CELINA, Texas -- There was Jake Raulerson with his family, the weekend of Jan. 21, having breakfast alongside Mack and Sally Brown and Texas president Bill Powers and his wife, Kim.
It turned out to be the most important breakfast of Raulerson's life.
[+] EnlargeJake Raulerson
William Wilkerson/ESPN.comTexas rarely offers juniors before hosting them on a Junior Day, but the coaches made an exception with Jake Raulerson.
The two-way lineman from Celina High School was the lone junior prospect on campus that weekend.
Texas also happened to be hosting half a dozen seniors on official visits. But Raulerson was on an unofficial visit, which meant he and his parents, Jay and Jolene, had to pay for their family's meal.
They didn't mind one bit.
Something important was bound to come from a breakfast that included two of the most powerful people in the state. It came in the form of a scholarship offer from Brown, a rarity from a coach who almost never offers junior prospects before Texas' first junior day.
The Longhorns won't host their first one of those until Feb. 12, but Brown understood the trickle-down effect that a Raulerson commitment could have on the rest of his 2013 recruiting class. He's one of the top juniors, if not the top junior, in the state. So Brown threw his hat in the ring with the 26 other offers for Raulerson.
Raulerson, having done his due-diligence on the recruiting trail, accepted on the spot and agreed that he wouldn't make it public until Friday. He did exactly that by calling Brown early this morning.
"It's the coaching staff, the players there," said Raulerson, who has already accepted an invitation to the 2013 Under Armour All-America Game. "They are going to win a national title in the next three years and I want to be a part of it. They have one of the best recruiting classes I have ever seen coming in. They are ridiculous."
Raulerson (6-foot-5, 250 pounds) plays right tackle and nose guard for Celina, a 3A program 45 minutes north of Dallas that has eight state titles to its name. But Texas is recruiting him as a defensive end and a tight end.
"That is very cool, to have that opportunity to play on both sides," he said. "It's a cool plan."
the rest of it The Link
It turned out to be the most important breakfast of Raulerson's life.
[+] EnlargeJake Raulerson
William Wilkerson/ESPN.comTexas rarely offers juniors before hosting them on a Junior Day, but the coaches made an exception with Jake Raulerson.
The two-way lineman from Celina High School was the lone junior prospect on campus that weekend.
Texas also happened to be hosting half a dozen seniors on official visits. But Raulerson was on an unofficial visit, which meant he and his parents, Jay and Jolene, had to pay for their family's meal.
They didn't mind one bit.
Something important was bound to come from a breakfast that included two of the most powerful people in the state. It came in the form of a scholarship offer from Brown, a rarity from a coach who almost never offers junior prospects before Texas' first junior day.
The Longhorns won't host their first one of those until Feb. 12, but Brown understood the trickle-down effect that a Raulerson commitment could have on the rest of his 2013 recruiting class. He's one of the top juniors, if not the top junior, in the state. So Brown threw his hat in the ring with the 26 other offers for Raulerson.
Raulerson, having done his due-diligence on the recruiting trail, accepted on the spot and agreed that he wouldn't make it public until Friday. He did exactly that by calling Brown early this morning.
"It's the coaching staff, the players there," said Raulerson, who has already accepted an invitation to the 2013 Under Armour All-America Game. "They are going to win a national title in the next three years and I want to be a part of it. They have one of the best recruiting classes I have ever seen coming in. They are ridiculous."
Raulerson (6-foot-5, 250 pounds) plays right tackle and nose guard for Celina, a 3A program 45 minutes north of Dallas that has eight state titles to its name. But Texas is recruiting him as a defensive end and a tight end.
"That is very cool, to have that opportunity to play on both sides," he said. "It's a cool plan."
the rest of it The Link
