Burnt Orange Nation, a Texas Longhorns community

2011 Brenham DE Brandon Alexander is the fastest-rising prospect in the state of Texas and the Longhorns are now short of defensive ends on scholarship. It was probably a no-brainer, then, for Oscar Giles to extend Alexander an offer late last week when he visited Brenham and an invitation to take an official visit to campus on January 21. The Aggies are thought to be one of the leaders for Alexander, who grew up in the state of Louisiana and has expressed a desire to play in the SEC.

At 6:30 pm CT on Wednesday, SA Madison RB Aaron Green will announce his collegiate decision among his four finalists: Nebraska, Florida State, Cal, and Texas. Smart money has Green choosing Nebraska, his favorite for much of the process and the school at which his brother plays. Green's last official visit was to Lincoln and he never made it to Austin this fall for a game amid rumors that contact between he and the coaching staff has been minimal recently.

So, yeah. He's good.

Put down the pitchforks, folks, it's finally happening. After strong performances at the Texas 7-on-7 State Championships and the Gridiron Kings event, Brownwood WR and 2011 Texas commit Jaxon Shipley is finally reaping the national benefits of his hard work. Texas fans have known for some time that Shipley has been severely underrated on the national scene and now that ranking has changed, as Jordan's younger brother moved up more than 120 spots from 183 to 61 in the latest rankings.

No surprise, as everything pointed to AS-J staying at home. Best of luck to him, as he handled the recruiting process with dignity and made a choice that will keep him close to his family. Everything else seemingly has been discussed ad nauseum.

Gig Harbor (WA) tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins has set the date to announce his collegiate decision -- 6:30 pm on August 16 at the Gig Harbor Yacht Club. AS-J has narrowed his list to Cal, Florida, LSU, Texas, USC, UCLA and Washington and will take a visit to Austin over the weekend, his final trip before announcing. Smart money for some time has had AS-J committing to the Longhorns after receiving an offer on his visit and there is no reason to believe anything differently at this point -- barring a major change, Seferian-Jenkins will don a burnt orange hat in two weeks.

According to Gerry Hamilton of 247 Sports, when a group of Texas Longhorn commits got together for a picture at the Gridiron Kings 7-on-7 event in Florida, Gig Harbor (WA) TE Austin Seferian-Jenkins jumped in and flashed his 'Horns as well. The news only confirms suspicions that the big tight end is a strong commitment possibility when he visits Austin August 6-7 and (almost certainly) receives his offer. AS-J is joined in Florida by Texas commits Chet Moss, Quandre Diggs, Jaxon Shipley, Kendall Thompson, Josh Turner, Sheroid Evans, and Miles Onyegbule.

Quincy Russell and Christian Westerman made for one of the wildest days in recruiting back in April when Russell committed one evening, then de-committed the next, just as the talented offensive lineman decided to end his recruitment earlier than expected. As for Russell, he had decided several months ago that he wanted more time to take visits and make sure of his decision. On Sunday evening, Russell ended his recruitment by choosing the Longhorns, once again. Russell is the 22nd commitment in the class, leaving Malcolm Brown, Aaron Green, Jermauria Rasco, Anthony Wallace, and possibly David Jenkins as the outstanding offers. Austin Seferian-Jenkins is the only other player on the radar likely to receive an offer in 2011.

The Oklahoma Sooners received a commitment from a 2011 Cibolo Steele star. Fortunately for Texas fans, it was DT Marquis Anderson who made his decision, not Malcolm Brown. Anderson received a Texas offer at the first Junior Day and now becomes the first 2011 recruit with a Texas offer to commit to another school. However, the Longhorns fell out of contact with Anderson to the point that after Quincy Russell's de-commitment, Anderson was still not aware that Russell had changed his mind. It's clear from the lack of contact that Russell is the more highly-rated player on the Texas board (and by yours truly as well), so Anderson heading elsewhere is neither a surprise nor a move that will change recruiting at the position.