Burnt Ends 7-20

[HornSports Staff]

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.

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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.

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The Under The Lights camp was a success from all indications we’ve received after talking with recruits.  While Texas didn’t net any official commitments over the weekend, they solidified their position with some recruits and gained ground with others.  As for commitments, we’ve been told there could be a few in the next week or two. HornSports had the opportunity to speak with a number of players at the camp, and just about everyone came away impressed.  The highlights:

1) Sam Ehlinger was offered –This is one the Longhorn fanbase has been waiting on for quite some time.  The Austin Westlake quarterback performed quite well this summer in various camps and tournaments, and was told he will be the only quarterback Texas will recruit.

2) Cedar Hill 2017 wide receiver Camron Buckley got an offer and turned heads at Under the Lights.  Ehlinger told HornSports he thought Buckley was one of the most impressive players on the field that night.
 

3) 2017 Bellaire Episcopal super prospect Marvin Wilson competed in a combine in Houston and then made it a priority to get to Austin that same day.  Wilson told other outlets that Texas is right in the thick of things for his recruitment.  Combine that with the news that ’17 Liberty Eylau defensive end Lagaryonn Carson named Texas his leader, and you get the feeling Texas is starting to take the next step in recruiting.

4) The Houston trio of Dontavious Jackson, Jeffrey McCulloch, and Jordan Elliott all reportedly had a great time on campus, and Texas may have jumped ahead in Elliott’s recruitment.  The University of Houston pledge is only hanging on to that commitment by the thinnest of margins and there’s talk a switch could happen soon with Texas ending up on top.  We also heard rumors of the trio spending a lot of time talking about playing together at the next level.

5) The LSU commits in attendance, including Jamal Pettigrew, Erick Fowler, and Dee Anderson, really came away with a lot to think about.  All three players really enjoyed their experience, and if LSU has a shaky season the Longhorns could be in play for each recruit.

All in all it looks like a successful event, but the Texas staff will have to keep the wave of excitement going within the next few weeks to capitalize on the momentum.  If Texas were to net a couple of big commitments that would certainly boost the momentum from UTL.

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HornSports caught up with Ehlinger on Sunday after he received his offer from Texas.  Ehlinger had to call the coaches on Sunday since they can’t discuss recruiting at an official camp event, and it turned out his hard work finally paid off:

“It was a great feeling knowing that I could go to my childhood dream school.”

While many were expecting an immediate commitment, Ehlinger is a bit more pragmatic about the situation. We asked if he had any thoughts about committing at the time and he replied:

“Not really.  I want to keep my recruiting open right now.” 

Ehlinger told us he has no planned timetable for a decision and plans to evaluate his options thoroughly.  Sam also told us the camp went very well, and when asked who most impressed him he told us:

“The receiver from Cedar Hill (Camron Buckley). He was killing it.”

Obviously this recruitment warrants keeping an eye on as Ehlinger has been pretty open about his desire to play at Texas for quite some time. Something could happen at any moment.

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Sam Ehlinger wasn’t the only one who thought that Camron Buckley was killing it.  The 2017 Cedar Hill receiver apparently impressed the Texas coaching staff en route to earning an offer.  Buckley was tough to cover all night, and drew rave reviews from media and players in attendance.  We caught up with Buckley to get his thoughts on the camp and the Texas offer.

Buckley currently holds offers from TCU and Houston in addition to Texas, and told us that while he was honored to receive one from the Longhorns, he views all offers through the same lens: 

“It feels good, but I respect all of my offers.  No one sits number one for me right now.” 

Buckley told us he likes the coaching staff and direction of the program.  As for the camp there was no single player who stood out, but Buckley said the competition was fierce: 

“I look at all my competition the same, so everyone was impressive to me based on the way they came out and competed.”

Buckley is on the verge of really turning into a big time prospect and doesn’t seem to be in any hurry to shut things down at this time. 

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2017 Clear Springs defensive back Langston Frederick came to Austin looking to make a name for himself, and after catching up with the Houston area prospect it sounds like he came away happy with his experience: 

“I really liked it. There was a lot of great competition and I love the coaches.”

Frederick was anxious to go up against some of the best talent in the state, but said it was good to recognize a few familiar faces lined up across from him: 

“CeeDee Lamb was there.  It’s always fun going against him at camps.” 

Frederick enjoyed working with the Texas coaches, but singled out Vance Bedford as the coach that stood out to him: 

“I really like him, I feel like he could take my game to the next level.  He won’t hold back on his feelings and he’s very straightforward.” 

We asked Frederick where Texas would rank if they were to offer and his answer was pretty emphatic:

“Texas has always been #1 for me.”

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2017 Wylie East running back Eno Benjamin is starting to become a familiar face around the Texas program. The gregarious running back has been to Austin three times this summer and was another player that had a standout evening at UTL. Benjamin and the Texas staff have been in contact with each other over the summer, but it sounds like things could be ready to go to the next level: 

“Coach Robinson told me I got the offer but he wants to fully go over it with Coach Strong.  He just told to give him a call in a few days.” 

While Benjamin is best known for his highlight reel runs, he lit up the camp environment by putting on a display in the receiving game.  Benjamin told us he really enjoyed the group of quarterbacks who were on hand: 

“A lot of those quarterbacks were impressive. They threw great balls which allowed me to go up and make play.” 

Benjamin didn’t get to see Ehlinger throw last night, but said he’s well aware of Ehlinger’s talent and called him a great quarterback.  As for his own recruitment, Benjamin believes he delivered the goods at UTL: 

“I think this was the camp I needed to make big steps in the process.” 

Benjamin could be a strong candidate to commit if offered –  keep an eye on him.

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2017 Colleyville Heritage passer Cam Roane is a name that has flown under the radar.  Roane has been in contact with Shawn Watson for quite some time, and attended Under The Lights to display his skill.  We were told Roane showed the best arm strength and downfield passing skill on Saturday, and Roane himself came away happy with his performance: 

“I had a lot of fun, got to catch up with some old friends and to top it off I thought I threw to my potential.” 

Roane mentioned Dillon Davis as another quarterback who impressed him, and cited a familiarity with Davis since they are both privately taught by coach Rich Bartel.  Roane didn’t get to talk recruiting with the coaches, but said his time with Coach Watson was very productive:

“We just talked football.  We drew plays up on the white board and stuff like that”. 

Roane might be on the outside (with Ehlinger ahead of him in the pecking order) but that’s not stopping other schools from recruiting the strong armed passer.  Roane told us he’s yet to pick up any division one offers but is hearing from programs like Wisconsin, Florida, Boise State, Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Washington, and Colorado.  If things don’t work out with Ehlinger, Roane might be the guy to get the next offer at Texas. 

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2017 Crosby wide receiver Mannie Netherly made the trip to Austin with two of his teammates.  Netherly hasn’t had much contact with Texas, but the #9 prospect on the HornSports Top 50 may have just landed on the Longhorn radar.  Netherly really enjoyed his time in Austin and said the best part was meeting Charlie Strong and learning new skills in the one-on-one portion of the camp. 

Netherly spent a lot of time with Texas receivers coach Jay Norvell and is hoping things will eventually progress towards an offer:

“I just hope and pray I get that Texas offer.”

Netherly confirmed that Texas is one of his dream schools and is hoping to hear more from them in the coming year.  So far he has been aggressively recruited by Texas Tech and Texas A&M, and a high school coach confirmed that those two programs are the ones standing out.

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Beaumont Ozen 2017 running back Calvin Tyler is another prospect who showed up in Austin over the weekend and surprised a lot of people. The golden triangle athlete called Texas his dream school since he was a kid, and the speedy playmaker opened some eyes on Saturday.  Tyler told us he got everything he could out of the experience and really enjoyed competing: 

“The drills with the coaches were intense, we really got after it.  The one-on-ones were really the highlight of the trip for me.” 

We asked Tyler who was the most impressive player he saw at, and Tyler responded with a familiar name:

“I’d have to say Eno Benjamin.  We are in the same class and he made some really good plays against the linebackers.”

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The Texas coaching staff is going to log some serious hours and mileage in the next few days.  After conducting Under The Lights, the staff headed to Houston to make an appearance at the Texas High School Coaches Association conference. From there they make their way to Dallas for the Big 12 Media days on Tuesday. 

At the THSCA conference, Charlie Strong addressed a large crowd in which he talked about a plan for Texas to launch satellite camps in state and possibly beyond.  In Houston, the assistant coaches make the rounds and get face time with coaches in attendance. 

We talked with multiple folks who spoke with Texas coaches, and the most interesting information we received  is that, unsurprisingly, the coaching staff is all-in on Malik Jefferson: 

“Even if he doesn’t live up to the hype on the field, he’s so valuable because of his intangibles and leadership. They expect him and the other freshmen linebackers to make a big impact this season.” 

We talked with another source who indicated the coaching staff had a great feeling about the 2015 class overall:  

“They think this is the class to build the right foundation and really take the program back to where it used to be.”

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One last note for those of you thirsting for a tight end or two, you may want to look east to Louisiana.  After speaking with sources close to the situation, they indicated that the staff feels conbfidently about the recruitment of New Orleans (LA) Brother Martin tight end Peyton Aucoin, who will decide sometime soon and is slated to make one last visit to Austin before he does.  He narrowed his list to two earlier this summer and will be choosing between Texas and Florida. 

The same source indicated a growing confidence in the recruitment of Jamal Pettigrew of St. Augustine in New Orleans.  The LSU commitment was on campus this past weekend for camp with his father, and our source indicated Texas made a big impact. There are still hurdles to clear, as it is very difficult to get Louisiana kids away from LSU, but we were told if Pettigrew were to evaluate his options, Texas would be very high and might even sit in the pole position. 

 

[utisdabomb12]

Happy for Ehlinger. I bet his dad is proud as hell right now looking down on him. 

 

[UTK66]

Good stuff again guys.

I think Aucoin eventually moves to the OL. Pulling Pettigrew  away from LSU would be huge.

 

[Aaron Carrara]

Good stuff again guys.

I think Aucoin eventually moves to the OL. Pulling Pettigrew  away from LSU would be huge.

Aucoin told today me he's going to play TE in college.  Says the only school that recruited/offered him as an olineman was Ole Miss.

 

[UTK66]

Aucoin told today me he's going to play TE in college.  Says the only school that recruited/offered him as an olineman was Ole Miss.

I'm sure the plan right now is to give him a go at TE but he's already listed at 255 lbs. Once Moorer gets a hold of him, he'll pack the weight/muscle on. Like Charlie said today at Media Days, Malik came in at 217 and he's already up to 240. I just think he'll outgrow the TE position.

 

[Mike Roach]

I used to think of aucoin the same way. Now I think he's going to be Geoff Swaim part 2

 

[Sirhornsalot]

Great effort guys. Bravo. Excellent way to end the UTL weekend. Here's hoping those commits start falling soon.

 

[primal defense]

I'm sure the plan right now is to give him a go at TE but he's already listed at 255 lbs. Once Moorer gets a hold of him, he'll pack the weight/muscle on. Like Charlie said today at Media Days, Malik came in at 217 and he's already up to 240. I just think he'll outgrow the TE position.

Maybe here, but not Baylor.

Watch out Big 12, Baylor TE has 'slimmed down to 403 pounds'

http://www.sportingnews.com/ncaa-football/story/2015-07-21/laquan-mcgowan-baylor-bears-403-pounds-art-briles-big-12

 

[Aaron Carrara]

On Eno Benjamin's performance at Under the Lights...  I was told he was the best RB there that night.  That's straight-up.