Tag: texas longhorns recruiting

Texas Offers 2021 Four-Star Linebacker

The Texas Longhorns have offered Georgia four-star and top 50 prospect Smael Mondon Jr. Monday is the 8th outside linebacker offered by UT.

The Texas Longhorns have been ramping up their offers to the 2021 recruiting class ahead of National Signing Day on Wednesday for the 2020 class. Recently Texas offered 2021 four-star linebacker Smael Mondon Jr out of Georgia.

Mondon is the third-ranked linebacker in the nation and third-ranked prospect in the state of Georgia. The top 50 player nationally is projected to sign with the Georgia Bulldogs according to the Crystal Ball prediction on his 247 profile.

Mondon becomes the eighth outside linebacker offered by Texas for the 2021 class. They have one commit at the position with Derrick Harris Jr out of New Caney, Texas.

 

From Texas Longhorn To Super Bowl Champion

Former Texas Longhorn defensive end Alex Okafor can now say he reached the pinnacle of the sport as a world champion.

The story of Alex Okafor started in Pflugerville, Texas where he was a top rated defensive end prospect. He was named USA Today High School All-American and signed with the Texas Longhorns in 2009 as the number one rated strong side defensive end and four-star recruit.

During his time at Texas, Okafor was a problem for opposing offenses. He registered 150 total tackles, 34 tackles for loss and 23 career sacks. His senior year was especially big as he was first in the conference with 12.5 sacks and four forced fumbles. Okafor also finished seventh in the conference for career sacks.

Okafor’s final two seasons earned him All-Big 12 first team honors and first team All-American in 2011. His play earned him the opportunity to chase his dream in the NFL. He was selected in the fourth round of the 2013 NFL Draft by the Arizona Cardinals. Following his four-year run in Arizona it was off to New Orleans.

After a solid start to the 2017 season, Okafor was put on the injured reserve list in week 11 when he tore his achilles tendon. He would return to the Saints in 2018 but after a four-sack season where he started all 16 games Okafor was a free agent again. That is when the Kansas City Chiefs came calling.

The Chiefs knew they needed to beef up their defense after losing the AFC Championship game due to not being able to stop the Patriots offense. In that game, New England got the ball to start overtime and scored a touchdown never allowing the Chiefs an opportunity.

Okafor was having a good season in Kansas City as they chased the opportunity to win the AFC, something that had eluded them for 50 years. Okafor recorded his second-best sack totals as a pro with five before tearing his pectoral muscle. It ended his season but even though he did not participate, the 2012 Alamo Bowl Defensive MVP can now say that he is a World Champion.

A Big National Signing Day Could Put Texas Back In Top 10

With a big National Signing Day coming up on February 5th, the Texas Longhorns could jump back into the Top 10 with the 2020 class.

Prior to the updated National Rankings from 247 Sports, the Texas Longhorns were rated as the number one recruiting class in the Big 12 and top 10 in the Nation. Currently the sit 11th nationally and second in the Big 12 conference behind rival Oklahoma.

The team just ahead of them in the rankings, Michigan, is just 0.11 points ahead of them based on the recruiting rankings provided by 247. Signing Alfred Collins, Princely Umanmielen and Ennis Rakestraw Jr would definitely get them into the top 10 and likely overtake the Sooners for best in the Big 12.

Collins would give the Longhorns their second five-star recruit to go along with Bijan Robinson and Princely would be the classes 12th four-star signing. Neither Michigan or Oklahoma have a single five-star recruit in their prospective classes.

Recruiting classes rankings don’t carry much weight into the season without coaches putting them into a position to win but it provides fans and teams bragging rights. Well at least until they take the field in the fall.

This year will likely be the lowest ranked class since Tom Herman stepped onto the Forty Acres but he hasn’t finished outside the top 10. Every class has been third in the nation until the 2020 class.

Texas Longhorns Offer 2021 Four-Star Safety

The Texas Longhorns have made their fourth offer to a four-star safety of the 2021 recruiting class. Kaine Williams of Marrero, Louisiana.

The third-rated safety in the state of Louisiana, Kaine Williams has picked up an offer from the University of Texas. Williams becomes the fourth safety to be offered a scholarship from Texas and the highest rated of the four. Williams could come in and challenge for playing time immediately.

Williams is a ball-hawk that the Longhorns defense could definitely use to help out their defense. He can be dangerous after the change of possession as he looks to score and a very solid tackler as well. Most analysts are projecting him to Louisiana State but it would be a huge get for Tom Herman if they could sway the safety to patrol the secondary in Austin.

2022 Cornerback Narrows List To Eight

2022 North Shore cornerback Denver Harris has narrowed his school choice to eight, did the Texas Longhorns make the cut?

Back in August, The Texas Longhorns and the staff offered North Shore cornerback of the 2022 class Denver Harris a scholarship to continue his football career in Austin. The Longhorns in total have five offers on the table at the position of cornerback for 2022. Harris, who is one of them, has narrowed down his final eight schools.

If you pay attention to his twitter account, Harris has his Texas offer as his pinned tweet so that could either be in favor of the Longhorns or not mean anything at all. He will be a name to watch during the next season especially given that he will commit following his junior year.

 

Texas Longhorns Offer 2021 Four-Star Running Back

The Texas Longhorns and head coach Tom Herman have offered 2021 four-star running back Donovan Edwards of West Bloomfield, Michigan.

During the Longhorns recruiting event in Austin on Saturday, they met with four-star running back Donovan Edwards of West Bloomfield, Michigan. Edwards is currently the number two ranked running back in the nation and the third-highest rated recruit in the state of Michigan.

The Longhorns have extended an offer to the highly touted back. The three schools highest on his list at this point are Ohio State, Michigan and Michigan State according to his 247 profile. Edwards marks the sixth running back that Texas has extended an offer to. Phil Mafah is the only one who has committed elsewhere. The other five have yet to make a commitment.

It is hard to fathom that Edwards will go with Texas over his top three with Bijan Robinson (the nation’s top-rated 2020 back) on his way to the Forty Acres.

Texas target, 2020 three-star cornerback lists Top Three schools

Texas is still in the hunt to land 2020 three-star cornerback Ennis Rakestraw.

As National Signing Day approaches on February 5, Texas is in great position to land a few of their top targets to finish out the 2020 recruiting class.

Currently ranked the No. 11 overall class in the nation, the Longhorns are hoping to still land several more prospects on Wednesday to bolster their defense.

Five-star defensive end Alfred Collins is undoubtedly the highest-rated target remaining for Texas, but four-star defensive end Princely Umanmielen and three-star cornerback Ennis Rakestraw would be significant additions.

While we’ve covered the remaining schools in the hunt to land Collins and Umanmielen, it appears Rakestraw has included Texas as one of his top remaining programs also.

The Duncanville, Texas native completed visits with Texas, Alabama, and Missouri in January. Rakestraw was named the 2019 Dallas Morning News Defensive Player of the Year, helped lead Duncanville High School to 15-1 records, state-runner up finishes as a junior and senior.

Alabama has been heavily recruiting the 6-0, 170-pound defensive back, but Texas’ late push to land Rakeshaw over the past month was enough to secure his final official visit before National Signing Day.

 

 

 

Texas Longhorns Softball Ranked Sixth In The Nation

The Texas Longhorns softball team comes into the season ranked sixth in the ESPN Top 25 poll. The Longhorns look to win the Big 12 in 2020.

The Texas Longhorns softball team is looking to rekindle some of their postseason magic of the 2013 season that saw them reach the semifinals of the Women’s College World Series. That was the furthest in the tournament that the Lady Horns had ever reached. Last season the team reached the Super Regionals of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2013 under new head coach Mike White. He replaced Connie Clark who had been the head coach since they started the program in 1997.

ESPN Poll announced on Thursday ranked Texas at number six, just three spots behind their bitter rivals at Oklahoma. The Big 12 conference has four of the top 25 with Oklahoma State and Texas Tech also in the mix.

Last season the Longhorns finished with a record of 46-17. Their best since the 2013 season. The Longhorns and Sooners will likely do battle all season for softball supremacy in the Big 12.

 

2020 Texas Longhorns Outlook: The Running Back Conundrum

The Texas Longhorns have a loaded backfield heading into the spring, what does the team do with all these weapons?

One big question that will need to be addressed as the Texas Longhorns head into spring practice this year surrounds sophomore Jordan Whittington. The Longhorns will have a crowded backfield with Keaontay Ingram, Whittington, Roschon Johnson and incoming freshman Bijan Robinson.

Robinson is one of the quartet that won’t be in spring practice since he isn’t enrolling early at Texas. One possible scenario could involve Johnson moving back to quarterback with Whittington coming off of injury and Robinson joining in the fall.

The other possible scenario could be moving Whittington over to wide receiver. The Longhorns are losing two receiver who rank in the top ten in terms of yards in Texas history in Collin Johnson and Devin Duvernay. The five-star recruit is a possible option. In high school, Whittington ran for over 1,400 yards and added another 3,202 through the air.

His athleticism makes him a good fit as he can create space for the quarterback to get him the ball and his elusiveness creates big plays when the ball is in his hands. He was also used as a punt returner and kick returner that scored 69 total touchdowns in three season. He is so dynamic as a playmaker that he can really contribute from a multitude of areas on the field.

The situation the Longhorns find themselves in is a pleasant one, what do they do with a loaded backfield and the spring should give some insight as to how they will deploy these weapons.

Texas Longhorns Recruiting: Misses The Cut On 2021 Five-Star Defensive End

Tunmise Adeleye has narrowed his list to six schools in his recruitment and the Texas Longhorns didn’t make the cut.

The Texas Longhorns have just wrapped up their early signing period where they signed 17 new Longhorns to join the team. They are likely to be added a couple more names to the list with National Signing Day coming up in February. One player who has narrowed his list for the 2021 class won’t be considering Texas.

Five star defensive end Tunmise Adeleye of Katy, Texas tweeted out his list of six schools he is considering going into his senior season in 2020. Unfortunately for Longhorns’ faithful, Texas wasn’t on it.

Adeleye is however still considering joining the Oklahoma Sooners. He has recorded 100 tackles, 18 tackles for loss and 11 sacks in two seasons.