We got another Aussie! In a major surprise, Texas picked up Australian punter Ryan Bujcevski who could potentially take over for his cousin and current Australian punter, Michael Dickson. Bolded Players are enrolling for the Spring semester. 1:00 PM; JUCO OL Mikey Grandy will announce 3:00 PM; CB Anthony Cook will announce if he is going to Texas, LSU or Ohio St. 7:00 PM; LB Ayodele Adeoye will announce if he is staying with Texas or going to Illinois or OU. I feel like Adeoye is decommiting and signing with Illinois. It's strange that he would stay with UT if he is doing the hat ceremony. He just went to Illinois so maybe he would rather do this than the de-commit and re-commit. It's also possible he wants the attention which I have no problem with. The dude worked hard to get to this point. SIGNED Casey Thompson, QB, Moore (Okla.) Newcastle Cameron Rising, QB, Newbury Park (Calif.) Brennan Eagles, WR, Alief Taylor Al'vonte Woodard, WR, Houston Lamar Malcolm Epps, TE, Spring Dekaney Rafiti Ghrmai, OL, Frisco Wakeland Reese Moore, OL, Seminole Junior Angilau, OL, Salt Lake City (Utah) East (Might delay enrollment 2 years. Mormon Stuff.) Byron Hobbs, LB, Fort Worth Eastern Hills DeMarvion Overshown, S, Arp BJ Foster, S, Angleton Caden Sterns, CB/S, Cibolo Steele D'shawn Jamison, CB, Houston Lamar Jalen Green, CB, Houston Reagan Cameron Dicker, K, Lake Travis Ryan Bujcevski, P, Melbourne (Aus.) Prokick Australia COMMITTED Keaontay Ingram, RB, Carthage (Waiting until February to Sign) Keondre Coburn, DT, Spring Westfield (Waiting until February to Sign) Ayodele Adeoye, LB, St. Louis (Mo.) IMG Academy (Might be doing the hat reveal tonight. Could go to Illinois)
Based only on what we know, which is not very much, it would be absurd for Adeoye to pick Illinois. He has been down to Oklahoma and Texas for months. I definitely thinks he wants attention for his ceremony. He could still pick Oklahoma, but it's likely he chooses Texas in the end.
I mean, if you put a lot of stock into what we "hear" then the commit to Illinois is very real. One of the main reporters for the Horns 247 site already changed his prediction and it's not just because the kid visited Illinois 5 days ago. That being said, I don't think anyone really knows what is going on in a kid's head in these situations so I wouldn't bet on anyone.
Texas signs CB Anthony Cook. Player rankings aren't absolute but it's still cool to see Texas have so many of the top state recruits. I don't know if anyone knows what is going on with OL Mikey Grandy. Bolded Players are enrolling for the Spring semester. Today; JUCO OL Mikey Grandy will announce 7:00 PM; LB Ayodele Adeoye will announce if he is staying with Texas or going to Illinois or OU. SIGNED Casey Thompson, QB, Moore (Okla.) Newcastle Cameron Rising, QB, Newbury Park (Calif.) Brennan Eagles, WR, Alief Taylor Al'vonte Woodard, WR, Houston Lamar Malcolm Epps, TE, Spring Dekaney Rafiti Ghrmai, OL, Frisco Wakeland Reese Moore, OL, Seminole Junior Angilau, OL, Salt Lake City (Utah) East (Might delay enrollment 2 years. Mormon Stuff.) Byron Hobbs, LB, Fort Worth Eastern Hills DeMarvion Overshown, S, Arp BJ Foster, S, Angleton Caden Sterns, CB/S, Cibolo Steele Anthony Cook CB Houston Lamar D'shawn Jamison, CB, Houston Lamar Jalen Green, CB, Houston Reagan Cameron Dicker, K, Lake Travis Ryan Bujcevski, P, Melbourne (Aus.) Prokick Australia COMMITTED Keaontay Ingram, RB, Carthage (Leaning toward signing early.) Keondre Coburn, DT, Spring Westfield (Waiting until February to Sign) Ayodele Adeoye, LB, St. Louis (Mo.) IMG Academy (Might be doing the hat reveal tonight. Could go to Illinois)
If you're talking about Gabe Brooks, believe he changed it to get prediction points if he does indeed flip, doesn't get any if he picks Texas since he's committed. Silly I know but whatever. Finishing the day with him and Grandy would be a great day.
Good catch. For some reason I thought it was Jeff Howe. From Tom Herman in his press conference today:
LB Ayodele Adeoye announced he is sending in his LOI to Texas. Sometime In Next Few Days; JUCO OL Mikey Grandy will announce where he is going Maybe Sometime in next few days; RB Keaontay Ingram, will confirm his commitment and sign his LOI Bolded Players are enrolling for the Spring semester. SIGNED Casey Thompson, QB, Moore (Okla.) Newcastle Cameron Rising, QB, Newbury Park (Calif.) Brennan Eagles, WR, Alief Taylor Al'vonte Woodard, WR, Houston Lamar Malcolm Epps, TE, Spring Dekaney Rafiti Ghrmai, OL, Frisco Wakeland Reese Moore, OL, Seminole Junior Angilau, OL, Salt Lake City (Utah) East (Might delay enrollment 2 years. Mormon Stuff.) Byron Hobbs, LB, Fort Worth Eastern Hills Ayodele Adeoye, LB, St. Louis (Mo.) IMG Academy DeMarvion Overshown, S, Arp BJ Foster, S, Angleton Caden Sterns, CB/S, Cibolo Steele Anthony Cook CB Houston Lamar D'shawn Jamison, CB, Houston Lamar Jalen Green, CB, Houston Reagan Cameron Dicker, K, Lake Travis Ryan Bujcevski, P, Melbourne (Aus.) Prokick Australia COMMITTED Keaontay Ingram, RB, Carthage (Leaning toward signing early.) Keondre Coburn, DT, Spring Westfield (Waiting until February to Sign)
yep. 4 star DL Bobby Brown just decomits from the Aggies. I don't think Texas has been on his radar but you never know if that can change now that UT can focus on a smaller group of guys. I think most people would guess he is going to OU or Alabama but you never know.
Fantastic pickup. This is a guy that can contribute day 1. It looks like RB Ingram might sign Friday night.
Wow, Herman is knocking it out of the park! Love picking up all the Lamar guys, go Skins! (Texans) and the other top in-state prospects. I love reading "Herman says recruiting DL this year in state has been difficult. This is due to a lack of elite level talent in state. Is okay with taking 1 or 2 guys this class due to only losing Poona Ford, but believes they will need to knock it out of the park in next year’s deeper DL class. Herman plans to be more selective with 2019 DL offers next cycle." I feel like we never heard this kind of talk out of Strong. Strong didn't plan everything meticulously and have a clear template of what kind of players he sought. He was a nice guy and could be buddy buddy with them, but I think Herman stresses that he will provide structure/discipline and help the kids develop as both men and football players. The families of the players respond to this. Mack had that same kind of mentor quality. I find the quote - "Herman also thanked BJ Fosters mother and the parents of Malik Jefferson, Connor Williams, and Malcolm Roach’s father who played a big role in helping this class come together." as evidence of this. So pumped to see the burnt orange Texas on your chest, horns on your helmet, history, tradition and allure of the 40 acres still has its allure. A top 5 recruiting class just gets my dick hard, what can I say? Hook 'em!!!
Interesting to hear Herman talk about all of the planning going back to last year. Specifically not taking a full class last year knowing there would be more early enrollees (who count towards the previous year's class) with the new signing period. We did lose out on some guys that probably helped the decision but it has seemingly worked out well. Getting a few of these guys in January helps out tremendously.
I really love this early signing day. I think it helped Texas keep guys but maybe they wouldn't have lost them no matter what. I'm very pleasantly surprised that they've only lost 1 recruit. I think they'll end up losing Coburn but you never know. Now the staff can just focus on the much smaller group of guys that are left and maybe it can help them recruit more outside of Texas. There is just more time considering you don't have to keep servicing existing recruits. I think there are a few extremes in this class. The positive extreme is the QB and DB hall. The catastrophic hall is the D-Line. It's already a position that has suffered massive attrition and was arguably the weakest part of the defense. Losing Coburn would make it that much worse. However, the DL recruit can only get better while nothing else gets worse. Here is the possibly final summary of the 1st signing day. RB Ingram could end up signing especially if his team wins their playoff game Friday but let's just assume he doesn't. Early Enrollment This is HUGE. We have 7 early recruits (2 QBs, 1 WR, 1LB, 3 DBs). True freshmen have much more limited impact in a big part because there are so few practices in the fall before the 1st game. When freshmen enroll in the spring, it's like they've already redshirted. They can learn the system, start practicing, working on technique, gaining trust with coaches and playing in the Spring Game. As a comparison, these are all players who enrolled early and contributed in their freshman year: Malik Jefferson, Shane Buechele, Sam Ehlinger, Collin Johnson, Zach Shackelford, Connor Williams Quarterback Position This should not have happened. You can get multiple QBs in a recruiting class but not two guys who have offers from all over the country who are looked at as potential starters. I think people should fully expect one of these guys to end up transferring which is normal. It's somewhat similar to Sneed vs Colt except Colt was technically a redshirt freshman but they both still had the same amount of eligibility. Not great for these kids but great for Texas. Thompson is the more mobile of the two and it's easy to swoon about that but we've learned from Heard and Swoops that mobility can only take you so far. Thompson is very accomplished but so was Heard. There is every reason to be hopeful but I think as Texas fans, we tend to assume too much of really mobile QBs. Then you have Rising who is your less mobile buy hopefully more accurate Pro Style QB. In a lot of ways, it mirrors the current situation with Sam and Shane. It makes me feel like Rising but be more likely to redshirt than Thompson because he needs a better OL to be successful. The hope is that Shane stays and we go into the spring with 4 scholarship QBs but I don't see that as likely. The writing is kind of on the wall for Shane and I think most of Chip Brown's article was based on info from Shane's family. I could see him staying if he was on track to graduate next year so he could transfer before his senior year and play immediately. I think you'll end up burning a redshirt on Thompson or Rising and possibly both if Sam can't stay healthy. Offensive Line I think this was a good pickup but probably not where the coaching staff wants to be. Herman has made it clear that he wants to get to the point where he redshirts all his Offensive Lineman but I'm not sure how well that will work this year. The biggest surprise yesterday was the recruitment of JUCO offensive lineman Mikey Grandy. Is he great? Who knows but he has been playing college ball and there is potential that he can come in and fill out a depth chart that was decimated with attrition. Moore, Ghirmai and Angilau are all 4 star recruits however I think the star rating is the least useful in predicting success when it comes to offensive linemen. That being said, it still means that you are getting guys who were accomplished and it should give you hope. Bad news is that although Angilau signed a LOI, he might go do mormon stuff for a couple years. Now if he was definitely going on a mission then I don't think he would have signed a LOI because it'll expire if he doesn't enroll. This is clearly a position that the staff needs to keep focusing on because you really need more than 3 guys to improve your line, let alone sustain it. WR/TE Receiver is definitely one of the weakest parts of the class however Texas is stacked in WRs right now and that'll likely cause some attrition. On the flip side, it means you could more easily redshirt new WRs which would be nice looking down the road. Both Eagles and Woodard are accomplished high school receivers and everyone should be optimistic about their future especially when Eagles is 6'4" Tight End is an area the staff desperately needs to focus on. It's already one of the weakest positions and we currently only have 1 recruit. That's a position that can be a god send for a scrambling QB hitting the out-route. I don't think we would have won a championship if Vince Young wouldn't have had TE David Thomas. Defensive Linemen FUUUCCCKKKKKKK. I mean....FUCCCCKKKKK. This was already a position that suffered a lot of attrition. You're losing your starting NT in Ford and possibly your best player in DE Charles Omenih. I still think he's going in the draft. Guys that have the bodies to play as a 4-3 defensive end (Omenihu 6-7 280) are always going to get the "potential" boost. It's like how the AP treats Noter Dame. He's also done and showed enough in college that he is an above average college DE and that is all it takes for that position. For some perspective, the last time UT had a true defensive end drafted in the NFL was in 2007. All our other "defensive ends" have been NFL linebackers. Keeping potential Nose Tackle Coburn is going to be extremely important. It doesn't matter how good your DBs are if you can't plug the middle of the offensive line. Believe me, I know how dumb it is to over analyze a high school kids tweets. He just needs "more time to make his decision" which sounds more like he's not really a commit however you never know. A lot can happen between now and NSD2. TLDR: FUCCKKKKKK Defensive Backs Not a lot needs to be said here. Amazing pickup. 6 guys might seem like a lot but it seems Orlando plays the nickel back quite a bit. You can't guarantee success from stars but I put more value in star ratings with DB since it's so much easier to evaluate talented play from DBs than other positions because it's a lot more 1:1 play and requires so much more movement and visible skills. This was obviously important given the loses of 2 of our starters with a possible 3rd (Boyd) in the air. Special Teams: One of the few bright spots for Texas last year was the punter who now seems like he is headed for the NFL. However, a welcome surprise came in when Dickson's fellow Aussie and cousin committed. I have no clue if this kid is good but I mean.... you have to have hope. You also have another kicker coming in out of Lake Travis. He did well in high school but you just never know with kickers. Hope for the best. Line Backers Not bad but not great. There is not much you could have hoped for in regards to immediately replacing Malik. Herman moved him to his natural position at OLB and we have 1 OLB coming in but he wasn't a huge standout in high school. A combination of a weak OLB and weak weak DL is terrifying. I feel better about our current crop of ILBs and picking up Adeoye will help with depth. You really want at least 2 more guys here. TLDR: Great overall class but bi-polar in depth/quality. Staff needs to address existing holes in order to best take advantage of all of the other current recruits. You have more scholarships than you need with how many early recruits can be allocated to last year's scholarship limit. Top Priorities before signing day: Defensive Lineman, Tight Ends Important Priorities: Line Backers, Offensive Lineman Less Priorities but still good: Receivers Probably Fine: Special Teams You're Money: Defensive End, Quarter Back
They just need DL bodies even if they aren't the best in the country. I completely agree about Strong. I hated his strategy of being hands off during the season and at the end of the year and just making an insane push closer to signing day. It was stressful and I don't think it built the right expectations. I think he sold kids on himself and hanging out with each other more than the school but I could be wrong.
I don't agree with your opinion on the WR/TEs. There is not a huge need for wide receivers of all types. Brennan Eagles and Al'vonte Woodard are both highly rated, equivalent to the rating of a Collin Johnson or Devin Duvernay. They will both be capable of taking the outside receiver role. The real need for the WRs is a slot receiver. There are still several potential players who Texas could get here, like Waddle, Keys, or Craig Williams if he hasn't signed with Baylor. Tight end is really dependent on development, especially since we don't have an all-encompassing talent. Leitao, Brewer, and Epps are a good step in the right direction. I am hopeful one of those three will be playing at a high level by the end of 2018, if not 2019. It's good that Herman has been building up the position over time. The defensive line will be a combination of Roach, Taquon Graham, and Chris Nelson. Depth is lacking, though I do think we are in the running for a few recruits, like Coutre Alexander, Moro Ojomo, and possibly Joseph Ossai. At linebacker, the staff will go after DaShaun White, who has yet to sign with Texas A&M. I think the biggest needs for National Signing Day are defensive line, offensive line, linebacker, and slot receiver. Get 5-6 more players at those positions, and this is as good of a class as we could get.
