As the college football season approaches, many teams are trying to set their base for their respective 2014 recruiting classes. Texas has racked up 21 commits already and are likely to be very selective about who they offer and select from here until February.
Lets break down the current commits by position as well as who the ‘Horns are looking at to commit.
Quarterback: (1). Jerrod Heard picked the ‘Horns over Baylor, LSU, Arizona State and Nebraska way back in August of 2012. Heard is about as solid as you can get and this seems to be the only quarterback pick up for Mack and co. this year. Connor Brewers transfer could make things interesting, but I still don’t see another quarterback in this class.
Who else is on the ‘Horns radar at quarterback: No one really. Heard is solid and that’s all they need in all likelihood.
Running back (2). Donald Catalon is the featured back of this class. The 5-foot-11 190 pound back out of Houston was highly sought after and Texas beat out LSU, Florida State and Oklahoma State for his services. D’onta Forman, running back out of Texas City is a bit bigger back at 6-foot 207 pounds and was expected to commit to the ‘Horns from the get go.
Who else is on the ‘Horns radar at running back: It’s hard to see Texas taking more than two backs in 2014, but Waxahachie running back Treyvon Hughes holds a Texas offer and is considering the Iowa Hawkeyes and Longhorns.
Wide receiver (6). This class is loaded with wide receiver talent. The class is highlighted by Texas City wide receiver Armanti Foreman who was really a Texas lock from the get go. Other commits include Abilene wide receiver Lorenzo Joe, Emanuel Porter (Dallas), Dorian Leonard (Longview), Roderick Bernard (Houston) and Garrett Gray (Marble Falls).
https://www.hornsports.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/USATSI_7326886_149008644_lowres-228×300.jpg Steve Dykes-USA TODAY Sports-Lorenzo Joe(Abilene,TX) at The Opening 7on7 Oregon
Who else is on the ‘Horns radar at wide receiver: Like at running back, taking more than six wide receivers would be very surprising. Two other highly touted wide outs hold Texas offers and are showing interested. Trey Quinn (Lake Charles, LA) who is considered a strong LSU lean and KD Cannon (Mount Pleasant) who is a heavy Baylor lean.
Tight-end (1). Junior college tight end John Thomas (Athens-Trinity Valley C.C.) is the Longhorns tight end commit for this year.
Who else is on the ‘Horns radar at tight-end: Tyler Luatua (La Mirada, CA) has shown interest in the ‘Horns, but I wouldn’t count on a commit. He’s considered an Alabama and Notre Dame lean.
Offensive line (1). This is probably the biggest need for the rest of the class. The lone offensive line commit is center Terrell Cuney (Jasper). The ‘Horns beat out Texas Tech and TCU for him but you’ve got to think the Longhorns need to grab an offensive tackle and guard as linemen seem to always be a big need in college football.
Who else is on the ‘Horns radar on the offensive line: Texas will be going hard after offensive tackle Mason Denley (Columbus). They haven’t offered him yet, but will need to soon as he will most likely choose between Texas Tech and Texas (assuming he gets an offer).
Defensive line (5). Derick Roberson (San Antonio) highlights this group and chose Texas over Texas A&M and Alabama. Others include Trey Lealaimatafao (San Antonio), Sione Teuhema (Keller), Jake McMillion (Abilene) and Courtney Garnett (New Orleans, LA).
Who else is on the ‘Horns radar on the defensive line: Theres a good group of defensive linemen already committed, but I could see one or two more max. Strong-side defensive end Solomon Thomas (Coppell) is considered a strong Texas lean with Stanford in the mix for him. Weak-side defensive end Victor Evans (Dallas) is also a Texas lean and I’d expect him to commit to the ‘Horns.
Linebackers (3). Otaro Alaka (Houston) Andrew Beck (Tampa, FL) and Cameron Hampton (Dallas) are all solid pick ups for Texas in this recruiting class.
Who else is on the ‘Horns radar at linebacker: Outside linebacker Edwin Freeman (Arlington) seems to be a heavy Texas lean, with TCU having an outside shot at getting him.
Defensive backs (1). The lone defensive back commit is cornerback Jermaine Roberts (New Orleans, LA) who chose Texas over Ohio State and Alabama.
Who else is on the ‘Horns radar at defensive back: Quite a few really. The ‘Horns really would like to get Tony Brown (Beaumont), but he is considered a strong LSU lean with Alabama also after him hard. I’d be surprised if Brown committed to Texas. Safety Jamal Adams (Carrolton) is interested in Texas, Florida and Texas A&M, but seems to be a Florida lean. Saftey John Bonney (Houston) is liking Baylor and Texas and this could be a coin flip in my opinion. Safety Jason Hall (Grand Prarie) is looking at Oklahoma, Texas and Nebraska. Hall is probably Texas’ best chance at a safety commit in the 2014 class.
https://www.hornsports.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/USATSI_7327003_149008644_lowres-300×217.jpg Steve Dykes-USA TODAY Sports- CB Tony Brown (Beaumont) is on the Longhorns radar
Punter/kicker (1). Corbin Daly (Charlotte, NC) chose Texas over interest from Duke and LSU.
Who else is on the ‘Horns radar at punter/kicker: Probably no one. I doubt there’s any need or room for another punter/kicker in the 2014 class.
As with every year, the recruiting process is a long one (sometimes) full of surprises. There’s a lot of time left for this class to settle in but the biggest needs for the ‘Horns going forward is locking down a few defensive backs and offensive line prospects. I’m sure Mack and co. would like to get this done within the next few months.
