HornSports Staff
HornSports.com
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Horn Sports members, welcome to this week's edition of Crossfire. We have a lot to discuss, so without further adieu..... let's dive in.
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NEW JUNIOR DAY COMMITMENTS
Ronnie Major – Huntsville, TX
Offensive Tackle – 6’7 300 pounds.
Formerly committed to Art Briles and the Baylor Bears.
One interesting note is that Major's sister played basketball the last two years.
Charles Omenihu – Rowlett, TX
Defensive End – 6’5 220 pounds
Omenihu was receiving interest from programs like Alabama, Mississippi State, Michigan, Texas Tech, Baylor, Houston and Arizona State, among others.
EIGHT NEW OFFERS GIVEN OUT ON JUNIOR DAY
Charlie Strong & the staff were very conservative in doling out offers. The following guys received offers from Strong & company at JD1:
S/LB DeShon Elliott, Heath (Rockwall, Texas)
CB Holton Hill, Lamar (Houston, Texas)
OT Ronnie "Buck" Major, Huntsville (Hunstville, Texas)
DE Charles Omenihu, Rowlett (Rowlett, Texas)
OL Toby Weathersby, Westfield (Houston, Texas)
CB Jordan Tolbert, Ridge Point (Missouri City, Texas)
WR Ryan Newsome, Aledo (Aledo, TX)
TE Kaden Smith, Marcus (Flower Mound, TX)
QUOTES FROM THE RECRUITS:
Kaden Smith had this to say: "I was really impressed being my first time in Austin," said Smith, who also boasts offers from Alabama, Clemson, Texas A&M, and Michigan. "I saw plenty of film on how they (Strong and staff) will use tight ends, from Louisville. They use double tight ends and their numbers for the TEs are equally impressive. I thought UL was more of a spread team and I was wrong."
Toby Weathersby arrived with education on his mind. "I want to major in petroleum engineering so they took me to that department and showed me around," said Weathersby. "They even showed me the parts they work with like the drill bits. I was like 'wow'. This is what I wanted to see."
Rowlett's Charles Omenihu came away very excited. "They are definitely my No.1," said Omenihu after his UT offer. Northwestern has also offered Omenihu.
Omenihu represents a player that Mack Brown might have passed on in the past because he requires development, but Strong sees something in the 6-foot-5, 220-pound DE.
Jordan Tolbert arrived from Fort Bend Ridge Point with two offers already, Houston and Colorado. He left with a Texas one too. "I just want to see what's next," said Tolbert, a Houston DB commit. "Coach Vaughn liked my highlight tape, said I was a really good player and decided to offer me. I wasn't expecting it for sure. I was shocked. Texas is in my Top 3 right now along with Houston and Baylor."
Tolbert's teammate Cameron Townsend showed up in Texas gear. That was a good sign. "My family is from Austin and I was actually born here," said Townsend. "Coach Strong let me know that he wanted me to come play for him. He brought me into his office and explained that he has a lot of seniors graduating at LB, only have a few coming in, so we (Texas) need to sign the best linebackers for 2015. I like the schools that like me right now. Schools that are making me a priority. Texas, Oregon State, and Oklahoma are those schools right now."
The South Oak Cliff boys came to Austin, headlined with Texas pledge Jordan Stevenson. His teammates Prentice McKinney and OU commit Jamile Johnson rode along. In the end, they may all ride together at Texas. But for now, keeping Stevenson in the fold will be the top task. An Alabama offer came last week and there's been talk of a visit to SEC country. "The coaching change happened fast," said Stevenson. "But I still stand by my decision. I'm still all Texas."
Holton Hill (6-foot-2, 180-pound DB) left with a Texas offer, and with the new staff, it means something. "I actually liked it better," said Hill, of the new staff. "I have a better connection with Strong and his coaches."
Texas OL commit Patrick Vahe took in the Junior Day and left happier than before. "The new coaches had a really nice bond and it only took a few weeks," said Vahe to ESPN's Max Olson. "That said a lot about them. About how they communicate with each other and get on the same page."
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5-STAR ENJOYS BEING BACK IN AUSTIN
Gilmer's ultra-athletic DB Kris Boyd made a surprise trip to Austin on Friday. He was offered by the previous staff but Strong wanted to reinforce it and make it official. "Texas is definitely a factor," said Boyd. "Coach Strong showed me a great time. I've been to Austin before and love this place. I hope to come back."
Landing Boyd would be a huge get for Texas and one that could really catapult this class.
2016 SOPHMORES THAT ATTENDED JUNIOR DAY
Josh White, Kam Martin, Devwah Whaley, Devin Williams, and Kaden Smith were sophomores invited to the Junior Day, which says a lot about their talent and potential.
"Texas is my No.1 for sure," said Martin.
"Texas really felt like home today, they put something on my mind today," said White. "Coach Strong got me hype and ready to play now. Just the way he talks and leads his team, it's great. I talked to coach Watson a lot. He's my type of coach, reminds me of my offensive coordinator in HS. The offense is pretty much the same offense I run in high school. They really want to see me throw in person and really want to come back. I made a ton of great relationships today and loved hanging with Texas GA Riley Dodge."
"It's a big deal for me, a great experience," said Whaley, who holds offers from Houston and Texas Tech." Being around the best of the best made me want to get better. (Texas) talked about an offer and told me to just be patient. I'm just enjoying the process."
JUNIOR DAY TWEETS:
Josh White - "Blessed to be here in Austin for this Texas junior day!!"
Ryan Newsome - "40 Acres What's Happenin?!?!?"
Jalen Campbell - "Texas junior day!"
Denver Johnson - "In Austin visiting UT #Hookem" & "Enjoying UT with moms #Hookem"
DeShon Elliott - "Up for a Junior Day instead of Going to the Track Meet #Success"
Vessy Parrish - "Texas is so cold right now with this weight room #hookem"
Keaton Torre - "Blessed to be here in Austin!"
Devin Williams - "Me and Coach Strong. About to make this place live again #Hookem"
Devin Williams - "You'll have this place rockin" -Coach Strong
Devwah Whaley - "Texas junior day went good, #2016"
Lonzell Gilmore - "#UT is probably the best school academic and athletic wise. Best experience every,. Also got a pic w/ Charlie Strong!"
Jalan Cooper - "Got to see the UT campus today very jntrested in it ... We met Charlie Strong"
Josh White - "Had a great visit today at the Texas junior day @Strong_TexasFB had me pumped and ready to go play today!! #HookEm"
Kameron Martin - "Best day I ever had!"
Denver Johnson - "Me and Coach Strong! Great man right here #Hookem"
Devin Williams - " I liked it a lot. Just waiting on a offer lol"
Charles Omenihu - "It's been a long day but a blessing at the same time. I'm proud to say that I received a offer from The University Of Texas. #Hookem"
Ryan Newsome - "Texas Fans Been Waiting On This One! Officially offered by the University Of Texas!"
Josh White - "Had a great time building a relationship with @CoachWatsonUT"
Ronnie Major - "I have a home I have a home I have a home #UT #hookem"
JUNIOR DAY II ATTENDEES
The following is a list of possible visitors to Charlie Strong's second Junior Day scheduled for this weekend (with known status).
ATH Dylan Moses- Baton Rouge, LA University Laboratory School (Not confirmed 2017)
QB Blake Lynch - Troup (said it's possible but he's not sure)
QB Quinten Dormady - Boerne
QB Jaylon Henderson - Kingwood Park
WR Jaelan Austin - South Grand Prairie
WR Collin Johnson - San Jose (CA) Valley Christian
WR James Proche - Dallas Prime Prep
WR Jalen Guyton - Allen (possible)
WR Kemah Siverand - Houston Cypress Ridge
RB Patrick Carr - The Woodlands (Trying to schedule-could have a track meet)
RB Derrius Guice - Baton Rouge Catholic
RB Kirk Johnson - San Jose (CA) Valley Christian
RB DeUnte Chatman - Humble Summer Creek
RB, Devine Ozigbo, Sachse
OL Conner Dyer - Mesquite Horn
OL Tyler Higby - Houston Kincaid
TE C.J. O'Grady - Fayetteville,Arkansas
DE James Lockhart - Ennis
DE Kingsley Keke - Richmond George Ranch
DT Darrion Daniels - Dallas Bishop Dunne
DT Derek Brown - Katy
S, Jameel Cook, Fort Bend Ridge Point
2016 Class
QB, Brennen Wooten, Marble Falls
WR, Devin Duvernay, Sachse
WR, Collin Johnson, Valley Christian (San Jose, CA)
CB, Jared Mayden, Sachse
ATH, Donovan Duvernay, Sachse
DB Malik Antoine - Baton Rouge University Laboratory School
Attrition?
Addressing the rumors that three players have broken team rules and have been either reprimanded or suspended from the team:
*Fullback Chet Moss has been kicked off the team
*Safety Leroy Scott's situation is unclear but as of right now, Scott is not on the roster
*Linebacker D. Davis has been reprimanded for rules violation.
CROSSFIRE Q & A
Q) I have a one-track mind. Update on Myles Turner, if there is one. Has he said when he'll sign?
A) I’m still hearing Texas leads large. As Shaunsters has stated previously, the Lucas family connection is helping Texas immensely in the recruitment of Turner. Texas would have to do something awful to lose Turner now. Those that are wishing Barnes will be fired, don’t.
Q) Who do you see as the top three recruit targets, in state and out of state, for 2015?
A) In state would probably be Daylon Mack, Kendall Sheffield, James Lockhart and Malik Jefferson.
OOS- John Burt the WR from Tallahassee, Florida appears to be one of the three at this time. We have so many OOS offers out that believe we should give it some time to see who is really interested in Texas.
Q) What will our offense look like? West Coast or spread or multiple?
A) Multiple sets from what I’m hearing. A lot of movements similar to Harsin's offense. The QB’s have been taking the majority of their snaps from under center and practicing hard on their footwork. We are probably going to see more seven step drops than we have had seen in a long time.
Q) Where is Mack? How recoverable is our relationship? I'm mad at him too but also recognize the overall value.
A) Mack and Sally have taken a couple of vacations. The problem with recovering the relationship is Mack & Sally are not ready. I would suggest that we all move on and let go any ill feelings we have towards Mack.
Q) Which top rated recruit can Strong flip from aggy?
A) Daylon Mack has to be the top priority.
Q) Any behind the scene updates on player attitudes, conditioning and leadership as spring approaches.
A) The attitude from the majority of the team has been great. The guys are excited because they are in the best shape of their life. Diggs and Reed have both stepped up into leadership roles. I would imagine they will both be team captains this year.
Q) what is the current mood... is steve patterson seeing an upsurge amongst bmd's donations, as per forthcoming / proposed athletics projects? hopefully, donations are not becoming lethargic vs stagnant?
A) Great question Monarch! One I have been waiting on and since you were the one that asked, I’m going to answer in a manner that honors only you.
The mood has been stupendously magnificent. The BMD’s have met with both Patterson and Coach Strong will support the new regime in any manner they can.
Q) Is Peterson willing to use LHN /ESPN relationship to press the NCAA to enforce recruiting violations against sec schools that reside and/or recruit in Texas?
A) I’m not quite sure how Patterson plans to go about addressing the cheating with the NCAA.
Q) Talk to me about Ronald Jones (RB) and what happened with the recruiter and his HS coaches?
A) I don’t get it? Maybe the staff knows something we don’t?
Q) What are you hearing regarding conference or more likely D4 football realignment? When, What, Who, How, How many? What limits or controls will there be to limit "cheating"?
A) That is a subject that deserves its own article.
Q) If the goal to develop elite regional play and interesting OOC for every team, leading to a8 team playoff? How soon will it happen?
A) It already started.
Q) Who are the key dt targets that strong is pursuing? We need some beef upfront.
A) Dylon Mack & Daylon Mack!!!!!! DB Kendall Sheffield and LB Malik Jefferson
We are also looking at a lot of prospects out of state.
Q) When will there be terminations at Belmont to trim the fat?
A) I doubt we are going to see a massive reduction all at once. By this time next year, Patterson should have his team in place. Let’s keep in mind that there are a lot of good employees that work for Texas.
Q) Could you give us your 3 breakout players on offense and defense next season?
A) On offense look for WR Marcus Johnson, Guard Rammi Hamad and Right Tackle Kent Perkins.
On defense look for Safety Leroy Scott, Defensive Tackle Hassan Ridgeway and of course Defensive End Cedric Reed.
Q) What are our chances with Wittek? Are we conceding the 2015 recruits or are we going after current commits to other school?
A) We have a punchers chance with Wittek. I would say we are 50/50 right now.
This staff is not conceding anything.
Q) Curious about the offense. On one hand, I read about what Watson has done with Tight Ends at Louisville and I think West Coast Offense. Then I read that Wickline will be calling the plays and I think Oklahoma State Spread Offense.
Does anyone have any idea what we are looking for? Do we have to wait for the season to start? Or wait for Longhorn Scott to dissect it for us?
A) I think we are going to see a combination of the two. I heard the QB’s have been taken snaps from under center so, we are defiantly going to see a pro set.
Yes, we should always read Longhorn Scott’s analogy. That read is always good.
Q) Teddy Bridgewater did not redshirt at Louisville, is it possible Jerrod a Heard plays as a true freshman if Ash goes down or even is beat out?
A) Anything is possible but, from what I have heard, we are going to do our best to red shirt Jerrod. Ash is not going to get beat out by anyone we presently have on our roster.
Q) If Coach Strong runs a 3-4 or a 3-3-5 defense how many DT's or NT's will we need this recruiting cycle? Just about everything I read talks about X number like we will still be running a 4-3 and I am not sure Coach Strong has ever run a 4-3.
A) My understanding is the staff is going to get a feel for the personnel they have before committing to running a certain formation the majority of the time. Has Mack Brown been told, on the record or off, to shut up and stay away if he wants to continue receiving checks from Texas?
Q) How have the BMDs adapted to not having Coach Brown as a conduit to the inside of the program? Have Red and Joe established serious relationships with the new guard (Patterson included)?
A) The relationships are being established. Everyone is onboard with Patterson & Strong and have had several productive discussions.
Q) Now that news is coming out of San Francisco that there were communications between Texas (or a representative thereof) and Jim Harbaugh, how far along did these talks progress?
A) We reported this in one of our past Crossfires. Patterson was the one that called Harbaugh. The talks did not get real serious. Patterson told Harbaugh that he could go has high as 8 million. At the end of the day, Harbaugh wanted to stay in the NFL.
Q) In retrospect, was Strong always Patterson's man? When the information was leaked that a new coach would be hired within two weeks, was that actually a smokescreen to lull the BMDs to sleep so Patterson could hire his man a few days later with no BMD interference?
A) Once Patterson & Powers understood that Jamail and Mack were going to file a lawsuit against certain parties if any Jimmy Sexton client was hired, the decision was made by Patterson to stay clear of Sextons client’s.
With that said, the BMD’s that had Saban on the string were very confident the lawsuit had no merit and were prepared to handle it. Jimbo Fisher wanted the job too. Patterson wanted to deal directly with Fisher but, Fisher wanted him to deal through Sexton until the after the MNC game. Patterson was trying to exclude Sexton so; there could be no mention of interference by Brown & Jamail. In the end, Patterson decided it was better to avoid anymore drama that would really give our program a black eye and decided to move away from dealing with any Jimmy Sexton client.
BENNIE WYLIE LANDS ON HIS FEET
Wylie has been hired by Action Sports in Abilene which has built a state of the art sports and rehabilitation facility that will include a track as well as football fields. In addition to running Action Sports, Wylie will also be available to assist all the Abilene-area High Schools with their Strength & Conditioning programs.
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OSCAR GILES TO LOUISIANA TECH
The Big “O” has landed on Skip Holt’s staff as the defensive line coach. Giles was in consideration for other jobs with one being in the NFL with the Atlanta Falcons but, ended up in Shreveport when it was all said and done.
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THE MAJOR
As most of you already know, Major Applewhite declined the QB position coach at North Carolina under Larry Fedora in order to retain his severance pay. The difference in pay and the severance was 200K, so I believe we can understand that is a lot of money to leave on the table.
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CONVERSATION WITH FRIEND OF BEVO
Me: Like always, I really appreciate you taking my call.
FOB: Darrell it’s not a problem and by the way, I had the opportunity to check out your web site and I was impressed with the civility of your members.
Me: We are lucky to the good ones over here.
FOB: You really are because the last time I checked out the other sites it appeared to be a free for all with little or no respect for one another.
Me: Thanks again. That means a lot to us at Horn Sports. Now on to business! What did you think of Coach Strong’s first Junior Day event?
FOB: As I have said in the past, recruiting is all about relationships and the kids really responded well to the staff.
Me: What was different from the past Junior Days?
FOB: I was speaking to someone in the football office, I cannot mention his name, but we all know him well. He told me, the there was electricity in the air.
He also reiterated that we are are learning but it cannot be stressed enough that "Charlie Strong is the anti-Mack Brown."
Me: Elaborate please.
FOB: Mack was big on affect. He was a great politician and in his last four years he started to rely on showmanship in events such as these.
Me: Explain to us how that is different from Charlie?
FOB: First of all Charlie is a very confident individual. The aura that Charlie and his staff emanate is one that says "we know we are doing and there is no pretense."
Me: It appears some of the kids noticed the different feel around the program and many commented on it.
FOB: They mostly certainly did. There was high level of electricity in the air and it did not feel staged.
Me: So you believe Charlie is going to give Sumlin a run for his money next year?
FOB: I most certainly do. I had a lunch with a former coach last week and he said it is quite apparent to the Texas High School coaches that A&M has opened up the pocket books in a big way. Not that they ever stopped but, they are now paying on the SEC level.
Me: We all feared this would happen when A&M joined the SEC.
FOB: I know Coach Sumlin receives a bad rap from us Longhorn fans, but Kevin was always respected for doing it the right way before he was hired by A&M.
It is apparent that Kevin is not running the ship. The boosters are and Kevin cannot do anything to stop it.
Me: What if anything is going to come out of all of this?
FOB: Once you lose the support of the Texas High School coaches, recruiting is going to get a lot harder in the state. These coaches do NOT want to be associated with a cheating program and believe it reflects poorly on them.
Me: As always, all of us on Hornsports appreciate you taking the time to share with us.
FOB: No problem Darrell. Give me a holler next week.
Me: Will do!
Horn Sports members, please keep in mind that we are am still seeking Crossfire sponsorships at this time. All Horn Sports sponsors can attest that their sponsorship donations have served them well and they have profited from our relationship. If you would like more information on sponsorships or have any questions, please contact us.
Until next week..... Hook 'Em!
Darrell McPhaul
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