Nick Harris

Home-field advantage? Finally healthy team? Maybe. Domination? No doubt. Behind a strong performance from a pair of defensive underclassmen, Texas finishes a roller coaster of a season on a high note with a 38-10 win over #11 Utah in the Alamo Bowl for their third consecutive bowl win. Since filling in for injured starters in the secondary, true freshman Chris Adimora has proved his worth from the safety position as the Horns used a strong performance from the 2019 four-star recruit to limit the Utes to just 126 passing yards. Joseph Ossai rounded out a phenomenal sophomore campaign with a 9 tackle (6 for loss), 3 sack performance as the front seven played arguably its best game of the season in limiting Utah’s stellar rushing attack to just 128 yards, over 100 yards under its average. Texas got on the board first out of the gate with a Cameron Dicker 29-yard field goal on the opening drive of the game to go up 3-0. The defense held firm in the first half as they kept the Utes scoreless through the first two frames, Utah’s second such occasion in a row after also putting up a goose egg in the Pac-12 Championship Game against Oregon. Sam Ehlinger fired his 30th touchdown of the season at the start of the second quarter to Collin Johnson from five yards out after a 71-yard punt return inside the 10 by D’Shawn Jamison to power Texas to a 10-0 halftime lead. The Longhorn offense stayed hot out of the locker room though as Ehlinger found the end zone again, this time to Keaontay Ingram from 11 yards out. After Utah got on the scoreboard with a 32-yard field goal, Texas led a 7-play 75-yard drive over nearly five minutes and capped it off with a six yard rushing score to go up 24-3. The Utes followed that up with their first touchdown of the night on a controversial pitch-and-catch from Tyler Huntley to Demari Simpkins from four yards out to cut the deficit to 24-10. However, the Texas defense held firm down the stretch as the offense tacked on two more scores to secure the rout and their biggest win over a ranked opponent since their 52-17 win over #10 Texas Tech in 2005. Sam Ehlinger finished with 201 passing yards along with 3 touchdowns and 1 interception. The junior quarterback also rushed for 73 yards on one score. Keaontay Ingram tacked on his fourth 100-yard performance with 108 yards and 1 score. Texas finishes the season with a 8-5 record as they eclipse the eight win mark for back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2011-2013. The Longhorns will open the 2020 season on September 5, 2020 against South Florida at Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.

As one exits, another walks straight in. After Van Fillinger’s decommitment from the Longhorns earlier this month, the Texas staff extended an offer to Longview’s three-star defensive tackle Sawyer Goram-Welch. After a positive official visit to Austin, Goram-Welch became the 17th commit of the 2020 recruiting class. Goram-Welch commits to the Longhorns on the heels of his decommitment from Big 12 foe Oklahoma State on December 7. Texas beat out Texas Tech, Illinois, and SMU for his services in 2020. The three-star ranks as the 79th best defensive tackle in the nation and 961st overall, according to the industry-generated 247Sports Composite rankings. PLAYER INFORMATION Name: Sawyer Goram-Welch Position: DT High School: Longview Hometown: Longview, Texas MEASUREABLES Height: 6’4″ Weight: 278 pounds Three Best Traits Versatility – Possibly Goram-Welch’s biggest upside may not even be at the position he is being recruited for. After losing defensive end Van Fillinger, Goram-Welch has the potential to move outside to end from the moment he steps on campus. However, with the likeliness of Texas moving to a four-man front, he probably fits better at defensive tackle at the next level. Immediacy – Goram-Welch will sign to the Longhorns on Wednesday and enroll in January, paving a way for him to contribute in a substantial way next season at either defensive tackle or end. Underdog Mentality – You could say this for any kid that comes out of East Texas, but Goram-Welch has had a string of instances in his career where he has had to prove people wrong, and he’ll get another opportunity to do just that when he lands in Austin. Currently standing as the lowest-rated commit, the three-star will look to play underdog once again at the next level. Areas For Improvement Mobility – Goram-Welch has issues moving laterally on plays where the offensive lineman is trying to win a space over him and keep him in front. Improvements in slipping by in these situations will be something to keep an eye on in the spring. Using Full Strength – Standing at 6’4″ and 280 pounds, I would like to see him use more of his strength on a more consistent basis. There have been opportunities at Longview against smaller opposition where he couldn’t push through. Improvement in that area will be crucial in the spring as well. Summary Sawyer Goram-Welch will join Vernon Broughton as the only defensive linemen in the 2020 class leading up to the Early Signing Period. The three-star could be a huge benefactor in Texas’ possible transition to a four-man front as he is physical at the point of attack and can move around the line with ease. If the Longhorns stay at a three-man front, Goram-Welch will still be able to succeed as he’ll be able to move across the line. Final Verdict Coming from a storied program and a phenomenal coaching staff led by John King in Longview, Goram-Welch will have a leg up on most recruits coming into Austin over the next eight months just because of the championship pedigree he has played in over the last four years. Expect this kid to be one of the vocal leaders of the 2020 class as they push Texas back into the national landscape.

Highland Park’s four-star outside linebacker Prince Dorbah wrapped up his playing time with the Scots on November 29 after a third-round loss to Frisco Lone Star, but he will still have two more cracks at it before suiting up for the Longhorns in August at the Adidas All-American Bowl on January 4 and the Polynesian Bowl on January 18. Dorbah was honored on Wednesday in Highland Park by NBC as he received his jersey in part of the “Road to the Dome” tour. “It’s a dream come true,” Dorbah said. “It’s every little kid’s dream to grow up and be an All-American. It’s just a blessing.” The prestigious postseason bowl game has featured some of the best high school stars in its 20 year history as names like Adrian Peterson, Ezekiel Elliott, and Christian McCaffrey all suited up in San Antonio. “It’s a great legacy here, a lot of great guys have come through [this game], so I’m just gonna try to go in and be who I am.” With the recent turnover on the Texas coaching staff, the Longhorns lost the commitment of Van Fillinger, but Dorbah was quick to reassure his commitment to the Forty Acres. “I’m still 100% committed no matter the outcome or whatever happens this season down there. I’m just ready to get down there and go to work.” Despite a rocky 2019, Dorbah has been one of the strongest commits since pledging to the Horns over the summer as he continues to hammer home that he will be in Austin in August. “It’s my home, you know. I haven’t been anywhere other than Texas, so I don’t want to be anywhere else.” Dorbah will not be enrolling early as he will be playing basketball for Highland Park during the 2019-20 season. He is slated to sign on December 18 during the early signing period. “I’m gonna try to put on some more weight,” Dorbah said on what he will try to do before enrolling. “Stay in shape, workout, and just do whatever I can to help my overall game improve.” Prince Dorbah will join Bijan Robinson, Xavion Alford, and Andrej Karic as Texas commits playing in the All-American Bowl on January 4 at 12:00 p.m. from the Alamodome in San Antonio. The game will be televised nationally on NBC.

Texarkana Pleasant Grove has started to become a miniature hotbed for recruiting in the state of Texas as head coach Josh Gibson has turned the program into a 4A powerhouse. One of the Hawks’ hotter prospects is 2021 five-star defensive end Landon Jackson. Jackson is the 2nd ranked strong-side defensive end in the 2021 class and 5th ranked player in the state of Texas. He stands at a monstrous 6’6″ and 240 pounds. He is fresh off of an official visit to LSU for their game against Texas A&M, another school high on his list. “I had a good time out there. They played a great game against A&M. I toured a little bit of the facilities on Sunday, I had a great time,” Jackson said after Pleasant Grove’s regional final win over Gilmer last Friday in Longview. Texas A&M has seemed to be the leader as of late in Jackson’s recruitment as the Aggies have started to make a big push for the five-star East Texan. “I’m liking them a lot actually, they’re definitely one of my main schools at the moment. I have a really good relationship with the coaches and I think we’re just gonna keep on building it.” Texas is still very much in the picture, however, as Coach Giles was in attendance Friday to catch up with Jackson. “Relationships are my main thing when it comes to where I want to go to school. Like there are schools that are recruiting me that may have a better program, but they don’t want to build a relationship. I want a relationship with the school that is recruiting me and that’s how Coach Giles and [Texas A&M assistant] Coach Price treat me.” Jackson provided a pretty certain timeline for his decision as he said that he wants to hold it out until the end of next summer. “Right now I’m not too focused on it, but this spring I’m gonna take a few visits and then make a decision before my senior season. But right now, I’m just focused on getting a ring. That’s our main goal right now.”

Four-star defensive tackle Alfred Collins from Bastrop Cedar Creek received his Adidas All-American jersey in a presentation in Cedar Creek’s gymnasium last Tuesday morning as Adidas continues their “Road to the Dome” tour. “It’s an honor,” Collins said. “When I first got the news, I couldn’t believe it. It’s just showing all my hard work paying off.” Collins is a high target on Texas’ board as he stands as the 102nd ranked overall recruit in the country according to the industry-generated 247Sports Composite rankings. Texas A&M and Texas have each paid home visits to Collins in the last week, but Baylor seems to be the Longhorns’ toughest competition for Collins’ services as he has his last official visit planned to Waco on December 14. “It’s the family vibe I get,” Collins said on what he likes about Baylor. “…the competitiveness on the football field, the education.” Concern around the Texas camp is whether the staff turnover will affect how Collins views the Longhorns, but his opinion hasn’t seemed to waiver. “Honestly, it doesn’t really change how I see them.” With his recruitment heating up this winter, Collins has decided to delay his decision and announce where he will be going in February leading up to National Signing Day. “I just have to feel comfortable. I already know wherever I go, I will get a great education.” The 2020 Adidas All-American Bowl will be televised live on NBC from the Alamodome on January 4th at 12:00 p.m. in San Antonio. Collins will join Kelee Ringo, Bijan Robinson, Donovan Jackson, Xavion Alford, LV Bunkley-Shelton, Andrej Karic, and Prince Dorbah as Texas targets/commits that will compete in the prestigious event.

Rivals is reporting that Ty Jordan has indeed flipped his commitment from Texas to Utah. Texas has a specific name in mind to replace him with in the DFW area. Still pushing for a 2 RB class. Article soon.

I was able to pick up a few tidbits of some recruiting info in my journey to Dallas on Friday as a number of notable in-state recruits played in Arlington in second round playoff games. My six-game slate proved to be an important one for recruiting as the likes of Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Eli Stowers, and Loic Fouonji made treks to Arlington to lead their teams to victory. Loic Fouonji We’ll start off with possibly the biggest info I got this past weekend as four-star wide receiver Loic Fouonji from Midland Lee was in town to take on Arlington Lamar at Cravens Field. He told me that he would be committing “any day now” and sure enough on Monday night, the news came. Fouonji committed to Texas Tech. The Longhorns had taken some pressure off of Fouonji in recent weeks as their focus at the wide receiver position has shifted to Carthage’s Kelovntay Dixon. Deuce Harmon Denton Guyer’s three-star junior cornerback does not currently hold an offer from Texas, but that could change as a big offseason is expected for the Wildcat. Harmon made huge plays on defense in the second half of Guyer’s 50-41 win over Cedar Hill at AT&T Stadium including this monster hit. In talking to him postgame, I got the sense that Texas A&M is the clear frontrunner among his offers of Oklahoma State, SMU, TCU, and the Aggies. Harmon said that the coaching staff has really won him over at A&M and that the atmosphere is amazing in College Station. Ja’Quinden Jackson Jackson had another huge game once again as his Duncanville team continues to steamroll teams on their way to another 6A Division I state championship appearance. The 2020 commit finished with 90 yards and 2 touchdowns on the ground as well as 55 yards through the air in limited game action before being replaced with the second team quarterback. Jackson reaffirmed his commitment to Texas and is excited to get back on campus for good. A few happenings off of the field are worthy of mention as well as a big decommitment over the weekend put a possible target back on Texas’ board: Alec Bryant Shadow Creek’s four-star defensive end decommitted from LSU on Sunday after what seems to be a dropped offer. Texas has yet to officially offer Bryant, but with the likes of Xavion Alford and Dajon Harrison pushing, that offer could come sooner rather than later. Texas would be in an entertaining battle with Oklahoma to win Bryant’s services in 2020, but Texas would have the edge.

“This is crazy, yo. We’re gonna hit 100K views, we’re about to blow!” Dajon Harrison sits on his bed minutes after breaking the news of his commitment to the Texas Longhorns alongside his childhood friend and teammate Brock Bujnoch. The two are sifting through Harrison’s sudden bombardment of Twitter mentions. A lamp on the ground in the corner of the room serves as the only light in the room as Harrison experiences one of the biggest moments of his life. “They have an evaluation for you in 247 now, they’re comparing you to JD Spielman,” I bring up as he FaceTimes his cousin, former Longhorn national champion Jamaal Charles. “Is he cold?” “Yeah, no doubt,” Bujnoch replies. His MyPlayer on NBA 2K20, which has been impressively constructed with the flyest clothes and tattoos that the game has to offer, looks over the room before the TV goes into a power saving mode. Sorry 2K, something much more important came up tonight. -------------------- Texas had long been the dream school for Harrison, but as the 2020 class began to take shape over the summer, he saw his chances dwindle to slim as the season started. In July, he released a top six of Houston, Kansas State, Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado State, and Iowa State. The dream of going to the Big 12 was still alive, even after his short stint as a TCU commit over the spring. However, a message from Bryan Carrington in September that started conversation between the two changed it all, and the rest is history. “If they offer me, it’s a wrap,” Harrison said in October. That offer came on November 4, and with it came an instant commitment to the Forty Acres. Dajon Harrison had become the newest Texas Longhorn. I was watching Monday Night Football, expecting the Cowboys to lose in a horrendous way once again, when my phone pinged from the other room. I knew before I even looked at my phone. First the tweet from Carrington, now three consecutive texts at 8:30, I knew exactly who it was. -------------------- Minutes after the post (which didn’t work on anyone’s phone in the room and took five minutes to send through my computer), retweets, likes, evaluations, articles, and congratulations started flying in. Brock sifted through his timeline next to Dajon to help him gauge all of the love. Thirty minutes after the post, Dajon’s follower count had ticked up by 300 as more interactions started pouring in. I caught that smile that his mom mentioned earlier in the day, I could definitely tell that this was the moment he had been waiting for. My job here was done. I had scored a free meal and made an acceptable production in my eyes in about four hours. “Man, this whole experience was great,” Dajon said as I was heading out. “I loved it. All of this love for me, I feel like it’s not true. It’s still a dream to me, so I’m just trying to enjoy all of it right now and stay humble, be great, and keep going.”

Spoke with four-star wide receiver Latrell Neville last night from Fort Bend Hightower who tells me he is making a decision "in a couple of weeks." "Starting to slow down with the recruitment, just been working hard and keeping my head high, getting ready to make a decision soon." On Texas and WR coach Corby Meekins who was in attendance last night: "Meekins is a really good guy, I've had a relationship with him since I was a freshman. I'm real high on Texas as well, I see myself fitting that Collin Johnson role." If I had to make a reasonable guess, Oklahoma seems to be the spot for the talented junior.

@RDHookEm Four-star De'Gabriel Floyd (#55 overall on 247) out of Los Angeles is set to enroll early next semester and will have a good shot at the starting job in my opinion. David Gbenda out of Cinco Ranch is our only other commit at linebacker as of now, but I don't see him getting starting time at the position right off the bat.

Peyton Powell provides incredible versatility to the 2019 class. Four-star athletes that can play or defend any skill position is about as valuable as it gets. The coaching staff can assess his skillset in comparison to what they will need come next summer, and put him at QB, RB, WR, DB. The possibilities are endless with Powell.