On February 1st, Longhorn fans will know which new soldiers they can count on do do battle on behalf of the burnt orange army for the next several years.  Defending the 40 acres has been tough the last two seasons and Mack and company are excited about another stellar haul of recruits.  With what many are considering the top 1 or 2 recruiting class in the country the Longhorns like their chances at landing one, maybe more prizes in the recruiting war.  Texas brought a whopping 6 signees on campus this week which includes 2 junior college transfers, to begin classes today.  Mack is known as “Mr. February” for his recruiting prowess and this year is clearly no exception.  While Texas should be fully satisfied with the current group of commits, they aren’t.  Like John Rambo in a Burmese knife fight, they are still hungry for more.

Without further adieu, let’s take a look at who’s still in the Horns’ line of fire and how much of a shot Texas has to land them.

The Crème de la Crème

Dorial Green-Beckham, Wide Receiver

Hillcrest High School, Springfield Missouri

DGB has played his cards well and has truly kept his potential decisions to himself.  While most recruiters worry about a player committing early and ultimately de-committing, Dorial has made certain that once his decision is made it is final.  Widely considered the consensus #1 prospect in the country, Dorial Green Beckham is the real deal.  The 2012 U.S. Army Player of the Year was recruited by just about every program in the country but has made only 1 official visit.  That visit was to the University of Texas campus on November 18th, 2011.  Sounds good for Longhorn fans, right?  Yes and no.  Obviously the fewer official visits he takes the better chance Mack has of signing him.  Conversely Green-Beckham is scheduled to visit the Arkansas campus this Friday.  Missouri and Oklahoma are schools also mentioned when he is discussed amongst recruiting analysts and bloggers alike.

He is a physical specimen and stands 6’6 with great speed , big hands and everything else you would expect from a future NFL superstar.  Undoubtedly he is the prize catch for the program that lands him.  So what are the odds he chooses Texas?  Not great, but Texas still has a shot to nab him.  We think Arkansas and Mizzou have the best chances of signing Dorial simply because of the proximity of his home in Missouri to these schools.  Arkansas has lost several receivers to attrition and DGB would be a welcome recipient of Tyler Wilson’s passing abilities.  The University of Missouri is basically in his own backyard which makes the school a strong contender and Oklahoma returns Landry Jones which must spice up the DGB potential a bit.  Texas is in development mode at the quarterback position and this could have an impact on whether Texas would be a good fit for him, speaking short-term.  With Thomas Johnson de-committing, Texas could really use DGB.  Right now we think Texas has a shot at landing him but Arkansas still seems to be the frontrunner.

Mario Edwards, Defensive End

Ryan High School, Denton, Texas

Ryan Standout Mario Edwards has been a Florida State commit since March of 2011.  It is impressive that he has maintained his commitment to FSU for this length of time but as of late, Mario has mentioned a couple of other schools as potentials.  Texas is one of them, along with LSU.  He visited Florida State last week and is schedule to make a trip to Baton Rouge this Friday.  Mario visited both Texas and Oklahoma in December but has since crossed Oklahoma off his list of potential schools.  The way we see Edwards, he is Florida State’s to lose.  With that said, Texas is still a strong option for Mario who lives in Texas.  Couple that with the reality that Ryan teammate Alex De La Torre has already signed with Texas and is attending in classes on the 40 Acres this semester makes it enticing for Edwards.

Edwards is easily ranked one of the top recruits in the nation and we haven’t seen a prospect ranked higher in Texas with this class.  At 6’4, 280 he is a beast of an end and would easily fit into Manny Diaz’s defensive scheme.  Frankly, with Edwards on the team, the Longhorn defense would be downright frightening (as if it already isn’t).  We like Mario’s chances of signing with Texas more so than DGB’s and think the Horns have a better than average shot.

Others of Note

Christo Kourtzidis, Tight End

Lutheran High School, Orange, California

What seems like an out of nowhere visit, Florida state commit Christo Kourtzidis will visit Austin this weekend.  Kourtzidis is a highly regarded tight end prospect.  Tight ends coach and Co-Recruiting Coordinator Bruce Chambers thinks Kourtzidis has a lot to offer the team.  Maybe Mario Edwards and Kourtzidis will jump ship together and head West to Austin?  We’ll keep our fingers crossed.

Daje Johnson, Athlete (CB/WR)

Hendrickson High School, Pflugerville, Texas

Daje Johnson has been a solid commit to Gary Patterson’s TCU Horned Frogs since March of last year, but will be making a trip to Austin sometime before National Signing Day.  Johnson has a ton of interest in Texas but received no offer and choose TCU over Big XII schools Iowa State, Baylor, Kansas State, Texas A&M and Texas Tech.  While it is unclear if he would shun TCU for Texas,  the four star recruit will have time to soak in all that is The University of Texas during his visit.

Daniel Brooks, Athlete

Calhoun High School, Port Lavaca, Texas

An Oklahoma commit as of March 2011, Brooks is scheduled for a visit to Texas, which offered him a scholarship last year.  Brooks is a speedy track star athlete who played quarterback and wide receiver in high school.  More than likely Brooks will remain with OU but Texas hopes to sway him otherwise.

Vincent Hobbs, Tight End

Horn High School, Mesquite, Texas

Hobbs is a middle of the road guy from Mesquite that has received a lot of interest from some of the smaller programs. Hobbs is scheduled to visit The 40 Acres this weekend,  and if offered a scholarship, we assume he would accept.  Hobbs is 6’3, 230 and has good speed.

While recruiting is somewhat of an art and less of a science, ultimately February 1st will tell the tale for Texas and other schools.  If history is any indicator of the success the Longhorns can expect, then Mack Brown should feel pretty good about his 2012 class.  The University of Texas does not play second fiddle to anyone and the hard work from the staff continues to show on the field as well as each February.  Congratulations to Coach Brown and Staff for another recruiting class that might be “more” on February 1st.