Texas receives crystal balls for 2023 four-star CB Jamel Johnson

247Sports crystal ball predictions pour in for 2023 CB Jamel Johnson.

When compared to rivals, Texas’ 2023 class has gotten off to a slow start. Five-star running back Rueben Owens was the only commit at one point but reopened his recruitment as prospects were allowed to take visits. Nobody has joined since.

Not to say Steve Sarkisian or his staff have not done a good job but the movement has been slow.

There seems to be a chance to land a commitment in the near future with four-star cornerback Jamel Johnson. Three 247Sports crystal balls were inserted in favor of Texas from Mike Roach and Nick Harris of Horns247, plus national writer Steve Wiltfong.

Johnson comes out of Arlington, TX, and Seguin High School. He holds 32 total offers, including six Big 12 schools and top SEC programs such as Alabama and LSU.

He would be a fantastic edition to get the 2023 class underway.

Rating

Stars Overall Position State
247 4 242 22 37
Rivals 4 176 26 27
ESPN 4 111 12 19
247 Composite 4 187 15 37

Vitals

Hometown Arlington, TX
Projected Position Cornerback
Height 6-1
Weight 175

Recruitment

  • Offered on Feb. 11, 2021
  • No visit yet

Offers

  • Alabama
  • Auburn
  • Baylor
  • LSU
  • Michigan
  • Oklahoma
  • Tennessee
  • Texas A&M
  • SMU
  • USC

Crystal Ball

Film

Alabama makes four-star WR Chris Marshall’s top three schools

Four-star WR Chris Marshall cuts his list down to three schools.

The state of Texas has been one of Nick Saban’s pipelines over the past few recruiting cycles. Three migrated across the Mississippi River in the 2020 class and another seven during the historic 2021 class. All but one was ranked inside the top 200 on the 247Sports composite too.

While none have joined the 2022 class quite yet, there are plenty of targets Alabama is pursuing. Five-stars Evan Stewart (WR) and Denver Harris (CB) are the main two. Not too far behind is four-star wide receiver, Chris Marshall.

He announced his top three schools on Wednesday, with the Crimson Tide making the cut. Home state Texas A&M and USC were also on what should be Marshall’s final trim down list.

Auburn, Arizona State, Jacksonville State, LSU, and Oregon were cut from a top-eight released in early April.

Marshall did not start playing football until the beginning of his junior season. He finished with 45 receptions for 1,009 receiving yards and 18 touchdowns.

The insane numbers have continued into this season.

According to Maxpreps, he has 13 receptions for 454 yards and 11 touchdowns. Marshall has yet to play in the second half either with Fort Bend Marshall sitting at an 8-0 record.

Basketball is still in the works to play in college as well. That’s where the now four-star receiver intended on focusing his high school career before picking up the pigskin. According to Rivals, Houston, Ole Miss, Texas Southern, and Western Kentucky have offered on the basketball front.

As for his rankings as a football player, Marshall is the No. 86 overall player and the No. 12 wide receiver in the country. Within the state of Texas, he ranks as the No. 16 prospect on the 247Sports composite.

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Texas offers 2022 four-star QB, current USC commit Devin Brown

Texas has begun looking to add second options at quarterback for the 2022 class.

Texas is beginning to makes moves in the quarterback market. Even with four-star Maalik Murphy already in the 2022 class, Steve Sarkisian is still looking to add another signal-caller.

It seems as if four-star Devin Brown has been made the target. The current USC commit got an offer from Texas on Monday night. Ohio State has offered within the past week as well.

With the uncertainty surrounding the Trojans’ coaching search, Brown’s recruitment has begun to explode. An official visit to Ole Miss took place two weekends ago with fellow quarterback guru Lane Kiffin making his pitch.

Brown is ranked the No. 1 player in the state of Utah and a top 10 quarterback in the class. It should come as no shock that Sarkisian is searching for guys on the west coast considering his roots.

Rating

Stars Overall Position State
247 4 179 10 1
Rivals 4 48 4 1
ESPN 4 99 4 1
247 Composite 4 95 8 1

Vitals

Hometown Draper, UT
Projected Position Quarterback
Height 6-3
Weight 189

Recruitment

  • Offered on Oct. 18, 2021
  • No visit yet

Offers

Crystal Ball

Film

Twitter

Offering Brown may lead people to believe there will be some kind of exit within the quarterback room at the end of the season. Whether it is Hudson Card entering the transfer portal or Murphy decommitting from the class.

I’ll just say this. Stacking up elite-level quarterbacks is important. Just look at what Ohio State has done, even before Quinn Ewers reclassified. Yes, two guys are more than likely to portal at some point but wouldn’t you rather they have their chance in your program than not?

Texas only has three legit quarterbacks right now in Card, Casey Thompson, and Charles Wright. If Brown does end up a Longhorn and Murphy sticks out his commitment, Sarkisian will have a couple of years to evaluate his options. And there’s nothing wrong with having options.

Alabama lands commitment from in-state four-star CB Tre’Quon Fegans

Alabama adds their seventeenth commitment of the 2022 class!

Alabama has been able to recruit at a national level for quite some time now. However, whenever the state is loaded with elite talent, the job becomes that much easier.

The 2022 class has had an unusual amount of in-state talent and the Crimson Tide has taken advantage. Heading into the week, four out of the top eight players were committed. You can now make that five, as another one was added on the defensive side of the ball.

Four-star cornerback Tre’Quon Fegans announced his commitment to Alabama on Monday afternoon. Just a week ago, he was a Miami pledge, making a quick shift over. Fegans was in Tuscaloosa as recently as Oct. 2 on an unofficial visit for the Ole Miss matchup.

Alabama, Georgia, Miami, Oklahoma, and South Carolina made a top-five list before an original commitment in July.

Coming out of Thompson High School, Fegans plays for the best 7A school in the state. He transferred from Oxford High School, where he even got snaps at running back, to play his senior season.

Fegans makes commitment No. 17 early on in the 2022 cycle. He is just the second defensive back, joining three-star safety Jake Pope.

Charles Kelly and Freddie Roach were named as the main recruiters for the four-star. Even with Fegans verbally committed to Miami, these are the types of recruitments Alabama does not lose.

On the 247Sports composite, Fegans is the No. 5 player in the state of Alabama. On the national scale, he ranks as the No. 85 overall prospect and the No. 11 cornerback.

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Texas RB commit Jamarion Miller “trying to learn” from Bijan Robinson

Texas commit Jamarion Miller is set to become the next great RB to come out of Austin. Until then, he will try to learn from Bijan Robinson.

If there was ever any doubt, four-star running back Jamarion Miller is the best offensive recruit Texas currently has in their 2022 class. The No. 1 running back in the state was sought after by Alabama, Florida, Oklahoma, and Texas A&M at some points.

But with Stan Drayton being Stan Drayton, he was able to lock down another elite RB prospect.

Recruiting should be “easy” for Drayton, with how well Bijan Robinson has been performing in Steve Sarkisian’s offense. In just seven games, he has rushed for 934 yards and 10 touchdowns. Heisman consideration has even been thrown around.

The Longhorn commit has been noticing the success.

After watching the Red River Shootout against Oklahoma, Miller said the Texas offense can “dominate”, especially Robinson. Being able to watch and learn from the running back has been important to the current high school senior.

“He’s a great player and I am trying to learn from him and be the best,” Miller said. “He’s very powerful, he reads the holes right, and he does everything right on the field.”

Miller proved one way he can be similar to Robinson in Texas’ offense on Friday night against Mesquite Horn — in the passing game.

Two of his three touchdowns for Tyler Legacy against Mesquite Horn came from quarterback Bruce Bruckner. One was up the middle coming out of the backfield, while the other was an impressive snag from the outside.

When asked about the second touchdown, Miller’s first reaction was to laugh in somewhat disbelief.

“I don’t know how I caught that pass,” Miller said. “I had to make a play, just do what I could do.”

Speaking of touchdown receptions, true freshman Xavier Worthy has been another weapon Miller has been watching closely. Getting on the field early and making an impact has shown recruits opportunity is there in Austin.

“That boy is out there doing great,” the four-star said with a big smile on his face. “Watching what he did against OU, that was a great game for him. Especially for him to be a freshman. Look forward to him doing better.”

Miller was not able to make it down this past weekend for the Oklahoma State matchup as he had wished. There was a personal matter to attend to. But Texas’ staff is always encouraging their soon-to-be feature back to come down for the home games.

“I’m close to mainly the offensive staff, especially Coach Sark and Coach Drayt (Stan Drayton),” Miller said. “Brandon Harris, we always communicate with each other. They are always trying to get me to go down for a game.”

Seemingly locked in on his commitment to Texas, Miller will join a loaded backfield during his freshman season. Once Robinson makes his way to the league, the opportunity for carries will be available for another bEAST Texas running back.

On the 247Sports composite, Miller is the No. 105 overall prospect and No. 9 within the state of Texas. At the running back position, the four-star ranks at No. 17.

Texas loses out on four-star tight end Jaleel Skinner to Alabama

Texas loses out on their only tight end prospect in the 2022 class.

Tight end was not seen as a position of need for Texas in the 2022 class. Jeff Banks was focusing most of recruiting power on some of the biggest named prospects in the country. Four-star Jaleel Skinner was the exception.

When the No. 1 tight end in the country shows interest, you pursue him. Especially at 6-5, 210 pounds with elite ball skills as a receiver. Figure out the depth chart later, just get him on campus.

Unfortunately, Texas lost out on Skinner to Alabama on Friday afternoon. Clemson, Florida, Florida State, and Miami were considered the other contenders. The rich continue to get richer in Tuscaloosa.

A couple of days after Texas moved up to the No. 2 class in the country, they have been bumped down one spot. Surprise, surprise, Alabama now holds the top class for the 2022 cycle. With only 16 commits, Nick Saban could be brewing another historic class.

Having Skinner would have been a huge plus for Texas, but now, the tight end position seems to be closed shop. Banks is not going to pursue any other prospects. Developing former five-star Ja’Tavion Sanders will become the top priority in Austin.

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Four-star TE Jaleel Skinner commits to Alabama over Florida, Texas

Alabama is back to the No. 1 class in the country!

Four-star Jaleel Skinner provided himself with a nice birthday present. After originally wanting to reveal his school of choice on Saturday, the tight end moved it up by one day for the ultimate gift.

Skinner announced his commitment to Alabama on Friday afternoon. Texas and Florida were seen as the biggest competitors, with Clemson, Florida State, and Miami lurking in the background. A big win for the Crimson Tide class.

Jahleel Billingsly is a good comparison, being more of a receiving tight end than an all-around guy. Skinner currently plays wide receiver at IMG Academy but thanks to his 6-5, 210-pound frame, he’ll have to move inside.

With the commitment, Alabama has moved up to the No. 1 class, jumping ahead of Texas and Penn State. With only having 16 commitments, another historic cycle is Tuscaloosa bound.

Skinner is the second tight end in Alabama’s class after four-star Elijah Brown committed near Valentine’s Day. It will be the first time since the 2017 class Nick Saban has taken two at the position in the same cycle.

On the 247Sports composite, Skinner is the No. 1 tight end in the country and the No. 74 overall player. Attending IMG Academy, he ranks as the No. 10 player from the state of Florida.

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Texas lands huge commitment from four-star wide receiver Brenen Thompson

Boom! Texas lands its highest-rated commitment from Brenen Thompson.

Wide receiver has been a major hole in Texas’ 2022 class for some time. Having four-star Armani Winfield on board was a great start under Steve Sarkisian but it’s been nine months since his commitment.

Speed was the element missing from the class. Winfield is a great receiver prospect but is missing an absolute barnburner to pair alongside true freshman Xavier Worthy.

On Wednesday, Andre Coleman was able to lock down the first speedster at wide receiver in the Longhorns’ 2022 class.

Four-star Brenen Thompson announced his commitment to Texas on Wednesday via CBS Sports Live. Oklahoma State and Texas A&M were the other finalists for the wide receiver.

We can officially mark this as Sarkisian’s first head-to-head win against Jimbo Fisher in the recruiting world. While Oklahoma State was a finalist, there was never a doubt the four-star was going to leave the state of Texas.

A trip to Texas A&M was on deck for Saturday’s matchup against Alabama before Thompson decided to shut down his recruitment. The official visit to Austin during Rice weekend ended up sealing the deal for Texas.

At the end of the day, wide receivers with elite speed are going to attract Sarkisian. Think of his 2019 group at Alabama in Jerry Jeudy, Henry Ruggs, DeVonta Smith, and Jaylen Waddle. An attempt will be made to recreate that in Austin.

Not many players in the state are faster than Thompson. His blazing numbers on the track speak for themselves, let alone the football field.

On the 247Sports composite, Thompson ranks as the No. 14 wide receiver in the country and No. 87 overall. Within the state of Texas, he is the No. 11 prospect. He is now the highest-rated commit in the Longhorns’ 2022 class.

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Four-star tight end, Alabama target Jaleel Skinner announces commitment date

A birthday commitment is in store for Jaleel Skinner!

Four-star Jaleel Skinner has provided one of the more interesting recruitments in the 2022 class. The No. 1 tight end in the country has shown interest in multiple schools over the past few months, especially in the state of Florida.

Now, he is ready to give himself a birthday present and close down his recruitment.

Skinner announced he would be making his commitment on Friday at 2:30 p.m. CDT on CBS Sports HQ. Alabama is one of the finalists, alongside Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Miami, and Texas.

If he ends up committing to the good guys, he would be the Crimson Tide’s second-highest ever rated tight end commitment (OJ Howard).

 

The Crimson Tide has been surging on the 247Sports crystal ball, receiving predictions in the past couple of days. Usually, a good sign for which way the recruitment is flowing.

Looking for a comparison on the current roster from a football perspective, Jahleel Billingsley could be the right one. When thinking about No. 19, blocking is never the first thing in your head. Being a reliable downfield threat is more of his game and getting yards after the catch,

Skinner fits the same mold. He plays more of wide receiver right now but his 6-5, 210-pound frame is going to move him to the inside. Especially with how much speed Alabama’s offense love on the outside.

Originally from South Carolina, Clemson was thought to be the early favorite. Then Skinner made official visits to Florida, Florida State, and Miami alongside Alabama.

Check out photos from Skinner’s official visit in June here:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CQZCNWkH8pn/

Alabama already has a tight end in the 2022 class in four-star Elijah Brown, committing back in February. If Skinner commits and both players stick, it will be the first time since the 2017 class Nick Saban has taken two tight ends in the same cycle.

On the 247Sports composite, Skinner is the No. 1 tight end in the country and the No. 74 overall player. Attending IMG Academy, he ranks as the No. 10 player from the state of Florida.

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Griffin McVeigh on Twitter @Griffin_McVeigh.

Texas target, four-star tight end Jaleel Skinner changes commitment date

Alabama, Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Miami, and Texas are seen as the finalists for Skinner.

Jeff Banks may have the best reputation as a recruiter on Texas’ staff. Steve Sarkisian has put him on some of the most high-profile prospects, ones who would fall under the “must get” category.

Even so, the Longhorns have strayed away from chasing tight ends during the 2022 cycle. Banks’ position group is in a solid spot on the depth chart with Cade Brewer, Jared Wiley, and three promising true freshmen.

Jaleel Skinner has been the exception so far. The four-star tight end has caught the eye of Banks, making him the only true target on the board. An official visit on June 24 helped make the interest mutual as well.

Alabama, Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Miami, and Texas are seen as the finalists for Skinner. He originally planned on announcing his school of choice on Oct. 9 but the tight end has moved his commitment date up by one day.

CBS Sports HQ will be how you can watch, live at 2:30 CDT.

Three days out, Alabama seems to be the leader. Multiple 247Sports crystal balls predictions have been inserted in favor of the Crimson Tide over the past couple of days. Florida State was seen as the leader over the summer but a 1-4 start has hurt Mike Norvell’s recruiting.

Even if Alabama ends up being the pick, Texas will still fight to get Skinner back on campus for a visit. Nothing is ever official in recruiting until the fax is sent on national signing day. Especially with a Red River Shootout performance pending the next day.

Skinner is seen as a wide receiver more than anything, however, his 6-5, 210-pound frame will force him to move to tight end. Sarkisian’s use of 12 personnel could be a selling point as Skinner is able to use his pass-catching skills while developing as a blocker.

On the 247Sports composite, Skinner is the No. 1 tight end in the country and the No. 74 overall player. Attending IMG Academy, he ranks as the No. 10 player from the state of Florida.

Contact/Follow us @LonghornsWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas news, notes, and opinions.