Needs -- Two or three
Name | School | JD invite? | Offer? |
Commitment/ odds |
Favorites |
Quick take |
Malcolm Brown |
Brenham |
Feb. 13 |
No-brainer | 25% |
|
Long considered the top defensive tackle in the class. A bit on the small side at 6-2, but understands leverage well, is explosive off the ball, and has a high motor. Video. Uphill battle for Texas with commitment of three teammates to A&M. |
Javonte Magee |
SA Sam Houston |
Feb. 13 (may not attend) |
No-brainer |
50% |
|
Huge kid at 6-5, 270 pounds. A&M wants him as a defensive end, but he will probably grow into a defensive tackle. Athletic for his size and appears to have good feel for the game: diagnoses screens, gets hands into passing lanes, forces fumbles. Video. Still trying to find a way to get to Austin for JD1. Former teammate Quincy Russell is a 2011 Texas commit. |
Alex Norman |
Dallas Bishop Dunne |
Feb. 13 |
Possible | 95% |
|
Surfaced on radar on Wednesday with news of his invite. Texas has been looking at him for some time. 6-3, 280 with some bad weight. Not particularly athletic as a sophomore, looks like NG or 1 tech. Lost his base at times as a sophomore and took plays off. No highlights currently available. |
Paul Boyette |
Humble |
Feb. 26 |
Likely | 95% |
|
6-4, 280. Moves well for his size, gets hands up and into passing lanes. Often loses leverage by standing up on the snap. Video. Pushed back to the second Junior Day with recent invite extended to Alex Norman. Father played at Oklahoma. Strong possibility to commit if offered. |
Zorrell Ezell |
Humble |
Feb. 26 |
Possible | 70% |
|
Borderline size at 6-1, 250. Highly athletic, however. Quick off the ball. Can re-direct. Has a spin move he likes to use. Could be swing guy in college between three and five tech. Video. Not much known about his level of interest in Texas. |
Anthony Smith |
Houston Westfield |
Feb. 26 |
Unlikely | 75% |
|
Undersized at 6-0. Built like a bowling ball with some quickness. Has a swim move similar to teammate Desmond Jackson. Projects as a Ben Alexander type in college. Video. |
Names to know -- Tomme Mark (Lufkin), Eddie Goldman (Washington (DC) Friendship).
Overview -- At this point, Malcolm Brown looks like a long shot, so unless Bo Davis has some magic tricks up his sleeve, he's headed to A&M. That leaves the rest of the players on the list and the only sure-fire offer is for Magee, who will probably have a spot in the class until he makes a decision.
After that, Norman is the most recent player on the radar and his invite to the first Junior Day bumped the Humble prospects and Anthony Smith back to the second Junior Day. Apparently he's a priority, but it's hard to say if he's Texas good without any real highlights available on him. Boyette is the most likely of the remaining three to get an offer and despite his Oklahoma ties could commit quickly.
After Magee, it doesn't look like any of the other four currently coming to Junior Days are as good as Desmond Jackson or Quincy Russell in 2011, so the staff is going to have to work hard on their evaluations to make the proper choices. The first major question mark is whether Norman receives an offer and commits. After that, it's a choice between the remaining three on the list or to wait and continue evaluating players to see if anyone else emerges.
Wish list --
- Malcolm Brown
- Javonte Magee
- Paul Boyette
- Alex Norman
Since Brown is almost all but out of the picture at this point, Magee increases in importance as the next best player in the class at the position and Boyette is almost certainly a take considering his offer list at this point. Norman is questionable and if Ezell was an inch or so taller, he would probably be an easy take, too.