THREE THINGS WE LEARNED
1. WR Kaliq Lockett is looking forward to his Texas visit this spring.
Rivals100 wide receiver Kaliq Lockett has a busy slate of visits scheduled for March and April, including a stop in Austin. On the docket are stops at Florida State, Penn State, Ohio State, LSU, Texas and Texas A&M, with the Longhorns set to host the Sachse standout on April 6.
Lockett, who holds 30+ scholarship offers, is using these trips to help him privately narrow his focus before what he’s hoping will be a late summer commitment.
“The schools I’m considering, I’ve been in contact with. The schools I’m not considering, I’m going to let them know soon,” Lockett said. “I’ve enjoyed the recruiting process a lot. But can’t take (visits to) 34 schools. I don’t think anyone can. At one point, I’ve got to narrow it down, but won’t release it. I’ll probably just commit.”
Lockett has visited Texas a handful of times, but it’s been more than a year since he’s been on the Forty Acres. Despite that lull, he says he still has very strong feelings for the Longhorns.
“Being a kid from Texas, everybody talks about the Longhorns. Everywhere you go, you see Texas riding around the street, Texas flags,” Lockett said. “Every time Texas and OU are here (in Dallas), everyone is at the Cotton Bowl. Texas is pretty high on my list.”
Locket is a recruit who certainly does his homework. He’s very familiar with the success Texas has had under Steve Sarkisian – most prospects are – but he’s also very familiar with the talent that has come through the UT program and the talent that’s still on the roster.
“What Coach Sarkisian has done with the program is unexplainable,” Lockett said. “They have great pieces with coach (Tashard) Choice, coach (Jeff) Banks and coach (Chris) Jackson. He’s doing a great job already with Xavier Worthy and AD Mitchell. Now he has other receivers like Bond, Johntay Cook and (DeAndre) Moore. Then there’s the new ones, the freshmen – Ryan Wingo, Parker Livingstone. He has a lot of people under his belt.”
2. Texas is in a great spot with OL John Mills
San Francisco St. Ignatius offensive lineman John Mills has already visited three times. He hit a UT camp last summer. He attended the Horns’ home game against Wyoming. His most recent stop was for the Texas Junior day in late January. Despite there being a large number of recruits at that junior day, the coaches still found some time to make Mills feel like a priority.
“It was a big junior day. There were a lot of people there. But with everyone there, (graduate assistant) coach (Mitch) Zoloty found me, brought me to coach (Kyle) Flood. We had about a 45-minute conversation. It was an awesome conversation,” Mills said. “While in line waiting for food, coach Zoloty was with us, accompanying us throughout. They showed great hospitality. After it was all over, we had a 20-30-minute conversation with coach Sark. I’m not completely sure how long that was. But the hospitality was great. I had already seen all of the weight room and facilities. It’s insane, some of the nicest facilities I’ve seen.”
Texas was Mills’ first “really big-time offer,” while he was in town for the Wyoming game, and the Longhorns have been showing him the love ever since. After Texas offered, programs like Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Michigan, Nebraska, Penn State, Tennessee, Texas A&M, USC and Utah offered (among others).
“Coach Flood says I remind him of some of his former players like Landon Dickerson (Philadelphia Eagles) with the size and personality. That’s a big compliment. He likes the way I play, the aggression,” Mills said. “He thinks I have the mental maturity to come in and do great. He wants to coach me, it’s not one of those fake offers. Coach Sark relays it and says he also loves the way I play. Says it’s about finding the spot that fits you best. He’s from West Coast, wants to get that connection from West Coast to Texas.”
Mills will return to Texas for an unofficial visit on April 6. He has a Texas official visit set up for June 14 in addition to a Washington official visit on May 31. His goal is to commit before his senior season begins and the Longhorns should be strong contenders, if not the top contender.
“Texas was my first really big-time offer. It was my sixth (overall) offer. I got it in the middle of the season, so it showed me a lot how much coach Flood sees the potential in me and how I can grow, and my trajectory on how I can finish off my senior year and potentially play for him and be a high draft pick,” Mills said. “It shows me the true care they have for the players.”
3. Byron Washington has altered his favorites, but Texas remains
DeSoto offensive lineman Byron Washington is a player Texas fans have followed for a while, partly due to his impressive film and partly due to his supersized frame with Washington measuring in at 6-8 and 380 pounds. The Longhorns were one of Washington’s early offers with Texas extending a scholarship in July of last year.
Late last year when Orangebloods caught up with Washington, the big fella listed Texas, Oregon and TCU as the three schools standing out the most. That list has changed some with three new additions and two of his previous schools falling out. The good news for Texas is that the Longhorns remain at the head of the class.
This week, Washington told OB that Texas, Syracuse, Baylor and Houston are now rounding out his list of favorites. Oregon and TCU, and a few others, are still in play, but they trail that lead foursome.
In January, Washington was in Austin for an unofficial visit and he said that was another productive trip for Texas, including getting to experience UT basketball game that day.
“It was pretty fun. Just being able to go up there, see the atmosphere – I’d never really been to a game before, so it was fun seeing that,” Washington said. “Then doing normal things. I had a good meeting with the coaches, got to see their values. I got to meet every coach finally, not just the offensive line coach and the head coach. I got to be introduced to all of the coaches so that was good.”
Washington is trying to finalize some spring trips this week, but said Texas will almost certainly get another visit. He added that he communicates with Texas offensive line coach Kyle Flood every other day.
“I just like how coach Flood can develop me. He doesn’t sugarcoat things. He keeps it real,” Washington said.
As for a possible commitment date, fans may not have to wait too long. Washington said he might go ahead and commit at DeSoto’s spring game later this year.
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TWO QUESTIONS
1. Who are the most important players for the Longhorns during spring ball?
We are less than three weeks from the start of the Longhorns’ spring football season as I type this column. Coming off a highly successful run last year, the expectations for Steve Sarikisian’s group are sky-high once again in 2024. Which players will determine if Texas can make another run at a national title? Let’s rank them on their importance this spring, not necessarily in order of talent, but in order of who needs to step up to increase UT’s chances of success …
1. QB Quinn Ewers – An obvious choice for the top spot. Ewers was good last year but he can be better, and he’s taking over more of a leadership role to truly make this "his team."
2.WR Isaiah Bond – I’m expecting Bond to be the alpha receiver for the Longhorns next fall, so him getting off to a fast start to lead a young but reloaded receiving corps would be nice.
3. DL Alfred Collins – Texas really needs the big fella to take that next step and be a consistent force on the interior of the defensive line.
4. RT Cam Williams – The presumed starter at right tackle, it’s time for Cam Williams to show people what had everyone excited about him for the last couple of years.
5. K Bert Auburn – You all know I love my kickers. Moving to the SEC will probably result in some close games and Texas will need Auburn to come up big in those nail-biters.
6. End Trey Moore – I’m not even completely sure where Moore will line up (BUCK?) but Texas needs his pass-rushing ways to carry over from UTSA.
7. LB Anthony Hill – After a freshman All-America campaign, Hill should take on an even bigger role this year and be a (the?) leader of the defense.
8. WR Johntay Cook – We all feel Cook has superstar potential. Is this the year he takes a big step forward?
9. TE Imari Niblack – Gunnar Helm is a fine player, but Niblack could Texas some extra juice in the passing game.
10. EDGE Barryn Sorrell – How does Sorrell fit in and can he return to the form from two years ago?
2. What’s the latest with UT commitment Emaree Winston?
It’s been a little more than two months since tight end Emaree Winston committed to Texas (is that all??? Feels like forever ago). Winston hasn’t visited UT since November of last year, but that’ll change around the Orange-White game when he’s planning to come in for a three-day visit. In the meantime, Winston said he’s been working out, including time spent with a speed coach from his school.
Looking back at his commitment, Winston said it was a pretty easy choice to select the Longhorns over Ohio State and UCF, and he’s still thrilled with his decision.
“I feel like that’s a great place to be. Not for just a football standpoint,” Winston said. “It’s more of an everywhere standpoint.”
Earlier this spring, Steve Sarkisian, Tashard Choice and Jeff Banks stopped by Calhoun (GA) High School to check on Winston and they told him to be ready to compete when he gets on campus.
“They said really we don’t have many tight ends,” Winston said. “We have two that are juniors, but they’ll be gone whenever I come up. It’s going to be free game.”
Winston said he keeps in touch with fellow UT commitments KJ Lacey and Lance Jackson. Part of the allure of Texas, he said, is the Longhorns’ usage of the tight end position under Sarkisian and the experience of Banks.
“I would say they’re experienced with it. Coach Sark gets the tight end the ball,” Winston said. “His scheming, the way he schemes plays. Coach Banks, just where he’s been at, I can tell he can get me ready for the league.”
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ONE PREDICTION – Texas lands two of the three uncommitted players that were featured in this column
There’s still work to be done, but I really like UT’s chances to land both John Mills and Byron Washington. Sorry @Alex Dunlap, I can’t quite go that far with Kaliq Lockett just yet.
Washington has felt like a Texas lean for a while and the Longhorns have been the one consistent program on his list over the last four months. Michigan is still a factor for Mills and he’ll visit the Wolverines immediately after his Texas visit in April, but in talking to Mills this week, I get the sense that the Longhorns are in the driver’s seat. I’ll likely enter FutureCasts for both players very soon.
