Commitment Analysis | 2020 DB Xavion Alford

– Darius Terrell

The Longhorns have been relentless on the recruiting trail of late and the train kept on rolling on Friday. Shadow Creek HS (Pearland, TX) Safety Xavion Alford became the 4th Defensive Back in the 2020 class and 16th member in total.

What is Texas getting in Alford?

Ranking: #140 Nationally, #8 Safety (247), #146 Nationally, #11 Safety (Rivals), #214 Nationally, #9 Safety (ESPN), #14 Overall (TX Top 25)

Top Offers: Alabama, LSU, Florida, Oklahoma, Miami, Auburn, Texas A&M

Size: 6’0 185

Projected College Position: Safety

Player Comparison: Vonn Bell (Ohio State 2013-16)

Analysis: Alford is a natural-born football player that has a terrific feel for playing in space and field awareness. Alford has average size, with average length, but he has legitimate track speed (verified electronic 4.55 dash) that translates to the football field and allows him to fly from hash to hash making plays for his state runner-up high school team. He has a frame that should comfortably carry 205-210lbs when maxed out.

Alford is around the ball A LOT and has no problem sticking his facemask into oncoming traffic in the run game. He is an aggressive striker, but will need to be coached up on consistently wrapping up at the next level. He also doesn’t always take the best angles in pursuit, but his speed allows him to make up for any false steps at this stage. He trusts his eyes and he plays fast, which should allow him to find the field early in his career, especially with Texas’ willingness to put an array of Defensive Backs on the field at the same time. Alford shows ball skills that rival many Wide Receivers when he sees an opportunity to high point a pass and create a turnover.

Alford is my 2nd ranked Safety available in the state in this year’s crop (one spot behind Oklahoma commit Bryson Washington) and is a consensus top-25 prospect in the state of Texas across the major publications. With his commitment in addition to Lufkin standout Jerrin Thompson, Texas will likely shut it down at Safety with two high-quality pickups.

Instant Impact Rating: 6.5

Highlights:

Commitment Analysis | 2020 WR Quentin Johnston

– Darius Terrell

Texas landed their first pass-catcher in the #cloUT2020 class and it is a doozy. The Longhorns defended their backyard, keeping local Temple HS (Temple, TX) Wide Receiver Quentin Johnston home when he officially became the 17th member of the class on Saturday morning. Johnston is one of the top-rated Wide Receivers in the entire nation.

What is Texas getting in Johnston?

Ranking: #60 Nationally, #8 WR (ESPN), #67 Nationally #12 WR (247), #68 Nationally #13 WR (Rivals), #6 Overall (TX Top 25)

Top Offers: Oklahoma, TCU, Virginia Tech, Baylor, Texas Tech, Houston

Size: 6’4 185lbs

Projected College Position: Wide Receiver (X or Z)

Player Comparison: Martavis Bryant (Clemson 2011-13)

Analysis: When I watched Johnston’s highlights for the first time last January I was blown away with what I saw. I had to google search some Martavis Bryant clips while he was with the Steelers to make sure that I wasn’t imagining what I was seeing. Johnston is Bryant’s spitting image out on the field and it isn’t just the dreads.

Johnston is tall and extremely long. He’s currently very skinny, but he has a frame that should comfortably hold at least 210lbs in the near future. A multi-sport athlete, Johnston was a state finalist in the High Jump as a Sophomore, recording an outstanding jump of 6’10. Johnston was also a member on the 4×200 and 4×400 relay teams at Temple that were Area Finalists. If that weren’t enough, he’s also a starter on the basketball team that regularly plays above the rim.

He’s a long-strider, but he gets up to top speed in a hurry and has some long speed to finish the home run. He is at his best on vertical routes where he can use his size and speed, and has a massive catch radius that make any pass in his general vicinity a catchable one. While he is capable of making some spectacular grabs, and is a natural tracking the ball downfield, Johnston does sometimes have lapses in concentration which can lead to missed opportunities. Nothing uncommon at all for a young Receiver.

The part that maybe got me the most excited about him was the run-after-catch ability that he showed, spinning out of hitch routes and taking them to the house on more than one occasion. He’s a terrific fit for the current Texas offense and the Big XII Conference. Johnston has a ceiling that is as high as any receiver on the roster the moment that he sets foot on campus.

With Collin Johnson and Devin Duvernay heading to the NFL after this season, Johnston will have an opportunity to carve out a role for himself as a True Freshman and he just might be talented enough to do it. This is a big-time coup for the Longhorns and Wide Receivers Coach Drew Mehringer.

Instant Impact Rating: 7

Highlights:

Injury Update | Overshown, Wiley, & Moore

– Will Baizer

Per Tom Herman, safety DeMarvion Overshown strained his neck in the scrimmage and is getting imaging done on it later today.

Texas clarifies that it is Jared Wiley who twisted his knee and not Brayden Liebrock.

Per Texas, redshirt freshman offensive lineman Reese Moore recently aggravated a previous high school knee injury and had arthroscopic surgery to repair it. He is expected to be sidelined for a few weeks as he recovers and rehabilitates from the surgery.

Fall Camp Ends | Sourced Notes | Six Pack

– Super K

Below please find six sourced team notes. If you would like to read the rest of the sourced notes, please check the Donor Board!

As you know, Texas held their final scrimmage this past weekend and wrapped up camp. Below are a few team notes including some notes from the final scrimmage…

***On the back end of the defense, Texas is stacked at the safety position. Sterns remained out this weekend. Chris Brown filled him in for him and outside of a chunk play in zone coverage to Colin Johnson, he did well.

***One source said that the entire safety room down to the freshman is capable of playing. Was told Tyler Owens dropped an INT. Am told he’s doing well. “It’s hard because everyone in the room is good but there just aren’t enough spots on the field”.

***The cornerback battle between Kobe Boyce and D’Shawn Jamison seems to have been decided for now. Boyce started the scrimmage and Jamison backed him up. Both did receive first-team reps but I anticipate Boyce starting against LA Tech.

***The biggest difference in Boyce’s game, I’m told, is confidence. We all know he has the speed, flexibility, feet and ball skills. But at times last year, he just appeared hesitant and unsure of himself.

***On the other side, Jalen Green started and Cook and Green rotated. Green has had an excellent camp from what I’ve heard. We know he has all the upside in the world but the issue was his knowledge of the defense. It sounds like he has remedied that. He knows what he’s doing now. The exact sourced quote was, “He knows what he’s doing now so his athleticism can take over”.