Texas Football Recruiting: Latest Updates on 2015 Commits, Visits and Targets

One commit has been flipped and four offers are out for the Texas Longhorns, who have used their bye week to catch up on the recruiting trail.

Following Texas' 20-17 defeat at the hands of UCLA, Charlie Strong and his staff went right back to work on Tuesday. The Horns have put out four offers to 2015 recruits since Tuesday, landing one commit with two more likely to follow.

Despite these recent successes, Strong still has plenty of work to do. Three major recruits who have yet to pledge to a program saw his Horns fall to 1-2 in person, while one more has begun shortening his list as he prepares to take visits.

The next month looks like a crucial one for Strong's first full recruiting class.

Longhorns Flip S Jamile Johnson, Working on Teammate WR JF Thomas

By flipping safety Jamile Johnson from North Carolina, the Longhorns may have hit two birds with one stone on Tuesday.

Johnson, along with teammate JF Thomas, is among four 2015 recruits to receive Texas offers during its bye week. Johnson, a consensus 3-star safety, committed almost immediately barely a month since flipping from Oklahoma to the Tar Heels.

Listed at 6'1", 194 pounds, Johnson is a carbon copy of current Longhorn freshman Jason Hall. His testing numbers will never wow anyone, but he's a physical player who can do a little bit of everything. Most importantly, he fills a glaring need with Mykkele Thompson and Josh Turner set to exhaust their eligibility.

By landing Johnson, the Longhorns also hope to flip Thomas, his high school teammate, from TCU. The 6'4" receiver is extremely raw and will need time to grow into his body before we write off his 4.9 speed (per SB Nation's Wescott Eberts). At his size, there's plenty of room for improvement.

Though they're not going to set Twitter ablaze, Johnson and Thomas are two solid gets overall.

S Deshon Elliott

Easily the worst news of the week, Texas safety pledge Deshon Elliott has elected to take official visits to Texas A&M, Oklahoma and Texas Tech, per Blake Munroe of Horns247 (subscription required).

Elliott is the highest-rated defender in Texas' class thanks to his versatility and aggressive mentality, which seems to be a running theme from Strong. 

But Elliott's value to this class goes beyond just what he brings to the field. He's emerged as a leader of this class, bringing some attitude that he fired over at the Aggies this summer (per The Dallas Morning News' EJ Holland).

Every recruit should take advantage of his official visits, but that hardly means that the Longhorns should take this lightly. They had to fight hard to win his commitment, and each school he's visiting has immediate appeal.

Longhorns Continue to Stockpile Offensive Tackles

Less than two weeks after landing Connor Williams, the Longhorns offered two JUCO offensive tackles on Tuesday to provide some immediate depth.

Brandon Hodges and Martinas Rankin are the Longhorns' latest targets at the position. Hodges' Crystal Ball is all Texas right now, though the rankings consider Rankin the superior talent.

Either way, adding depth to the position, especially some that's already seen college competition, is a no-brainer for Texas. The Horns have no depth at the position right now, which has forced them to move guards Kent Perkins and Darius James to the outside.

Reading between the lines, Texas' pursuit of these players doesn't say much for Kennedy Estelle's future with the program. Desmond Harrison is out of eligibility, but Estelle still has another year and the talent to help. If the coaches think he's going to return from his suspension, they're not acting like it.

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Strong says he "doesn't know" when suspended players will be back, but @OBWire is told Daje has been at practice. Harrison, Estelle haven't.

@AlexDunlapNFL, 17 Sep 2014

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As for Williams, the Longhorns appear to have found themselves another gem to go along with Toby Weathersby and Ronnie Major. Considered a 3-star talent, he has 28 offers from programs like Georgia, Ohio State and Oregon. He's raking in those offers because a lot of coaches believe he's a supreme talent.

Longhorns Getting Some Key Visits

For better or worse, the Longhorns had some key visitors at the UCLA game, including two of the biggest names left on their radar.

Malik Jefferson, a 5-star linebacker, and 4-star wide receiver Ryan Newsome each came out for the Texas-UCLA matchup on Saturday. Guard Tyler Moore was also on hand for the third straight game (per Horns Digest), with current commit Tristian Houston in tow.

Moore's commitment should be right around the corner, which would cap off Texas' pursuit of interior offensive linemen. Patrick Vahe and Garrett Thomas are already comfortably committed.

Jefferson and Newsome, however, are two of Texas' three most important remaining targets. Jefferson would immediately fill Jordan Hicks' role at outside linebacker, while the Horns are desperate for an all-around skill set like Newsome's.

Jefferson's recruitment is far from over, but Texas could lock in Newsome when he visits on October 4.

CB Holton Hill Releases Top Eight

Cornerback Holton Hill released his top eight this week, per Blake Munroe of Horns247 (subscription required), with Texas still in the running for his crucial commitment. 

Now that Roney Elam has committed to A&M and Kendall Sheffield and Kris Boyd look SEC-bound as well, Hill looks like Texas' last hope for an impact corner in its 2015 class. Anything could happen before signing day, but Texas needs at least one guy who can step in and play right away.

Right now, the Longhorns need to make Hill feel like he's the best defender in the country. Without him or one of the other above names, the Horns will have real issues replacing current senior Quandre Diggs. 

Per his Crystal Ball, the 6'2" corner is still expected to choose between the Longhorns and the Aggies.

Other Recruiting Notes

RB Target Chris Warren Looking Strong

A 6'2", 232-pound bulldozer, Chris Warren has looked good since making his return from an ACL injury that ruined his junior season. As you can see from the video above, he's back to making big runs and simply overpowering would-be tacklers. However, he does look like he will have to shed some weight to prevent a position change in college.

WR Damarkus Lodge Reopens His Recruitment

The 4-star wideout decommitted from Texas A&M on Tuesday, per 247Sports' Taylor Hamm. Texas does not appear to be on his immediate radar, but he's well worth pursuing. He and current commit John Burt would be an awesome tandem.

Longhorns Offer 2016 DE/OLB Mark Jackson

Texas got a head start on its 2016 defensive line by offering talented pass-rusher Mark Jackson on Tuesday. He's already 6'3" and 215 pounds as a junior, so the Horns are smart to get an early start with him. Louis Brown and Charles Omenihu are Texas' only two commits at the position.

Unless otherwise noted, all recruiting stats and information courtesy of 247Sports.