Could Crabtree Start in the UT Secondary?

Not trying to rub it in or make you sick or anything.

?

Texas never recruited Crabtree.

The fact that Texas didn’t recruit him or the fact that we take non-qualifiers?

I guess we now know whose team Jesus is on.

We had Limas Sweed at the time as our blitz control. We needed depth not starters that year.

I was under the impression that Texas never recruited him because he never visited for a junior day or anything. Isn’t that a requirement for a UT offer? This was the first place I read that UT approached him about his interest in playing defense. As far as being a non-qualifier, I don’t think grades were ever an issue with Crabtree. The only issue he had was with the administration at Dallas Carter. He was eligible after the 3rd game, once the transcript issues were resolved. Maybe I’m wrong, but this is the only public information that I’m aware was ever disclosed.

“A&M never offered either. Had heard he would have been an Aggie lock”

Aren’t they all?

Except for the ones you actually try to recruit?

I do know that his involvement in summer AAU basketball hurt his recruiting stock. Everyone knew he wasn’t a QB, but no one really got a good look at him at another position during the summer camp circuit. His second choice was Kansas because they were going to let him play basketball. The idea was tossed around that he would play basketball at Tech, and allegedly, Knight went to a football practice and said he needed to stick with that. At least, I think that’s how the story went.

I’d always just assumed it was grades that kept us from recuriting him. My reasoning went something like this- guys with that talent do not redshirt at Tech (or anywhere for that matter). He was redshirted, therefore he must have been Tech’s lone prop 48 take for that year and we already had ours or did not want to take the risk.

Of course, this rests on my belief that this is how prop 48s work in the Big 12 these days, maybe all that has changed.

dedi - I’m sure there was contact. At least, I would certainly hope our recruiters are evaluating all the kids who are legit D1 prospects and talking with them when that’s possible or necessary. Crabtree had to be on our evaluation list at some point I would think. So I imagine all of the above could be possible: we asked him about his interest as a defensive player and later - be it grades, something else or just a complete whiff on our part re his abilities and potential - decided not to recruit or offer.

We Texas fans tend to cite grades as the reason for not taking a certain recruit, and it’s actually often/usually the case. But not always. Plus kids from DISD are somewhat in the hole to begin with academically.

ded - Jesus plays for the Titans now. Duh.

I do know that his involvement in summer AAU basketball hurt his recruiting stock.

I remember a story about Mack when her first showed up at Texas about how he specifically looked for Hoops guys because they could run and jump. Possibly apocryphal. Possibly no longer applicable. Possibly both!

Great find, HJ. Worth a read. Nice Dex Pittman story. I don’t think he’d hold off Dex anymore.

“At least, I would certainly hope our recruiters are evaluating all the kids who are legit D1 prospects and talking with them when that’s possible or necessary.” - Black Scholes

Your recruiters do not contact all legitimate D1 prospects. Nobody does - well, UNLV, believe it or not, seems to be sending letters to almost every D1 recruit in Texas.

I don’t think anyone would deny Crabtree is great, or that Tech isn’t blessed to have him.

Texas, for whatever reason, was never in the Crabtree business. A lot of these kids receive offers from Texas 3 years later according to that school’s SID. “We beat out Texas blah blah blah.”

It looks good on the resume.