27 days ago by
Jason Howell
Around Texas: A round-up of recruiting news in the Lone Star State
College football is in full swing, but recruiting never stops as plenty of moves are being made as things continue to heat up across Texas. It is time to take a look at the latest happenings on the recruiting front from across the Lone Star State.
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South Oak Cliff impresses in homecoming rout of Woodrow Wilson
It was a Dallas ISD battle on Thursday as the South Oak Cliff Golden Bears hosted the Woodrow Wilson Wildcats on homecoming night. The Golden Bears came out red-hot and never looked back, claiming a 57-7 win and looking sharp in improving to 4-0 in district play.
Notes and thoughts on 3 upcoming decisions
Alright, decision day is here for McKinney LB Riley Pettijohn and Mesquite Horn OL Lamont Rogers and while the door remains open I'm not going to lie, I don't have a ton of confidence either picks A&M today.Pettijohn is choosing between Ohio State, Texas A&M, Texas, and USC at 11, and most of the talk down the stretch has involved Ohio State, Texas A&M, and USC.Lamont Rogers is choosing between Florida State, Missouri, Oklahoma, SMU, Texas A&M, and Texas around noon. Most of the talk the last few days has been about OU, Mizzou, and A&M with all three thought to hold the edge at different times in the last few weeksAs of this morning, I am predicting both to head elsewhere, but I would also put them down on the list of guys I expect to continue to hear from A&M.As for Kamauryn Morgan the latest I'm hearing is Baylor. He makes his choice tomorrow (Sunday, July 7). He announced a top three of Baylor, SMU, and Texas A&M and we had been hearing Baylor and A&M were the main players. All things being equal I liked the Aggies but I'm hearing Baylor has made him feel needed a little more as he prepared for his decision.
4th of July Recruiting Notes
How much fun is this. A big time LB, two-commit Tuesday, and the 2nd pledge of 2026 on Wednesday.What if I told you there still could be quite a bit of action coming up? Here's a few things to watch and what I'm hearingI was planning to get this out early and talk about Lufkin DL Zion Williams, but he already announced for LSU over A&M, TCU, and Texas. This wasn't a surprise as it's been speculated for while but it did happen this morning so there's that.I'm also hearing the Tigers could flip a DT commit from another SEC school and a 5-star WR is projected to head out of state, but none of that directly involves the AggiesI'm not expecting any fourth of July fireworks directly involving the Aggies, but Saturday, July 6 could be a bit different. That said it could also potentially fizzle out.Big targets in McKinney LB Riley Pettijohn and Mesquite Horn OL Lamont Rogers are both set to decide on the day and the Aggies are squarely in the mix. It is going down to the wire with both from what I'm hearing with several schools making a run.Let's start with Pettijohn. First off, if I had told you at the beginning of June we would be here talking about the Aggies being a legitimate contender for his commitment as he prepares to announce, you guys would have jumped at the opportunity. As I said on the radio on Tuesday, Texas A&M has an ace up its sleeve in Jay Bateman, and since his arrival in College Station we have touted his relationship with Pettijohn is as strong or stronger than anyone in college football. Mike Elko being a defensive minded coach is also a major plus. And we continue to hear the Aggies really knocked it out of the park on his OV in late June.Now for the latestThe last few days has been a wild one with plenty of rumors, hot picks, and projections coming in, and it sounds like Ohio State could very well be back in the driver seat after it looked like USC may have taken the top spot for a moment. Both are high on his list but the feeling the Buckeyes recent history on that side of the ball and LB coach James Laurinaitis give them the slight edge. I have also been hearing Texas is not going away quietly. The word of Longhorn momentum has been picking up over the last few days. The intel I am hearing makes me believe it is more flash than substance, but they have been a key player in his recruitment for a long time so it's hard to completely dismiss it. Right now though I would still give the Aggies the in-state lead, and the question is can they overcome the out of state options.And my answer to the above question is DFW sources tell me the Aggies are still working and he is still listening so there is still a chance and a real one but the job is not done. Right now though i still lean out of state.Speaking of late momentum coming out of Austin, Lamont Rogers also appears to be getting a late push from the Horns. For much of the last few weeks the talk has been about OU, Texas A&M, and Mizzou, but word is the Longhorns have potentially pushed themselves way up his list leading some in Austin to believe they could in fact be the leader. How does that happen? Well the big time OT dominos are beginning to line up and OU appears to have made a big move for Michael Fasusi who many have thought was headed to Austin, which has caused Texas to re-access things and make Rogers a bigger target. I am skeptical about the Longhorn's climb to the top, but there does appear to be some legitimate smoke there.Right now my read on Rogers is that the Aggies have some work to do here, but they are up there at or towards the top of his list.He has been a top priority for the Aggies, and coach Cushing and really the whole staff have done a great job building the bonds with him and his family since arriving in College Station. The Aggies also recently received commitments from 2026s Markel Ford and Ryan Gilbert. Ford is at Horn and Gilbert just transferred from Horn. His friendships won't be why he picks the Aggies but they certainly help. OU and Mizzou are also very real and legitimate players and have been high among his top schools throughout, and as of this morning I would also now put the Honrs in the conversation with the Aggies, Sooners, and Tigers as the main players. In the last few days there has also been quite a bit of Sooner momentum, which makes me think they may currently hold an edge but this one has been back and forth quite a bit as he prepares to decide. If Rogers picks OU, my question then becomes can the Sooners get both Rogers and Fasusi, and I'm not sure anyone can make that happen since they are priority prospects at the same position. And with Rogers set to decide before Fasusi, if he picks OU, maybe that impacts Fasusi and helps the Aggies' cause there.None of this may happen, Rogers could very well pick A&M, it's just a thought on how the dominos could play out in that particular scenario. Anyway Then there is Kamauryn Morgan. He is set for a Sunday, July 7 decision and he announced a final three of Texas A&M, Baylor, and SMU. The latest intel indicates this one is really coming down to Baylor and Texas A&M. Those conversations seem to be ongoing, but if all things are about equal I'd tend to lean towards A&M
Around the SEC: Recruiting News & Trends
It's time to take a look around at the biggest pickups on the recruiting front as well as some of the top recruiting news and notes from around the SEC. Jason Howell details that and more in this week's Around the SEC.