It’s that time of year when bluest of blue chip high school football recruits make their way to the Pacific Northwest to “Football Heaven” in Beaverton, Oregon for The Opening Finals. It is there where we will see future All-Americans and NFL players compete against each other in various football drills and skills competition and will receive coaching from current and former NFL players, and current college stars.
Having been able to cover The Opening last year, I can say it is an absolute pleasure to be able to cover and watch the next crop of elite football players compete against one another. Unfortunately I can’t be there this year, but that doesn’t mean there are not plenty of things to keep an eye out for in regards to Texas and their recruiting efforts this cycle.
Several key Texas targets earned invites to Oregon this spring, and you can bet those guys will have Texas commits in their ear during the duration of their trip out West. Last year we saw several recruitments start trending positively for Texas out in Beaverton, and there is no doubt the Tom Herman and his staff will send their troops (commits) up there with a plan of action and who to target.
With that said here is a preview of players to keep an eye on during The Opening and going forward.
Texas Commitments
BJ Foster – Foster is the top safety in the country and will be making a return trip to Oregon after being invited as an underclassman. I expect him to be spearheading any recruiting efforts taking place during The Opening.
Caden Sterns – Texas scored a big victory over LSU when they flipped Sterns from LSU earlier this spring and he has been one of the more vocal commits since electing to stay home. Expect him to be in Foster’s hip pocket when it comes to recruiting guys for Texas.
Rondale Moore – Moore is the most recent addition to Texas’ class and he absolutely demolished the competition at the regional to earn an invite. He is going to be a problem during the 7 on 7 portion of The Opening.
Texas Targets
Al’vonte Woodard – Woodard is slated to make a decision next month and Texas has long looked good in this recruitment. We will be pleasantly surprised if it doesn’t end up being Texas when the decision is made.
Anthony Cook – The highest rated target on the radar for Texas right now. This one is a battle between the Longhorns and the Buckeyes, with Ohio State seemingly holding the lead as things sits currently. As it has been said before, Texas needs to win ball games this fall to have a shot.
Brennan Eagles – Like Woodard, Eagles has set a decision date for July after initially considering going much deeper into the recruiting cycle before making his choice. Texas sits in a good spot for the five star pass catcher and landing him would turn some heads on the recruiting trail.
D’Shawn Jamison – The third leg of the Houston Lamar trio who will be making their presence felt out in Oregon. While he may be the smallest of the bunch, he may pack the most punch. The scuttle is that Jamison will be making a decision in August, but one could come sooner. Texas and TCU are on top here, but we feel good saying Texas holds the edge over the Horned Frogs.
Jalen Green – Green is a very quiet kid who doesn’t really tip his hand when you get him on the record, but he has made the several visits to Texas this spring and the staff has made him a priority since arriving in Austin. Green made waves on the 7 on 7 circuit when he locked down 5-star receiver Terrace Marshall, so I expect him to fare well in Oregon.
Luke Ford – The former Arkansas commit recently netted an offer from Texas and is reportedly scheduled to visit Texas in July. Texas is looking to take two tight ends this cycle and Ford is an absolute take, but Alabama seems to be the favorite as of today.
Ronnie Perkins – After losing Ron Tatum to Oklahoma, landing Perkins became an even bigger priority for the Texas staff. Perkins is a stud and is at position of need for Texas, so seeing how he interacts with Texas kids will be something to keep an eye on. He’s slated to visit Texas in July and didn’t make it up to Oklahoma this month.
Tanner McKee – The West Coast gunslinger is sure to have an interesting recruitment given that he won’t enroll into the school until 2020 after his mission trip. McKee visited Texas this spring and intends to visit again this fall, so Texas is certainly in the mix here.
Terrace Marshall – Another five star wide receiver that the Longhorns are in the mix for that will be in Oregon. While Marshall recently named Texas in his narrowed list of schools, we are not terribly confident of him landing in the class. LSU still seems to be the heavy favorite, but TCU and Texas A&M are making pushes.
Tommy Bush – Bush was one of the hottest recruits in the country this spring after a stellar showing at the Houston regional. Despite that showing, Texas didn’t enter the fray until recently and that leaves them with some work to do to get back into the thick of things.
There are several other players that will be in attendance that hold Texas offers, but as of right now they are long shots or have not shown much interest in Texas, so I am not going to list them right now. If things change though we will be sure to drop a note and keep everyone updated as things progress.
