Daniel Seahorn
On the 40
- Joined
- Oct 15, 2015
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Back to back pickups today for Texas. Tom Herman and his staff are gaining a bit of momentum on the trail.
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With D’Onta Foreman opting to take his talents to the NFL after having one of the most prolific rushing seasons in the history of the program, Tom Herman and his staff have some big shoes to fill at the running back position. With so few bodies on campus and Chris Warren and Kirk Johnson both coming off injuries, landing two backs in this class became a priority. While JK Dobbins seemed to be priority number one at the position he opted to commit early in the year to Ohio State and neither staff was able to get him to rethink his commitment to the Buckeyes.
Despite Dobbins holding firm, Texas got some unexpected good news earlier this week when Langham Creek running back Toneil Carter was told Georgia no longer had room in the class for him and pledged to the Longhorns shortly after. With one of two spots filled the scramble was on for the final spot in the class and today that spot was filled by Westfield running back Daniel Young. Young committed to Tom Herman’s staff at Houston and was offered by the same staff shortly after their arrival in Austin. Young initially looked set to stick and honor his commitment to Major Applewhite and the Cougars, but he instead opted to de-commit and pledge to the Longhorns today. Young held offers from Boise State, Houston, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico, and Tulane before committing to Texas and he capped off his high school career by rushing for 1,290 and 19 touchdowns.
Film Analysis:
At 6 foot, 210 pounds Young makes his money being a tough in between the tackles runner. While he doesn’t possess great top end speed, he does have good acceleration when he makes it to the second level of defenses, he has good vision, and he has the ability to make defenders miss with hesitation and a very nifty spin move, so he does have some finesse to his game. Young has no issues with contact, as he likes to dish it out just as much as he takes it, whether that is as a runner or in pass protection. On his senior film, Young shows some ability to be utilized as a receiver out of the backfield, and if he can continue to develop that skill then I expect it to be utilized with how much Houston threw the ball to Duke Catalon this year. Young is the style of running back that is going to get the tough yards and while he may not exactly be flashy he is effective.
Final Verdict:
When I saw Young in the spring at The Opening regional in Houston he took home the MVP award for his position group and that was with guys like JK Dobbins and Toneil Carter in attendance. After that performance I jotted him down as a player to keep an eye on, but little did I know that I would be writing about his commitment to the Longhorns down the line. Securing Young’s commitment is important because it completes Texas’ two back class for the cycle and will be imperative in providing better depth at the position heading into the 2017 season. Young was one of the first backs Herman and his staff offered when they arrived in Austin, so they know exactly what they are getting and more importantly they are believers in what he brings to the table as a player when he arrives on campus.
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