Texas hosting key visitors, including No. 1 JUCO LB Gary Johnson

Break out the cookie cakes — National Signing Day is less than three weeks away and the Texas Longhorns are hosting the first of three visit weekends prior to the 2017 class signing National Letters of Intent on February 1.

And this weekend is arguably the biggest recruiting weekend for head coach Tom Herman and his staff, as one potentially wavering commit and several high-profile targets will be on campus in Austin.

Commits

Daniel Young, Spring Westfield running back — The former Houston pledge committed to the Longhorns on December 23 shortly after his decommitment from the Cougars. This will be his first visit to campus.

Derek Kerstetter, San Antonio Reagan offensive lineman — Much like Young, Kerstetter was committed to another school — Oklahoma State — when Herman and his staff arrived. Like Young, the 2017 US Army All-American did not visit Texas before committing in late December, though he had been on campus in the past.

Taquon Graham, Temple defensive end — Since Graham is the only commit who plans on taking other visits, the coaching staff will have to sell him like he’s uncommitted. A longtime Texas fan, Graham will visit Oklahoma and TCU, which means that the ideal result for this weekend would be locking in his commitment and getting him to cancel those visits. However, that seems unlikely to happen.

Marqez Bimage, Brenham linebacker — Another former Houston commit, Bimage originally planned on waiting to make a decision until after he visited Austin. However, he decided to commit last week before visiting.

Kobe Boyce, Lake Dallas cornerback — Once considered a strong candidate to flip to Oklahoma, Boyce affirmed his commitment following Herman’s hire and could be a key figure in helping recruit other Dallas-area visitors like Grant Polley and Chevin Calloway.

Targets

Grant Polley, Denton offensive tackle — Polley is a bit of a mystery since it wasn’t even clear until recently whether he would take a visit. The 2017 Under Armour All-American is one of a number of Colorado commits from the Dallas area, which could make him more difficult to flip.

Larrell Murchison, Louisburg College defensive tackle — A recent pledge to Ole Miss, Murchison hasn’t yet visited Oxford and is clearly still at least somewhat open-minded about the process since he decided to visit Texas. He’s hoping to land an offer while in Austin.

Jamari Chisholm, Northeastern Oklahoma A&M defensive tackle — The latest addition to the visitor list, assuming there are no further developments on Friday afternoon, Chisholm also does not hold an offer. Since Georgia State and Syracuse are the only other two schools to offer him, an offer from Texas could lead to a quick commitment.

Gary Johnson, Dodge City CC linebacker — The nation’s No. 1 linebacker is a former Alabama commit who holds offers from all over the country and still has visits planned to Oregon and USC. However, the Longhorns are trending in the 247Sports Crystal Ball for Johnson and appear to be in a strong position heading into the weekend.

Chevin Calloway, Dallas Bishop Dunne cornerback — Down to Arkansas, Texas, and Ole Miss, the fact that Calloway is from the state of Arkansas could factor into his decision. The good news for Texas is that the staff made him a priority in the immediate aftermath of Herman’s hire and successfully sold him on the program’s future.