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The race to National Signing Day continues and the Texas Longhorns received some good news on Monday evening, mixed in with some not so good news on Tuesday.
After Texas City twins Armanti and D'Onta Foreman maintained on Monday morning that they would take their official visit to Missouri, news broke later in the evening that the trip will not be happening, ensuring that the two important pieces of the 2014 recruiting class remain in place.
Unfortunately for the hopes of adding another hybrid edge player, Schertz Clemens outside linebacker/defensive end Kollin Hill is expected to keep his pledge to Notre Dame and sign with the Fighting Irish, meaning that the 6'2, 220-pounder won't be taking an official visit to Texas. Charlie Strong and his staff extended an offer to Hill over the weekend.
Hill confirmed that belief on Twitter on Tuesday afternoon:
100% committed to Notre Dame for those people worried, will not be taking any visits anywhere. My decision is final. #GoIrish 🍀🍀🍀
— Kolin Hill (@KoLiNHill45) January 28, 2014
As a result, it appears that the last weekend of official visits before National Signing Day next Wednesday could come and go without the Horns hosting any visitors.
Following a weekend trip to Baylor, several days have now passed without Houston Lamar safety John Bonney flipping his pledge to the Bears, so even while his 247Sports Crystal Ball predictions have been trending in that direction, every day that passes with Bonney still committed to Texas has to be considered a victory for the Horns.
There's also a correction to provide about the status of Marble Falls wide receiver Garrett Gray, who had planned on taking an official visit to Cal last weekend, but did not end up making the trip. The news is obviously a good sign for the Longhorns after losing Dallas Lincoln wide receiver Emanuel Porter back to TCU.
Gray doesn't quite have the physical upside of Lincoln, but the two players are similar in that both are tall outside receivers with excellent speed and plenty of room to grow as players because they both came late to football. The hope is that Gray can provide some ability as a deep threat when he gets to Texas, a role that Porter was expected to fill.
So to recap where things stand with potential targets for the Longhorns, the two biggest remaining on the board at this time are South Carolina product Poona Ford and Florida product Chris Nelson, both defensive tackles critical to the class and both former Louisville commits. Landing both is critical for the future of the position after whiffing at defensive tackle in 2013, but the Horns are in good shape to do so with the deep ties Strong has to both players.
There's an outside shot that another Florida product, Richard Yeargin, could take a visit to Texas, but even if that happens, it's hard to see the Longhorns having a legitimate shot at landing his services.
Other than that, unless some other prospects emerge on the radar in the next several days for a last-ditch recruiting attempt from Texas, the only likely additions are Ford and Nelson, while Strong and his staff try to hang onto prospects who have taken visits like Bonney and Abilene Cooper wide receiver Lorenzo Joe.
And fortunately for the Longhorns, the most important current pledges in the class -- San Antonio Brennan defensive end Derick Roberson and Denton Guyer quarterback Jerrod Heard -- will sign with Texas next Wednesday, as well as a key piece in New Orleans (La.) St. Augustine cornerback Jermaine Roberts, a prospect who nearly visited Ohio State, so even in a worst-case scenario with Joe and Bonney, the true worst-case scenario for the class overall won't come true.
So there's that, at least.
