Burnt Orange Nation

Texas Recruiting 2013: Mike Mitchell Next In Line

2012-05-16T15:56:42Z

[Update]: Here's my scouting report on Mitchell that I just did for the mothership. --Wescott

There aren't many remaining needs in the 2014 class for the Texas Longhorns, but the one glaring area of concern is at defensive end.

The only current commitment is from Lancaster defensive Daeshon Hall and though he reiterated that he's still committed to Texas ($) in an interview with Hookem.com published on Tuesday, he didn't rule out taking more visits and simply indicated that the staff wants him to communicate any potential visits beforehand.

Not quite enough to move Hall from a soft commitment back to a solid commit, but it is better than a decommitment, which seems more unlikely now than it has for some time.

As for Alief Taylor defensive end Torrodney Prevot, he's a long way off from making a decision and it's not clear whether any of the schools he has visited (LSU, Texas, Texas A&M) or plans on visiting (Oregon) have an edge on the others, making his recruitment a virtual toss-up at this point. Les Miles did send a Mother's Day card to his household that apparently made Mama Prevot's day, so maybe the Mad Hatter gained some ground for the Tigers there.

In other words, the worst-case scenario for Texas of Hall decommitting and Prevot going elsewhere is quite plausible, even if it isn't likely. Having a back-up plan in place and perhaps even pursuing it sooner rather than later would make sense.

As a result, Plano Prestonwood Christian defensive end/linebacker Mike Mitchell appears to be the next prospect in line for an offer, regardless of position.

The 6-4, 220-pounder is a superlative athlete with elite top-end speed and leaping ability. While neither of those skills translate particularly easily to the defensive end position, the point is that he has a rare combination of size and speed that probably makes him a worthwhile take, even with limited numbers remaining.

Despite some speculation early in the process that Mitchell wasn't that interested in Texas and was perhaps looking mostly out of state because he's from Florida, the pendulum seems to have swung and Mitchell has indicated that he would be interested in Texas ($) were they to offer:

If Texas did offer, then that would put them right in the thick of things for me. They would shoot up the list for sure. Like I said, I like Texas. They're a great school. So for them to offer would definitely be a big deal for me.

I heard this weekend from a source close to the situation that Mike's father increasingly would like to see his son stay in state, in large part because he has several other younger sons and would like to keep them all close to home. If that is the case, Texas would be facing off with schools they normally defeat in recruiting battles.

On the other hand, there's also a lot of talk that Mitchell would like to play with teammate Christian Morgan in college, which would effectively eliminate Texas and likely benefit Baylor, which is in hard pursuit of Morgan and has a strong chance of landing the big tight end. Such arrangements rarely come to fruition, but it is something to consider.

Now the Texas coaches have to consider whether they want to stand pat for the moment, wait on Prevot, and hope for the best with Hall staying in the fold or become pro-active. A decision isn't imminent for Mitchell, so there isn't time-related pressure on Texas in that regard, but the 'Horns aren't in such a strong position with the Metroplex-area prospect that they can afford to slow play him indefinitely.

BON Exclusive Interview: Maulerson Speaks

2012-05-15T12:01:03Z

Jake Raulerson is a football player.

For those who have actually been paying attention to the 2013 Texas recruiting class, that's hardly a revelation. He's a kid who would look at home in a leather helmet. He's also a prospect who had his choice of schools, as Texas head coach Mack Brown made clear to him following a 2011 summer camp in Austin:

"Son, you can play football anywhere in the country, I just hope it's at Texas," said the Texas head coach, according to Jake's father, Jay.

However, Brown seeing and accepting his unique versatility was a key to the Celina lineman's recruitment -- when other schools were talking about him as a guard or a center or even Alabama wanting him as a Jack linebacker, Brown talked about getting Raulerson on campus and then worrying about where he would play, indicating that he wasn't caught up in specifying a position early, something that resonated with the Raulersons.

After all, Raulerson had dominated that summer camp to the extent that strength and conditioning coach Bennie Wylie walked over and told him that he was the best lineman at the camp, on both sides of the ball, regardless of age. According to ESPN, Brown at one point called out a challenge ($) to the assembled talent, wondering aloud whether anyone could stop the irresistible force and immovable object from Celina.

Even at that early stage in Raulerson's recruitment by Texas, Brown recognized that the semantics of position didn't matter -- the kid known as Maulerson is simply a football player and his recruitment by Texas reflected that. Get him on campus and worry about everything else later.

Most light college offensive linemen are virtually guaranteed a redshirt in college because of their size, but Raulerson is uniquely qualified to contribute early, even if those contributions end up being at positions different from his eventual destination. Football player, remember?

Slated to start out at defensive end and work situationally as a tight end, Raulerson told Burnt Orange Nation on Saturday in an interview at the state track meet that he's been working on catching tennis balls to improve his hands, adding that he has improved in that regard already, but that he doesn't plan on playing the position in 7-on-7 this summer at the request of his coaches.

Currently at 255 pounds and sleeping better since surgery to repair a deviated septum earlier in the year, Raulerson has set a goal of 265 pounds by the end of the summer.

He'll also be participating in several camps -- one of the Texas camps, of course, as well as the inaugural Rivals Five-Star Challenge, and The Opening. He'll also be at the US Army All-American after initially accepting an invitation to the Under Armour in Orlando. Why the change? Well, more of his future teammates will be in San Antonio, of course, including Arlington Martin running back Kyle Hicks, who seemingly announced his addition to the game on Twitter Monday evening.

And Raulerson is 100% about team. Exactly the reason why he was roaming Mike Myers stadium when I caught up with him -- to support the Celina track and field team.

Like everyone else, Raulerson is happy about the development of the recruiting class and mentioned wanting guys with a national championship in mind. Winning a national championship is a goal that has been on the lips of virtually every Texas commit in the class, often unprompted.

There's a reason for that, and that reason is the perception of recovering health surrounding the Texas program.

"The program is great," opined the big lineman. "There were a couple off seasons, but with coaches like Bennie Wylie, he's going to make us the best athletes we can be and I know that because he works his butt off just as hard as the players do. He's out there working every day.

We had a good season with the first-year coaches and now they're getting into their groove and it's going to turn out to be good."

After growing up a Florida fan -- Raulerson pointed out that he's not from Florida, as often mistakenly believed -- visits around the country, including a trip last summer that took him through the heart of SEC country and a visit to Stanford just before making his decision in favor the Longhorns shortly following National Signing Day, the influence of Bennie Wylie weighed heavily with Raulerson. Not just because of the praise that the strength and conditioning coach lavished on him at the summer camp, either.

"It was a big part, a very big part. You spend 80 or 90% of your time when you're in college with your strength coach, so he's the one who will push you and make you better and he's the one I clicked with. He's the best that I've seen, bar none, and I've seen 20, 25 strength coaches."

Strong words and ones that Raulerson unquestionably has the perspective to offer -- his recruitment may have ended early in the process in regards to recruiting for the Longhorns, but he did his due diligence by visiting schools around the country before becoming a Longhorn.

More than just why he chose Texas, the two-way standout also shed some light on why he chose to adopt the hashtag #DT2013 for his class, instead of #TGOD, or Texas Gang or Die, the slogan for the 2012 group.

"I wanted to be unique; I didn't want to steal their moniker," revealed Raulerson. "It's still Texas Gang or Die, but I just thought that since it's going to be a small class that it's going to be an elite group of people and the most elite group of people in the country is just a dream team. It just kind of clicked and sounded good."

Dream Team 2013, it was. And is, thanks in no small part to Raulerson, who has seemingly managed to strike the delicate balance between being the so-called "Bell Cow" of the class, designated the leader of the 2013 class by Mack Brown upon his commitment, and letting other prospects make their own decisions, maintaining their own agency and free will.

When Sealy wide receiver Ricky Seals-Jones was ready to make his decision, Raulerson tweeted RSJ a picture taken in his Texas gear, holding a sign saying, "Hook 'em, RSJ." The talented jumbo athlete and basketball star subsequently chose Texas.

When Belton tight end Durham Smyhe was deciding between Texas and Stanford, Raulerson tweeted him wondering if he wanted to make it a baker's dozen in the 2013 class. The big tight end with natural pass-catching ability subsequently committed to Texas.

Subtly persuasive and without exerted pressure, a marked contrast to Maulerson's "take no prisoners" approach on the football field.

Raulerson did indicate that he keeps up with Torrodney Prevot, the Alief Taylor defensive end he went against in the highly-publicized one-on-one battle at the NFTC in Fort Worth back in March, but the sense is that any pressure he provides is more in the form of those previously mentioned rather than coming out and telling kids they should come to Texas.

Raulerson didn't want to use the TGOD moniker because he felt like he didn't belong to him, so it's hardly a surprise that he would view decisions by fellow recruits in the same light.

One thing Raulerson can tell uncommitted prospects with Texas offers is that Mack Brown will take care of them if they do commit. In a unique look at the commitment process, Raulerson recorded his phone call to Brown and the staff when he informed them of his pledge, which featured a moving moment in which Brown told Raulerson that if he got injured or if something happened to the Texas head coach, his scholarship would be honored, no matter what.

Jake commits to Texas (via Gatordaze123)

Just like his own commitment, the pledge by Brown to Raulerson was not something that he took lightly.

"I've heard some schools say you're not guaranteed your scholarship come Signing Day," he said. "I know that with Coach Brown, I will have a scholarship. He's going to keep his commitment to me and I'm going to keep my commitment to him."

Jake Raulerson -- football player, cheerleader, Bell Cow, Texas commit.

FSU To The Big 12 Rumors: The Bigger Picture

2012-05-15T03:38:56Z

It's nice being the hunter rather than the hunted for a change, no?

As most BON readers have no doubt heard about by now, rumors have been flying fast and furious the last few days about Florida State having a serious interest in moving to the Big 12. Or, more precisely, the comments of certain prominent figures connected with the university (Wes Haggard, the head of the Board of Trustees) and its football program (head coach Jimbo Fisher), and the subsequent reaction by many of the school's supporters and alums, have ripped open the facade of the ACC being one big happy family.

Never mind the fact that Haggard has walked back his comments a bit and that FSU's president is attempting to disavow any interest. As we witnessed from A&M's move to the SEC, once key individuals, egged on by their alumni and fanbase (go take a look at this 600+ comment discussion on Tomahawk Nation and get a sense on how vigorously pro-Big 12 a strong majority of its readers seem to be), start considering greener pastures (whether real or illusory) elsewhere, events might unfold with such a momentum that moving becomes the only option.

There's not much I can add substantively which hasn't been reported up already. (Read this Andy Staples piece from today if you want a good summary of how this has gone down.) And it's way too early to get a good feel on how this will play out. Forget about what course of action FSU may or may not eventually choose to pursue: we have very little public indication about whether ~~DeLoss Dodds~~ the Big 12 would like to expand back to a descriptively-correct number of teams even if it had a big fish like FSU there for the taking.* (And who knows what if anything ESPN, which just signed the contract -- which had Haggard [seemingly erroneously] up in arms -- with the ACC, making the conference its biggest content provider around, is doing behind the scenes to keep FSU in place.)

What we can already take away from this, though, is the knowledge that the Big 12 is perceived as a stable, viable and, dare we say, desirable destination by many connected with one of the biggest possible "gets" in the college football universe. The fact that the Staples and Dodds of the college football journalism world are reporting this news with a straight face would have seemed incomprehensible to anyone looking into the future from June 2010 or August 2011. Note to Oklahoma: maybe DeLoss knows what he's doing and this rebuilt Big 12 thing has some legs after all.

And even if FSU's interest proves illusory, we should take from this the lesson that getting back to 12 teams as soon as possible for the mere sake of getting to 12 is folly if the right eleventh and twelfth teams are not available. Is a conference championship so valuable that the conference should invite Louisville and Cincinnati just to get there if, in so doing, the possibility of luring much larger and and much more attractive schools becomes problematic if not impossible. (Who else might those more attractive schools be? Well, for one, one rumor out there this weekend had The U wanting to tag along with FSU.)

So while it's way to soon to contemplate future BON game threads featuring complaints about the extent to which the Seminole War Chant is annoying**, I do think it is safe to pass the popcorn and watch how this unfolds over the weeks and months to come.

(*The correct answer is: "The Big 12 would be damned foolish not to take FSU, no questions asked." But I've rarely had the correct answer anytime realignment has come up the last couple of years, so don't listen to me.)

(**Have you ever been to an FSU game? No? Please rest assured, then, from one who has that the Seminole War Chant, when one is subjected to it in person, is annoying. Very, very, very annoying.)

Texas Football 2012: What Could Go Wrong

2012-05-15T00:05:19Z

It's once again that wonderful time of year when I'm working late into the night putting together the annual football preview magazine, when four hours of sleep feels like a lot and an unhealthy amount of my waking thoughts are devoted to Texas football and the upcoming season. Which is how I came to be lying in bed at 3:30 a.m. last night thinking about some of the things that had the greatest potential to derail what is shaping up to be a pretty promising 2012 season.

The focus here is on things that, first of all, could plausibly occur, and second, would be most damaging to the Longhorns in 2012. "Greg Davis is rehired to replace Bryan Harsin" is terrifying, but implausible. "Walk-on Cody Ramirez tears his ACL" is plausible, but of minimal impact to the team's prospects this fall.

There's enough that could go wrong that you could stay up all night thinking about it, but after the jump are five of the things I particularly worry would prevent Texas from having the 10-win type of season many are hoping is within reach. Good news, though: although this post is devoted to cataloguing the things that could knock the team off track this fall, our good friends at Barking Carnival will be publishing the companion post to this topic, highlighting the developments that have the greatest potential to help Texas have an outstanding 2012 season -- perhaps even ending in a BCS Bowl. So when you're done fretting here, head over to Barking Carnival to replenish your optimism.

1. A serious injury to Kenny Vaccaro. This isn't so much a concern about depth, as an acknowledgement of Vaccaro as such a high-impact defensive player. Even where quality depth exists, not all losses are absorbed equally, and more than any other player, theTexas defense would most suffer from the loss for an extended period of time of its All-American caliber safety. Like Earl Thomas and Michael Huff before him, Vaccaro is that elite defensive back who is literally a playmaker all over the field -- as lethal in the backfield as the deep secondary. This year's Texas defense is deep and strong, but if there is one player whose loss would most lower the unit's overall potential, it is Vaccaro, the dropoff from whom would be substantial, and would limit Texas in meaningful ways.

2. A serious injury to Jaxon Shipley. Along with a series of injuries that forced Texas to juggle its offensive line (more on that below), the one offensive player whose loss would seem to me particularly difficult to overcome is Jaxon Shipley. Like Vaccaro, its Shipley's ability to impact the game in so many different ways that makes his presence so valuable, and his replacement so difficult. If the Texas ground game is thundering along at its top-end potential, the impact of losing Shipley would lessen considerably, but in any scenario in which Texas needs a healthy and consistent passing game to get to 10 wins, it's a whole lot easier to envision it happening with Shipley on the field all season.

3. A slow start by David Ash. If David Ash isn't the long-term answer at quarterback, it really doesn't much matter how he starts the season, but most plausible scenarios ending with 10+ wins in 2012 involve Ash seizing the QB job and delivering solid production with a minimum of costly mistakes. Assuming that Ash is capable of delivering that level of performance, among the worst things that could happen would be a poor start from the sophomore signal caller; whatever he's capable of under good circumstances, it's easy to imagine how a slow start could undermine his whole season. After last season, many Texas fans will be looking for reasons to doubt the kid, and it will be a matter of drives, not games, before many conclude -- and vocally express -- that Ash doesn't have what it takes. The absolute last thing that Texas needs in 2012 is a repeat of last year's revolving door at quarterback, but if Ash gets off to a slow start, the coaches will feel enormous pressure to do something, Ash himself will feel enormous pressure to turn the tide, and it's easy to see things getting ugly in a hurry. Texas doesn't need Ash to be a hero to be successful in 2012, but it can't afford for him to get off to a bad start, even in early games it can still win.

4. Musical chairs on the offensive line. Instability along the offensive line is always going to present problems -- for any team -- but boy would that be a big setback to this Texas team, which is desperate to overcome the crippling struggles suffered in recent years, and whose offensive system is built on a foundation of power rushing. With strong, stable offensive line play, Texas and its deep crop of talented tailbacks would be poised to pound teams on the ground, which not only would allow Bryan Harsin do all the things he likes and wants to do, but would take the pressure off Texas' young quarterbacks and provide them with the support that would most help them succeed. The success of rushing plays -- such as the Power-O -- that make up the foundation of Harsin's offense depend in large part on good timing and feel, both of which are bound to suffer when the constitution of the line undergoes change. Few teams are lucky enough to start the same five guys all season long, but while Texas doesn't need everything to go picture-perfect to be successful, a season-long string of injuries, position changes, and/or musical chairs would dramatically lessen the likelihood of the offense taking a big step forward.

5. Impotence in the kicking game. As good as Texas has had it in recent years, Texas fans probably take great kickers for granted. Although Alabama just finished proving that you can win big with lousy kicking, it's worth remembering that its kicker meltdown in Baton Rouge would have cost the Crimson Tide a national title but for a stunning Iowa State upset of the Pokes. This Texas team won't be competing for stakes quite that high, but depending on the margin for error provided by the rest of the team's performance, disastrous kicking could be a determining factor in Texas winning 8 games or 10. Encouragingly, the Longhorns' punting, kick offs and place kicking all looked promising in the spring game, and even average production would likely be sufficient to avoid the kicking game holding the team back. Impotence in the kicking game, however, would very much show up on the scoreboard and, potentially, the win column, and as recently as the middle of spring practices, the coaching staff was alarmed by their options.

And with that, now it's your turn to channel your inner Woody Allen and share all the things that keep you up at night with worry. Any thoughts on the five big concerns above? What else do you fear would make a 10-win season difficult for Texas this fall?

Relegation in college football: Why it's awesome and should happen

2012-05-14T17:23:38Z

Relegation in college football: Why it's awesome and should happen

It's the offseason, which means it's the perfect time for hypotheticals. In that vein, Spencer Hall takes a look at the potential for relegation in college football.

While recognizing the moving parts and difficulties of implementation, I love the idea, personally. What say y'all?

Robbie Rhodes Favoring Baylor and Texas

2012-05-14T15:04:07Z

The 2012 U.I.L. Track and Field State Meet took place on the UT campus Friday and Saturday, and one of the most decorated athletes at the meet was Fort Worth Southwest sprinter Robert Rhodes. Running against the best Class 4A competition, Rhodes took home two gold medals for winning the 200 meter dash and anchoring Southwest's 4x100 meter relay team, and a silver for anchoring his school's 4x200 meter relay team. (For a more detailed report of his state meet exploits, along with video: click here.)

It was an emphatic end to the 2011-2012 athletic year, which began with Rhodes as a relative unknown and ended with him sporting football scholarship offers from the likes of Texas and Texas A&M, among others. In between, he set records in football, earned district honors in basketball, and showed himself to be one of the fastest sprinters in the state.

He was scheduled to meet with the Texas football coaches during the weekend, according to multiple reports, and he has said he plans to make his college decision before the end of the school year, so barring a change of plans, we should know by the end of the month whether Rhodes will be a member of Texas's 2013 football signing class.

After the jump, more on Rhodes's athletic accomplishments from the past nine months, and what one of his coaches had to say about his work ethic and character.

Most high school football fans now familiar with the name Robbie Rhodes heard it for the first time around mid-October. (He's known as Robbie, but I call him Robert for reasons I'll get to later.) On the night of October 14, 2011, Rhodes's 5-1 Southwest team took the field against 6-0 rival Fort Worth Arlington Heights in what was billed as a battle to decide the champion of district 6-4A. Arlington Heights (home of 2013 Texas commit A'Shawn Robinson and alma mater of former UT All-American Blake Brockermeyer) had won 20 consecutive district games coming into the contest, but that streak came to a crashing halt as Southwest won in a rout, 66-21, largely on the play of wide receiver Rhodes and his longtime friend, quarterback Wesley Harris.

The pair connected on 10 receptions for 394 yards and 8 touchdowns. The receiving yardage set a new state single-game record, and the 8 touchdown catches tied a national single-game record. All 8 touchdown receptions covered 20 yards or more, and 5 of them covered more than 40 yards. For his part, Harris completed 20 of 30 passes for 562 yards and a state record 9 touchdowns. Their mind-blowing stats were celebrated nationwide, with ESPN's High School Football writers naming Rhodes the player of the week for the Midlands region.

The ESPN article that hailed his accomplishments in the Arlington Heights game described Rhodes as, "5-foot-10, 165 pounds with a 4.5 in the 40 and a 33-inch vertical". If those figures weren't outdated the day they were written, they very much are now. Rhodes is now 6'1" and reportedly in the 185 lb. range. The speed he showed off at the state track meet suggests he's faster than a 4.5 guy, and the last time his vertical was a mere 33 inches may have been 8th grade.

The Heights game thrust him into the national spotlight and made sure he would be on the recruiting radar regardless of how he performed the rest of the season, but it was not his only big game of 2011. In a week 1 tilt with perennial Tarrant County power Everman, Rhodes caught 7 passes for 236 yards and 3 touchdowns. Everman's defense included three seniors who have since signed with BCS programs, one of them a cornerback signed by SMU. Despite Rhodes's heroics, Southwest lost the game by 2. Afterwards, they reeled off nine consecutive wins to run the table in District 6-4A and didn't taste defeat again until a 41-38 bi-district playoff loss to Saginaw Boswell. In that game, Rhodes impacted the box score in every which way, catching 7 passes for 220 yards and 4 touchdowns, completing 2 of 3 passing attempts for 44 yards and a touchdown, and adding 4 carries for 40 more yards.

Sandwiched between Southwest's two losses were the Heights game and some other dominating performances. Against Fort Worth Eastern Hills he scored the game's first two touchdowns on short runs, then later reached the end zone on a 60-yard reception. Against Fort Worth Western Hills he caught 3 passes for 74 yards, including touchdown catches of 15 and 25 yards, and also completed two passes for 80 yards, one a 39-yard touchdown.

Against Fort Worth Trimble Tech: 4 catches for 80 yards and a touchdown, plus an 80 yard touchdown run. His totals for the 2011 season: 47 receptions for 1,319 yards (28.1 yards/catch) and 21 touchdowns, 20 carries for 208 yards and 6 touchdowns, and 6 completions on 9 passing attempts for 170 yards and 3 touchdowns (2 of which were thrown back to the quarterback).

His breakout year garnered him a raft of postseason honors: District 6-4A MVP, Fort Worth Star-Telegram Super Team, TheOldCoach.com/AAA Texas DFW Class 4A All-Area 1st Team and Class 4A All-State 3rd Team, and Honorable Mention All-State from both the Associated Press and the Texas Sports Writers Association. Though he played in what is traditionally one of the weakest football districts in the Metroplex, it's hard to ignore the fact that he had his three biggest games against three best teams Southwest played.

He'll face a stronger slate of opponents this fall. In their bi-annual realignment, the U.I.L. split up the 4A Fort Worth I.S.D. schools into separate districts, rather than put all ten together in a single district. As a result, Southwest will share a district with Arlington Heights and O.D. Wyatt (two of the other District 6-4A schools to make the playoffs in 2011, Aledo (three-time defending state champions who will be in the first year of the post-Johnathan Gray era), Granbury (a traditionally mediocre program that came alive and made the playoffs each of the past two years after missing the postseason for 33 years), and three other FWISD schools. Having a smaller district enabled Southwest to schedule additional non-district games, and their non-district schedule includes Everman (again), Cleburne, and 2011's Class 3A Division 1 state runner-up Alvarado. In all, Southwest will be playing six schools that made the playoffs in football last year. It'll be interesting to see if how Rhodes and his team handle the better competition.

At the conclusion of the 2011 football season, Rhodes jumped right into basketball, helping Southwest reach the third round of the playoffs. After basketball season, he moved on to track, and that season only ended for him this past Friday night. With him starting out with such a low athletic profile statewide, and then being busy with various sports from August until this weekend, he has had little time to be active in the recruiting process.

Not that that kept college programs and the national recruiting analysts from noticing him. Rivals graded him as a three-star receiver, and 247Sports currently rates him as a four-star prospect and 75th overall in the 2013 class (they update their rankings often and as recently as April 16th he was ranked 193rd overall).

He was invited to Texas's 2nd Junior Day in February, but was unable to attend. After some speculation that he was one of the most highly rated - if not the most highly rated - uncommitted wide receivers on Texas's board, it was reported on April 26th that the Texas staff would be evaluating him and West Mesquite receiver Eldridge Massington for a possible offer.

At the time Texas had already received commitments from three 2013 receivers after signing three in the 2012 class (though it's possible two of those could end up playing other positions). In a poll attached to the April 26 post, BON readers were asked if they most wanted the Texas staff to pursue Massington, Rhodes, or Ra'Shaad Samples (who has held an outstanding offer for three months). 648 people voted and 73% preferred Massington, to 20% for Samples and a mere 5% for Rhodes.

It seems the Texas coaches had a different opinion. Massington never received the offer so many UT fans thought was long overdue, and he committed to USC on May 4th. Two days later, it was reported that Rhodes had received a verbal offer from Texas. He already held offers from Baylor, Missouri, TCU, and Texas Tech, later adding Texas A&M to the mix.

In recent weeks he has repeatedly named Baylor as his leader. The Bears being in the pole position could mean Rhodes is buying their reported sales pitch to him about being the next Kendall Wright, or it could be that they offered him before most other schools showed interest and he has actually visited their campus, something he has not had the chance to do with most of the other schools that have offered him. An Orangebloods report ($) of his Saturday morning visit with the Texas coaches only said it "went well" but he has not committed as of this writing.

So what kind of player is he? Fast, obviously. His highlights suggest that he has good hands, can make catches in traffic, and can be a threat in the running game on reverses and occasional snaps in the wildcat formation. As Wescott has pointed out, his route-running and blocking abilities are pretty much an unknown at this point.

Seeking to learn more about him, I contacted John Church, Southwest's head boys basketball coach. I knew Rhodes had played basketball, and that Southwest has had one of the area's highest-scoring basketball teams in recent years, but I had no knowledge of Rhodes's abilities or reputation in the sport.

Coach Church spoke eagerly and very highly of him, informing me that Rhodes averaged over 16 points per game, was named Offensive Player of the Year for District 6-4A, and made the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches (TABC) All-Region Team.

Critics of his football stats will rightly point out that the Fort Worth I.S.D. schools are traditionally weak in football and rarely move beyond the first round of the playoffs in that sport, but the city and its schools have a strong tradition when it comes to basketball. It is no small feat to be named Offensive Player of the Year by the coaches of a district that had three of its playoff entrants advance at least three rounds deep, and a fourth miss the third round by two points.

Coach Church believes Rhodes's basketball skills are Division 1-level, but college coaches know his reputation is significantly higher in football so they haven't bothered recruiting him for the collegiate hardwood. Some other tidbits I get from Church during our email exchange:

- Rhodes once had a game where he dunked 13 times!
- He "works to get better with a passion next to none" and "works his butt off to be the best".
- Rhodes's mother said before his junior season that she thought he should be called Robert rather than Robbie. (I off-handedly dropped this tidbit in my UT-centric preview of the state track meet.) This is the reason I called him Robert at the beginning of this post, and that is the name Coach Church referred to him by in his email responses.
- Rhodes played the 3 spot for Southwest (the position reserved for the team's most athletic player in their system), but has played everywhere on the floor at one time or another, and "is probably the best at each position... he's just that good."
- Church says he is a young man possessed of "extreme good character" with "a strong moral foundation." He also gives Rhodes's family the "strong" description.
- About that vertical jump, variously listed online as somewhere between 33" and 36". According to Church, Rhodes himself says his vertical was measured at 36.5"... entering high school. What is his vertical now? Church hasn't measured it but he has "no doubt that it is considerably higher than that now", and says it would best be categorized as "ridiculous".
- Rhodes is a legit 6'1", but because of his crazy vertical "he plays much taller".
- In describing Rhodes's work ethic, Church recounted that during his freshman year in basketball, his outside shot was "extremely inconsistent" (I sensed he was putting it politely), and on three-point shots he was given a bigger "red light" than a Molina brother thinking of stealing a base. But through focus and a lot of hard work, Rhodes made himself one of the best outside shooters on the team. Says Church, "It's that kind of goal focus that makes me sure he will be successful at the next level, because he will work hard to be the best, not make excuses."

Based on Coach Church's description, does Mr. Rhodes sound just a little like a Mack Brown type of player to you? Hard worker, doesn't make escuses? Check. (Are you reading this, Darius White?) Strong family background? Check. Good moral character? Check. Crazy athleticism and a drive to get better? Double check. He sounds like a kid who could take up squash or field hockey and be the best player on his team within a few months. If he works on his route-running and blocking with half the focus and determination with which he used to improve his three-point-shot, there's good reason to think that with his athletic ability he'll be able to do pretty much anything football coaches ask of him. All that's left is convincing him that the University of Texas is the best place for him to sharpen those skills and that work ethic to use.

If there's a factor that will have to be overcome with him for a UT commitment, it'll be concerns he has about our offense, specifically the passing game. Rhodes's father told AggieYell.com that his son "definitely wants to go to a passing school", adding, "Predominantly passing, 70-30 maybe." Short of skipping college and signing with the Arena League, he's unlikely to find himself in on a team that pass-wacky.

Case Keenum managed to throw for over 19,000 yards without Houston ever passing the ball on more than 65% of their plays for a whole season. And Baylor - Rhodes's declared leader - has had a 54-46 run-pass ratio during the Art Briles era, a figure that actually increases to 56-44 if you only count Robert Griffin's three healthy seasons. Rhodes managed to put up those impressive numbers in football last season with his team only passing the ball 47% of the time, and while catching passes from a quarterback who completed 55% of his throws. (To paraphrase Brian Fantana, 47% of the time, it works 55% of the time!)

Likely the best translation for his father's comments is that Robert Rhodes want to play for a school that will put his receiving talents to use, which is completely understandable. It would be difficult in the best of times for a Mike Leach-style passing offense to gain the signature of an all-state running back who wants to carry the ball 20 times a game. Wide receiver recruits considering Texas will surely have other schools pointing out that their passing game has been such a mess the past two seasons that no Longhorn wide receiver has caught more than 3 touchdowns in a season since Cold McCoy graduated, and 2011's 2nd leading receiver had as many touchdowns passing as he did receiving.

With Texas's post-Colt McCoy troubles in the passing game and general instability at the quarterback position, it makes sense that some high school receivers would be at least a bit skeptical of the staff's assurances that the passing game will be fixed in time. Though the same thing was said two years ago about stud running back recruits being wary of the Texas running game. If Rhodes harbors doubts about the Texas offense, hopefully he will be equally skeptical of a couple of schools on the Brazos River (one of which is joining a very passing-unfriendly conference) that are going into 2012 with relatively unproven quarterbacks who have the unenviable task of following in the footsteps of a predecessor taken in the 1st round of the NFL draft.

As recently as last Wednesday he told SicEmSports.com ($), "I'm feeling good about Baylor", and "I'm not sure if (Texas) fits into my plans." A week ago, Eric Nahlin put the likelihood of an eventual Rhodes commitment to Texas at 75%. Other analysts like Texas's chances at landing him, if only because Baylor-Texas recruiting battles have been historically one-sided, but many seem to think this battle is Baylor's to lose. He has a good relationship with Darrell Wyatt, though, and has said some positive things about Texas recently. Hopefully, that Saturday morning meeting with the coaches and his viewing of the campus and its athletic facilities helped to change his mind, because after all I've see of him and heard about him, I really, really want to see him flashing the "Hook 'em Horns" sign on National Signing Day in February.

Texas State Track and Field Meet results [updated]

2012-05-14T03:36:00Z

DAY TWO RESULTS:

Longhorn Football signees/offers -
Adrian Colbert (Mineral Wells), Class 3A 4x100 meters - 3rd place (41.65); 400 meter dash - 8th place (49.38); 200 meter dash - 1st place (21.45)
videos: 4x100 relay, 400 meter dash, and 200 meter dash

Notes: Future Longhorn defensive back Colbert and his Mineral Wells 4x100 relay teammates ran their best time of the season and set a new school record, but it wasn't enough to catch the teams from Stafford (41.34) and Celina (41.41), who both ran much faster than they had all year. (Celina and Stafford finished 1st and 2nd in the final team points standings.)
Running in the 400 meter dash, which he won at the state meet in 2011, Colbert ran hard but was unable to defend his title against one of the fastest 3A groups to ever run at state. He looked good for the first half of the race, then got passed by Celina's Zack Bilderback on the final curve and looked like he had run out of gas with with 125 meters to go. (Either that, or he knew he had no chance of medaling at that point and decided to go on cruise control the rest of the race and save what energy he had for the 200 meter dash, which was less than 40 minutes away.) Even had he matched his winning time at state from a year ago (48.27) he would not have threatened the leaders, as Bilderback won in 47.27 and each of the top 4 runners had sub-48 second times, which is commonplace for 5A and 4A but hasn't happened in 3A since the 1999 state meet. Colbert staggered to the finish line in 8th place out of the 9 runners, clocking a 49.65 that was a half-second slower than his regional time.
He redeemed himself in the 200 meter dash, running a strong last 100 meters despite going against the wind, and winning a close finish in 21.45 (0.14 separated first from third place).

Bryson Echols and Don'tre Wilson (DeSoto), 1st and 2nd legs of 4x100 meter relay - 1st place (40.09); 1st and 2nd legs for 4x200 meter relay - 2nd place (1:24.62)
videos: 4x100 relay and 4x200 relay

Notes: DeSoto already owned the fastest 4x100 relay time in the nation this year and on Saturday they ran at their best and appeared to have nearly flawless handoffs on the baton exchanges, something that had reportedly been a problem for them earlier in the year. Mansfield Timberview, owner of the nations 2nd best time coming in, was thought to be DeSoto's toughest opponent, but Don'tre Wilson and Tremayne Acy staked DeSoto to a big lead running the 2nd and 3rd legs, before (2012 New Mexico football signee) Ridge Jones finished things off with a good anchor leg and finished 0.49 ahead of 2nd place Galena Park North Shore (the schools would also end up finishing 1-2 in the team standings). Timberview actually fell significantly behind, particularly on the 3rd leg, and was in 5th or 6th place when anchor Aldrich Bailey got the baton, but he shot down the final straightaway like a missile, getting Timberview into 3rd place and very nearly catching the North Shore anchor.
In the 4x200 relay, which DeSoto also had the nation's best time in going into the meet, DeSoto recorded a very good time but simply got outrun by a (on this day) faster Galena Park North Shore team.

Longhorn track signee -
Reese Watson (Spring), Class 5A pole vault - 1st place (17')

Notes: Watson has posted some of the top pole vault heights in the nation this year, and he won gold in a good 5A group that had three other vaulters go over 16'.

Other Day Two runners of interest and Day One results after the jump.

Other runners of interest -
Aldrich Bailey (Mansfield TImberview), Class 5A 4x100 meter relay - 3rd place (40.70); 400 meter dash - 1st place (45.92); 4x400 meter relay - 3rd place (3:14.66)
videos: 4x100 relay, 400 meters, 4x400 relay, and interview

Notes: I only include Bailey in this post because I wrote about him in my preview of the state meet. It's almost a shame that he ran on Timberview's relay teams and we were robbed of a chance to see him go for the 100-200-400 trifecta. He posted very good times in the 100 and 200 at the Lancaster regional qualifiers meet three weeks ago but specialized in the 400 when he wasn't running on relays. He'll be running for Texas A&M during track season a year from now, but there is a possibility we could see him running for Team USA this summer, as his best 400 meter time (45.19) is not only the best of any high schooler in 2012, going into this weekend it was third best time by any U.S. runner this year, and he has qualified to run the event at the U.S. Olympic Trials. We'll be seeing more of him in the years to come, it's just too bad he'll be wearing Aggie colors.

In the 4x100 relay, he ran Timberview's anchor leg and got the baton with too much of a deficit to make up, though he passed three runners in the last 100 meters of the race and crossed the line in 3rd place.

In the 400 meter dash, one of the most anticipated races of the weekend, Bailey got off to a blistering start and looked very strong for the first 200 meters. Coming out of the second turn he looked like he was struggling to keep up his pace and he appeared to tighten up in the last 100 meters. He didn't have the kick to meet his stated goal of running under 45 seconds, but he still ran a very good 45.92, a full second in front of the 2nd place runner.

In the meet's final event, the 5A boys 4x400 relay, Bailey made another furious comeback for the ages that, nevertheless, fell just short of victory. DeSoto lead after the first three legs, with Duncanville and Converse Judson not far behind and Timberview far behind the leaders. Bailey took the baton with his team in 7th or 8th place and had to sidestep a third-leg runner from another school who had just handed off the baton and was moving in Bailey's path. Like a Mario Kart racer using a mushroom, he made a tremendous run to get near the front of the pack by the time he got to the final straightaway. By that time DeSoto's anchor had run out of gas and faded to the middle of the pack, while Duncanville was running away, followed closely behind by Judson. Bailey didn't have quite enough of a kick to catch the Duncanville anchor (who ran a 47.09 final leg), but he was almost neck-and-neck with the Judson runner at the finish line, The Judson runner seemed to make one last push in the last 10 meters to hold him off and take 2nd place just 0.03 ahead of Bailey, who ran an incredible 45.48 anchor leg.

Abraham Hall (South Grand Prairie), 5A 4x100 meter relay - 6th place (41.28), 100 meter dash - 1st place (10.19), and 200 meter dash - 1st place (20.58)
videos: 4x100 relay, 100 meters, 200 meters, and interview

Hall will be running for the U.S. Military Academy at West Point next year. He recorded the nation's fastest times in both the 100 and 200 meters at the state meet. There was a very slight tailwind in both races but not enough to make his times wind-aided. A starting-gun error famously resulted in the computers showing him running a 9.74 in the 100 meters at his district meet. He's not quite that fast. Yet. But his performance at Mike A. Myers Stadium showed that he may be capable of getting there in the future. His 100 meter time was one of the best ever run by a Texas high schooler, but his 200 meter time might have been more impressive, considering his competition. Five runners in the 5A 200 meter final ran sub-21 second times, something that hasn't happened since 1990 (and the wind was almost certainly a bigger factor that year). The 5th place runner last night ran a 20.90, which would have been fast enough to 1st at state almost any other year. Just an incredible race.

DAY ONE RESULTS:

Texas football signees -
Kendall Sanders (Athens), Class 3A long jump - 4th place (23'1")

Notes: As expected, Arkansas track signee Jarrion Lawson (Texarkana Liberty-Eylau) defended his long jump title and blew away the field in the process, jumping 25'8" and winning by nearly two-and-a-half feet. Lawson's winning jump set a Class 3A state meet record, and based on the most recent Track and Field News list of top 2012 high school performances, it appears to be the best one in the nation. Lawson later smashed the 3A meet record in the triple jump, landing 51'10.25" from the board and missing a new state record by an inch and a half, but comfortably setting the top mark in the nation in that event as well.
Sanders flew 23'1" on his first jump, which turned out to be his best. His 2nd jump measured five inches less, and neither of his next two jumps broke 22'. He was in 3rd place after the first four rounds, but fouled on his last two jumps and couldn't improve his distance, while Waco Connally's Jeremiah Payne jumped 23'2.5" on his last jump to take 2nd place and bump Sanders down to 4th. Sanders may have set a personal record, but he'd surely like those last two jumps back, knowing he was a mere 1.75" away from the silver medal.

Kennedy Estelle (Pearland Dawson), Class 4A shot put - 3rd place (60'8.25")

Notes: Estelle improved on his season-best throw by nearly 7 inches, but it wasn't nearly enough to get him into the top two. The winning heave by Rio Grande City's Alex Garza - owner of the 7th best mark in the nation going into the weekend - traveled 63'9.75" to win by over a foot. This was Estelle's third and final time to compete in the shot put at state; he placed 6th in 2011 and 2nd in 2010.

Texas football commits -
Antwuan Davis (Bastrop), Class 4A 100 meter dash - 2nd place (10.58)
video: 100 meters

Notes: Davis appeared to get a very slow start out of the blocks, and while he got faster as the race went along he came up a hair short of winner Cameron Burrell, who officially ran a 10.57. Burrell is the oldest son of former two-time 100 meter world record holder Leroy Burrell, who is currently the head track coach at the University of Houston, his alma mater. Eldridge Massington finished 3rd in 10.74. The 3rd through 8th place times were separated by 0.13.

Texas football targets:
Robert Rhodes (Fort Worth Southwest), Class 4A 4x100 meter relay - 1st place (40.90); 4x200 meter relay - 2nd place (1:25.45); 200 meter dash - 1st place (21.06)
videos: 4x100 relay, 4x200 relay, 200 meters, and post-meet interview

Notes: I didn't see the 4x100 relay but according to multiple reports Rhodes, running Southwest's anchor leg, was behind when he took the baton but made an amazing surge to catch the anchor from Lancaster and win by 0.007. Southwest's winning 4x100 relay time appears to be tied for 7th best in the nation. Eldridge Massington's West Mesquite relay team was 4th with a season-best 41.51.
Rhodes was again behind when he took the baton as the last leg in the 4x200 meter relay and he made up a lot of ground but the deficit was too great and Lancaster won with a Class 4A state meet record and 2nd-best 2012 national time of 1:24.89.
An hour after that disappointing finish, Rhodes got off to a great start in the 200 meter dash. He was leading coming off the curve and lengthened his lead going down the straightaway. He won handily and despite running against a slight headwind, his 21.06 time was a personal best and a top ten national time for the year.

Texas track signees -
Victor Glaze (Killeen), Class 4A high jump - 2nd place (6'8")
Brady Turnbull (Frisco Liberty), Class 4A 3200 meter run - 5th place (9:22.31); 1600 meter run - 4th place (4:16.91)

Notes: Glaze cleared 6'8" on his first attempt at that height but went no higher. He had jumped as high as 7' earlier in the season, as had winner Logan Brittain, who cleared 6'10" to best the field.
Turnbull had the best seed time in both distance running events coming into the state meet but didn't medal in either. His time in the 3200 was nearly 10 seconds slower than his regional time, as he finished in 5th place, 7 seconds behind the winner. Afterwards he had over 11 hours to rest and prepare for the 1600 meter run, but despite beating his regional time he still fell short of the top 3 in a tight finish where 1.22 seconds separated 1st place from 4th.

Bevo's Roundup: 5/14/2012

2012-05-14T00:57:29Z

All the Big 12-2 Conference news that is and isn't fit to read...
And some other stuff.

The new Big 12 Commish just called Texas an 800-pound gorilla. [Houston Chronicle]

"The University of Texas is always going to be an 800-pound gorilla," Bowlsby said.

Horn recruit Kennedy Estelle wants to make an immediate impact. [AAS]

Longhorn FB Jamison Berryhill has signed a free agent contract with the Ravens. [KVUE ]

Could the Big 12 become an aggressor? [CBS Sports]

Kansas coach Charlie Weis came in with a talent black hole. [KU Sports]

ISU coach Paul Rhodes has a new contract. [Indianapolis Star]

Is OU a program is disarray? [Tulsa World]

Bob Stoops means business. [Norman Transcript]

K-State reports a secondary football violation. [Kansas City-Star]

Behind Bars

WVU players stole Doritos and Gatorade. [KDFW]

Sooners being Sooners. [Sporting News]

Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops announced the indefinite suspension of four players for a violation of team rules, the school announced.

Receivers Kameel Jackson, Trey Franks and Jaz Reynolds, and backup safety Quentin Hayes, were all reprimanded. According to OUInsider.com, Franks, the team’s leading kick returner, is out for all of 2012 and Reynolds is suspended for seven games. Oklahoma did not confirm lengths of the suspensions.

Mack Brown is taking his players' arrests very seriously. [AAS]

Weltschmerz

It has been a bumpy drive to the SEC. [Aggie Sports]

The Aggies have high expectations for their next AD. [Houston Chronicle]

"We want a leader who can move us into the (Southeastern Conference) and, throughout the entire range of sports that we compete in, make certain that we have the best coaches and best facilities and best circumstances for our student-athletes to be successful, both on and off the playing field," Loftin said.
"We want someone who can guide university decision-making as far as media relations in athletics are concerned, to make sure we maximize the visibility of Texas A&M," Loftin added. "Not simply for athletics, but the entire university. Someone who really can take us forward into this new era for Texas A&M."

A&M may be looking to the University of Houston for their AD. [Houston Chronicle]

It wasn't a divorce, only a separation. [Fox Sports]

Finebaum asked Sumlin about the Texas specifically, asking Sumlin to address the "public divorce" that occurred when A&M left the Big 12 for the SEC.

"Quite frankly, the move to the SEC has really, really, in the state, kind of separated us," Sumlin said. "I think it's really given a clear choice to prospective students and student-athletes here in the state, given that you have the Big 12, you have the Big East and the SEC and I think that there's some clear differences between the leagues. I've seen the change in recruiting. There are guys out there that understand that the SEC is, without a doubt, the best conference, the best league to play in, particularly when it comes to football."

At least they can have one victory next year. A&M won the College Game Day vote. [Lost Lettermen]

Sporting News ranks college football coaches. [Sporting News]

Is the game to blame for head injures? [Columbia Tribune]

A college football playoff is not a panacea. [The Detroit News]

I've never been an advocate of a playoff for fear it would damage the exceptionally tense regular season. And on the whole, I don't think there's anything inherently wrong with the game — at least not anything easily fixable. The quixotic quest for equity is preposterous in a sport that has 120 Football Bowl Subdivision programs of varying sizes, shapes and styles.

This is an attempt to satisfy the gripers and acknowledge the bowl system has gotten a bit stale. Beyond that, it's a money grab, although no one really knows how the money is going to be distributed. And for every controversy it purports to solve, it'll create another.

Pitt is suing the Big East. [SI]

The Good, The Bad, The Sanctioned

If college athletes were paid, the snack crime rate would drop. [ESPN]

And finally...

Kudos to Missouri and A&M for that inspiring financial move to the SEC. [ESPN]

BIG12

First-tier rights: $480 million, ESPN, eight years through 2015-16
Second-tier rights: $1.17 billion, FOX, 13 years through 2024-25
Per-year average: $150 million
Per-school, per-year average: $15 million

SEC
First-tier rights: $825 million, CBS, 15 years through 2023-24
Second-tier rights: $2.25 billion, ESPN, 15 years through 2023-24
Per-year average: $205 million
Per-school, per-year average: $14.6 million

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