Texas Football Recruiting: Longhorns Putting Together Another Top Class In 2013

The 2013 wide receiver class in the state of Texas is top-heavy with tall wide receivers, but there's a slight wideout at state powerhouse Dallas Skyline who simply knows how to get open -- Ra'Shaad Samples, son of the head coach there, and possessor of 33 offers.

On Thursday afternoon, Samples broke the news of his announcement date on his Twitter feed:

It's official I will announce my commitment on ESPN July 5-8 at The Opening!

— Rashaad Samples (@10justscored) May 17, 2012

The 6'0, 170-pounder earned the invitation to the event despite breaking the fibula in his left leg late in the day at the Fort Worth NFTC, ending a strong performance. Having already dealt with a similar but more serious injury as a sophomore, Samples is on track to recover in time for the Nike-sponsored event and has been outspoken in interviews with the services about his confidence in returning at better than full strength. After all, he emerged from his previous rehab faster and stronger than before his injury.

Resilient kid, Samples.

The significant day in the talented wideout's recruitment didn't stop just with the announcement of, well, his announcement date, but also teased another pending revelation:

Probably will put my top 5 later on tonight

— Rashaad Samples (@10justscored) May 17, 2012

Well top 6...

— Rashaad Samples (@10justscored) May 17, 2012

Good to his word, Samples dropped his list hours later:

Okay my top 6 in "NO ORDER" is Texas Texas A&M Texas Tech USC Ohio st and Oklahoma St

— Rashaad Samples (@10justscored) May 18, 2012

Of those schools, USC and Ohio State would likely need to receive summer visits from Samples to stand a legitimate shot in his recruitment, though the crafty receiver has not yet scheduled those trips. Nearly a month ago, he spoke about his plans at that time ($) to the Aggie Rivals affiliate, Aggie Yell:

I will try to make some visits this summer. I'm not in any rush to make a decision. I will probably get to some in-state places for second visits and try to go to a couple of out of state ones too like Notre Dame and USC. I may see Texas Tech and A&M again. When I went down to A&M, it was a junior day and it was quick. I want to spend a day on the campus. I want to see them practice but I probably will miss out on that. I'll attend some games next year. I will probably see Texas. I really want to see Tech play and Oklahoma State play. I try to go to a lot of games every year.

The big change clearly is that Samples won't be taking any official visits before making his decisions -- or see any games this fall at all, for that matter -- but the schools that get those visits during the summer could secure on advantage in a recruitment that seems quite wide open at this point, though Samples recently changed the avatar on his Twitter page to a split screen shot including a picture taken at the Texas Junior Day that occupied the same position for much of February.

But how interested is Texas in Samples? Multiple sources have told me that Samples hasn't had a committable offer since the commitment of Cy Falls wide receiver Jacorey Warrick back in late February. What's certainly clear is that the staff has backed off serious pursuit.

In any case, a lack of interest from the staff may ultimately result in the same outcome as informing Samples that there was no more room for him in the Texas class and also represents a more subtle handling of the situation so as not to risk damaging relations with a pipeline school like Skyline that produces serious talent every year.

So which of the other five have the strongest shot at landing Samples?

The in-state schools with the lead are probably Texas Tech and A&M, especially since there was some buzz from Aggie camps that a commitment could be imminent from Samples around the time of the spring game. Still dealing with his injury, Samples didn't take any trips during that time, which killed that speculation.

It's possible that USC or Ohio State could surge into serious contention based on summer visits, but until those trips happen, if they do indeed go down, Texas Tech, Texas A&M, and Oklahoma State probably have the highest odds of landing Samples because of proximity and familiarity.

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The nearly two-month drought without a commitment has finally ended for the Texas Longhorns following the Friday pledge of 2013 Bastrop (TX) cornerback Antwuan Davis, first broken by ESPN HornsNation analyst William Wilkerson and later confirmed by the other services.

A 5'11, 180-pounder who held 16 offers from some of the top programs in the country, including Alabama, LSU, Michigan, Notre Dame, and Oklahoma, Davis saw his commitment take off after recovering from a back injury that sidelined him for the latter part of his junior season.

Various rated as a three- or four-star prospect by the services, Davis is the 14th commitment in the Texas recruiting class and the first defensive back to pledge.

Here's the scouting report from Davis from an in-person viewing at RedBull Gamebreakers last summer:

The Del Valle transfer looked like the definition of a lockdown corner, showing why he created some serious buzz following a strong performance against mostly 2012 competition at the June 5th Texas camp. On the hoof, Davis impresses with a sturdy 5-11 frame that still has room for growth -- by the time he leaves college, Davis could easily tip the scales at close to 200 pounds without losing the top-end speed and short-area burst that makes him a top prospect.

Like Austin High, Bastrop was bounced from the tournament after only two games, but it was plenty of time for Davis to impress on the field. During a game and a half of viewing, opposing quarterbacks didn't even target his side of the field. Showing his strength and ability to re-direct receivers at the line of scrimmage, Davis also showed fluid hips and the ability to turn and run, as well as burst on tap at all times to stick in a receiver's hip pocket.

During the first game against LBJ, the Bastrop cornerback on the opposite of the field gave up two long touchdown passes. After Davis moved over, the LBJ receiver was quiet for the rest of the game. Lock. Down.

There was one concern with Davis, however, as the big corner sometimes didn't use his strength to his advantage in press coverage, failing to get his hands on the receiver and leaving him with some ground to make up coming off the ball. Fortunately, his speed can make up for some poor technique and as he receives more coaching and improves his technique, that concern should fade.

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Antwuan Davis (junior highlights) (via 247SportsStudio)

The Texas Longhorns continued a solid weekend of recruiting by adding offensive lineman Kent Perkins of Lake Highlands in Dallas, Orangebloods.com reports. Perkins is rated a four-star by most services, standing 6-foot, 5-inches and weighing 300 pounds. He's also claimed offers from SEC schools Arkansas, LSU and Texas A&M, along with Oklahoma and Oklahoma State. Texas A&M! SEC school!

OB has confirmed that Lake Highlands offensive lineman Kent Perkins has committed to Texas.

— Geoff Ketchum (@gkketch) February 27, 2012

Perkins visited Texas' Junior Day over the weekend. He becomes the 10th commit in Mack Brown's 2013 class, joining fellow four-star offensive lineman Jake Raulerson. There may be some concern over Perkins not being named Jake or some derivation thereof, as only 30 percent of the Horns' class now features any significant Jakeishness.

Here's video of Perkins in action:

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Texas recruiting has been on a roll of late, so it was a bit of a disappointment when the Longhorns' second junior day failed to yield any commitments on Saturday. Additionally, several top prospects were unable to make the trip. That's not uncommon, as it is tough for many kids to secure a ride. Still, Texas fans weren't particularly happy, even if they understood that Texas was taking it slower as a matter of choice this season.

That all changed Sunday when the second junior day did manage to turn quite a few heads. They just happened to wait a a day to commit.

First was Deoundrei Davis, a 6'2, 210-pound prospect considered by many to be the top linebacker prospect in Texas. Texas recruiting expert Wescott Eberts of Burnt Orange Nation had this excellent scouting report on Davis:

The Longhorns are getting an extremely impressive prospect who is set to make some leaps up the various rankings when they get updated, as he's universally considered a four-star recruit and a likely top 15 or so player in the state. With a frame that has the room to add the mass to eventually play at or beyond 230 pounds and a reported 4.65 that doesn't seem like a stretch based on his speed on film, Davis is now receiving mention as the top linebacker in the state, a belief the Texas staff may have arrived at themselves based on the offer.

What really stands out about Davis though is his striking ability. There's no other way to describe Davis except as a violent dude who brings some bad intentions with him to the football field and makes good on them consistently with his strong tackling radius, ability to sink his hips and uncoil, then finish tackles with a strong core. A rangy player like Tevin Jackson is probably a good comparison in terms of overall violence, athleticism, and upside.

The fact that Davis also shows the ability to diagnose plays quickly and without taking false steps is also a major part of his value. A terror of the edge when unblocked, Davis uses his strong ability to accelerate quickly to run down plays in the backfield before they even come close to having a chance to get started.

There's enough versatility in his game for his high school coaches to feel comfortable moving him out onto inside receivers in coverage, though there isn't much film on whether or not he can drop into coverage, as was the case with other downhill linebackers Texas has recruited in the past, like Jackson and Sergio Kindle before him.

It's heartening to see the willingness of Davis to battle through traffic and pack enough of a punch with his hands to be able to hit and separate at the high school level, as well as use them to fend off blockers at his legs.

That's just an example of the incredible, free analysis provided regularly by Eberts at BON. Davis is an excellent pickup for the Longhorns.

But Texas wasn't done, as the Longhorns also added Jacorey Warrick, a surprise receiver commitment. Eberts feels that the commitment of the 5'11, 170-pound Warrick could signal that Texas might take more than the two receivers it was originally believed to be taking.

The night cap was the commitment of Daeshon Hall, a 6'6, 220-pound defensive end out of Lancaster (Texsa) High School. Hall is raw, but has significant potential and is one of the 10 best weak-side defensive ends in the country.

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Ricky Seals-Jones, a top tight end recruit from Sealy (Tx.) High School, has committed to the Texas Longhorns. Seals-Jones holds additional offers from LSU, Oklahoma, Notre Dame and Alabama, among others. At 6'5" and 220 pounds, Jones is way too much for the competition to handle at the high school level.

And like many elite athletes in high school, Sealy uses Seals-Jones at the quarterback position. There simply isn't much film available of him playing tight end or receiver. But the athleticism is immediately evident. Seals-Jones is definitely one of the top 20 players I've seen on film at this early juncture in the 2013 cycle, and given his frame and likely college position, he might just be scratching the surface of his potential. With as much motion and formation shifting as Texas likes to employ in its offense, Seals-Jones could cause quite a few headaches for opposing defensive coordinators in the coming years.

It's also interesting to note the recruiting done by Texas commitment Jake Raulerson (see photo). Texas is again putting together great class.

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With the commitment of Tyrone Swoopes, some Texas fans are wondering if there will be a shift in the Longhorns' offensive philosophy. And for good reason, as Swoopes is an incredible runner and a physically gifted, but incredibly raw, thrower. Vince Young, anyone?

Scott of Barking Carvinal, one of SB Nation's excellent Texas sites, takes a look at this issue using an incredible amount of video and football strategy information. This article is a must read for Texas fans, and also an interesting read for anyone who enjoys the game within the game. Here's an excerpt:

In short, pretty much the full complement of [Texas offensive coordinator Bryan] Harsin's running concepts are readily available in the pistol and the formation fits our trajectory perfectly with a running threat at QB (Ash and perhaps eventually Swoopes). Even with Brewer or McCoy in the game, you are still going to see the quarterback used as a running threat. That isn't to say that we are going to become primarily a pistol team... under Harsin there is no defining offensive formation but I do think it will become an even more significant part of our offense going forward because of the strong philosophical fits with our intent on offense.

There's a ton more that could be said on the subject, but I just wanted to respond to the notion that a dual-threat quarterback would somehow imply that we are changing our identity. It certainly doesn't. In part because we are already utilizing a ton of dual-threat concepts with David Ash and more fundamentally because Harsin's offense is concept driven. The plays and formations emphasized in any given year or in any particular gameplan are just a means to an end. "Spread offense" or "pro-style offense" are both inadequate and incorrect because that's not how he builds his ideas. Regardless of how athletic the quarterback, Harsin primarily wants a guy who can recognize what he's seeing from the defense and make good decisions. As long as they can cultivate a few usable skills our issue will never be that we aren't utilizing the "right" offense under Harsin because he isn't relying on his signal caller to fill in the conceptual gaps of the offense.

For more, including the videos, head to Barking Carnival.

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Texas just had a successful junior day, extending double-digit offers and gaining multiple commitments soon after. But already, the Longhorns are gearing up for another one this coming weekend. Wescott Eberts of SB Nation's excellent Texas site, Burnt Orange Nation, has compiled a great list of junior day attendees. Here are just a few:

-JT Barrett, Wichita Falls Rider QB -- Somewhat surprisingly, there's some buzz that Texas could take another quarterback in the class, even after the commitment from Whitewright QB Tyrone Swoopes, but that likely wouldn't happen for Barrett unless another player leaves at the position following the spring. Still, it says quite a bit about Barrett that he's still willing to come in, despite the tiny likelihood of an offer.

-Cody Thomas, Colleyville Heritage QB -- There hasn't been an update from Thomas since Swoopes committed and he could miss the event due to baseball obligations, anyway. It would be a surprise to see him make it into Austin this weekend.

-Eldridge Massington, West Mesquite WR -- With reported 10.6 100m speed and standing at 6-3, Massington may have the best size/speed combination at wide receiver in the state in a deep class. If Dallas Skyline WR Ra'Shaad Samples fails to make a move on his Texas offer this week, the 'Horns could end up offering Massington.

-Ellis Jefferson, Denton Guyer WR -- One of a horde of tall receivers in the state this year, Jefferson is highly unlikely to receive an offer on his visit.

-Jeremiah Gaines, Red Oak H-back -- Perhaps the top H-back on the Texas board, the Longhorns need to add two prospects at TE/H-back in this class, but may still be evaluating the position.

Make sure to visit Burnt Orange Nation for the complete list.

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