Many of Texas’ top 2025 and 2026 recruiting targets were in Austin over the weekend. What were their thoughts on the Longhorns’ scrimmage on Saturday? Plus, updates on one target that made it to Austin and another that went elsewhere in the Inside Scoop.
Prospects provide their thoughts on Texas’ scrimmage
What was the first thing that stood out to the On3 Industry Ranking five-star?
“They like to hit,” Williams said Saturday. “They’re a physical team. They disguise a lot on their defense. Pretty good defense.”
Williams saw good things from the defense.
“I would say it was back and forth,” Williams said. “Defense stood on their own during drills, during everything. I’m a defensive player so I might be biased.”
The Longhorns are recruiting Williams as a safety, and a few standouts from that position group caught Williams’ eye.
“I liked Jelani McDonald ,” Williams said. “That’s my guy. (Michael) Taaffe , No. 16. Be on the lookout for him. He’s something nice. ( Derek Williams ), they were all going crazy today in practice. It really gave me a lot to look forward to.”
But there were offensive standouts, too.
“ Jaydon Blue , Johntay Cook … the receiving corps looks pretty deadly this year,” Williams said. “We’ll see what they have in store for the season.”
One third of the Triple Threat saw a Texas tight end almost make an impressive play.
“There was a tight end who tried to hurdle somebody,” Coleman said. “( Gunnar Helm ), he tried to hurdle two people. Are you crazy? He almost had it, too.”
Raycine Guillory , RB, Aledo (Texas) – 2026 #AllGasNoBrakes
Guillory saw the other side of the ball succeed plenty.
“Today, I’m going to give it to the defense,” Guillory said. “Defense was turning up today. Everybody told me recently that the offense had been whooping them. Defense did their thing, but offense got in the box.”
Even with the defense having a day, Blue was someone who grabbed Guillory’s attention on his first visit back since committing in January.
“Blue,” Guillory said. “He stood out. He’s a player that ( Tashard Choice ) wants me to play like. Put me in the slot, put me in motion, be the back that does everything. Looking at him and watching his gameplay today as he was at practice showed me what I need to do. (Blue) was the first one to shake my hand when I walked into the meeting room. That just showed me the character he has.”
Troy Huhn , QB, San Marcos (Calif.) Mission Hills – 2026
The West Coast signal-caller liked what he saw from the quarterbacks under A.J. Milwee .
“During the scrimmage, they all looked really good,” Huhn said. “They’re going to be killer this year. They’re going to fun to watch on TV.”
DJ Sanders , DL, Bellville (Texas)
Sanders is a man of few words, but the Longhorns’ practice was an enjoyable experience.
“It was a lot of hitting, a lot of clapping, a lot of chirping,” Sanders said. “I like that.”
Brooks saw Colin Simmons have a great scrimmage with two sacks.
“Scrimmage was great,” Brooks said. “Colin Simmons, he’s a really good edge rusher. What you see on film is what you see in real life.”
Charles was excited to earn the offer from the Longhorns, but one of his possible future teammates and his size was a memorable aspect.
“( Sydir Mitchell ), that’s a big dude,” Leonard-Jean Charles said.
Kade Phillips , DB, Missouri City (Texas) Fort Bend Hightower
“It was real competitive,” Phillips said. “They were moving and flying around. Great practice.”
Phillips took in everything he saw from the DBs and enjoyed it all.
“There were definitely some DBs that stood out, some safeties, some corners, everything,” Phillips said.
Williams also noticed the size of the defensive lineman, but gave an in-depth answer regarding the experience with the defensive tackles.
“Getting to see them dudes get coached by (Kenny) Baker , it was pretty cool,” Williams said. “Especially when they got out there in their teams. Our teams at school, we don’t get to hit each other. Seeing them be super competitive, hit each other like that, and not get mad about it really showed me how well-connected those guys are. I know a few people if they got hit like that on the football field at practice, some helmets would be flying towards people. It showed me they were willing and dedicated to making each other better as a unit.”
Some of Chris Jackson ‘s charges grabbed Lockett’s attention.
“My boy Johntay (Cook) , stood out. Even Ryan Wingo , the freshman.”
It wasn’t just the receivers.
“Definitely who stood out to me was the running back, Jaydon Blue ,” Lockett said. “He was running that thing today.”
Dakorien Moore , WR, Duncanville (Texas) – LSU commit
Moore took in a lot of details from his visit.
“It was very competitive,” Moore said. “How they play football. I had seen it on film, they broke down the plays with what they like to do with each player and stuff like that. Seeing it in person, I really liked it.”
Wingo was another winner in Moore’s eyes.
“The freshman that just got here, Ryan Wingo ,” Moore said. “I’ve never seen him play before, but I was hearing he’s a really good player. I’ve never seen him in person, but he’s big and made good plays.”
The quarterback play was good, but not great, according to Moore.
“If I’m being honest, they didn’t look up to the standard that they set for themselves playing the teams and the highlights they put up for themselves,” Moore said. “It was probably an off day. I know when the time comes, they’re going to perform.”
Anding saw a lot of great action during his trip to the 40 Acres.
“It was physical,” Anding said. “They were all getting after. The defense was doing their thing out there. For the most part, I feel like they won today. I liked the physicality today.”
Jaime Ffrench , WR, Jacksonville (Fla.) Mandarin
“I loved it,” Ffrench said. “Getting to see Coach Jackson and his coaching style in person, seeing how he is as a person, that was my main focus.”
Who stood out?
“My boy (Isaiah) Bond and Ryan Wingo . He’s a young cat standing out early.”
Notes on two more Texas targets
John Mills , OL, San Francisco (Calif.) St. Ignatius College Prep
The 6-foot-5, 290-pounder made his way back to Austin on Saturday for the scrimmage and recruiting event. And promptly received golf cart treatment.
Mills was able to spend the day with Kyle Flood and staff, seeing the Forty Acres and enjoying the scenery.
The three-star has a handful of programs in the mix, with strong ties to Washington.
Mills has his official visit to Texas set up for the weekend of June 14-16. He also has official visits scheduled for Nebraska (April 26), Washington (May 31), Florida (June 7), and USC (June 21).
The West Coast product has been to Austin almost a half a dozen times now, as Flood continues to prioritize the O-line prospect. A summer decision seems most likely at this stage.
Inside Texas’ Eric Nahlin currently has an On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine pick with 60 percent confidence for the Longhorns to add Mills to their 2025 class.
Nick Townsend , TE, Spring (Texas) Dekaney
One of Texas’ top tight end targets for 2025 was supposed to be in Austin on Saturday. Instead, the 6-foot-4, 225-pounder and On3 Industry Ranking’s No. 11 TE made his way to Alabama instead.
Texas is doing well in the tight end department for 2025, with Emaree Winston in the fold, and looking solid for targets like Jasper’s Kiotti Armstrong .
Townsend’s offer list is loaded: Texas, Alabama, Notre Dame, LSU, Florida State, and USC. And with the Horns looking at two TE’s in this cycle, they’ll continue to push for the rising North Houston area product.
Getting him back on campus for the first time since January’s Junior Day is the next step.
Joe Cook contributed to this story .
The post Inside Scoop: Top Texas recruiting targets on who they thought stood out at the Longhorns’ Saturday scrimmage appeared first on On3 .
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