HornSports Staff
HornSports.com
- Joined
- Oct 20, 2013
- Messages
- 2,547
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.
***DO NOT FORWARD***
2017 Plano East prospect Anthony Hines III is already a big name on recruiting radars even though he’s just a sophomore. Regardless of his age, at The Opening on Sunday, Hines took home MVP honors for his position (OLB). We caught up with Hines and also spoke with his father Anthony Hines Jr at the event.
It appears the Malik-effect reaches all the way to 2017 – in talking with his father, it’s clear that Hines models himself after Malik. We mentioned to him that, like Jefferson, his son is a remarkable talent who might be an even more remarkable person. His father told us that Anthony and Malik are good friends. Additionally, Mr. Hines says he wants to surround Anthony with the right people who will be a positive influence in his son’s life.
We’ve already heard reports of Jefferson having an impact on 2016 prospects. It looks like those dividends are paying off even further into the future.
+++++
As we continue to spotlight players on the 2016 HornSports Top 50, we look this week to one of the more entertaining personalities in the state: Fort Worth All Saints Episcopal defensive tackle Michael Williams. A comedic presence both on twitter and within recruiting circles, Williams ranges from reviewing DFW restaurants to holding court at camp events. In doing so, the one constant is that Williams is well liked by all.
It is also clear to see that Williams has the goods to be an impact player at the collegiate level. Williams is a highly sought after recruit who holds twenty eight offers, including: Texas, Baylor, Miami, Michigan, Ole Miss, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Stanford, TCU, and UCLA.
Williams is currently rehabbing an injury he suffered last season which prevented him from competing at The Opening in Dallas. However, he told us that he’s planning on participating in a different regional camp once he is fully healed. Doing so gives him the opportunity to earn an invitation to the finals this summer.
At 6’2, 300 pounds, Williams carries his weight well with very little bad mass. He is very strong at the point of attack, and uses his big body as a two gap player that can line up over the center and control the running lanes on either side. He also has the ability to take on double teams while remaining an effective playmaker.
With violent hands and a strong bull rush that collapses the pocket, Williams simply overwhelms offensive linemen. On film he relies mainly on the bull rush, and since he couldn’t compete at The Opening, the jury is out until we see film with varied technique in his hands.
While he does lack first step explosion, Williams shows a surprising ability to drop in coverage on a zone blitz and move laterally in small areas. For a man of his size, his ability to change direction, turn and run indicate a high level of athleticism.
Williams is a sturdy tackler that wraps up and drives through the ball carrier to bring him down. While he ranks #43 on our list currently, Williams is one of the guys we will be watching closely this season as he has the tools to really rise.
We spoke to Williams a few weeks ago and he told us that he feels he is a good fit for the Texas defense under Charlie Strong. The Longhorns face stiff competition from the usual suspects – TCU, Baylor, and Oklahoma are recruiting Williams hard. The Longhorns need to fill a hole on the depth chart at the defensive tackle position, and Williams will be center stage in that endeavor.
+++++
It was only a matter of time before Texas WR commit Collin Johnson (Valley Christian Academy - San Jose, CA) garnered well-deserved attention from upper echelon college football programs other than Texas. Charlie Strong was way ahead of the recruiting curve with Johnson, who was offered by and committed to the Longhorns in tandem with his brother Kirk in April 2014. Now other programs are quickly seeing what the Horns saw in Johnson - size, speed, span and great hands.
Johnson holds more than 10 Division-I scholarship offers including a recent offer from UCLA, which was followed a week later by an offer from Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide.
With an offer list that is certain to continue growing, we asked Johnson if the latest offer from Alabama made him start thinking about the recruiting process differently, and if Texas was still the solid choice for him.
“I’m still committed to The University of Texas.â€
While National Signing Day 2016 is 10.5 months away and a lot of high school recruits will flip (and flop) schools in between now and then, don’t expect Collin Johnson to join the circus.
+++++
Ridge Point High School linebacker Cameron Townsend, who signed with Texas in February, isn’t sitting idle during the offseason. We spoke with Townsend recently and he told us he’s continuing to focus on adding muscle mass while improving speed.
Townsend is a believer in his school’s strength & conditioning program, which incorporates UT’s weightlifting/workout regimen (a resource book given to commits). As proof of his hard work, Townsend told us his weight is up to 207 pounds.
In conjunction with his school’s program, Townsend puts in equal time working with trainers at a well-known speed training facility that works with Major League Soccer players. Just like the weight room, the results of hard work on speed cannot be argued – he’s improved his 40-yd dash speed from 4.86 to 4.63.
We asked Townsend if the Texas coaches indicated which position they hope to play him at when he sees gets to campus this Summer:
“Personally I like the SAM position, but Texas recruited me to play WILL.â€
Regardless of where he lines up, Townsend’s speed and versatility offer Texas a variety of options at linebacker, a position that is too thin. Expect to see Townsend impressing coaches and earning playing time sooner rather than later.
+++++
Alief Elsik (Houston, TX) linebacker Dontavious Jackson has Texas high on his list of schools. While that statement may seem inconsequential, it’s not, especially given that the 6-2, 250 pound Jackson has offers from more than 40 Division-I programs.
We witnessed Jackson’s prowess at The Opening Regional in Dallas last weekend, where he showcased his talent - and it’s legit. He spent considerable time chatting with Texas ‘backer Malik Jefferson, who was in attendance as a spectator. You can draw your own conclusions as to the specifics of what was shared in the conversations, but suffice it to say that the Longhorns and Jackson were mentioned several times in the same sentence.
+++++
We caught up with a high school coach that attended the Next Level combine in Houston over the weekend. He clued us in on a few players stood out and shared some of his notes:
Jeremy Smith – WR, 6’2, 185 (Fort bend Marshall)
Looks like he could be special. He was very smooth running routes and DB’s had a hard time keeping up with him all day. He doesn’t play a lot of WR for Marshall because he is their primary QB. He has been offered from schools such as Oklahoma and Maryland. The only question about him is his top end speed and if he goes to camps and runs a solid 40 time, he will be a 20-offer kid. Even though he plays QB he is very polished WR.
Patrick Taylor – RB, 6’2, 210 (Humble Atascosita)
Here is a kid that I haven’t heard much about, but he was on fire in the camp setting. He is a big back that was very smooth going through the drills. He flat dominated all the 1 on 1 drills vs the linebackers and it didn’t even seem fair. He is a downhill running back that can also make you miss. If you watch his tape he will remind you of Soso Jamabo because of his size but he doesn’t have the speed that Soso showed last year.
Zarrian Holcolmb – TE, 6’5, 220 (Humble Summer Creek)
Committed to Texas A&M shortly after the last Next Level Combine. He was one of the better looking prospects at the camp. He is very smooth and runs well enough to be a dangerous flex TE. He beat people on short routes and he also got deep on faster DB’s. He only showed one weakness at the camp: trouble when DB’s put their hands on him and got physical.
Kendrick Rogers – WR, 6’3, 185 (Frankston)
He has a few offers from schools like North Texas and SMU. He was almost unstoppable at the combine. He wasn’t extremely smooth going through drills but during 1 on 1’s he showed he was just too athletic and big for most DB’s. If quarterbacks threw the ball high it was an automatic catch. Look for him to blow up this spring during the evaluation period.
Other names that performed well: Carl Jordan, DB (Humble); Javonni Stewart, DB (Katy); Sam Glaesmann, QB (Midway)
+++++
We’ll end this edition with a quick baseball note from one of our friends at the Disch:
If you missed it in the K-State series, Kacy Clemens played first base in Saturday’s doubleheader, then on Sunday he took the hill as starting pitcher and was also the team’s designated hitter. Clemens pitching while filling the DH role is the first time during Augie Garrido’s tenure at UT that it’s been done.
Garrido and Skip Johnson were so pleased with the double duty performance of Clemens that the move will be “until further noticeâ€. Basically, the only thing that could de-rail the move is if Connor Mayes or Josh Sawyer pitches so well that coaches feel like they have a better chance to win a weekend game with one of them on the mound.
Mayes and Sawyer have plenty of opportunities to firmly establish themselves as options in the weekend rotation during upcoming midweek games. As of today, Mayes has the edge over Sawyer as the fourth starter, but that is subject to change if he proves he can throw his breaker for a strike at the end of games like he did on Sunday against the Wildcats.
Also noteworthy, the move with Clemens puts the weekend rotation’s order in flex – Clemens does not hit left-handed pitching as well, so the coaches will likely match his start up against an opponent’s lefty starter, if they have one. Doing so maximizes the batting order’s potential by having a designated hitter in the lineup (other than Clemens) against a LHP, which in turn allows Clemens to focus on pitching the day he’s on the bump.
