In the age of high school freshmen becoming YouTube sensations and colleges securing commitments from players that have yet to set foot in high school, it seems as if recruiting has hit fast forward universally.
Not so in Austin, Texas, however.
Mack Brown and the Texas Longhorns have resisted the urge the toss around early offers, making a scholarship from Texas even more valued and revered.
This has culminated in arguably the single biggest day in recruiting, National Signing Day notwithstanding: Texas' Junior Day.
The event has developed into the foundational moment of each Longhorns' recruiting class, where top prospects from all across the state – and in some cases, country – gather in Austin and lay the groundwork for the next crop of signees.
On this day, Texas makes its first official offers to its top junior targets and many commit on the spot. This year was no different, as the Longhorns soared toward the top of the early 2011 class rankings with an impressive haul – just two weeks after closing with the second-best 2010 class.
And these aren't flimsy, half-hearted pledges that are vulnerable to being swayed down the road. These 13 recruits will be Longhorns.
The action started early on Friday night when Jaxon Shipley became Texas' first 2011 commitment. Shipley, whose older brother Jordan was Colt McCoy's top target this season, is slightly taller and very polished.
The action continued Friday night through Saturday, as the Longhorns netted a remarkable 12 more verbal commitments from some of the state's top players.
Texas landed one of its top quarterback targets in Belton's David Ash. The 6-foot-3 Ash threw for 1,745 yards and 23 touchdowns while only being intercepted five times.
He'll have plenty of options to throw to, because in addition to Shipley, Texas also received a verbal commitment from Miles Onyegbule. Onyegbule was an all-district selection in 2009 and is considered one of the state's top receivers.
El Dorado tight end M.J. MacFarland, who is 6-5, also committed. He caught 56 passes for 982 yards and 10 TDs as a junior. Further deepening the receiving unit is all-region selection Mykkele Thompson from Stevens.
Brown beefed up the offensive line with commitments from three recruits: Hallsville's Josh Cochran, Lake Travis' Taylor Doyle, and De Soto's Marcus Hutchins.
The Longhorns also received a visit from Hamilton (Chandler, Ariz.) star Christian Westerman. Westerman appears to be favoring Texas early on. He had also been very high on USC prior to the coaching change, but Texas appears to be the early leader.
If he does end up in Austin, there's a chance he could make an immediate impact, according to Hamilton head coach Steve Belles.
"Christian could've been playing college football his junior year," Belles said. "He can step in anywhere and play right now."
On the defensive line, the Longhorns scored arguably their biggest recruit in Westfield defensive tackle Desmond Jackson. Early on, Jackson appears to be one of the top players at his position nationally.
Texas' other top recruit, South Houston's Leroy Scott, is one of the country's top cornerbacks. Dulles speedster Sheroid Evans is an outstanding safety, giving the Longhorns two of the top defensive backs in the class of 2011.
The remaining recruits that committed on Junior Day include North Mesquite running back Joe Bergeron and Cedar Park linebacker Chet Moss.
Abilene star junior Herschel Sims is still on the board.
Photo by Kyle Dantzler
Texas' dozen gives it more 2011 commitments than any other program. Though it's likely that UT still trail LSU in early team rankings due to the Tigers' smaller but ultra-talented class, the Longhorns are poised for another prime haul.
Ironically, Evangel Christian Academy (Shreveport, La.) defensive end Jermauria Rasco is high on Texas' list, and would be a major steal from LSU-territory.
While Brown's Junior Day strategy has worked wonders, it is not flawless. Royal running back Brandon Williams committed to Baylor on Monday. Williams was not present at Junior Day and did not receive an offer.
Williams' pledge to Baylor was rather surprising in that he passed up offers from Texas A&M and Oklahoma to make an early decision for the Bears. His stock has soared in recent months, and some think he could end up being the top in-state running back next year. Look for Texas and others to continue to apply some pressure.
However, three other marquee backs, Malcolm Brown, Aaron Green, and Herschel Sims, are still on the board, and Texas will not miss out on all of them.
As if Texas' Junior Day wasn't successful enough, Brown will be hosting a second Junior Day in a few weeks for those recruits who couldn't attend the first session.
Nabbing a few more commitments seems likely, meaning Texas will likely have a majority of its recruiting class wrapped up before spring, giving Brown and staff an opportunity to reel in national recruits to cap off another top-five recruiting class.
