Caught In The Crossfire | Jaylen Ellis

– Charlie S

I spoke to 2019 Cedar Ridge wide receiver Jaylen Ellis (Round Rock, TX) earlier this evening.

As you are all aware, Ellis is a Baylor commit who received an offer from Texas back on May 26th. What you may not recall is that four days later, on May 30th, Ohio State also offered the talented receiver.

While we feel that Texas is in good shape should they decide to push in this recruitment, I was curious to know what impact all of the news out of Columbus may have on his plans as well as the suddenly forced inclusion of Tom Herman into the mix no matter the validity (or lack thereof) of the news.

I asked Jaylen to describe how the news has impacted him in regards to both schools and if he has decided to cool things down until the dust settles a bit and he said, “I am using my time wisely to make the best decision that I can”. He added, “Having the time I do, I like to get closer to the staffs that I am really focused on”.

As far as how all the reports have affected him, he said, “I don’t really pay much attention to the reports, some catch my eye but not many”.

As the discussion progressed, I asked him if the respective fan bases have brought the news to his attention on a continual basis and he replied: “Came across some UT fans and that didn’t really faze me much, like I said, things like that don’t really catch my eye”.

While wrapping up the conversation, I asked him if he had noticed any change in the type of communication he had been having with each staff and if they have actively addressed the reports and he said: “No it’s just kind of came in calmly”.

Going forward, I would expect the impending decision in Columbus as to retain or dismiss Urban Meyer will play a large role in determining Ellis’ interest in the Buckeyes as it will most of their targets and commits.

I don’t see the allegations levied against Tom Herman on Twitter earlier today by a member of the Ohio State media as being anything but a very minor bump along the road in this recruiting class, which will be forgotten shortly thanks in large part to Brett McMurphy emphatically silencing those claims.

Caleb Johnson Receives Texas Offer | Visit Upcoming

– Super K

Texas offered JUCO LB, Caleb Johnson (Fullerton College). Johnson was a guy we mentioned last week as someone to keep an eye on.

Blessed and excited to say I’ve received an offer from the University of Texas!! @BCarringtonUT pic.twitter.com/7ax1grcPq5 — Caleb Johnson (@CalebJohnsun) August 12, 2018

If you watch a few plays of Johnson’s film, you can see right away that the young man can absolutely run. At 6’0 (flat-footed) and 216 lbs. His build and his game may remind you of someone already on the Texas roster.

Gary. Johnson.

And apparently he reminds the staff of Johnson as well, “They see me playing Gary Johnson’s position. They compared me to him because of my speed and physicality”.

Johnson is Texas’ rover and Orlando employs him, in part, to get to the QB via, often disguised, inside pressure.

Caleb has the pedigree of an athlete. His father was a multi-sport (Football and Basketball) athlete at Miami (Ohio) and his older brother played defensive end at North Dakota State.

Recruiting

Johnson picked up his first power five offer this past May which came from Iowa State. He took an official visit to Iowa State shortly thereafter.

He said he plans on taking at least two more official visits. He will take an official visit to Arkansas which is scheduled for sometime in October. He also said he will take an official visit to Texas. No date has been set but added, “I’m talking to them later today about that”. He wants to get the visits out of the way as early as possibly, “I’m not trying to wait too long to take these visits”.

In terms of a decision Johnson says he’s eyeing a late season decision. I did ask him if a big visit from Texas could change that and induce him to commit on the spot. He said, “I don’t know. I kind of felt that way with Iowa State but I held off. I’d probably just talk to the people around me that I trust and give me advice and see what they think”.

Texas will likely have an excellent pitch in terms of position availability as Gary Johnson’s spot will be vacant after this season.

The other advantage Texas will have is Austin, “I like the city vibe. Iowa State was more of a small town and I did like that everyone is invested in the team”.

In Austin it would seem Johnson could get the best of both worlds, the city environment he’s looking for to go along with the big-time college football atmosphere.

Injury News + Sourced Note

– Alex Briseno

Texas football released an injury update Sunday afternoon stating:

“Freshman LB Ayodele Adeoye (knee), senior DB Davante Davis (hamstring) and freshman DB DeMarvion Overshown (knee) sustained injuries in Saturday’s scrimmage.”

They are currently being treated and evaluated. I am expecting an update within the next couple of days. DeMarvion’s injury comes after getting reps with the ones at linebacker.

Sourced Update (via Super K): I’m told Overshown and Ayodele are expected to have MRIs Sunday night or Monday.

Fall Camp Notes | Sourced | Mailbag | Fast Five

– Super K

So, we had some of you ask questions in the previous post. When you’re getting sourced info it actually helps quite a bit to have specific questions. Please keep them coming.

I took some of your questions from the previous post and checked on them. We’ll try to continue to do that so that, as much as possible, our notes are in line with what you all are interested in.

Here are our “Fast Five” sourced “Mailbag” notes.

If you would like to read the entire “Mailbag” sourced notes, please click the Donor Link!

***There were some questions regarding Kersetter after I mentioned a source saying that in the end it will likely be Calvin Anderson starting on the left and Okafor on the right. I was told very simply beyond the starters, what’s really important is having 8 or 9 guys who can actually play. Having the depth is critical and it sounds like the staff feels like they not only have more guys that can play but more guys with diverse skill sets who can play multiple positions. One of those guys, source added, is Kerstetter. So, there is a possibility that Kerstetter doesn’t start but he will be a valuable back up with that top group who they can plug in at four out of the five positions…LG, C, RG and RT.

***Also, there was a question about Brandon Jones’ development. It’s pretty well known that in the past, Jones struggled a bit picking up the scheme…where he’s supposed to be, etc. Source said that has changed, “Brandon’s problem was being in the right place. Not anymore. He’s actually become one of the most consistent guys in the secondary in all respects. He’s in the right place when he’s supposed to be there.”

***I should add that the competition is getting tighter at cornerback. I’ve already mentioned that the staff likes how Cook is playing. I’ve also mentioned that sources have indicated the staff likes how Jalen Green is transitioning and the upside they see (though again, not ready just yet). But another guy I’m hearing more and more about is young Kobe Boyce. Was told he’s added weight and he’s playing with a lot more confidence. He’s the second fastest cornerback on the roster.

***Was also asked about Wilbon. Passed that question on to a source who said, “He’s strong as *%^#. Look, Wilbon pushes grown ass men against their will. He might not be the twitchiest guy but he’s very stout. He’s gritty and you’re not gonna move him”.

***Just one additional note I’ll add. Practice is freakin intense. I help cover both Texas and OU for us. And the practice methods in terms of sheer violence and tackling coming from the defense on the Texas side don’t strike me as normal. The Herman/Orlando philosophy regarding protecting against injuries vs. hitting anything that moves in practice is a departure from what I’m used to with OU who are a lot more cautious.

But Texas seems to have ramped it up even more. I think that’s in part because the defense knows Orlando’s scheme better this year so they’re playing faster. But I think it’s also a function of guys like Gary Johnson and Kris Boyd being who they are. They’re vocal leaders who just flat out love hitting people.

Again, feel free to drop your questions below and we’ll try to get to them

Fall Camp Scrimmage Notes | + Sourced Notes | March 11th | Pick Six

By: The Football Brainiacs

Below you will find our six hand picked sourced camp notes from March 11th.

If you would like to read all of the sourced camp notes from August 11th, please click the Donor Link!

Super K note:

***You’ll recall that earlier this week we noted that per our sources, Ingram would surge up the depth chart. It looks like it happened sooner rather than later.

***Told that while the defense won, it wasn’t an obliteration…”decent showing” was the words used. I’ll work to get more details.

***Also, earlier in the week had heard that the staff was working to remedy the ball security issues through teaching…and a lot of extra running.

Alex Briseno note:

***[Source] Kyle Porter fumbled a hand-off while the offense was working out of the end zone. John Bonney pulled through with a scoop and score.

***[Quote] “Daniel is the kind of guy, he doesn’t do anything that will wow you but he does everything really good. That’s really good. You’ll see a guy that is stronger than last year, break a few more tackles than he did last year. The biggest thing is he’s comfortable with back-to-back years in the same offense.”

***[Source] Theme of the day: a sputtering, sometimes disappointing offense and yet another solid performance from the Texas defense