40 Acres Sports

Less than a month after reeling in 5-star guard Avery Bradley the Texas basketball program continued their ascension to national power with another top 10 commit. Yesterday 5-star small forward Jordan Hamilton committed to Rick Barnes and the Longhorns after long considering them his favorite. Hamilton is a 6-foot-7 small forward from Los Angeles who is considered one of the top players in the 2009 class by every major recruiting site. Rivals.com has Jordan as their fifth best player in the country and their top overall small forward.

Hamilton is an excellent scorer with the ability to shoot the three. He’s got great size and athleticism and should be able to take the ball to the hoop and finish. He has the ability to play anywhere from shooting guard to power forward depending on the type of lineup Barnes wants to put on the court.

Rivals.com expert Jerry Meyer gives the following scouting report on Hamilton:

“Hamilton is a physically imposing wing player with a multidimensional game which is effective anywhere on the court. Beyond his ability to score at all three levels, Hamilton is a tremendous rebounder and a lethal passer in the open court. His unique size, skill package and feel for the game make him a legitimate four position player.”

Hamilton’s commitment gives the Longhorns three of the top players and one of the top 2009 classes in the country. Barnes may not be done yet as he and his coaches are still pursuing several other elite recruits for this class. Hamilton, Bradley, and 4-star forward Shawn Williams will help make the 2009-10 Longhorns a national contender if they can be mixed with some experienced leadership and depth. It should be exciting to watch.

Watch highlights of Jordan below:

Go check out some more videos of Josh over at YouTube, you’ll be impressed.

Wow. Future Longhorn Garrett Gilbert led his number one ranked and defending state champion Lake Travis team to a huge win over the Hutto Hippos. Hutto was considered to be the biggest challenger for Lake Travis in district play. If Hutto truly is the best team not led by Gilbert in district 25-4A, then Lake Travis is on their way to another state title.

Gilbert did anything and everything, going 14 of 16 for 274 yards and six touchdowns. The five star recruit made every throw in the passing tree, using touch and zip to shred an overmatched group of defenders. The highlight of the night came when Gilbert was flushed from the pocket, rolled to his right, and hit a streaking receiver down the sideline on a perfect pass that flew at least 50 yards in the air. The pass couldn’t have been delivered better if Gilbert ran the ball down the field and handed it to the receiver himself.

Colt McCoy is a great quarterback, but there is no doubt that the junior can not make every throw possible. McCoy will be a great college quarterback, but not much else because of his limitations on the passing tree, much like current coach Major Applewhite. Gilbert has no such limitations. He can throw the 15 yard out, the 40 yard post, and the out route from the opposite hash mark. His timing was spot on, and his pocket presence appeared to be beyond his years.

Gilbert impressed even the opposing coach.

“Number 7 [Gilbert] is a freak,” said Hutto head coach Lee Penland after his Hippos lost 55-20. “I mean that in a good way. I’m an ex-Longhorn, and I’m so glad he is going to UT. I just wish he went last week. I would not be surprised to see him play on Sundays.”

Before Friday Cedric Benson was the most dominant player I had seen in person at a high school football game (remember I’m only 23). But after the performance that only saw two balls hit the ground, one being a drop the other a throw away, “EL CED” could have been replaced. The guy is huge; he looks like a man playing against boys. And he is a winner. After only watching one game it is clear who the leader of the football team is as Gilbert involves himself in sideline talks with the special teams, the defense, as well as his offense.

I am also a Longhorn, and like coach Penland, I think Texas has found their quarterback of the future.

(Image courtesy of Statesman.com)

Texas made a huge splash in national basketball recruiting by gaining the commitment of top-10 ranked 2009 guard Avery Bradley. Bradley chose Texas over UCLA, creating one of the biggest “gets” in the Rick Barnes era. While Bradley lived in Dallas for a stint, the fact Barnes and the Longhorns could get a Californian kid out of the Pac-10 is huge for this program. New assistant, and ex-player Chris Ogden did the recruiting of Bradley who has moved up national lists with his strong performances in tournaments throughout this summer.

Bradley is 6′2″, but his long arms and tremendous athleticism makes him the premier perimeter defender in high school basketball. His size and defense will make him an instant impact player when he gets on campus. He’s not a polished outside shooter however his midrange game gives him the potential to be an elite scorer at shooting guard.

Rivals.com expert Jerry Meyer gives the following scouting report on Bradley:

“There might not be a better midrange scorer in the class nor a better on the ball defender than Bradley. He does have room for improvement as a rebounder and passer, but his niche as a scorer and defender make him one of the top shooting guards in the country. His wing span and heart allow him to play bigger than his height.”

Bradley is the second commit in the 2009 class, joining four-star small forward Shawn Williams out of Duncanville who committed back in early August. Add the commitment of arguably the top player in the 2010 class in Tristan Thompson and Longhorn hoops has a great future.

The fact that Bradley will play for the Horns may not even the best part of the deal, Bradley’s good friend, and top 5 player in the 2009 class Jordan Hamilton was already a Texas lead and the two have expressed desire to play at the same school. With Bradley, Hamilton, Williams, and Thompson on the same team, Texas should become a fixture at the top of college basketball.

Check out a video clip of Bradley below:

The academic progress of top 2008 basketball recruit J’Covan Brown was always a concern but it is now official. Brown won’t be enrolling at the University of Texas this fall and still has work to do to hopefully be ready for the spring semester. Brown and Varez Ward were the only two signees in the 2008 class so this leaves a big hole if he can’t get in.

From the Fort Worth Star-Telegram:

Texas basketball coach Rick Barnes said Thursday that recruit J’Covan Brown could possibly join the program for the spring semester after it was announced that Brown failed to qualify academically.

“He could still make it,” Barnes said.

Brown, a star combo guard from Port Arthur Memorial, reiterated his vow to play at Texas.

“I will work as hard as I can to make sure that I am able to earn a spot at the University of Texas as soon as possible,” Brown said in a statement.

Rick Barnes is blazing the 2009 recruiting trail and is a player or the possible leader for several top national recruits. Two players rumored to be leaning to playing for the Horns are small forward Jordan Hamilton and guard Avery Bradley.

Both players are incredible five-star prospects and they showed everybody why against FMP-Serbia this weekend. The 6-foot-7 Hamilton uses his quickhands to poke the ball use and then after leading the break dishes back to the 6-foot-3 Bradley for the facial on the Serbian player. Check out the video below:

Both guys look incredible and are reportedly Texas’ to lose. If Barnes can pull them both in they’ll team with recent commit Shawn Williams to possibly make a deep tourney run in 2009-2010. I’m excited already.

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Matt Barkley not alone in talented ‘09 class. Talk about top quarterback recruits including Garrett Gilbert.

DJ Monroe impressive in THSCA All-Star game. Future Horn cornerback had 66-yard touchdown run and was game’s MVP.

Former Longhorn and US Army All-American Jerrell Wilkerson will attend the University of the Incarnate Word on a football scholarship. The Division II school in Wilkerson’s hometown of San Antonio will not begin it’s first football season until 2009 but he will be practicing with the team and attending school starting this fall. He’ll be the biggest name on the team.

Wilkerson was a running back/wide receiver recruit that excited Texas fans because of his speed, shiftiness, and electric highlight videos. Fans couldn’t wait to see what the undersized back could do with a football in his hands for the Horns. He is San Antonio’s all-time leading rusher with 7,249 rushing yards and 110 touchdowns at Clark High School.

At Texas Wilkerson was redshirting during his freshman season but left school and the team abruptly just weeks before the national championship game. He left the team not over playing time but in order to take care of his responsibilities as a man. He was forced to return home to San Antonio to work to support his newborn son financially.

Jerrell had things in his life he had to get in order. Now after three years away from the field he’s getting a second chance at football and an education. I hope he enjoys the opportunity he’s getting to play football but if he uses it to get a college degree he’s going to be a better man for it. We’ll be keeping an eye out for him and rooting for him both on and off the field. Good luck.

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Five-star future Texas quarterback Garrett Gilbert received another honor last week when he was named as one of the invitees to the prestigious Elite 11 quarterback camp. The invite-only camp is the top quarterback instructional camp in the country and only the best of the best attend. Previous Elite 11 QB’s include Vince Young, Matt Leinart, and JaMarcus Russell. Our own Colt McCoy will be one of the counselors this year along with other top college players.

Here’s the writeup on Gilbert from the ESPN story:

A record-setting Texan with tremendous pocket-passing ability and deceptive athleticism. He emerged as a rising junior when he threw for 2,859 yards and 30 touchdowns and impressed on the Nike Camp and EA SPORTS Elite 11 regional tour. He’s showed not only great skill but also intangibles and toughness last fall, leading his team to a state title despite suffering a shoulder early in the season that required surgery in the off-season. Despite not even turning 17 yet, is a confident, versatile and productive performer who set Texas state records last fall and should only get better as he matures. Son of former NFL quarterback Gale Gilbert. Committed to Texas way back in February over Texas A&M, Nebraska and a host of others.

Texas track/football commit Marquise Goodwin part of winning relay team. Goodwin also won the World Junior long jump title.

Texas 2009 commit Chris Whaley is one of the top recruits in the state and top running backs in the country. With 4.5 speed at 6-foot-3 and 220 pounds (and still growing), Whaley possesses a rare combination of speed and power for a high school back. He’ll be a great complement to the speed backs (Vondrell McGee and Fozzy Whittaker) when he first gets on campus and could be Texas’ next big time running back.

Check out his highlights below:

Can’t wait till he gets onto the Forty Acres.

AC100 On Campus: Chris Whaley. Good Athlon Sports video piece on the future Texas running back.

A history of recruiting & how coaches have stayed a step ahead. Fake magazine covers, video chats, & other ways to bend the rules.

Temple running back Lache Seastrunk (it’s pronounced “Lake”) is still just a sophomore in high school but he’s starting to blow up the Internet thanks to his highlight videos. He’s blazing fast and spends about half the video juking people out of their jock straps. Pretty incredible stuff from a kid who probably isn’t 16 yet.

Check out the videos from YouTube below:

And now another one below from TexasPreps.net:

The videos remind me of former Florida prepster Noel Devine, hopefully without the off field stuff and multiple children.

For those who are geographically challenged, Temple is just an hour away from Austin. With most of the 2009 class already wrapped up, Mack and Company have to make him a top recruiting priority now. I’d love to see some highlights of Lache wearing the burnt orange in a couple of years.

Update: Just got a text from Orangebloods that Lache would be in Austin this Sunday for a one-day camp. Fantastic news. (10:21pm)

Varez Ward signs with Texas. Sounds like he could be Justin Mason 2.0 which is not a bad thing at all.

Defensive tackle Derek Johnson from Hoxie, Arkansas committed to the Longhorns Wednesday according to Orangebloods.com. Johnson, originally from El Paso, is reportedly one of the top five players in Arkansas for the class of 2009.

The 6-foot-3, 290 pound Johnson is the second defensive tackle in this class, joining Calvin Howell out of San Antonio who committed in mid-May. Hopefully 5-star stud Jamarkus McFarland will come and join an incredible defensive line group.

The recruitment of three defensive tackles in this one class certainly lends creedence to the rumors that defensive tackles Tyrell Higgins and Brian Ellis may not be back on the team in the fall. If they’re gone then the big need at the position quickly became a huge one.

Check out the YouTube video of Johnson courtesy of Orangebloods message boards below (warning: the audio is obnoxious and very NSFW):

Welcome to the Forty Acres Derek.

Mark Cuban on NBA agents and high school kids. Thinks the IRS would be interested in all this money moving with no taxes paid.

NCAA football coaches warm to early signing period. Allowing recruits to sign early would allow them to refocus on school once they’ve made decision.

Orangebloods.com is reporting that big time defensive tackle recruit Calvin Howell out of San Antonio has committed to the Texas Longhorns. Howell is the 18th rated (and rising) overall recruit in the state and one of Texas’ top defensive targets at a position of great need. He is the 18th player to join the Horns’ 2009 recruiting class.

Howell has been leaning towards the Longhorns for a while now but wanted to take his time and make an informed decision. In the last two months he returned to Austin multiple times while also making unofficial visits to Oklahoma and Texas Tech. This Monday he came back to Austin with his mother and after getting back and discussing it as a family he finally decided to pull the trigger. His mom called up Mack Brown Wednesday and informed him that her son would be a Longhorn.

This is a huge pickup for Texas. If they can now reel in 5-star Jamarkus McFarland they’ll have the best pair of defensive tackle commits in the country and two interior lineman who could be dominating the Big 12 together in a few years.

Congrats Calvin and welcome to the Longhorn family!

Cedar Hill offensive tackle Thomas Ashcraft is one of the top prospects in the state and top offensive lineman in the country. The 6-foot-5 280 pound high school junior was one of the Longhorns earliest 2009 commits back in February but is one of the most important in this class. He’s one of four excellent line commits that should be building blocks that skill players like Garrett Gilbert and Chris Whaley will flourish behind.

Not only does the young man have potential to be a fixture on the offensive line for the Horns but he’s also a player Mack Brown and Co. scooped up early even after many believed he was an Oklahoma lean. It’s always nice to steal a kid of this caliber from the bad guys.

Check out Ashcraft’s sophomore highlight reel below:

If anyone has junior highlight video of Ashcraft (or any other commits) please let us know.

LSU finally dismisses QB Ryan Perrilloux from team. The Mack Brown curse continues.

The official letter of intent from 2008 shooting guard J’Covan Brown is finally in the hands of the Texas coaching staff. The 6-foot-2 shooting guard’s recruitment was a roller coaster from the very start. Even after securing his commitment in November, there was much doubt about whether he’d ever actually sign with the Horns. J’Covan has wanted to be a Longhorn all along but he has other people involved with his recruitment with their own interests in mind. Fortunately for J’Covan and Texas, what was best for the young man eventually won out.

One of the top #2 guards in country and best players in Texas, Brown is rated as a high 4-star prospect according to both Rivals and Scout. He is an excellent scorer who has the ability to drive to the basket as well as drain it from long range. He handles the ball well and could play spot duty at the point to spell the starter if needed. With his size and skill set, Brown is just the type of guard the Horns needed in this year’s Elite 8 match-up against Memphis. If he can be a factor on the defensive end as well, he has a chance to be huge contributor as a freshman.

Brown is currently the only 2008 prospect signed by Rick Barnes, but depending on if D.J. Augustin and/or Damion James head to the NBA Draft early they may have one more slot to fill. 5-star out of staters Devin Ebanks and Wesley Witherspoon are both seriously considering Texas and would be huge commitments for the program.

Next step for J’Covan is to get down to business in the classroom and make sure he’s eligible to head to Austin this summer and get started. Welcome to the 40 Acres!

Related Links

• ESPN profile
• Rivals profile
• Scout profile

Offensive line commit Thomas Ashcraft sounds like a kid with his head on straight. Good luck with Mechanical Engineering kid… yikes.

It’s still a year away, but already five 2009 Texas commitments have received the honor of being named to the Under Armour All-America Game roster. The Longhorns currently lead the way with players in the game, with quarterback Garrett Gilbert. tight end Barrett Matthews, and offensive linemen Thomas Ashcraft, Paden Kelley, and Mason Walters on the roster. The 2008 Under Armour game featured five Longhorns as well.

The list of players is impressive but still not 100% complete, I’m sure there will be some additions and subtractions between now and January 4, 2009. Maybe a few more Texas commits can earn their way onto the team, or maybe the coaching staff can convince Florida stud running back Trent Richardson to come play for the good guys.

Here are the Scouts, Inc. profiles on the five Texas players:

Garrett Gilbert

Quarterback
Lake Travis (Texas)
6-3, 186 pounds

Junior accolades: Set Texas records with 359 completions, 555 attempts and 4,826 passing yards. Also threw for 52 touchdowns and named First Team All-State by The Associated Press.

On goals for his senior season: “Hopefully to win another state championship.”

Favorite movie: “Wedding Crashers.”

Scouts Inc. says: The more you watch Gilbert, the more you realize how heady and savvy he is. He is similar to Aaron Corp from the 2007 class in terms of size and athleticism, only Gilbert is much further along at this stage and has a bigger arm. He has prototypical drop-back passer size but is a sneaky athlete who will surprise you and hurt you with his feet if you don’t respect that aspect of his game.

Barrett Matthews

Tight End
North Shore (Texas)
6-2, 225 pounds

Junior accolades: Caught 13 passes for 395 yards and seven touchdowns. Named to 22-5A First Team All-District and Houston Chronicle Second Team All-Area.

On why he chose Texas: “The coaching staff reminds me of our coaching staff [at North Shore] and Coach [Mack] Brown reminds me a little bit of Coach [David] Aymond. The facilities are amazing and I get to work with one of the best [strength] trainers in the nation.”

Favorite movie: “‘Any Given Sunday.’ I love the ‘piece with inches’ speech by Al Pacino’s character.”

Scouts Inc. says: An exciting prospect with the tools to be well-rounded at the college level. He’s a sound, tenacious blocker while also a weapon as a receiver. Has the ability to stay on the field in all situations and be a factor, making him a player to watch.

Thomas Ashcraft

Offensive Lineman
Cedar Hill (Texas)
6-5, 280 pounds

Junior accolades: First Team All-District, Honorable Mention All-State.

On why he chose Texas: “I felt at home at Texas. The coaches were real, they didn’t feel fake like they were putting on a show or it was rehearsed — they were real comfortable and natural. My parents liked it and my major [mechanical engineering] is a top major there.”

Favorite TV show: “The Boondocks.”

Scouts Inc. says: A gifted lineman with the size college coaches seek. He has shown the foot agility to both pull and trap from the offensive tackle position and also get back from a three-point stance and set before a defensive lineman gets into his frame. Ashcraft has the tools to develop into one of college football’s best, most athletic offensive linemen.

Paden Kelley

Offensive Lineman
Lake Travis (Texas)
6-6, 270 pounds

Junior accolades: Named to Texas 4A first team by Texas Sportswriters Association. Also named to First Team All-District.

On goals for his senior season: “I have hopes of leading my team to a back-to-back state championship and being awarded First Team All-State.”

Favorite band: Rage Against the Machine.

Scouts Inc. says: Kelley’s a very athletic offensive tackle with the versatility to also play guard. Tall and rangy, he looks the part, carrying his weight extremely well. Biggest strength may be his reach-blocking skills.

Mason Walters

Offensive Lineman
Frenship (Texas)
6-7, 285 pounds

Junior accolades: Named All-District, All-Area, All-South Plains, All-City and 4A Second Team All-State.

On what he’s looking for in a school: “Coaches you get along with for five years, a winning tradition and a bunch of good talent that is going to be there when you are there to give yourself a chance to win the national championship.”

Favorite food: Buffalo wings with ranch sauce.

Scouts Inc. says: A max-effort player with exceptional ability, he’s a self-starter who clearly loves the game. He goes after opponents like a heat-seeking missile. Comes off the ball aggressively and has the skills to reach, block back and even get to the second level with little trouble. Shows outstanding hustle by frequently getting a second block after executing his initial assignment.

High school sophomore Chris Martin is one of the top prospects for 2010 out of California. He’s already got offers from top programs such as Cal, Colorado, and Stanford and is being recruited by all the national powers. He doesn’t have a favorite in the recruiting process yet, but he sure knows where he doesn’t want to go to school…

Education is another factor weighing heavily on Martin’s opinion of colleges.

“Academic prestige is the first thing I’m looking for in a school,” said Martin. “I’m not sure on a major, but I think I’d like to go into marketing.

“I do know I wouldn’t pick a school like Texas A&M because I want to go somewhere that has had a line of successful people who have majored in the field I’m interested in.”

Apparently Martin just isn’t interested in Ag Leadership as a career.

I’m not sure where that quote came from or why a kid from California even brings up the Aggies, but it sure is funny. I guess it’s a step in the right direction for A&M though that a national recruit has actually heard of the school. I guess that 35 point loss to Cal in the Holiday Bowl paid off after all.

Maybe the Longhorns should start recruiting Martin, he’s mine kind of kid.

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