2015 Recruiting Season is in full swing

[Juan]

JUCO OT Brandon Hodges --
 
"I'm leaning to Texas a little bit.  I've got that Missouri offer and I'm kind of waiting on a couple of offers to drop in before I sign." 
 
"They have great coaching. They have Charlie Strong there, he's a great guy. You got [Joe] Wickline that is a very good offensive line coach and they have a great environment. They take time to do things right, and I like that about them."
 
via ESPN

 

[Juan]

WR John Burt now supposed to visit 4th week of January.

 

[Juan]

LB Malik Jefferson --
 
"Demarco Cobbs was my host. We hung out with Jordan Hicks a lot too so he was pretty much my host as well. We met up with Quandre Diggs and his older brother. That guy (Quentin Jammer) is huge! I can't believe he's a cornerback. It was graduation so there were a lot of people in town. We had fun, stayed out a bit late [laughing]."
 
"I talked to a business professor for a bit. It was just the usual academic stuff."
 
"Coach Strong was funny. All the coaches were funny. The practice was upbeat, they were all enjoying it. They were in shoulder pads and helmets. It wasn't a full blown killer practice, so they were having fun and getting back in the swing of things."
 
"Coach Strong and I spent hours together. I couldn't even calculate how much time we spent together. He made me feel real comfortable in that environment. We talked a lot. I also talked to Coach BJ and Bedford for a while too. They showed me some of what I'd be doing out there during the practice."
 
"The players and the staff stood out to me the most. It seemed like they genuinely like each other. They were having fun out there."
 
"Texas is definitely still in the mix."
 
"(Darrin) Kirkland's just like me, he's laid back. I knew him from before, but we got pretty close this weekend. Ryan (Newsome) I've known for a long time. He's the wild goose. Always joking around."
 
via IT

 

[Juan]

JUCO OL Tristan Nickelson of Navarro College --
 
"The general gist of what he (Coach Wickline) was saying is that he needs me to come in with my mind right. I may be a guy he puts on the field against Notre Dame in South Bend next year in the opener.  He said you're here to enjoy your time in college, but it's a business decision too. You have to get your work done."
 
"You kind of got to experience what it is like to a player, what they do in their daily aspects, what they do to have fun.  We got to look at all the academic stuff, talked about all the academic programs. It was really awesome. We toured the facilities, tried on our jerseys. It was all top-notch stuff."
 
"The highlight was just getting to know the coaches better, really. We got some extended one-on-one time, talking with them. Then we got to watch practice (Sunday) morning, get a feel for how they do their things."
 
"I think I'm up for the challenge.  I think the group of guys (Charlie Strong) has coming in, the guys he has now, we have some great guys coming in and we'll be a great team next year."
 
"I got to hang out with Connor Williams. He's coming in early too and he seems like a a good guy. I got to meet a couple other guys too. The linebackers - I think they had a good time."
 
"Everybody is awesome there. You can tell the guys that Mack Brown brought in were really good players. These guys though are really good football players and just good people. Just good guys. Everybody on the team holds themselves to higher standard, and they're all the same way."
 
"Coach Strong doesn't put up with any bull. If you're the stating quarterback and not following rules, it doesn't matter. You're going to do it his way."
 
via OB

 

[Juan]

WR Ryan Newsome -- :
 
"I know what I'm getting when I go there (Austin).  The coaches are straight up with me about everything. They don't sugarcoat or mislead you. It's all honesty. They treat you like a man."
 
"I know I can play as a freshman. They don't want to redshirt me whatsoever. They said they need me out there now and want to see me play early."
 
"(Zach) Gentry looks good, man.  I've been studying his tape and talking to coach Watson about him. He's got NFL tools, but mostly, he's got NFL confidence. That's the most important thing a QB can have. He's got it."
 
via IT

 

[Bear19]

You're killing it tonight Juan.

 

[Sirhornsalot]

WR John Burt now supposed to visit 4th week of January.

Do not like this at all. Lots can and will happen before then. Visits like that are sometimes scheduled way out and then never materialize. Hope I'm wrong.

 

[Tejas fan]

He trying to buy time hoping rest of family will buy into Auburn?

 

[Shevis Irons]

He trying to buy time hoping rest of family will buy into Auburn?

Wrong.

 

[Sirhornsalot]

A post from another site

Talked to Malik for a minute before school this morning

I wish I could be as much of a morning person as he is. Anyway...

Everything he said about he visit is what you would expect him to say. Nothing new. The academic portion wasn't as polished or as well thought out as the other he has seen (the person making the presentation, he thinks a professor, seemed very uninterested in selling the program or the University in general). The facilities were all right. The dorms they were showed were nice. He enjoyed the trophy room most of all. He LOVED his time with Strong. Every time Malik talks about Strong interacting with him he lights up. He said talking to the players gave him some great insight. But overall nothing new.

What I know:

He still has not made up his mind

What I think:

By Texas not blowing it out of the water I think Texas actually lost ground on this visit. They aren't out of it, but if I had to say who he would choose today, I would say A&M.

Haven't talked to DeAndre but I think he ends up at UCLA still.

 

[Juan]

More from Ryan Newsome

https://texas.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1713525

"I guess it's really depending on, if we go to state, that will determine a lot," Newsome said. " I'll probably narrow after these in-home home visits are over. If we do go to state, probably announce my top four after that's over."

Newsome, one of the most highly sought after receivers in the country, will have a busy week of coaches stopping by his house. Ole Miss is coming in on Monday. UCLA is expected to bring a large contingent of coaches on Wednesday. Either Oklahoma or Tennessee will be in on Thursday, and Texas is expected to make another in-home visit on Sunday. 

Those visits will be key, Newsome said. 

"I'm definitely blessed to be in the position I'm in, to have these schools recruiting me. That's why the in-home visits are so critical. I want to be able to pick the coaches' brains, be able to look you in the eye, see what you're all about," Newsome said. "All the schools I'm dealing with are legit people - that's why I've narrowed it down to these five. I could see myself playing for any of these coaches."

* * * * 

"It was a really good visit. I had a great host, J-Gray (Jonathan Gray). I've been knowing him since I was a kid. Getting to be around him, spend some time with him was really cool," Newsome said. "The visit was great. Coach (Charlie) Strong, he sat down with me and my family, talked about a lot of stuff. He told me they want and need me at UT. I got to see practice too. That was cool to see. 

"They were selling the Longhorn Network, how I'm pretty well set after college. That's what I want to do, and the Longhorn Network is directly affiliated with ESPN. I would have my foot in the door with a lot of important people. That's one thing I wanted to see, and they definitely showcased that to me over the weekend."

Texas hosted five other prospects on official last weekend, including top uncommitted linebackers Malik Jefferson and Darrin Kirkland Jr. Newsome spent quite a bit of time with both players. 

"Malik is a smart guy. He's going to do what's best for him. So is Darrin. We're all similar. I think that's what helped us. We really clicked together. If it works out, it would be cool to play with each other. If not, we'll all do what's best for us.

Wherever he winds up, Newsome knows it will be a tough task settling on one school. All the schools on his list will draw strong consideration, and many of them have similar characteristics. 

"The alumni support is really strong in all those schools. That's why it's kind of tough to decipher one from the other," Newsome said. "But that's the beauty of it. I have to pray about it, see where God takes me."

 

[Hiphopopotamos]

If I may - regarding the 'academic presentation' it's a little infuriating. There are tens of thousands of extremely well qualified students who don't have any chance of getting accepted into UT or the business school and would kill for the chance to have that presentation directed at them. And there sits Malik, who thinks the professor just didn't try hard enough. God I hate recruiting.

 

[J.B. TexasEx]

If I may - regarding the 'academic presentation' it's a little infuriating. There are tens of thousands of extremely well qualified students who don't have any chance of getting accepted into UT or the business school and would kill for the chance to have that presentation directed at them. And there sits Malik, who thinks the professor just didn't try hard enough. God I hate recruiting.

Agreed, but whoever this professor is needs to be a little more enthusiastic, outgoing, and positive.  Why did Strong and the athletic department use this guy if he couldn't present the McCombs School of Business more professionally?  Communication fail

Yeah, it sucks to have to kiss an unproven 18-year old's ass...

 

[BevoBlake]

If I may - regarding the 'academic presentation' it's a little infuriating. There are tens of thousands of extremely well qualified students who don't have any chance of getting accepted into UT or the business school and would kill for the chance to have that presentation directed at them. And there sits Malik, who thinks the professor just didn't try hard enough. God I hate recruiting.

At the same time, if it's one of the duties of the Professor to appropriately display and pitch the school, isn't he responsible for showing interest and actually pitching the school? I felt like Malik was simply pointing out that the guy seemed disinterested. I know the red carpet treatment for these young guys can become frustrating but that's the game now.

 

[Juan]

With such a large school, one would think we could find at least one prof who is a closer.

 

[Juan]

Hamm maintains Jefferson's GF is going to aggy.

ps - Nahlin says the GF is or was not serious and will not be a factor in Malik's decision

 

[Juan]

Coach Rumph went to see Mark Fields Monday.  Fields is currently a toUSC commit.
Was second visit by a UT coach with Fields since Thanksgiving (last time Coach Jean-Mary). 
Rumph has a relationship with Fields going back several years to his Bama days.

 

[J.B. TexasEx]

 

[TheContractor]

At the same time, if it's one of the duties of the Professor to appropriately display and pitch the school, isn't he responsible for showing interest and actually pitching the school? I felt like Malik was simply pointing out that the guy seemed disinterested. I know the red carpet treatment for these young guys can become frustrating but that's the game now.

Like Juan said, there has to be 1 prof that has some passion for Texas football and is very good at making a Business school presentation. If this is true, this was a mistake by Texas. it happens, can't happen again. Now we know not to use that professor and need to find a better option. 

 

[Hiphopopotamos]

Like Juan said, there has to be 1 prof that has some passion for Texas football and is very good at making a Business school presentation. If this is true, this was a mistake by Texas. it happens, can't happen again. Now we know not to use that professor and need to find a better option. 

UT has a top 15 business school in the country (above programs like Emory, Carnegie Mellon, Cornell, UCLA) - what exactly does he have to sell to Malik?  Walk in, slide the rankings across the table to Malik, drop the mic and walk out.  Why does he need to be sold on the Business School?  This isn't Alabama or the Ag College trying to sell academics.