McGuire said. “Our eyes really perked up during track when he jumped. I knew he had gone 6-8, but that was during summer track. He went 6-6 last year as a freshman and I went ‘Oh my gosh this kid is so explosive.’
“Then getting him out there in spring football. A lot of freshmen look good but until they are playing people who kind of have the same speed then you can really tell. We knew right then we had to find a way to get him the football.”
As a sophomore Gonzalez, had 27 carries for 251 yards and five TDs to go along with 15 receptions for 209 yards and another score. He also took home district 5-5A co-special teams player of the year.
He is already receiving attention with Coach McGuire getting his film in front of college coaches. He grew up a fan of the Longhorns and recently visited Austin for the Longhorn’s spring game with fellow Cedar Hill 2013 standouts Damion Hobbs.
“I went to Austin. It was a good environment. I saw good players and a good team and everything like that,” Gonzalez said.
Have a few of his former Cedar Hill teammates turned Longhorns already been recruiting him a little bit?
“They’re trying to get on me a little bit,” Gonzalez said. “They told me to keep my grades up and I can get there.”
Texas is not the only one interested. A trip to OU’s spring game this weekend could also be in the works. He does not currently have any camps set up but UTEP holds a camp at Cedar Hill this summer and Texas Tech holds one in Coppell. Camp visits to Texas and Oklahoma are also on the radar. (Howell)
******************************************
Just down the road from Cedar Hill, head coach Claude Mathis and the DeSoto Eagles are feeling good about their talent pool.
The 2012 class already has two Texas commitments and the 2013 class is headlined by running back Dontre Wilson who is already attracting interest from several big time programs.
2013 receiver Kyle Collins is already beginning to attract attention. The 6-2 receiver was hidden on the depth chart for the 2010 season with four receivers headed off to college in the 2011 class, but he will have his opportunities in the 2011 season. Collins recently ran a 48.72 400 m at the 10-5A district meet. In the 2014 class keep an eye on big receiver Chris Lacy who has been clocked at 41.53 in the 300 hurdles.
2013 offensive lineman Sergio Phillips appears to be the next big O-lineman coming down the pipe as well. The last few years the Eagles have seen linemen sign with Texas and LSU with Curtis Riser committed to Texas in the 2012 class.
Coach Mathis is also excited about his DB class of 2014 which he thinks could be his best group of DBs since arriving at DeSoto. That is high praise considering some of the talent to come through there in the last few years. (Howell)
***************************************
A person inside the program who had serious concerns about how having co-offensive coordinators would work had some good news.
The person said the working relationship between Bryan Harsin and Major Applewhite couldn't be going any better.
Both see the game the same way. Both have youthful energy and a never-ending appetite to be successful. Both played quarterback and were underdogs to get on the field.
There were many who weren't feeling the co-offensive coordinator situation, including Wisconsin offensive coordinator Paul Chryst, who interviewed with Mack Brown for the job.
Some looked at it as a way for Mack Brown to simply give Major Applewhite a pay raise and new title for being a good soldier on the staff through a turbulent time. They wondered if that would lead to ego friction between two guys who have called plays in the past.
But I can report the public happy face being put on the co-offensive coordinator situation at Texas is not just PR. It's real. Harsin will call the plays, and once games start in the fall that will add a new dimension to the relationship.
But as of right now, it couldn't be going any better. (Brown)
***************
The uncertainty surrounding the NBA futures of Tristan Thompson and Jordan Hamilton, along with the departures of Matt Hill and Gary Johnson, means there is going to be some big men that have to pick up the slack. I caught up with one of those potential bigs, Jonathan Holmes of the 2011 class, to check in on what he’s up to before his college career begins.
“Things are going good right now,” said the 6-8 power forward from Antonian. “I’m just working out with my trainers.”
Holmes said that he’s working on getting bigger and adding some bulk so that he can bang in the paint for rebounds. In addition to his work with the weights, the future Longhorn is also trying to improve that mid-range jumper as well.
There has been some buzz that Holmes might have suffered a foot injury, and he did run into a little bit of an issue.
“I had a little foot injury,” said the nation’s No. 83 prospect in the Rivals150. “It wasn’t anything serious. I thought it was, but it ended up not being that bad. A couple years ago I broke my foot, that lingered some, and last summer I stepped on a nail. Because of that, we thought it would be bad. Doctors [originally] said they thought they would have to do surgery, but it wasn’t a big deal at all.”
That’s obviously good news for Longhorn fans and the UT coaching staff. He’s been working out, and said he’ll continue to do so, in addition to participating in open gyms. Holmes will be moving to Austin on June 4th.
***************
Texas has just one commitment thus far for the 2012 class, and it’s a big one. Cameron Ridley of Fort Bend Bush HS in Houston is a five-star, 6-10 big man the Horns are looking to center their class around. Recently, Ridley played in the inaugural All-American Championship at Aldine’s Campbell Center in Houston.
“It went pretty good,” said the big man. “It was fun to play with those guys.”
Rodney Terry was the main recruiter for Ridley, but recently, Coach Rick Barnes went to check in on his prized 2012 commitment. As for how he’d fit in at Texas, the UT coaches have already given him a good idea of that.
“I’m still going to be playing the five, but probably a lot like Tristan (Thompson) played; I’d play the five like that.”
That means that Ridley would not only bang down low, but he’d also be a guy that really runs the floor well. Right now, Ridley is working to improve his mid-range jumper and the ability to step out from the paint in order to use his jumper. He’ll be traveling around with his AAU team the Houston Hoopstarz and playing in multiple Adidas sponsored tournaments, and told me tonight that his go-to-move in the paint was the turnaround hook or jumper. He also added that he is recruiting for the Horns, and mentioned L.J. Rose by name. He also added that Rasheed Sulaimon is recruiting Rose as well. (McComas)
**************
Keep an eye on 2012 five-star Shabazz Muhammad. I heard from a source this week that Texas wants to turn up the heat in his recruitment. He's fairly wide open, and the Horns could make a good impression with increased attention.
*****************
8 Whispers from the Week to leave you with…
1. Next Friday should be a very good day for the Longhorns, as everyone I’ve spoken with feels like the Longhorns are the clear front-runner to land Johnathan Gray when he announces his decision on his birthday (April 22nd).
2. Likewise, connected sources throughout several different channels believe that the Longhorns are close to sealing the deal with Pearland Dawson tackle Kennedy Estelle. “He reminds me of Malcolm Brown, the running back, with the way he’s handled the process. He just wants to make sure when he makes his decision that he’s made it,” one person with knowledge of the recruitment told me.
3. The in-state momentum that the Longhorns currently have going for them with commitments from eight or nine of the state’s top 20-25 prospects, while no other school in the region currently has more than one from top 20-25 prospects, is not hurting them at all. The commitments from the Brenham duo was the equivalent of the air being let out of the balloons for a lot of schools hoping to entrench themselves in the state better after a 5-7 season in Austin.
4. Everyone needs to give the Kendall Sanders recruitment some space to breathe, but as was mentioned previously in this War Room, there continues to be scuttlebutt that things aren’t dead behind the scenes.
5. One college coach told me this week that Sanders’ life might change quite a bit in the next six weeks. “He’s an incredible talent and everyone can see that he might be a little unsure,” the coach said. “He might have offers from everyone before the smoke clears.”
6. Don’t sleep on David Ash as a contributor as a true freshman. There’s just as much excitement about what he showed this spring as any other quarterback and while a redshirt would be ideal, it’s not out of the realm of possibilities that he pushes through the competition. A lot of people in the program see him as a big piece of the future, even more so than the others on campus.
7. I think the two in-state corners that everyone needs to watch in the next six weeks are Sherman’s Ryan Reid and SA Brandeis’ Collin Blake. Like Sanders, their offers lists will likely start to blow up from national programs outside the Big 12. Both are players that Texas will take a long look at this spring in the evaluation period.
8. Today marks the beginning of the spring evaluation period and it will continue through the entire month of May. (Ketch)
This post was edited on 4/15 10:03 AM by Ketchum
This post was edited on 4/15 10:14 AM by Ketchum
This post was edited on 4/15 10:25 AM by DustinMcComas
Shreveport Woodlawn defensive end Torshiro Davis participated, and excelled, at last week’s camp. Word began to spread about the early LSU commitment might be open to looking around, and Texas could be in the picture.
I know what you’re thinking … “Spare me, a Louisiana kid who is already committed to LSU isn’t leaving the state.”
Sound logic most of the time, but there’s a bit more to this one.
Davis has built a very, very good relationship with UT assistant coach Bo Davis going back to Davis’ days at Alabama. And since arriving at Texas, Coach Davis has been in touch with Woodlawn head coach Carlos Holmes every few days to continue to recruit the talented DE.
Coach Holmes said, despite the LSU commitment, they’re simply trying to find the best situation for Torshiro. Miami called on Thursday to check in and they could creep into the picture, but right now coach Holmes said they’ve pretty much decided they’ll look at only a few schools. Current commit LSU is obviously in the mix … Texas, Nebraska and Oklahoma are the others that will be given consideration.
A bit about the 6-3, 222-pound Torshiro and his relationship with UT coach Davis that puts things into perspective on why UT could stand a chance ...
“He likes Bo. Bo was recruiting him at Alabama. He probably would have committed to Alabama if Bo was still there,” coach Holmes said. “He’s been around Bo since his 9th-grade summer when we took him to their camp.”
Torshiro Davis, like his coach, said staying in state is not a big factor and he’s only worried about finding the best spot for him over the next four years.
His thoughts on coach Davis … “He started recruiting me for Texas when he left Alabama. He's a cool dude. I had gone down there (Alabama) for the camp going into my sophomore year. I worked out with him and the d-linemen. I was an unknown but he pushed me, taught me some of the things that I brought back.”
Oh, and one more note to leave you all with …
Davis will be at UT’s first summer camp the first weekend of June. He hasn’t been offered yet, but he’s been told he has a good chance of picking up a ‘ship on that visit. (Suchomel)
******
We continue to hear that things aren’t completely dead between UT and current Oklahoma State commitment Kendall Sanders, but as of Friday morning, Sanders reports that he has not heard from Texas since his spring game visit.
Could that change when the UT coaches take to the road for the upcoming spring evaluation period? We’ll see, but Sanders isn’t completely closing the door should Texas reach out to him.
If Texas continues to recruit him? “I'd talk it over with my family,” Sanders said. “It is Texas.” (Suchomel)
******
One comment of interest from future Longhorn DE Cedric Reed …
Last year, there were repeated reports of Reed looking at switching his commitment away from Texas to Texas A&M, especially when Reed and his father showed up at an A&M-Nebraska game. Reed denied any interest in A&M at the time, and this week, looking back, he said it was a case of wishful thinking by the Aggie fans and media and he had no real intentions of decommitting from Texas.
“That was just people making a big deal out of nothing. Of course, if you're an athlete and you have 38 schools that want you and you have to pick just one, everyone is to wonder every now and then if they're making the right choice,” Reed said. “My dad grew up a big Nebraska fan. He wanted to go see a Neb game and A&M was right down the road. We took that trip with the (UT) coaches knowing. Then people were blowing it out of proportion, but I understand where they were from. That’s part of it. But it was never was like I was switching. Not at all. (Suchomel)
******
Every year Joey McGuire’s Cedar Hill program attracts recruiters from across the country. The Longhorns have signed the likes of Aaron Benson over the years, and soon recruiters will be making their way back to Cedar Hill to check out the talent.
One of the top talents already gaining a lot of attention is 2013 running back/athlete Laquvionte Gonzalez. As a sophomore the 5-10, 165-pound prospect proved his worth returning punts and kickoffs, and at receiver and running back. Growing up he has played safety, quarterback, cornerback, receiver, and running back and he says his strength on the field is his speed.
Speed is understating it just a little bit. He has been clocked at 4.41 in the forty and just this week high jumped 6-6 to win the district meet. He has speed, explosion and eyes-in-the-back-of-his-head vision. It didn’t take long for Cedar Hill head coach Joey McGuire to see the talent and he knew he had a guy who could be an immediate contributor.
“The biggest thing was during spring football we realized how fluid he was,” McGuire said. “Our eyes really perked up during track when he jumped. I knew he had gone 6-8, but that was during summer track. He went 6-6 last year as a freshman and I went ‘Oh my gosh this kid is so explosive.’
“Then getting him out there in spring football. A lot of freshmen look good but until they are playing people who kind of have the same speed then you can really tell. We knew right then we had to find a way to get him the football.”
As a sophomore Gonzalez, had 27 carries for 251 yards and five TDs to go along with 15 receptions for 209 yards and another score. He also took home district 5-5A co-special teams player of the year.
He is already receiving attention with Coach McGuire getting his film in front of college coaches. He grew up a fan of the Longhorns and recently visited Austin for the Longhorn’s spring game with fellow Cedar Hill 2013 standouts Damion Hobbs.
“I went to Austin. It was a good environment. I saw good players and a good team and everything like that,” Gonzalez said.
Have a few of his former Cedar Hill teammates turned Longhorns already been recruiting him a little bit?
“They’re trying to get on me a little bit,” Gonzalez said. “They told me to keep my grades up and I can get there.”
Texas is not the only one interested. A trip to OU’s spring game this weekend could also be in the works. He does not currently have any camps set up but UTEP holds a camp at Cedar Hill this summer and Texas Tech holds one in Coppell. Camp visits to Texas and Oklahoma are also on the radar. (Howell)
******************************************
Just down the road from Cedar Hill, head coach Claude Mathis and the DeSoto Eagles are feeling good about their talent pool.
The 2012 class already has two Texas commitments and the 2013 class is headlined by running back Dontre Wilson who is already attracting interest from several big time programs.
2013 receiver Kyle Collins is already beginning to attract attention. The 6-2 receiver was hidden on the depth chart for the 2010 season with four receivers headed off to college in the 2011 class, but he will have his opportunities in the 2011 season. Collins recently ran a 48.72 400 m at the 10-5A district meet. In the 2014 class keep an eye on big receiver Chris Lacy who has been clocked at 41.53 in the 300 hurdles.
2013 offensive lineman Sergio Phillips appears to be the next big O-lineman coming down the pipe as well. The last few years the Eagles have seen linemen sign with Texas and LSU with Curtis Riser committed to Texas in the 2012 class.
Coach Mathis is also excited about his DB class of 2014 which he thinks could be his best group of DBs since arriving at DeSoto. That is high praise considering some of the talent to come through there in the last few years. (Howell)
***************************************
A person inside the program who had serious concerns about how having co-offensive coordinators would work had some good news.
The person said the working relationship between Bryan Harsin and Major Applewhite couldn't be going any better.
Both see the game the same way. Both have youthful energy and a never-ending appetite to be successful. Both played quarterback and were underdogs to get on the field.
There were many who weren't feeling the co-offensive coordinator situation, including Wisconsin offensive coordinator Paul Chryst, who interviewed with Mack Brown for the job.
Some looked at it as a way for Mack Brown to simply give Major Applewhite a pay raise and new title for being a good soldier on the staff through a turbulent time. They wondered if that would lead to ego friction between two guys who have called plays in the past.
But I can report the public happy face being put on the co-offensive coordinator situation at Texas is not just PR. It's real. Harsin will call the plays, and once games start in the fall that will add a new dimension to the relationship.
But as of right now, it couldn't be going any better. (Brown)
***************
The uncertainty surrounding the NBA futures of Tristan Thompson and Jordan Hamilton, along with the departures of Matt Hill and Gary Johnson, means there is going to be some big men that have to pick up the slack. I caught up with one of those potential bigs, Jonathan Holmes of the 2011 class, to check in on what he’s up to before his college career begins.
“Things are going good right now,” said the 6-8 power forward from Antonian. “I’m just working out with my trainers.”
Holmes said that he’s working on getting bigger and adding some bulk so that he can bang in the paint for rebounds. In addition to his work with the weights, the future Longhorn is also trying to improve that mid-range jumper as well.
There has been some buzz that Holmes might have suffered a foot injury, and he did run into a little bit of an issue.
“I had a little foot injury,” said the nation’s No. 83 prospect in the Rivals150. “It wasn’t anything serious. I thought it was, but it ended up not being that bad. A couple years ago I broke my foot, that lingered some, and last summer I stepped on a nail. Because of that, we thought it would be bad. Doctors [originally] said they thought they would have to do surgery, but it wasn’t a big deal at all.”
That’s obviously good news for Longhorn fans and the UT coaching staff. He’s been working out, and said he’ll continue to do so, in addition to participating in open gyms. Holmes will be moving to Austin on June 4th.
***************
Texas has just one commitment thus far for the 2012 class, and it’s a big one. Cameron Ridley of Fort Bend Bush HS in Houston is a five-star, 6-10 big man the Horns are looking to center their class around. Recently, Ridley played in the inaugural All-American Championship at Aldine’s Campbell Center in Houston.
“It went pretty good,” said the big man. “It was fun to play with those guys.”
Rodney Terry was the main recruiter for Ridley, but recently, Coach Rick Barnes went to check in on his prized 2012 commitment. As for how he’d fit in at Texas, the UT coaches have already given him a good idea of that.
“I’m still going to be playing the five, but probably a lot like Tristan (Thompson) played; I’d play the five like that.”
That means that Ridley would not only bang down low, but he’d also be a guy that really runs the floor well. Right now, Ridley is working to improve his mid-range jumper and the ability to step out from the paint in order to use his jumper. He’ll be traveling around with his AAU team the Houston Hoopstarz and playing in multiple Adidas sponsored tournaments, and told me tonight that his go-to-move in the paint was the turnaround hook or jumper. He also added that he is recruiting for the Horns, and mentioned L.J. Rose by name. He also added that Rasheed Sulaimon is recruiting Rose as well. (McComas)
**************
Keep an eye on 2012 five-star Shabazz Muhammad. I heard from a source this week that Texas wants to turn up the heat in his recruitment. He's fairly wide open, and the Horns could make a good impression with increased attention.
*****************
8 Whispers from the Week to leave you with…
1. Next Friday should be a very good day for the Longhorns, as everyone I’ve spoken with feels like the Longhorns are the clear front-runner to land Johnathan Gray when he announces his decision on his birthday (April 22nd).
2. Likewise, connected sources throughout several different channels believe that the Longhorns are close to sealing the deal with Pearland Dawson tackle Kennedy Estelle. “He reminds me of Malcolm Brown, the running back, with the way he’s handled the process. He just wants to make sure when he makes his decision that he’s made it,” one person with knowledge of the recruitment told me.
3. The in-state momentum that the Longhorns currently have going for them with commitments from eight or nine of the state’s top 20-25 prospects, while no other school in the region currently has more than one from top 20-25 prospects, is not hurting them at all. The commitments from the Brenham duo was the equivalent of the air being let out of the balloons for a lot of schools hoping to entrench themselves in the state better after a 5-7 season in Austin.
4. Everyone needs to give the Kendall Sanders recruitment some space to breathe, but as was mentioned previously in this War Room, there continues to be scuttlebutt that things aren’t dead behind the scenes.
5. One college coach told me this week that Sanders’ life might change quite a bit in the next six weeks. “He’s an incredible talent and everyone can see that he might be a little unsure,” the coach said. “He might have offers from everyone before the smoke clears.”
6. Don’t sleep on David Ash as a contributor as a true freshman. There’s just as much excitement about what he showed this spring as any other quarterback and while a redshirt would be ideal, it’s not out of the realm of possibilities that he pushes through the competition. A lot of people in the program see him as a big piece of the future, even more so than the others on campus.
7. I think the two in-state corners that everyone needs to watch in the next six weeks are Sherman’s Ryan Reid and SA Brandeis’ Collin Blake. Like Sanders, their offers lists will likely start to blow up from national programs outside the Big 12. Both are players that Texas will take a long look at this spring in the evaluation period.
8. Today marks the beginning of the spring evaluation period and it will continue through the entire month of May. (Ketch)
This post was edited on 4/15 10:03 AM by Ketchum
This post was edited on 4/15 10:14 AM by Ketchum
This post was edited on 4/15 10:25 AM by DustinMcComas
