Quick Hitters | 2021 Recruits Talk Texas Offer

– Andrew King

Three top recruits in the 2021 class picked up offers from Texas over the last week or so. I’ve spoken to all of them to get some feedback about how they feel about the Texas offer and where things currently stand with them.

OT Hayden Conner – Katy Taylor (TX): Conner was offered by Texas on September 15th when he visited for the USC game. Conner started off by saying “It was a great day in Austin. The stadium and the fans were electric!” Adding that it was better than any other time he had visited Texas. He also told me how impressed he was with Texas’ new offensive line coach. Saying “I really like Herb Hand. Seeing what he’s been able to do with the offensive line so far has been amazing! I’m excited to see them keep it up.”

He also told me his time out on the field before the game was awesome, and the locker room celebration after. Something that impressed Conner was that “they were already looking to the next weeks game vs TCU, even right after the big win vs USC.” Though there is one thing that will stick with Conner for a long time, and that was getting an offer from Tom Herman down on the field before the game.

OT Bryce Foster – Katy Taylor (TX): Foster is teammates with Conner, so his thoughts are pretty similar to Conner’s. Foster also said that Tom Herman offered him before the game on the field was something that he’s going to remember for a long time. He loved that Texas really dominated a team on the big stage, something they hadn’t done for a while.

SDE Tunmise Adeleye – Katy Tompkins (TX): Texas also offered Adeleye at the USC game. But Adeleye was much more surprised about the offer than Conner and Foster were. He told me, “I was honestly really surprised at receiving an offer from Coach Herman. I knew it would eventually come, but I didn’t think it would be this early in the season.” He noted that he had a really good camp over the summer in Austin. But the staff was hesitant about offering so early as he had yet to play a varsity snap in high school yet and that Herman told him he wasn’t going to offer him just because other schools were. Adeleye had only played three varsity games when we talked, but he was already leading his district in sacks with six.

Adeleye told me “I’m really grateful because Texas one of my dream schools and I’m so excited because I have the opportunity to possibly play there in a couple of years.”

DB Numbers | Cine and Catalon

– Super K

Some of you have been asking about the safety numbers and whether the Longhorns would have room for both Lewis Cine and Jalen Catalon.

I am told, yes they would like to have both. Especially, in light of the fact that Brandon Jones is having a great season so the fact that Jones could leave early isn’t lost on the staff.

Vernon Broughton in Focus

– Super K

In the 2020 class, Vernon Broughton has emerged as one of the most highly coveted defensive linemen. His move up the recruiting ranks isn’t particularly surprising when you consider the fact that he’s a 6’5 250 lb young man who can run. God didn’t make many of those.

But what may surprise you is the fact that Broughton started playing football…last year.

Broughton grew up in a basketball family. His mother and father both played college basketball. His mother actually coached at the division one level for nearly twenty years.

“I been playing basketball most of my life”, Vernon said, “Then, last year my mom asked me to play one year of football. Just give her one year of football. That was my sophomore year and I was cool with it. So, I played”.

I asked Broughton’s mother, Yolanda about that move from football to basketball, “We transitioned to a new school and I said, give me one year of football. And, he just showed up and he got out there and said, mom, this feels good. He felt good with the leverage and his lower body. He felt more grounded on the football field”.

Once Broughton got a taste of football and began to flourish it became hard for her to keep him on the basketball court, “When it began I told him if he played one year, I promise you I won’t ask you to play again. Before you know it, I’m begging him to finish basketball because he wanted to focus on football”.

Broughton’s basketball background and the training he received from his family certainly helped the transition, “We’ve worked extremely hard on his football and he has some exceptional footwork”.

Vernon has also found help from an expert in defensive line development, coach Doug Smith who runs the Dominate the Day organization in the Houston area, “Over the summer I trained with coach Doug” Vernon noted. “We were on the field and in the weight room twice a day working on speed and agility drills. We were working on hand drills.”

Broughton says all that work and the time on the feel has made him feel more and more comfortable. Still, it’s exciting to think that the big man has yet to scratch the surface. Too many times colleges get a kid on campus and find out he’s overdeveloped or they have to break bad habits. While Broughton is building a foundation, his relative newness to the game can be seen as a bonus for coaches who feel the sky is the limit.

Recruiting

Nick Saban has churned out plenty of draft picks on the defensive line. At a camp this past summer, Broughton caught Saban’s attention. “My son called me” Yolanda described, “and said Nick Saban just offered me. He didn’t even know who Nick Saban was!” Yolanda said that Saban told Vernon that he’d take him right then and there if he wanted to commit.

While the Broughton’s weren’t ready to make a decision right then, they would like to get the process done with sooner rather than later, “If he (Vernon) could get the recruiting process over I think he’d like to. We don’t really want it to go beyond spring break. That gives him time to narrow things down. At the end of the day, not much is going to change. It’s about fit. We know Nick isn’t going anywhere. Tom isn’t going anywhere. Jimbo isn’t going anywhere”.

Vernon echoed his mother’s sentiment in terms of the process being more about finding the right fit and less so about specific criteria. Vernon has never followed college football. So, the tradition of a program isn’t as important to him, “Whoever loves me, I’m going to love them back”.

And, unlike many players, being a successful young man isn’t centered around going to the NFL, “if that happens it happens but it isn’t something I’m planning on”. Funny enough, given his raw talent Broughton is probably more likely to make it than most. Yolanda added, “What do I want? It really doesn’t matter. My goal was just to get my children to where they are at BCS level. Now, I’m just here to help him”.

Two of Vernon’s early offers came from Baylor and Oklahoma State. In fact, Baylor was Vernon’s first offer. Those two staffs appear to be recruiting Vernon very hard, “Coach Fran from Baylor and coach Richmond from Oklahoma State are the ones I talk to the most”, Yolanda noted. “It’s not even necessarily just about sports. We talk about a lot of other things”.

Texas and Oklahoma are two schools that offered this past summer and Vernon has had a chance to see both. The family attended the USC game and had a chance to speak with coach Giles and coach Herman. They visited the Sooners this past summer for their ChampU BBQ.

Next up on Broughton’s visit schedule will be the Cotton Bowl in Dallas where they plan to see Texas and OU battle it in the Red River game.

Winning Helping Texas | Elijah Higgins Update + Insider Take

– Super K

Recently, I spoke with 2019 WR, Elijah Higgins, to get an update on where things stand with his recruitment and where things stand with Texas.

For a period of time, it seemed Texas had fallen off but Elijah explained that “A lot of people thought Texas was out of it because I took a lot of visits to other schools but I also took visits to Texas that I kept quiet. I didn’t really make it public but those were visits where I spent a lot of quality time with the Texas coaches. They’ve been consistent throughout the process”.

Having said that, Texas’ recent on the field success has certainly made an impact, “The wins against USC and TCU definitely helped Texas. They’re definitely moving up”.

Higgins got to see Texas in-person for the USC game. Next up for him is an official visit to Florida during the first weekend of October which happens to coincide with the Red River game.

A school that’s been attached to Elijah’s name quite a bit is Stanford. Higgins was in California earlier this season to see Stanford play USC. He’s been to Stanford on multiple occasions. Higgins says he has his Stanford admissions materials completed and will be sending those off soon. After that he says, it’s a two or three week waiting period to find out whether he is accepted.

Higgins says that he plans on signing in December but doesn’t have a decision date set, “December signing unless something happens and I can’t make a decision by then”.

If Texas continues to win, look for them to in the thick of it when that decision does come.

If you would like to read Super K’s Insider Note on Elijah Higgins, please click the Donor Link!

Marcus Washington has a Commitment Date

– Super K

The father of 2019 WR, Marcus Washington tells us that Marcus will announce his commitment on November 23rd.

November 23rd is Marcus’ mother’s birthday.

I spoke with Marcus father at length yesterday and Texas is very much in this one. The family appears to have a great relationship with Bryan Carrington.

Now, they’d just like to continue building a similar relationship with coach Herman and coach Mehringer.

Appears to be a three horse race between Ohio State, Missouri, and Texas.

I like Texas chances right now. I sense they have a slight lead but the family has a good relationship with Urban and Barry Odom. So, it’s too early to make a definitive prediction.

But I wouldn’t have imagined Texas would be in this position a few months ago. So, this is good…

Injuries going into K-State

– Will Baizer

C Zach Shackelford – will play

RB Keaontay Ingram – Good to go

WR Brenan Eagles – Game-time decision. Will travel.

DB/LB DeMarvion Overshown – Good to go

WR John Burt – Questionable. Will travel.

DB BJ Foster – Concussion. Out.

DB Jamarquist Durst – Doubtful