2021 Recruiting - Football

Roach summary of 2021 recruiting

When you look at some of the recruiting battles Texas lost, I think this program was humbled on several fronts. Texas shouldn't be losing to SMU, Arizona State, and Mississippi State. I don't anticipate seeing that with this staff. Tom Herman had the chance to hire some difference-makers last year, but he didn't. The offensive class paid for it, and the defensive class wasn't up to standards.

Recruiting is a results-oriented business, so there is really no room for moral victories. That said, I thought there were some encouraging signs for this staff. Texas closed on a kid whose potential I love in David Abiara, and Kyle Flood made a really strong run at Austin Uke. Combine that with the early feedback I've heard on most of the coaches, especially Flood, and I think there's a lot to be excited about going into 2022. ​
 
This player has some cajun roots and was expected to sign with LSU yesterday (on his dad’s side. But his mom’s side is Texas). The suggestion has been that he would 'blue shirt' at LSU. However, we got in touch with him and perhaps some other schools as well, and he has now extended his signing timeline for a few days.

edit - and paging @SabreHorn -- he is related to Jim Bob Moffett. Supposedly his is the son of Crystal. Bubba Moffett is his uncle, and he has a brother at Texas.

 
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Ian Boyd did his write up on the players
Here is Wright since we been talking QBs

Charles Wright: 6-1, 194. 3*** from CTX (Austin)
Wright is unquestionably one of the big winners from the coaching transition. He was a big winner when Tom Herman fired Tim Beck and brought in Mike Yurcich, who then cleared out Texas’ existing quarterback class before circling back to Wright when they needed a 2021 take as insurance before the Quinn Ewers era.

Yurcich’s offense was bringing more of a RPO and play-action bent to the Texas offense than Herman’s quarterback run-heavy system, but Sarkisian’s offense is even further along the pocket quarterback trail. Austin High asked Wright to be the engine for a sizable chunk of their offense. He averaged 38 pass attempts and 12.4 rushing attempts per game, often pairing each on quarterback run RPOs in which he had to threaten the perimeter with his arm and the interior with his legs.

The reason he got a scholarship offer from Texas is what he did with his arm in the RPO game and throwing down the field often on double moves. Those dimensions were also the primary features in the 2020 Mac Jones Alabama offense Sarkisian just coordinated. Texas became an even better fit for Wright with the Sark hire. The local quarterback will have the chance to grow into the job both mentally and physically, and the job will be one that fits his skill set and projection. The “Colt McCoy” energy around Wright definitely increased with Texas’ staff changes. ​
 
Here are two more Boyd write-ups about two players who don't get much ink otherwise

Gunnar Helm: 6-5, 225. 3*** from CO (Cherry Creek)
Helm is a big, fluid receiver whose move to tight end is guaranteed by his frame and inevitable future as a 250-pound (or bigger) collegian. Under the Herman staff he’d be sentenced to a redshirt and three years of toil under the rod of Yancy McKnight before seeing the light of day. He still may face that fate, sans McKnight, but Sark has shown a willingness to involve multiple tight end sets and to flex receiving tight ends who aren’t terrific blockers. Those are both wins for Gunnar Helm while he adds the strength and knowhow to block inline.


Casey Cain: 6-2, 175. 3*** from NOLA (Warren Easton)
Casey Cain was a Mike Yurcich special. The former Oklahoma State offensive coordinator was convinced they had something in Cain similar to some of the overlooked 3-stars the Cowboys would regularly develop into big time stars in the Big 12. Was he right? The hangup with Cain is his lack of elite speed. His body control and hands are both fantastic. It’s not hard to imagine him as a chain-moving slot within a few years but in a RPO and play-action heavy scheme that also incorporates several receiving tight ends, his potential role in the new offense is diminished.​
 
Here is Roach's "Behind the Scenes" story on Jalen Milroe

Jalen Milroe looked to be the guy who could ignite the 2021 class for Texas, and for a while it looked like he couldn’t be beat on the recruiting trail. Milroe emerged somewhat late as a target for Tim Beck who was focused on Parish Episcopal quarterback Preston Stone. Texas pressed Stone for a commitment repeatedly, but he wasn’t quite ready to pull the trigger. Milroe came down to throw for Texas, and Beck offered him with the knowledge that Stone was still the top guy on the board. Milroe started talking about shutting his recruitment down, and Alabama was initially going to be the pick.

When the Crimson Tide got a commitment from Drake Maye, Milroe started looking at Texas and Florida State. When Milroe made it clear he wanted to commit, Beck told Stone and his family one last time that he had the opportunity to take the spot but Texas wouldn’t turn down Milroe if he wanted in. Stone's father turned Texas down one last time and the Longhorns moved on Milroe. As soon as he committed, he convinced Hayden Conner, Derrick Harris and Billy Bowman to pull the trigger. There were also a few bigger names in there, but we will get to those later.

When Milroe committed he was firm to Texas, but he always kept in contact with staffs who were recruiting him prior to his commitment. While there was always a sense of loyalty to Texas, Milroe felt a bit dicey after Tim Beck left. It didn’t help that Mike Yurcich came in and immediately offered Garrett Nussmeier and Sawyer Robertson. I can say with confidence that many people around Milroe were encouraging him to look around as it seemed that Yurcich wanted his own guy. Milroe held out until Texas landed a commitment from Quinn Ewers. We had heard he was leaning towards flipping anyway but looking at what was in front of him and Ewers coming behind him seemed to be the final straw. Milroe was a true pro through the whole recruitment and handled things really well.

Texas seemed to be behind at quarterback once Tim Beck left. Yurcich held the commitment from Milroe but wanted more of a pocket passer. Robertson was high on Mississippi State because of Mike Leach from the beginning, but Texas finished second for him. They also probably finished second for Garrett Nussmeier, but it was a distant second as Nuss seemed to always be heading for LSU. I’m not sure what it would have taken to get it done with Nussmeier as his biggest hang up was an inability to play for Tom Herman.

Once Milroe bounced, Texas had to make a move at quarterback. Local prospect Charles Wright was a Texas legacy and coveted a Texas offer. Mike Yurcich made a pretty quick decision to offer and the Iowa State commit flipped on the spot. ​
 
Behind the Scenes on Quay Davis

The recruitment of Quaydarius Davis was one of the most quiet but wild recruitments I’d covered. The Skyline wide receiver became the first commit in the Texas 2021 class. Davis decommitted citing wanting to take some more visits, but I saw him in late January and he talked of wanting to re-commit to Texas. Davis had kids and wanted to stay closer to home, but Texas wasn’t sure about his actual commitment. Davis called me during my post-signing day vacation to tell me he was re-committing and I got quotes in a Flagstaff hotel room and wrote the story. The Longhorns asked him to hold off citing the decommitment and making sure he didn’t want to take any additional visits before locking it back down again. As the spring went on, Davis and Texas moved in different directions. He committed to USC, but I was told the Trojans dropped him before the fall season started. He eventually ended up at Kansas where he will have the chance to make an impact if he qualifies. ​
 
Joe Fan said:
This player has some cajun roots and was expected to sign with LSU yesterday (on his dad’s side. But his mom’s side is Texas). The suggestion has been that he would 'blue shirt' at LSU. However, we got in touch with him and perhaps some other schools as well, and he has now extended his signing timeline for a few days.

edit - and paging @SabreHorn -- he is related to Jim Bob Moffett. Supposedly his is the son of Crystal. Bubba Moffett is his uncle, and he has a brother at Texas.

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His film is above, he can chunk it
I think he would be a PWO, not a schollie

 
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Joe Fan said:
This player has some cajun roots and was expected to sign with LSU yesterday (on his dad’s side. But his mom’s side is Texas). The suggestion has been that he would 'blue shirt' at LSU. However, we got in touch with him and perhaps some other schools as well, and he has now extended his signing timeline for a few days.

edit - and paging @SabreHorn -- he is related to Jim Bob Moffett. Supposedly his is the son of Crystal. Bubba Moffett is his uncle, and he has a brother at Texas.

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I hope he comes here and plays. Imagine the announcers: Good Lourde, what a pass!
 
mchammer said:
I hope he comes here and plays. Imagine the announcers: Good Lourde, what a pass!
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My friends and I? We've cracked the code
We count our dollars on the train to the party
And everyone who knows us knows that we're fine with this
We didn't come from money
But every song's like gold teeth, Grey Goose, trippin' in the bathroom
Blood stains, ball gowns, trashin' the hotel room​
 
Joe Fan said:
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A write up on Lourd from 247's Greg Biggins at the 2020 Elite 11 regional in Los Angeles --

“Lourd was consistent throughout the camp and threw the ball as well as we’ve seen him. You won’t find many players who work harder on their game and it’s really starting to pay off. He looked very comfortable throwing the entire route tree and his confidence is high right now. He showed touch on the deep ball, is very good throwing on the run, was accurate all camp long and made every throw look easy.

“He has filled out over the last year and looks bigger and stronger and his arm more live as well. He has a tight release and gets the ball out quick. He’s very solid mechanically and has made a nice jump as a player this off-season.”​
 
Joe Fan said:
But Money was taking snaps away Jake from State Farm and that left me less than gruntled.
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Maybe if Jake from State Farm would learn to read the defenses, run the correct routes, and catch the damn football, he wouldn't get those snaps taken away from him.
 
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SabreHorn said:
Maybe if Jake from State Farm would learn to read the defenses, run the current routes, and catch the damn football, he wouldn't get those snaps taken away from him.
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SabreHorn said:
Maybe if Jake from State Farm would learn to read the defenses, run the current routes, and catch the damn football, he wouldn't get those snaps taken away from him.
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We might have expected too much from Jake coming out of high school, but he still acts like he is lost at times on the field. Hopefully, he now understands that his knowledge of how to play the position isn't where it should be and all of his issues weren't all the coach's fault.
 
ViperHorn said:
We might have expected too much from Jake coming out of high school, but he still acts like he is lost at times on the field. Hopefully, he now understands that his knowledge of how to play the position isn't where it should be and all of his issues weren't all the coach's fault.
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I think Jake is a great talent. Unfortunately for him, he fell into the Bermuda Triangle of bad college WR coaching that is one of the hallmarks of our program.
 
Joe Fan said:
I think Jake is a great talent. Unfortunately for him, he fell into the Bermuda Triangle of bad college WR coaching that is one of the hallmarks of our program.
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Probably true but it wasn’t the coaches who dropped the passes, and the punt.

Smith seems like one of those players that has a propensity to make a bad play at just the wrong time. Going forward, I hope he proves me wrong.
 
Next year Jake will be a Junior and I'm hoping his experience will help him improve his concentration because that is all it really is a concentration problem. He has the ability to do amazing things, he needs the mental aspect of the game to catch up and he will go from a guy who makes mistakes to a guy who makes big plays.
 
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