RB Jonathon Brooks, Hallettsville (Hallettsville, TX) - .8850
Recruitment: Texas was his first offer and his recruitment was pretty much over before it started. Despite his utter domination of lesser competition, his stock never took off.
Evaluation: When I first watched him I was confident he’d blow up and become a national recruit, but it didn’t materialize due to lack of long-speed. More important than long speed are nuanced traits and those are evident, namely feel, lateral agility, and vision. He’s playing against a bunch of undersized FFA kids which allows him to run upright, but his new defensive teammates will fix that for him in his first few practices. Other than lack of home run speed there’s a lot to like.
Lead time: For the time being, the depth chart is thin and it’s conceivable he’ll be needed as a freshman. Keaontay Ingram’s future is uncertain and the staff is still chasing Cy-Fair’s LJ Johnson. Brooks’ biggest issue will be the adjustment to competition. Those running lanes are going to close much sooner. It won’t be a long adjustment period, though, because he is pretty natural.
Expectations: Volume back if needed but more likely a steady platoon back who gets a little more than what’s blocked for thanks to that vision and lateral quickness.
WR Jaden Alexis, Monarch (Coconut Creek, FL) - .8925 - early enrollee
Recruitment: The son of NFL veteran running back, Rich Alexis, held a lot of big offers but most schools weren’t pressing when UT moved in and defeated Miami.
Evaluation: Florida speed with verified 4.5 40 as a junior. Could easily be classified as an athlete. Could play APB/slot/ZWR or even DB if he wanted. Route running is simple — bubbles and verts. Will need to work on that. Not great length but will compete for the ball in the air. Get him in space with defenders in conflict. Very intelligent kid.
Lead time: His intelligence and speed leads me to believe it won’t take him too long to be ready, but I wouldn’t expect much production from him early on. I’d get him snaps in the Jordan Whittington role we saw glimpses of late in the season. I’d also test him out on kick and punt return.
Expectations: He should be able to start at slot or field receiver after the depth chart thins a little. If Texas experiences attrition he’ll be called to duty earlier.
WR Casey Cain, Warren Easton (New Orleans, LA) - .8519
Recruitment: Similar to Brooks, he has a pedestrian offer list and was an easy pull for the Texas staff. Mike Yurcich was his main advocate and it’s not hard seeing Cain being similar to Chris Lacy who played for Yurcich at Oklahoma State. Even better, perhaps he’s Marcell Ateman.
Evaluation: He’s a very long 6-foot-2, with quick feet at the LOS to help beat press. He’s fluid and runs well, but doesn’t have great burst. Short area quickness does appear to be good. Cain possesses a huge catch radius relative to height and strong hands and ball skills.
Lead time: If Brennan Eagles departs early it’s possible Cain works his way into the rotation as a true freshman, but more likely he’ll redshirt.
Expectations: If his fluidity and quickness lends itself to good route running, he’ll be able to create the necessary separation to become a quality boundary receiver. At minimum he should become a quality target receiver because of his hands and 50/50 ability.
TE Juan Davis, Everman (Everman, TX) - .8742
Recruitment: Yet another recruitment Texas didn’t have to fight all that hard for, in part because he was high atop the big board very early in the process. He was a Derek Warehime favorite and UT’s only early competition was SMU. Texas A&M did offer later in the process, which is a good sign of Davis’ ability.
Evaluation: Davis doesn’t care to watch football, he wants to play it. These kids are often ballers you can line up anywhere. Relative to that point, Davis has played quarterback for Everman. He’s fluid but not explosive for a skill player. He does have stellar hands. If he’s willing to do the dirty work, and I believe he is, he could become a quality move-piece as tight end or h-back. However, I would not rule out a look at outside linebacker. There might be some ability to get after the passer here.
Lead time: He’ll certainly be able to redshirt with Jared Wiley, Brayden Liebrock, and potentially Malcolm Epps ahead of him.
Expectations: With minimal tape, plus him not playing his college position much of the time, it’s hard to know where his floor and ceiling are. He does have the athletic and physical specs to find a long-term home somewhere.
TE Gunnar! Helm, Cherry Creek (Englewood, CO) - .8674 - early enrollee
Recruitment: Colorado (Colorado?) was loaded at tight end this year. Helm is actually ranked 4th at his position in the land of Bo Scaife but colleges valued Helm more than the networks. He picked up a number of quality national offers. That written, when it was time to pick a school, UT was the one pressing the hardest.
Evaluation: He’s not the bouncy basketball athlete you tend to find at the position but he has the ability to become a legitimate receiving weapon down the seams. He has a good frame for a dual threat TE with enough heft to block but still lean enough to keep his movement skills. He’s 6-5, 230 pounds, and can do a back flip so there are some intriguing raw materials to work with.
Lead time: He’s facing the same depth chart as Juan Davis. One of Helm or Davis, probably Helm, should emerge as the third TE next season if Epps departs.
Expectations: At a minimum he should develop into a starter quality tight end as the depth chart thins in front of him but he may have Charlie Kolar upside.
OL Hayden Conner, Taylor (Katy, TX) - .8871 - early enrollee
Recruitment: Conner was a known in recruiting circles as a freshman and not just because he was big for his age. He always played with older kids, sometimes even at tight end because of his athleticism. Offers were numerous by the time he was a sophomore. Early on, Nebraska and Wisconsin were real options but his recruitment funneled towards a UT/A&M battle, with UT winning thanks to his relationship with Herb Hand, former commit Jalen Milroe selecting Texas, and, perhaps most importantly, academics.
Evaluation: Good upside as a guard with a mauler’s build and just enough athleticism to make you think tackle could work. I’ve seen him run routes as a tight end in 7-on-7 and he’s not your typical interior offensive line athlete. He’s ran a 4.77 shuttle.
Lead time: Offensive lineman always need time to adjust and develop, but Conner will have the mental side down quickly. Despite his large frame, he can lean up a little and carry good, functional weight.
Expectations: He could theoretically start in his second or third year on campus with guard most likely. After a year of getting comfortable however, he could be a tackle. In 10 years it’s just as easy to picture him in the NFL as it is working at NASA.
OL Max Merril, Strake Jesuit (Houston, TX) - .8506
Recruitment: Stop me if you’ve read this before, but competition for Texas wasn’t fierce in this recruitment. That written, like the others previously mentioned, when you roll the tape you see the makings of a good evaluation. After quite a few o-line misses, Texas called Merril up and he didn’t take long to commit.
Evaluation: I’m not saying he’s Connor Williams, Sam Cosmi, or Andrej Karic, but there are shades of their overall foot and reactive quickness in Merril’s game. He sticks to his blocks well and keeps his feet moving. Good quickness for outsize zone or on the move in general. His high school line coach, Jordan Hebert, thinks Merril has the makings of a college left tackle and with his feet and coordination I can see it too. Hebert also states Merril is very coachable.
Lead time: He’s a grow’em offensive lineman so he’ll require some time to physically mature but typically these guys take to weights and nutrition rather quickly and are ready faster than “college sized” players who need to reshape. He’ll be ready by the time the depth chart thins.
Expectations: It‘s always a crap shoot with offensive linemen. The football character matters more here than anywhere else but it wouldn’t surprise me if he became a 25-game starter. I like the baseline materials. Higher floor than you’d think.
