Tag: Texas Longhorns

2020 Recruiting Target: Ennis Rakestraw

The Texas Longhorns are wrapping up their 2020 recruiting class and are set to meet with three-star cornerback Ennis Rakestraw.

There is less than a week to go before the final National Signing Day of the 2020 recruitment cycle. One target that remains in the sights of the Texas Longhorns will be teammate of Ja’Quinden Jackson, Ennis Rakestraw. The two helped lead Duncanville to a state championship game. Rakestraw is currently ranked as a three-star cornerback.

The top three schools believed to be in the running for his recruitment are Alabama, Missouri and Texas. According to 247, they project that Rakestraw will sign with Alabama on February 5th. He is scheduled to meet with Texas on January 31st.

At this point of the recruiting cycle, John Tyler’s Kitan Crawford is the only other cornerback of the 2020 class. Rakestraw was named Dallas Morning News Defensive Player of The Year. At this point it seems all signs point to him joining Alabama but crazier things have happened on National Signing Day.

2020 NFL Mock Draft: Three Longhorns In Top 120

2020 NFL Mock Draft that has Devin Duvernay, Brandon Jones and Collin Johnson over the first four rounds of the NFL Draft.

With the Super Bowl right around the corner and the post season bowl games all wrapped for the college athletes, Longhorns Wires look at a mock draft that revolves around the Texas Longhorns who will be looking to continue their football careers on the grandest stage of the NFL.

The three most often mocked Longhorns are safety Brandon Jones and the wide receiver duo of Collin Johnson and Devin Duvernay. As it sits now, all three players are viewed as top 120 players with Jones the highest rated of the trio at this point.

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Devin Duvernay Ranks 2nd In First Down Receptions

According to Pro Football Focus, Devin Duvernay was second among draft eligible WRs in first down receptions.

Devin Duvernay was such a valuable asset to the 2019 Texas Longhorns football team and he will be missed when the team takes the field for the first time in 2020. According to Pro Football Focus, Duvernay was a top the leaderboard for most receptions resulting in a first down.

With 68 receptions for first downs, that would put his first down percentage at 64.1 percent. That is high efficient numbers. Jefferson finished just ahead of Duvernay with 64.8 percent for first downs.

Duvernay was a big play receiver for Texas but he was also one of the more efficient receivers in the country. He uses his reliable hands to bring down almost any ball throw his way so it should come as no surprise of how well he played in 2019 and why the sky is the limit for Duv in the NFL.

Texas Offers 2022 Cornerback Bobby Taylor

The Texas Longhorns have made an offer to Katy cornerback Bobby Taylor for the 2022 recruiting class.

The Texas Longhorns have recently made an offer to 2022 cornerback out of Katy, Texas Bobby Taylor. Taylor made the announcement on his Twitter account on Wednesday evening. Bobby Taylor is the son of Bobby Taylor who played for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Philadelphia Eagles and Seattle Seahawks.

Taylor becomes the third cornerback that the University of Texas has targeted for the 2022 class. Taylor is unrated at this point in the process. Taylor has recently picked up offers from Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Alabama and now the Longhorns.

PFF Ranks Devin Duvernay 3rd In Most Forced Missed Tackles

According to Pro Football Focus, Texas wide receiver Devin Duvernay is the third-best wide receiver in forcing missed tackles.

Without question Devin Duvernay was must watch television in 2019. The Longhorns leading receiver climbed the ranks in Texas history with a monster season that was second best to Jordan Shipley but a season that the Longhorns needed with Collin Johnson missing time due to injury.

Recently Pro Football Focus reported that Duvernay forced the fourth-most missed tackles in college football during the 2019 season.

Duvernay can be a force to deal with when he gets in open space and his 23 forced missed tackles proved that, right on par with top wide receiver prospect Justin Jefferson. Duvernay is currently viewed as a third to fourth round prospect but with the scouting combine and pro days still to come, it is a situation to watch as draft seasons moves towards the 2020 NFL Draft.

Final 247 Rankings: Texas Have Number Two and Three Dual Threat Quarterbacks

The Texas Longhorns have signed the number two and three dual threat quarterbacks according to the 247 final rankings of 2020.

Recently 247 posted their final rankings for the 2020 recruiting class. Bijan Robinson was once ranked as the number two running back before being bumped up. Two other 2020 Texas Longhorns signees are in the top three at their position.

Hudson Card

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Former Austin Lake Travis quarterback Hudson Card finishes as the number two dual threat quarterback in the state and seventh overall. Card has drawn comparisons to former West Virginia and Florida quarterback Will Grier. Card has shown the ability to win from the pocket but don’t be fooled, Hudson can beat you with his legs and he has shown the ability to do it often.  Card was an Elite 11 finalist and was named to the Under Armour All-American game roster.

Ja’Quinden Jackson

Jackson is the second of the dual threat quarterbacks to sign with Texas as part of their 2020 recruiting class. Jackson played Duncanville in the Dallas-Ft Worth metroplex. He is the third-ranked dual threat quarterback and 10th overall in the state. Jackson was also on the roster for the Under Armour All-American game but a torn ACL ended his season in the state semifinal playoff game. Jackson has drawn comparisons to Vince Young and Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott.

For these two quarterbacks, their battle will begin in the spring of the 2021 Texas football season. Sam Ehlinger in place to start for the 2020 season and Jackson and Card will duke it out to see who will be the heir apparent in Texas. Quite the battle is ahead for the two of the top three dual quarterbacks in the state of Texas.

 

Two Longhorns Named To Preseason All Big 12 Team

Texas Longhorns baseball team has two players represented on the preseason All-Big 12 team with Bryce Elder and Eric Kennedy.

Two weeks until the Longhorns start their baseball conference championship defense against the Rice Owls on February 15th. The Big 12 announced their preseason All-Big 12 team. Two Longhorns represented on the team with pitcher Bryce Elder and outfielder Eric Kennedy.

Elder is heading into his junior season for the Longhorns. Last year with Texas, Elder was named to the All-Big 12 second team. He posted a 2.93 ERA in 13 starts where he pitched 83 innings. He led the team with 86 strikeouts and was named Big 12 pitcher of the week on multiple occasions. Elder looks to lead the staff back to the College World Series in Omaha for the second-consecutive season for the first time since 2002-2005 when Texas participated in the championship tournament for four consecutive years.

Kennedy will return to Austin for his sophomore season. The former high school All-American was named to the All-Big 12 honorable mention team as a freshman. He led all Longhorns with a .310 batting average and hit safely in 13 of 14 of the final games of the season. He scored 41 runs with eight doubles, three triples and two home runs in 2019.

Texas Alumni Game Takes Place February 1st

The Texas Alumni return to Austin to take on the Texas baseball team in the Texas Alumni baseball game on February 1st.

The Texas Longhorns baseball season gets under full swing on February 14th when the Longhorns head to Houston to take on the Rice Owls in a three-game series before returning to Disch-Falk Field to host UT-San Antonio for a one game set on Tuesday February 18th.

Before the defending Big 12 Champions start the season there is the Alumni game on Saturday February 1st at Disch-Falk Field. There will be plenty of alums to watch as they return to the field where their dreams of playing in the major leagues began.

Alumni expected to join in the festivities:

  • Tres Barrera, Washington Nationals catcher
  • Kacy Clemens, Toronto Blue Jay birst baseman
  • Kody Clemens, Detroit Tigers second baseman
  • Ty Culbreth, Colorado Rockies pitcher
  • Zane Gurwitz, Los Angeles Angels infielder
  • Blair Henley, Houston Astros pitcher
  • Travis Jones, Kansas City Royals infielder
  • Andy McGuire, Kansas City Royals pitcher/utility
  • Mark Payton, Oakland Athletics outfielder
  • Ryan Reynolds, Chicago Cubs infielder
  • Parker Joe Robinson, Los Angeles Angels pitcher
  • Chase Shugart, Boston Red Sox pitcher

The gates officially open at 10:00 am but first pitch doesn’t happen until 3:30 pm CST but there are other activities to enjoy as well. Visit Texas Sports for the entire list.

Texas linebacker chooses to enter NCAA transfer portal

A young, promising inside linebacker for Texas has chosen to enter the NCAA transfer portal.

The Longhorns will be losing a young, promising member of the defense.

According to national college football reporter Max Olson, Texas linebacker Juwan Mitchell has chosen to leave Austin and explore other opportunities.

Mitchell enrolled at Texas in June of 2019. Formerly with Butler Community College, Mitchell was an all-conference linebacker who ranked No. 2 on ESPN’s JC50 and No. 1 at linebacker before continuing his playing career at Texas.

In his first year as a Longhorn, Mitchell played in six games and logged 24 tackles, 19 solo stops, 3.5 tackles for loss, and three sacks. He also showcased a season-high seven tackles against TCU.

After fellow linebacker Ayodele Adeoye suffered a foot injury requiring surgery this offseason, Texas now has minimal depth at inside linebacker.

Ten Predictions for the 2020 season

The 2020 season is a pivotal season for the Texas program, needing to meet expectations. Here are 10 predictions for the upcoming season.

Expectations are high for the Longhorns, with everything seemingly set in place for a great 2020 season. With brand new coordinators hired of both sides of the ball, a reshaped coaching staff is in place to hopefully make good use of all the talent Texas has on the roster.

Coming off a poor 2019 season, this season is a pivotal season for the program. Needing a successful year in the fourth year of Tom Herman, the level of accomplishments like a Big 12 championship appearance and an NY6 Bowl game need to become reality. With all of the experience coming back, it has a great opportunity to finally happen for Texas.

Here are 10 predictions for the Longhorns in the 2020 football season.

Texas will go 2-0 against Oklahoma and LSU

With an early-season matchup against the Tigers, Death Valley will be rocking for the second year of the home and home series. However, losing most of their production on both sides of the ball plus a chunk of their coaching staff and a national championship hangover is in store for LSU. Mix in how well Tom Herman plays in big games and the Longhorns will edge out a win in Baton Rouge.

As for the Red River Shootout, the Sooners will be starting a quarterback who has never taken meaningful snaps in the rivalry game. With the experience Texas is bringing back, they will have the advantage going into this year’s game in Dallas. Herman and Ehlinger have proven they can win the game before and they’ll do it again this season.

Caden Sterns has a bounce-back season

Having an outstanding freshman season in 2018, Sterns spent most of 2019 injured and unable to make a real impact on the team. Only playing in nine games, he missed important games like Oklahoma and TCU, causing the Texas defense to really struggle. Expected to be fully healthy for the 2020 season, Sterns should be able to return to the level he is used to playing at. Having the ability to be the best player in the secondary, Sterns will be a key role to the defense next season.

At Oklahoma State will determine a Big 12 Championship spot

In a weird scheduling move by the Big 12, Texas will end their season Thanksgiving weekend on the road against Oklahoma State. Much like the Longhorns, the Cowboys have a ton of production coming back next season and are expected to compete at the top of the Big 12. Last season, their game in Austin set the tone for how the conference would shake out. This season, it will be a crucial matchup that could have championship implications. What would make it even more interesting is if Texas and OSU could play each other two weekends in a row. Either way, the season finale should have higher stakes than usual in 2020.

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