Texas: Under-recruited prospects with next-level ability
For all the talent that comes from Texas, a number of players manage to go overlooked or under-recruited. Whatever the reason, the following players have had a tougher time getting looks from colleges despite seemingly having the goods to be factors at the next level.
Recruiting: Castaneda committed to Texas Tech very early in the recruiting process, but decommitted this past spring amid Texas Tech’s otherwise aggressive recruitment of other offensive linemen. Offers have been hard to come by otherwise for him this season, as he’s only received them from Texas State and Stephen F. Austin since the start of the season.
Evaluation: Castaneda seems to have been somewhat in limbo after decommitting from Texas Tech, playing through the season under the radar and not seeing much interest from elsewhere. He’s still a capable hand as an interior offensive lineman, though he plays tackle for his Round Rock team. He has a little bit of grit to his game and might find a few more offers come his way at the end of the season as other commitments shake out.
Recruiting: Roach said earlier this season that Tulane has emerged as the leader in his recruitment after Houston had seemingly backed off following his recovery from a shoulder injury. Purdue had been his most recent offer heading into the season, but with this season’s coaching change that relationship is now up in the air.
Evaluation: Roach had a fantastic night earlier this season with Rivals.com in attendance for his game against Manvel. He grabbed an interception in his own end zone and locked up four-star 2018 wide receiver Jalen Preston, swatting away several passes and matching him step-for-step. He is a willing tackler in run support and at the line of scrimmage. He has a good sense for locating and reacting to passes thrown his direction.
Recruiting: Ryan only has an offer from Division II Southwestern Oklahoma State. He visited TCU at the beginning of last month, but college teams just haven’t called - even though he plays on the same team as highly ranked Paulson Adebo and Kennedy Brooks.
Evaluation: Part of Ryan’s problems stem from simply not having a long football résumé. He missed last season after transferring from DeSoto and now plays in an extremely run-heavy offense. Ryan doesn’t have elite speed, but he makes up for it with physicality and natural ball skills. In the offseason at events and 7-on-7 tournaments, he wowed with the frequency that he won jump-balls in the end zone. He’s done the same in limited opportunities this season. Last week against Arlington-Bowie, when Mansfield completed just seven passes in the entire game, Ryan had two catches for 71 yards and a score.
Recruiting: Brown only has one NCAA offer from Alcorn State, after flirtations with Arizona State and Fresno State in the offseason.
Evaluation: Brown plays 4A football in Texas, but has ran for more than 1,000 yards for the second straight season in a backfield where handoffs are evenly split between three players. He’s a dangerous one-cut running back with a stout physique that allows him to run with good lean and leverage. He’s a powerful back that is a strong receiver out of the backfield as well. Brown runs a sub-4.4 40-yard dash and has been overlooked despite playing with four-Star WR Hezekiah Jones and top 2019 prospect Jalen Curry.
Recruiting: Williams is still waiting on his first offer. He was proactive about camping with teams during the offseason with varying results, but athletically he has all the physical tools to play a couple of different roles on either side of the ball.
Evaluation: The offseason was frustrating for Williams in terms of not seeing camp performances yield offers. He’s not helped by not having available film from this season. He’s as strong and tough of a defensive back as you’ll see, but he doesn’t have the same sort of recovery speed elite corners have. In run support, short fields and zone coverages, he’s a major asset, and because of his size he's an intriguing option as a physical nickel corner or safety.
Recruiting: Robinson is without offers as well, playing at lightly recruited Ellison High School in Killeen, Texas.
Evaluation: One of the gems of Texas high school football, Robinson has completed 65 percent of his passes this season for just shy of 2,500 yards, with 29 touchdowns to only five interceptions. As a junior he had more than 2,500 yards total offense and threw for 20 touchdowns to five picks. He calls his own plays in his high school’s offense and throws with nice touch and accuracy. Robinson is a deft runner with the ball as well and should have at least picked up offers from smaller programs by now.