Tag: Derek Williams

Three freshmen that could shine for Texas in 2023

Look out for these youngsters!

For the first time since 2009, Texas is favored to win the Big 12 and actually have a legitimate chance to contend for all the marbles.

Two of the reasons it is favored and expected to have this degree of success are the continuity in the coaching staff and all of its returning players. The Longhorns will field one of the most experienced teams in the country in 2023. Their wide receiver, offensive line and defensive line units are among the best in the country.

However, even with all of the seasoned vets across the roster, some young guns stand out and could shine for the Longhorns in 2023. Here are three freshmen I think have that chance:

11 summer enrollees from Texas’ 2023 class arrive on campus this week

The remaining members of the 2023 class will be trickling on to campus over the next couple days, headlined by four-star safety Derek Williams.

It’s an exciting weekend for the Texas football program. Continue reading “11 summer enrollees from Texas’ 2023 class arrive on campus this week”

WATCH: Texas signee Derek Williams picks off Oklahoma’s Jackson Arnold

Jackson Arnold donates a football to Derek Williams’ INT collection.

Derek Williams is making his mark on the Under Armor All-America Bowl in Orlando. The five-star safety picked off Elite 11 winner and five-star quarterback Jackson Arnold.

Texas fans hope the interception is the first of many for Williams, and hopefully not his last against Arnold. The opposing quarterback signed his letter of intent to play for The University of Oklahoma.

Texas was a big winner in signing Williams, who hails from Louisiana. He joins the No. 1 overall recruit Arch Manning as players crossing the Louisiana border to play football in Texas from the 2023 class.

Poaching two five-star players from the Pelican State was no small feat for Steve Sarkisian and company. They figure to make a huge contribution, perhaps sooner rather than later.

Williams is the No. 3 safety and No. 40 overall player in the On3 consensus. With a void at safety, look for the Louisiana native to compete for a starting role next year.

Texas signees to watch in the All-America game on Tuesday

Watch several Texas signees in the Under Armour All-America game at 4 p.m. CT on Tuesday.

Texas’ 2023 recruiting class is well-represented across several all-star games this month. Continue reading “Texas signees to watch in the All-America game on Tuesday”

Where each Texas commit lands in latest On300 ranking for 2023 class

12 Texas commits land within the updated On300 ranking. This could turn out to be a very special class for Steve Sarkisian.

Texas’ 2023 recruiting class is currently ranked No. 6 in the country, according to On3. Continue reading “Where each Texas commit lands in latest On300 ranking for 2023 class”

Let’s Talk About It: How is ‘Recruiting the Boot’ going for LSU?

Coach Brian Kelly has silenced much of the criticism surrounding his in-state recruiting.

For the past few months, there have been many posts on social media and football message boards about how LSU coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] was not doing a great job recruiting the best players from Louisiana. So, we’re going to take a look into how well the Tigers are doing when it comes to ‘Recruiting the Boot’.

Of the top 15 recruits in Louisiana for the class of 2023, LSU currently has five commits ([autotag]Shelton Sampson Jr.[/autotag], [autotag]Kaleb Jackson[/autotag], [autotag]Kylin Jackson[/autotag], [autotag]Rickie Collins[/autotag] and [autotag]Tyree Adams[/autotag]) and they have  Crystal Ball projections for two more ([autotag]Zalance Heard[/autotag] and [autotag]Khai Prean[/autotag]).

If you go back one more spot, LSU could possibly land eight out of the top 16 players in the state — [autotag]Trey Holly[/autotag], another LSU commit, is No. 16 on the list.

Sure, Kelly missed out on some of the top prospects like [autotag]Arch Manning[/autotag], [autotag]Derek Williams[/autotag], [autotag]Eli Holstein[/autotag] and [autotag]Tackett Curtis[/autotag], but this isn’t Pokémon.

You aren’t going to catch them all.

Landing 50% of the top 16 players in the state is a very high clip. It’s also a lot more than anyone else has in your state. Out of the top 16 players, LSU could land eight while Texas has two (Manning and Williams). Alabama ([autotag]Eli Holstein[/autotag]), USC ([autotag]Tackett Curtis[/autotag]), Notre Dame ([autotag]Jaiden Ausberry[/autotag]), Nebraska ([autotag]Omarion Miller[/autotag]), Tennessee ([autotag]Jordan Matthews[/autotag]), and Washington ([autotag]Curley Reed[/autotag]) each have one.

No, it has not been a perfect recruiting cycle, but, in my opinion, it has been pretty successful.

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Texas commits that fall within the top 100 in On3’s consensus recruiting rankings

Texas and Alabama lead the country with having 6 commits that fall within the top 70.

It was a great day to be a Texas football fan yesterday. Continue reading “Texas commits that fall within the top 100 in On3’s consensus recruiting rankings”

Opinion: Brian Kelly’s Louisiana recruiting earns stamp of approval

With Shelton Sampson Jr. on board, Kelly has eased concerns about in-state recruiting.

I have never been Brian Kelly’s biggest defender nor his biggest critic.

I’ve always said he is a competent coach who will win a handful of football games wherever he is. He isn’t Nick Saban, but then again, who is?

I think too much was made about how Kelly fit at LSU. Lincoln Riley is from Lubbock, Texas, and nobody made a fuss when he ended up in Southern California.

We also watched Saban and Les Miles win championships at LSU. Neither one of those guys screams Louisiana. If you win football games, people don’t really care about where you’re from, and Kelly has won a lot of football games.

There were questions on how he’d fare recruiting Louisiana. Some of that was because there was all that noise about the culture fit, and some of it was because he’s never been seen as an ace recruiter.

The first few months were iffy. It was a challenge to gain momentum with recruits during the transition. LSU watched as other schools made progress with top recruits like [autotag]Derek Williams[/autotag] and [autotag]Tackett Curtis[/autotag]. Longtime commit [autotag]Omarion Miller[/autotag] flipped and followed [autotag]Mickey Joseph[/autotag] to Nebraska.

LSU was having success nationally, but I wanted to see more success in Louisiana. Over the last month or so, Kelly has eased any criticism I had on that front.

LSU pulled in commitments from Louisiana prospects OT [autotag]Tyree Adams[/autotag] and RB [autotag]Kaleb Jackson[/autotag].

The big one came on Saturday when WR [autotag]Shelton Sampson Jr.[/autotag] gave his pledge and LSU got one of it’s biggest targets.

Sampson was a guy LSU could not miss on. A five-star receiver from Baton Rouge. If Kelly couldn’t seal the deal here, his critics were going to have a field day.

LSU has been building steam with OT [autotag]Zalance Heard[/autotag]. A big-time prospect from Monroe, Louisiana, who On3 has as a five-star.

Baton Rouge quarterback [autotag]Rickie Collins[/autotag] recently decommitted from Purdue and looks destined to end up a Tiger. Safety [autotag]Kylin Jackson[/autotag] received a 247Sports Crystal Ball to LSU earlier this month.

When it’s all said and done, LSU is going to have a solid class of Louisiana recruits. The Tigers still need to show improvement on the field, but Kelly has done a lot with less talent than he has now.

A decent season should have LSU in a good position to run the state in 2024.

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The 10 highest rated players in Texas’ 2023 recruiting class

Solid group of players at the top of the class.

Steve Sarkisian and his staff are in great position to land back-to-back top five recruiting classes in the country.

Texas currently holds the No. 5 class in 247Sports’ composite rankings, headlined by two five-star prospects in Arch Manning and Derek Williams.

The Longhorns are also still in the mix for several highly rated recruits that have yet to announce their commitment, including elite running back Cedric Baxter Jr. The Orlando native has a scheduled commitment date of August 10 and Texas remains the favorite in his recruitment.

With the addition of four-star edge Derion Gullette this week, Texas’ 2023 class now includes 21 commitments.

Here’s a look at the highest rated commits in the Longhorns’ class at this time.

Where each Texas commit stands in the updated 2023 ESPN 300

ESPN has updated its top 300 recruiting rankings for the 2023 cycle.

ESPN has updated its top 300 recruiting rankings for the 2023 cycle. A total of 11 Texas commits saw their ranking adjusted in the ESPN300.

Defensive back Derrick Williams and defensive lineman Sydir Mitchell took massive leaps up the list. Williams’ jump from No. 76 to No. 52 proved to be enough to make him a 247Sports composite five-star. Mitchell rose from No. 148 all the way to No. 83.

Quarterback commit Arch Manning lost his top spot in the ESPN300 as he fell to No. 2 on the list. The conscious five-star still ranks at the top of the other major publications prospect boards.

Wide receiver Johntay Cook and cornerback Mailk Muhammad remain inside the top 50, just outside of five-star status. The two will have the opportunity to make that jump with good senior campaigns.

Texas’ 2023 recruiting class currently sits at No. 4 in the nation and tops in the Big 12 conference. Here is a look at where each Longhorns commit is listed in the updated ESPN300.