Houston-area prospects headline big Texas visitor weekend

The Texas Longhorns aren't holding another minicamp this weekend, but the coaching staff is hosting a variety of high-profile targets, many of them from the Houston area.

Included on the visitor list are Houston Westfield defensive tackle Jordan Elliott and Alief Elsik linebacker Dontavious Jackson, the two most high-profile prospects. There are also multiple reports that Aldine Davis linebacker Jeffrey McCulloch could visit as well, which could be crucial since recent visits to Texas A&M helped the Aggies make up ground.

Elliott committed to Houston in late May, but he's already committed to and decommitted from Baylor this spring, so his recuitment is far from over, especially since he already tripped to Texas earlier in the spring. Jackson is the key target at inside linebacker for the Horns and though he'll take his time with the process, Texas is in excellent position with him, as evidenced by a significant lead in his 247Sports Crystal Ball.

Other Houston-area visitors include Jackson's teammate, safety Chris Brown, who picked up an offer on Friday from head coach Charlie Strong and company, as well as Fort Bend Hightower defesive tackle Darius Anderson. The latter is a talented but undersized at 6'0, so he may have to wait until for other prospects at his postiion to commit before the Texas staff seriously considers extending an offer.

There are also two visitors from the Golden Triangle area -- Beaumont Central running back Devwah Whaley and Kountze cornerback Grayland Arnold:

Lil Bros coming up today @GRAYLAND_1 @devwah_whaley #HookEm

— James PJ Locke III#4 (@PjLocke4) June 19, 2015

Since the Horns will likely take only one running back in the 2016 class, landing the right prospect is crucial and the 6'0 205-pounder is not only the best in Texas, he's also the No. 5 running back nationally, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings. Whaley hasn't been a frequent visitor in Austin, but he does have a relationship with 2015 safety signee PJ Locke.

So will the visit help the Horns make up ground on the Aggies and Sooners, the perceived favorites? If not, Texas will likely have to look elsewhere for its 2016 running back.

Arnold is a Baylor commit who doesn't yet hold an offer from Texas, but he's clearly interested, as this will be his second consecutive weekend in Austin after participating in last Sunday's minicamp. A track star at Kountze, Arnold is an offer candidate since defensive coordinator Vance Bedford stopped by his school twice this spring. But will it take a commitment from another cornerback target elsewhere for Arnold to land that offer?

Though none of the prospects are likely to commit while in Austin, this could end up being one of the sumer's most important recruiting weekends.