Little secret has been made of the priority that Texas has made recruiting several of the prospects at talent-rich Lamar High School in Houston.
On Saturday evening, the Longhorns snagged the first of what could be multiple commitments from the powerhouse program when Rivals100 wide receiver Al’Vonte Woodard announced his commitment in a video reveal on Twitter.
“I picked Texas because I want to play in my state; this is the best state for football and it has the best players,” he said. “The program is turning around so fast and since I am committed, I believe that more top athletes in Texas will join The Revolution.”
Woodard is currently the No. 38 player in the country, and eighth at wide receiver, but even he knew that with the success that he had to secure his place in the class.
“With the receivers that they’re trying to get in this class, I know that they’re not trying to take more than four,” he said. “So in this class they’re just trying to get a bunch of all-stars and build off of that.”
That works out well for head coach Tom Herman and his staff. Woodard’s commitment now gives them another voice in recruiting other high-profile Lamar recruits like Anthony Cook – the state’s lone five-star prospect – as well as four-star defensive back D’Shawn Jamison, who already had Texas very high on his list.
Woodard said that he’s going to take every opportunity to influence their decision toward joining him in burnt orange next year.
“I think that since I’m the first of the (Lamar) guys that’s all-in for Texas that I can make a big impact on their commitments,” he said. “I go to the same school so I can be in their ears like come on, I already pulled the trigger and I know you’re high on Texas so let’s make that move.”
Many may have thought that Woodard was Texas’ prospect to lose, but perhaps the closest another program came to stealing him away was Ole Miss, who was able to keep him interested despite the departure of receivers coach Grant Heard to Indiana after last season. The Rebels were able to work fast in re-establishing a connection with him, and he felt more of an obligation to clue them in ahead of his decision.
“I don’t think other schools are really going to stay involved with my recruitment, because I am telling them that I am 100-percent committed to Texas,” he said. “Ole Miss recruited me hard, but I told them when I commit, I don’t want them to continue trying to recruit me. Coach (Jacob) Peeler and I have a great relationship and when I told him, he said that he’s not going to keep recruiting me, but he still wants to keep in touch with me.”
Of course, Texas’ own receivers coach, Drew Mehringer, was able to build a bond just as effectively as Heard and Peeler, but he also had the benefit of other Longhorns commits and current players in his corner.
“You can talk to (Mehringer) about anything. When we talk, we don’t even talk about football, we talk about other things,” he said. “B.J. Foster made a big impact on my commitment too, but really all the players that are committed and the players that are already on the team all made a big impact on me committing.”
Regardless of what his Lamar teammates choose to do, count Woodard among those just happy to see many of Texas’ top prospects staying at home. The Longhorns also currently hold commitments from Cameron Rising from California and Ayodele Adeoye from Missouri, but keeping players such as Caden Sterns in-state is something Woodard feels is necessary in restoring a proud program back to its former glory.
“I’m very excited - I’m just excited that they’re recruiting the top athletes in Texas,” he said. “Too many of those guys have been leaving Texas going to the Alabamas and Georgias and I just think it’s time for a change. This is finally the chance to put Texas back on the map.”
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