Tag: Texas high school football

Where the top Texas prospects signed in the 2022 recruiting class

The state of Texas produced seven five-star players in the 2022 class.

The state of Texas produced seven five-star prospects in the 2022 recruiting class. Continue reading “Where the top Texas prospects signed in the 2022 recruiting class”

No. 2 Westlake dominates No. 7 Katy to advance Texas 6A Division 2 state championship

Clemson commit Cade Klubnik fired five touchdown passes as No. 2 Westlake dominated No. 7 Katy in the Texas 6A Division 2 semifinals.

No. 2 Westlake and No. 7 Katy have been the class of Texas throughout the 2021 high school football season. On Saturday, it was Westlake that set itself apart from the pack to advance to the 6A Division 2 state championship game in dominant fashion.

Five-star senior quarterback and Clemson commit Cade Klubnik threw for over 300 yards and five touchdowns as Westlake rolled to a 45-14 win over Katy. Westlake has now won 39 games in a row and will go for its third straight state title under legendary head coach Todd Dodge.

Westlake held Katy scoreless in the first half, jumping out to a 31-0 halftime lead. Katy got on the board in the third quarter, but Westlake added two more touchdowns and led 45-7 going into the fourth.

Westlake kicked things off with a defensive stop and a 45-yard rushing touchdown by sophomore Jack Kayser on its first drive of the game. Westlake then stopped Katy on third down at midfield, setting up a long Klubnik touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Pierce Turner.

Westlake kept rolling in the second quarter, extending its lead to 17 with a field goal before going up 24-0 on a Klubnik 18-yard strike to four-star junior wide receiver Jaden Greathouse with 5:55 remaining in the first half. Westlake then got a stop in Katy territory and Klubnik took advantage, firing his third touchdown pass of the game just before halftime.

Klubnik and Greathouse connected on another touchdown early in the third quarter to make it a 38-0 game. Katy scored its first points on its ensuing drive, as junior quarterback Caleb Koger hit senior wide receiver Nic Anderson for a 45-yard catch and run to cut Westlake’s lead to 38-7.

Westlake put its foot on Katy’s throat on its ensuing drive, as Klubnik fired one last touchdown pass to Keaton Kubecka for Kubecka’s second score of the game. Koger and Anderson hooked up for another score in the fourth quarter, but it was too little, too late for Katy.

The loss was Katy’s worst postseason defeat in school history. Westlake will now play the winner of Guyer vs. Tomball next weekend for a state championship.

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Four-star OL Cole Hutson stepping up as one of the leaders in Texas’ 2022 class

Four-star OL commit Cole Hutson has become one of Texas’ leaders in the 2022 class.

Going to Austin has become a “ritual” for four-star offensive lineman Cole Hutson since becoming a Texas commit. Not just to see his future team play live but also to be one of the main recruiters within the class.

He, four-star edge Derrick Brown, and three-star offensive lineman Connor Robertson have really stepped up as the vocal leaders. There is even a little interclass rivalry going on to see who can be the best recruiter between the three of them.

“Connor (Robertson) does a good, good job,” Hutson said when Longhorns Wire caught up with him last week. “Whenever me and Conner talk, it’s just different. Derrick (Brown) is on Twitter, saying he is the best and everything like that. Love Derrick but I think Connor has him beat by a little bit. It’s funny to see them go back and forth.”

As mentioned, Brown does a lot of his recruiting on social media. Whether it is quote tweeting prospects with a hook ’em emoji or hyping them up when Texas visit photos are posted, the Texarkana native creates a lot of buzz.

But with Hutson and Robertson on campus so often, they talk to the guys face to face. On the field, results may not have gone favorably over the past two weeks. But selling Texas itself and Steve Sarkisian has been the consistent message — especially to the offensive players.

“Trust the process. This is a brand new coaching staff and the more you look at it and the more detail you get, the more you kind of understand he’s (Steve Sarkisian) a genius. Coach Sark, in some of those games, I feel like we should not be a part of but he’s calling plays that are magnificent. You would never expect those to ever be called.”

Oklahoma State was one of the biggest recruiting weekends of the season for the Longhorns. Some of the top prospects in the country were in town, highlighted by five-star quarterback Arch Manning. Hutson said he was able to hang around him, alongside fellow offensive lineman Malik Agbo and Earnest Greene.

“Let’s just say we did a really good job this week with the guys that were there,” Hutson said. “We just really showed what it was going to be like at UT and made them understand what the missing piece was. It kind of clicked in their minds and hopefully later this month or in the near future we get some more guys to come help us to achieve that greatness.”

Seeing other up-front blockers in Austin was something Hutson lit up about when asked. Since his joint commitment with Robertson on July 2, there has yet to be another offensive lineman join the class. Agbo and Greene are two priority targets for who Texas needs to get in the class.

Hutson says it’s more than just football performance, though. Both guys are talented but after hanging out in Austin, their personalities are what really stood out.

“I talked to Coach (Kyle) Flood about it and he felt good about it,” said Hutson. “I really like both of them, personally. We really need them but also, they’re good people and you want good people to be on your team.”

Everything seems to be about more than just football for Hutson. One of the main reasons Texas was such a big attraction for Hutson was because of the coaching staff.

When Sarkisian departed from Alabama, so did some of his top assistants. Offensive line coach Kyle Flood was one of, if not the biggest, name to follow.

Hutson’s relationship with him has been the biggest driving force as to why Texas was his school of choice.

“He’s a great guy, a real honest guy,” said Hutson. “He acts like you’re a normal person. He does not act like you’re a recruit or act like you’re God. He treats you like a normal person. I really like that, plus, the things he has done to develop kids at Alabama and now he’s coming over here.”

Flood has a plan for offensive line recruiting over the next few seasons. If every box gets checked, there is an opportunity for something “really special” to happen in Austin.

Something you can tell Hutson is ecstatic to be a part of.

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Notre Dame misses out on speedy 2022 recruit

Speedy Texas running back staying home to play his college ball

There may be some as fast but I have trouble believing there are any faster recruits in the 2022 college football recruiting class than Major Everhart of Tascosa, Texas.

Notre Dame made a scholarship offer to the speedster back in July but on Thursday found out Everhart will be playing his college football elsewhere as he announced he’ll be attending TCU next year.

Everhart is listed as a three-star running back on both 247Sports and Rivals.  His speed left some wondering if he’d play running back or receiver had he attended Notre Dame but that will be a question TCU will eventually have the answer to.

Notre Dame currently has one running back commitment in the 2022 recruiting class, Jadarian Price of Denison, Texas.

Related:

All of Notre Dame’s leading rushers since the start of the Lou Holtz era

Notre Dame releases first depth chart for Virginia Tech game

College football experts make Notre Dame vs. Virginia Tech predictions

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Three-star offenisve tackle Cameron Williams “100% committed to Oregon”

“I am 100% committed to Oregon until further notice.”

It’s easy to spot Cameron Williams out of a crowd. The 6-5, 360-pound offensive lineman spent the night making his presence known against DeSoto. Most times, the Eagles did not even try to send a rusher his way, letting Williams find his own target.

Texas was in after the three-star offensive tackle hard over the summer. Willaims’ decision came down to the Longhorns, Oklahoma, and Oregon. To much surprise, the west coast school ended up being the winner. At the time, it was the latest of many moves the Ducks have made inside the state of Texas.

Offensive line coach Alex Mirabal was a big reason Oregon ended up being the choice. The two are close to each other and get to speak consistently. A proven track record of getting people to the next level appealed to Williams as well.

“We talk every day,” said Williams. “[Mirabal] knows a lot. He put a lot of people in the league, I like that.”

Mirabal was in attendance on Friday night to see his offensive tackle commit play in person. They caught up during the pregame warmup before turning the focus on the game. From there, the offensive line coach followed nearly every play from the right tackle.

Williams appreciated the gesture of making it down from Eugune to Dallas on a Friday night.

“It was a blessing just for him to fly down here, knowing they got a game tomorrow,” Williams said. “It was a blessing.”

Oregon has had a big week off the backs of a road win against Ohio State. The program has ascended to No. 4 in the AP poll, its highest regular-season ranking since 2014.

When asked about the win over Ohio State, Williams instantly lit up with excitement. The offensive line “looked pretty” as the Ducks rushed for 269 yards and three touchdowns. Everything seemed to check the boxes from the three-star’s end.

“It was crazy, everybody was doubting them hard but I already knew they were going to win,” he said.

Williams is scheduled to visit Eugune again over the Thanksgiving holiday to see the Oregon-Oregon State matchup better known as the Civil War. Texas-Oklahoma in Dallas is the only other game on the schedule. All five official visits have already been made.

From a Texas perspective, it seems as if there is a steep hill to climb if a flip is wanted. Williams has no plans at the moment to go see Austin for a game weekend. The Red River Shootout could be the last opportunity to get face time.

“To be honest, I do not even know [what it would take for a decommitment].”

“I am 100% committed to Oregon until further notice.”

Rockwall QB Braedyn Locke shines in huge win over Lake Travis, focusing on Highland Park

Braeyden Locke showed out on Friday night, dominating Lake Travis’ defense all night. He finished with 506 passing yards and five TDs.

The buzz around Wilkerson-Sanders Memorial Stadium was palpable with Lake Travis coming to town. Rockwall was fresh off a 75 point performance against Jesuit and was looking to upset the No. 6 team in 6A per Dave Campbell’s Texas Football.

Just looking out onto the field, you would think Rockwall was at a disadvantage from a size perspective alone. Lake Travis was bigger on both sides of the line of scrimmage, even towering over at times.

Well, the game is not played on paper and none of it mattered. From the get-go, you could tell Rockwall was ready to play. Especially on the offensive side of the ball.

Pace was the name of the game for the Yellow Jackets, using their speed at an efficient rate. Running an RPO offense, a bunch of quarterback Braeydn Locke’s passes were out within the first three seconds of the ball being snapped.

Rockwall took advantage of the sugar huddle as well, getting lined up and taking off before you could read the personnel they were in. The Austin high school had no answer for the fast-tempo offense.

Locke proved to be the star of the show, dominating in the passing game all night. The three-star prospect finished with 506 yards and five touchdowns on 30 of 43 passing.

At halftime, Rockwall led 31-21 after punting just once and throwing an interception. Then came 28 unanswered points in the second half were scored, all in the blink of an eye. Three of Locke’s five touchdowns came after the break.

Getting a win over a program such as Lake Travis can help push Rockwall toward its end-of-season goals. Locke insists learning from the previous season’s mistakes come first, though.

“I think [the win] will motivate us going forward,” said Locke. “Really just because last year we were in a similar situation, started out 3-0, beat a really good Southlake team, and then dropped the ball against Highland Park.”

Highland Park came to town last season and beat up on Rockwall pretty well. The final score was 46-18 in favor of the Scots and Rockwall barely saw 300 total yards.

Locke knows he and his team will be dialed in on the road next week at Highlander Stadium.

“Personally, for me, I know I am more motivated than ever to not let that happen again. I think the guys will too.”

Sticking to the game plan will be the goal. In Locke’s opinion no defense is going to be able to keep up with the Yellow Jackets. Focusing on playing their own game will yield positive results.

“We just gotta have really good attention to detail,” Locke said. “We gotta get out there, gotta play fast. A lot of people talk about it but until you really go against us, you don’t know how fast we go. Having a lot of attention to detail and being ready to go will really help us next week.”

Locke is currently committed to play for Mike Leach at Mississippi State beginning next season. Something Texas fans to keep an eye out for during the program’s transition to the SEC.

Thoughts on Texas target, five-star WR Evan Stewart’s performance on Friday against Greenville

Evan Stewart had another monster day on the stat sheet on Friday vs Greenville. He finished with 11 catches for 211 yards and a touchdown.

Frisco Liberty opened up the season with a nailbiter against Frisco Reedy in Week 1. A two-point conversion in the final seconds of the game won it for the Redhawks.

No late-game heroics were required tonight.

Playing at Toyota Stadium, Liberty pulled away from Greenville with ease in the second half to win 55-21. Four second half touchdowns, one of which was from five-star wide receiver Evan Stewart, ended up being the difference.

For Stewart, the new No. 3 player in the country per the 247Sports composite had another monster day on the stat sheet. He finished with 11 receptions for 211 yards and a touchdown.

Most throws came from within 10 yards, letting Stewart get outside to use his speed. Greenville’s defensive backs were playing off him plus a safety over him the entire game, calling for a few comeback routes.

One of Stewart’s best plays came early in the third quarter where he almost blew by three defenders but a last-ditch tackle tripped him up.

Early apologies for the crummy camera work. Thanks to Frisco ISD’s sidelines policies, plus my outdated phone, it was tough to get a quality shot.

In another comeback route, Stewart did a good job of tracking back to the ball and getting both feet in bounds to get another first down.

Liberty called a couple of jet sweeps for the five-star as well. Both resulted in solid chunk plays for the Redhawks. Instead of fully trying to get outside, Stewart hit the first hole he found both times and made his way upfield.

Something I was excited to see was Stewart’s jump-ball ability, especially in the red zone. Greenville’s defense made it priority No. 1 that I would not see such a thing. Wherever the five-star lined up inside of the 20, the cornerback would play press with another defensive back lined up right behind him.

Greenville had a difficult time bringing Stewart down with just one defender. The first guy would try to wrap up and quickly get bounced. Three to four guys would have to swarm and push Stewart out of bounds before the play was blown dead.

It was easy to see how he would transition and fit into Sarkisian’s system. Moving around across formations could create matchup problems, especially once in the slot. No linebacker, even within the SEC, is going to keep up.

Texas remains in the thick of it for the No. 1 in-state prospect. Stewart has already taken his official visit, coming to Austin in June. He has not set a time for an unofficial in the fall yet.

Seeing how Sarkisian’s offense performs throughout the season could be a major factor. Put up gaudy numbers with the receivers, plus make the move to the SEC next season, and your chances to land Stewart skyrocket.

Texas linebacker commit Trevell Johnson forgoing senior season due to injury

Trevell Johnson announced he will be forgoing his senior season due to an injury. The three-star linebacker is planning on getting surgery.

High school football got off to a flying start on Thursday night. Throughout the weekend, some of the best prospects in the country played in the state of Texas.

Sadly, the season is over for one of the Longhorns’ top defensive recruits from the 2022 class after just one game back on the field.

Arlington Martin’s Trevell Johnson announced he will be forgoing his senior season due to an injury Monday morning. The three-star linebacker is planning on getting surgery.

Whether or not he will enroll early and be on Texas’ campus just after the New Year is yet to be known.

You can read his full statement via Twitter here:

I will be forgoing my senior season due to an injury that requires surgery. It is in my best interest to do what’s best for me right now and that is to focus on my physical health, school and future.

Martin’s defense takes a major blow with Johnson out for the year. The three-star linebacker was the leading tackler last season with 109. His sophomore season saw 99 tackles and 12 tackles for a loss.

After opening the season up with a loss to Lake Travis, the Warriors were expected to push through for another playoff run. Losing someone like Johnson severely hurts the chances.

Luckily, there is still plenty of talent on the field. Four-star edge and Stanford commit Ernest Cooper should be the star of the front seven, while 2023 five-star cornerback Javien Toviano is one of the best corners in the country.

For Texas, they now have two 2022 commits who will not be playing their senior season of high school football. Four-star running back Jaydon Blue announced in May he would not be playing for Klein Cain to prepare for the next level. For Johnson, his case is different with an injury causing the opt-out.

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Four-star 2024 DB Jaydan Hardy keeping options open early in recruiting process

Lewisville’s season opened up with a 50-7 win over Arlington Bowie. LonghornsWire was able to catch up with four-star safety Jaydon Hardy after.

Lewisville’s season opened up with a dominating 50-7 win over Arlington Bowie. Division I talent played on both sides of the ball but sophomore Jaydan Hardy could have been the best.

Playing safety and wide receiver for the Farmers, Hardy finished the night with one reception for seven yards. He broke passes up when Bowie attempted to push the ball downfield, while also returned punts.

Getting a win to start the year was important to Hardy. Lewisville has high expectations for the season and going 1-0 was just the beginning.

“It felt great (to win). Just coming out here and showing people the talent we have.”

For personal goals, Hardy just wants to contribute to the team any way he possibly can. Whether it is at wide receiver or safety, being versatile and becoming a team leader is the priority of the four-star 2024 prospect.

As for Lewisville, the 2020 season ended with a second-round loss to Arlington Martin. Hardy and his teammates have different expectations this season. Not only making it to AT&T Stadium is the goal but lifting hardware is the only acceptable option.

“The goal for the team is state,” said Hardy. “We are not going to settle for less.”

After picking up his first Divison I offer back in mid-January, 10 other offers came throughout May and June. Big-time programs such as Alabama, LSU, Oklahoma, Texas, and Texas A&M have reached out.

Hardy went to three camps over the summer in College Station, Oxford, and Tuscaloosa. It’s only a few months into his recruitment, but the four-star has been enjoying everything so far.

“It was amazing going out and seeing colleges and being able to just experience it all and getting into the recruiting process. I love it, it’s amazing.”

Despite also playing on offense, Hardy is going to be recruited as a defensive back. The District 6-6A Defensive Newcomer of the Year had 61 tackles and two interceptions as a freshman.

For Texas, Blake Gideon has been the point of contact. Hardy has “talked to” and stayed in close contact” with the safety coach after receiving the offer back on June 2.

Being so early in the recruitment, Hardy is not rushing into anything. Just a sophomore, there is plenty of time to go through the process. For now, getting results on the field is the main focus.

“I am keeping my options open, just coming out here and playing football.”

On the 247Sports composite, Hardy is the No. 37 overall prospect in the 2024 class. He ranks at No. 4 among sophomore safeties and No. 6 within the Lone Star State.

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WATCH: Texas target, five-star WR Evan Stewart blows by double coverage for touchdown

Five-star Evan Stewart may be at the very top of Texas’ need within the 2022 class. Watch him score a 58-yard TD in the season opener here.

Make up a list of Texas’ biggest needs in the 2022 class and Evan Stewart may be at the very top. The five-star receiver is one of the best in the country and is getting recognized for it. The 247Sports composite recently moved Stewart up to the No. 3 overall prospect.

It’s easy to forget Stewart was once a Texas commit. Steve Sarkisian had the speedster locked down for just under a month before he decided to open up his recruitment. Wanting to take advantage of the NCAA dead period seemed to be the biggest reason.

Texas has stayed in the race, though. Alongside the Longhorns are some of the biggest SEC programs in the country chasing Stewart. Florida has made an impression early on, with Alabama and LSU lurking in the background. Texas A&M received an unofficial visit as well.

Defensive backs are chasing after Stewart as well. In Frisco Liberty’s season opener on Thursday, he quite literally ran past two defenders for a 58-yard touchdown. The cornerback never had a chance from the time the ball was snapped, followed by a safety late to the party.

You can watch the touchdown, followed by a questionable dead ball penalty, here.

According to the Dallas Morning News, Stewart ended the day with four receptions for 101 yards. Liberty beat Frisco Reedy 50-49, scoring a touchdown and converting a two-point conversion with under 10 seconds remaining.

For Texas to stay in the race for Stewart, a few things must be shown early on in Sarkisian’s debut season.

Winning games is first. This could be said for just about every top-rated recruit in the state. Before committing to Texas, they want to see the product on the field be better. From the season opener against Louisiana to the Oklahoma State game on Oct. 16, finding a way to be at least 5-1 is important. Success on the recruiting trail, especially in the case of Stewart, will follow if so.

The second is how Sarkisian’s use of receivers translates in Austin. The hype around the past two seasons at Alabama’s first-round draft picks will die pretty quickly if players such as Joshua Moore, Jordan Whittington, and Xavier Worthy are not putting up explosive numbers. Stewart’s will not be drawn to poor receiver performances.

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