Important visit weekend for Texas includes first official visitors of 2020 cycle

For the first time this cycle, the Texas Longhorns are gearing up for a major official visit weekend, which will see Tom Herman and his staff welcome a handful of commits and key targets. Contrary to the typical major recruiting weekend in Austin, this weekend won’t feature strength in numbers, but rather, just a select few pledges and priority targets.

Here’s a look at who’s expected to tour the Forty Acres this weekend.

Logan Parr — 4-star OG — Helotes O’Connor — Texas commit — OV

One of the earliest additions to Texas’ 2020 class, Parr will spend the weekend in Austin for his official visit, he told BON. The trip will mark Parr’s second up the I-35 corridor from the San Antonio area in as many months, as the nation’s No. 7-ranked offensive guard was on campus for the Orange-White spring game, as well. Parr has remained firm to his Oct. 28 commitment and has been an active presence recruiting for the Longhorns. Expect that to continue this weekend.

Jake Majors — 4-star C — Prosper — Texas commit — OV

The second piece of Herb Hand’s offensive line haul, Prosper center Jake Majors will also be in Austin for his official visit, he tells BON. Considered to be the nation’s third-best center prospect, per the 247Sports Composite, Majors, much like Parr, has remained solid to his commitment and spent the months since his January pledge recruiting additional help for the Horns. And also like Parr, this weekend will mark Majors’ second trip to Texas in as many months, as he was on hand for the spring game, as well.

Vernon Broughton — 4-star DT — Houston Cy Ridge — OV

Houston Cy Ridge star Vernon Broughton has made multiple visits to the Forty Acres since last summer, and he’s set to return on Saturday; this time around, for his first official visit, according to The Football Brainiacs. Texas appears to be the frontrunner for Broughton’s services entering the weekend, as evident by each of his eight Crystal Ball picks favoring the Horns, but Texas A&M looms as a threat following a recent trip to College Station, and Alabama and LSU are among the programs that remain a major factor in his recruitment, as well. That said, Texas is still in a fairly ideal position entering Broughton’s first official visit, but this weekend will be crucial for the Longhorns to at least maintain, if not build upon what was once considered to be a comfortable lead for the nation’s No. 5 defensive tackle.

Chris Thompson Jr. — 4-star S — Duncanville — OV

Like Broughton, Duncanville star safety Chris Thompson Jr. been a frequent on the Forty Acres with his most recent trip coming for a spring practice in mid-March. The nation’s No. 3 safety is set to return to Austin this weekend, and this time, for an official visit, as first reported by Mike Roach of Horns247;Thompson’s 247Sports profile confirms that he’s slated to officially visit the Forty Acres this weekend. One of just four uncommitted safety prospects with an offer from the Longhorns, Thompson is arguably Texas’ top target at the position and key figures involved in his recruitment, such as Longhorns assistant receivers coach Rashaad Samples, have helped the Horns emerge as a favorite. Texas owns four of Thompson’s five Crystal Ball picks entering his first official visit, and he currently has his second official scheduled for Notre Dame on June 21.

Chad Lindberg — 4-star OT — League City Clear Creek — OV

A top 100 prospect nationally, Chad Lindberg has been in Austin time and time again throughout the past year and on into this offseason, and he’s returning this weekend for his first official visit, Lindberg announced on Twitter. To this point, Texas has added three talents in the offensive trenches in the form of the aforementioned Parr and Majors, as well as Port Neches-Groves offensive tackle Jaylen Garth, but if Texas is going to construct its ideal 2020 offensive line class, Lindberg quite simply must be included. To that end, Stanford and Georgia remain threats, but at this point, it would be fairly shocking if Lindberg ultimately ended up elsewhere. It can only help the Horns’ case that even beyond his relationship with committed recruits such as Parr, Majors, Garth, and quarterback Hudson Card, Lindberg’s older brother is already on campus as a student at Texas.

Mookie Cooper — 4-star WR — Saint Louis (Mo.) Trinity Catholic — UV

The last time dynamic Saint Louis (Mo.) Trinity Catholic star Mookie Cooper was in Austin, he left as a Longhorns commit. Less than a month removed from that Junior Day trip, though, Cooper announced his intentions to re-open his recruitment and re-evaluate his lengthy list of options on March 8. Generally speaking, when a recruit decommits from a program, things seldom trend back in a positive direction, but that doesn’t appear to hold true with Cooper, who’s set to return to Texas this weekend for an unofficial visit, as first reported by Inside Texas’ Justin Wells. These days, the industry favors Illinois as his eventual landing spot, which is where Cooper’s former high school coach, Cory Patterson, is now coaching tight ends, but Cooper is aiming to utilize each of his five official visits before making another decision. Whether or not Texas can set itself up for one of those officials may very well be determined by how well things go this weekend.

Zachary Evans — 5-star RB — Houston North Shore — UV

Once again, the nation’s top-ranked talent is set to tour Texas. As is the case with many of the prospects in Austin this weekend, elite Houston North Shore running back Zachary Evans has spent plenty of time on the Forty Acres, with six trips coming throughout the 2018 calendar year. Now, per a report from The Football Brainiacs’ Super K, Evans is set to return to Texas for another unofficial visit, which will mark his second of the offseason — he was in Austin for the Longhorns’ Elite Day, as well. For obvious reasons, Evans is one of the most important Texas targets in recent memory, and the Texas staff has stressed that importance to Evans and those around him. Evans isn’t aiming to announce his commitment anytime soon, as programs such as LSU, Texas A&M, Georgia, Clemson, and Alabama all loom as threats, just to name a few, but each time the top-ranked prospect in the entire class comes to campus, that trip becomes of tremendous importance for the staff.

Damieon George — 3-star OT — Houston North Shore — UV

Also per Super K’s report, joining Evans in Austin will be his teammate, Houston North Shore offensive tackle Damieon George. Though he hasn’t frequented the Forty Acres quite as often as others in town this weekend, George, too, has visited Texas on numerous occasions, including two trips last season and then another alongside Evans for Elite Day. Nevertheless, while Texas pieces together what appears to be an ideal offensive line class, it seldom seemed as if Texas was the team to beat for George. With that in mind, this weekend becomes of the utmost importance for two reasons: According to Super K’s report, George, a Louisiana native, is nearing a decision, so depending on how things play out this weekend, George’s latest unofficial trip to Texas could be his last. Beyond that, as has been widely reported, George and Evans are pretty intent on becoming a package deal. Without George, Texas is seemingly certain to find itself on the outside looking in with Evans, as well.