Rivals Camp Series Houston: Where will the top talent land?
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HOUSTON -- Many of the top prospects in the region were in attendance for Sunday’s Rivals 3 Stripe Camp presented by adidas at C.E. King High School, where they competed and discussed the latest in their recruitments. Here is an early look at where things stand and a prediction by Texas recruiting analyst Sam Spiegelman, who covered the event and broke down where they could be headed.
The rumor mill is churning early for the nation’s top running back. Many people are trying to connect the dots and suggest Texas is the odds-on favorite for Evans. Maybe that’s the case. Maybe it’s not, but I can assure you that there will be plenty of ebbs and flows in the five-star’s recruitment over the next 11 months.
The most important factors for Evans seem to be programs' offensive line situations and running back tradition. Texas, Georgia and LSU definitely fit the bill, but Evans also mentioned Texas A&M’s 2019 offensive line signees and hot start in 2020. An argument could be made for each of those four programs, as well as a team like Clemson, which is trying to get Evans to campus. However, the safe, early bet is the Longhorns, who are building a dominant 2020 class as they hope to reel Evans in at the end.
Spiegelman’s pick: Texas
Umanmilen lives 15 minutes away from the 40 Acres and admitted he can ride his bike to Texas if he wants to. The four-star defensive end has visited the program about six times in the past year and, on his most recent junior day stop, got to see different parts of the campus that caught his attention.
While he isn’t ready to shut things down yet, it’s clear that Texas has an edge early on over Oklahoma. That’s not to say that the Sooners aren’t still in the mix here, and Lincoln Riley is making a strong push to bring Umanmielen back to campus in the near future. This should be a fun back-and-forth between the two Big 12 powers.
Spiegelman’s pick: Texas
Omeire is doing a great job of keeping his recruitment close to the vest. However, his favorites are becoming more and more clear. The four-star wide receiver did not make it to Oklahoma over the weekend, but the Sooners are in the mix. As is LSU and Arkansas. However, Omeire wants to remain close to home and suggested his recruitment will boil down to Texas and Texas A&M, and he has a lot of faith in what Jimbo Fisher is doing in Aggieland.
Spiegelman’s pick: Texas A&M
Broughton isn’t overthinking the recruiting process. For the four-star defensive lineman, it’s all about relationships, feeling comfortable at a school and being a priority. Texas, Texas A&M and Oklahoma are all doing a bang-up job of that, but he acknowledged that the Longhorns currently hold a slight edge. Tom Herman and Oscar Giles are developing strong bonds with Broughton and his mother, which is going a long way. He’s set to release a top five soon, but for now, this is Texas’ race to lose.
Spiegelman’s pick: Texas
One of the top dual-threat quarterbacks in the class of 2020, Hornsby backed off his verbal pledge to Texas A&M last year and pressed reset on his recruitment. There are whispers that some programs are courting the four-star as an athlete, but he’s resolute on staying behind center at the next level. Either way, no one has prioritized Hornsby quite like Texas A&M. Jimbo Fisher has done a fantastic job of designing offenses around prospects with skillsets like Hornby’s.
Spiegelman’s pick: Texas A&M
Washington showed up to the event in Houston decked out in Texas gear after making a second visit up to the 40 Acres. It’s fair to label the Longhorns as the favorite for now, but he and his mother have spring and summer visits scheduled to Alabama, Missouri, Arkansas and Oregon, among others. Other programs will have an opportunity to cut into the Longhorns’ lead, but it’s safe to say Texas has made a strong impression on the Rivals100 safety so far.
Spiegelman’s pick: Texas
There’s a lot of positive momentum for the Longhorns here with Alford. He’s visited twice in as many weeks and is quickly developing a close bond with the program's coaches. While Texas is making a splash early on, Alford’s recruitment is really just beginning to reach new heights. LSU, Penn State and Texas A&M are also involved for the four-star defensive back and it’s possible he could follow his teammate, Alec Bryant, to Baton Rouge or remain close to home in College Station.
Spiegelman’s pick: Texas
Nwankwo turned a lot of heads at the Rivals stop in Houston as one of the top performers at defensive tackle. A one-time Houston commit, Nwankwo has seen a lot of new offers pour in recently, and that includes LSU. In fact, the three-star tackle was on his way to Baton Rouge right after the camp concluded, which is a bit telling. New offers could definitely change the course of his recruitment, but I lean on Ed Orgeron beefing up the trenches with a defensive line like Nwankwo.
Spiegelman’s pick: LSU
This class of 2021 prediction is just for kicks, but Jackson is already one of the top prospects not only in Texas for next year, but across the country. He admitted that as a sought-after eighth-grader and freshman, he was making visits and just relishing the experiences. Now, he’s beginning to separate contenders from pretenders. Texas, Georgia and Ohio State are his top three schools and the Longhorns have appealed to the offensive tackle with not only the football side of the things, but life after. Ohio State is the other team to monitor here, as he has a lot of family in Ohio and grew up a fan of the Buckeyes.
Spiegelman’s pick: Texas