Needs -- Four or five
Name | School | JD invite? | Offer? |
Commitment/ odds |
Favorites |
Quick take |
Curtis Riser |
DeSoto |
Feb. 13 |
No-brainer | 80% |
|
Considered the top OL in the state for most of the early part of the process. A mauler in the running game with a nasty streak. Seemed to miss a lot of assignments in a viewing against Leander. Value limited by likely being a guard in college. Speculation increased that he could commit early to Texas after failing to attend LSU Junior Day last weekend, despite growing up a Tiger fan. Presence of several former DeSoto players on Texas roster probably helps Longhorns. |
Kennedy Estelle |
Pearland Dawson |
Feb. 13 |
No-brainer |
60% |
|
At 6-7, 300 pounds, he's a rare left tackle prospect, making him important for the class. Athletic in pass protection and running game with good feet for his size. Packs a punch with his hands, but could work on consistently maintaining contact. Only has one year of varsity experience, so he has significant upside. Not planning on making an early decision. |
Michael Starts |
Waco La Vega |
Feb. 13 |
No-brainer | 50% |
|
Played defensive end and tight end as a sophomore before playing both ways at end and tackle as a junior. Played almost every snap of every game. Athletic at 6-4, 275 and is a legitimate tackle prospect. A&M is recruiting him as a defensive end. Texas seems to have fallen with him recently, so Stacy Searels probably has some ground to make up. Grew up a Baylor fan. |
DJ Humphries |
Charlotte (NC) Mallard Creek |
Will not attend |
Yes | 15% |
|
One of the top tackle prospects in the country. Holds around 30 offers. Recruited by Searels when he was at Georgia. Has some interest in Texas, but would probably not be able to visit until late in the process. On the radar, but a longshot. |
Greg Brantley |
Carthage |
Date unknown |
Possible | 70% |
|
Another huge kid at 6-7, 300 pounds. If he gets Texas offer, it will be because he can play outside in college. Not much information available on him. Presence of former teammate Kendall Thompson at Texas could help the Longhorns with Brantley. |
Names to know -- Camrhon Hughes (Harker Heights), Boone Feldt (Buda Hays Consolidated), Trey Keenan (Argyle), Oklahoma commit Kyle Marrs (SA Brandeis), John Michael McGee (Texarkana Texas), Germain Ifedi (Houston Westside), Simon Goines (Keller Central).
Overview -- The loss of Christian Westerman and the overall lack of tackle prospects on the current Texas roster makes this another important recruiting class for the Longhorns along the offensive line. Of the four offensive linemen Mack Brown and Stacy Searels will target in the class, two have to be serious tackle prospects, which makes landing guys like Estelle and Starts critical to the success of the entire class. Riser remains a top target, but with increasing skepticism about his ability to play outside in college, his overall value is limited, similar to Sedrick Flowers in the 2011 class.
Beyond the three confirmed attendees for the first Junior Day, there is a mass of names Searels will have to sort through to determine who receives invites to the second Junior Day and who receives offers while there. It's a lot of evaluation to do in a short time and interior prospects like Feldt and McGee may be put on the backburner while Texas targets prospects who project on the outside at the next level. Hughes is a back-up plan on the outside and could commit if offered.
Wish list --
- Kennedy Estelle
- Michael Starts
- Curtis Riser
- John Michael McGee
Estelle and Starts are at the top of the list due to need, dropping the talented Riser down a bit, as the value of tackles outweighs the value of a guard. As important as an early commit from Riser would be, Estelle is probably the single key to the whole class and it's likely Searels has made that know to him. Humphries is probably a pipe dream and so remains off the list. Even a wish list has to have some connection to reality after all.