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A Friday practice and a second Saturday scrimmage marked further opportunities for the Texas Longhorns to host recruits before spring practice ends next Saturday with the annual Orange-White game.
On Friday, two Arlington Lamar prospects made their way down from the Metroplex to watch practice and tour the facilities -- wide receiver Kofi Boateng and offensive guard Chris Owens:
#Hookem pic.twitter.com/igYXlxjnrd
— SwiftCat (@ChrisOwens00) April 10, 2015
— Kofi Boateng (@BGKofiBoateng) April 10, 2015
Owens is a key target along the interior of the offensive line because the Horns have been extremely selective offering pure guard or center prospects and because he's close friends with quarterback commit Shane Buechele, the Arlington Lamar prospect who pledged to Texas in March.
A consensus four-star prospect ranked as the No. 8 offensive guard nationally and the No. 32 player in Texas, Owens also holds offers from 25 other schools, with Texas A&M perhaps representing the most serious competition -- the Aggies hold three of the five predictions cast in Owens' 247Sports Crystal Ball.
However, the long-time relationship between Owens and Buechele should help the Horns, as the two have known each other since elementary school and want to play together in college.
Boateng is a 6'1, 177-pounder ranked as a consensus three-star prospect. He holds 22 offers and is considered a TCU lean at this point, but with two wide receivers already committed to Texas and numerous other offers out to higher-profile prospects around country, Boateng may not be in line for an offer.
Saturday's visit resulted in another 2017 offer going out, as South Grand Prairie defensive back Jeffrey Okudah joined the select group of prospects in his class to boast offers from the Horns:
Made it to Austin! #LetsRide pic.twitter.com/RnqweZZa7v
— Jeffrey Okudah III (@TheJeffOkudah) April 11, 2015
Just received an offer from the University of Texas! #HookEm
— Jeffrey Okudah III (@TheJeffOkudah) April 11, 2015
Like last week's offer to Houston Episcopal defensive tackle Marvin Wilson, offering Okudah makes sense because he's a possible top-50 prospect in 2017. At 6'1.5 and 200 pounds, he has the size that head coach Charlie Strong prefers with his defensive backs and though he didn't go through most of the testing at the Dallas The Opening regional camp, he did post a truly remarkable 39.7-inch vertical leap. As a freshman, he ran a personal-best 100m of 11.63.
The 247Sports Crystal Ball for Okudah currently holds three predictions for Baylor, but with an increasingly national offer list, Okudah should have the ability to play anywhere he wants by the end of the process. A relationship with Texas sophomore safety Jason Hall could benefit the Horns. Okudah is not quite as big of a need as Wilson or Denton Guyer quarterback Shawn Robnison at this time, but if Texas misses on the top safety prospects in 2016, Okudah could quickly become one of the most important targets in the 2017 class.