School in the News: Texas
After many rumors and much turmoil, Texas head coach Mack Brown stepped down from coaching the Longhorns on Saturday. Here’s a look at their recruits and players that Michigan has pursued:
2014 commits: LB Otaro Alaka, CB Jermaine Roberts
2015 commit: OG Aaron Garza
Roster players: CB Antwuan Davis (Fr.), S Sheroid Evans (Jr.), K Anthony Fera (Sr.)*, OT Garrett Greenlea (So.), LB Jordan Hicks (Jr.), DT Desmond Jackson (Jr.), DE Jackson Jeffcoat (Sr.)*, LB Peter Jinkens (So.), WR Jake Oliver (Fr.), RB Jalen Overstreet (So.), C Jake Raulerson (Fr.), WR Kendall Sanders (So.), LB Dalton Santos (So.), S Josh Turner (So.)
*Seniors who would be unable to transfer
None of Texas’s players or commits visited Michigan during the recruiting process, as far as I know. Most of them are from Texas or at least Big 12 country, and Jordan Hicks – who’s from Ohio – never seemed interested in the Wolverines. Therefore, I don’t expect that the coaching change in Austin will have any tangible impact on Michigan. Alabama head coach Nick Saban was thought to be a potential replacement for Brown, but now that Saban has signed an extension with the Crimson Tide, the Longhorns will presumably have to go in a different direction. Some of the names mentioned for the head job at Texas include Baylor’s Art Briles, Florida State’s Jimbo Fisher, Oklahoma State’s Mike Gundy, Auburn’s Gus Malzahn, Ohio State’s Urban Meyer, LSU’s Les Miles, UCLA’s Jim Mora Jr., Stanford’s David Shaw, and Louisville’s Charlie Strong.