It’s all about the family.
That seemed to be the theme this week as the recruiting train continues to run through Austin.
Mack Brown and Texas nabbed three more high school prospects for the class of 2014, thus reminding college football he’s still a big dog on the recruiting trail. UT has lost a point guard they barely knew, and Augie’s boys woes continue.
Let’s start with the new Horns. All three have unique backgrounds on how they became Longhorns. Let’s take a closer look.
Cypress Woods (Houston) outside linebacker, Otaro Alaka committed on Monday. The 6-foot-3, 220 pound tackling machine’s decision  came down to Texas and A&M. “I just felt like I was ready to pick Texas,” said Alaka.” They have a great atmosphere, great people and great academics. I just really liked their coaches.” (quote from Andrew Wulha)
In the end, give Brown the head-to-head win over Aggie’s coach Kevin Sumlin. Something that hasn’t happened much since A&M’s inclusion into the SEC and the Johnny Manziel mania. One thing that swayed the 4-star LB from Houston’s decision: the family atmosphere. Point: Mack.
On Tuesday, Andrew Beck of Plant City, Florida held a press conference to announce his destination for the next four to five years. The 6-foot-3, 230 pound stud had just returned from an official visit to Palo Alto, California, soaking in the Pac-12’s Stanford Cardinal.
Now, usually when a kid admits he’s ready to proclaim his love to a school right after he’s visited one, and went as far as to say said school is his leader, 97% of the time, he selects said campus.
Well, Beck bucked that trend.
Instead of picking David Shaw’s Cardinal, the 4-star middle linebacker selected Texas. He holds offers from Florida State, Michigan, Oklahoma, and Miami among the many. He was also that rare out-of-state verbal that Mack seems to snag every year (UT has three for 2014 already). He remarked that a trip to the state’s capitol as a kid helped his decision. He comes from a military family, who once resided in Harker Heights, and his parents and him took a trip to Austin when he was a kid. He even brought a picture of Mack and him as a child, noting his fondness then. One statement that influenced his decision: the family atmosphere. See the trend.
Lastly, UT grabbed their first defensive back for the 2014 group on Friday. After collecting a pledge from St. Augustine (LA) DT, Courtney Garnett last week, his teammate followed suit. Jermaine Roberts made it official after his family visited the Forty Acres on Friday.
Now, Roberts is a highly coveted recruit. He held over 30 offers, including Alabama, LSU, and A&M. Why the 5-foot-9, 170 pound corner is a 3-star is beyond me. I have a feeling that won’t last. Especially if he scores another five defensive touchdowns, as he did in 2012. It also showed Mack still has his swagger. And yet another head-to-head win over Saban, Miles, and Sumlin. When asked what sold him on the Texas program: the family atmosphere.
That culture is a real thing, folks. And nobody sells it better than Mack. Nobody.
The basketball program saw the end of the Myck Kabongo era.
The sophomore point guard from Findlay Prep (Nevada) submitted his name for early entry into the 2013 NBA draft. Kabongo finishes his career averaging 10 points and five assists a game. After a mediocre freshman campaign, Texas coach Rick Barnes expected big things out of his All Big-12 honorable mention guard.
What he got was a 23-game suspension in 2012-13 after taking a trip to Cleveland, Ohio. A planned workout with ex-teammate Tristan Thompson, who had just been selected fourth overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the previous draft. The problem ??
Thompson’s agent attended the workout. Thus, an NCAA violation. It didn’t help matters when the NCAA took their sweet time deciding Kabongo’s fate, virtually holding him hostage. In the end, he showed marked improvement in his 13 games in 2013. Enough to warrant NBA scouts to evaluate him as a mid-to-late first round pick.
And after the suspension, and the tumultious season in 2013, can you blame him for jumping ship ?? My answer is no.
Final stat: Kabongo, Tristan Thompson, and Cory Joseph combined for NCAA tourney win. One win from the Nevada private school pipeline via Canada.
On the diamond, it was another weekend Big-12 series for the Horns, and yet another loss.
After losing to Kansas in 12 innings on Friday night in Lawrence, Texas sent Saturday starter, Dillon Peters to the hill. And, in Peters fashion, he shut down the Jayhawks in a six-hit complete game victory. Peters moved to 3-2 on the season, ERA dropped to 2.15, and he’s only given up one run in his last 16 2/3 innings. The sophomore southpaw has been Mr. Reliable in a season of mediocrity.
On Sunday, with a chance to take a rare series set, Texas blew it. And in doing so, lost a baseball series to Kansas for the first time since 2009. UT also moved to 9-7 in one-run affairs. Out of their 33 games, 24 have been by two runs or less. Outfielder Mark Payton has now safely reached base in 23 consecutive games.
But a team teetering on the NCAA edge, probably saw that bubble burst in Lawrence. And once again, great starting pitching gets wasted on pathetic plate appearances. As for timely hitting, that’s a foreign concept to coach Augie Garrido.
One final baseball note; closer Corey Knebel was sent home Saturday due to a team rules violation. Just another brick on the foundation of uncertainty which is Texas baseball. Â
Quote of the week: “I was fortunate enough to visit two or three weeks ago and it was automatically a great feeling,†Beck said. “You just feel it in your stomach when you’re there.” – Andrew Beck, 2014 pledge from Florida
Tweet of the week:Â from Parkway HS (LA) QB, Brandon Harris, on Texas-commit, QB Jerrod Heard
@jheard2 @shaunwatson4 I’m not, lol your the biggest celebrity quarterback in the country! Everyone love Jheard!
— Brandon Harris (@bharrisqb1) April 14, 2013
Thank you for spending your Monday with us. Hope you have a great week. Hook ‘Em Horns !!!
