2015 Recruiting Season is in full swing

[Juan]

Oh...I got his back-story backwards. Ketchum played for Lamar last year?

Locksley definitely has better measurables and would be the "safer" get for UT. But, ya gotta like JW's athleticism. 

Yep, he and Hill are buds from that team

Locally, when the sports guy would show their highlight (they do like Lamar -- for several reasons but one is that the school is not that far from most of the TV studios) -- it was always either Hill or Ketchum.  Both those guys were always doing something to win games

I think JW played soph/jr years at FBM

 

[shotime73]

Those are the funniest looking animals

Their legs work backwards (or something)

Giant body, thin looking legs

They defy gravity

ps - I bet you guys have a lot of 'death while driving by moose' - right?  I was fishing in Maine once, and the guide was complaining about that.  Said they go right through the windshield.  Tough way to go

oh yes and im gonna get in trouble for me saying this which i dont care but..we got the most IDIOTIC DRIVERS that dont know how to slow down during a heavy blizzard when these drivers were warned about moose on the highways thats where most of the accidents come from is these idiots who drive like a bat out of hell..

 

[Juan]

He got in trouble at one of the schools. but I don't think anyone confirmed what it was. We stopped recruiting him right when he got in trouble though. I could be wrong, but I think he went to some type of alternative school for a little bit. 

I remember he just suddenly showed up playing for Lamar in the summer in 7 on 7

The coaches tried to keep it quiet, didnt make any announcement or statement

 

[tejasrulz]

How big is it now, that Strong was able to keep Heard on board in last year's class.

I read somewhere that it was one of Strong's top priorities when he first got to Texas.

 

[GotJim22]

So...you're saying you'd like for Daylon Mack to be a 'Horn?

Yeah, he's by far #1 on my list too. His combination of size, agility, speed, and strength is hard to find! Watch him line up at FB on offense for Gladewater. Unbelievably nimble for a BIG MAN. Fridge Jr.

I agree, mack is my #1.

He reminds me a lot of Sheldon Richardson who was 6´4" 292 in high school, ran a 4.72 and played both DE and TE. His video reminds me of Mack but I think mack offs more developed defensively as of their senior year

 

[utisdabomb12]

On the QB front, I'm still positive we bring in a grad transfer. 

Guys like Gentry, Locksley, Ketchum, Merrick and even Murray won't help us next year. True fish don't just come in ready to play QB at the collegiate level. Sometimes it happens, but it's a rarity. 

Dominoes will start falling after NSD and as the spring semester progresses. 

 

[PTA]

It'll be on ESPNU (I think at 11:30 AM Central). Soso will be on at 9 AM on ESPNU.

We don't have ESPNU at work.   :angry:

 

[utisdabomb12]

Malik doing a little recruiting on Locksley this morning. 

— Twitter API (@twitterapi) November 7, 2011

 

[shotime73]

Malik should be a coach too lol that boy is putting in WORK..i have to give props to all guys who are on squad and those who are presently committed to UT putting in work helping recruiting

 

[shotime73]

dont feel bad PTA we dont carry ESPNU up here either

 

[Juan]

Here is Jeff Howe on what Boyd/Hill mean to this team

I couldnt figure out what to edit out -- sorry -- its worth reading whole thing - i felt almost like i wrote it since I agree with him

http://texas.247sports.com/Article/Texas-Longhorns-football-commits-Holton-Hill-Kris-Boyd-35211128

When Charlie Strong took the job at Texas last January one thing I didn't worry about was the ability of he and his staff to bring in top-level defensive recruits.

With the commitments today of Gilmer Top100 cornerback Kris Boyd and Houston Lamar Top 100 cornerback Holton Hill the Longhorns are on their way to owning the state of Texas when it comes to the in-state crop of defensive recruits in 2015. Hill and Boyd deciding to jump onboard gives Texas four of the state's top seven defensive recruits in the fold with a chance for a fifth in Gladewater five-star defensive tackle Daylon Mack.

But not only have Strong, Vance Bedford and Chris Vaughn (who is now No. 2 in the Big 12 in the 247Sports Recruiter Rankings behind only fellow Texas assistant Brian Jean-Mary after the two commitments today), they've replenished the talent pool at key positions.

Texas needed linebackers in the class in a bad way and within a month the Longhorns added Cecil Cherry, Malik Jefferson and Anthony Wheeler to go along with Cameron Townsend and Breckyn Hager. Linebacker now appears to be a position with the ability to be strong in due time.

The additions of Hill and Boyd to the class means the same for the secondary, particularly at cornerback. Texas was already good at safety with Rockwall-Heath's DeShon Elliott and Dallas South Oak Cliff's Jamile Johnson, but having only one cornerback in Davante Davis (Miami, Fla./Booker T. Washington) wasn't good enough.

Outside of Duke Thomas and Sheroid Evans, who will both be gone after the 2015 season, there's no good feel for what the Longhorns have on campus at cornerback.

Bryson Echols is a veteran with one career start, but what's his ceiling? Antwuan Davis has all of the physical tools to play the position, but he's coming off of a foot injury. There's hope the staff will get something productive out of both John Bonney and Jermaine Roberts, but both are unproven coming off of redshirt years.

So before getting into the physical tools and the goods Hill and Boyd bring to the table, the main thing both will bring above all else is competition. If Thomas or Evans isn't getting the job done then Bedford and Vaughn have options to go to and guys they'd feel comfortable putting in the game to give the defense a lift.

The lack of competition across the board is one of the biggest issues facing Texas, and the talented cornerback pair picking the Longhorns means Echols, Davis, Bonney and Roberts need to approach spring football and the offseason in general with a sense of urgency.  Gaining two national Top100 prospects on the same day doesn't solve all of the depth issues at cornerback, but Hill (No. 80 overall in the 247Sports Composite rankings) and Boyd (No. 98 in the Composite) signal a step in the right direction.

In terms of competition, Boyd and Hill appear to have that competitive fire that's been missing in spades at Texas in recent years.  A lot of the incoming recruits on that side of the ball have a good makeup when it comes to the type presence Strong wants in the program and both Hill and Boyd appear to have some of that competitive sickness and hunger that's needed to succeed.

Now, beyond that, what exactly makes these two players special?

With the 5-foot-11.5-inch, 185-pound Boyd it's all about upside. At the U.S. Army All-American Bowl he showed impressive natural man cover skills and the ability to thrive in press coverage situations. This for a guy who hasn't been coached specifically to play the position, so the thinking is once he really gets it figured out the sky is the limit.

What was once raw ability is slowly turning into the potential for Boyd to be an elite cornerback. Having handled the ball at Gilmer he not only possesses some ball skills but knows how to play to and through contact, so unlike some of the high school quarterbacks Texas once tried to convert to defensive backs (with varying levels of success) playing defensive backs and being physical isn't foreign to Boyd.

The most exciting thing about Boyd is he'll likely be called upon to be the next in line to carry the torch at the nickel position vacated by Quandre Diggs. The regime has changed but the position hasn't, nor has its importance. The same spot where Nathan Vasher, Michael Huff, Earl Thomasand Kenny Vaccaro thrived is where Boyd has a chance to do the same.

Playing that position is a lot to ask of a true freshman, but the Longhorns don't have many other options. The fifth defensive back was on the field a lot last season, and even if it's not Boyd he gives the Longhorns help at cornerback so a guy like Thomas can slide over and play the position.

Hill also comes in right away and gives Texas help at cornerback where he fits the mold of what Strong and the staff are wanting at that spot. At 6-feet-2-inches and 184 pounds, Hill has length, tremendous ball skills (he recorded 12 interceptions as a senior and also handled returns for Lamar) and he's a natural press cover corner.

Football is a copycat game, and with the Seattle Seahawks having had success with long, physical press cornerbacks like Richard Sherman the Longhorns have long been looking to go down that road.  Hill will allow Texas do to just that and he'll have a chance to come in right away and compete for a spot in the two deep.

But even for a long, lanky cornerback, Hill's ability to change directions, his foot quickness and fluidity all check out.  Basically he's not a safety who is masquerading as a cornerback.  He's just a big cornerback.

Today was a good day on a number of the levels for the Longhorns, but the bottom line is Texas got better today as a program by adding these two prospects.

This staff is going to hang its hat on player development, which Strong showed at Louisville can yield tremendous results. The difference now is the ceilings of the incoming recruits, like Hill and Boyd, are much higher than what Strong recruited at his previous job.

Texas will be young on defense next season, but with guy like Hill and Boyd in the mix it'll be an extremely talented defense with the makings of one of the better units in the Big 12 not too far down the road.

 

[Juan]

— Twitter API (@twitterapi) November 7, 2011

 

[Juan]

I read somewhere that it was one of Strong's top priorities when he first got to Texas.

Yeah, i dont even want to think about it

 

[swaha]

I hope they take Daingerfield off the schedule. DF will go down to class AA div II next time UIL does their thing. They could even drop to Class A.

Obama's war on coal is shutting down the major taxpayer and employer there. Seventh grade team had 13 members last year.

I read on Smoaky.com that Daingerfield is getting a new stadium.

 

[Juan]

— Twitter API (@twitterapi) November 7, 2011

 

[shotime73]

mr howe couldnt put it any better totally agree

 

[shotime73]

— Twitter API (@twitterapi) November 7, 2011

holy s****t lol anybody wanna take guesses as to WHAT school he has in mind? lol and FWIW i already know

 

[Juan]

holy s****t lol anybody wanna take guesses as to WHAT school he has in mind? lol

Charles O already retweeted it

 

[Juan]

— Twitter API (@twitterapi) November 7, 2011

 

[shotime73]

I read on Smoaky.com that Daingerfield is getting a new stadium.

yeah they are..which is about time ...