WATCH: Texas QB commit Maalik Murphy throws at RivalsCamp

On Sunday, Texas four-star QB commit Maalik Murphy was out displaying his talents again at a RivalsCamp. You can watch the videos below:

Quarterback recruiting has been the hot topic of Texas’ offseason. Steve Sarkisian is going after elite-level signal-callers. However, there has been one quarterback solid since his commitment in February – Maalik Murphy.

Having five-star status when he originally announced he would be heading to Austin, Murphy was recently bumped down to a four-star on the 247Sports composite. Rankings have not slowed down Murphy’s progress though. He was Serra’s starting quarterback after sitting as a sophomore, improving as the season went on.

Even when he arrives on campus in January 2022, Murphy’s development will continue to be the main focus. Seeing the California native on the field for competitive minutes early in his college career is rather unlikely. Sarkisian will use his quarterback expertise to take Murphy’s raw skill and mold him into an eventual starter.

On Sunday, Murphy was out displaying his talents again at a RivalsCamp on the west coast. OrangeBlood’s Jason Suchomel posted Twitter clips of the Texas commit. You can watch the videos below:

Texas is the only school on Murphy’s official visit schedule on June 18. Before the NCAA lifted the recruiting dead period, he was able to see Austin on a self-guided tour. Now, he will be able to interact with the coaching staff face to face.

A plethora of uncommitted prospects will be in town during the same weekend. Murphy is one of the leaders of the class. He will be hoping to sell some of the nation’s top prospects on the vision he sees as well.

Three-star running back DeAnthony Gatson releases top five schools

Stan Drayton has been looking for a second running back in the class. On Friday, three-star De’Anthony Gatson released his top five schools.

Texas’ running back situation became a bit more confusing on Thursday. Four-star Jaydon Blue announced he was optioning out of his high school senior season. Whether or not his commitment will be affected is yet to be seen.

Even with the Blue situation, Stan Drayton has been looking for a second running back in the class. Names such as Tre’von Citizen and JaMarion Miller have emerged but another smaller school back could be heading to Austin.

On Friday, three-star De’Anthony Gatson released his top five schools, with Texas making the cut. Gatson announced Colorado, Iowa State, Minnesota, Texas, and USC are still in the race. The Longhorns extended their offer on May 11. No crystal ball predictions have been inserted.

Gatson weighs in 5-10 and 198 pounds. The Newton native rushed for 1,974 yards and 29 touchdowns during his junior season. He was named the District 12-3A-II Overall MVP at the end of the year. On the receiving end, Gatson caught six passes for 97 yards and two touchdowns.

On the 247Sports composite, Gatson is ranked the No. 42 running back in the country. Nationally, he breaks the top 600 at No. 561 and is No. 84 within the state of Texas.

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Four-star Texas RB commit Jaydon Blue opts-out of senior season

Four-star running back Jaydon Blue announced he is opting out of his senior season. He plans on focusing on academics and field training.

For quite a few years now, we have seen college football players expecting to declare for the NFL draft opt-out of meaningless bowl games. We even saw players not play during the 2020 season due to COVID-19 concerns.

Opting out has now reached the high school level, with Jaydon Blue saying he will not play football during his senior season. The four-star running back announced his decision via Twitter on Thursday.

According to Horns247, Blue and his family communicated with the Texas staff as to why he will not play for Klein Cain this year.

Blue will “take this time to focus on my academics while enhancing [his] off the field training/ rehab regimen.” The running back has had quite the workload over the past seasons, carrying the ball 432 times. Saving his body for the college level must be at the front of Blue’s mind.

You can read his full statement below:

After countless hours of evaluation, I have made the decision to forego my senior season of High-School football. This has been a very difficult decision for my family & I. Football is a brutal sport, and the wear and tear associated with the RB position is undeniable. I plan to take this time to focus on my academics while enhancing my off the field training/ rehab regimen. This is a strategic & conscious effor to ensure that I am prepared to perform at an elite level at the collegiate rankings during the 2022 season. I want to thank each of my coaches & teammates at klein Cain Highschool. The relationships established have helpmed mold me into the young man I am today. YOu have my continued support this season and in the future. This is an incremental steps in hopes of one day fullfilling my NFL dreams. Jaydon Blue. Signing out.

Blue managed 3,767 rushing yards and 46 touchdowns on his 432 carries. As a sophomore, he was named Texas District 15-6A Offensive Newcomer of the Year and then Texas District 15-6A Offensive MVP as a junior.

The four-star running back currently headlines Texas’ 2022 recruiting cycle. He and Maalik Murphy have been the backbone of the class, trying to get some of the best prospects in the country to join them in Austin.

With Blue now not playing his senior season, he is expected to enroll early and be on campus for spring practice in 2022. The running back room will include him, Bijan Robinson, Roschon Johnson, and Jonathon Brooks.

Texas Basketball Recruiting: Five-star SG Keyonte George releases top five schools

Chris Beard is looking to land one of the top guards in the country. Five-star Keyonte George released his top five, with UT making the cut.

Chris Beard has gone big game hunting in the recruiting scene during his early days at Texas. Shaka Smart signed two of the top 10 prospects that Texas basketball has ever signed, but both were big men, Mo Bamba and Greg Brown III.

Now, Beard is looking for the top guards in the country. Luckily, the No. 1 shooting guard in the 2022 class resides in the state of Texas. Keyonte George is the top shooting guard in the cycle and released his top five schools Thursday morning.

Four of the five are Big 12 schools: Baylor, Kansas, Oklahoma State and Texas made the cut. Kentucky and John Calipari are the one outsider.

George has a 247Sports crystal ball to turn professional and play in the G League. With his newly released top five, the five-star prospect has made it clear he plans to choose the college route.

Texas Tech was thought to be an option; he took an unofficial visit to Lubbock in Feb. 2020. With Beard in Austin, Texas will have an excellent chance to land the top in-state 2022 player.

Rating

Stars Overall Position State
247 5 14 1 1
Rivals 5 6 2
ESPN 5 5 2 1
247 Composite 5 6 1 1

Vitals

Hometown Lewisville, Texas
Projected Position Shooting guard
Height 6-4
Weight 185

Top five

  • Baylor
  • Kansas
  • Kentucky
  • Oklahoma State
  • Texas

Crystal Ball

Twitter

Four-star PG from Dallas releases top five, Texas makes the cut

Chris Beard continues to push for top in-state recruits in the ’22 class. On Thursday, UT came closer to hauling in of the cycle’s best PGs.

Chris Beard continues to push for top prospects in the 2022 class, especially in the state of Texas. On Thursday, the Longhorns came closer to landing one of the cycle’s best point guards.

Four-star point guard Arterio Morris released his top five schools, with Texas still in the hunt. Florida, Georgia, Kansas, and Oregon remain the competition for Morris.

The former Memphis commit reversed his initial pledge back in January. Penny Hardaway offered Morris in late July 2020, where he committed the same day. Now, the Tigers are no longer in the running.

According to 247Sports recruiting analyst Brandon Jenkins, “Morris is an elite point guard prospect who has the upside to potentially be the best player from the 2022 class.” His comparison was former No. 2 overall pick Ja Morant, who is now with the Memphis Grizzlies.

Rating

Stars Overall Position State
247 4 26 8 5
Rivals 4 22 7
ESPN 4 14 8
247 Composite 4 65 13 10

Vitals

Hometown Dallas, Texas
Projected Position Point guard
Height 6-3
Weight 190

Recruitment

  • Offered on June 15, 2020
  • No visit yet

Offers

Crystal Ball

Film

Hudl

Twitter

Four-star safety Bryce Anderson announces commitment date

Expect fireworks for Bryce Anderson when he makes his college decision. The four-star announced he will be making his commitment on July 4.

Expect fireworks for Bryce Anderson when he makes his college decision. The four-star safety announced on Wednesday via Instagram that he will be announcing his commitment on July 4.

Anderson is a former LSU commit who reopened his recruitment in late January 2021. Texas A&M quickly emerged as the favorites, but Texas has slowly made progress and even leapfrogged the Aggies over the past few months.

As things stand, Texas is a massive favorite on the 247Sports crystal ball. Eleven predictions have been inserted in favor of the Longhorns, with one prediction remaining for LSU.

His decision will come after four official visits throughout the country. Anderson will visit Alabama, Texas, Texas A&M, and USC over the month of June.

Texas A&M will kick it off on June 4, with a trip to Los Angeles and USC just a week later. Former Longhorn and current Trojan safety coach Craig Naviar has recruited the state of Texas just as well as any out-of-state coach in the country.

Speaking of out-of-state schools recruiting Texas well, Nick Saban and Alabama will be the penultimate official visit for Anderson. Tuscaloosa has been a popular destination for top in-state talent, with Anderson having a chance to be the latest.

Texas will have the final chance to impress the four-star safety on June 25. Terry Joseph and Blake Giddeon have begun to put together an impressive group of defensive backs this cycle. Adding Anderson would be a huge step forward toward the ideal DB class.

On the 247Sports composite, Anderson ranks as the No. 3 safety in the 2022 class. On the national level, he is the No. 45 overall player and the No. 11 prospect in the state of Texas.

If Anderson were to commit to Texas, he would be the highest-rated prospect in the cycle, just ahead of running back Jaydon Blue. He would also once again be a part of the same class as former LSU pledge Bryan Allen Jr.

Texas Football: Three things Steve Sarkisian must accomplish in his first season

To give people confidence in the Sarkisian hire, a few things must happen. Here are three things he must accomplish during his first season.

Spring practice is over and all focus has been shifted towards the season opener against Louisiana on Sept. 4. A summer full of recruiting visits and potential transfers is ahead, but everyone is eager to get back on the field.

Year one is always the most important when a new head coach takes over a program. Setting expectations, changing the culture, and inserting your system successfully is the goal. Steve Sarkisian has already done all three well from the time he had his first press conference in January.

Once the football begins, a new set of goals will take precedent for Sarkisian. To give fans, boosters, and Chris Del Conte confidence in the hire, a checklist of things must happen throughout the year. Here are three things Sarkisian must accomplish during his first season at Texas:

To start, prove his offense

Texas Football Recruiting: Longhorns offer five-star defensive tackle Mykel Williams

Bo Davis is looking for another DT to compliment Kristopher Ross. On Friday, UT offered one of the top DTs in the country, Mykel Williams.

Bo Davis’ search for another defensive tackle to add to the 2022 class has gone outside the state of Texas. North Shore’s Kristopher Ross has committed to Texas, but Davis is looking for someone to partner him up the middle.

On Friday, the Longhorns put their hat in the running for one of the top defensive tackle prospects in the country. Five-star Mykel Williams picked up offer No. 30 from Texas.

The 247Sports crystal ball is currently in favor of Kirby Smart and Georgia. Mykel has scheduled two official visits so far, heading out west to Los Angeles to see USC and in-state Georgia Tech.

His top 10 released on Jan. 1 also included Alabama, Arizona State, Clemson, Kentucky, LSU, Ohio State, and Penn State. If Texas wants to make a late push, there will be work to do for Davis and Steve Sarkisian.

Rating

Stars Overall Position State
247 4 39 6 4
Rivals 5 21 1 4
ESPN 4 55 6 6
247 Composite 5 23 4 2

Vitals

Hometown Columbus, Georgia
Projected Position Defensive tackle
Height 6-5
Weight 265

Recruitment

  • Offered on May 14, 2021
  • No visit yet

Top 10

Crystal Ball

Film

Hudl

Twitter

Three-star ATH Jeremy Patton releases top 10 schools

On Friday, Patton released a top 10 list, with seven Big 12 schools making the cut. Arkansas, LSU, Michigan, and Tennessee made it as well.

Jeremy Patton is going to be one of the most interesting recruits in the 2022 cycle. The 2A Second-Team All-State selection has put up jaw-dropping numbers on both sides of the ball.

Playing running back/wide receiver on offense, Patton rushed for 1,008 yards and 20 touchdowns on just 103 carries. In the air, he had 15 receptions for 362 yards and four touchdowns.

Flipping to the other side of the ball, the three-star prospect had 120 tackles, six forced fumbles, two touchdowns, and two interceptions. Even though the competition is the lowest form of 11 man football in the state, Patton’s numbers are eye-popping.

On Friday, Patton released his top 10 schools. Seven Big 12 programs made the cut in Baylor, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas, TCU, and Texas Tech. Arkansas, LSU, and Tennessee from the SEC are accompanied by the Big Ten’s Michigan.

Patton has already announced he will be taking an official visit to Texas on June 4-6. He will be amongst the first group to take an OV to Austin since the NCAA dead period was lifted.

On 247Sports, Patton is officially listed as an outside linebacker. He is the No. 63 player at his position. Nationally, he is the No. 661 prospect in the country and No. 96 in the state of Texas.

Texas lands two crystal ball predictions for three-star ATH Arlis Boardingham

Two Horns247 experts have inserted crystal ball prediction for Arlis Boardingham. He is expected to play on the offensive side in college.

Who likes a little west coach action? Steve Sarkisian, that’s who.

Not many head coaches in the Big 12 will head out west quite like Sarkisian will. The former USC and Washington head coach has kept his connections and hired assistant coaches with ties such as Jeff Choate and Pete Kwiatkowski.

Texas has gone hunting for some of California’s biggest prospects, including landing four-star quarterback Maalik Murphy. On Thursday night, there were two predictions for the Longhorns to land another prospect from California.

Nick Harris and Mike Roach of Horns247 have both inserted crystal ball prediction for three-star athlete Arlis Boardingham. The Birmingham High School product has been featured on both sides of the ball but is expected to play on the offensive side in college.

Boardingham currently has two official visits scheduled in Texas and Arizona State. Herm Edwards will have the opportunity to impress first on June 18. One week later, Boardingham will be in Austin.

California played a shortened spring season thanks to COVID-19. Boardingham played in six games, totaling 24 receptions for 450 yards and six touchdowns. On defense, he recorded 21 total tackles and 8.0 tackles for a loss.

Based on Sarkisian’s offense at Alabama, wide receivers are usually on the smaller side. Jerry Jeudy, Henry Ruggs, DeVonta Smith, and Jaylen Waddle (all who turned into first-round picks) were all 6-foot-1 or shorter.

Boardingham currently stands at 6-foot-4 and weighs in at 220 pounds. If he ends up signing with Texas, Sarkisian and his offensive staff could test the three-star at different positions.

On the 247Sports composite, Boardingham ranks as the No. 450 player and No. 38 athlete in the country. Within the state of California, he is the No. 36 player.