I won't go all the way and say I'd definitely offer these guys right now, as a coaching staff has to do its homework on an athlete's character, grades, and make an educated estimation on whether he's got untapped potential or is basically maxed out talent-wise already. But I like these nine a lot and would strongly consider offering them, either now or after a strong start to their senior seasons this fall. For this exercise I'm focusing on guys who haven't been talked about on this board, so I won't use this thread to add my hand-wringing about Christian Mascorro or Gamarquis Girdy not being offered yet.
I'll name some recruits on the defensive side who I'd likely offer in another thread.
ATH Daniel Jackson (Tom Bean)
Standing at around 6'1" 185, he's a two-way playmaker from a small school 10 miles southeast of Sherman. As a junior he had nearly 900 yards rushing, over 400 yards receiving, and was credited with 36 tackles. He has played mostly at running back and slot receiver on offense and safety on defense, and I think for UTSA he'd be a safety (I'm cheating a bit listing him as an offensive recruit), though if his hands and route-running were good enough he could be a receiver, and I could see him at running back in college if he could still cut as well at 200 pounds or more.
ATH Reggie King (Tyler Chapel Hill)
He's 5'11" 220 and very strong, having benched 400 and squatted 585 at the state powerlifting meet in March. Last fall he rushed for 14 TDs, and he has over 60 catches in his varsity career. He has good size for running back but not the burst to play there at the FBS level, and he has good hands and strength for H-back or tight end but is 2-3 inches shorter than most guys playing those spots in college. He won't make an obvious impact on the box score but I like him because his presence allows the offense to do more things. He could get some carries as a fullback or short-yardage tailback (he's skilled enough with the ball that he took several direct snaps as a wildcat QB last season), his pure strength should make him an asset as a blocker, and his hands should make him a good safety valve if used as a fullback or H-back. He's good enough as a receiver that defenses would have to account for him when he's on the field. He may even make a good LB in the end.
RB Quan Hogan (Norman North - Norman, OK)
UTSA has offered and lost out on two skilled RBs with good size and speed: Mulbah Car (committed to Houston) and Robert Mahone (committed to Boise State). Quan Hogan I like better than Mahone but wouldn't rate quite as high as Carr. He's another back with good size and he was versatile enough to pile up over 1,000 yards rushing and 800 yards receiving as a junior. At present his reported offers are Colorado State, Tulsa, and Wyoming, none of which should scare UTSA off, though the calculus changes if OU or Oklahoma State end up pursuing him. After taking some smaller RBs in the 2015 class, I tend to think UTSA will only sign one in 2016 and their offers so far indicate they're targeting bigger, every-down prospects. Hogan would be a really good get for them, and with the talent Oklahoma has produced of late it's always good to snag a commitment from a top-20 talent in that state.
RB/WR DaCoven Bailey (Pilot Point)
He's not quite as built as Quan Hogan, Robert Mahone, or Mulbah Car, but he's not a small back, and at 6' and 185 or so pounds, he's bigger than 2015 RB signees Jess Anders and Brett Winnegan. He earned 3A All-State honors and led Pilot Point to the third round of the playoffs, carrying the ball 131 times for 1,198 yards and 23 TDs and also leading the team with 45 catches for 800 yards and 10 TDs in the process. Along with a good frame he brings an aggressive demeanor on the field (see some of the clips that show his blocking skills in his highlight video) and very good speed. He finished 4th in the 200 meters at the 3A state track meet last spring, running a wind-aided 21.85 seconds. I bet a creative offensive coordinator could do a lot of things with two true wideouts, a speedy RB with good hands (Winnegan), and two slot receivers (say, Bailey and Matt Guidry) who both have experience at RB. I don't know if anyone is recruiting him but I don't see a profile for him on any of the major sites.
WR Drew Dan (Checotah, OK)
A speedy WR/CB from a small Oklahoma school, Dan averaged 23 yards per catch and scored 13 TDs last season, and that was despite his playing QB for parts of four games due to injuries suffered by his team's top two QBs. He's listed as 6'2" 180 and looks pretty close to that. He has offers from Wyoming and each of the service academies. He also didn't look bad playing corner, and though I think receiver is his college position, he could probably make a credible cornerback at the next level with some development.
WR Freddie Johnson (North Fort Myers, Florida)
Larry Coker and Jeff Popovich's Florida connections always either land or at least get UTSA into contention for a Sunshine State recruit or two, and Johnson is one I'd love to see them bring to San Antonio. Listed at 6'1" and 180 pounds, he combines good size with very good track speed, running a top 100 meter time of 10.9 last spring and running in the low 22s in the 200 meters. As a junior at East Lee County High in Lehigh Acres, Florida, he carried the ball 29 times for 250 yards, caught 18 passes for 338 yards and 6 TDs, scored twice on kickoff returns, and made 16 tackles. He transferred to North Fort Myers for his senior year. He witnessed a friend being shot as a young kid and reportedly has wanted to get out of south Florida ever since, so going far away to San Antonio might appeal to him. He has offers from Marshall, Kent State, and Appalachian State.
TE Jordan Work (Houston Stratford)
He's about 6'4" 240 pounds and I'd rate him among the top 10 tight ends in the state for the 2016 class. He didn't make many catches last season, and most of them came on plays where he was flexed out, but he's a natural as an in-line blocker and helped pave the way for four-star RB Rakeem Boyd to rush for over 2,500 yards in 2014. With all the schools that are pursuing Boyd you'd think Work would have gotten more notice than he has, but as of last week he only had two offers, the best one from Northwestern State. He has had interest from the Ivy League and I'm told he had a couple of schools tell him he'd have an offer if he went to their summer camp, but when he came and didn't leave with an offer he was quite turned off by the whole experience. UTSA was one of the schools he camped at but I haven't heard anything about what the staff thought of him. I think WR commit Jack Giblin ends up at tight end, and Work could be a standout blocker there for UTSA and I think will prove to be at least an adequate receiver as well. He might be the most overlooked tight end recruit in the state, with apologies to Jonathan Sanchez (McAllen Memorial).
OL Ryan Carlson (China Spring)
I've seen him listed at 6'6" and 250 or so. He looks like he's at least 6'4" and probably taller. He's got a ways to go in filling out his frame and he plays higher than you'd like, but he moves well and seems able to bend well when he tries to. Coming from a small town in the greater Waco area, he looks like the kind of tackle prospect Baylor might have recruited and bulked up in the early Art Briles years, ala Troy Baker (who admitted that he wouldn't have been good enough to get recruited by Baylor had he graduated from Waco Connally 3 or 4 years later).
OL Jacob Goss (Santa Fe - Edmond, OK)
I wouldn't offer him until I've watched him for a whole game, but I like what I've seen. He's a big right guard at 6'3" and around 320, and his style is basically "see defender, knock down defender." How mobile he is, how good he is in pass protection isn't very clear from his highlights, but he shows a mean streak and beats up on whoever is lined up in front of him.
Thoughts? Comments? Would you feel inclined to offer any of these guys if you had the power to?
I'll name some recruits on the defensive side who I'd likely offer in another thread.
ATH Daniel Jackson (Tom Bean)
Standing at around 6'1" 185, he's a two-way playmaker from a small school 10 miles southeast of Sherman. As a junior he had nearly 900 yards rushing, over 400 yards receiving, and was credited with 36 tackles. He has played mostly at running back and slot receiver on offense and safety on defense, and I think for UTSA he'd be a safety (I'm cheating a bit listing him as an offensive recruit), though if his hands and route-running were good enough he could be a receiver, and I could see him at running back in college if he could still cut as well at 200 pounds or more.
ATH Reggie King (Tyler Chapel Hill)
He's 5'11" 220 and very strong, having benched 400 and squatted 585 at the state powerlifting meet in March. Last fall he rushed for 14 TDs, and he has over 60 catches in his varsity career. He has good size for running back but not the burst to play there at the FBS level, and he has good hands and strength for H-back or tight end but is 2-3 inches shorter than most guys playing those spots in college. He won't make an obvious impact on the box score but I like him because his presence allows the offense to do more things. He could get some carries as a fullback or short-yardage tailback (he's skilled enough with the ball that he took several direct snaps as a wildcat QB last season), his pure strength should make him an asset as a blocker, and his hands should make him a good safety valve if used as a fullback or H-back. He's good enough as a receiver that defenses would have to account for him when he's on the field. He may even make a good LB in the end.
RB Quan Hogan (Norman North - Norman, OK)
UTSA has offered and lost out on two skilled RBs with good size and speed: Mulbah Car (committed to Houston) and Robert Mahone (committed to Boise State). Quan Hogan I like better than Mahone but wouldn't rate quite as high as Carr. He's another back with good size and he was versatile enough to pile up over 1,000 yards rushing and 800 yards receiving as a junior. At present his reported offers are Colorado State, Tulsa, and Wyoming, none of which should scare UTSA off, though the calculus changes if OU or Oklahoma State end up pursuing him. After taking some smaller RBs in the 2015 class, I tend to think UTSA will only sign one in 2016 and their offers so far indicate they're targeting bigger, every-down prospects. Hogan would be a really good get for them, and with the talent Oklahoma has produced of late it's always good to snag a commitment from a top-20 talent in that state.
RB/WR DaCoven Bailey (Pilot Point)
He's not quite as built as Quan Hogan, Robert Mahone, or Mulbah Car, but he's not a small back, and at 6' and 185 or so pounds, he's bigger than 2015 RB signees Jess Anders and Brett Winnegan. He earned 3A All-State honors and led Pilot Point to the third round of the playoffs, carrying the ball 131 times for 1,198 yards and 23 TDs and also leading the team with 45 catches for 800 yards and 10 TDs in the process. Along with a good frame he brings an aggressive demeanor on the field (see some of the clips that show his blocking skills in his highlight video) and very good speed. He finished 4th in the 200 meters at the 3A state track meet last spring, running a wind-aided 21.85 seconds. I bet a creative offensive coordinator could do a lot of things with two true wideouts, a speedy RB with good hands (Winnegan), and two slot receivers (say, Bailey and Matt Guidry) who both have experience at RB. I don't know if anyone is recruiting him but I don't see a profile for him on any of the major sites.
WR Drew Dan (Checotah, OK)
A speedy WR/CB from a small Oklahoma school, Dan averaged 23 yards per catch and scored 13 TDs last season, and that was despite his playing QB for parts of four games due to injuries suffered by his team's top two QBs. He's listed as 6'2" 180 and looks pretty close to that. He has offers from Wyoming and each of the service academies. He also didn't look bad playing corner, and though I think receiver is his college position, he could probably make a credible cornerback at the next level with some development.
WR Freddie Johnson (North Fort Myers, Florida)
Larry Coker and Jeff Popovich's Florida connections always either land or at least get UTSA into contention for a Sunshine State recruit or two, and Johnson is one I'd love to see them bring to San Antonio. Listed at 6'1" and 180 pounds, he combines good size with very good track speed, running a top 100 meter time of 10.9 last spring and running in the low 22s in the 200 meters. As a junior at East Lee County High in Lehigh Acres, Florida, he carried the ball 29 times for 250 yards, caught 18 passes for 338 yards and 6 TDs, scored twice on kickoff returns, and made 16 tackles. He transferred to North Fort Myers for his senior year. He witnessed a friend being shot as a young kid and reportedly has wanted to get out of south Florida ever since, so going far away to San Antonio might appeal to him. He has offers from Marshall, Kent State, and Appalachian State.
TE Jordan Work (Houston Stratford)
He's about 6'4" 240 pounds and I'd rate him among the top 10 tight ends in the state for the 2016 class. He didn't make many catches last season, and most of them came on plays where he was flexed out, but he's a natural as an in-line blocker and helped pave the way for four-star RB Rakeem Boyd to rush for over 2,500 yards in 2014. With all the schools that are pursuing Boyd you'd think Work would have gotten more notice than he has, but as of last week he only had two offers, the best one from Northwestern State. He has had interest from the Ivy League and I'm told he had a couple of schools tell him he'd have an offer if he went to their summer camp, but when he came and didn't leave with an offer he was quite turned off by the whole experience. UTSA was one of the schools he camped at but I haven't heard anything about what the staff thought of him. I think WR commit Jack Giblin ends up at tight end, and Work could be a standout blocker there for UTSA and I think will prove to be at least an adequate receiver as well. He might be the most overlooked tight end recruit in the state, with apologies to Jonathan Sanchez (McAllen Memorial).
OL Ryan Carlson (China Spring)
I've seen him listed at 6'6" and 250 or so. He looks like he's at least 6'4" and probably taller. He's got a ways to go in filling out his frame and he plays higher than you'd like, but he moves well and seems able to bend well when he tries to. Coming from a small town in the greater Waco area, he looks like the kind of tackle prospect Baylor might have recruited and bulked up in the early Art Briles years, ala Troy Baker (who admitted that he wouldn't have been good enough to get recruited by Baylor had he graduated from Waco Connally 3 or 4 years later).
OL Jacob Goss (Santa Fe - Edmond, OK)
I wouldn't offer him until I've watched him for a whole game, but I like what I've seen. He's a big right guard at 6'3" and around 320, and his style is basically "see defender, knock down defender." How mobile he is, how good he is in pass protection isn't very clear from his highlights, but he shows a mean streak and beats up on whoever is lined up in front of him.
Thoughts? Comments? Would you feel inclined to offer any of these guys if you had the power to?
