Daniel & Jameson’s Confidence With The Remaining Texas Targets

With National Signing Day (the February edition) rapidly approaching, everyone has been asking and wondering how Tom Herman and his staff are going to close up shop come February 7^th. The Longhorns had 19 of their 21 commitments sign on the dotted line during the early signing period and have since added a couple more commitments in the form of Baton Rouge jumbo athlete Michael Williams and Missouri defensive end Daniel Carson.

 

That leaves 23 spots in the recruiting class spoken for and the speculated number is the staff is shooting for is closer to 30. With most of the class already signed, sealed, and delivered, where is the staff focusing their attention? Well there are still some high priority targets left on the board heading into latter part of January and today Daniel and Jameson give a little insight on the remaining targets.

 

With each recruit left on the board both Daniel and Jameson use a scale of 1-10 on how confident they feel the player will end up landing at Texas come NSD2.

 

Targets

 

 

 

Quarterbacks

 

Tanner McKee

 

 J: McKee will be taking a 2 year LSD mission, which means he will not be enrolling in the school of his choosing until 2020. Despite that, Texas has remained in contact with the 4 star quarterback, flying Tim Beck out to California multiple times to visit. He officially visited during the season, but still has a visit remaining to BYU and recently visited Stanford. Texas appears to be on the outside looking in on this recruitment.

 

Confidence: 3

 

D: Texas got the first crack at McKee on his official visit tour and given the competition I would have much rather had the last word than the first. This one has had a West Coast vibe to it for some time, so Stanford is probably the pick here with BYU and Washington in the picture. Too bad because the kid is a baller.

 

Confidence: 1

 

Wide Receivers

 

Tommy Bush

 

J: Texas has recently turned back to Bush after cooling on him earlier in the cycle. If Texas made their move a few months ago, I would feel confident, but it may be a little too late for the Longhorns. Bush currently has no plans to visit Texas and seems to be looking at other options.

 

Confidence: 3

 

D: Texas has been hot and cold with the handling of Bush and despite pushing hard now late in the cycle it could end up biting them. The staff will have to overcome not consistently recruiting as hard as other programs, but Bush and his family are fond of Texas, so the door isn’t completely shut just yet.

 

Confidence: 4

 

Lawrence Keys III

 

J: Keys will be in Austin this weekend for his official visit. With reports circulating that Reggie Hemphill-Mapps may not be returning Texas should be pushing hard for the talented Louisiana wide out. He visited Notre Dame last weekend and came away impressed, but a good visit in Austin could push Texas over the top.  His top 3 appears to be SMU, Notre Dame and Texas. Assuming Texas pushes for him this weekend, there is a good chance Keys signs with the Longhorns.

 

Confidence: 7

 

 D: Texas arrived late to the party and had some work to do to get their foot and the door, but as one of our posters put it that was B.C. (Before Carrington). Texas is in the mix and has him on campus for an official, but the leader in the clubhouse seems to be Notre Dame as things sit. It’s no secret that the staff has a big void at slot receiver and the path to the field is wide open for a guy like Keys. Lets see how his visit in Austin goes and see if the staff can narrow the gap.

 

Confidence: 6

 

Josh Moore

 

J: It is kind of ironic that after a recruitment full of twists and turns, Moore may end up where many thought he originally would. He said Texas “felt like home” after his official visit last weekend, and it’s hard to envision the Yoakum product ending up somewhere else. Moore is scheduled to officially visit Oregon this weekend, but I think it’s safe to say Texas has a sizeable lead right now.

 

Confidence: 8

 

D: After looking like a Texas lock early on in the process, Moore proceeded to play the recruiting game a little more than most would like before committing to Nebraska. With the staff change in Lincoln, Moore opted to open things up and re-explore his options. This time though his options aren’t as plentiful and due to how some things have played out he and Texas may end up being a match in the end. Obviously nothing is a given with Moore, but Texas has proximity on its side at this juncture and the staff has made it clear they want him.

 

Confidence: 7

 

Jalen Preston

 

J: Despite being committed to A&M since last summer, Preston is scheduled to officially visit Texas the weekend before signing day. First he will take an official visit to Texas A&M this weekend, where there will surely be some pressure to cancel his visit to Texas. Preston has long been seen as an A&M lean even before his commitment, so it’s hard to envision him ending up anywhere but College Station, but if Texas is able to get him to follow through with his plan to visit, all bets are off.

 

Confidence: 3 (Much higher if he visits)

 

 D: After receiving an early offer from Texas under the previous staff, things between Preston and the new staff were pretty quiet up until recently. There have been rumors blowing of him being a grade risk, but those issues seem to have been cleared up a bit and the staff is pressing the gas with urgency. With A&M’s transition class limping to the finish line, there has been chatter of him opening things up with both Arkansas and Texas working him hard. A visit to Austin is currently scheduled for the final weekend before signing day and if he makes it to campus anything could happen. After an in-home with A&M and him currently in College Station on his OV, I expect them to try to shut things down. We should know more on this one come Monday.

 

Confidence: 2 for right now, but receives a few ticks upwards if he visits next week

 

Jaylen Waddle

 

J: Unless Tom Herman has a trick up his sleeve, it seems that the state’s top receiver is headed to Alabama or Texas A&M. Waddle has used all 5 of his official visits and has yet to return for an unofficial visit. Unless that unofficial visit happens, the Longhorns chances are not good.

 

Confidence: 2

 

D: Speaking of having a credible sales pitch at slot wide receiver… *stands under Waddle’s window with big boom box over his head*

 

Waddle’s recruitment has been all over the place dating back to last spring when he allegedly was a silent to Texas. Since then he has been rumored to be leaning towards at least four other schools and the most recent one being Alabama. Waddle has already used all of his official visits unfortunately for Texas so any other visits will have to be of the unofficial variety. This one is the longest of long shots all things considered, but the staff is still working the telephones and trying to get him to campus one last time.

 

Confidence: 1

 

Offensive Line

 

Calvin Anderson

 

J: The former Austin Westlake and Rice product is one of the most sought after graduate transfers in the country. Anderson seems to have a great relationship with new offensive line coach Herb Hand, and it is doesn’t hurt that Sam Ehlinger and Breckyn Hager are in his ear about returning to Austin. Michigan, Oklahoma, TCU and Auburn have all been pushing hard, so there is a lot of competition Texas is facing. He will visit Michigan this weekend and has stated he does not intend to make a final decision until March. Texas probably has the edge right now, but Anderson will be visiting some big schools in the coming weeks.

 

Confidence: 7

 

 D: Anderson might be the most sought after graduate transfer on the market and the Longhorns are in a great position to land him even with the big dogs in pursuit. The staff is putting in a lot of work here courting the former Austin Westlake tackle and that includes a recent meet and greet with his girlfriend down in Houston. Texas knocked his official out of the park and we continue to hear that they’ve become the bar going forward for his remaining visits.

 

 Confidence: 8

 

Christian Jones

 

J: The Cy Woods product collected a Texas offer today. The former SMU pledge is visiting UCLA this weekend and is scheduled to visit Vanderbilt next weekend, but those plans could change. Assuming Texas pushes, they would have a great at getting the raw but athletic tackle.

 

Confidence: 6

 

 D: Jones was just extended an offer this evening as this piece was being put together, so we are unsure what his intentions are at this point. He is currently on a visit to UCLA after visiting Cal last weekend is tentatively scheduled to visit Vanderbilt next weekend. Texas will need to unseat the Commodores for that last visit for this one to become real.

 

Confidence 3 until we get confirmation that he will visit

 

Casey Tucker

 

J: Anderson is not the only graduate transfer Texas is chasing after. Tucker is a former Stanford standout who has battled injuries the past few seasons. He visited Austin a few weeks ago and talked highly of the visit. Reports surfaced yesterday that Arizona State feels like they may have the inside edge since Tucker is originally from Arizona, which makes sense. TCU and Colorado have also both shown interest. Right now, Texas is in the top group of schools, but distance may be a tough factor to overcome.

 

Confidence: 4

 

D: The buzz behind the scenes was that Texas hit Tucker’s official visit out of the par much like Anderson’s, but Arizona State reportedly feels confident they can reel in the Arizona native after his trip over the weekend. Like with Anderson, proximity to Tucker’s hometown could work in the favor of the Sun Devils here, but Texas is certainly in the mix and not giving up hope here.

 

Confidence: 5

 

Defensive Line

 

Vernon Jackson

 

J: The Alabama commit officially visited Austin a few weeks ago. Since then, Texas has gained commitments from Mike Williams and Daniel Carson. Jackson is also being heavily pursued by Texas A&M, where he will visit the weekend before signing day. Alabama and A&M seem to be the top 2 here, and Texas may be content with the other two defensive ends they just gained commitments from.

 

Confidence: 3

 

 D: Texas has hosted the Alabama commit a couple times now, including an official visit earlier this month. There has been talk of Jackson contemplating staying close to home for college, but as now he still hasn’t de-committed from the Crimson Tide. TCU will host him this weekend and A&M will get the final swing at him next week before the dead period. I think if he stays close to home it will be A&M in the end.

 

Confidence: 2

 

Moro Ojomo

 

J: Ojomo is scheduled to officially visit this weekend, and the late rising defensive tackle will definitely be receiving the red carpet treatment. After failing to sign 1 defensive lineman during the early signing period, Texas has received commitments from Daniel Carson and Mike Williams, while still holding a commitment from Keondre Coburn. Texas was the first big school to offer Ojomo, and have recruitment him hard for over a month now. Oklahoma is clearly in the picture and it is tough to make a prediction before he officially visits, but Texas has to feel good about where they stand.

 

Confidence: 7

 

 D: The man-child from Katy saw his stock shoot through the roof right before Christmas and it was kicked off by a Texas offer. Initially it was believed that A&M would be the team to beat, but as of today the Aggies are on the outside looking in and it looks to be a Longhorn/Sooner battle with the momentum favoring Texas. He is in Austin as I type this and a great visit could put this one to bed.

 

Confidence: 8

 

Caleb Okechukwu

 

J: With Carson and Williams in the fold, it does not appear that Okechukwu is a priority. Unless Texas decides to take another defensive lineman not named Moro Ojomo, it appears Okechukwu is headed elsewhere.

 

Confidence: 2

 

D: Okechukwu reported a Texas offer on the heels of his official last week, but we were told that he does not in fact hold an offer at this time. With Texas recently receiving commitments from Daniel Carson and Michael Williams and things with Ojomo looking favorable, Okechukwu is on the outside looking in right now.

 

Linebackers

 

Luke Brockermeyer

 

J: The Longhorns legacy will be visiting Texas this weekend. He is currently committed to Rice and does not have a Texas offer. It is not known if Texas will extend one or try to get him as a preferred walk-on. The picture should be a lot more clear following this weekend.

 

Confidence: 4

 

D: Texas legacy and Rice commit is in an interesting spot as he is scheduled to make his way to Austin for an unofficial visit this weekend. This visit will more than likely be a feel out session for the staff, as they see if they can wrangle Brockermeyer without extending an offer, but with Rice and Oregon State already being an option I can’t see that happening. Texas is obviously still looking for another linebacker in this class and if they want Brockermeyer they will likely have to put an offer on the table.

 

Confidence: 4, but would go up to 9 or 10 with an offer

 

Joseph Ossai, LB

 

J: It’s hard to not feel good here if you are a Longhorn fan. Since NSD1, Ossai has not made it back to Texas A&M for a visit and the Longhorns have visited him multiple times. He would fill a huge need at B-Backer and the fact that the coaching staff does not seem to have a backup plan should be telling sign.

 

Confidence: 8

 

D: Ossai’s recruitment has had more twists and turns than a John Grisham novel. The long presumed A&M lean looked like he was College Station bound with Jimbo Fisher retaining position coach and lead recruiter Terry Price. In the words of College Gameday’s Lee Corso, “Not so fast, my friend.” The Texas staff has been relentless in their pursuit of Ossai and has consistently been hitting all the right buttons, and now it is looking like their efforts are going to pay off come NSD2. Ossai reportedly told the A&M staff thanks, but no thanks in regards to a school visit recently and if that’s not a sign Texas is in a good spot, then I don’t know what is. My confidence is a high as it will ever be here, but I’m leaving room for error.

 

Confidence: 9

 

Andrew Parker

 

J: One the newest 2018 offers has already scheduled a midweek official visit to Texas. Parker committed to Arkansas last week, but picked up an offer from Texas A&M in addition to Texas. Not much is known right now on his interest in the Longhorns, but Texas would love to add another linebacker to the class and Parker has good film.

 

Confidence: 5

 

D: Just like Christian Jones, Parker received an offer from Texas earlier today, but unlike Jones he has already scheduled a visit for next week. Parker visited Arkansas last week and gave Chad Morris a commitment, but if he makes it to Austin and the staff presses all bets are off.

 

Confidence: 6