Grant Mahon

With the final week of the regular season on tap, the coaching carousel has begun to turn and the late season recruiting is heating up. Jason Howell provides an update on all the latest news around Texas.

Fall camp is just around the corner and recruits across the Lone Star State are making big moves. Jason Howell runs down all the latest commitments, under-the-radar prospects and more.

I was at three games this weekend. Thursday was DeSoto's blowout win over Denton Guyer. Friday was Parkway vs. Pearl (MS) in Shreveport. Saturday was Bishop Dunne vs. Brentwood Academy. Here's a few thoughts and notes.********The toughest thing I had to see this weekend was Terrace Marshall down on the field of Independence Stadium with a significant and season ending injury. It is something you never want to see and the fact that it happened the weekend after Justin Rogers suffered the same fate made it seem even more surreal. Marshall went to the hospital and had surgery that night, and the medical report is a fractured fibula and a dislocated ankle. https://twitter.com/meoshia_brazzle/status/906580736479842305On the field, it was pretty clear from the first series that it was going to be a tough night for Marshall. When he was targeted passes were underthrown. Even the screens were off target and it was a night it was either going to be a screen or a deep jump ball. After the game, I felt he was still the best pure talent I saw this weekend. He's a big receiver, capable of explosive plays, and this injury is merely a speed bump. He will graduate in December and while Texas A&M, Alabama, Florida State, LSU, and Texas are his top five, the feel I got was LSU. ***************Wide receivers had a particularly strong weekend for me.La'Vontae Shenault had the catch of the weekend with his leaping TD in the back of the endzone against Denton Guyer. He is not as fluid an athlete as Marshall, but he is big and athletic and he makes plays when it counts. That TD reception gave DeSoto a 14-6 lead and helped propel the Eagles to a 42-13 win.Shennault may be the biggest prospect of that game, but 2018 WR Jamal Brown stole the show on offense and special teams with his dynamic runs. Think KD Nixon light. That's not meant to be a knock on Brown, he's just not as thick as Nixon was, but he's definitely just as capable of making the same type of explosive plays. He finished with three touchdowns and 119 yards receiving on 5 receptions. 2019 WR Bryon Hanspard is another size-challenged prospect but his speed was quick to standout. He averaged 35 yards a reception. Bishop Dunne's Marquez Beason was the most dynamic guy I saw this weekend. His change of direction and acceleration were unmatched. I would like to see a better effort when the ball is not going his way, but when the ball is in his hands he makes a minimum of two or three guys completely miss. He is currently No 18 in the TexAgs.com 2019 Texas Top 75. The Aggies made his top 12, but he and Brian Williams say they will play together in college and there is a lot of Texas Longhorn smoke right now. ************Mark Denton Guyer 2020 DL Grant Mahon (6-3, 260) down as a prospect to watch. Guyer coaches have been high on him since the spring and he was a bright spot for the Wildcats on Thursday night. I mentioned him a few times during that game and I think he has a chance to be a top 30 prospect in the state in his class. He's definitely one of the top pure DLs I've seen in that class. ************Bishop Dunne 2019 S Brian Williams is one guy I wanted to watch closely. He was one of the first 2019s to receive a scholarship offer, and he has been among the top 5 and even No. 1 in the rankings ever since. Last fall against Prestonwood I saw him grab a few INTs and make some physical plays so I have seen him make plays. I've seen him be good, but I was hoping to see a little more out of him on Saturday. He had a tough day against Brentwood Academy. He slipped and allowed a first down reception early in the first quarter. He was a bit tentative coming down hill, and he got was on the business end of a TD run. He did have a forced fumble and a fumble recovery late in a tight game, but overall I would say the first game of the year was nnot his best day. That is one ranking I will be taking a good long look at before our next eval meetingAs I mentioned above there seems to be a lot of Texas talk surrounding Beason and Williams and that would be my prediction for both. I also think it is worth mentioning Williams visited Texas twice this summer.