DGB, Donald Hawkins Visiting Texas for K-State Game

The last home game this season for Texas will also be an important recruiting weekend. In several weeks, the banquet weekend will host more official visitors than the two who will be on campus to take in the contest against Kansas State, but this weekend's visitors are two of the higher-profile recruits Texas is still pursuing -- star Missouri wide receiver Dorial Green-Beckham and junior college offensive tackle Donald Hawkins.

A loss in the state playoffs will allow Green-Beckham to make his second trip to Austin and it will be an important one for the Longhorns to make up ground in his recruitment, as the big receiver has not yet been to a game at DKR. The senior night ceremonies that will honor injured running back Fozzy Whittaker should help cast the program in a favorable light, as should the evening kickoff that may even allow a handful of fans to find their seats in time for the pre-game festivities.

Though it's unclear whether or not Jaxon Shipley will play in the game, the odds are that DGB will see a receiving corps that he could easily crack. Whether he sees enough positive play from David Ash to give him confidence in the future of the quarterback position at Texas is another question entirely.

Green-Beckham and his father/coach have been mostly silent during his recruitment, so there aren't many public statements to parse, but conventional wisdom is that Texas is in a group that includes Missouri and Auburn trailing leaders Oklahoma and Arkansas.

As for Hawkins, the big offensive tackle seems to have serious interest in the Longhorns despite having no connections to the program. For any junior college player, early playing time is a serious consideration with limited eligibility and that's certainly the case with Hawkins, who is currently committed to Oklahoma State.

While true freshman Josh Cochran appears to have the left tackle spot locked down, there is plenty of potential for Hawkins to come in at start at right tackle, which would allow Trey Hopkins to slid back into his natural guard position with David Snow graduating following the season.

Since early playing time is such a strong consideration and is available, the Longhorns appear to be in strong shape to land Hawkins, especially in comparison to the extreme longshot chances to land the other two offensive linemen still on the board with offers in Andrus Peat and Arik Armstead, who wants to play on the defensive line in college.

Unfortunately for Texas, Mineral Wells safety Adrian Colbert will likely not be able to make the trip for an unofficial visit due to a sickness, but is still scheduled to take his official visit during banquet weekend. The Baylor commit is one of the fastest-rising prospects in the state and would fill one of the major remaining needs in the class.

In the 2013 class, Bastrop cornerback Antwuan Davis has indicated that he will make yet another unofficial visit for the game, while Livingston athlete Chevoski Collins may be in attendance.