Some encouraging stuff to report before the weekend.
According to Geoff Ketchum of Orangebloods, things with RS-J look good:
Ricky Seals-Jones lists odds of recommitting to Texas at 75%. Full video report from #rivalschallenge coming soon.
— Geoff Ketchum (@gkketch) June 22, 2012
Seals-Jones met Rick Barnes, received assurances that he was more than welcome to play basketball, and also cleared up any misconceptions with the football staff that we were already slotting him for TE or DE. It also wasn't lost on Jones that Mack Brown cancelled travel plans so that he could see him again.
It should be noted that RS-J weighed in at 230 pounds recently.
Whether he commits to Texas or not, Jones is the best pure athlete in the state. Fretting over his future position is irrelevant. Scoop up the talent and worry about the appropriate slot later. That's also strong happy hour advice.
The AAS also had some interesting tidbits:
JUCO TE commitment Geoff Swaim:
He was definitely receiving interest from other universities," said Butte College head coach Jeff Jordan. "Many of the Pac-12 programs really liked him and others too, of course. In fact, California and Oregon were actually his favorites until Texas offered."
I know Swaim upset the astronomers (star counters, IMO), but as Anton Chigurh says in No Country For Old Men - "That's foolish. You pick the one right tool."
Texas continues to pursue Waco High's Andrew Billings, a two-way lineman. A source close to the 6-1, 300-pound center/nose guard prospect said Billings' mother spoke with Longhorns offensive line coach Stacy Searels over the weekend.
I like Andrew as an interior OL prospect if he manages his weight correctly. Classic Boise interior OL build with better talent. He won't/can't play defense for us. Every program goes after three stars and he's the kind we should pursuing. It's also unclear to me if his offer is commitable at any time.
Luke, the cornerback from Chandler, Ariz., recently received an offer from USC to add to a list that includes offers from Texas, Oklahoma, Michigan and Notre Dame. He has strong ties to USC and Notre Dame through his high school coaches, but it still appears that the Longhorns are in the driver's seat
Cole Luke's offer list is impeccable. He's not the athlete that current commit Antwuan Davis is, but who is? He has tools. And I like our chances.
We also have a recent interest in Arizona WR Devon Allen, who possesses very good film and, as a junior, an already near legendary list of Arizona track exploits.
I'll write a full scouting report on him if interest intensifies, but I'm a fan. Strong first step, football fast, and has good hands. He can get in and out of gears quickly. That playing speed checks out on other surfaces, where Allen has managed a 10.49 100 meters, a 20.75 200 meters, a 36.39 300 meter hurdles, and a 13.52 110 meter hurdles. His 100 and 200 are impressive enough, but the hurdling scores put him over the top. Given his size and frame (6-0, 190) we're talking about someone who could probably be a world class decathlete.
He seems open to Texas and Phoenix is easy pickings for any power out-of-state program. Allen will continue to blow up into a major national recruit, but if we put on the full court press, our chances are solid.
From the less public world of data from my SB Nation brethren:
- Marcell Harris, who I'd written off as an eventual Florida or FSU commit despite traveling to Texas on his dime on two separate occasions, is planning another trip to Texas. It would be incredibly difficult to pull Harris out of Florida, but right now my Florida guys are convinced we're legitimate players, with the Gators still favored. Harris is a big safety and hitter with surprising ball skills.
- Spoke to a guy connected to Elite 11. They like Swoopes and think he can become a legit passing QB despite being raw. He'll improve just by getting structure in his instruction - he throws the ball differently every time he drops back - and by exposure to more football. He's not a football nerd, so some of it is just basic gridiron literacy. There were some routes at NFTC that he threw for the first time ever. Compared him to current FSU QB EJ Manuel and loved his baseline athletic ability. I think he could really use a redshirt.
- OT Caleb Benenoch is seeing his stock rise, decomitted from Michigan St, hit a Sooner camp on June 12th, after the June 10th camp in Austin, and is now seeing what else rolls in. Consequently, he's not jumping on any offers. He plays OT, but prefers interior OL at the next level. OU is pitching him hard contrasting UT OL development to theirs. Davin Joseph vs. Michael Huey; Trent Williams vs. Adam Ulatoski. You get the picture. Not much we can do to deflect that aside from pointing out that we're under new management.