This Saturday's game against the West Virginia Mountaineers is shaping up as a big recruiting event for the Texas Longhorns, with several key targets slated to be on campus.
According to 247Sports, at least six important recruits are scheduled to be in Austin for the game:
- Albuquerque (N.M.) Eldorado quarterback Zach Gentry (Texas commit)
- Miami (Fl.) Washington tight end Devonaire Clarington
- Lakeland (Fl.) Victory Christian linebacker Cecil Cherry (Tennessee commit)
- Homestead (Fl.) cornerback Davante Davis
- Tallahassee (Fl.) Florida State University High safety Ronnie Harrison (Alabama commit)
- Mesquite Poteet athlete DeAndre McNeal
Player hosts will play a big role in the recruiting weekend, according to head coach Charlie Strong.
"Our hosts are really key, which are the players," Strong said on Monday. "They're going to have to do a really good job of just selling the program and selling what it's all about.
One of those hosts may be senior linebacker Steve Edmond, who was known as a quiet player when he first got to campus and remained that way for quite some time while in Austin, but has since become more vocal, notably trashing Baylor back during the spring.
The Daingerfield product revealed his pitch to recruits on Monday.
"You come to Texas and it's a life-changing event," he said. You can go to another school and have the nice uniforms, the flashy uniforms, but it really doesn't mean anything. Here, you have tradition. You'll be proud of what you're doing other than how you look. So I feel like if you come here, you'll get something more than how you look. You're going to get a great education, a great experience, and great head coach here, Coach Strong."
Since the hosts have to play such a big role during the season, the coaches prefer to have players in after the regular season is over in order to afford them more attention.
"It's really tough to bring in official visits during the season, because on Friday you're with the team and then Saturday you play the game," Stong said. "So you don't get much time with them."
The reasoning that Strong provided is why the Longhorns have been trying to make the first weekend of December the biggest on the recruiting calendar so far this fall.
And so while some fans have been criticizing Arkansas tight end commit Will Gragg for putting off his official visit, the truth is that he did so at the request of the staff for the reasons mentioned above.
For the five or so high-profile prospects on campus for Saturday's game, however, the pitch from players like Edmond will have to suffice.
Well, that and the bottom line of winning.
"The first thing we need to do is go out and play well and give them something to talk about," Strong said.