Several key Texas targets and (QB commit Roschon Johnson) took part in The Opening regional camp in Dallas on Sunday. Some observations from the day …
--- Texas commitment Roschon Johnson took home QB MVP honors, which is certainly the biggest news to come out of the day. Early in the day, throwing into a slight wind, Johnson had a bit of trouble (most of the QBs did) but he really responded well as the day went on. He was able to spin the ball as well as any QB I watched out there and was accurate on underneath, intermediate and deep throws. I wouldn’t label Johnson as having a plus arm, but he measured up fine with the other QBs in attendance and didn’t have any issues making any throws asked of him. These camp setting don’t showcase Johnson’s athleticism, so him basically winning the day with is arm is pretty impressive.
--- OL/DL battles are always fun to watch and there was some good talent on hand in this one. Branson Bragg has been a regular attendee of the camp circuit over the last couple months and he was once again a top performer. Bragg was matched up with some pretty good defensive linemen but he won the majority of his reps that I saw. Once he sets his feet and locks onto a defender, the rep is pretty much over. There were a couple times when d-linemen caught him off balance and were able to move him backward, but that’s a pretty common occurrence in these 1-on-1 settings. Solid day overall by Bragg, who earned praise from one of the coaches I was chatting with later in the day.
--- I’ve been a fan of Stacey Wilkins’ every time I’ve seen him at one of these types of camps, and Sunday didn’t change anything. Love his frame and I love the way he competes. I heard others questioning his feet but I’ve never seen him have any problems taking on defenders who try to get him with speed to his outside shoulder. He dominated top national DE Nathan Pickering on a couple reps.
--- NaNa Osafo-Mensah was flat-out fantastic. When I’ve seen him at other camps, he’s been a bit up and down, but he seemed to have some extra bounce in his step on Sunday and he literally won every single DL rep I saw him take. He was quick off the edge, did a good job of dipping his shoulder to get the corner on guys and was pretty much unblockable. He earned DL MVP honors and I’m pretty sure it was an easy call for whoever made that decision. He beat guys with swim moves, with speed to the outside, showed power when needed … great day overall for Osafo-Mensah.
--- DT Ishmael Sopsher is rated as a five-star prospect and the nation’s No. 10 overall prospect. He’s damn good and definitely stands out with his size. You can see why people love him with his frame (6-4, 305) and while he was very good (mostly with his pure power), I’m not sure I’d put him in the no-brainer five-star category myself. Don’t get me wrong, he’s really good, but I didn’t get a chance to see him move around a ton to show his athleticism. I should be able to see much more of him at The Opening national event later in the summer.
--- DE Marcus Hicks is a guy Texas is really recruiting hard and he certainly passes the eyeball test. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to see him take a ton of reps (he split the ones I saw) so but Hicks was one of the more physically impressive looking D-linemen at the camp from a pure physical standpoint. Great frame at about 6-6 and still room to fill out.
--- Derek Stingley Jr is a five-star prospect and he backed it up yet again. The dude has been dominant every time I’ve seen him. Physical, great head for the game, great recovery speed. He just has it all. He’ll visit UT this week.
--- This was my first time seeing Jalen Catalon at one of these types of camps but I’d heard the talk that he usually does well. He did. In the reps I saw, Catalon was always breaking up passes or even coming up with an interception. Catalon is a bit undersized by normal standards, but just has a feel for the game that’s very natural … very physical, really good ball skills. I’m a fan.
--- I mentioned him after the Rivals camp, but I’m a huge fan of WR Trey Palmer. In the reps I saw, he was once again as good as any WR I saw out there, and this was a loaded group that included the likes of Garrett Wilson, Theo Wease, Jaylen Ellis and Trejan Bridges, among others.
--- A few others who caught my eye …
Wease looks to really have improved his footwork and speed from last year. Oklahoma got itself a really good one there.
As good as Wease is (and Arjei Henderson), Bridges just might be the best of that trio. He’s damn good.
Texas has recruited some Hawaiian players in this cycle. If they want to go after another, OL Julius Buelow would be a good one to target. I didn’t know much about him coming into the event because he wasn’t really on my radar, but you can see why has such a lofty ranking (Rivals100). Great frame and performed well overall. One of the coaches I talked to loved him.
Where the hell does University Lab in Baton Rouge get these kids? LB Bryton Constantin looked really good (Clemson commit).
Recent OU commitment OL EJ Ndoma-Ogar was as good as I’ve seen him at any of these camps. He won OL MVP.
Don’t know anything about him, but Starkville (MS) DE Jalil Clemons made his way into my notes for winning a lot of reps.
Four-star 2020 DT McKinnley Jackson (George County, MS) is damn good. Easy to see why he has so many early offers.
Putnam City (OK) defensive end Collin Clay looks like a beast. I knew of him from seeing him at a Rivals camp but he really caught my eye at this event. That guy has an NFL frame. Tons of big-time offers, including Oklahoma State but not OU.
DE Trace Ford showed great quickness when I watched him.
Top national DE Nathan Pickering started off slowly but bounced back and performed very well overall. Wilkins and Ndoma-Ogar did get the best of him though. He has Texas on his list of favorites.
WR La'Vontae Shenault was terrific. One of the better receivers out there on the day. Every time I looked up, he was creating separation in 1-on-1s.
--- Texas commitment Roschon Johnson took home QB MVP honors, which is certainly the biggest news to come out of the day. Early in the day, throwing into a slight wind, Johnson had a bit of trouble (most of the QBs did) but he really responded well as the day went on. He was able to spin the ball as well as any QB I watched out there and was accurate on underneath, intermediate and deep throws. I wouldn’t label Johnson as having a plus arm, but he measured up fine with the other QBs in attendance and didn’t have any issues making any throws asked of him. These camp setting don’t showcase Johnson’s athleticism, so him basically winning the day with is arm is pretty impressive.
--- OL/DL battles are always fun to watch and there was some good talent on hand in this one. Branson Bragg has been a regular attendee of the camp circuit over the last couple months and he was once again a top performer. Bragg was matched up with some pretty good defensive linemen but he won the majority of his reps that I saw. Once he sets his feet and locks onto a defender, the rep is pretty much over. There were a couple times when d-linemen caught him off balance and were able to move him backward, but that’s a pretty common occurrence in these 1-on-1 settings. Solid day overall by Bragg, who earned praise from one of the coaches I was chatting with later in the day.
--- I’ve been a fan of Stacey Wilkins’ every time I’ve seen him at one of these types of camps, and Sunday didn’t change anything. Love his frame and I love the way he competes. I heard others questioning his feet but I’ve never seen him have any problems taking on defenders who try to get him with speed to his outside shoulder. He dominated top national DE Nathan Pickering on a couple reps.
--- NaNa Osafo-Mensah was flat-out fantastic. When I’ve seen him at other camps, he’s been a bit up and down, but he seemed to have some extra bounce in his step on Sunday and he literally won every single DL rep I saw him take. He was quick off the edge, did a good job of dipping his shoulder to get the corner on guys and was pretty much unblockable. He earned DL MVP honors and I’m pretty sure it was an easy call for whoever made that decision. He beat guys with swim moves, with speed to the outside, showed power when needed … great day overall for Osafo-Mensah.
--- DT Ishmael Sopsher is rated as a five-star prospect and the nation’s No. 10 overall prospect. He’s damn good and definitely stands out with his size. You can see why people love him with his frame (6-4, 305) and while he was very good (mostly with his pure power), I’m not sure I’d put him in the no-brainer five-star category myself. Don’t get me wrong, he’s really good, but I didn’t get a chance to see him move around a ton to show his athleticism. I should be able to see much more of him at The Opening national event later in the summer.
--- DE Marcus Hicks is a guy Texas is really recruiting hard and he certainly passes the eyeball test. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to see him take a ton of reps (he split the ones I saw) so but Hicks was one of the more physically impressive looking D-linemen at the camp from a pure physical standpoint. Great frame at about 6-6 and still room to fill out.
--- Derek Stingley Jr is a five-star prospect and he backed it up yet again. The dude has been dominant every time I’ve seen him. Physical, great head for the game, great recovery speed. He just has it all. He’ll visit UT this week.
--- This was my first time seeing Jalen Catalon at one of these types of camps but I’d heard the talk that he usually does well. He did. In the reps I saw, Catalon was always breaking up passes or even coming up with an interception. Catalon is a bit undersized by normal standards, but just has a feel for the game that’s very natural … very physical, really good ball skills. I’m a fan.
--- I mentioned him after the Rivals camp, but I’m a huge fan of WR Trey Palmer. In the reps I saw, he was once again as good as any WR I saw out there, and this was a loaded group that included the likes of Garrett Wilson, Theo Wease, Jaylen Ellis and Trejan Bridges, among others.
--- A few others who caught my eye …
Wease looks to really have improved his footwork and speed from last year. Oklahoma got itself a really good one there.
As good as Wease is (and Arjei Henderson), Bridges just might be the best of that trio. He’s damn good.
Texas has recruited some Hawaiian players in this cycle. If they want to go after another, OL Julius Buelow would be a good one to target. I didn’t know much about him coming into the event because he wasn’t really on my radar, but you can see why has such a lofty ranking (Rivals100). Great frame and performed well overall. One of the coaches I talked to loved him.
Where the hell does University Lab in Baton Rouge get these kids? LB Bryton Constantin looked really good (Clemson commit).
Recent OU commitment OL EJ Ndoma-Ogar was as good as I’ve seen him at any of these camps. He won OL MVP.
Don’t know anything about him, but Starkville (MS) DE Jalil Clemons made his way into my notes for winning a lot of reps.
Four-star 2020 DT McKinnley Jackson (George County, MS) is damn good. Easy to see why he has so many early offers.
Putnam City (OK) defensive end Collin Clay looks like a beast. I knew of him from seeing him at a Rivals camp but he really caught my eye at this event. That guy has an NFL frame. Tons of big-time offers, including Oklahoma State but not OU.
DE Trace Ford showed great quickness when I watched him.
Top national DE Nathan Pickering started off slowly but bounced back and performed very well overall. Wilkins and Ndoma-Ogar did get the best of him though. He has Texas on his list of favorites.
WR La'Vontae Shenault was terrific. One of the better receivers out there on the day. Every time I looked up, he was creating separation in 1-on-1s.