Texas Longhorns: Recruiting
Texas held its first junior for the Class of 2014 on Sunday and several top recruits attended. For a recap of what Longhorns coach Mack Brown told recruits and parents, check out Max Olson's story.
Be sure to check out our forum
for the details.
Click the jump below to see the best tweets and photos from recruits who attended.
Be sure to check out our forum
Click the jump below to see the best tweets and photos from recruits who attended.
Derrick Dixon likes Texas coaching staff 
February, 10, 2013
Feb 10
9:49
PM CT
By
Damon Sayles | ESPN.com
Texas’ junior day on Sunday left a lasting impression on 2014 safety Derrick Dixon (Dallas/Skyline), someone who has watched his stock rise since the end of the regular season.
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Tony Brown has 'great' Texas junior day 
February, 10, 2013
Feb 10
7:21
PM CT
By
William Wilkerson | ESPN.com
ESPN Watch List defensive back Tony Brown (Beaumont, Texas/Ozen) didn’t get to Austin for Texas’ junior day on Sunday until after lunchtime.
While it might have had stomachs turning for those worried he’d never make it, it actually turned out to be a blessing for the Longhorns in their pursuit of one of the top defensive backs in the country.
While it might have had stomachs turning for those worried he’d never make it, it actually turned out to be a blessing for the Longhorns in their pursuit of one of the top defensive backs in the country.
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Longhorns offer son of former NFL player 
February, 10, 2013
Feb 10
4:33
PM CT
By
William Wilkerson | ESPN.com
One of the first offers that Texas handed out during its first junior day on Sunday went to a prospect who wasn’t even there.
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Watch List LB Hampton commits to Texas
February, 10, 2013
Feb 10
10:32
AM CT
By
William Wilkerson | ESPN.com
ESPN Watch List outside linebacker Cameron Hampton (Dallas/Carter) told HornsNation on Sunday morning that he has committed to Texas at the Longhorns' junior day.
The Longhorns have not only addressed a major position of need for 2014, but they have also kept him away from one of their chief rivals in Oklahoma.
Max Olson/ESPN.comClass of 2014 linebacker Cameron Hampton is Texas' first linebacker commit of the Class of 2014.Hampton (6-foot-2, 215 pounds) also had offers from Clemson, LSU, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma State and West Virginia.
He is in Austin for the second time visiting Texas’ campus today and told HornsNation earlier in the week that he was particularly excited about meeting one person in particular.
“I’m really just excited about being down there and seeing [defensive coordinator] coach [Manny] Diaz,” said Hampton, who got to Austin on Saturday in anticipation for todays event. “He said he is going to spend some 1-on-1 time with me and my family. Coach [Mack] Brown said the same thing.”
Texas and Oklahoma have made Hampton a priority over the past few months.
Oklahoma co-offensive coordinator Jay Norvell has frequented Carter High since the Sooners started recruiting Hampton and has already built a strong relationship with him.
Diaz was at Carter’s basketball game last week, making sure Hampton understands how important he is to Texas’ future.
“I can’t really say [who I have a better relationship with], but I have a pretty good relationship with Coach Diaz,” Hampton said. “He actually came to see one of my basketball games last week. I talked to him the day before we played at my school. He was saying that he was looking forward to seeing me, hanging out with me and spending some more time with my family.”
Hampton is Texas’ first linebacker commit of 2014.
Video: Tom Luginbill on Texas' class
February, 8, 2013
Feb 8
3:30
PM CT
By RecruitingNation | ESPN.com
How Texas plans to try to keep its commits
February, 8, 2013
Feb 8
1:00
PM CT
By
Carter Strickland | ESPN.com
AUSTIN, Texas -- In the wake of five deommitments in the class of 2013, with one coming so close to signing day, Texas coach Mack Brown sent a with-us-or-against-us message to recruits.
He will also send the same message to the parents at Sunday's junior day.
[+] Enlarge
Fred Brooks/Icon SMITexas coach Mack Brown doesn't want commits to visit other schools anymore.
Fred Brooks/Icon SMITexas coach Mack Brown doesn't want commits to visit other schools anymore.Those Texas recruiting rules, which were suspended for a few years, have also been explained to the coaching staff.
"What I've talked to our coaches about is you have to do a better job of making sure you trust the parents and that you don't talk one into coming," Brown said. "If he decides to come now, if you get a commitment, it better be because he's wanting to come, not because you recruited him and talked him into it."
That doesn’t mean there will not be exceptions.
"For me to sit here and say in every case it's going to happen while I'm coaching in the future, you lock me into it, you say, 'He lied,' I'm not going to do that," Brown said.
But, by and large, in the future, if a player is committed to Texas, the Longhorns staff will advise that player if he starts looking elsewhere, Texas will do the same.
"If you start looking, to me you're looking for something different than you've got," Brown said. "I'm going to look for something different than I've got."
Texas already has seven commitments for its junior class. Two of those, teammates Demetrius Knox and Daniel Gresham (Fort Worth, Texas/All Saints), attended other schools' junior days last weekend (Knox went to OU while Gresham went to Ole Miss). Both remain committed to Texas.
To further avoid situations, Brown has made more of an effort to be a part of the recruiting scene. He has already visited most of the high school programs where Texas has a 2014 prospect.
"I like to go to the school, see the coach." Brown said. "The other thing is that if you get a commitment, you'd like for the high school coach to help you keep it. We're going to make sure the high school coach buys into the commitment as well. I need to see those guys, shake their hand, tell them we're not backing out on kids."
That is as long as the recruit does not step out on Texas.
FORT WORTH, Texas -- When Fort Worth (Texas) All Saints teammates Daniel Gresham and Demetrius Knox snuck off to junior days last weekend, they didn’t mean any harm.
Gresham went to Ole Miss because All Saints lineman Markham Parkune wanted a buddy to come with him to Oxford. Knox visited Oklahoma with two teammates simply to get out of the house for the weekend.
The Texas 2014 pledge didn’t take those trips to scare Texas fans and raise questions about their level of commitment. They’re kids. Kids like going out of town.
Gresham went to Ole Miss because All Saints lineman Markham Parkune wanted a buddy to come with him to Oxford. Knox visited Oklahoma with two teammates simply to get out of the house for the weekend.
The Texas 2014 pledge didn’t take those trips to scare Texas fans and raise questions about their level of commitment. They’re kids. Kids like going out of town.
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Video: Max Olson on OL Darius James
February, 7, 2013
Feb 7
5:00
PM CT
By RecruitingNation | ESPN.com
HornsNation's Max Olson discusses Texas' top-ranked commit Darius James (Killeen, Texas/Harker Heights)
With signing day 2013 having wrapped up, it's time to turn our attention to 2014 recruits. Here are five players the Longhorns are really keying on, be it players who are already committed or top targets who will determine the direction Texas’ next class goes in:
1. QB Jerrod Heard - Texas commit
Denton (Texas) Guyer
1. QB Jerrod Heard - Texas commit
Denton (Texas) Guyer
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The Heard: UT recruiting news and notes 
February, 7, 2013
Feb 7
10:00
AM CT
By
Max Olson and
William Wilkerson | ESPN.com
Welcome to The Heard, HornsNation’s weekly in-depth look inside the never-ending world of Longhorns recruiting with news, notes and interesting tidbits on the latest happenings around the program. We’ll release this every Thursday.
Talk about it in our forum and, if there’s a recruit out there you’d like to hear more from, let us know.
A few of the notes in today's 2014-heavy edition of The Heard:
Read The Heard after the jump.
Talk about it in our forum and, if there’s a recruit out there you’d like to hear more from, let us know.
A few of the notes in today's 2014-heavy edition of The Heard:
- Knox’s plan going into JD1
- Top Dallas LB anxious for visit
- A&M WR commit will visit
- Thomas compares Texas trip to OU
- ATH Johnson ready for another visit
- Joe getting back in WR groove
- Does OT Pruitt have UT offer?
- 2014 DE set for visit
Read The Heard after the jump.
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When Texas brought in Stacy Searels after the 2010 season to overhaul its offensive line, it did so with an ideal in mind.
Searels had been coaching SEC offensive lines -- first at LSU, then Georgia -- since 2003. The assumption, fair or not, was that he’d whip the Longhorns line into shape and up to the standards of college football’s most dominant conference.
Principles are important. Personnel matters more.
Searels had been coaching SEC offensive lines -- first at LSU, then Georgia -- since 2003. The assumption, fair or not, was that he’d whip the Longhorns line into shape and up to the standards of college football’s most dominant conference.
Principles are important. Personnel matters more.
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Texas changing strategy after decommits
February, 6, 2013
Feb 6
6:10
PM CT
By
Carter Strickland | ESPN.com
AUSTIN, Texas -- Mack Brown refused to talk about the five recruits Texas didn't get on signing day.
But the Texas coach did have a message for players that might be interested in the Longhorns in the future.
[+] Enlarge
Kevin Jairaj/US PresswireTexas coach Mack Brown stressed the quality of his 2013 class but was clearly disappointed in the five recruits who decommitted.
Kevin Jairaj/US PresswireTexas coach Mack Brown stressed the quality of his 2013 class but was clearly disappointed in the five recruits who decommitted.It was a strong message and it permeated a signing day that dripped with disappointment over who Texas didn't get -- A'Shawn Robinson (Alabama), Daeshon Hall (Texas A&M), Ricky Seals-Jones (Texas A&M), Durham Smythe (Notre Dame) and Kyle Hicks (TCU) -- as much as the day was held up and celebrated for the 15 players Texas did get.
"What we found is the 15 [recruits] that we got are very passionate about being at Texas and that is what we want," Brown said. "And very honestly if a young person tells you they're coming and their parents tell you they're coming and then they don't, you wouldn't want them to be here.
"You may be disappointed on the day it happened but you want people that will look you in the eye and tell you the truth and you want people who want to be at your school.”
This signing day Texas didn't need that many people at its school. It only had room for about 16. So the search was for quality over quantity. Brown, who because of all the decommitments and misses seemingly has gone from coach February to Father Time with this class, tried to hammer that point home repeatedly.
HornsNation signing day live blog
February, 6, 2013
Feb 6
10:30
AM CT
By HornsNation staff | ESPN.com
Max Olson/ESPNLinebacker Naashon Hughes (left) and offensive lineman Darius James are officially Longhorns.Watch live coverage on ESPNU | Talk signing day on our "The Tower" forum
Follow the live blog after the jump.
Texas class poised to end with whimper 
February, 5, 2013
Feb 5
3:14
PM CT
By
William Wilkerson | ESPN.com
AUSTIN, Texas -- When the Longhorns began to recruit ESPN 300 lineman Andrew Billings (Waco, Texas/Waco) as a defensive lineman, his preferred position, rather than at offensive lineman, where they originally sought him, they seemed to have put themselves in position to garner his commitment, which he announced today.
“Oh, they probably went to third in the bunch to ... they went up from third, I’ll tell you that much,” Waco High coach Marty Herbst said a few weeks ago.
“Oh, they probably went to third in the bunch to ... they went up from third, I’ll tell you that much,” Waco High coach Marty Herbst said a few weeks ago.
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