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Signing Day Preview

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0600

By Travis Stewart // TexasFootball.com

Ah, National Signing Day is nearly upon us. It truly is one of the wildest days of the year in the high school athletics world, as talented football players (and other athletes) all over Texas prepare to sign their life away to the college program of their choice. By fax machine. Seems a little archaic, no?

In any case, regardless of your opinion on the recruiting world in general, tomorrow's NSD should be fun if you keep it in perspective. Is it silly to hype up players who have never played a down of college football? Of course. But it's also fun to watch them accept — or spurn — the college colors and traditions that run so deep inside all of us. It's essentially laying down the foundation for the storylines and stars of the future. How can that not generate a little bit of excitement?

In preparation for a day that moves a mile a minute, I've pieced together a quick preview of what to expect tomorrow, complete with some kids and schools to keep a close eye on. I've also (somewhat) outlined how the process itself works, so the uninitiated can get a primer before we crank up the carousel. Make sure to follow us on Twitter (@dctf) as we highlight some of the notable story lines that develop — or fail to develop — on Recruiting Christmas. Enjoy!

How it works
Basically, every high school kid you see "aligned" with a school now is at a purely verbal commitment stage. They actually have to fill out a Letter of Intent to be considered a signee. That's what happens tomorrow. Some kids — the industrious ones that graduate early — are already enrolled at their college of choice (like Klein Forest's Matt Davis at Texas A&M). Those kids, considering they are already living on campus, are as good as signed. Junior college players can sign early, too. Some don't, but the ones that have are obviously locked in, too. The rest of the recruiting world has a big, big day tomorrow.

Every high school player has to sign and fax in a Letter of Intent to the school that they wish to accept a scholarship to. This LOI is binding, folks — once it's received, it's almost impossible to get out of. You'll hear your favorite schools talk about receiving a fax from so-and-so: once you see that message come from your program, you know the kid will be wearing your college colors. Most of these letters are faxed early in the morning, and by mid-afternoon, most schools' classes are all finished up. We're going to have some stragglers; that's the way of things. But by and large, we'll be about done with this by 5:00 PM tomorrow. From that point on, it's all forensics — trying to digest exactly what just happened.

Kids to keep an eye on
FB Hightower ATH Bralon Addison: Regardless of whether you believe what all the message boards say this time of year, there's a reason to watch for the kids they predict will make a dramatic, last-second change in school choice — either the forums turn out to be right and the recruiting world is stunned at the sudden move, or they're wrong and we can all shake our heads at how silly the online atmosphere can be from time to time. Anyways, people have been emailing me left and right about Addison, who is currently pledged to Texas A&M. However, none of them have actually spoken to the kid. Personally, I think he'll stay put. Personally, I think that would be a good choice. But either way, it'll be a fun bout of last-second drama.

Dallas Skyline WR Thomas Johnson: After dropping Texas a few weeks ago, the star pass-catcher is still very much alive in the minds of a number of schools. I've heard a bunch rumored in connection with the Super Team talent. The TCU fan base seems to think they've got a legit chance at roping him in. I'm not going to try and handicap it for you, because last-second rankings from the mind of an 18-year old are fluid, to say the least. He's easily a top-ten receiver in the state however, and while that's no promise of collegiate success, it is a good starting point to build a future all-conference type.

SA Brandeis CB Colin Blake: The former A&M pledge has publicly declared that he has three choices left in the hopper — TCU, Florida State and Oklahoma. He said his mind is already made up, but he won't announce until tomorrow. Regardless of which direction he chooses, he offers an intriguing mix of skills; he's a great cover corner with excellent speed, but at 6-foot-3, he offers the kind of height you almost never see at the position. TCU and Oklahoma both have outstanding recent traditions when it comes to developing talent in the secondary. Blake can't go wrong with any of those three schools, but it would be nice to see him stay in state.

Hillcrest (MO) WR Dorial Green-Beckham: I know he's not a Texas kid, but the Longhorns have been after the nation's top-ranked receiver for a long time. But honestly, that's not why I included him here (personally, I don't think UT is in his cards). It's because many outlets have him as the nation's top overall recruit, and it's obvious why — he's a physical freak, a monster that you rarely see at any age, much less younger than 20. He's a lot like San Francisco 49er Vernon Davis — massive and ridiculously fast. Regardless of where he ends up, it'll be fun to watch him finally take the field and see those incredible tangibles at work.

Schools to keep an eye on
UTEP: Oh my gosh, UTEP — no one makes Signing Day more exciting than the Miners, who seemingly always end up with a totally different signing class than the one they were expected to finish with the day before. UTEP tends to offer a lot of kids, knowing that some won't work out the morning that faxes start rolling in. I can only imagine how crazy that war room has to be tomorrow morning. Right now, UTEP has a rather smallish class, so expect some wheels-off moments tomorrow as they add (and subtract) a few last minute names.

Texas A&M: The coaching move from Mike Sherman to Kevin Sumlin opened up the doors to the Aggie recruits for every other school in the country, whether the kids wanted it or not. No school is going to sit by and let an opportunity to poach a player from a rival program slip away. While it would appear that A&M's class if fairly stabilized — unless you buy the hype about a possible Addison move — just know that the nation's heavy hitters threw their best pitches at any kid that they felt was potentially on the fence. I don't think we're going to see anything wild out in College Station, but if there's one school (not named UTEP) that could be put in that position, it would seem to be A&M.

Oklahoma: Something weird always seems to happen with OU, and a lot of the time it involves Texas Tech (or else it feels like it). Remember Cooper Washington's famous switcheroo a ways back? The Muleshoe tight end had been locked and loaded for Norman, only to shock the Panhandle with a Red Raider signing day surprise. The Sooners have a suspiciously small class from Texas this year, which almost never happens. I wonder if we might see a late switch from a Lone Star State product to north of the Red River.

Super Team in review

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0600

By Greg Tepper // TexasFootball.com

We're just 24 hours away from the biggest day of the recruiting year -- National Signing Day -- and we're taking an opportunity to look back five years ago at the Dave Campbell's Texas Football Super Team from 2006 (the class of 2007).

Yesterday, we rolled through the offense, finding out whatever happened to all of those blue-chip prospects. Today, let's look at the defense, where the results are mixed.

DL: Richetti Jones, Dallas Lincoln (6-3, 215, 4.6)
Jones suffered the rare broken hip injury during his senior year at Lincoln and it slowed his development at Oklahoma State. He didn’t crack the starting lineup until his third year on campus, but was terrific during those two years, racking up 4.5 sacks during his junior year in 2010 and another 4 sacks in 2011. He didn’t entirely live up to his promise, but considering the injury he suffered, it’s a pretty good career. That, and he became known as one of the most colorful characters on the Cowboys team.

DL: Russell Carter, Houston Westbury (6-4, 245, 4.6)
Carter simply didn’t pan out at Texas, playing in just 14 games in 2008 and 2009, notching just five tackles and being ineligible for the 2009 National Championship Game for academic reasons. Carter transferred after not cracking the starting lineup in 2010 and…well, I’m not sure he ever made it into another program. Not that I can find, at least.

DL: Andre Jones, El Paso Andress (6-4, 290, 4.8)
Nothing went right for Jones. After graduating early in December 2006 to head to Texas, he was charged in August 2007 with aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon in connection with an Austin home invasion, pleading guilty and accepting 10 years of deferred adjudication. He was dismissed from Texas and transferred to UTEP, but things didn’t go any better, as Jones was struck by a car and tore three knee ligaments. He eventually ended up at Tarleton State and had an OK 2009 season, but then tried to transfer to a JUCO and it all fell apart again. (Thanks to the LSC Scoop for some of this info.)

DL: Chris Perry, Keller Fossil Ridge (6-5, 300, 5.1)
Perry just didn’t pan out at Texas Tech. The talented defensive tackle out of Keller started just one game in five years in Lubbock, and never notched more than four tackles in a game. Simply put, Perry just didn’t work out in Lubbock for whatever reason.

LB: Keenan Robinson, Plano East (6-3, 215, 4.5)
Probably the biggest success story on this team. Robinson’s been holding down an outside linebacker spot for Texas since his redshirt sophomore year in 2009, and along the way, he’s established himself as one of the Longhorns’ most consistent defensive players. In all, he finished with 317 tackles, 5.5 sacks, 25 TFL, 2 INTs, 2 FRs, 3 FFs and a second-team All-Big XII honor during his senior year this season.

LB: Jermaine Love, North Garland (6-0, 205, 4.5)
Love was one of the most highly touted linebackers to come out of the Dallas area in a while, but he failed to live up to his expectations at Arkansas, appearing in 31 games and notching just 23 tackles overall, never cracking the starting lineup.

LB Derrick Stephens, Cy Falls (6-3, 220, 4.7)
One of the saddest stories of the bunch, Stephens’ career was cut short after his freshman year at Texas A&M when team doctors told him that he had to give up football after suffering multiple concussions. It was a heartbreaking development for one of the Houston area’s best linebackers, but Stephens completed his degree in business at A&M.

DB: Tekerrian Cuba, Tyler Lee (6-3, 190, 4.5)
Cuba established himself as one of TCU’s best defensive backs as a redshirt junior in 2010, starting six games for the eventual Rose Bowl champions and notching 49 tackles. He followed that up with a very strong senior season in which he started 12 games, racking up 70 tackles and forcing a pair of fumbles for TCU.

DB: Jamell Fleming, Arlington Seguin (6-0, 185, 4.4)
After redshirting in his first year on campus at Oklahoma, Fleming bided his time over the next two seasons, proving to be a valuable backup cornerback for the Sooners. Finally, he found his starting role in the 2010 season, starting all 13 games for the Sooners, picking off five passes and notching 71 tackles. He followed that up with another excellent senior season, intercepting two more passes as one of coach Bob Stoops’ top cornerbacks.

DB: Christian Scott, Dallas Skyline (6-1, 190, 4.4)
Another Texas recruit, Scott had an up-and-down career in Austin, getting some playing time as a redshirt freshman in 2008 before missing the entire 2009 season due to academic eligibility issues. He returned in 2010 and made 10 starts at safety, racking up 53 tackles and an interception. He started four games during his senior season, but missed big chunks of the year due to a wrist injury.

DB: Ben Wells, Beaumont Ozen (6-2, 185, 4.5)
Wells signed with Texas but couldn’t find any playing time in his first two years in Austin, opting to transfer in 2010 to Stephen F. Austin, where he started for two seasons at cornerback for the Lumberjacks, including playing in the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl. He’s currently hoping to be drafted in June’s NFL Draft.

UTIL: Curtis Brown, Gilmer (6-1, 175, 4.4)
Brown spent his collegiate career at Texas and was darn good, starting 28 games at cornerback for the Longhorns and earning second team All-Big 12 honors during his senior season in 2010. His hard work was rewarded in the 2011 NFL Draft, when he was taken by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the third round (95^th overall pick).

Recruit rewind

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0600

By Greg Tepper // TexasFootball.com

Take a look around. See this site, TexasFootball.com? This should be your new homepage this week.

That’s because two of the biggest events of the football calendar here in Texas are taking place this week – on back-to-back days, no less.

Wednesday, February 1 is National Signing Day, the first day in which high school seniors can sign their National Letter of Intent to play for a college. It’s basically the culmination of the entire recruiting season.

Thursday, February 2 is the announcement of UIL Realignment, in which the University Interscholastic League – the governing body for public high school athletics in Texas – will release the new class and district alignments for 2012-2014. That means that on Thursday, we’ll have hundreds of new districts to pour through that will shape the Texas high school football scene.

So, it’s going to be pretty busy around here, and you know Dave Campbell’s Texas Football – the bible of Texas football – will have you covered with wall-to-wall coverage of both of these huge events.

Speaking of National Signing Day, one of the most interesting things to do around this time is to look back at recruiting classes past. I’m always especially interested in the class from five years ago – with the majority of players using five years to use their four years of eligibility, these players are just now wrapping up their college careers (though some are already off to bigger things).

So, I grabbed a 2006 copy of Dave Campbell’s Texas Football and flipped to what I think is the most singular mark of blue-chip status in the state of Texas: the DCTF Super Team. No one else does anything like this, picking the best recruits at each position in the state, but DCTF’s been doing it for decades. It always gives you an idea of who truly are the top prospects in the Lone Star State.

And while there are some stars in the mix, the 2006 Super Team just proves what an inexact science recruiting can be.

Without further ado, let’s take a look at the 2006 Super Team offense in a where-are-they-now way; we’ll get to the defense later.

QB: Ryan Mallett, Texas High (6-7, 240, 4.9)
Mallett, a bit of a physical freak of a QB at 6-7, had a roundabout journey, spending his freshman year at Michigan where he saw playing time in 11 games before transferring to Arkansas. For the Hogs, Mallett was sensational, throwing for 7,493 yards and 62 touchdowns in two years as the starter, leading Arkansas to the Sugar Bowl in 2010 before declaring early for the NFL Draft. He was a third-round pick by the New England Patriots, and is currently third on the AFC champions’ depth chart.

RB: Colton Johnson, Waller (6-0, 240, 4.4)
Thought by some to be the 2007 class’ top fullback nationally, Cody Johnson redshirted during his freshman year at Texas. After that, he spent four years as the Longhorns’ primary fullback, rushing for 1,456 yards and 36 touchdowns during his career.

RB: Bradley Stephens, McAllen Memorial (5-11, 200, 4.4)
Stephens never panned out at Texas A&M, largely because he was blocked by some darn good runners in Mike Goodson, Cyrus Gray and Christine Michael. He rushed for 328 yards and a touchdown in his three seasons as a backup before forgoing his senior season to head back to McAllen to enter the workforce after completing his degree in less than four years.

WR: Ron Brooks, Irving MacArthur (5-11, 180, 4.4)
Wide receiver isn’t really applicable here, as Brooks played QB at Irving Mac and was considered more of an athlete prospect. In any case, he was moved to cornerback at LSU and had mixed results, starting just three games but coming up with key plays, intercepting three passes and returning all of them for touchdowns in 2011 en route to the Tigers’ national championship appearance.

WR: Terrance Tolliver, Hempstead (6-5, 185, 4.5)
Another LSU recruit, Tolliver’s story is up-and-down. He was a Freshman All-SEC pick in 2007, but his career largely fell short of expectations, hauling in 126 catches for 1,820 yards and 12 touchdowns in four seasons with the Tigers. But he wasn’t without his big moments: he caught the game-winning touchdown pass against Florida in 2010, and capped his career by being named the Cotton Bowl MVP in 2011.

WR: Dez Bryant, Lufkin (6-2, 200, 4.5)
Probably the best player on this list, Bryant was phenomenal at Oklahoma State, earning All-America honors during his sophomore season and becoming a Biletnikoff Award finalist by hauling in 87 catches for 1,480 yards and 19 touchdowns, also establishing himself as one of the nation’s true punt return threats. His college career came to a screeching halt, however, after he was involved in an imbroglio with former NFL star Deion Sanders and was ruled ineligible for his junior year. He opted to go pro, and was the 24^th pick in the 2010 NFL draft by the Dallas Cowboys, where he currently plays.

OL: Trey Allen, South Grand Prairie (6-4, 305, 5.1)
Allen was one of the can’t-miss guys in the 2007 class nationally, and he, um, missed. Allen couldn’t break the starting lineup at Texas until his senior year, when he started six games this season at left tackle. He was plagued by a nagging foot injury that caused him to redshirt his junior season.

OL: Michael Huey, Kilgore (6-4, 285, 5.3)
Texas’ track record of developing offensive line recruits isn’t great, but Huey was a stalwart on the Longhorn line, first cracking the starting lineup as a sophomore, then starting nine games as a junior at right guard before moving over to left guard for his senior year in 2010. He missed the final four games of his career with a knee injury, but he was a captain for the Longhorns that year. The knee concerns caused him to go undrafted in the 2011 NFL Draft.

OL: Matt Nader, Austin Westlake (6-6, 310, 5.1)
During a game against A&M Consolidated during his senior season at Westlake, Nader collapsed on the sideline, struck with sudden cardiac arrest. The Texas commit was thankfully resuscitated and had surgery to help with his condition (he now has an internal defibrillator in his chest), but the big blue-chipper had to give up football. Texas coach Mack Brown honored their scholarship offer to Nader, and he became a major advocate for defibrillators at all sporting events, including the UIL, while also assisting the Longhorns football team.

OL: Aundre McGaskey, La Marque (6-4, 270, 5.2)
McGaskey, also a Texas pledge, spent just two seasons in Austin, redshirting his freshman year and serving as a backup tackle in 2008. Unlikely to break the starting rotation in 2009, McGaskey transferred to Blinn College, where he helped the Buccaneers win the 2009 national championship. In 2010, he transferred again to New Mexico State, where he started at tackle for the Aggies for two seasons.

OL: Kyle Hix, Aledo (6-5, 295, 5.2)
Another Texas pledge, and this one worked out for the Longhorns. Hix first cracked the starting lineup as a sophomore in 2008, starting all 13 games at right tackle, and every game in 2009 as well as the Longhorns made the run to the national title game. He made the switch to left tackle in the 2010 season, starting 11 of the Longhorns’ 12 games. Hix went undrafted in the 2011 NFL Draft, but was signed by the New England Patriots, where he remains on the AFC champions’ practice squad.

UTIL: John Chiles, Mansfield Summit (6-2, 190, 4.3)
Chiles, who made his mark on the high school scene as a quarterback, tried his hand at QB at Texas, and while he saw action in 18 games at QB in his first two seasons, he was unable to beat out Colt McCoy for the QB job. Before the 2009 spring drills, Chiles moved to wide receiver, where he played for his final two seasons, hauling in 65 catches for 752 yards and four touchdowns in his career. After going undrafted in the 2011 NFL Draft , he signed as a free agent with the New Orleans Saints’ practice squad. Currently, he plays for the Jacksonville Sharks of the Arena Football League.

Jumping for JUCOs

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0600

By Greg Tepper // TexasFootball.com

We continue to roll through the early enrollees for each of the dozen Texas FBS teams – remember: Texas State and UTSA are joining the FBS ranks next season – but before we get to that, I have to remedy a pair of oversights.

In yesterday’s story about the high school early enrollees, I left out two players: new TCU QB Tyler Matthews and new Texas Tech DB Thierry Nguema. With Nguema, I have an excuse: he didn’t commit until yesterday. With Matthews, I have no excuse; it was just an oversight. To make up for it, let me tell you about these guys.

Matthews is one of the true gems of Gary Patterson’s incoming class. A pure pocket passer from Kansas, Matthews is probably one of the 10 best passing QBs in the nation this season, and his numbers bear that out: he threw for 2,842 yards and 24 touchdowns against just five interceptions for McPherson High. It’s likely to be a while until we see him taking snaps for the Frogs – Casey Pachall figures to be the starter for the next two years, and he must compete with guys like Matt Brown and fellow incoming freshman Austin Aune – but Matthews is a terrific prospect for the Frogs.

Nguema’s signing in Lubbock means one thing and one thing only: much-needed depth at cornerback. Nguema’s a guy that a lot of schools had their eye on – places like Penn State and Washington – and for good reason: he’s got great cover skills, and at 6-foot, he’s got the kind of size you like in a cornerback. Again, it’s a case of finding his way onto a two-deep, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Nguema goes through spring drills and ends up redshirting this season.

Now, as promised, we move on to the junior college early enrollees! Let’s get to it!

Baylor

Riverside (CA) C.C. LB Eddie Lackey

Navarro J.C. DT Joey Searcy

Analysis: Lackey played outside linebacker out in California and made a switch from Hawaii to the Bears back in December. He’s got good size at 6-1 and 220, and has very good mobility. The question is, where does he fit in Phil Bennett’s 4-3 defense? Can’t imagine he’ll start without a position change – the Bears return two of their starting three linebackers, and they’re understandably high on Brody Trahan and Bryce Hager. Still, Lackey’s a strong get for the Bears. Searcy, a South Grand Prairie product, is huge, weighing in at over 300 pounds on a 6-foot frame, and is one of the nation’s best JUCO defensive tackles at Navarro. With both Nicolas Jean-Baptiste and Tracy Robertson moving on, I could see Searcy making an immediate impact.

North Texas

Iowa Western C.C. DB D.Q. Johnson

Analysis: Johnson’s the most recent commitment to the Mean Green, signing his Letter of Intent barely over a week ago. His size is good for a cornerback, which is what he played at Iowa Western, but I wonder if a move to safety – where North Texas is about to get totally wiped out on its depth chart – isn’t in the cards. In any case, a nice bit of reinforcement to the defense for Dan McCarney and company from his old Iowa stomping grounds.

Rice

Trinity Valley C.C. OL Nate Richards

Analysis: A sneaky-good get for David Bailiff and the Owls, as Richards was a JUCO All-American playing center at Trinity Valley C.C. The Keller product has great size at over 300 pounds – just two of the Owls’ five starting linemen last season tipped 300 – and he comes in at a position of need, as senior Keshawn Carrington is now graduating. It’ll likely be a battle between Richards and junior Katy graduate Eric Ball in spring camp for the starting center job.

SMU

Cerritos (CA) C.C. DB Daniel Roundtree

Analysis: Another very recent signee, Roundtree put pen to paper on Sunday to pledge the Ponies. The first thing that strikes you about Roundtree is his size – at 6-foot-2, 210 pounds, he’s a big hitter and can bring some impact to the Ponies secondary. And with Chris Banjo on his way out, SMU’s in need of help at safeties. Roundtree will spend the spring camp getting to know Tom Mason’s defense, and I expect to see him on the two-deep when camp breaks.

TCU

Trinity Valley C.C. DB Keivon Gamble

Analysis: How’s this for a switcheroo? Coming out of Dallas Lincoln in 2009, Gamble had committed to SMU. The problem is, after his freshman year, academic issues sent him Trinity Valley C.C., where he excelled for two years. Now, needing help at cornerback, Gary Patterson lures in Gamble, who was exceptionally talented coming out of Lincoln and should be even better after two years of seasoning.

Texas

Northwest Mississippi C.C. OL Donald Hawkins

East Mississippi C.C. DT Brandon Moore

Analysis: Depending on who you ask, someone might tell you that Hawkins is the best JUCO offensive lineman in the nation (he’s at least top three). And at 6-5, 320 pounds, he enters in a virtual dead heat with Mason Walters for the biggest offensive lineman on the 40 Acres. One thing to note, though: Hawkins played tackle at Northwest Mississippi, and the ‘Horns are all shored up at tackle with Josh Cochran and Trey Hopkins, a freshman and sophomore, respectively. Expect Hawkins to challenge one of the incumbents, which would give offensive coordinator Bryan Harsin an opportunity to move either Cochran or Hopkins to the guard spot vacated by the now-graduated David Snow. The beef imports continued in Austin with Moore, who tips the scale at 330 pounds. Expect Moore to challenged a slew of young players – Ashton Dorsey, Chris Whaley, Desmond Jackson – for the DT spot left by Kheeston Randall’s graduation.

Texas A&M

Gulf Coast (MS) C.C. DB Otis Jacobs

Trinity Valley C.C. WR Derel Walker

Analysis: Remember the name Derel Walker? He made a name for himself at Hillsboro, especially during his senior season, but couldn’t get an FBS offer. He ended up going to Trinity Valley, where he became the Cardinals’ leading receiver. He needs to fill out a bit – 175 pounds isn’t going to cut it at the FBS level – but coaches love his hands and his route-running ability. And with Kliff Kingsbury taking over the playcalling duties, it’s all hands on deck in the Aggies receiving corps. Jacobs is among the most highly regarded defensive back prospects out of the JUCO ranks this year, becoming a lockdown corner for Gulf Coast C.C. this past season. He’ll have a chance to play early and often: with Terrance Frederick and Coryell Judie off to greener pastures, plus backup Lionel Smith, the corner position in College Station is wide open.

Texas State

Santa Ana (CA) C.C. QB Duke DeLancellotti

American River (CA) C.C. DE Thomas Evans

Santa Ana (CA) C.C. OL Tyler Potter

Chabot (CA) C.C. DT Kamu Taulelei

Fort Scott (KS) C.C. DE Jacob Woten

Analysis: First-year FBS teams need a lot of help early, so they often go the JUCO route. And Dennis Franchione brought in a bunch of help from the JUCO ranks this season. DeLancellotti, aside from having a killer name, is a nice dual-threat passer who could challenge Shaun Rutherford for the starting spot in the spring. Evans comes into San Marcos after a good season in California, and should fit in nicely in the DE rotation of the Bobcats’ 4-2-5 defense, especially with Michael Ebbitt graduated. The same goes for Woten, the Kansas product, who has good speed for a guy his size (6-4, 250 pounds). Potter enters with perhaps the highest expectations: he’ll be expected to take the center position vacated by the graduated Steven Kenney from Day One. Taulelei might end up being the guy you hear the most from in 2011, as he’s a physical-yet-nimble defensive tackle who will slide into the rotation after choosing Texas State over San Jose State and BYU.

Texas Tech

Riverside (CA) C.C. DE Lee Adams

Gulf Coast (MS) C.C. WR Javon Bell

Gulf Coast (MS) C.C. OL Rashad Fortenberry

Riverside (CA) C.C. ATH Sadale Foster

Gulf Coast (MS) C.C. LB Chris Payne

Riverside (CA) C.C. LB Will Smith

Pierce (CA) C.C. DB Austin Stewart

Analysis: Not sure if you noticed, but Tommy Tuberville seems to have a nice connection with Gulf Coast C.C. and Riverside C.C. And considering how banged up the Red Raiders were by the end of the season, getting a motherlode of fresh bodies into the system will be refreshing. The star of this group is undoubtedly Bell, the speedster out of Mississippi. A one-time South Carolina commit, Bell might be the best JUCO wide-out in the nation after turning in a pair of All-American seasons. I know Tech’s loaded at WR, but expect to see Bell on the field in the spring game (and in fall games). Adams, too, has a chance to make an impact early; after starring at Riverside, he’ll find himself battling incumbents Leon Mackey and Dartwan Bush (among others) for the starting DE spots. I fully expect Fortenberry to come in and win the spot at left tackle vacated by the graduation of Mickey Okafor, and at 6-5 and 285 pounds – with a surprisingly nimble 4.9 40-time – he’s capable of doing it. His teammate, LB Payne, and his linebacker counterpart Smith have a tougher chore, in that the linebacker corps at Tech is made of largely of underclassmen. That said, is anyone on the Tech defense’s job really safe after last season? The X-factors of this group are Foster and Stewart, who both figure to find spots in the Tech secondary right away. If you’re looking for immediate impact, it’s probably Bell, Stewart, Foster, in that order.

UTSA

Trinity Valley C.C. QB Tucker Carter

Fullerton (CA) C.C. LB Brandon Guerrero

Hutchinson (KS) C.C. DB Brian King

Analysis: I already touched on Carter a few weeks back, but in case you missed it: the Allen product has a shot at the starting gig for Larry Coker’s crew if his tools have progressed at even a modest rate since his high school days. The other two also have a chance to play right away in the Roadrunners’ first year as an FBS team. Guerrero was one of the stars of Fullerton C.C.’s defense and should find a place in Coker’s defense in Year One. The same goes for King, who’s got great size at 6-2 and 200 pounds. He seems to be a lock for one of the Roadrunners’ safety positions.

Early to class

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0600

By Greg Tepper // TexasFootball.com

Perhaps you’re not a recruiting expert, so what I’m going to tell you should comfort you: yes, the recruiting calendar is confusing.

National Signing Day is hyped up to be the official peak of recruiting season. That day – which falls on February 1 this season – is the first day that high school seniors can sign their National Letter of Intent, thereby officially pledging to the university of their choice.

But it’s not really the first day that high school seniors can enroll.

That day comes at the beginning of the spring semester, when athletes who have completed their high school curriculum can forgo their final semester of high school to instead enroll early in their respective university. This is also the day that junior college transfers begin at their new Division I universities.

Confused yet? It’s OK; like I said, it’s a bit of a confusing situation.

In any case, the benefit of having athletes on campus early is very easy to understand: they are permitted to participate in spring practice, giving them a head-start on getting ready for their true freshman season.

Across the state, yesterday marked the true beginning of a handful of athletes’ college careers. Let’s take a look at the high school seniors who enrolled early at their new college homes. (We’ll tackle the junior college players tomorrow.)

Baylor
Refugio ATH Lynx Hawthorne
Analysis: A small haul, yes, but Hawthorne is an important early enrollee for the Bears in that he has a great chance of contributing early. At 6-foot-1 and 185 pounds, Hawthorne is as strong as an ox and used his physical tools to dominate the Class 2A ranks en route to a state championship at Refugio. I don’t think he’ll be able to dominate right off the bat in the same way at Baylor, but make no mistake: Hawthorne should be able to make a quick impact on the Bears as at least a slot receiver.

Houston
None

North Texas
None

Rice
None

SMU
Washington (IN) WR Gehrig Dieter
Analysis: Being an out-of-stater as he is, we obviously don't know as much about Dieter as we do our homegrown products. But what we do know is that he was a high school All-American after a ridiculous statistical career, setting a national record for single-game receiving yards (437). At 6-foot-3, he's a powerful receiver, one who won't get muscled around by defensive backs. He could be an extremely good complement to Darius Johnson, who's a much quicker, more explosive pass-catcher. If you put the power guy opposite him, it provides a nice 1-2 punch for coach June Jones. As far as out-of-state pledges go, this one, which came pretty late in the year, is as good as it gets.

TCU
Houston Westside RB B.J. Catalon
Arlington Bowie QB Kolby Listenbee
Analysis: TCU’s is a bit of a tale of two recruits. On one hand, you have Catalon, the heart and soul of the Westside squad who will take his speedy talents to Fort Worth and attempt to find his way into an already crowded Frogs backfield. Listenbee, on the other hand, will likely be changing positions; despite his impressive performance as Bowie’s signal-caller, his skill set – 6-foot, 170 pounds, a 4.5 40 – lends itself more to either a receiver or defensive back position change. He’ll likely spend the spring figuring out exactly what position he’ll play on the next level.

Texas
Chaparral (AZ) QB Connor Brewer
Harker Heights OL Camrhon Hughes
Denton Ryan LB Alex De La Torre
Copperas Cove ATH Orlando Thomas
Analysis: The biggest group of high school early enrollees is also the most diverse. All eyes will be on Connor Brewer, the talented Arizona quarterback, to see where he fits in the still-muddy Texas quarterback picture as early as the 2012 season. Indications seem to be that he’ll have a chance to win the job outright (or at least the backup job ahead of Case McCoy), but A) the growing pains from high school to college are indeed painful, and B) have we all just forgotten that David Ash was a highly-touted recruit, too? Best-case scenario for Texas: Brewer redshirts. Harker Heights’ Hughes is one of the most physically imposing players in the state at 6-foot-6 and almost 300 pounds, but the learning curve for linemen is steep. Denton Ryan’s De La Torre was overshadowed a bit in the Raiders’ star-studded defense, but he’s the kind of heady player that Mack Brown loves. The problem is…Texas is ultra-deep at linebacker, so early playing time seems unlikely. And as for Orlando Thomas, the dynamic Copperas Cove QB, a position change is in order, most likely to the defensive side in the secondary. His spring will be spent getting accustomed to the other side of the ball, likely followed by a redshirt.

Texas A&M
Klein Forest QB Matt Davis
South Houston DB Kenneth Marshall
Analysis: Good on Texas A&M for keeping its commitment to Matt Davis, who tore up his knee soon after being a super-early commit to the Aggies before his junior season. Their reward: a truly dynamic signal-caller who might even be flying under the national radar a bit. Davis has all the tools to be a strong starting quarterback at the collegiate level; now comes the challenge of finding his way through the already-crowded depth chart. Marshall was a switch from Oklahoma State, and a darned good one; I think he’s one of the better defensive backs in the state. My gut says both of these players redshirt, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see Marshall find his way onto the depth chart.

Texas Tech
Altair Rice Consolidated OL Jared Kaster
Analysis: Only one early enrollee for the Red Raiders – Tommy Tuberville has a boatload of JUCO transfers on the way that we’ll touch on tomorrow – but it’s a big one. I think Texas Tech has one of the best offensive line classes going, and Kaster’s a big part of that. The 6-4, 265-pounder from Rice Consolidated switched his commitment from Rice to Tech back in June, and it’ll be interesting to see where he falls. Again, the learning curve for linemen is very steep, but Tech needs linemen badly enough that Kaster could get a shot at avoiding a redshirt.

On the recruiting trail

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0600

By Greg Tepper // TexasFootball.com

We’re not even at Signing Day for the Class of 2012 – that comes on February 1^st – and we’re already looking forward to the Class of 2013.

That’s the nature of the recruiting beast: we’re already looking ahead before the ink is dry on the current crop. Every college is always looking to get a jump on everyone else, and that means that they’re recruiting two and three years ahead.

It’s also a year-round grind for our resident recruiting analyst Randy Rodgers. I swear, between talking with high school coaches, watching film, talking with prospects and breaking down the game, I’m not sure the man actually sleeps.

One of the many, many things he does as the founder, president, CEO and scouting director (OK, maybe he only has one or two of those titles) of Randy Rodgers Recruiting is to put on Blue Chip Recruiting Roundups before every recruiting season. What’s a Blue Chip Recruiting Roundup?

Every year for the past nine years, Rodgers travels around the state putting on recruiting education workshops for prospects and their parents. He teaches them the basics: what colleges are looking for, how to get noticed, best practices and just a general overview of the recruiting process. It’s important, too: most people don’t know the ins and outs of recruiting, and there’s nobody like Rodgers, a 30-year veteran of the craft, to let folks know what to do – and what not to do – to get recruited.

Rodgers recently released the schedule for recruits of the Class of 2013 and their parents.

Date	Time	City	Venue
Jan. 29	1:30pm	Tyler	APEC Center
Feb. 4	9:30am	Lubbock	Texas Tech
Feb. 9	6:30pm	McAllen	McAllen High
Feb. 12	1:30pm	Dallas	Ford Stadium
Feb. 19	1:30pm	San Marcos	Texas State
Feb. 26	1:30pm	Houston	Carl Lewis Auditorium

Prospects can sign up for Blue Chip Recruiting Roundups on Randy Rodgers’ website, RandyRodgersRecruiting.com under the “Events” section.

And while we’re at it, let’s take a way-too-early look at a handful of the names in the Class of 2013 to keep your eye on.

Name	School	Position
Tyrone Swoopes	Whitewright	QB
Keith Ford	Cy Ranch	RB
Kent Perkins	Lake Highlands	OL
Derrick Griffin	Rosenberg Terry	WR
JT Barrett	WF Rider	QB
Jake Oliver	Dallas Jesuit	WR
Justin Manning	Dallas Kimball	DT
Ricky Seals-Jones	Sealy	ATH
Isaiah Golden	Elysian Fields	DT
Dontre Wilson	DeSoto	RB
Brett Wade	Kennedale	LB

Again, we’ll have plenty of time to discuss the class of 2013 – and the class of 2012, especially in our special digital edition coming out in early February – but get to know those names. You’ll be hearing them a whole heck of a lot in the coming year.

Towing the line

Mon, 15 Aug 2011 00:00:00 -0500

By Greg Tepper // TexasFootball.com

In this morning's Three-For-All, we reported that Celina tackle Jordan Roos had committed to Purdue. When I was writing it, I thought, "Oh, there's another Super Team lineman off the board." I didn't write it, but I thought it.

Problem is...I was wrong. Despite being arguably the biggest player in Class 3A and one of the most dominant linemen in the state, Roos didn't crack our Super Team this year. I can't tell you how stunning that is -- Roos is really, really, really good -- but it speaks to the depth of the 2012 offensive line class.

When I last talked with recruiting guru Randy Rodgers, I asked him at what position the 2012 class was particularly deep. Without hestitation, he said that he liked the offensive line group. "I wouldn’t be shocked to see multiple tackle prospects coming out of Texas programs five years from now going to the NFL," Rodgers told me in our Q&A.

In short, the offensive line group is so stacked that 15 spots in the three Super Team offenses seems like it's not enough. But it did get me thinking: how many Super Team linemen are still available this year?

So, as I am wont to do, I made a spreadsheet. Here are the 15 Super Team linemen, along with their commitments.

ST Team	Name	School	Commitment
1st	Curtis Riser	DeSoto	Texas
1st	John Michael McGee	Texas High	Oklahoma
1st	Michael Starts	Waco La Vega	Texas Tech
1st	Trey Keenan	Argyle	Texas Tech
1st	Kennedy Estelle	Pearland Dawson	Texas
2nd	Halapoulivaati Vaitai	Haltom	Texas Tech
2nd	Simon Goines	Keller Central	Missouri
2nd	Kyle Marrs	SA Brandeis	Oklahoma
2nd	Hiva Lutui	Euless Trinity	UCLA
2nd	Camrhon Hughes	Harker Heights	Texas
3rd	Jerome Daniels	Little Elm	Uncommitted
3rd	Adam Butler	Duncanville	Uncommitted
3rd	Kimo Tipoti	Hurst L.D. Bell	Texas A&M
3rd	Michael Wilson	Aledo	Texas A&M
3rd	Christian Okafor	Houston Westbury	Texas Tech

A few thoughts, after looking at this:

-The answer to my question: just two of the 15 Super Teamers remain uncommitted: Jerome Daniels from Little Elm and Adam Butler from Duncanville. I think Daniels is a little bit of an under-the-radar recruit in this group, while Butler reportedly has offers from a variety of schools, including SMU and Oklahoma State.

-Do you understand now why I'm so bullish on Texas Tech's 2012 offensive line class? The best 3A lineman not named Jordan Roos (Roos and Keenan are neck-and-neck), an outstanding tackle who just has to be convinced to stay on offense (Starts), one of the state's most athletic tackles (Vaitai) and one of the Houston area's all-around best players (Okafor). That's not to mention Jared Kaster, the center from Rice Consolidated. Texas' class is really, really good, and A&M's got two great commits in Tipoti and Wilson, but where I sit right now, Tech's winning the 2012 offensive line arms race.

-I have made no secret that I appreciate Texas high-schoolers staying in-state to play college ball -- it's fun to watch the development from high school to the pros -- so I'm excited to see that nine of the 13 commitments have stayed in state. And 13 of the 14 commitments have stayed in the Big XII.

ST Team	Name	School	Commitment
1st	Curtis Riser	DeSoto	Texas
1st	John Michael McGee	Texas High	Oklahoma
1st	Michael Starts	Waco La Vega	Texas Tech
1st	Trey Keenan	Argyle	Texas Tech
1st	Kennedy Estelle	Pearland Dawson	Texas
2nd	Halapoulivaati Vaitai	Haltom	Texas Tech
2nd	Simon Goines	Keller Central	Missouri
2nd	Kyle Marrs	SA Brandeis	Oklahoma
2nd	Hiva Lutui	Euless Trinity	UCLA
2nd	Camrhon Hughes	Harker Heights	Texas
3rd	Jerome Daniels	Little Elm	Uncommitted
3rd	Adam Butler	Duncanville	Uncommitted
3rd	Kimo Tipoti	Hurst L.D. Bell	Texas A&M
3rd	Michael Wilson	Aledo	Texas A&M
3rd	Christian Okafor	Houston Westbury	Texas Tech

SEC-ond fiddle?

Thu, 11 Aug 2011 00:00:00 -0500

By Greg Tepper // TexasFootball.com

Last week, Van linebacker Dalton Santos announced his verbal commitment to the University of Tennessee. It was the end of a long journey for Santos, a one-time Oklahoma State commit, that landed him in Knoxville, choosing the Volunteers over Texas A&M.

Last weekend, Allen quarterback Alec Morris committed to Alabama. Morris is a terrific signal-caller coming off a sensational junior year in which he threw for 2,533 yards and 22 touchdowns (and rushed for another eight scores). He’ll fit right in at Alabama, which is just now finishing its tenure with another Metroplex QB in Southlake Carroll product Greg McElroy.

Last weekend also saw Hebron defensive end Deatrich Wise commit to Arkansas. At 6-5 and 235 pounds, Wise is a monster coming off the edge. He was limited by ankle surgery last year, but coach Brian Brazil expects Wise to be a major player in 2011. Wise became the fourth Texas player to commit to Arkansas, joining Fort Bend Marshall DB John Gibson, Longview WR Eric Hawkins and Port Arthur Memorial RB Nate Holmes.

It was, as you can surmise, a pretty good few days for the Southeastern Conference. Three outstanding recruits from the Lone Star State are going to make their homes in SEC country. In fact, it seemed to me that the SEC has done abnormally well in Texas in recruiting this year. It just felt like more Texas kids were going to the SEC than ever before.

So, I got an idea to do a study, comparing the number of Texas high school players that signed with SEC teams in the past five recruiting classes. Now, we’re including the 2012 class as it is currently constructed now, but remember: verbal commitments are non-binding, and this can (and will likely) change come Signing Day in February.

We’re looking at the past five classes – 2012 all the way back to 2008 – to see: is the SEC really making further inroads into Texas? Or is it just my imagination?

(Important note: I am not including junior college signees unless they played at a Texas high school. For example: Cam Newton signing with Auburn from Blinn College does not count in Auburn’s total, but Philander Moore signing with Ole Miss from Blinn College does count because Moore is an Austin Bowie product.)

Let’s go to the numbers.

Texas HS recruits signed by SEC programs

	2012	2011	2010	2009	2008	5-year total
Alabama	1	0	3	0	1	5
Arkansas	4	5	4	7	2	22
Auburn	0	0	0	3	0	3
Florida	0	0	0	0	2	2
Georgia	0	0	0	0	0	0
Kentucky	0	0	0	3	1	4
LSU	2	3	3	4	4	16
Mississippi	0	1	0	3	4	8
Mississippi State	0	0	2	0	1	3
South Carolina	0	0	0	0	1	1
Tennessee	1	0	1	0	0	2
Vanderbilt	0	1	1	3	2	7
ANNUAL TOTAL	8	10	14	23	18	73

A few things to draw from this:

-The quick answer to my original question is no, the SEC is not making further inroads into Texas. In fact, you could argue that the SEC is losing a bit of its recruiting foothold in Texas. Now, there’s still a lot of recruiting left to be done, but eight commitments at this point in the recruiting season is a little behind the SEC’s normal schedule.

-You can see which schools do the most damage: the closest ones geographically in Arkansas and LSU. In fact, Arkansas signed more Texas kids in its 2009 class alone than Auburn, Florida and South Carolina have signed combined in the past five years.

-Here’s a great trivia question: what’s the only SEC team not to sign a Texas kid in the past five recruiting classes? I posed this to DCTF managing editor Travis Stewart, who could not get it, marking the first time I’ve ever actually stumped him on a college football trivia question. But it’s true: Georgia hasn’t had a Texas recruit since Highland Park QB Matthew Stafford in 2006. Wonder whatever happened to him…

-At first, I was surprised to see that Vanderbilt signed seven athletes from Texas…but then I thought about all the exceptionally smart athletes Texas produces, and wondered no more.

-South Carolina’s lone Texas recruit in the past five years? Katy kicker Ryan Doerr.

So, no, the SEC does not have a growing foothold on recruiting in the Lone Star State. It ends up averaging out to about 14.5 recruits a year, and half of them go to Arkansas and LSU.

Recruiting perception, it seems, is not always recruiting reality.

Scout's honor

Thu, 07 Jul 2011 00:00:00 -0500

By Greg Tepper // TexasFootball.com

Randy Rodgers knows talent when he sees it.

Rodgers has been around the recruiting game for over 35 years and is probably the most knowledgeable recruiting expert when it comes to Texas prospects that you will find. He’s the guy behind both the Texas Top 300 and the Super Team in Dave Campbell’s Texas Football. Plain and simple, Rodgers knows his stuff.

But he also knows the perception of recruiting services right now, especially with the growing scandal surrounding Willie Lyles and the University of Oregon. Recruiting is in the news right now, and not necessarily for good reasons.

Who better to ask about both the class of 2012 and the current state of scouting than with Rodgers himself? He recently sat down with me for a lengthy Q&A.

Greg Tepper: With the Willie Lyles scandal, recruiting is in the news more than it has ever been. Can you shed some light on how what you do differs from what we’re hearing in the news?

Randy Rodgers: My publication is called the Rodgers Recruiting Report, and basically, I evaluate players on film, watching games, going to camps, watching practice. Wherever players are playing, it’s important that I be there. What I try to do is gather as much information as I can. For my college clients, of which there are over 40, at the end of each week, I put the information into my computer and can generate a one-page document with all of this data and I can send that information via e-mail to my schools. All I’m doing is identifying players, evaluating them, giving my opinion on what kind of player they are, how much of an impact they can have, how soon they can play, what kind of contribution I think they can make. Now, the school on the receiving end has to make sense of that. Nobody’s going to recruit a guy just because Randy Rodgers says so, but that’s part of the process. I’m an extra member of their staff. And obviously, I’m not the only guy with an opinion, but it’s a supplement to what they do. Now what’s been in the news is a guy who, in my opinion, is a common street agent who has passed himself off as a scouting service. He doesn’t have any clients, therefore I’m not sure how valuable his scouting information is. I’ve read his information, and I recognize 23 names out of 149 in there. The other 120 or so didn’t appear in Texas Football magazine in the Top 300. But he got paid a lot of money by the University of Oregon without having to submit anything in writing ahead of time, and lo and behold, a couple of players that he mentored ended up there. You can’t not be on staff, and help transport or influence players to go to a member institution.

GT: So, in short, you’d say the difference is that you’re not encouraging players to go to certain schools?

RR: I have no dog in that hunt. I don’t care where kids go. My business model has been built on volume of schools. It’s stupid for me to play favorites. As soon as I start playing favorites, why would other schools want to spend money with me if I’m steering a player other places? You can pick up the phone and call any of my clients and ask them if they think Randy Rodgers is steering players anywhere, and the answer’s going to be the same in all of the places.

GT: So then, if you had the power to change it, how would you remedy the recruiting and scouting industry?

RR: My take on it is, I don’t think it’s the industry. It’s the people involved. Dishonest people are going to be dishonest. You can’t legislate that. The scouting issue, I would propose that the NCAA get involved in certifying scouting services. If you want to have a scouting service, if you want to have a video service, then you have to present what you do to the NCAA, have them check you off. You’re either in or you’re out, very similar to what the NFL does with licensing agents. That way, it takes the responsibility off of the schools. If you’re not on the approved list, nobody can do business with you. If they find out that somebody did business with an unlicensed person, then they’re subject to penalties.

GT: Let’s move on to the class of 2012. What position group do you feel is the deepest this year?

RR: I like the offensive line group, particularly the tackle group. There are a lot of really tall kids with pretty good athletic ability. I wouldn’t be shocked to see multiple tackle prospects coming out of Texas programs five years from now going to the NFL. I think that’s probably the deepest position. I also think the defensive back group is really good. There are a lot of kids that can play. I don’t think anyone’s jumped out as a super-super star yet, but defensive back is a really hard position to evaluate because they’re not always on the tape.

GT: In this year’s Super Team, you made history by naming T.J. Millweard from Fort Worth All Saints as the first team quarterback, the first private school player ever given that honor. What do you see in him that you like so much?

I like the way that he throws the ball downfield. He’s got height – he’s 6-foot-4 – and he’s really smart. I think that’s particularly important especially for the private school guys stepping up to the college level. He has a high release point, and he throws the ball well down the field without arc. I think this group of quarterbacks maybe isn’t as deep as we’ve had the last three years, but we’ve had more guys who can throw the ball vertically really well. I thought Clayton Nicholas was really good. I like the potential of Ford Childress, another 6-4 guy. What I like about T.J. is his ability to throw the ball downfield with velocity.

GT: Finally, when it comes to players in 2A and 1A and other small schools, how much do you weigh the competition level when evaluating players?

RR: I think the issue for all small school and private school kids is, OK, what would they be doing if they were playing 4A and 5A football? It’s a question you can’t answer, it’s all speculative. I try to look at the skill set .You look at T.J. Millweard. He’s a private school guy, but I really like the way he throws the football with more velocity. I like his skill set makeup more than I like anybody else. We picked Reginald Davis from Tenaha as our second team utility player. He plays a bunch of different positions, and he dominates. If you had no idea who he was, and you flipped on a Tenaha tape, guess what? You’d probably find him in about three plays. I think the skill set is really important. I think a small school guy really needs to dominate the competition for me to say he’d be a star at the 4A and 5A level, too.

Three "Super" stories

Mon, 27 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0500

By Greg Tepper // TexasFootball.com

It’s Monday morning, which means that we’re all just barely conscious and likely don’t have the RPMs in our minds right now to digest a boatload of news. Luckily, we know all too well about Monday brain-lock (and no, I won’t use the tired phrase from the influential film Office Space).

So, on Monday mornings during the long days of summer leading up to football season, we’ll start you off with three bite-sized chunks of football goodness, three things you absolutely need to know going into the week if you’re going to keep up around the water cooler.

(On a side note: do people still gather around the water cooler?)

We’ll call it your Monday Three-For-All. And don’t worry: we’ll get to all the news throughout the week.

Sometimes there’s a theme; sometimes not. But this week, it’s all about members of our 2011 first team Super Team.

The T.J. Millweard situation

For the first time in the 52-year history of Dave Campbell’s Texas Football, we named a private school quarterback – Fort Worth Calvary Christian signal-caller T.J. Millweard – to our first team Super Team. If you ask our resident recruiting guru Randy Rodgers about Millweard, he will rave and rave and rave until he can’t rave no more. At 6-4, 225 pounds, Millweard was a highly sought-after recruit until he pulled his name from consideration by becoming an early – actually, very early (way back in February) – commit to Virginia Tech.

Well…you see…about that…

In a move that has to be described as at least a bit of a surprise, Millweard decommitted from the Hokies and instead switched his pledge to Arizona State. There’s still no word on why Millweard pulled the trigger on this move – could be any number of things – but it’s a huge gain for the Sun Devils and a potentially crippling loss for the Hokies. For what it’s worth: Millweard is the first Texas recruit for ASU in 2012, and should he hold firm in this pledge, he’ll be just the second Lone Star State athlete to go to Tempe in the past three recruiting years, joining The Woodlands WR Randy Knust (2010 pledge).

John Michael McGee to Oklahoma

Not to pull back the curtain too far as far as the Super Team’s construction is concerned, but I’ll say this: nobody’s arguing with us for putting Texarkana Texas High lineman John Michael McGee on the first team. At 6-4 and 260 pounds, he’s a consensus top-three lineman in the state for the class of 2012 mainly because of how well he moves. It’s odd to say, but if you watch highlights of JMM, he’s downright speedy – pulling is never an issue for him. Well, McGee is going to have to switch from the orange of Texas High to the crimson and cream of Oklahoma, as the big man verbally committed to the Sooners late last week.

McGee had been playing tackle at Texas High, but depending on where you look, he’s listed as everything from tackle to guard to just an OL. In any case, the Sooners will certainly find a spot for him, and it’s not the worst thing in the world to have guys capable of playing tackle playing guard for you.

Trey Keenan to Texas Tech

We’re approaching the point where we need a name for Tommy Tuberville’s prowess in landing big name big men. First aboard the Texas Tech OL commitment train was Houston Westbury 300-pounder Christian Okafor. Then, it was the big Haltom lineman Halapoulivaati Vaitai. Then, it was beating out boatloads of suitors for the services of Waco La Vega star Michael Starts. Then, it was landing Rice Consolidated lineman Jared Kaster after he decommitted from Rice. And now, it’s Argyle lineman Trey Keenan, a first-team Super Teamer who pledged to the Raiders late last week.

Keenan is a bit of an under-the-radar pickup for Tech, as he doesn’t have the big-time hype of Michael Starts or Pearland Dawson’s Kennedy Estelle (Texas) or Fort Bend Elkins’ Mike Matthews (A&M). But Keenan is a potential starter from Day One in Lubbock. At 6-6 and 270 pounds, Keenan’s a good fit for Tech for a number of reasons: he plays in a pass-happy spread offense at Argyle, he’s got good enough speed for the big splits Texas Tech employs (4.8 40-yard dash time) and he’s got the football IQ to be dominant. All in all, a very nice pickup for the Raiders.

Playing catch-up

Mon, 20 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0500

By Greg Tepper // TexasFootball.com

Here on TexasFootball.com, we’ve spent the past two weeks building up to the release of the magazine. It’s been a lot of fun – interacting with fans, remembering past issues, talking to the great Dave Campbell himself – but one of the unintended consequences of that is that we fall behind on recruiting news.

Our 2012 pledges page is updated – you can go there now to check out where you school stands as far as 2012 recruits is concerned – but we haven’t been able to give a lot of commitments their due diligence.

You know what that means? Mega-sized recruiting update!

(Spoiler alert: tomorrow means mega-sized coaching change update!)

Let’s start with news that just broke on Sunday night: the verbal commitment of Sanger quarterback Dane Evans to Tulsa. Now, we at Texas Football are particularly high on Evans: we chose him to be our 3A Coverboy in the 2011 magazine. And for good reason: Evans threw for 3,411 yards and 37 touchdowns in his junior season. But more impressive than that is that Evans completed over 65 percent of his passes, showing the type of astounding accuracy that made him a top target of a variety of different FBS colleges. Well, on Sunday, Evans made the call, choosing the Golden Hurricane over tons of other schools, including but not limited to LSU, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Notre Dame and Oklahoma State.

Dominique Wheeler is one of the state’s most dynamic, versatile athletes. Now, he’ll take those talents to Lubbock, as Wheeler recently committed to Texas Tech. The pride of 2A Crockett, Wheeler rushed for 1,187 yards and 16 touchdowns, threw for 497 yards and 5 touchdowns, and caught 16 passes for 305 yards and 7 TDs. Wheeler is a homerun threat in the truest sense of the word. Some people are not as high on Wheeler as I am, and I recognize that; I think the 2A competition plays some role in that. But if you ask me, Wheeler is a legitimate top-tier get for the Raiders, and he’ll find a nice home in the Tech offense.

Sticking with Tech for a moment, we’re just a couple weeks removed from Waco La Vega lineman Michael Starts committing to the Red Raiders. He’s got company: Rice Consolidated center Jared Kaster pledged to Texas Tech last week. Now, this is notable for a couple of reasons. First of all, Kaster was an early pledge to Rice who recently decommitted and switched to Tech; that’s a relatively big loss for the Owls and a very big gain for the Raiders. And Kaster is quite a catch: a first-team All-State center, he’s used to running the show of the multiple-formation Rice Consolidated offense, meaning he has experience in running complicated offensive schemes. That’s got to be a big reason why he was so attractive to the Red Raiders, aside from his obvious size (6-4, 255) and ability (84 pancakes, and didn’t allow a sack last year).

South Houston defensive back Kenneth Marshall was an early verbal commitment to Oklahoma State, way back in April. But though he’ll still call the Big XII home, it’ll be in the maroon of Texas A&M instead, as Marshall decommitted from Oklahoma State and committed to the Aggies. I think Marshall is a game-changing defensive back for the Ags, and once he made the choice to decommit from the Cowboys, you have to wonder how big a role the opportunity to play for a former NFL head coach in Mike Sherman played in his decision to go to College Station. But it speaks to what has become at least a small trend in recruiting in the past month: Oklahoma State’s inability to hold verbal commitments. The Marshall defection (kind of sounds like an action movie) comes on the heels of Van linebacker and superstar recruit Dalton Santos – perhaps the state’s best linebacker – decommitting from Oklahoma State. Just something to keep an eye on throughout the course of the recruiting season.

The Cowboys, however, did have something to cheer about despite the Santos and Marshall decommitments: Carthage tackle Greg Brantley verbally committed to Oklahoma State last week. At 6-7 and 305 pounds, Brantley is a monster in Class 3A and has a winning pedigree, as he helped lead the Bulldogs to a state championship last season…and was also on the team that won the 2009 3A DII title. He’ll bring that winning attitude to the Cowboys program.

Baylor got two commitments in the past couple weeks that are very important for very different reasons. First came Allen outside linebacker Thaddeus LaGrone, who committed on June 9. There’s a lot to like about LaGrone, especially his unique blend of size (6-2, 195) and speed (runs a 4.5 in the 40) as well as his experience in big games. But it’s especially important for Baylor because of its dearth of defensive playmakers. New defensive coordinator Phil Bennett is certainly a well-respected defensive mind (and for very good reason) but he needs the tools to work with if he’s going to turn the Bears defense around. LaGrone is an excellent start. The other commitment came three days later, when South Grand Prairie quarterback Jared Johnson pledged to the Bears. Now, landing Johnson at any time would be great – he threw for 1,600 yards and 18 touchdowns while running for another 579 yards and 7 scores – but it was especially important for the Bears to get a quarterback. Why? Simply, Baylor didn’t get a quarterback in the 2011 class, so they were performing without a net for a little bit. They needed an heir apparent to Robert Griffin, and they might have found him in Jared Johnson.

TCU, as it stands right now, is set at running back: Ed Wesley is only a junior this season and figures to be the big man on campus for the next two seasons. But you can never have enough good running backs, as evidenced by Linden Kildare’s Rashondrick Linwood’s recent commitment to the Horned Frogs. Linwood’s very much cut from the same cloth as Wesley – 5-9, 180 pounds, a 4.5 40 – and showed his skills last year when he rushed for 1,473 yards (an astonishing 9.4 yards per carry average) and 18 touchdowns as a junior. He might have to wait a bit to see the field in Fort Worth, but he’s the complete package to be a big contributor for the purple.

Now that Colorado has departed the Big XII for the Pac-12, there have been questions about whether the Buffaloes would be able to maintain a recruiting presence in Texas. Well, if the past week is any indication, the answer is yes. Colorado scored two very nice commitments from Galena Park running back Terrence Crowder and Duncanville wide receiver Jeffrey Thomas in the span of five days. Crowder passed up offers from home-state colleges North Texas and UTSA to join the Buffaloes after rushing for 1,338 yards and 15 touchdowns for the Yellow Jackets as a junior. With Thomas, Colorado won out over schools like Cal, Georgia, Oklahoma, Texas A&M and Boise State for the wideout’s services. The reason Thomas was so highly sought, besides his 383 yards and 9 touchdowns last year? Coach Jeff Dicus described him as a “tall, long-armed receiver who can go over the middle and deep.” In other words, the kind of guy any offensive coordinator would want.

One of the schools that has made major inroads in Texas in the past couple years is Boise State, and the Broncos recently came away with another pair of strong Lone Star State recruits in Arlington Martin guard Steven Baggett and Cy-Creek running back Devan Demas. Baggett is one of those under-the-radar guys that wasn’t heavily recruited nationally – New Mexico State and Air Force were probably the most notable programs in on him – but he’s got good size for a guard at 6-3 and 255 pounds. Demas was a little more widely recruited – Arkansas, Oklahoma State, Iowa, Texas Tech and Oregon all took looks at him – but the prolific runner chose Boise over them all. And he’s a very nice fit for the Boise offense: the 5-9, 165-pounder is the size that we’ve become accustomed to seeing dart around in the Broncos backfield, and he’s got the results – 1,750 yards, 21 touchdowns as a junior – to back it up.

To wrap it up, a few out-of-state commitment quick hits:

-Houston Westside guard Germain Ifedi committed to Missouri, passing up offers from Baylor, Houston, Wake Forest, Louisville and others. He becomes the fourth Texan to pledge to the Tigers in two months, joining Allen RB Jonathan Williams, Cleburne DB Chaston Cuffee and Everman DB Torrey Boozer.

-Hutto quarterback Ryan Higgins pledged to Louisiana Tech. At 6-1 and 183 pounds, Higgins has good size and has produced strong results (2,250 yards, 20 TDs as a junior).

-Lewisville defensive tackle Scott Ekpe committed to Minnesota. At 6-4 and 250 pounds, coach Dick Olin described Ekpe as player who is both strong and has good feet.

-Denton Guyer defensive end Dan Kottman committed to San Diego State. Kottman’s an explosive player whom coach John Walsh called “arguably the most dominant defensive player we have had at Guyer HS.”

Thinking big

Mon, 06 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0500

By Greg Tepper // TexasFootball.com

Before we start, a note: we are t-minus nine days until the 52^nd edition of Dave Campbell’s Texas Football hits newsstands, and the exclusive cover reveal on TexasFootball.com on June 15. Starting tomorrow, we’re going to have a number of special features leading up to the release as a celebration of all things Texas Football. We’ll still be blogging any big news, and we’ll have more details on the countdown celebration to the reveal, but if you aren’t already, this is the perfect week to stay glued to TexasFootball.com!

The recruiting cycle is essentially twelve months long – recruits go by their own particular schedule. Some commit early, some commit on National Signing Day, some commit later than that. It’s especially hard to tell for blue chip recruits.

Which is why the past four days, which saw two of the state’s best recruits at the same position verbally commit to state schools, so extraordinary.

It started on June 2, when Waco La Vega tackle Michael Starts offered his verbal commitment to Texas Tech. Then, three days later on June 5, Pearland Dawson tackle Kennedy Estelle committed to Texas.

That’s two of the state’s top five or six offensive linemen in the 2012 class committing in the course of 96 hours. That’s astonishing.

Let’s start with Starts. At 6-4 and 282 pounds, the most notable thing about Starts is how well he moves. He’s got terrific mobility for a player his size. At the 3A level, Starts can physically dominate most of the defensive ends he faces. He needs some work on his technique, but Starts has all of the physical tools to be a standout on the Red Raiders’ offensive line for years.

That said, there might be a bit of a catch. Starts plays both ways at La Vega, as he also starts on the defensive line. There are reports that Starts is set on playing defense in college, and some schools that were after him – namely Texas, Texas A&M and Auburn – weren’t willing to promise that he’d be able to compete for a defensive spot. Tommy Tuberville’s staff at Texas Tech reportedly did, which may have become one of the deciding factors. Now, do not get me wrong: I am of the opinion that Starts would be a good, potentially very good, defensive lineman. But I am also of the opinion that Starts would be a very good, potentially great, offensive lineman. I would bet that while Tech offered Starts an opportunity to compete for a spot on the defensive line, Tommy Tuberville will at some point in the future have a discussion with Starts about where he can do the most good.

Regardless of all of that, Starts is a terrific get for Tommy Tuberville and Texas Tech. The circumstances aren’t necessarily created equal, but Texas Tech beat out Texas, Texas A&M, Baylor, Alabama, USC and many others for the services of Starts, and that cannot be understated.

Now, on to Kennedy Estelle. In short, before this weekend, if you wanted to argue that Kennedy Estelle was the state’s best uncommitted recruit, I’d probably agree (apologies to players like San Antonio Houston DE Javonte Magee and Crockett ATH Dominique Wheeler). There’s a whole lot to like about Estelle, starting with his size. At 6-7, 300 pounds, that is the size that you look for in an NFL tackle, not just a college tackle. He’s got terrific feet, a great grasp for the game and upside from here to the moon. You could argue that Kennedy Estelle is the offensive line version of Denton Ryan DE Mario Edwards, in that they share a jaw-dropping size-to-athleticism ratio.

And now, all of a sudden, look at Texas’ 2012 class. There’s no arguing that a faulty offensive line led to a lot of the Longhorns’ woes last season. So, what’d they do? They got a legitimate stud in Estelle, a legitimate stud in DeSoto OL Curtis Riser and a legitimate stud in Harker Heights OL Camrhon Hughes. At the very worst, Texas has landed verbal commitments from three of the top four linemen in the state, and that is impressive. As I’ve written (and caught grief for from Longhorns fans) before, Texas has not developed its offensive line prospects well in the past, so this guarantees nothing. But let’s put it this way: if even just two of this Texas Trio of Tremor (trademark Greg Tepper, 2011) pans out, the Longhorns’ offensive line could be one of the nation’s best.

Summer bash

Mon, 30 May 2011 00:00:00 -0500

By Greg Tepper // TexasFootball.com

To borrow a phrase from Alice Cooper – and boy, that’s probably the first time that phrase has been written on this website – school’s out for the summer.

Almost.

Depending on the school, it either is or is almost summer vacation, meaning that we’re about to enter, in my view, the toughest part of football season: the lead-up to the next season. Sure, there are 7-on-7 tournaments and the like, but without practice reports and actual contact, we’re left to sit and wait and dream of those crisp Friday nights, Saturday afternoons and Sunday mornings.

It’s also tough on recruits who haven’t offered verbal commitments yet. They’re left in limbo, waiting until the next season to pledge. Perhaps that’s why we have a number of verbal commitments from the past week to report this morning.

Before we get to the 2012 recruits, there is one 2011 recruit who recently signed his National Letter of Intent – because remember: Signing Day is just the first day you can sign, not the day you have to sign. Dallas Kimball running back Daveon Johnson has signed a LOI to play for Grambling State. Johnson was part of the multi-headed monster in the backfield for the Knights this season, helping to lead Kimball to the area round. His numbers aren’t overwhelming – 431 yards and six touchdowns – but when you consider that he did that on just 53 carries, you see what kind of explosiveness he brings to the table. Johnson is listed at 5-10 and a little less than 180 pounds; my guess would be that by his senior year, he’ll be 200 pounds of you-don’t-want-to-get-in-the-way.

Staying in the Metroplex, one of the 2012 recruits to come off the board in the past week is Richardson Pearce athlete Corey Coleman, who offered a verbal commitment to Baylor. What didn’t Coleman do for the Mustangs last year? He racked up 997 yards and 11 touchdowns receiving, plus another 426 yards and 13 touchdowns rushing. He’s the kind of player you can line up in the slot, in the backfield, out wide, in the Wildcat – he’s that versatile. You can bet that Art Briles and Co. will find a way to put the ball in Coleman’s hands early and often.

Another 2012 recruit who pledge his allegiance in the recent days is Round Rock Stony Point defensive end Brian Cramer, who pledged to SMU.. Don’t know Brian Cramer? With all due respect, you shouldn’t: Cramer spent most of the year on the JV team last season, but did join the Tigers for their playoffs. So why is SMU going after a JV defensive end? Upside and pedigree. For one, Cramer is 6-5 and 230 – the kind of player you can turn into a menace at defensive end or maybe even outside linebacker. As for pedigree, Stony Point has become a factory for defensive prospects. According to the Austin American-Statesman’s Danny Davis, just in the past three seasons, STP has produced eight defensive players to go to FBS schools – defensive end Tevin Mims (Texas), defensive tackle Jordan Wade (Oklahoma), defensive back Kenny Browder (Wyoming), defensive back Kevin White (TCU), defensive back Desmond Martin (Texas Tech), linebacker P.L. Lindley (Oklahoma) and linebacker Trevor Caswell (Air Force). Sure, it’s a bit of a calculated risk for SMU; the guy has very limited varsity experience. But from where I’m sitting, it seems like Cramer’s stock is only going to rise, and the Mustangs got in on the ground floor.

Finally, Missouri has once again swooped into Texas and picked off a player. This time, it’s Cleburne safety Chaston Cuffee. The word that comes to mind for Cuffee is versatility. He’s played some quarterback – last year, he threw for 390 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another 237 yards and two scores – but he’s most suited for the secondary, specifically safety. At 6-1, he has pretty good size for a safety, and with 4.5 speed in the 40, he’s got the speed for it, too. Cuffee is the second state recruit to go to Mizzou in the past couple of weeks – Everman LB Torrey Boozer committed a couple of weeks ago.

Crossing borders

Mon, 23 May 2011 00:00:00 -0500

By Greg Tepper // TexasFootball.com

Most people spent their weekend talking about what didn’t happen. Let’s talk a little bit about what did.

The recruiting game is grinding on, with prospects from all across the state offering verbal commitments to all sorts of schools. As I’ve said in the past, in a selfish way, I think we all like to see athletes from Texas stay in Texas; born here, bred here, played here. But we can’t be naïve enough to think that every athlete wants to stay here. Many of the best athletes in Texas see opportunities outside the state and leap to them.

After all, the decision is about the player and his family; wherever is best for that player is best for that player, regardless of its physical location.

With that in mind, let’s get to three commitments from pretty substantial Lone Star State players who have decided to export their talents to a different state.

We start in DeSoto, which has developed a reputation for turning out sensational athletes. From Super Bowl players like New England Patriots DB Ellis Hobbs to emerging stars like Texas A&M RB Cyrus Gray, the Eagles have a tradition of strong prospects. The latest is WR Austin Vincent, a class of 2011 star who recently pledged to Colorado. Vincent has a lot of what scouts look for in a top wideout: size (6-1), speed (4.4 40 time) and hands (16 catches for 327 yards and 6 touchdowns as a senior). He need to fill out a bit – he’s only 176 pounds – but those types of things tend to take care of themselves. So when Colorado starts play in the Pac-12 next season, DeSoto will have a rooting interest.

Missouri is one of the teams left in what’s left of the Big XII, and in the past few years, the Tigers have made inroads into Texas. NFLers like Sean Weatherspoon (Jasper) and Chase Daniel (Southlake Carroll) called Mizzou home before making it big. Hoping to follow, no doubt, in the footsteps of Weatherspoon is Everman LB Torrey Boozer, who offered a verbal commitment to MIzzou. Boozer comes highly regarded by Everman coach Dale Keeling, which should mean a lot: Keeling’s one of the area’s mainstays in the coaching community. Boozer joins fellow Texans Donovan Bonner (Dallas Lincoln), Will Ebner (Friendswood), Zaviar Gooden (Pflugerville) and Jared Parham (Coppell) in the Mizzou linebacking corps.

Staying in the current Big XII, Iowa State could be on the verge of getting back to competing in the conference race. Coach Paul Rhoads’ fiery style is winning both games and recruits, and the latest to join him in Ames is Willis WR Quan West, who committed recently to the Cyclones. The first thing you’ll notice about West, a class of 2012er, is that he’s big for a wideout – 6-4 and 215. But with 4.6 speed, he’s got all of the tools. He hauled in 778 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2010, and Willis coach Audie Jackson said that he plays with a linebacker’s mentality. That size and that mentality will win a lot of friends in the Big XII, and especially in Ames.

Say the word

Sun, 15 May 2011 00:00:00 -0500

By Greg Tepper // TexasFootball.com

For the top players in the state in the 2012 class, there’s a major decision to be made, and it’s not what you think.

As we come in for a landing in the summer, we reach a sort of no-man’s land for recruiting. Commitments during the summer do happen, but generally, if you’re not committed by the time school’s out of session, you’re generally not going to commit until the fall.

Which brings us to the aforementioned decision for 2012 prospects: commit now, or wait until the fall?

There’s obviously no right answer – different athletes and different families handle the recruiting process in different ways – but it will be interesting to see which athletes choose to get recruitment out of the way before the summer.

A number of top prospects decided that it would be better to commit beforehand, verbally committing to schools across the region over the past few days.

Denton Guyer athlete Dominic Ramacher has reportedly offered his verbal commitment to play at Oklahoma State. Dom – as coach John Walsh calls him – reportedly spurned offers from all over the nation, including Arizona, Michigan, Oregon and Wake Forest. And to be fair: “athlete” is just about the only tag you can put on Ramacher. In 2010 alone, the 6-3, 220-pound prospect played quarterback, running back, tight end, fullback and wide receiver for the Wildcats as they marched to the state title game. Oh, and as for this year? Expect him to move to middle linebacker. Simply put, Ramacher is one of the most versatile players in the 2012 class, and Oklahoma State landing him spells trouble for other Big XII schools.

It’s not, however, like the other Big XII schools are just sitting around waiting. For proof, look no further than College Station, where Texas A&M recently landed a verbal commitment from Fort Bend Hightower wide receiver Bralon Addison. Now, don’t go running to find Addison’s receiving totals; you won’t find them, as the 5-11, 190-pound senior-to-be spent his junior season at quarterback for the Hurricanes. And what a season he had: 1,078 yards rushing and 14 touchdowns to go along with 1,861 yards and 28 touchdowns through the air, all while throwing just 3 interceptions. He’s projected to make the move to wide receiver on the collegiate level – at 5-11, he’d be shorter than most coaches prefer their signal-callers to be – so he’ll have the opportunity to make his 4.5 40-yard-dash speed pay off. And you have to wonder if playing quarterback for two seasons will make him an even better receiver, giving him a better knowledge of his place in the offense.

One guy who knows precisely his role in the offense is Port Arthur Memorial tackle Tre-Von Armstead. Without reducing the job he plays, what he does is fairly straightforward: dominate the guy in front of (or sometimes around) him. Armstead will be doing that for the green and gold starting in 2012, as he has verbally committed to Baylor. At 6-7 and 275 pounds, he has the size you want in a tackle to go along with what Memorial coach Kenny Harrison praised as “excellent footwork” and “very long arms.” And don’t think that just because Armstead is big doesn’t mean he’s athletic: he’s an all-district basketball player as well. Can you imagine taking a charge against him? No thanks, Tre-Von, you can have the two points.

A guy who will be scoring a lot of points in the 2011 season for Houston Westside is running back B.J. Catalon. And soon, he’ll be moving north to Fort Worth to play for TCU, where the 5-8, 190-pound back committed recently. Admittedly, Westside has a rough 2010 – the Wolves went just 2-8 – but Catalon was perhaps the brightest spot, rushing for 1,150 yards and 22 touchdowns en route to accumulating over 2,000 all-purpose yards. Catalon uses his 4.4-40 speed to break away from defenders, and coach Mark Byrd called him “a one-cut-and-score type of back.” Beyond that, it seems like Catalon is a kid who has his head on straight: Byrd said he’s a great role model to the program and is wonderful in the classroom. Sounds like a good get for the Horned Frogs all the way around.