HD follows up on this guy
http://texas.scout.com/story/1518992-potential-new-qb-for-the-longhorns?s=110
"...... His name is Jose Blankenship of Spring (Texas) Klein Oak. He and Watson spoke last week where the 6-foot-1, 190-pound QB tells HD that Watson offered him a preferred walk-on position.
“Last week I talked to Coach Watson and he said he would love to have me on board as soon as I get admitted to the school,†Blankenship said. “So right now I am just waiting on the admissions process to take place.
“It really started with that last week. Signing Day happened and a lot of kids fell through the cracks. A couple of people that know me were sending things to the UT football team and I guess I finally came across Coach Watson’s eye and he called my coach. He and David Smith, my head coach, coached together. They have a decent friendship to where he called him up and asked him about me.â€
This has all come about at a rapid pace for a QB who has had to wait for much of his career for things to happen.
“I didn’t play my junior year because we already had a DI committed QB [
Jordan Davis who is at
Louisiana-Lafayette] that was a senior. That was tough. Being a junior with no eyes on you. I played a couple of games that year but not enough to get recognized.â€
Blankenship knew his time would come, though. When it did, he hit the ground running (4.59 40-yard dash) and never looked back.
“That was my mindset for the year,†he said. “We were unranked in the Houston area. I was just focused on bringing the team together. I knew I was going to prove people wrong, not trying to be cocky or anything. People don’t expect a lot from a team that went 4-6. I got the team rallied. I was out to prove a point.â€
Point proven. Blankenship led a team that was 5-5 in 2013 and took them to 10-4 in 2014.
He completed 146-of-237 passes (61.6 percent) for 1,978 yards 14 touchdowns and 8 interceptions. He also rushed 165 times for 810 yards and 13 scores.
“I would compare myself to
Major Applewhite,†he said. “I’m not one of those pretty, flashy 6-4 quarterbacks. I just get the job done. I’ll put the ball where it needs to be, get yards that need to be gotten. I’m not going to come out there and style, but I’m the guy that gets the yards that need to be gotten.â€
That winning-at-all-cost mentality was something Watson noticed while watching Blankenship’s film.
“Coach Watson reiterated that he had taught people before, and after watching my tape he agreed that one of the biggest things that I have is that I’m a winner,†he said.
Blankenship knows, once again, that the odds will be stacked against him should he gain admittance and walk-on. But that’s just fine with him.
“To be honest, I’ve always described myself as the underdog,†he said. “I like having that mindset. I have a chip on my shoulder. If I get there I will play like that and practice like that. I’ll do whatever it takes to get to the top. But I won’t let it affect my team. Whatever it takes to help the Longhorns I’ll do. Whether that’s taking 100 reps on the practice squad, I’ll do it. Of course I want the starting job. I’ll do whatever it takes to get there.â€
