But first, the obligatory Lache Seastrunk section. After Seastrunk failed to make it down to Austin for the first summer camp, the speculation here and on other sites was that Mack Brown would choose to move on, as the Texas head coach often remarks that he doesn't want to recruit players unless they want to be at Texas.
However, Seastrunk says that he and the Longhorns have not yet moved on ($). He says that Texas is still interested in him and that he is still "very high on Texas." While the interviewer failed to ask Seastrunk (or Seastrunk failed to answer) why he did not make his anticipated appearance in Seastrunk, the talented Temple back did say that he is keeping busy with his summer school schedule in an effort to graduate in December. Busy enough that he may not take any unofficial visits this summer, though not too busy to make it to the Baylor camp last weekend. Perhaps the biggest revelation was that he plans on having his ultimate decision made by mid-September, though it wasn't clear if he is changing his plans to announce that decision in January.
Seastrunk also said that he has recently been running the 40 in the high 4.2s, a number with which he is still not satisfied. Working in the weight room is also a priority for the summer, as Seastrunk attempts to strengthen his upper body in an effort to become physical enough to be an every-down back in college, a desire that still seems somewhat far-fetched.
Whether Texas does really continue to recruit Seastrunk remains to be seen, but the Longhorns do have other options in the 2011 class, which is incredibly deep at that position. If Texas does decide to move on from Seastrunk, it's extremely unlikely that they would pursue another running back in the 2010 class.
Speaking of those 2011 running backs...The second summer camp is traditionally attended by many of the top players in the 2011 class and this year was no different. Some of the most important players in attendance were members of that deep running back class. Though talented backs like Bradley Marquez and Herschel Sims did not make it into town, Aaron Green and Malcolm Brown, widely considered the top two backs, both participated in the camp.
Both Green and Brown commented that they enjoyed working with Major Applewhite, apparently having no concerns about Applewhite's lack of experience playing or coaching the position, with Green saying that he thinks Applewhite is "real cool." Green added that his friend Brown caught the ball well out of the backfield ($), while Brown said that Applewhite was coaching the running backs on proper technique ($), showing an understanding and desire to teach the subtle nuances of the position. While Brown said that he has no early leader, Texas was among the group of schools (OU, LSU, Georgia, A&M, and TCU) Brown named as schools in which he has an early interest.
Update on the 2010 linebackers. The big news is that the Longhorns did extend an offer ($) to Marshall linebacker Aaron Franklin after his strong performance at the camp last week. Even though the Longhorns are his childhood favorite, Franklin did not commit after being offered, citing his loyalty to the teams who started recruiting him earlier in the process. Franklin did say that he wants to make a decision by the end of the summer and said that Texas, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, and Baylor make up his current top four schools.
The logical question now is what happens with Corey Nelson and Jordan Hicks, since there isn't room in the class for all three. Franklin provided insight into that question, relating that the Texas coaches told him that they would take the first two linebackers to commit ($). Perhaps because of that news, Corey Nelson now says that he is shortening his timetable ($) for a decision because of concerns about schools still having available scholarships, with an announcement due in November or December. The Longhorns are in his top five with Stanford, LSU, Texas A&M, and Oklahoma. Nelson also explained why he did not make it down to Austin this week, saying that his parents took his brother down to Prairie View A&M and were not able to return in time to drive Nelson down to the camp. The good news is that Nelson took the ACT last Saturday, causing him to miss a scheduled visit to Oklahoma.
[Update]: Nelson now says that he will take his official visits ($) in the fall to UCLA, Michigan, Texas A&M, Stanford, and Oklahoma, saying that he feels more comfortable with the latter three schools than LSU and Texas. Nelson says that the commitments of his teammates to Oklahoma (Joe Powell) and Texas A&M (Domonique Patterson) is having a big impact and no doubt helping his comfort level with those schools. However, Nelson does say that Texas is still in the running ($).
Jordan Hicks is still on the radar, as well. Conventional wisdom has long held that the Longhorns stand little chance of stealing Hicks away from Ohio State unless he makes it down to Austin for another visit. It won't happen this summer, but Hicks did announce the three official visits ($) he plans to take in the fall: Ohio State, USC, and Texas. Since Hicks is tentatively planning on graduating in December, he will likely make an announcement about his decision in December. News of his official visit to Austin is heartening, but his mom reportedly enjoyed their recent trip to meet with Jim Tressell, so it may have just gotten hard to get Hicks to leave the Buckeye State.
Talented defensive ends in attendance. Though Evangel Christian defensive end Jermauria Rasco will be a top Longhorn target and a top national prospect, there are still talented defensive ends in the state of Texas in the 2011 class. One of those prospects is Klein Oak's Nathan Hughes, a 6-5, 243-pounded with power and quickness. Texas is the early favorite for Hughes ($), who says that he may not attend any other camps and received a lot of positive feedback from Oscar Giles.
Another top prospect is Cleveland's Cedric Reed, who may be the top defensive end in the state. Reed already reports seven verbal offers ($), but says that he doesn't have any favorites and likely will not attend any other summer camps. The visit was enjoyable for the talented defensive end, who liked the facilities and the enthusiasm of the coaches.
Houston Memorial's James Rushing has not yet played a down of varsity football ($), but the 6-4, 218-pounder is ranked no. 38 on the 2011 LSR and is looking forward to having a big junior season. Rushing says that he enjoyed how the coaches run the Texas program and wants to find himself as a player next year.
Camp tidbits. A few random notes from the camp on Sunday:
- Evangel Christian Jermauria Rasco was not able to make the trip because he took the ACT over the weekend.
- DeMarco Cobbs once again did not make it down to Austin ($), saying that he didn't have the right ID to get on the plane to Austin. However, there is some speculation that Cobbs simply decided to go to Tennessee instead, as the camp in Knoxville occurred at the same time Cobbs was supposed to be in Austin. Cobbs said on Sunday night that he was getting the proper identification to travel to Tennessee. Strange and difficult to know what actually happened, but it's probably safe to say that Cobbs is once again off the radar.
- Spring Westfield defensive tackle Desmond Jackson showed off his quickness at the camp and said that he doesn't plan on attending any other camps. Perhaps the top defensive tackle in 2011, Anderson was born in Austin and spent the first eight years of his life there.
- Lake Oswego athlete Tyson Coleman did make it down to Austin for the three-day camp with his parents. Good news, as his visit confirms his interest in Texas.
- Belton quarterback David Ash had a strong performance in his competition with JW Walsh for title of the top prospect in the 2011 class. The Texas coaches will take a long look at both of them.
- Jaxon Shipley, who was in town all last week staying with his older brother, reportedly had an impressive camp, showing off good hands and polished route-running ability. He's probably as close to a lock to commit if offered as anyone ever has been.
- Killeen Ellison's Devon Hocutt, Stony Point's PL Lindley, and Cedar Park's Chet Moss all reportedly had strong camps.
- Whitehouse receiver Trey Metoyer ran a 4.58 at the camp and came away impressed with Texas ($).
- The visit vaulted Texas into the number one spot ($) for Arlington's Miles Onyegbule.