Texas Football

This is the complete list of 2009 verbal committments for all DI Texas colleges and in-state high school and JUCO players who have committed to out-of-state programs. For our official list of 2008 signees, click here. For 2007-2005 signees, click here.

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The DCTF Recruiting Blog
By Travis Stewart

Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops and Texas Tech coach Mike Leach have long been friends, or at least respectful peers. But Stoops has to be at least grumbling under his breath at how effectively the Red Raiders have recently pillaged the Sooners' recruiting ranks.

Keller Fossil Ridge LB Brandon Mahoney has switched his pledge from Oklahoma to Tech, joining Abilene Cooper's Will Ford and Wichita Falls Rider's Eric Ward as elite talents that have turned down Norman in favor of Lubbock. While Oklahoma picked up Arlington Bowie DE Jarrett Brown, which will ease the sting of losing Mahoney, this is yet another coup for Leach, who has now unquestionably put together his best Signing Day recruiting class in his Texas Tech tenure. But as if Mahoney wasn't enough, the Raiders also picked up Carrollton Newman Smith DE Aundrey Barr and Longview DE Chris Knighton -- those three make up a formidable defensive triumvirate for any DI school, much less one who swayed them all just two days before Signing Day.

Aldine Eisenhower QB Kenny Guiton had an interesting few days last week -- just a short time after a visit to a DII school, Guiton got the call from a very surprising source: Ohio State. Apparently the Buckeyes' top choices all chose elsewhere, and now Guiton is the lucky man to earn an offer. Regardless of whether or not he was Ohio State's first choice, it's still an incredible opportunity. A few other upper-echelon players have made decisions as well, as Westfield WR Ja-Mes Logan has opted for Ole Miss, SA Warren DB Joseph Bonugli has picked Kansas State and Hitchcock DE Michael Sam has settled on Missouri.

BAYLOR SNAGS ANOTHER BIG 12 RIVAL'S RECRUIT (1/30/09)
All's fair in love, war, and apparently recruiting.

For the second time in the last week or so, Baylor has convinced a recruit to drop his commitment from Big 12 brethren and switch to Baylor. Last week, it was Marshall ATH Darius Jones, who changed his mind and rescinded his pledge to OU in favor of Baylor. Thursday, Stratford defensive end Terrance Lloyd jumped the Missouri ship and changed his verbal commitment to the Bears. Lloyd (6-4, 225, 4.7) is a member of DCTF's Texas Top 300, and Rivals.com ranks him among the nation's top 50 weakside defensive ends.
-- Jake Shaw

THREE IN-STATE WRs MAKE THE CALL (1/28/09)
From Texarkana to Grand Prairie to Friendswood, three of the state's best wide receivers were still on the market until today.

South Grand Prairie's Dewayne Peace has settled on Arizona after originally dropping Michigan -- the Wolverines were asking him to play cornerback, but Peace was looking to run at WR, and Arizona gave him that chance. Friendswood's Andre Gautreaux, after an earlier courtship with Wyoming, has chosen Rice -- his versatile talents will be a good fit for an Owls squad looking to fill in some offensive blanks. And Texarkana Texas High's Cobi Hamilton, despite offers from a number of other BCS programs (including UT) has chosen Arkansas -- I guess that's closer to home than an in-state school when you're out in Texarkana.

ROLLISON SETTLES ON AUBURN (1/27/09)
All season long, the eyes of Texas were cast on Lake Travis QB Garrett Gilbert; record-setter, state champ, Messiah. If you have an accolade, it's likely he's heard it. But fast on his heels was Sulphur Springs QB Tyrik Rollison, also a state champ and (in any other year) record-setter. Part of Gilbert's incredible media hype came from his early and decisive commitment to the University of Texas -- the hometown boy providing the face for his hometown school. Rollison, on the other hand, remained a mystery ... until now.

Theoldcoach.rivals.com is reporting that the pocket-passer extraordinaire has given his verbal to Auburn, which not only gives the suddenly Texas-connected Tigers a top-flight signal-caller, but it also gives Rollison a wonderful chance to display the talents that so often went unrecognized in the 2008 season. Like Jason Campbell before him, Rollison (should he live up to expectations) is going to give Auburn a passer with few peers, and even though he can run, his strengths are almost all between the hashes. Cool and collected, Rollison has a strong arm to match and could be the face of that program for some time. The Tigers have incumbent QBs Chris Todd and Kodi Burns already in place, but there's a pretty decent chance Rollison could beat out both of them in summer drills and turn into the full-time starter right away.

Other news:
If Baylor coach Art Briles were a basketball player, I'd want him to have the ball in the fourth quarter every time, because he's rapidly building a reputation as a buzzer-beater.

The Bears have been insanely productive over the past two weeks, and just a few days after adding Lancaster WR Skyler Scott, Marshall ATH Darius Jones and China Spring S Mike Hicks, Briles brought in still more sought-after talent: Wylie ATH Jerod Monk and Houston Lamar WR Josh Gordon. Both were being hotly pursued by at least one other upper-tier program (and Monk was being chased by TCU), and both could contribute heavily to Baylor's blossoming offense; Monk could play a number of positions, but he looks like a good fit at tight end. A quarterback in college, his speed belies his size and he was without question the central cog in Wylie's surprising run to the 5A DII state finals.

In other news, Mansfield Summitt DE Nosa Eguae has finally settled on a college location after dropping Colorado several weeks ago: Auburn. After Frisco Centennial OL Aaron Moore, who just today committed to Iowa State, dropped Auburn a few weeks ago, it looked like the Tigers were going to come up empty handed in Texas. But Eguae's verbal might be just the beginning of a last minute push from new Auburn coach Gene Chizik.

GOOD THINGS COME IN SMALL PACKAGES (1/26/09)
For much of the year, it didn't look like there was a place in college football for a defensive tackle that was barely 5-foot-11. Even if he was the 5A Defensive Player of the Year, Wylie DT Nikita Whitlock looked to be running out of time to find the scholarship he wanted.

But just nine days before national Signing Day (Feb. 4), Whitlock accepted a DI offer at Wake Forest. I'll confess I was unaware the Demon Deacons were even in the running for the diminutive but dominant lineman until about a week ago, but it looks like the Wake Forest recruiting staff pressed all the right buttons to get the 5A first-team all-stater on campus. I've seen Whitlock play in person -- as a matter of fact, I've stood right next to him during pregame -- and even though he's short, he is one heck of a football player. Relentless and smart, Whitlock makes blowing up plays look routine. According to a story published in the Dallas Morning News, Whitlock will move to middle linebacker.

This weekend was also productive for a number of in-state schools; while Texas A&M, Texas and Houston stayed quiet, the other seven programs in Texas all made at least one move. Baylor added China Spring WR Mike Hicks, a versatile offensive/defensive standout in 3A football for years; he'll play safety in Waco. Texas Tech added a former high school standout in Oregon-based Myles Wade, a 2008 Duck commit who failed to qualify and spent the last year in JUCO, and Cibolo Steele OL Matt Goetz. TCU got two verbals, one from Louisiana RB Kenny Cain and another from Morton Ranch ATH Michael Venson -- both could move around and play a number of positions for the Horned Frogs. SMU added a pair of DBs in Venice (Calif.) DB JR McConico and JUCO DB Sterling Moore (Laney CC, Calif.) -- both could challenge for time right away in the Ponies' woeful secondary.

Rice also added a DB, Midwest City's (Okla.) Kevin Gaddis; he'll have a hard time breaking into the rotation with so many young DBs in both this class and last year's. UTEP got two new verbals as well -- Lufkin DE Germad Reed and Colton (Calif.) DB Nat Berhe. The Miners' class is still very small, so UTEP still has quite a bit of work to do before Signing Day. That leaves us with North Texas, which also earned a commitment, Houston North Forest ATH De'Andre Stewart. UNT's defense struggled mightily last year, so this newcomer could get on the field if he excels in the spring.

RECENT WACO LEGEND STAYS IN BIG 12 (1/20/09)
It took almost exactly a year, but Kansas State has secured its first high school recruit from the state of Texas.

Waco Midway RB John Hubert has given his verbal to the Wildcats, who have been after the star runner for quite some time. Despite his size (5-8, 181), Hubert was extremely productive in high school and set the city of Waco's single-season rushing record in 2008; in doing so, he surpassed the numbers put up by current NFL great LaDainian Tomlinson (Waco University). In fact, had things broken differently and Hubert had gotten another game or two to run in, he could've broken the Central Texas record of 2,953, held by Gatesville’s Taurean Henderson.

And just in case you think there's no more big names left on the market this late in the recruiting season, think again: SGP WR Dewayne Peace, Sulphur Springs QB Tyrik Rollison, Austin High WR Emory Blake and Dallas St. Mark's WR Terdema Ussery are all still available.

OK-STATE DOING JUST FINE (1/19/09)
Oklahoma State was a long ways from its normal Texas-based haul at the start of 2009.

It seems like every year the Cowboys and head coach Mike Gundy pull at least eight or nine high schoolers from the Lone Star State; this year, OSU was stuck at five for a long time. But when the Cowboys finally got the ball rolling again, it built momentum quickly. Navasota RB Dexter Pratt, who had been committed to LSU for months, has suddenly and unexpectedly switched his verbal to Oklahoma State, and Navasota coach Lee Fedora said Pratt has now shut it down and is 100% sure the talented running back is going to be a Cowboy. Rumors are flying as to why Pratt dropped LSU so suddenly, but until I can substantiate any of them, I won't bother listing them. For now, this represents a substantial blow to LSU's reputation and a last-second gem for Oklahoma State.

That move on its own would have been significant enough for headline news, but the Cowboys struck again this weekend with Lancaster DB Demontre Hurst, one of the top defensive backs in Texas. Hurst, a versatile athlete who will likely play corner in Stillwater, is good enough to make an immediate impact in Oklahoma State's secondary. With prolific Big 12 passers like Colt McCoy and Sam Bradford both returning to school for the 2009-2010 season, Hurst's involvement could be much-needed.

One of the Dallas area's top talents also gave out a long-awaited verbal this weekend, as Rockwall-Heath RB Kendial Lawrence has chosen Missouri. Lawrence really burst onto the scene this season in guiding Heath all the way to the 4A DII regional finals -- Lawrence was injured in the regional semis and missed the final against Sulphur Springs, and some people have said had he played, it could have been Heath eventually celebrating a state championship rather than Sulphur Springs. In any case, Lawrence has dragged out his recruiting through much of the season, but this late decision takes another top Texas back off the board and gives Missouri an offensive weapon that could go a long ways towards replacing the now-departed Jeremy Maclin (NFL Draft) and Chase Daniel (graduation).

A number of in-state schools made important moves as well, as Texas finally added another commitment -- after months of inactivity -- in Round Rock Stony Point DE Tevin Mims. Mims, like Lawrence, made a name for himself this season with a lengthy playoff run, and he could make an immediate impact in a Longhorns defensive line rotation that is looking for more bodies to replace Roy Miller and Brian Orakpo. Baylor also roped in Lancaster WR Skyler Scott, Texas Tech got Dallas Skyline ATH Jarvis Phillips and Texas A&M unexpectedly won the sweepstakes for former UNT starting QB Giovanni Vizza, who decided to transfer after the end of the '08-'09 season. Though he won't be able to play until 2010, his presence at least gives A&M the quarterback it has long been looking for in its 2009 class.

RECEIVERS MAKING MOVES (1/14/09)
It may be at the 11th hour, but two of the state's premier wide receivers have changed their minds about where they want to play college football.

In a last-second turn of events, Wichita Falls Rider WR Eric Ward has not only switched his commitment from Oklahoma to Texas Tech, but he has already enrolled on Tech's campus -- the whole process took about 24 hours, which is pretty quick considering Ward had been solid with the Sooners since last spring. The move is both a blow to Oklahoma and a windfall for the Red Raiders; Bob Stoops has earned just one other verbal from a true receiver for the 2009 class, and Tech gets the kind of total-package pass-catcher Mike Leach will love.

In other big school news, South Grand Prairie WR Dewayne Peace has suddenly dropped Michigan and reopened his recruiting. From the very beginning, the Wolverines told Peace he could play receiver in Ann Arbor -- it was a big reason why he even gave a verbal there. But as Signing Day drew nearer, Michigan changed its tone, and soon talk of him switching to corner -- something Peace was willing but not wanting to do -- started floating around. When it became clear Michigan had defense in mind for the SGP standout, Peace decided to start looking elsewhere. Both TCU and SMU are supposedly very interested in Peace's skill set.

There's a variety of other moves that are worth noting -- they're detailed below -- but two more that caught my eye were RB Kasey Carrier's (Pearland) verbal to New Mexico and QB Kolby Gray's (Cy Falls) verbal to Pittsburgh. In my mind, both of these guys have something in common -- they're both BCS-quality talents that got moved to the back shelf a bit because of exceptionally deep QB and RB classes this year. They each ended up at good programs -- especially Gray, who is the only QB committed to Pitt for its 2009 class -- but I think they'll end up being better than anyone expected.

DI commitments (HS):
Cordarius Golston, LB, Lancaster: Arizona
Josh Harris, RB, Duncanville: Wake Forest
Matt Hornbuckle, DT, Colleyville Heritage: Buffalo
Jordan Selexman, WR, Arlington Bowie: Louisiana-Monroe
Albert Sparks, DT, Irving MacArthur: Buffalo
Craig Wenrick, TE, Flower Mound: UTEP

DI commitments (JUCO):
Lance Evbuomwan, OL, Bakersfield CC (Redlands, Calif.): UTEP
Lucious Henderson, WR, Navarro JC: Arkansas State

Decommitments and moves (HS):
Nosa Eguae, DE, Mansfield Summitt: Colorado decommit
Keivon Gamble, CB, Dallas Lincoln: SMU (Tulsa decommit)
Brock Wempa, OL, Royse City: Iowa State decommit

HOLIDAY GIFT GIVING (1/3/09)
The new year brought very nice gifts to two programs in need -- LSU and Rice.

The Tigers have finally secured a verbal from long-pursued Texas talent Craig Loston, a standout safety from Aldine Eisenhower and one of the top defenders in the state. A first-team Super Teamer at the beginning of the year, Loston is used to success -- he's been Eisenhower's best player for all of the four year's he's started there, and he excels in almost all aspects of the game. He's great in coverage, is a hard-hitter and is athletic and quick enough to play a little receiver and return kicks. LSU may have had a bit of a down year by its playing standards, but its recruiting class from Texas does not reflect it -- the Tigers will likely sign the state's top DB, a top three defensive end, a top three running back, a top ten offensive lineman and the nation's top athlete. That's quite a haul!

Rice, on the other hand, almost had its New Year's gift dropped straight in its lap -- Michigan RB Sam McGuffie, a former Cy Fair star who will be leaving the Wolverines after just one year in Ann Arbor. McGuffie will have to sit out the 2009 season per NCAA transfer rules, but he will return in 2010 as a true sophomore and should make an immediate impact with the Owls. A very dangerous runner and one of the most productive backs in recent Texas high school memory, McGuffie is the kind of player that instantly makes a recruiting class worth national mention.

A&M ADDS A CLASS-MAKER (12/29/08)All season long, A&M's 2009 recruiting class was solid. Not spectacular, but large and diverse enough to probably qualify the effort for a top 20 to 25 placement in the national recruiting class rankings. But today it added a member that might catapult it far higher.

It what is unquestionably the biggest recruiting move by the Aggies in the past calendar year, Texas A&M has landed a verbal from Beaumont West Brook RB Christine Michael, who is rated by Rivals.com as a rare "five-star" prospect. One of the top runners in the nation, Michael seems to have leapfrogged fellow Texas RB stars Dexter Pratt (Navasota, LSU) and Chris Whaley (Madisonville, UT) in the eyes of talent scouts since the beginning of the season. While this pickup definitely adds a sparkle to the Aggies' 2009 class, it won't be without controversy. A&M is already sporting a crowded backfield, and even though senior-to-be Mike Goodson isn't expected to return for his final season, the Aggies still have DeSoto product Cyrus Gray, who will be a true sophomore in 2009, and Valley product Bradley Stephens. There won't be enough carries to go around, especially considering A&M is saying it's going to build its offense around young Michael.

Other moves:
Taylor McHargue, QB, Cedar Park Vista Ridge: Houston (Iowa State decommit)
Phillip Gaines, CB, Converse Judson: Rice

NATION'S TOP DEFENDER NOW A SOONER (12/25/08)
If you're a young defensive tackle in Texas, you might not know it, but you're headed to Oklahoma. At least the trend says so.

In recent years, the best defensive tackles in Texas have bolted for OU. Tommy Harris (Killeen Ellison), now playing for the Chicago Bears, signed with OU in 2001, followed by DeMarcus Granger (Dallas Kimball) in 2005. Both were considered the top defensive players in the state.

Now, it's the turn of Lufkin's Jamarkus McFarland, considered the top defensive prospect in the nation. McFarland committed to OU early Christmas morning, choosing the Sooners over UT and LSU (and a late push from USC). We could tell you all about MCFarland and his recruitment, but the New York Times released a telling story chronicling McFarland and his mother's decision process.

PLANO RBs PICK DESTINATIONS (12/24/08)
All season long, two Plano-area running backs have quietly watched the rest of the state's top talents hand out their verbals with confidence. But only now, after four complete years on a high school football field, have Plano RB Rex Burkhead and Plano East FB Toben Opurum actually made up their own minds -- and they're both headed to the Big 12 North.

Burkhead, one of the Metroplex's most celebrated talents and a player that, among others, will be covered in DCTF's upcoming 2009 Winter Book magazine, has chosen Nebraska -- his verbal is just another addition to the Huskers' amazing Texas-based 2009 haul. In a few years, Nebraska could sport an offense with Dayton's Cody Green at QB, Burkhead at RB, Euless Trinity FB Tray Robinson at FB and Keller's Nick Ash and Denton Guyer's Jesse Coffey providing protection on the offensive line. And that's not even counting the defense!

As for Opurum, the big-bodied fullback has picked Kansas. Again, this gives another out-of-state school the potential for big production from Texas prepsters -- Opurum could share the backfield with Arlington Bowie's Christian Matthews while the defense could start a secondary containing Cedar Park Vista Ridge's Tyler Patmon, Arlington Bowie's Dexter Linton and Euless Trinity's Prinz Kande. If these Lone Star state studs turn out half as well for the Big 12 North as their comrades have been for the Big 12 South, things are going to get very interesting in the nation's most competitive conference.

Here's a list of other recently committed DI players from Texas:

DI commitments (HS):
Chevy Bennett, FS, Garland Sachse: UNT
Jared Biard, OL, Clear Creek: Colorado State
CJ Broadus, S, Texarkana Pleasant Grove: Louisiana Tech
Rex Burkhead, RB, Plano: Nebraska
Demarkus Chambliss, S, South Houston: Army
Chance Casey, ATH, Crosby: Baylor
Romario Cathey, DT, Maplewood (Nashville, TN): Texas Tech
Cody Davis, DT, Klein Oak: Purdue
Randall Dent, DE, South Grand Prairie: Kansas
IK Enemkpali, LB, Pflugerville: Louisiana Tech
Roderick Goodlow, S, Dallas Adamson: Northwestern
Andrew Green, CB, SA Madison: Nebraska
Princeton Jackson, LB, Cy Ridge: Iowa State
Stansly Maponga, DE, Hebron: TCU
Derrick Mays, WR, Shoemaker: UTEP
Chris McCallister, LB, Converse Judson: Baylor
Spencer Nealy, DE, SA Reagan: Texas A&M
Toben Opurum, RB, Plano East: Kansas
Daniel Prior, LB, Henderson: UNT
Derrick Rainey, ATH, Houston Northbrook: Arizona
Weston Richburg, OL, Bushland: Colorado State
Daniel Salinas, LB, North Shore: Fresno State
Victor Spikes, ATH, Fort Bend Marshall: Utah
Darious Thomas, CB Cedar Hill: Wisconsin
Jacoby Thomas, DE, Texas High: Kansas
Matthew Tucker, ATH, Tyler Chapel Hill: TCU
Siosaia Tuipulotu, DT, Euless Trinity: Utah
Justin Washington, DE, Cy Woods: Arizona
Kendrell Washington, ATH, Brenham: Tulane
Kendrick Washington, CB, Brenham: Tulane
Brock Wempa, OL, Royse City: Iowa State
Kevin White, DE, Garland: Louisiana-Monroe
Devin Williams, DE, Katy Cinco Ranch: Tulane

DI commitments (JUCO):
Rodney Bradley, WR, Navarro: Hawai'i (signed)
Terrance Cain, QB, Blinn: Utah
Byron Landor, S, Blinn: Baylor
C.J. Parish, LB, Blinn: Arizona
Calvin Rubles, CB, Tyler: Kansas
Zack Spears, OT, Trinity Valley: Iowa State
Travis Stephens, DT, Blinn: Kansas
Ryan Taylor, OL, Tyler: UCLA
Zhamal Thomas, OL, Navarro: Arkansas

Decommitments and moves (HS):
Bryce Petty, QB, Midlothian: Decommit from Tennessee
Jarek Lancaster, ATH, SA O'Connor: Stanford (Rice decommit)
Rico Forbes, DE, Houston St. Pius X: Baylor (Texas A&M decommit)
Shavodrick Beaver, QB, Wichita Falls Rider: Tulsa (Michigan decommit)
Justin Harris, RB, Duncanville: Decommit from Wake Forest
Charlie Moore, ATH, Bullard: Oklahoma State (Louisiana-Monroe decommit)

Decommitments and moves (JUCO):
Travis Cobb, WR, Blinn: Arizona (Utah decommit)

2010 DI commitments (HS):
Xavier Brown, RB, Pearland Dawson: Houston

Here's the most recent list of committed players from the class of 2009. Players in red have highlight videos click on their name to view. If you have an update, please e-mail us.

Texas prospects that have given verbal commitments to out-of-state colleges: