Notebook | Team Notes, Hester, Grad Transfers, Another Visitor & Henderson

– Super K

***I know some of you are probably wondering how the players are looking in player-led 7v7. I did check on this and was told that they aren’t doing that this winter.

Because Sam is experienced, they feel it’s better that the players focus this winter on foundational stuff: getting bigger, faster, stronger and conditioning.

In terms of young guys standing out, everyone I’ve spoken to says it’s just too early to tell. They haven’t done enough football stuff to say.

*** (From Will) We’ve heard from a source that early enrollee defensive end Peter Mpagi took a spill on one of those electric scooters a week ago. He is in a boot and walking on crutches.

We don’t think this is too serious of an injury, but it is time he will miss in the weight room.

***I caught up with recent Texas offer, 2020 WR, JJ Hester (Tulsa Washington).

Hester visited Texas this past weekend and really wasn’t expecting a Texas offer.

In fact, he was on the visit to accompany a friend of his in 2020 OK Preps RB, Sevion Morrison.

But he says Mehringer made the offer. He was definitely excited about it. It certainly wasn’t his first. JJ picked up early offers from schools like Ohio State and OU last year. He came away from Austin impressed and says he will be back.

I’ll pull my quotes on him for you all later but I can tell you that right now some of the toughest competition for these Oklahoma kids is Arkansas. Morris’ staff has done a really good job in the state and they have the proximity advantage over both Texas and OU with the Tulsa kids.

***I had been working on getting final confirmation for when Texas will host Rutgers OL grad transfer Jonah Jackson but I’m told it’s unlikely as he committed to Ohio State yesterday.

Also, I do expect Georgia Tech OL grad transfer, Parker Braun to make it in sometime in March.

***Spoke with 2020 ATH, Mikey Henderson last Thursday as well. He recently took a return visit to Texas and was at Oklahoma Friday and he verbally committed to the Sooners later in the weekend.

This one still has a long way to go until signing day and we will keep an eye on his recruitment as Henderson was/is a priority target for Texas but they are obviously playing from behind now.

Updates & Quick-Hitters | Kendall Milton, Kitan Crawford & More

– Super K

***Yesterday, Darius, myself and Will had a chance see some excellent players at the Under Armour Camp in Dallas.

I have to say, one of my favorites by far was 2020 DB, Kitan Crawford (John Tyler).

2020 DB, @KitanCrawford out of John Tyler HS was one the best DB performers at today’s #UAAllAmerica camp.



He’s well built, COD is off the charts & his patience is likely a testament to coaching & knowing he can’t be out-athleted.



Recently visited #HookEm & was offered. pic.twitter.com/tG3IZlOy9K — Super K (@SuperK_TFB) February 24, 2019

Crawford may be the best defensive back I’ve seen in action in this class. He looked bigger than his listed 5’10. Looked more 5’11 or 6’ to me. He’s built like a Texas DB, very muscular and rounded. Reminds me Boyd or Josh Thompson.

He’s a guy who appears completely comfortable with his technique and athleticism. He’s reading his wide receiver. He can break and close space. His ability to mirror a receiver in short routes, is phenomenal.

Really really like him.

Crawford recently visited Texas and picked up an offer from the Horns to go along with schools like Arkansas, Tennessee, Kansas State and Baylor. And while his offer list is currently very good, he really looks like a guy in person and on film who can play anywhere he wants should he be given the opportunity.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to find Crawford after the camp to get a full update on his recruitment but I plan on speaking with him.

Just have to say though, this was a bit of a good scouting, in my opinion, by the Texas staff. In a 2020 class with a lot of talent, it would’ve been easy to stick with the big city offers.

***Had a chance to speak with Kendall Milton for a bit over the phone.

Milton played things pretty close to the vest and sounded exhausted so once things settle down a bit more I’ll see if I can get a little more detail about how things went but a few things stood out to me about our conversation.

-Going into this visit, Milton had a good relationship with the staff but I think if there was an area that needed more development, that would be one of them and I get the sense he got that.

“Being there the extra day I was able to spend a lot of time with coach Drayton, coach Beck and coach Herman so that was really a highlight for me”.

Milton added, “I’m really close with DeGabriel Floyd and he’s friends with Jordan Whittington so I got to hang out with them and Malik Jefferson, he was there also so speaking with him was cool”.

-Going into the Texas visit, I felt the Horns would need to meet or exceed his expectations in order to ensure that he would return for an official visit. Kendall said Texas exceeded his expectations. He says he has not yet decided for certain on any official visits. He told me he still has some unofficial visits to take but I’d be a bit surprised if this past weekend’s visits to Texas and OU isn’t replicated again with officials to both.

-Kendall isn’t just a phenomenal football player with high ambitions off the field, from the first time I spoke with him and his father last year, it was clear he has high goals for himself in the business world. As such the Texas academics stood out to him, in particular the business school. In fact when I asked him about any substantive differences between his visits, so far, he said, “The only real difference is Texas has a strong business school – stronger than other schools”.

Again, we’ll have to wait a bit longer for final word on a return visit for an official but I think Texas did what they needed to make that happen.

***For the second week in a row, Texas hosted some of the top skill guys in the state.

White on White 🤘🏾🥶 pic.twitter.com/uaQYQCsDLU — The Trophy Coach (@RoSimonJr) February 24, 2019

Among them were, as we mentioned in our visitors list, DBs Bryson Washington (CE King), Xavion Alford (Shadow Creek) and Joshua Eaton (MacArthur).

I did speak with Eaton before his visit and he seems to be really liking both Texas and LSU right now. He did say that he doesn’t plan on making a hasty decision and still has some visits he’d like to take.

Washington grew up a big Texas fan and while he also still has some visits to take, I’d imagine Texas is in pole position here.

I haven’t spoken to Xavion about where things stand in a while which is something I will remedy soon.

***Had a chance to see recent Texas visitors, Sevion Morrison and JJ Hester in action yesterday.

#OKPreps stars in 2020 WR, Javian Hester & 2020 RB, Sevion Morrison were in TX today showing out.



Hester is way smoother in & out of his breaks than you should be when you’re that tall.



Sevion is a bigger than you’d expect and can really do what he wants on the field. pic.twitter.com/kD5b6Sjc4m — Super K (@SuperK_TFB) February 25, 2019

As mentioned in the tweet, Hester is very smooth in and out of his breaks. He’s a big kid and eats up a lot of ground quickly.

In speaking to him, this one is an Arkansas vs. Texas battle. Arkansas is recruiting him very hard.

Hester picked up a Texas offer on his trip. Assuming the Horns continue to recruit him, expect him to be back down in Austin for the Spring Game.

*** Texas also extended an offer this weekend to 2020 linebacker Damian Sellers out of Saguaro HS in Arizona.

#HookEm offers another AZ prospect in 2020 OLB, Damian Sellers (Saguaro HS).



Sellers is teammates with Kelee Ringo pic.twitter.com/ppJUVRhJwi — Super K (@SuperK_TFB) February 25, 2019

He did tell me he planned on taking some visits out this way later in the spring so I wouldn’t be shocked to see Texas get him on campus.

Dallas Under Armour All-American Camp Notebook: Offense

– Darius Terrell

I was able to make my way over to Arlington Martin High School yesterday to take in the talent on hand at the Dallas site for the 2019 Under Armour All-American camp. There were numerous Texas targets participating in the event and yesterday was my first opportunity to get eyes on a few of them in person. Let’s get started:

WRs Lead the Way

There was a ton of talent in attendance on Sunday, however, no position had more depth than the Wide Receiver group. The group was very deep and very talented. From a lightning-quick slot guy like Aledo WR Jojo Earle, to tall, rangy X Receivers like Booker T. Washington (OK) WR JJ Hester, to Tight Ends sculpted out of granite such as Denton Ryan ATH Drew Sanders, Dallas did not disappoint.

Frisco Lone Star WR Marvin Mims, Jr. (2020) had the best day of all performers in attendance. Mims was not one of the bigger WRs on hand, (if I had to guess, I would say he’s about 5’11) but he makes up for having average height with long arms, quick-twitch muscles, and a oven-mitt-sized hands. Mims is an explosive route runner and was unstoppable in 1-on-1s as well as the 7-on-7 portion of camp today. He has the ability to play both in the slot and outside, which makes him one of the top overall WRs available in-state this year in my humble opinion. Mims was recently offered by Oklahoma and has offers from pretty much every big-time program in the region, except for Texas. Mims is originally from Baton Rouge, which means that LSU is a team to watch in this one. Mims was rewarded for his standout performance with a well-earned invite to the 2020 Under Armour All-American Game.

This was my first time getting an up-close look at Booker T. Washington (OK) standout and recent Texas offer JJ Hester (2020). Hester was impressive. Measuring in at 6’3.5, Hester surprised me with his fluidity in and out of his breaks while also showing off some nice top-end spend during 1-on-1s. Though he worked both in the slot and out wide during the camp, Hester profiles as an outside WR and has a lot of upside at the next level once he gets some time in a college weight room program (he’s in the 170lb range currently). Hester likes Texas a lot.

Carthage ATH Kelvontay Dixon (2020) worked at WR the entire time during today’s camp. Dixon doesn’t stand out physically but had a very solid day overall. Dixon is the younger brother of current Texas RB Keaontay Ingram and was on campus last month. Dixon holds a Texas offer.

Duncanville WR Zeriah Beason (2020) was arguably the most physically impressive player WR that was participating on Sunday. Beason doesn’t appear to be a target for Texas, but someone (Illinois maybe?) is going to be getting a good one.

Denton Ryan ATH Drew Sanders (2020) and Bishop Dunne TE Elijah Yelverton (2020) were the players listed as Tight Ends in the camp, so they spent the day working with the Wide Receiver group. Sanders may be the most chiseled high school athlete that I’ve ever seen. Sooners got a real one here but Texas is still working on him. He looks like an action figure. Sanders was selected to participate in the Under Armour All-American Game as a TE at the conclusion of camp.

It’s never too early to take a peek at the future and the 2021 class refused to be ignored on Sunday. The state of Texas has been producing quality WRs at a very high rate for nearly a decade now and 2021 appears to be a potential banner year for the position.

Aledo WR Jojo Earle (2021) is a known name to many already. He holds a Texas offer and gave opposing DBs fits all day long. He is not very big (5’9 170) and is likely limited to the slot but Earle is a dynamic athlete and has the film to back it up as well. Earle was rewarded for his efforts with an invite to the Under Armour Future 50 event.

Allen WRs Bryson and Blaine Green (2021) are two players that are already being heavily recruited and after seeing them in person it is extremely easy to see why. The twins are both in the 6’2 190lb range and very impressive physically. They are hard to tell apart in general and their skillsets are similar as well. The Green twins have excellent footwork and showed off some impressive hands making numerous acrobatic grabs on the day. I expect them to both be among the highest rated players in-state for 2021. After speaking to Bryson at the conclusion of camp, he informed me that Texas has already offered both and that they have recently been in contact with Texas Wide Receivers Coach Drew Mehringer.

Plano John Paul II WR Jerand Bradley (2021) is going to be a name to keep an eye on in the future. Bradley measured over 6’4 210lbs on Sunday and his ball skills were on display early and often. While speaking to Bradley after the camp, he reported early offers from Arkansas and Colorado while also mentioning being a big fan of both Oklahoma and Texas growing up. I believe that Bradley, who is also a standout Basketball player, has a chance to grow into a dominant Tight End/H-Back type player at the next level. By this time next year, he will have offers from every major program in the region. Very high character young man.

Denton Ryan ATH JaTavion Sanders (2021) is not a new name to me. I’ve seen Sanders play live and came away believing that he was the best player on the field at the 5A level of a Texas High School playoff game. Sanders is measured in at 6’4 215 lbs at the camp on Sunday. He didn’t participate in a ton of reps, but when he did his fluidity and ball skills at his size were a matchup nightmare for every DB that he faced. Sanders should be a top 10 prospect in-state in 2021 and will likely be unanimously considered a national top-75 type prospect regardless of position (TE or DE).

Denton Ryan WR/CB Billy Bowman Jr. (2021) was an All-State selection this past season as a Cornerback after recording 5 interceptions (3 returned for TD) and 7 PBUs as a Sophomore for a traditional 5A power program. Bowman spent the day working at WR and showed off some electric physical traits, but he is likely going to be a very highly rated DB. Bowman is extremely well put together for his age (5’11 185) and will be considered a top 20 in-state prospect this time next year.

Dual-Threat Running Backs on display

Aledo RB Jase McClellan (2020) entered Sunday’s camp as the headliner of the RB group and he did not disappoint. McClellan was impressive going through the bag drills and showed off some fancy footwork. There’s nothing new to report on his recruitment, he remains firmly committed to Oklahoma but is in regular contact with other schools such as Texas and Texas A&M.

Lancaster RB Kevontre Bradford (2020) is a name that Longhorn fans should keep an eye out for as far as a possible offer in the future. Bradford is put together extremely well (6’0 195) and there wasn’t a Linebacker at camp that could cover him coming out of the backfield. Bradford has long, powerful strides that eat up ground quickly. He looked very natural running routes and he never allowed the football to get into his body when catching the ball. I know that everyone is all aboard the Zach Evans express and rightfully so, but if Texas is looking to take multiple backs in the class Bradford looked more than worthy on Sunday. I got a chance to speak to Bradford after camp and he reported Baylor, Nebraska, TCU, and Oklahoma State as the schools currently recruiting him the hardest. Bradford said that he spoke to UT RB Coach Stan Drayton a few weeks ago.

West Mesquite RB Ty Jordan holds a Texas offer and he would be dynamite as a second back in the class. Short-area quickness is the name of the game with Jordan as he isn’t very big (measured 5’7 185) but is thickly built through his lower body and he was repeatedly making LBs look silly in 1-on-1s. He continues to be in contact with Texas.

Miscellaneous

Duncanville DB and major Texas target Chris Thompson, Jr. (2020) wasn’t able to stay for the entire duration of camp, but did enough to warrant being selected as a 2020 Under Armour All-American Game participant. Thompson measured in at 6’2 198lbs and recently named Texas as his leader.

Longview QB Haynes King (2020) was selected to the Under Armour All American Game after apparently putting down one of the faster 40 times recorded for a Quarterback according to Under Armour reps.

Unfortunately, high profile 2020 prospects/targets Duncanville ATH Jaquinden Jackson, Carrolton Ranchview ATH Mikey Henderson, Mesquite Poteet RB Seth McGowan, and Rockwall WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba were scheduled to be present but were ultimately unable to attend the event.