The point on a brisket is typically the fattiest cut. Pitmasters often trim the point (and select edges) off a brisket and return those pieces to the smoker.
Are burnt ends tough, chewy worthless cuts of meat, or are they heavenly bites of smoky goodness? It depends on who you ask…
Rather than discard the trimmings and fat, we choose to savor all the information that flows through the site. So, sit down and help yourself to some burnt ends.
+++++
This is a free site, so anyone can read this report. If you share it with someone, please take time to attribute the information to HornSports.
+++++
Plano (TX) East linebacker Anthony Hines is the most decorated high school player in the nation. Hines boasts offers from 81 different schools including Texas, Alabama, Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Stanford, Penn State, USC, UCLA, and Texas A&M. Hines is a big-time prospect on the Texas board, and Charlie Strong is personally handling his recruitment. We spoke with Hines at a skills clinic this past weekend to get an update on his recruitment.
Hines worked with the defensive back group at the clinic, and he took on every challenge that came his way. He jumped in on every rep he could, and he even lined up against receivers on the outside when he could have only taken reps against running backs. As he explained it, working with defensive backs helps to make him a complete player.
“It always helps to have that DB footwork to go along with a linebacker mentality when you go out to these camps to compete and be the best.â€
Hines is no stranger to the camp circuit; in fact he dominated at The Opening regional in Dallas last year. Hines was named the MVP among linebackers as a sophomore, so he has several different goals for himself when he attends this year.
“I gotta punch that ticket to Oregon this time, but I’m also looking to outdo my boy Baron (Browning), you know they’re all going to be out there, but I’ve got to prove that I’m the bestâ€.
Hines is very close with the other linebackers in the class, and they’ve created an environment of healthy competition.
As his recruitment pertains to the Longhorns, Hines attended the Texas junior day in February, and really enjoyed his time on campus.
“It was awesome. Always good to visit the facilities and visit with the head man. Coach Strong is an awesome dude, he has a really great presence, and he’s just a guy you want to play for,†Hines told us.
With so many offers on his plate, Hines recently cut his list down to a top 20. Texas did make the cut, and the Longhorns are strongly in the mix to land the talented defender. So what is it about Texas that appeals to Hines? It turns out that early opportunity is a big recruiting tool.
“I think they played something like fifteen true freshmen last yearâ€, said Hines. “If you go there, you have a lot of early opportunity. He’s bringing that winning culture there, and I look for them to do very well this year.â€
Texas also has some help from a current player and an incoming player. Stop me if you’ve heard this one before, Malik Jefferson might be a factor in this recruitment. Jefferson and Hines are known to one another, and they talk regularly. Hines told us that Jefferson is recruiting him to Austin, but so is Texas signee Jeff McCulloch. With so many great players already on campus at linebacker, you’d think it might scare off some players. As with anything in his life, Hines embraces the challenge.
“They have a really good system of rotating in and out, and I really believe I can compete with those guys.â€
Hines will compete this coming weekend at The Opening Dallas Regional where he’s almost sure to land a spot in the finals. He’s visited Austin multiple times in the last year, but look for him to get to campus for unofficial visits in the spring and summer. One final note of interest. Not that it means anything huge, but it couldn’t hurt that Hines was wearing Longhorn gloves during the skills challenge yesterday. Stay tuned for one of the most anticipated recruitments of the 2017 class.
+++++
When you play in the secondary with Brandon Jones, it’s easy to get lost in the shuffle. Nacogdoches cornerback Josh Thompson has emerged from that shadow, and now he looks to lead the Dragon defense next season. We spoke to the east Texas corner during the skills clinic yesterday to get an update on how things were going in his recruitment. This was the first time Thompson was able to train with this talented group, and he really enjoyed the competition.
“It was great just being able to see where I was at,†said Thompson. “It’s good going up against some of the best in this area and just getting some work in.â€
Thompson has his sights set on The Opening regional in Dallas this coming weekend. A great performance could put him on the map in the recruiting world. As things currently stand, Thompson is hearing from many schools, and he seems to be on the cusp of emerging as a known recruit.
“Recruiting is going good,†said Thompson. “I’m hearing from more schools. I’ll be visiting La Tech on the 12th and I’m going back to Baylor on the 18th.”
Thompson was scheduled to be at the Texas junior day in February, but a last second transportation issue caused him to miss. Thompson stayed in contact with the Texas coaches, and he’s currently figuring out a way to get back to campus.
“I’ll be going down soon, I’ve got to talk to Coach Jennings. You know he’s new there so he’s still figuring things out, but I’ll be going down soon.”
Thompson talked to Charlie Strong on junior day even though he couldn’t make it, and he was disappointed Thompson wasn’t going to be able to make it.
“He just told me to keep grinding, and he was kind of sad I didn’t make it because he wanted to see me.â€
Thompson is close friends with Texas signee Brandon Jones, and if a Texas offer comes his way you can expect Texas will have a leg up. Look for Thompson to make his way to Austin during spring practice.
+++++
Here are some quick recruiting tidbits we picked up throughout the week.
‘”
- n”.self::process_list_items(“‘.str_replace(‘
‘, ”, ‘
[*]Crosby WR Mannie Netherly picked up a junior day offer. We spoke to a source close to his recruitment, and we were told that the offer definitely grabbed his attention. The source told us specifically that “Texas is going to have to recruit their asses off.†Simply put, Netherly is very comfortable with the coaching staff at A&M, and he will be tough to pry away. We were told Netherly really likes the new offense, so that could be something in the Longhorns’ favor.
[*]Crosby 2018 RB Craig “Sqwirl†Williams made the trip to Austin with Netherly, and Texas made a big impression on him according to the same source. “He enjoyed it, but he didn’t get a chance to speak with Charlie. He likes UT.†It looks like this is lining up to be another Texas and A&M battle. The Aggies have been hard after Williams, and they’ve recruited him more early on in the process.
[*]La Grange RB JK Dobbins pulled off a surprise commitment to Ohio State over the weekend. In talking to a couple of different sources, it’s tough to get a good read on this one. One still felt strongly that Texas would be the team to beat on signing day, while another told us he didn’t expect Dobbins to be a guy that makes multiple commitments. I don’t think Charlie Strong is worried with the way he recruits, and if Texas can find some success on offense this year it gives him momentum to close. It also opens up the door for other options like Eno Benjamin or Kennedy Brooks. Obviously having one of your top guys commit to another school isn’t idea, but it’s still very early in this one.
[*]Lancaster WR Omar Manning is one of the hottest prospects out there. He’s gone from a relative unknown, to one of the most coveted players in the nation over the last few months. Manning first emerged when he dominated in the Texas high school playoffs last season, but schools started to take notice of him in February. Texas was a bit late to the party, but they finally came through with an offer last week. We were able to catch up with Manning briefly to get some thoughts from him.
On what the Texas offer means to him:
“It means a lot. It’s the state team, it has a lot of tradition. It’s awesome, I talked to Coach Strong himselfâ€.
On Texas waiting to offer hurt them in his recruitment:
“Well the old staff didn’t really recruit me, so at first yes. As soon as the new staff got there they jumped right on me.â€
Our conversation with Manning got cut short, but we hope to speak with him again next week at the Opening regional in Dallas. He did tell us he plans to make it to Austin for a spring practice.
‘).'”).”n
“‘
