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Posted by Scipio Tex on February 9th, 2010 under Football, Recruiting
Junior Days are right around the corner, so I thought we’d break down needs, talk recruits, and find a ray of gridiron sunshine in the long and cursed offseason.
CTJ gives us his thoughts too. Had I realized, I might have saved myself the typing.
Unlike last year where DFW held an absurd amount of the state’s talent, the elites in the state are pretty well dispersed in DFW, Houston, CenTex. Ordinarily good news for us, but now it just doesn’t matter. There’s no part of the state we’re not welcome. Inner city Dallas? Parts of East Texas? All good now. The traditional strongholds for recruiting rivals just don’t hold up anymore. We’ll do our usual battles with OU and fight LSU more than we did last year. USC was absent from the state last year, but I expect that we’ll see Kiffin and his crew again, which should make for good fun.
Street agents. This year’s Lache Seastrunk and Ahmad Dixon will make themselves known soon enough. Just look at the guys listing USC, Tennessee, LSU, Auburn, Oregon in their early recruiting. I haven’t heard anything about the current big names yet. Rest assured that we’ll see a handful of the top 50 play the game.
The key priorities of this class are OT, CB, RB. We need elites and numbers at all.
I’ll assume we have 22-25 scholarships to give. I assign needs # in paranthesis.
Defense
DT (2) Take two and close up shop. Desmond Jackson is a must and Marquis Anderson, Malcolm Brown’s Cibolo teammate, works. Quincy Russell is a guy I just read about and he’s pretty intriguing, given his basketball athleticism. I believe that DE Nathan Hughes eventually ends up inside. I think he’s best served as a DE in a 3-4, frankly.
DE (2) Jermauria Rasco is the Evangel DE that will be targeted by every street agent program in the SEC. Apparently likes Texas a lot, but getting a kid out Louisiana when LSU badly wants him is the toughest play in recruiting. At least he’s not in South Lousiana. Cedric Reed is a guy we’ll battle LSU for and there are a number of other solid types here. DE Lance Skyler has an Orakpo frame. If you’re looking for an early commit sleeper, that’s a good name. We may use some of the LBs below to create DEs.
LB (2-4) Lots of choices here. If we take heavy numbers here, they’re being taken as DEs. Steve Edmond is a wrecking ball from Daingerfield and if you catch his film, it’s pretty clear he’ll play with his hand on the ground or as an OLB in the 3-4 one day. Chet Moss is a Day One Junior Day invitee. I didn’t see it on his film. Tevon Randle is a true OLB. So is Kendall Thompson. Anthony Wallace is a true MIKE that we want badly. He’ll be a national battle. Supposedly we’re in on James Vaughters from Georgia. I doubt Muschamp’s ability to get people out of SEC country, but his film tells you why Muschamp would even try.
That’s sophomore film, folks. Whoa.
DB (4-5) Sheroid Evans is a track star safety that will tackle. He’s the most coveted guy in the state at the position. So take him and be done. If we can’t get him, Franklin Shannon makes sense. We need corners. Lots of corners. I’ll take Leroy Scott & Quandre Diggs and a CB or two to be named later. I want Miketavious Jones, if only for his name. I used to write about a fictional recruit named LaFroovius P Jenkins. Some called that racist. Well? Our other CB may be Kolby Griffin, some dude we don’t know, or an OOS stud. I’d like to see us look for an elite, top-flight CB OOS and throw our hat in the ring.
Offense
OL (4-5) Four is a certainty. Five is an outside possibility. The elite guys are well known so, thank God, MacWhorter won’t have to go sign some of his sleepers. OL are generally low ego, find recruiting to be a irritant, and most will commit during the summer, particularly if it’s Texas offering. We could fill our entire OL class by March with pretty good players and be done, which I think MacWhorter finds greatly tempting. The problem is that we need exceptional dudes, not only to make the schemes work, but to make contributions as sophomores and redshirt freshmen. So it’s imperative that we hold out for elites like Westerman (AZ), Hegarty (NM), and in-state Sedrick Flowers rather than just pluck the low hanging fruit – some of it found conveniently in Cen-Tex. Some other names you’ll hear at OT: Greenlea, Drango, Doyle.
My guess is we take a quick three and then hold out for 1-2 studs. Everyone on the staff understands how important this OL class is and I don’t think they’ll allow MacWhorter to settle.
QB (1) Belton’s David Ash will be offered and he will commit. A traditional QB. He’s a less capable runner than Wood or McCoy from what I’ve seen. JW Walsh, the in-state guy I was most intrigued by, is already off of the board to Oklahoma State where he has a real chance of starting as a true or redshirt freshman…and wearing Girbaud jeans. The state doesn’t have great talent at QB this year. I’d prefer we look out of state and sell two years of separation from Gilbert, but I’d rather take a decent in-stater than no one. I suppose one way to ensure you have sufficient depth at QB is to take an OK player with no desire to transfer for every superstar. Polygamists adopt a similar philosophy with their wives.
RB (3) Joe Bergeron has been more or less committed to Texas since he was 15 so there’s your FB should we decide we want to get serious about a traditional running game. He appears to be 39 years old and has a NFL body now.
The state has an embarrassment of riches at HB. Traylon Shead would be the 6th-8th best RB in this 2011 class if he redshirted a year. In my estimation, at least given the grainy film clips I’ve seen and the information I’ve gathered, the state has four elite backs and at least another half dozen that are legitimate studs. Then ten more solid D-1 players. Crazy. Everyone in the Big 12 (and TCU, Stanford, Minnesota, Arizona, LSU, Arkansas) is going to get a good RB from Texas. We need two.
Pick any two from Aaron Green, Malcolm Brown, Brandon Williams and Herschel Sims and I’m happy. BTW, Williams lacks the hype, but he’s a pure RB. 21.3 200m. 10.6 100m FAT. If we settle for even one lesser back, I’ll be pissed off.
WR (2-3) Jaxon Shipley has been a commitment since 8th grade. We likely take two more WRs. It’s encouraging that Trey Metoyer is making our first junior day. Miles Onyegbule – hopefully a Dan Buckner with balls and without an equestrian fetish – is another guy you hear about. If we get Shipley and Metoyer, I might consider closing up shop if we’re feasting elsewhere.
TE (1) We need a player that will go down the seam as capably as Barney Frank’s index finger on a cabana boy’s slacks and will provide an honest extra blocking surface on the edge. Meet MJ McFarland, possibly the finest athlete to come out of El Paso since Trips Right’s younger brother. Go to YouTube and enter MJ’s name and you’ll find a bunch of high school game film. The guy seems legit. He’s #85. Frame, good hands. There is talk about Chris Barnett and Max Stevenson, interesting talents in their own rights, but like Spider Man, we’re loyal to MJ.
If we take two TEs, I’m guessing that tells you something about where our attrition is.
Thoughts?
The General said:
February 9th, 2010 at 4:02 am
7:00 minutes of film on Metoyer and no WR screens. How can we possibly evaluate a guy based on that?
Newy25 said:
February 9th, 2010 at 4:13 am
” We need a player that will go down the seam as capably as Barney Frank’s index finger on a cabana boy’s slacks”
Holy shit.
llogg said:
February 9th, 2010 at 5:22 am
after consecutive years signing one underwhelming prospect at RB I’d love to see them sign just one of the four you mention. Two of them would be incredible. Two of them plus Bergeron would be like fucking Jessica Alba.
coloradoag said:
February 9th, 2010 at 8:00 am
Barney Frank and Mormon quips in the same post. My Tuesday is complete.
Texas HS football is going through a phase (era?) where the best athlete talent is being put on offense. DBs aren’t being developed in vast quantities. Why wouldn’t you go after a couple OOS DBs?
Trips Right said:
February 9th, 2010 at 8:15 am
Well done. The Barney Frank line blindsided me like a strain of juarez clap. Funny stuff.
I’d like for us to go out of state for a QB and at least 1 maybe two CB’s. Is Quandre tall enough to play corner or angry enough to play safety?
Rumor around the campfire is that Malcolm Brown is our number 1 target and our top priority. I’ll take him and Williams.
On the OL, I’ve heard that Doyle is by far the best OT in state and Weasterman may commit at junior days. Spencer Drango is built like Neal Tweedie. I’d say el paso since we have to have homeruns at this position and not deca durabolin projects.
Again, good post.
Jilted said:
February 9th, 2010 at 8:51 am
Getting Bergeron and McFarland on board early could help trick the Browns (Mal and Papa) into thinking we’re serious about running downhill.
The mere thought of Westerman committing causes my figurative recruiting weinie to stir from its five day slumber. But the thought of Barney Frank brings about a yelping full retreat into the turtle shell.
BTW, if you ever leave me for a month again, I’ll drive you to the internet desert, punch you in the ribs and hold a rusty Stanley screwdriver to your throat. Nate will be by shortly to explain how this is actually acceptable behavior and will remind everyone that Jackson Jeffcoat once threw a rock at his sister..
magnusbleuveigner said:
February 9th, 2010 at 8:58 am
LaFroovius definitely has a boo named LaJazzMonique.
I disagree that USC wasn’t a player in state last year. We just slapped them around a little. They showed up with Jeffcoat, Wilson, Matthews, and Seastrunk. This year, we’ll be crossing paths on Anthony Wallace. Not sure who else from the in state crowd. Definitely with Westerman.
Is it me, or does it seem we’re already guaranteed a top five class?
uthookem said:
February 9th, 2010 at 9:07 am
I consider this thread incomplete until a picture of Barney Frank is added.
Texasfootball said:
February 9th, 2010 at 10:24 am
CTJ gives us his thoughts too. Had I realized, I might have saved myself the typing.
Piss on that you slackers—
seriously, good outline for our study project as the first handicap day looms straight ahead. I would just like to get this out of the way right now that I want James Vaughters as my first captain first choose and cancel any further discussion at this time. MR. Vaughters made it painfully obvious that out of the entire population of OLinemen that appeared on that video not a swinging dick wanted any part of contact with said badass—it hurts to say this because I’m a known believer of keeping drop of the hat kick-assers on defense but Mr. Vaughters is also one hell of a TE prospect.
Trusted football minds tell me Leroy Scott is a true number one draft choice.
You know my feelings about how many talented DL I want to take—I still believe you can’t have too many and will gladly sacrifice a skilled wantabe that might not bite a bisquit for another warrior in the trenches. Two of the best OL we have produced in recent times were ex defensive high schoolers that had attitude and the talent to win battles—hell, finding a way to “get legal” was just a part of the process and now they are cashing League checks. Most still believe you can teach techniques easier than attitude—wonder how many of our recent OL departures would have kept their jobs if open season had been declared between the reserve DL and their own sweet selfs in a winner take all daily carnival?
You need to take it on the chin and watch the damn Rose game because there are some definite thoughts about next year’s bunch available in the context clues. It’s not so bad that you call Ralph more than usual but you might desire a beverage or four of choice to steady raw nerves that might lean toward flinging objects at the tv screen when it’s obvious that certain individuals forget why they were wearing shoulder pads. Man up Scip.
BicBenedict said:
February 9th, 2010 at 11:03 am
The high light reel for James Vaughters is from his sophomore year, 2008.
Handful of Texas Dirt Under the Crib said:
February 9th, 2010 at 11:10 am
“The high light reel for James Vaughters is from his sophomore year, 2008″
That’s why Scip channeled his inner Brent Musburger and wrote, “That’s sophomore film, folks. Whoa.”, directly under the video.
BicBenedict said:
February 9th, 2010 at 11:24 am
OK. Let me try this smart ass. Wow! Scipio you were correct. I really agree with you about that football player named James Vaughters! He really is a good football player! Can you believe that he is only a sophomore in that video which is obviously over an year old!!!!! He must be really, really good now that he is no longer a sophomore!!!!!!!!!!!
texasengr said:
February 9th, 2010 at 11:57 am
The General,
I think the WR screen you were looking for could be seen at ~1:55. However, this was an effective play, so we really don’t know how he will take the blow from an unblocked defender 4 yards behind the line of scrimmage.
hookem625 said:
February 9th, 2010 at 12:21 pm
I say we just take 25 running backs. One of them has to be the next Jamaal… Plus I really want Malcolm Brown just for his high school’s name- which I think we should refer to him as. I mean something like “Cibolo Steele” practically guarantees dominance.
RichUT said:
February 9th, 2010 at 12:31 pm
Cibolo Steele would make a hell of a pr0n name.
Mike Cook said:
February 9th, 2010 at 12:42 pm
Obvious name gets, Meteyor, Miketavious, Sheroid (the human steroid), Rasco. We’re building a great class. I hear these guys are good football players too. What a bonus.
Scipio Tex said:
February 9th, 2010 at 12:50 pm
Thanks for comments from all.
TexasFootball -
Always good to hear from you.
Vaughters is ridiculous. He’s changing the game on every snap at DT/DE/LB and he’d probably knock out two kids a game at safety. I hope we pull out all stops to get in his head because there’s no way the SEC will let a baller like that get out without a knock down drag out.
I will watch the Rose Bowl eventually, but I’m afraid it will confirm what I saw in person with respect to Blake G and Chykie tackling and our WRs catching other than Shipley/Goodwin. BTW, the Gilbert sack and strip happened right in front of me. Before the snap, I pointed to Anders and said “Empty set – he’s coming.” He came.
I’ve heard that Leroy Scott is coming and he is the Man. Now we just need one more pipe hitter at CB and one project and we can call it a wrap.
I agree with you on the value of DL over OL. Why consistently limit yourself to the worst athletes on the field?
El General –
Metoyer is baby Crabtree IMO.
coloradoag -
We will go after an OOS DB or two. And by we, I mean Will Muschamp will do it alone.
Trips -
Quandre may be a safety after all, but I would think we’d give him a shot at CB since we do that with everyone. Nevertheless, we need 2-3 really good CBs.
I can’t say that I have a read on how good Doyle is. I haven’t seen him play.
Jilted -
My thoughts exactly. Getting Bergeron is probably key for selling Brown on our running game.
magnus -
USC didn’t sign a single guy from Texas. Wilson didn’t consider them, Jeffcoat scratched them once Pete left, we weren’t recruiting Seastrunk, and Matthews was going to stay in Texas. They were an incredible non-entity. I expect that to change.
Bic -
I didn’t post junior film because I didn’t think we could take seeing that kind of badassedness which will eventually sign at Auburn or Georgia.
hookem -
If his name were actually Cibolo Steele, then I’d agree. For similar reasons, we pretty much HAVE to take Lance Skyler.
Scipio Tex said:
February 9th, 2010 at 12:53 pm
Is there a school with the mascot of a Bullfrog?
If so, Jermauria should play for them.
cincinnatus said:
February 9th, 2010 at 1:12 pm
Is there a school with the mascot of a Bullfrog? If so, Jermauria should play for them.
Anybody know how best to get Dr. Pepper out from between the keys of a keyboard? Again?
I’m going to send the cleaning bill to BC HQ if y’all don’t quit making me spew liquid laughter so frequently.
NY Horn said:
February 9th, 2010 at 1:18 pm
Any chance the Georgia LB finds representation? That seems to be the norm for five star talents in SEC land.
76135 said:
February 9th, 2010 at 1:21 pm
Lake Worth Bullfrogs baby!
hopefulhorn said:
February 9th, 2010 at 1:27 pm
cincinnatus–occupational hazard of reading this site. I went to a plastic keyboard cover but it is getting hard to see the keys.
Trips Right said:
February 9th, 2010 at 1:29 pm
Scipio has a plastic keyboard cover for DNA.
Scipio Tex said:
February 9th, 2010 at 1:31 pm
NY Horn –
There is a 59.3% chance.
NY Horn said:
February 9th, 2010 at 1:40 pm
Come on Scipio, offers from Bama, Auburn, and Tenn should put him north of 60%. I don’t know if we’re committed enough to win these kinds of games.
texastough said:
February 9th, 2010 at 1:57 pm
“USC didn’t sign a single guy from Texas. Wilson didn’t consider them, Jeffcoat scratched them once Pete left, we weren’t recruiting Seastrunk, and Matthews was going to stay in Texas. They were an incredible non-entity. I expect that to change.”
The problem with USC is that they get their panties in a wad if their average recruit rating isn’t north of 4. My prediction is that, as you say, Kiffin with fork-tongue his way into a few 5 star living rooms but when he finds out that we have an 80% market share with the remaining 20% going to OU and LSU, he’ll get his feelings hurt and stop trying.
bigdukesix said:
February 9th, 2010 at 2:05 pm
USC barely recruits Texas any year.
magnusbleuveigner said:
February 9th, 2010 at 2:45 pm
I feared USC more at this point last year then I do now. I don’t even think they have a chance with Wallace. That will be us vs. OU.
Sugarpants said:
February 9th, 2010 at 2:49 pm
You may have Barney Frank confused with Mark Foley.
Barney is married and by all accounts has been out of the cabana boy business for over 20 years. Carl Rove is another possiblilty… beltway rumor is that he is an occasional visitor to one of the gay nights at a Capitol Hill bar… he now resides in Austin after selling his place in Ingram and attended the BCS Championship in Longhorn gear. As for his anti-gay policies, methinks the lady doth protest too much.
magnusbleuveigner said:
February 9th, 2010 at 2:58 pm
Now I see where the name ‘Sugarpants’ comes from.
“Barney is married and by all accounts has been out of the cabana boy business for over 20 years.”
Tiger Woods is married.
Why are YOU people so sensitive?
Blueshorn said:
February 9th, 2010 at 3:44 pm
I hope you guys are right and we get a couple of studs at RB. If any super bluechip running back signs with us, given the ass-clowns in charge of our running scheme, it will be a complete shock and mystery to me.
magnusbleuveigner said:
February 9th, 2010 at 4:22 pm
Check this shit out. Rivals is on a ketamine, crack, and absinthe cocktail.
http://footballrecruiting.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1050181
Our DT class didn’t rank in the top 5? Oh, ok.
NY Horn said:
February 9th, 2010 at 5:11 pm
I don’t think Rivals is big on Texas athletes, at least on ones that commit early.
dick said:
February 9th, 2010 at 6:19 pm
Vaughters doesn’t list us in his top 20 on Rivals
magnusbleuveigner said:
February 9th, 2010 at 7:55 pm
Fear not dick, that just needs to be updated. Vaughters’ coach was contacted by UT to see if there would be any interest. The coach told him that if he wasn’t interested to tell them now since it’s a long way for us to go. Vaughters said he’s interested. His dad has also spoken very highly of us. He says distance isn’t a concern. It will be a tougher pull than Hicks for sure, but we have an outside chance.
NY Horn, I agree. UT’s early commit plan is bad for Rivals’ business. 20 less kids and situations they overhype and dramatize.
Mysterious Package said:
February 9th, 2010 at 9:02 pm
Barnett has better offers than MJ no? I want the Seattle kid but that could be a pipe dream from what I hear…
texastough said:
February 9th, 2010 at 10:11 pm
Can anyone clarify the level of competition the elite 4 backs faced in HS? Brown looks like an Adrian Peterson clone – absolutely sick. Green is untouchable, both in vision, shake, and 2 gears more than anyone else on the field. On the other hand, Williams runs like a spaz and seemed to lack some vision. Sims looked good but not great – I wonder if his stats are good because his team is good. Wondering if the competition level is fooling my untrained eye. If not, give me brown-green.
With those two, we could send our whole WR corps to an aggie equestrian match before the season equipped with handguns and prescription painkillers and let the entire OL get manis and pedis every gameday, and still whoop ass.
Barking Carnival — Blog — Spring Theory said:
February 9th, 2010 at 10:58 pm
[...] has done something similar with just his mind powers in response to a CTJ [...]
Minnesotahorn said:
February 10th, 2010 at 7:11 am
Great stuff and thanks for taking the time.
I’m wondering how difficult it would be to talk Metoyer into transposing the o and e in his name? There’s got to be a way right?
Ecurbmanchild said:
February 10th, 2010 at 9:48 am
Sugar, You must mean some other Barney Frank. The one he talked about is “out” and has a life partner.
Vasherized said:
February 10th, 2010 at 10:31 am
Good stuff, Scipio. It’s an absolutely loaded class on offense but not quite as deep as 2010 on defense.
I love reading the quotes from guys like Edmond before the Junior Days that may be slightly down on Texas because they haven’t been offered yet or from negative recruiting by other schools, then compare them to quotes right after the visit.
2/8
“”I’m going to find out how much I like Texas this weekend,” he said. “I don’t know much about A&M. Sometimes I want to ask Chris Jones why he chose Texas. I don’t see what’s the point when they have got all of those athletes there and you may not be able to play.”
2/16
“Oh man, Texas, it’s like one big family down there. I could really see myself playing down there in Austin for Coach Brown. My teammate Chris Jones is going there and he says it’s awesome.”
The two in-state guys in this class I covet most are Sheroid Evans and Desmond Jackson. Leroy Scott is a close third.
Like you, I’m fine with two of the four backs. I think it’s Brown and Williams. Hopefully Sims doesn’t go to OU.
We’re in the mix for OOS ATH/WR, Hakeem Flowers (Greenville, SC). 6′3 175 long-strider. Coming in for the second junior day with his Dad per Rivals. Here are Junior Highlights:
Scipio Tex said:
February 10th, 2010 at 10:53 am
Flowers making the effort to come in and his grasp of English in his interview tell me we may have a real shot.
Bobby Finnstock said:
February 10th, 2010 at 2:11 pm
Vaughters is one of the best I’ve ever seen at keeping blockers out of his body.
Bergeron has not been confirmed for a junior day, but Devon Hocutt from Killeen Ellison will be here on Saturday. He’s athletic at 6′0″ 255 pounds. He has been a returner for kickoffs. I think he could be a sledgehammer at FB.
joe said:
February 10th, 2010 at 2:30 pm
nothing on rivals bout hakeem flowers u have a link
Scipio Tex said:
February 10th, 2010 at 4:50 pm
joe -
Expand your learning base beyond Rivals. You’ll be glad.
derryl said:
February 10th, 2010 at 7:31 pm
I checked the youtube for Michael Brewer and watched the LT Killeen game tape…does anyone have a bead on this Andy Erick guy for LT???
Jeez this guy is a stud ass football player at WR, KR and WB/RB…..
derryl said:
February 10th, 2010 at 8:14 pm
check that….Andy Erickson…this guy is the most physical WR I have ever seen at this level…
highlight reel :
Barking Carnival — Blog — Around the Horns said:
February 11th, 2010 at 6:20 am
[...] being something of a crapshoot makes McWhorter’s job here all the more frustrating. As Scipio detailed, Texas’ current depth at tackle and on the line in general necessitates that incoming [...]
Hookah said:
February 11th, 2010 at 8:00 am
Curious what makes you think Edmond spins down. Seems like a true backer to me, based on a couple minutes of highlights.
starting to smell said:
February 11th, 2010 at 3:00 pm
Best player in 2011 recruiting class: James Wilder Jr. His pops played in the NFL for Tampa Bay. James Jr. plays RB and DE – his film is awesome. Too bad he plays out of Florida.
magnusbleuveigner said:
February 11th, 2010 at 4:14 pm
He’s already built like Greg Lloyd. These kids are fucking yoked. Last year it was Jeff Luc. This year it’s Wilder and Devon Hocutt (mentioned above). Just freaks.
Scipio Tex said:
February 11th, 2010 at 5:45 pm
Hookah -
If he plays in a 4-3, his hand eventually goes on the ground. If a 3-4, you’ve got a quality Rush LB.
joe said:
February 12th, 2010 at 3:48 pm
supposedly muschamp gets to pick or have huge input into which o-lineman we take.
Lo Primero said:
February 12th, 2010 at 7:52 pm
He should. After all, he’s the assistant-fucking-coach-in-waiting.