Recruiting: Tight End Position Gets Boost with Thomas Commitment

This past weekend, it finally happened. “It” being the Texas Longhorns receiving a commitment from a tight end. Considering UT’s recent myriad of recruiting issues with that position (losing Durham Smythe to Notre Dame, not offering Christian Morgan, recruiting Austin Sefarian-Jenkins as an offensive tackle), some might have expected the Saturday commitment of John Thomas (Trinity Valley C.C.) to be followed by scenes straight out of a Roland Emmerich movie. But alas, the apocalypse is not upon us, and Hell, it seems, has not frozen over.
Thomas – reported to be 6-6 or 6-7 and 255 pounds – was a highly-regarded tight end recruit coming out of Bossier City, Louisiana’s Airline High School in 2012. He caught 30 passes for 575 yards and seven touchdowns in his junior season, then committed to LSU the following spring. He missed his senior season after tearing an ACL and lateral meniscus in a pre-season scrimmage, then was unable to sign with LSU when Signing Day rolled around because he did not have a qualifying GPA or ACT score. He signed with Trinity Valley Community College instead, and while he didn’t contribute much in 2012 (he recorded between two and seven receptions, depending on the source) he has reportedly recovered from his 2011 injury and substantially improved as a blocker.

In the 43 seconds of available film from Thomas’s time at Trinity Valley thus far, he is shown lining up as an attached tight end. He runs a couple of short routes, has a nice catch and run on a seam route, and bends well when blocking on a couple of run plays. During his junior year of high school, Thomas terrorized secondaries as both an attached tight end and wide receiver. If he has truly worked himself into becoming a solid blocker while regaining the pre-injury athleticism he showed in high school, he will give the Longhorns a huge receiving threat and legitimate blocker at tight end who could line up with a hand on the ground or flexed out and be a factor in the passing game.

See John Thomas’ junior year highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNsCSRpTaCM

With Major Applewhite taking over play-calling duties and implementing a fast-paced no-huddle offense, the days of Texas sending out a Barrett Matthews or Ahmard Howard at tight end seem all but over. One might think the Longhorns could be phasing out the classic attached tight end. It would be a sea change indeed if we found ourselves living in a world where Texas eschews anything resembling a traditional tight end while Art Briles gets commitments from arguably two of the state’s best seven or eight players at the position. But the fact that UT received a commitment from John Thomas before even offering the athletic and much more slightly-built Anthony Jones leads me to believe the tight end’s days on the 40 Acres are far from numbered.

Between the signing classes of 2011 and 2013, Texas signed only two athletes who were recruited to play tight end (a term I’m using somewhat loosely in this article): M.J. McFarland and Geoff Swaim. Eric and I believed going into this cycle that the staff wanted to sign two players who could fill a tight end-type role, and from what I’ve heard from a few coaches of tight ends Texas has looked at, versatility will be a coveted quality going forward. The staff will be most likely to pursue athletes who can be a legitimate receiving threat and a reliable blocker from the tight end, flex, H-back, and/or fullback spot. John Thomas certainly qualifies as a receiving threat and a promising blocker as an attached and flex tight end, and there has been some discussion that recent wide receiver commits Garrett Gray (6-3, 205) and Dorian Leonard (6-4 200) could be candidates to play the flex spot. Does this mean Texas is done at tight end for this class?

I believe they could still take another one, for multiple reasons. To begin with, not signing another athlete who could develop into a true tight end would mean the Longhorns go into the 2014 seasons without a single underclassman at that position. Swaim and Greg Daniels will be seniors that year, and McFarland and Thomas will be juniors. John Harris and Miles Onyegbule, both of whom have been tabbed for a flex/H-back role, will also be seniors in 2014. and they will have ready replacements in Jake Oliver, Gray, and/or Leonard. But unless Texas plans to pack thirty or more pounds of muscle onto Oliver, Gray, or Leonard, they’ll need to look for another player in the 2014 class who can be an attached tight end down the road.

This is where Durham Smythe’s de-commitment and UT’s subsequent failure to pursue an alternative like Christian Morgan (who should have been offered long before anyway), Charlie Reid or Alex Leslie in the 2013 class really hurts. With the position dominated by upperclassmen in 2014, Texas will need a youngster to develop for future seasons. And even in the best of circumstances it would be foolhardy not to at least evaluate some backup plans when their only commitment at the position has had both grades issues and a serious knee injury within the past two years.

The popular perception seems to be that the 2014 Texas class is weak at the tight end position, but from what I’ve seen the state has a quietly deep group of prospects who bring to the table varying arrays of skills that will be coveted by major conference programs. The class has some good blocking in-line tight ends, big receivers who project to a flex tight end role, and others versatile enough to be used in a variety of positions and offensive packages, and several are discussed below. Some of these prospects have already been evaluated on some level by the Texas staff. I’ve concentrated on Texas kids but am also including out-of-state athletes who UT has been recruiting.

But first off we’ll list who’s no longer available, which has become a long list in the past two weeks.

Off The Board:

Jordan Feuerbacher (Humble Kingwood Park) 6-5/240 – committed to Baylor

Others have more upside, but Feuerbacher is arguably the best tight end in the state right now, and might be the closest thing to Durham Smythe the state’s 2014 class has. He committed to Baylor on May 11. On June 5 he Tweeted “Thanks but no thanks #Texas…Not going anywhere. #SicEm Bears!” Looks like Texas either pursued him way too late, or he was never going to commit with them anyway.

Blake Mahon (Coppell) 6-5/226 – committed to Baylor

He committed to Baylor on May 24 over offers from North Texas, Illinois, and others. Going back to 2008 (the beginning of the Art Briles era in Waco) only one Baylor offense has had a tight end catch more than 20 passes in a season. Then again, Texas has not had a tight end catch as many since Jermichael Finley and his 45 receptions in 2007. I’d love to hear what pitch he used to sell Feuerbacher and Mahon on Baylor and how he planned to use them in the offense.

Blake Mahon’s highlights: http://www.hudl.com/athlete/1854855/highlights/42674375

Koda Martin (Manvel) 6-7/250 – committed to Texas A&M

He has been on the national recruiting radar longer than any 2014 tight end in the state, though there has long been debate on whether that would be his final college position or if he might perhaps grow into offensive tackle or move to defensive end. Texas offered Martin in March, though he didn’t seem to be a particularly good fit for the offense. Figuring out his college position is Texas A&M’s problem now, as he committed to the Aggies on June 9. Mavin Saunders (Houston Kinkaid) 6-6/220 – committed to Florida State

He’s a high-upside prospect who is ranked among the top tight ends in the country despite only having played one year of football. He’s #45 on the Inside Texas Top 100, and back in April Eric named Saunders as one of “five players I’d offer tomorrow”, but Texas doesn’t seem to have shown him much, if any, interest. He committed to Florida State last week, and he also holds offers from Ohio State, Oklahoma, and Texas Tech, among others.

Dimitri Flowers (San Antonio Churchill) 6-2/220 – committed to Boise State He is one of the more intriguing members of the class, as he has good size, great genes, and a variety of skills, but not really a true position. In 2012, he spent time at running back, h-back, tight end, wide receiver, and linebacker, and he also found time to throw a touchdown pass and return punts. His father Erik Flowers played defensive end in the NFL, and his cousin (former Converse Judson defensive back) Tre Flowers will play for Oklahoma State this fall. Dimitri had at least some contact with Texas and at one time was receiving heavy interest from Baylor and TCU, but he ended his recruitment on June 1 with a commitment to Boise State, which he said was recruiting him as a tight end. He also had offers from Colorado, Houston, and Nevada.

Logan Lister (Katy) 6-4/241 – committed to Rutgers

He didn’t get to show off much in the way of receiving skills in 2012 while playing for the run-heavy offense that piled up over 300 rushing yards per contest and won Katy its seventh state championship. He is a solid blocker and on film he looks like a pure in-line tight end, though when he catches a pass it’s usually on a short yardage route or off of play action. Over the weekend he made a “soft verbal” commitment to Rutgers, which he expects will be a solid commitment once he’s had a chance to visit the campus. He has also been offered by Houston, Central Florida, and Nevada.

Logan Lister’s highlights: http://www.hudl.com/athlete/1527645/#highlights/21973380

Known to Have Received interest from Texas:

Tyler Luatua (La Mirada, CA) 6-4 230

He’s ranked by at least one outlet as the best tight end in the nation, and he could also play defensive end in college. Texas offered him on June 5, joining a large group of suitors that already included Alabama, USC, Ohio State, Notre Dame, and nearly two dozen other programs. Eric first mentioned him in the May 24 Inside Scoop in an item recounting a visit Major Applewhite made to La Mirada High School. Hopefully Texas will be able to get him onto campus at some point in the summer.

Bryce Dixon (St. Bonaventure – Ventura, CA) 6-4/220

Dixon is rated as one of the very best tight ends in the nation. He is a teammate of 2015 QB Ricky Town (who holds a Texas offer) and was invited to attend a UT camp but did not attend with Town. He has well over a dozen offers from schools around the country. UT will need to get him on campus to have a chance.

Anthony Jones (Edna Kerr – New Orleans, LA) 6-5 215

His has been one of the weirder recruitments in this cycle. The long and talented pass-catcher has offers from at least seven schools, and reports have offered differing accounts of whether or not he has one from Texas, but everyone seems to agree that he should have one from the Longhorns by now. He attended UT’s February 23 Junior Day and impressed media in attendance at the June 2 one-day camp. If anyone on this list fits the description of a “football player in a small forward’s body”, it’s Jones.

Curtis Amos (Burleson Centennial) 6-2/220

Eric introduced us to Amos in mid-April and reported that Bruce Chambers had stopped by Centennial in the spring to check him out. If his highlights are any indication, he seems to have played mostly – if not exclusively – as an attached tight end in 2012, but he’s athletic enough that he could probably be flexed out or used at h-back. Amos also plays basketball, and in the 2012-2013 season he was, notably, the only player from Johnson County’s four 4A schools to make first team all-district.

Chase Goldwater (Grandview) 6-4/235

I first mentioned Goldwater in the May 31 Inside Scoop. The Texas Sports Writers Association named him to its Class 2A All-State First Team at tight end after he caught 38 passes for 668 yards (17.6 yards/catch) and seven touchdowns in the 2012 season. He was also recently named an all-state first baseman following the 2013 baseball season. Goldwater batted .429 with eight home runs and 39 RBIs at the plate, and on the mound he won eight games, sported a 2.62 ERA, and struck out 91 batters. For his efforts on the diamond he was voted co-MVP of District 10-2A. Casey Walraven, Grandview’s head football coach (and nephew of our own dos bobby) says Goldwater is “great in baseball”, but has a skill set that is much more rare for the tight end position in football. He plays attached, at H-back, flexed out, in the slot, and even serves as the team’s deep snapper. Walraven says Goldwater runs a 4.7 40, “has great hands, knows how to use his body, and had a great year blocking.”Goldwater does not have any offers yet but they’ll come. Walraven says pretty much every big school in the state has expressed some level of interest in him. UT tight ends coach Bruce Chambers has made multiple trips to Grandview, and when I last talked with him in late May, Walraven named Texas as the school that had been recruiting Goldwater the most. He was reportedly in attendance at UT’s June 2 camp, but I’ve seen no reports on how he performed, and it’s unknown how serious UT’s interest in him is. From having seen his junior film, I’d be just fine with him as a take for tight end of the future, and if he can help the Longhorn baseball team while he’s at it, so much the better.

Could Switch to TE:

Andrew Beck (Plant – Tampa, FL) 6-3/220

The Longhorn linebacker commit has played tight end before and is a good enough athlete that he could fit very well there in college should a position switch ever be called for, but for now his future is at middle linebacker.

Mason Denley (Columbus) 6-5/265

The big Columbus athlete was at UT’s June 2 camp and spent part of the time working out at tight end. He was reportedly impressive there but he’s more likely to end up at offensive tackle or on the defensive line than tight end. He’s a guy Eric and I are both big fans of and hopefully Texas offers him soon.

Others to Consider: Cameron Knight (Shallowater) 6-3/255

He has stayed somewhat hidden at Class 3A Shallowater, which is about 10 miles northwest of Lubbock, but interest should pick up with him attending several camps this summer. He received his first offer from UTEP two weeks ago and has since added Texas State. The latter is recruiting him as a tight end, but the former likes him at both tight end and defensive end. He moves very well for his size and in his team’s offense he’s used at H-back, flexed out, and as an attached tight end. He might not have the speed to be a downfield threat in college but he’s got good hands and could be a good fit for an H-back/in-line tight end. He’s an aggressive run blocker, and in his highlights he throws some pretty vicious peel back blocks, something he’ll have to cut out if the NCAA outlaws them like the NFL recently did. (Fun fact: his family raises show pigs.)

Cameron Knight’s highlights: http://www.hudl.com/athlete/832965/highlights/47799380

Stony Hawkins (Frisco Centennial) 6-3/215

Hawkins is another athlete with the skills to play at a number of positions. As a sophomore he was Centennial’s backup quarterback, and though he only attempted 14 passes he did have 38 carries for 223 yards and five touchdowns. To make better use of his skills and get him on the field more, he was moved to receiver as a junior, usually in the slot or flex, and sometimes at H-back. He may not be a bone-crushing fullback but Centennial head coach Mark Howard calls Hawkins a “good blocker” with “unbelievable hands.” Though he’s only about 215 pounds now, Howard believes he’ll be able to play at 240 in college. He has been offered by New Mexico, Louisiana-Monroe, Air Force, and Yale, and he has received significant interest from Illinois and the other service academies. Most schools are recruiting him as a tight end, but SMU likes him as a middle linebacker, and Army thinks he could play tight end or defensive end. New Mexico loves his versatility and they were the first to offer him in March. Hawkins’ offer list should get longer this summer.

Stoney Hawkins’ highlights: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1S_dG4lWz7M Caleb Chumley (Longview Pine Tree) 6-5/220

He is one of the fastest-rising prospects in the state right now. He spent most of his junior season at receiver but played quarterback for his team’s last three games and apparently put up video game numbers. He has been offered by Houston, Oregon State, Louisiana Tech, North Texas, Texas State, and others, and Oregon came to Longview to check him out in the spring. He’s being recruited as a tight end, dual-threat QB, and athlete, depending on the school. He could be ranked very high in the 2014 Texas class when all is said and done.

Caleb Chumley’s highlights: http://www.hudl.com/athlete/671491/#highlights/31798376

Cameron Fisher (Freeport Brazosport) 6-4/210

A year ago there were reports that Fisher was a prospect on UT’s radar and the Longhorns were said to be his favorite team growing up. Since then his name hasn’t shown up on the recruiting wire much. He played some QB but mostly wide receiver during the 2012 season for Brazosport, who started out 3-2 before losing their last five games all by 20 or more points. Fisher had 20 receptions for 301 yards on the year. Brazosport head coach Ben Rudolph says he’ll again be used at wide receiver in 2013, and at tight end in certain sets. He doesn’t have great speed but he seems to have a good idea of how to use his height and length to his advantage. Rudolph says UT came to Brazosport High before the start of their spring practice, but he’s “not too sure on where they stand with [Fisher].” He has no offers at this time.

Cameron Fisher’s highlights: http://www.hudl.com/athlete/796072/#highlights/15394378

Carson Rucker (Van) 6-3/220 Rucker is an under-the-radar prospect who doesn’t have a profile on any recruiting site. You can’t judge a player solely on his highlights, but Rucker’s are good enough that he should get some long looks from D1 schools in time, if he hasn’t already. He’s supposed to be a very good basketball player, but aside from that I haven’t been able to find out much about him at all. Our friend Justin Wells (no relation) at the East Texas Sports Network has watched him play and says, “You can see the basketball player in him. He’s fluid and sure-handed.” I’m sure we’ll be hearing more about Rucker in the coming months.

Carson Rucker’s highlights: http://www.hudl.com/athlete/1361913/#highlights/37126380

Chad Whitehead (Cedar Park) 6-3/220 He will be a third-year starter this fall and will be a key player for the defending Class 4A Division II state champions. He doesn’t have otherworldly athleticism or small forward height, but his skills and understanding of the game will get him onto a college roster somewhere. Cedar Park head coach Joe Willis describes him as “very gifted” and says, “he catches the ball well and he’s an excellent edge blocker.” Whitehead tips the scales at around 220, but Willis says he’s just now learning how to lift weights and eat right, and he believes his tight end will play in the 240s in college. Projecting how a high school athlete will develop physically is one thing; projecting how well he’ll take coaching and pick up the fundamentals is another. Whitehead already has a lot of the little things down that you’d want a tight end to be able to do. He isn’t a mauler of a blocker now and probably won’t be in college, but he’s aggressive and already has great footwork and appears to do a good job shielding defenders or directing them away from the play when he doesn’t knock them to the ground. He also runs pretty good routes to gain separation from high school linebackers and DBs.

Whitehead has no offers at this time but Willis expects interest to pick up over the summer, and offers should come eventually. Major Applewhite visited Cedar Park a few weeks ago and the staff knows about Whitehead, though their level of interest (if any) is unknown. On the right team I think he could be a poor man’s David Thomas.

Chad Whitehead’s highlights: http://www.hudl.com/athlete/672259/#highlights/44547373

Will Taylor (Euless Trinity) 6-3/245

I mention Taylor because he’s a fairly well-known name from having played for perennial state power Euless Trinity, a school that’s always sending linemen and/or tight ends to the FBS level. He’s one of only nine tight ends in the state that Rivals has graded thus far, which says more about how much he’s been seen by recruiting analysts than where he’ll rank within the state’s tight end group by the time Signing Day arrives. He’s similar to Logan Lister in that he plays for a traditional power that runs the ball most of the time, and thus he spends most of his time run-blocking and is used as a pure in-line tight end. Watch his highlights and you’ll notice nearly all of his catches come off either play action or on a wide receiver pass following a reverse. He’s a good blocker, to be sure, but he doesn’t offer much in the way of versatility, and Lister looks like a much better athlete.

Will Taylor’s highlights: http://www.hudl.com/athlete/817326/#highlights/44475373

David Authier (Fort Worth Nolan Catholic) 6-2/220

Now here’s a kid I’m a fan of. He played fullback for Nolan as a junior and his highlights depict him as a punishing blocker, an intelligent and tough ball-carrier with decent speed, and a dangerous receiving threat out of the backfield. He rushed for 253 yards and five touchdowns on 39 carries and had 14 receptions for 353 yards (25.2 ypc) and two touchdowns. Feel free to question the level of competition he’s playing against, just know that his school is at essentially the same level as that of former running back commit Daniel Gresham. He’ll reportedly see time at tight end, slot, fullback and running back this fall. He has been offered by New Mexico and UTEP, and I expect bigger schools will be offering him before long.

David Authier’s highlights: http://www.hudl.com/athlete/905014/#highlights/38798383

What say you, readers? Tell us your favorites and/or list any significant names not mentioned here.

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