2020 Recruiting Board/Thread

[primal defense]

THE TOP 10 REMAINING TARGETS FOR THIS CYCLE OF COLLEGE FOOTBALL RECRUITING

Five-star RB Zachary Evans (uncommitted)
247Sports Composite ranking: No. 9

The wildest recruitment of the 2020 cycle, Evans was seemingly pointed towards LSU before signing with Georgia in the early signing period. Before publicly announcing that Georgia commitment, Evans got cold feet and asked out of his letter of intent. Georgia obliged and now there's really no telling where he lands. Ole Missgot him on campus for an official visit last weekend. He could head to Tennessee or Florida this weekend. Texas A&M has also continued to linger, and don't be surprised if Georgia resurfaces as a landing spot by the time we reach February.

Four-star DL Alfred Collins (uncommitted)
247Sports Composite ranking: No. 72

A massive defensive lineman who posted a monster senior season, Collins has emerged late as one of the top priorities nationally but has seen his recruitment whittle down to a Texas, Alabama and Oklahoma race. His mother played basketball at Texas and the Longhorns hold all of the current 247Sports Crystal Ball predictions, but he has indicated a desire to squeeze in visits to Oklahoma and Alabama around his basketball schedule before making a decision in February.

https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/national-signing-day-2020-the-top-10-remaining-targets-for-this-cycle-of-college-football-recruiting/

 

[Slimer]

Rakestraw taking his OV to Bama' this weekend.  Will be interesting to see if he leaves committed or not.

 

[Baron]

Rakestraw taking his OV to Bama' this weekend.  Will be interesting to see if he leaves committed or not.

Hopefully Valai and Carrington can work some magic.

 

[TexCoyote]

Rakeshaw visiting Texas on 1/31/20 after Texas coaches visited him last night. 

 

[TFloss32]

Rakeshaw visiting Texas on 1/31/20 after Texas coaches visited him last night. 

 

[primal defense]

ZACKERY EVANS  VS  BIJAN ROBINSON, WHO"S NATION'S TOP RB PROSPECT?

The 2020 class is one of the deepest in recent memory at the running back position. Zachary Evans has held the top spot for over a year but there’s another back making a strong push for top overall player at the position.

There is no doubt Evans is a special talent and he showed exactly why at the recent Under Armour All-American Game that I was at. When breaking him down, there really isn’t weakness in his game and he’s one of those backs that just does everything well.

Watching him go through the drills, he just looked different then the other backs and again, the other players in his group were all very talented in their own right. Evans had a different look to him and showed another level of burst, acceleration, balance, feel and vision.

He’s a naturally instinctive runner with underrated power. He can finish off a run and pick up the tough yards after contact while showing the quickness and top end speed and to get the edge and out run a defense. He was MVP of the Under Armour Game and looked like the most talented player in the even

Unfortunately with Evans, it’s not just about football. He had an up and down year and that’s putting it nicely. There were multiple off the field issues and when it comes to player rankings, you always have to ask the question, how much influence should that factor in?

Everyone would agree that character counts but when it comes to players still in high school, it’s tough to project. How much is just immaturity and a player needing to grow up versus a player with serious attitude issues where you know said player will be a locker room detriment.

Right now, there are a handful of schools that are betting on Evans. He just visited Ole Miss last weekend and is slated to check out Florida (Jan. 31). According to 247Sports analyst Steve Wiltfong, Florida State and Tennessee are vying for a visit this weekend. Georgia, where Evans initially signed a letter of intent but was later released from it and Texas A&M remain in the mix as well.

So saying all that, even if you remove the off field issues with Evans, is he still the nation’s most talented running back? For me, after seeing Tucson (Ariz.) Salpointe Catholic RB and Texas signee Bijan Robinson all week during the Polynesian Bowl, he was every bit as impressive as Evans was a few weeks ago during UA week.

Our national staff who saw Robinson at the All-American Bowl in San Antonio also raved about him as well and the two actually have very similar skill sets

They’re similar in size, both about 5-11, 6-0 and a solid 200 pounds although Robinson looks a little thicker overall. Robinson is a decisive down hill back, probably more quick then fast but still with plenty enough top end speed to hit the home run from anywhere. He's elusive, can make you miss and is tough to bring down in the open field.

He runs through defenders, has plenty of open field wiggle and during the Poly Bowl, looked like a threat to score almost every time he touched the ball. He has elite vision, can change direction and stop and start on a dime. He runs hard consistently and is always attacking the line of scrimmage.

The one area Robinson has an edge on not just Evans but every other back in the class is as a pass catcher. Robinson has elite level hands out of the backfield and is good enough as a pass catcher that we would probably rate him as a four-star prospect at receiver if he wasn’t such a good running back.

We’ve seen him dominate 7v7 passing events as a receiver and he might be the best pass catching running back to come out of the West since Joe Mixon five years ago. His production is off the charts as well and he averaged an incredible 203 yards a game on nearly 18 yards a carry this past season with 38 touchdowns

His off the field work ethic is extremely high and he’s as a high character a kid as you’ll find who could be a future captain for the Longhorns.

It’s very close between the two backs. Evans probably has a little bit of an edge in terms of his burst and explosiveness, Robinson is better out of the backfield and might have a small edge in power. Both are talented and have been highly productive their whole high school careers. It's a fun debate and one our recruiting team is still tackling with final rankings slated for release next week

 

[TFloss32]

 

[primal defense]

 

[RickyFlair]

2 hours ago, primal defense said:

Back in the mid fifties there was an all American RB at TCU named Jim Swink. I remember people would say that, although he was fast, what made him so good was he seemed to be able to run as fast sideways as he could forward. I think about that every time I watch Robinson. His lateral movement is unreal. 

 

[Sirhornsalot]

In a rare Sunday post, Brainiacs say Princely is trending toward Baylor and away from Texas. Still feels confident in Collins though.

 

[drgilbert]

If we can only get one then I’m glad it’s Collins trending our way. 

 

[Sirhornsalot]

If we can only get one then I’m glad it’s Collins trending our way. 

OU will have a team of coaches at his place tonight I believe.

 

[drgilbert]

OU will have a team of coaches at his place tonight I believe.

I just don’t think he picks ou over us. 

 

[MikeV73]

OU will have a team of coaches at his place tonight I believe.

Does Switzer have his hiding place picked out behind the couch?

 

[primal defense]

WHO WON THE LONE STAR STATE?



Like every cycle, the state of Texas was talented and deep. The top 45 prospects in the 2020 class were four-stars or five-stars on Rivals.com. Which in-state school did the most damage in its home state?

Out of the top 10, Texas A&M has signed two, five-star wide receiver 


Demond Demas
 and five-star cornerback 

Jaylon Jones
.

Texas missed out on those in the top 10, but between Nos. 11-20, the Longhorns signed five. Quarterback 

Hudson Card
 and defensive tackle 

Vernon Broughton
 lead the way there. In that same group, Texas A&M and TCU have signed one. Three in that group are still undecided.

Moving on down the list, and focusing on the top 45 as a whole that have either signed or committed, here is the breakdown by in-state programs:

Baylor: 2

TCU: 1

Texas: 9

Texas A&M: 4

Texas Tech: 0

The program outside the state that did the most damage was Oklahoma. Lincoln Riley and the Sooner signees 6 of the top 45.

The program that landed the best of the best in their home state was Jimbo Fisher and the Aggies, but Tom Herman and the Longhorns signed the most when talking the four-stars and five-stars this cycle.

Both programs are looking to reach the College Football Playoff, and to do that, they will have to continue to recruit at a high level in their home state. Texas A&M is expected to sign a top-10 class with Texas likely finishing in the top 20.

The top player in the state, five-star running back 

Zachary Evans
 is still in play, and Texas A&M is still a program he is considering, so all eyes will be on the star out of Houston as we inch closer to Signing Day.






 








https://n.rivals.com/news/rivals-rankings-week-top-state-ranking-storylines-3

 

[TFloss32]

RB Kevontre Bradford of Lancaster is going to LSU.

 

[TFloss32]

 

[primal defense]

RANKING THE TOP TWENTY FIVE OFFENSIVE PROSPECTS

20. Hudson Card, QB

Height/Weight: 6'2½", 179 pounds

Status: Signed with Texas

College outlook: Card won't be a starter in 2020, barring an injury to Sam Ehlinger. Card's primary focus will be challenging Casey Thompson for the backup spot and readying for a competition in 2021 after Ehlinger's eligibility is up.


8. Bijan Robinson, RB


Height/Weight: 6'0", 200 pounds

Status: Signed with Texas

College Outlook

Rising junior Keaontay Ingram has a pair of 700-yard seasons to his name. Barring injury, he'll be the Longhorns' lead runner.

Injuries caused quite the problem for Texas in 2019, enough to force quarterback Roschon Johnson into the backfield. He responded with 649 yards and seven touchdowns, but it's far more ideal to have a 5-star talent such as Bijan Robinson in the backup role.

Robinson's top competition will be Daniel Young—who managed 16 carries last season—and possibly Jordan Whittington, depending on whether Texas views him as a back or receiver.

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2872991-national-signing-day-2020-ranking-the-top-25-offensive-prospects#slide8

 

[CoachEmUp64]

@Sirhornsalot any word on Dixon?

 

[TFloss32]

Per The Football Brainacs, they're hearing Florida has taken the lead for DE Princely Umanmielen of Manor after his official visit to Gainesville this past weekend.

On CB Ennis Rakestraw of Duncanville, he is still scheduled to be in Austin this weekend for an official, but worth noting that he may not exactly be a take for Alabama at this time despite being in Tuscaloosa recently.