From E.J.'s periscope
- EJ is at LAX, waiting for his flight, decked out in Adidas gear. 3 hours to go... Tournament was 'insane', seven hours of nonstop 7-on-7. Shoutout to Adidas for the tournament. Best 7-on-7 circuit aside from Pylon.
- Kelee Ringo made a surprise visit to Texas. He's been on campus thrice, which tells you his interest in the university. Texas is in a very good spot. He has a lot of connections to the program (Westbrook/Beck) + he loves UT's DB tradition. Texas could jump into pole position with him soon, although it's still early. He likes blOU + Ohio State a lot as well and wants to visit there too. Washington is obviously a factor also. EJ thinks Kelee Ringo is the #1 player in the country.
- Mookie Cooper probably won't re-commit to Texas but UT continues to recruit him. He recently told the staff he's still interested. But don't get your hopes up. Have to see how the chips fall.
- Texas offered Jordan Johnson yesterday. Despite losing Mookie, Texas is still trying to get kids from St. Louis. But Texas has a lot of work to do here. ND has a good grasp on this recruitment and he's visiting them again soon. Texas might get a visit, but right now ND is in pole position.
- On DL: Prince Dorbah wants to take his time. Broughton is a wildcard and enjoys the process. Umanmielen will wait until the end of spring. But Alfred Collins could pull the trigger soon, he's a Texas legacy and it makes sense.
- Hullaby isn't a straight RB offer. He visited for practice.
- Akinola Ogunbiyi joined the periscope, EJ gave him a shout-out.
- An early commitment from Ringo would open doors for kids like Sa'vell Smalls, Wilson, Ransom, etc. Ringo would be the face of UT's recruiting efforts out West. But Ringo wants to wait until after spring and take more visits. Dream scenario is an early commitment from him. Ringo is more physical thank Elias Ricks, he has a better build and is really coming along. Very far beyond his years as far as technique.
- Derrian Brown is still recovering, respect to him and his family.
- Damien George really likes Alabama. They're a big factor in his recruitment, but George is still wide open and Texas can turn the tide here. Not a true package deal, but George and Zach probably end up at the same place.
- Texas decided Whittington was a RB back in the fall, before Texas missed on Cain. He'll need to pick up pass blocking but he has the talent.
- Xavien Alford says he wants to wait until the fall for a commitment. EJ doesn't believe him and thinks it might be sooner. LSU + A&M are involved but he really likes Texas.
- EJ CBed Akinola to blOU.
- Texas is happy with Hudson Card. No plans to chase Haynes King or Chandler Morris. Haynes was very good in the state championships, and there's an argument he's the best 2020 in-state QB this cycle along with Card. But EJ prefers Card by a small margin. EJ thinks Card is super underrated as an athlete, mentions Card was an all-state WR before switching to QB and tested really well. Now a polished passer with good mechanics, he needs to add more weight but has a very high floor and is loyal to the program.
- UT is in play with multiple five-stars, but none will decide soon. Evans, Ringo, Wilson, Flowe, etc.
- Princely visited A&M but there's not much there, blOU is the bigger threat.
- EJ still likes where Texas stands with Lindberg after the Stanford visit. But he'll make more visits.
- JoJo Earle (2021) has a strong relationship with the staff and Texas could be the early leader here.
- EJ doesn't care when kids do "Hook 'Em" upside-down. He thinks it's blOU's thing and that it's overblown.
- Texas is in a better spot with Ringo than WIlson, who has yet to visit. All about getting WIlson on campus.
- Texas is in a great spot with Preston Stone, who will come in for the Spring game. If he decided now it'd be Texas.
- EJ knows very little about Kendall Milton. UT is in the mix but don't get your hopes up. Lots of Cali guys really like that UT could land McCoy and Floyd, it really helps with kids like Ringo and Floyd.
- Ryan Watts... EJ doesn't have the best feeling here with regards to blOU. Watts chose blOU over Texas for the spring game, and if blOU locks down Jahari Rodgers Watts could follow which is really worrisome.
- Hudson isn't really active on social media, but he does work behind-the-scenes. He's a "bro".
- Joshua Eaton was very impressive this weekend at the tournament. He rose to the occasion against some of the best WRs in the country. EJ had Eaton and Watts ranked close to one another but Eaton has the edge now after studying him in 7-on-7. His technique is getting better and he'll rise in the recruiting rankings if that continues.
- Zach Evans will take his recruitment to NSD. George will probably do the same. Withthat said, timelines always fluctuate. But their plan is to wait.
- Jase McClellan... it'll take a lot to flip him. Texas or Georgia could do it. Jase's mom likes the program. Not offering Jase before blOU was a mistake on Texas' part, had they done so when Jase visited last month Jase would probably have picked Texas. Still something to watch.
- Is Smart Chibuzo decommiting? Guess he is. At the last his commitment is wavering.
- Herman spent the majority of his childhood + college in Cali and relates to those kids very well. Cal Lutheran produces many coaches, and Herman has strong ties there. For example, Herman went to school with Newbury Park HS's offensive coordinator (Rising), and was teammates with Westlake (CA)'s head coach (Floyd).
- If George picks Bama, things will get interesting.
- For 2021, Tommy Brockermeyer will probably be the first commit. No one close to commuting right now though.
- Someone named 'Cooper Cuffe' is a big fan of EJ.
- Quinten Johnson barely does interviews, hardly talks. No one knows his timeline. But Texas is in a good spot.
- Does the commitment of JUCO O-linemen affect 2020 O-linemen? "No."
- EJ doesn't care if Texas gets Bryce Young, but EJ thinks he's a great kid regardless.
- Texas has talked to Chad Johnson Jr, he's on the radar...
- It's imperative to get to know everyone in a recruitment; even EJ does it as a reporter. Kids, family, 7-on-7 coaches, trainers, are all important pieces in the puzzle.
- To be a recruiting writer, you have to be able to write (obviously) and to build relationships with everyone involved in a recruitment. You also have to 'finesse' (?). You have to go out on the road a lot and see kids often to evaluate and get to know them.
- Ronaldo > Messi.
- EJ likes Corey Flagg as a player but he's undersized. Texas will continue to look at him, and if UT offers it'll be later in the process.
- EJ thinks LAX really sucks, nothing to do, just souvenir stands + boring sandwiches. LaGuardia is bad as well. DFW airport > LAX, there's a lot more to do there. LA feels like EJ's second home now after Dallas.
- Texas will have to fight to get Demond Demas, he seems locked into A&M now.
- A&M may still in the lead for Troy Omeire, and EJ won't change his CB for the time being. But if EJ was an A&M reporter he wouldn't feel great about their CB and maybe change it to cloudy. Texas has done a good job recruiting him and likening him to Collin Johnson/LJH.
- EJ may go to Atlanta Pylon for more 7-on-7 tournaments. Someone claiming to be Kelee Ringo showed up on the Periscope (turned out to be his mom). Jake Smith is apparently helping to recruit him. Texas continues to do well in Arizona. Lathan Ransom is visiting for the spring game, plus athlete who is similar to Noa Pola-Gates from last cycle.
- If Texas doesn't get Chad Lindberg they'd have to send more offers. It'd be a big miss.
- 2020 kids like the momentum Texas has after the Sugar Bowl. Lot of kids want to take their time for now, another good season would help a lot but kids will always be on their own time. No need to worry if commits don't happen quickly. Texas vs. LSU is the big game next year.
- EJ now talking about clothing outlets. Something about PCH Los Angeles, Black Market, and Supreme band-aids (?). Mentions that Texas should take a look at Gee Scott Jr., Ohio State WR commit from Washington (the state).
- EJ would love to see more of Justin Flowe and Johnny Wilson. EJ thinks Flowe makes it to campus eventually. Both of them played really well. Random talk about Garrett Wilson.
- Chances of Dwight McGlothern ending up at Texas are low. EJ doesn't elaborate. Thinks we should be optimistic re: Bru McCoy's NCAA appeal.