Last weekend was the biggest event of the recruiting season for the Texas Longhorns, but the coaches will have to reset and do it all again. While the list of names incoming for officials isn’t as grand in stature or pure numbers as last week, this weekend is just as pivotal for Texas to lock down commitments from some of the big targets on their board. The reviews from the first official visit weekend were outstanding, and from talking to players and their families it appears Texas couldn’t have done a better job. Charlie Strong has proven that his time is in the last month of the cycle when he gets cooking on the recruiting trail. In this edition of the recruiting roundup we give you a preview of “Official Visit Weekend Part 2â€.
Commitments
Kyle Porter – Porter is the last man standing on the Texas board after losing Devwah Whaley (Arkansas) and Darius Anderson (TCU). Coincidentally, Porter’s top three is Texas, Arkansas, and TCU which would make things seem academic. Porter is a different kind of recruit. He doesn’t enjoy the spotlight of interviews and social media, and really just wants to play football while getting his education. Texas should feel very good about their chances, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see Porter choose one of the other schools on his list. We’ve heard he’s also high on Arkansas where he will visit next week, but our money would be on Texas to show him everything he needs to see this week.
Parrish Cobb – Cobb was a late addition to the visit list, but it’s been brewing behind the scenes for a few weeks now. The Oklahoma commit received a Texas offer last year, but Texas never pushed hard for him. Cobb went on to a stellar senior season that ended in a state championship for La Vega high school. The two way star could be a threat on either side of the ball, but his future looks to be at corner. Cobb made a huge rise up the 2016 HornSports Top 50 this year and is ranked as our second best cornerback in the state. He is close with Eric Cuffee which could play a factor here if you believe everything you hear about Cuffee and Texas. Cobb is loyal to Oklahoma, but Texas was always a big time school in his eyes. Texas more than any other program has a chance to get Cobb to flip their way. I’d still lean towards giving Oklahoma the edge, but I’ll be interested to hear the chatter coming out of his camp after this weekend.
Chris Brown – DBU is going heavy on defensive backs this weekend. Alief Elsik’s Chris Brown received his offer in the summer, and though I thought he was a quick commit candidate, he stretched things all the way out to signing day. Brown is the teammate and good friend of Dontavious Jackson, the top inside linebacker in the state. While many feel Brown may be a packaged deal, I think he’s good enough to fit in as a hybrid secondary player that could float between a multitude of positions. Brown has a top three of Texas, Michigan, and Florida, but the feeling is strong Texas can close here. Speaking of Dontavious Jackson, keep an eye out to see if he makes this visit with Brown. Texas has really turned his recruitment around in the past few weeks, and a visit this weekend could indicate some great things for the Elsik duo. It could also mean great things for Jeff McCulloch who is very tight with Brown and Jackson as well as our next prospect on the list.
Jordan Elliott – The prodigal son of Texas recruiting may be returning if he can resist the pressure of Jim Harbaugh (who is possibly sleeping on Elliott’s couch). The Houston defensive tackle is well known to Texas fans. The one time Baylor and Houston commit made a silent commitment to Charlie Strong during the Under the Lights camp in the summer. Elliott then went on to visit Michigan and commit publically while telling everyone as recently as a couple of weeks ago that he was signing with the Wolverines and had no interest in hearing from anyone else. So of course he schedules an official visit to Texas this weekend. It’s stories like this that make this job fun. Elliott is trending hard to Texas at this point with the things we are hearing behind the scenes. This could also be a great indicator of Texas getting closer to netting the group of Houston prospects (McCulloch, Brown, Jackson) which suddenly has Elliott interested again. Elliott and his mother have always had a good relationship with Charlie Strong, and they saw Austin many times this fall. I expect Texas to blow Elliott away and emerge from this weekend as a favorite to land him.
Mike Williams – Williams has always had great things to say about Texas, but I’m not sure there is anything they can do at this point to flip him away from Stanford. Williams was officially accepted earlier this year, and he’s been all in on the “Nerd Nation†since making his commitment there earlier in the cycle. If Stanford weren’t in the picture I believe Mike would be a Longhorn, but the opportunity ahead of him as a great student and football player might be too much to turn down. Regardless I expect everyone who comes in contact with the gregarious Williams to have a great time this weekend.
Don’t expect fireworks out of this weekend right away, but tune in to HornSports for the latest as we track the official visit activities.
