The Longhorns added another elite player to the fold as D’Shawn Jamison, the speedster from Houston, announced his decision to commit to Texas. Texas has been the front runner for the Houston Lamar cornerback for quite some time, and many predicted he’d end up in Austin. Now, it is official.
Jamison saw his stock explode after his performance at The Opening Houston regional, and he came away as one of the most impressive competitors on the field. However, Tom Herman and his staff knew about Jamison long before this, offering him back on July 26th, 2016 when they were at the coaches University of Houston. Herman and company hopped on him quickly when they arrived in Austin.
Texas is on the fast track to re-establishing the “DBU” brand due to the immense amount of talent they are amassing in the secondary in the 2018 class. Jamison is one of the best corners in the state in a year where there is more than an abundance of elite talent.
Film Analysis
At 5’10” and 175 pounds, Jamison plays like a heat-seeking missile. A typical snap entails him carefully reading a play, and then kicking it into high gear at a moment’s notice to break up a pass or to take down a runner. He displays tremendous ability to break on balls, run past blockers, and come downhill on runners in the blink of an eye.
When defending the pass, Jamison is as good as it gets. Whether it’s lockdown man to man, or dropping back into a soft zone, he has the technique, speed, and strength coaches look for in a corner. He has an excellent knack for reading a play and then using his speed to break on the ball. Coming from Houston Lamar (a defensive back haven), Jamison doesn’t often take a bad step, but when he does he has the make-up speed to erase mistakes.
Jamison isn’t just all speed. Despite not being the largest guy on the field, he is a very physical player unafraid of run support. He has the strength to provide a good jam on the line and enough power in his tackles that they have sent quite a few ball carriers flying off their feet.
Lastly, Jamison is a determined and reliable special-teams player. Lamar used Jamison as both a returner and a gunner. This is probably one of the things that Herman loves about him. He will probably remain at gunner due to his speed and ferocity.
The only thing that makes you the slightest bit wary about Jamison is his frame; however, I don’t foresee that being too much of an issue.
Final Verdict
With The Shark now in the fold, the Texas defensive back class that is already loaded adds yet another playmaker. Jamison is pound for pound one of the best football players in the state of Texas, and he is arguably the best defensive back on a loaded Houston Lamar defense that includes five-star player Anthony Cook.
Speaking of Cook, now with both Jamison and Al’vonte Woodard in the fold you can bet the hard sell is coming for him to join them in Austin. Texas knocked his visit out of the park, and now with some familiar faces recruiting him, it could help the Longhorns’ chances.
While Cook will likely man an outside corner spot at the next level, Jamison is a virtual lock to find himself a home at the nickel position, where he is a great fit due to his coverage skills, physicality and versatility.
