Elijah Higgins In-Person | Return Visit & Decision Timeline

– CJ Vogel

The first game back from a wrist injury for Texas target Elijah Higgins was a quiet one. Higgins was not much of a factor in Austin Bowie’s 42-28 victory over Austin Akin Friday night.

The combination of constant rain, Bowie breaking long play after long play, and a kick return in the first half kept the ball out of Higgins’ hands for most of the night.

Higgins displayed phenomenal quickness off the line tonight. He played in the slot more often than I anticipated heading into the game which will certainly work to his advantage at the next level.

His versatility is something that will certainly work to his advantage. His 6’3” frame is a mismatch on the outside to begin with, however, Higgins’ big build will allow him to muscle-up with big-bodied LBs, and let’s not forget he is still fast enough to burn safeties over the top.

Akins clearly game planned ahead of time for No. 4 Higgins.

Akins triple teams @ehigggz on the goal-line which sets up a wide open score. #txhsfb pic.twitter.com/NRbbxaAAhg — CJ Vogel (@cjvogel3) October 20, 2018

So where are things standing in his recruitment?

Higgins said he has an idea of where he will be playing college ball next fall.

“I definitely have a school in mind,” said Higgins after the game. “I’ve definitely narrowed it down for sure and a commitment is coming more realistic than it was before.”

Higgins put a rough 3-4 week time frame on when a commitment could be expected. At the moment, the final three consist of Stanford, Florida and Texas, yet Higgins did mention Ohio State being a possible darkhorse.

A return to the 40 Acres is on Higgins’ radar. He plans to return to campus on Nov. 3rd for an official visit when Texas plays West Virginia at home. At the moment, that is the only visit scheduled from now until Higgins’ commitment in 3-4 weeks.

Getting Higgins on campus last certainly helps, and a good offensive performance against WVU, especially one from Lil’ Jordan Humphrey, might be enough for Higgins to shut everything down.

“Lil Jordan is who they say they see me modeling out there if I were to go to Texas. He’s doing really well and they’re getting him the ball and utilizing him the way I see myself being utilized in college.”

Higgins mentioned WR Jordan Whittington constantly being in his ear about joining the #fUTure19 class. On the contrary, Lake Travis WR Garrett Wilson is doing the same about getting Higgins out to Columbus, Ohio.

Make no mistake, the Texas staff is still prioritizing Higgins despite movement with other wide receivers lately. The Bowie prospect is in contact with the staff every day which will be something to track with a countdown to his commitment.

In the end, I believe the fate of this recruitment comes down to the news Higgins receives from the Stanford Admissions Office.

TFB Talking Point | Ehlinger’s Health

– Andrew King

As we head towards week 8 in the college football season Texas sits at 6-1 (4-0) and #6 in the AP Poll. There are a lot of reasons for that but one major thing has changed at Texas for the first time since maybe Colt McCoy’s day. And that is consistent, winning play from the quarterback.

Now I have a feeling when most Texas fans saw Sam Ehlinger’s arm just hanging after he was out of the game vs Baylor there were probably some unfriendly flashbacks from McCoy’s final game. But another thought was probably “we can’t win the Big 12 without this guy.” That was my thought, as Texas can’t win the Big 2 without Sam Ehlinger running the show in 2018.

It’s crazy how things have changed in over a month. After his performance in week 1 vs Maryland and a game vs Tulsa that left a lot to be desired. Many were just hoping to get a look at Shane Buechele back at QB and see what he could do. Since most thought Ehlinger just didn’t have it. Well, most of us were wrong.

Now I’m not saying Ehlinger is a superstar QB, he has a lot he can improve on. He can’t do the incredible things OU’s Kyler Murray does on the ground. Or throw the ball like West Virginia’s Will Grier. But Ehlinger gets the job done, plays to his strengths, and most importantly, wins games. I think the Tim Tebow comparison is a lazy one when talking about Ehlinger, but I can see it. He’s a grinder at QB, and we don’t see that as much in today’s game.

Let me also say that I’m not telling you all that Ehlinger is the only reason for Texas’ huge 2018 jump. Guys like Lil’Jordan Humphrey, Collin Johnson, the majority of the offensive line are playing some of their best ball right now on offense. And guys like Gary Johnson, Caden Sterns, Chris Nelson, and others on defense are doing the same. But if Sam Ehlinger wasn’t playing as he has been during the last five games or so, Texas would not be where they are right now.

It sounds like things are progressing well with Ehlinger’s shoulder and that he’ll start vs Oklahoma State. Obviously, we likely won’t see him carry the ball as much or lower the shoulder on many opposing linebackers for a while. But Ehlinger is the leader of this team, and what a ride he’s taken us all on so far during the 2018 season.

Quick Hitter | Texas Offers JUCO OL Myron Cunningham

– Charlie S

Earlier this week, the Longhorns extended an offer to Iowa Central C.C. offensive lineman Myron Cunningham.

Cunningham is a 6’5″ 300 lb OL who currently plays offensive tackle for his JUCO. He currently holds offers from Arkansas, Nebraska, and Pitt and is hearing from OU and Oklahoma State as well.

He mentioned that while most teams are recruiting him strictly as a tackle, he has had discussions about moving inside if needed as he is versatile enough to play at the guard spot, but he believes he will remain at tackle.

I caught up with Myron this morning and he let me know where things are at between he and Texas.

Myron said, “I have been in contact with Coach Hand for a few weeks, maybe a month now, and I plan on visiting in early December”.

Myron has one other visit currently planned, and that is to Arkansas on December 7th.

Cunningham will be a 2 for 2 (2 years to play 2 seasons).

I will have more on Cunningham as his visit date approaches.

Andrew Coker to Visit Texas + Insider Note

– Super K

This past weekend, I had a chance to see TCU offensive line commit, Andrew Coker (Katy Taylor) play in a match-up between Taylor vs. Mayde Creek.

Coach Herb Hand was there at the game to see both Andrew Coker and 2021 offensive lineman, Hayden Conner (Conner is excellent by the way).

#HookEm offensive line coach, coach Hand out here at Katy Taylor vs Mayde Creek. pic.twitter.com/heqoLtt6Ah — Super K (@SuperK_TFB) October 20, 2018

Coker lined up at both tackle and guard. He’s a massive human being. He isn’t just tall, he’s broad and long. Coker got his hands on Mayde Creek’s 4-star defensive end, Marcus Stripling, at one point and just enveloped him and put him on the ground.

Coker will need to continue to improve his overall bend, flexibility and feet. At this point, I’d see him as more of a massive inside guy. Hand’s splits are pretty narrow so after some work, I think he could do well enough in his system.

As many of you will recall, Coker held a Texas offer even before he committed to TCU. However, it doesn’t sound like things between Texas and Coker are done just yet. Andrew said he will definitely take an official visit to Texas. In fact, he said he will be at Texas for the game against West Virginia on November 3rd.

That West Virginia game is going to be a massive recruiting weekend.

If you would like to read Super K’s Insider Note, please click the Donor Board link!