Back in June, the commitment of 2013 Fort Worth Southwest wide receiver Robbie Rhodes to the Baylor Bears over the Texas Longhorns and a host of other schools was a significant coup for Bears coach Art Briles in a rare head-to-head victory over Mack Brown on the recruiting trail.
Recently, wide receivers coach Darrell Wyatt reached out to Rhodes after the staff opted to stop recruiting Sealy star Ricky Seals-Jones. It was the first time that the two sides have had contact in some time, after which Rhodes did not completely deny interest in the Longhorns:
"I want to know for sure. I like Baylor, really. But right now, my mind is still not made up.
Not what Baylor fans would prefer to hear, but Rhodes doesn't have any other visit plans at this time.
When he committed, one of the major reasons was the distance between the effectiveness and pass-heavy nature of the Baylor offense compared to the situation at Texas. With the Longhorns now wielding an offense that has been among the most effective in the country early in the season and quarterback David Ash showing substantial improvement from last season, Texas may look more attractive than they did back in June when Rhodes made his decision.
From the Texas perspective, however, the issue is that Rhodes was never particularly high on the Longhorns in the first place. After the Southwest star visited Austin in the spring, the typical post-visit bump never happened.
So while it's encouraging that Rhodes didn't completely shut the door on his recruitment in that recent interview, there's little reason for optimism unless and until Rhodes visits Austin again.
This one still feels like an extreme longshot.