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Random thoughts from the last week in sports: Hello, Jordan Hamilton. The freshman from LA went off in Stillwater Monday night, scoring 27 points and almost single-handedly pulled Texas out of the 1-3 funk they were in. It didn’t start well as Texas dug a deep hole by getting down early. Texas could not score in the first half and the lack of firepower from the starting backcourt. If Damion James isn’t feeling it (he wasn’t) and Dexter Pittman is tentative (he was) the offense has no one that can take over. Until now. Hamilton scored seven points in the final two minutes of the half to cut the lead to 36-32 at the break and the Horns were back in the game and the rest is history. Hamilton earned more playing time in the next two weeks and his offensive spark is exactly what Texas needed. Now someone needs to get with Dexter Pittman and bring him back. Both Lamarr Houston and Roddrick Muckelroy had a tackle in the Senior Bowl over the weekend. Muck didn’t have the great workouts he needed to climb the draft boards and Houston was not sensational in his practices, but both players will get the chance to enhance their stock at the Texas Pro Day coming up. They may not go as highly in the draft as they hoped, but they both will be getting paid very well in a few months. I am really happy that Vince Young and Brian Orakpo made the Pro Bowl and VY took Steve McNair’s kids to the game with him. Other than that, I don’t care about the Pro Bowl. At all. Why should I care about something the guys invited to play in don’t care about? Not in Hawaii and before the Super Bowl as well? Lame. Texas had three running backs rush for more than 1,000 yards in the NFL this season: Cincinnati’s Cedric Benson (1,251 yards), Miami Dolphin Ricky Williams (1,121 yards) and KC’s new superstar, Jamaal Charles (1,120 yards). Benson was the Comeback Player of the Year in the NFL were it not for Vince Young. Ricky Williams had his fifth career 1,000-yard season and Charles led the league in yards per carry with a 5.9 yard average. Did you know Peyton Manning is from New Orleans? Or that Drew Brees was not highly recruited? Where do they find these hidden gems? Is Phil Mickelson cheating or not? Give me your thoughts. I think I’m for the Saints. Or not. It will definitely be a game time call. With today (Wednesday) being National Signing Day, it is Christmas Day for recruiting geeks like me and my friends. Come on, join us. Let’s talk about the class the Horns signed today. The Recruiting Class of 2010 With the commitments of Will Russ, Jackson Jeffcoat and Jordan Hicks last weekend, Texas locked down the class of 2010. The class finished second nationally behind only Florida in the Rivals.com recruiting rankings. The 25 players Texas signed have an average of 3.92 stars per recruit (on a one to five star ranking, five being the highest), and that average was exactly the same as the No.1 Florida Gators. Not bad, eh? In this class, Texas signed some huge playmakers, some superstars and plenty of depth at nearly every position. I’ve heard some people say that this isn’t necessarily a championship-type class. I disagree. This is exactly what a championship-type class looks like, with the depth and talent it brings. This is easily the best class Texas signed since 2002, when Vince Young and Michael Griffin got to Texas, and the potential for greatness in 2010 is just as real a possibility as it was for the guys in ’02. Was that enough sensationalism for you? Here it is, the class of 2010. I am using the Rivals star system to rank them and they are listed alphabetically.
Benson is the classic story of a kid getting recruited by Texas. He went into the spring of his junior year expecting to hit all the junior days — we will talk about those after this class is wrapped up — and wanted to take his time and find the perfect place for him. Then he came to Texas for his junior day visit last spring and realized he didn’t need to do that. After his visit on Saturday, February 7th, Benson went home and thought about it. 48 hours later he committed to Texas. His 4.5 speed in the 40 proves what a terrific athlete he is, and the fact he started all four years for a 5-A program that is successful proves he has the production and instincts to go along with that athleticism. He is a terrific linebacker that will excel in coverage and sideline to sideline tackling against the wide open offenses in the Big 12. He needs to add some weight to handle the running game and be an every down linebacker, but with the Texas strength program you can be assured he will. I think he plays early with the limited depth Texas has at linebacker, and in 2012, when he is a junior and at 235 or 240, you will see an All Big 12-caliber linebacker the team calls “A.B.” that is part of the best linebacker recruits Texas has ever signed. He had his choice of schools, like ou, A&M and Houston, but his unwavering commitment so early in the process scared other suitors off.
At 6-foot-3, 280 pounds with sub-five second speed (4.9) in the 40, Bible has all the tools necessary to play early and often for Texas this fall. In fact, the Rivals database says that Bible is reminiscent of Tommie Harris, the superstar ou defensive tackle that should have been a Longhorn. An injured shoulder his junior year cost him the coveted fifth star, but he is healthy now and responded to finish in the top 100 nationally in the recruiting rankings, ranking 98th, and is considered the best defensive tackle in the state of Texas. With little to no experience at the defensive tackle spot for Texas going into the 2010 season, you will see the incredibly strong and agile Bible firmly in the mix for playing time. Expect to see a lot of Taylor Bible on the field next fall. Bible chose Texas over Oklahoma State and Tech, among others, and his commitment on his junior day visit has been solid for almost a year.
Easily the best name of the class. Doesn’t he sound like he should be a spy, or on Dynasty or something? “That blasted Carrington Byndom has foiled our plans again! Rascal!” See what I mean? Anyway, Byndom is a terrific corner with length and speed that had everyone intrigued. LSU, ou, Oklahoma State and pretty much everyone else offered Byndom, but he is a kid with his head on straight and stated publicly that academics were a top priority for him, above playing time, and he felt Texas was a perfect fit for what he was looking for. He has 4.4 speed in the 40, which is sensational and probably gets him onto the special teams early covering kicks. I don’t see him getting on the field in the secondary right away with his lean frame and the number of upperclassmen in front of him, but he sure could with a good fall camp.
It isn’t very nice when your biggest rival comes into your backyard and takes one of your best players, is it? Now you know how we feel, sooners. Texas got the No.3 ranked player in the state of Oklahoma with athlete DeMarco Cobbs. Cobbs committed to Texas right before Halloween, choosing Texas over, you guessed it, ou. Cobbs played a little bit of everything in high school, and when these positionless guys get to college they almost always get a shot a defensive back and/or wide out. That will probably be where Cobbs goes as well. Where does he end up? Not sure yet. He will most likely redshirt this fall and spend that time working out at multiple spots. I would say that with his 4.6 speed and athletic ability, in two years Cobbs is a 215-pound sophomore competing for a starting safety spot.
Texas cleaned up in the defensive tackle department, landing the top two tackles in the state in Bible and DeAires Cotton (ranked No. 2). Cotton isn’t as physically far along as Bible is, but he is a terrific talent in his own right. Nebraska, ou and Texas A&M were all vying for Cotton’s commitment, but he committed instantly at the Longhorns’ first Junior Day. Cotton needs to get stronger to stand up to Big 12 offensive lines, so I expect him to redshirt this fall and get stronger and fill out a little more. Yeah, I said a 275-pound teenager needs to “fill out”.
There has been some talk lately that Daniels was thinking about changing his commitment to Texas A&M, but that turned out to be false. Private school defensive players have been very good to Texas lately with the Acho brothers, and I think the coaching staff sees a similar type player in Daniels. Daniels is a versatile player that can play both offense and defense and should get a crack at defensive end, but with the utter lack of anything resembling a tight end right now, I could see him getting work at that position as well. Davis is an excellent recruit that has the same intangibles — athleticism, smarts, drive — that the Acho brothers have. Expect similar results in the future.
If there is a guy in this class that could see the field immediately, the odds are high Mike Davis will be the one. The playmaker from Dallas is physically ready to play right now. As with just about every high school kid coming to college, he could stand to get bigger and stronger, but he can contribute immediately. Davis has game-breaking speed, runs great routes and has the confidence to compete right now. Playing at Skyline in Dallas, he had 19 touchdowns and 1,157 yards last year, averaging 24.1 yards per catch. He is productive and tough and will come in this summer and jump right into the mix, pushing the upperclassmen in front of him for playing time. I think he gets on the field very early. You will see why everyone in the country was after him. Davis was an LSU recruit but decided to look around and attended the Texas Football Banquet in December and soon after committed to the Longhorns. He said, in effect, “Texas is my home state and Texas is where I want to be.” Well done.
Lamarr Houston came to Texas as a super athletic big man that grew into a defensive tackle. Ben Alexander came to Texas as physical, strong fire plug that was a rock against the run his senior year. They are both gone but Ashton Dorsey is coming to replace them. Dorsey is not the biggest tackle in the class at 6-foot-2, 276 pounds but has terrific quickness and phenomenal speed at 4.8 in the 40. He reminds me of Houston coming out of high school in that his athletic ability is off the charts but his size makes him undersized for tackle in the college game. He isn’t as athletic as Houston, so I see him going the path of Alexander and redshirting this fall to add bulk and upper body strength. Just like Alexander, I see him watching the more physically ready guys play early before becoming the 300-pound fire plug that controls the line of scrimmage and allows the linebackers to make plays in a year or so. Ashton Dorsey chose Texas over ou, Texas A&M and UCLA, among others.
This is a big time pick up for the Longhorns as Espinoza is the top rated lineman in the state according to Rivals. While Mac McWhorter likes to cross train his players at several positions on the line, Espinoza comes to campus as the top rated center in the entire nation. He has incredible quickness, strength and speed for a high school lineman, which could get him on the field early. Normally Texas doesn’t like to play true freshmen on the offensive line, as they opt to redshirt them and let them grow, learn and develop. I expect that to be the case for Espinoza, but his ability to step in at center could get him on the field very quickly if the two-deep doesn’t solidify itself this spring. The Horns had a rough year on the line of scrimmage, and Espinoza offers talent and smarts to help remedy that. Espinoza chose Texas over K-State, Tennessee, Mizzou and A&M.
Harris was the second commit of the 2010 class and reminds me of a smaller Malcolm Williams. Williams came to Texas as a 6-foot-3, 205-pound athlete at wide receiver. Harris comes to Texas as a 6-foot-2, 187-pound athlete at wide receiver. He has the ability to make a dent in the depth chart right away, but I think Texas will redshirt him and have another big, 200-pound wide out in the rotation in the spring 2011. Look for Harris to take over Malcolm Williams’ role of using his great size and speed to overpower wide outs and make plays, except it will be in 2011. Harris didn’t waste any time committing to Texas but had offers from ou, Tech, Arkansas and Arizona.
Jordan Hicks is the best linebacker in the country. He had his choice of any school in the nation to attend, including the home state Buckeyes. He bucked the trend and will be coming to Austin. Will Muschamp showed the college football world he is more than capable of taking over the reigns after Mack Brown retires. Usually, if Texas gets an out-of-state player, it’s because the program has an in with him. And with Hicks, it was Mad Dog. Hicks’ mom worked for Madden in the past and knows him well, hence the immediate access by the Texas staff. He is the biggest out-of-state signing since Chris Simms. I heard Erin Hogan make an excellent point about Hicks. In Texas, a guy with 4.5 speed that is as big as Hicks isn’t playing linebacker. He is playing defensive end, rushing the passer with a hand on the ground and attacking spread offenses. In Ohio they still play old school, smash mouth offense more by running the ball first. So Hicks, and his talent, were needed off the line of scrimmage to defend the run and make plays. And he does. That speed allows him to roam from sideline to sideline, and at 6-foot-2, 220 pounds he is big enough to play the run. He has unbelievable quickness and is considered the best pass rushing linebacker in high school right now, so he has the talent to be on the field in all situations. Expect Hicks on the field from day one. With his talent, skill set and physical nature, he will be a mainstay in Will Muschamp’s defense as long as he is at Texas.
That’s what I like to see … a “Trey” that spells it right. Give him a fifth star just for that. Hopkins is the top rated guard in the state of Texas and has all the intangibles necessary to be a great lineman: great footwork, great athletic ability, great form and an “e” in his name. At 270 pounds, Hopkins isn’t ready to play at Texas right away. He will redshirt in 2010 and try and work his way into the rotation in 2011. I expect to see him at 300 pounds by the spring of 2012 and competing for a starting job. Hopkins chose Texas over Stanford and A&M and was the first player to commit to the 2010 recruiting class.
Bryant Jackson is going to be a stud at Texas. It just might not be for a year or so. The four star from Sulphur Springs has the most upside of anyone in this class. With his long frame (maybe closer to 6-foot-4 than 6-foot-3) and his 4.4 speed, he has the measurables to be a Bobby Taylor-type lock down corner that the NFL covets, but he needs some time. Texas is loaded at db right now so expect to see Jackson redshirt and get stronger and fill out some and develop the skills necessary to be a lockdown corner. His time is coming, but I don’t think it is this year.
Lost in the Jordan Hicks frenzy was Garland linebacker Tevin Jackson. Looking at them physically, Jackson is more developed than Hicks: an inch taller, 10 pounds heavier and a little faster (4.49 40). He is incredibly strong for a high school player (325 bench press) and started for three years, meaning he is ready for prime time right now. I think Jackson gets playing time immediately outside backing up EAcho and/or Keenan Robinson. This guy is going to be a star in his own right alongside Hicks (and AB), and they are going to wreak havoc on Big 12 offenses for years to come.
He’s from Plano and his coach was my high school coach. He went to the wrong high school, but I will not hold that against him. At least to his face. Jeffcoat is the No.1 rated player in the state of Texas, and the No.1 rated defensive end in the nation and the No.12 rated recruit nationally regardless of position. He is the complete package, and every single school in the country recruited him. In the end, he chose Texas over ou and Houston, where his father is the defensive line coach. There are plenty of players with his size and speed in high school football and plenty play at a very high level against NCAA-level talent, but the one thing Jeffcoat has that most do not is technique beyond his years. He has excellent footwork and knows when to use his arsenal of moves. He knows when to try the speed rush, when to bull rush, when to spin, etc. … and reacts to what an offensive lineman is trying to do rather than just blindly attack as so many talented high school players will do. He knows his talent will not always be enough and understands technique is just as important. That isn’t something many players in college are able to do. He sees the field ASAP. In the next few years when he grows into his 6-foot-3 frame and adds 20 or 30 pounds, he will be unbelievable. He is going to be a star as soon as he gets here.
I loved me some Billy Pittman back in the day and Chris Jones reminds me of Big Play in many ways. Jones is a tremendous athlete from a small town with 4.4 speed and big play ability, just like Pittman. I see him playing inside at the slot receiver and using that speed to torch defenses covering him with safeties. And just like Pittman did, I see him redshirting and learning the offense this fall. Of course I could be totally wrong. Jones could use the speed and get on special teams this fall and blow people up covering kicks and offer Duane Akina another speedy option on kick-blocking formations. My guess is he redshirts this fall and gets into the rotation next spring.
We could legitimately have a McCoy on the Texas football team for 10 years if Case redshirts. Case comes in a little taller and leaner that his brother at 6-foot-2, 172 pounds — Colt was 6-foot-1,180 — and actually is already enrolled and will go through spring practice battling for the No.3 quarterback spot behind Garrett Gilbert and Sherrod Harris. McCoy has his work cut out for him as he will be competing with superstar Connor Wood for the quarterback job of the future after Garrett Gilbert is gone. His situation is eerily similar to Colt’s in 2006 when he had to compete with fellow freshman Jevan Snead, a four star recruit coveted by everyone (like Connor Wood), for the starting job. Weird, eh? I have every confidence that Case McCoy will be a big time player at Texas, but it probably won’t be this year. I guess. Maybe it is? What in the world am I going to call him? I better get on this nickname quickly. Texas A&M, Arizona and Auburn offered, but I think there was little doubt about where McCoy was headed.
Texas cleaned up this year in athletes, and Mack Brown seems to have a pipleline to the Garland Owls. Phillips and Tevin Jackson committed to the Longhorns together on their trip to the Texas junior day in February of 2009, and the fact he did not waver scared away most everyone, except oklahoma. Phillips reminds me of Quan Cosby a lot. He is the same size and has the same 4.4 speed and played a little bit of everything from quarterback to tailback to wide out. Where will he end up? With his versatility and ability on the offensive side of the ball, you can bet he’ll be a wide receiver. I think he redshirts in the fall and learns the wide out position and competes for playing team next fall … or, just like Chris Jones, he finds a spot on special teams and goes Kenny Vaccaro and makes plays immediately.
Russ was the last person to commit to the Longhorns, accepting an offer on the final weekend of recruiting after Jordan Hicks and Jackson Jeffcoat made their pledges. Russ was an Arkansas commit until last week when Texas called him and brought him in for an official visit. It seems weird to many that Texas could get in so late with a player, but Evangel has a pipeline to Texas with the Pittman brothers (Cole and Chase), Stevie Lee and Phillip Geiggar. The Longhorns are not a totally foreign entity to Northwest Louisiana, and while Russ was happy publicly with his Arkansas commitment, the Razorbacks were bringing in another kicker. At Texas, Russ would be the only one in the class, and if he liked the Longhorns at all growing up, a scholarship offer from Texas might have been enough to entice a change. I guess it was, because he did and now he will compete immediately. Russ can do it all, kicking off as well as handling field goals and punts. One reason kickers usually need some time to get adjusted to college is the fact they get to use tees to kick field goals in high school but not in college and they need to adjust to kicking off the ground. Russ is already doing that, which means he is a step ahead and ready to kick in college. I see Russ coming in this summer and taking the placekicking duties and showing everyone why the Horns were so eager to land him.
I think if Traylon Shead had been from Dallas or Houston and put up half the numbers he did Cayuga, he would have easily been a five star tailback that the whole planet would have been clamoring for. At 1A Cayuga, Shead led the Wildcats to the State Championship, and he is second in Texas 1A high school football history with 10,291 yards rushing and the state 1A record holder with 146 career touchdowns. Sometimes big time schools get scared off by the lack of talent at the 1A level, but Texas OC Greg Davis loved what he saw and was one of the first to get in with Shead. With 4.5 speed to go along with his 6-foot-2, 215-pound frame Shead has the size and speed to compete right away. But he won’t. You have to expect the learning curve to be steep for Shead, who will now be playing against players as good as he is. Rarely will you see a guy from such a small town compete right away, so I think Shead will redshirt and learn the system and adjust to the level of talent he sees. I love Shead and I love that he carried his team to a state title. It shows Shead is a winner and you cannot coach that. I also see Texas creating some separation between Shead and the class of running backs in front of him. But, again, he could explode in summer workouts and show a spark that other backs really haven’t so far.
Texas absolutely cleaned up at the wide receiver spot. If Mike Davis might be the most physically ready to play at this level, Darius Terrell is a very close second. Despite committing at the Texas Junior Day last February, Terrell held offers from Nebraska, Tech, A&M and ou. The one thing that will limit his playing time early is where, exactly, he will play. With the loss of Jordan Shipley to graduation (again), Dan Buckner to knuckleheadedness and DJ Grant to injury, Texas wants to fill that slot receiver/flex tight end role that all three have held in some capacity. While Grant will be back this spring/summer, the staff still wants options at the spot. With Terrell being closer to 6-foot-3 than 6-foot-2 and already at 213 pounds, he seems like the perfect candidate to take over that role. I think Terrell probably redshirts unless he shows up to summer over 225 pounds and really excels at the role. The flex tight end needs to be fast enough to handle linebackers in coverage — his 4.55 speed tells me he is — and big enough to overpower defensive backs. He needs some size to do that, and I assume he will acquire that size next fall as he learns the flex position. Look for big things from Terrell next spring.
White is one of the few this spring that graduated high school early and is already enrolled at Texas and will go through spring practice. He joins high school teammate Darius Terrell at Texas and could get into the mix fairly quickly. His measurables are similar to Earl Thomas coming out of high school in size and the 4.4 speed he brings to the table. In high school White played all over the secondary and will be tried at several different spots this spring by defensive backs coach Duane Akina. He is smart, athletic and has a wicked old school haircut, which is awesome. You name a school, they came after him, but he committed to Texas last March. While he could play early, I see him taking the Earl Thomas route and redshirting and competing for a job in 2011. With the same skill set as Thomas, expect similar results from White in the future.
White took his time in the recruiting process and committed to the Longhorns right after the New Year. That should say something about his talent, because Mack Brown & Co. does not wait around for just anyone. White has the size and body to get on the field right away, but I think he sits out in 2010 and competes in 2011. He was the sixth best receiver in the state and has unbelievable athletic ability and huge upside, but he is raw and needs a year to polish and develop his game. Look for White to spend 2010 learning from Bobby Kennedy and turning into a beast of a possession receiver and nightmare matchup for defenses. Every school you can think of offered White, but he committed to Texas right before the National Championship game.
If Tevin Jackson was the lost man in the Jordan Hicks commitment, then Reggie Wilson is the forgotten man in the Jackson Jeffcoat commitment. Earlier I mentioned that Erin Hogan said that guys like Jordan Hicks don’t play linebacker at Texas because they are defensive ends. Look no further than Reggie Wilson for proof of that. He and Hicks are roughly the same size although Wilson isn’t quite as fast, yet one is a defensive end and the other is a linebacker. Wilson is a super terrific athlete that has a big frame that can easily add another 15 or 20 pounds. His motor, quickness and ability off the edge had everyone after the fourth best defensive end in the country and the third best overall player in the state of Texas. Yahoo sports compares him to Brian Orakpo coming out of high school, and I think he is a little bigger than Rak and not quite as fast, but the upside and ability he brings to the table is unbelievable. With the numbers at defensive end, it wouldn’t surprise me if Wilson redshirted to grow some and learn his position since he’s fairly new to the game of football. Expect him to show up in the spring of 2011 competing for a starting job unless he blows up this summer and takes a job from an upperclassman.
Wood is on campus and will compete with Case McCoy for the third team spot behind Sherrod Harris and starter Garrett Gilbert. Unless something strange happens, I expect both Wood and McCoy to redshirt, compete for the No.2 job behind GG in the spring of 2011, and get the inside track on the job when Gilbert heads to the NFL (either after ’11 or ’12). You have to like Wood’s chances looking at him on paper. He is almost a clone of starter Garrett Gilbert in size and arm strength, and the only real question has to be the level of competition he has played against in the private school league in Houston. I expect the offense will change to suit what Gilbert does well and that fits perfectly into Wood’s wheelhouse, since he has the same skill set. Wood could have named his school but opted for Texas. Misc. … Recruiting version 2010 is in the books and the Horns will be off and running for 2011 starting this weekend with a ton of juniors coming for their first official recruiting trip with the University of Texas and several will get offers and accept them on the spot. It never ends. I love this class maybe as much as the 2002 class that brought all the pieces for a National Championship to town. With the talent on the defensive side of the ball and seemingly endless supply of athletes, Texas is loaded with playmakers. Add to it the fact Texas closed on a quality guy from every single position on the field and you can see why I am so excited. I can’t wait to see where these guys take Texas. We will talk some spring ball next week. News & Notes
Trey McLean
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