Friday Morning Recruiting Nuggets (7:40 a.m. CST)

Friday Morning Recruiting Nuggets

OnTexasFootball begins Friday morning with recruiting nuggets and notes.

The first is OnTexasFootball 4-star EDGE Chad Woodfork out of the Houston area.

OTF also made stops at Texas High, Pleasant Grove High and Carthage High Thursday. 

Chad Woodfork and Texas
Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian and Jeff Banks made a stop at Humble (Texas) Summer Creek in late January to see OnTexasFootball 4-star EDGE Chad Woodfork. The stop at Summer Creek followed up Woodfork attending Texas Junior Day January 20, where he got to spend some one-on-one time with Sarkisian in the office of the head coach. The message from Texas has been consistent in liking his upside ability as a pass rush prospect with long levers. 

Woodfork, 6-4.5 and 218 pounds, plans a return visit to Texas this spring. Trips to LSU (January 29 offer), Michigan (January 31 offer) and TCU are expected.   Spring or summer trips to Florida State (January 26 offer) and Ole Miss (February 2 offer) are also possible. 

Texas is in solid position with Woodfork headed into the spring. It’s not a lock Woodfork’s recruitment plays out until July. 

Texas commit Lance Jackson 
One coach in the area that has gone against the 6-foot-5, near 260 pound two-sport star believes Jackson’s highest upside could actually be tight end. This East Texas head coach gave Jackson high praise from a hands, catch radius and movement skills standpoint. Texas plans to begin Jackson’s career at EDGE with a frame that can carry 275-280 pounds well proportioned. 

Tradarian Ball is smooth 
What makes Texas High 2026 running back Tradarian Ball a high-end prospect at the position? Ball, 5-10.5 and 183 pounds, is a very smooth mover with versatility. Speaking with Texas High head coach at Texas High Thursday, it the versatility that is key. Ball played a lot in the slot in 2023, putting up 500 yards receiving in addition to over 1,300 on the ground as a sophomore. 

Texas is considered the current front-runner according to one source in the area - not a member of the Texas High staff. Ball enters the spring evaluation period with 30 offers. Head coach Steve Sarkisian and area recruiter Blake Gideon stopped by Texas High in January. 

Jett Surratt is a two-sport future star
When talking about two-sport stars in the state of Texas, the football and golf combination isn’t one that happens very often - at all. In the case of Surratt, he’s going to be en elite prospect in both. 

Surratt, now 6-1 and 177 pounds, has hit a physical maturity spurt in the last year. He was around 145 pounds at one point during his freshman year. After spending three hours in Carthage Thursday, I’m ready to be the first to make Surratt a 4-star prospect. The reasons are very simple: He possesses very high end understanding, feel, anticipation with elite accuracy, feet and calmness in the pocket, toughness and leadership in spades. He currently has offers from Texas Tech, Houston and UTSA. That offer list will grow during the spring evaluation period. One of the school coming to watch him throw this spring will be Texas (A.J. Milwee).

As talented as he is at quarterback, he’s going to be offered by every golf program that watches him in person. Suratt has won both high school tournaments this season with 65 as his low round. He has extremely high-end ability as a golfer. He’s a natural at golf with club head speed in the 127-128 range and ball speed in the 187-188 range as a 16 year old. For those that don’t follow golf, those numbers are that of few on the PGA Tour. And he’s got a tremendous pair of hands that translate to the short game and putting.  

Jett Surratt is an OnTexasFootball 4-star prospect in the 2026 cycle. 

Carthage 2026 RB KJ Edwards
Spent some time at Carthage High Thursday afternoon with the best coach in the Lone Star State, Scott Surratt. What makes Edwards a OnTexasFootball 4-star and national recruit? It’s his ability to press the hole, jump cut and accelerate instantly. Those qualities are elite. Georgia offered in early November, and Oklahoma State and Arkansas offered in January. Texas remains in contact with the Carthage staff.

Edwards rushed for 1,706 yards and 24 TD’s in 2023. 

Kiotti Armstrong’s TE offers are elite
Spoke with a source at Jasper High Thursday night. OnTexasFootball watched Kiotti Armstrong at a 7v7 tournament last weekend. He’s currently 6-5, 250 with skinny ankles and a waist of a 6-3, 210 pound type of player. The source said Texas, Texas A&M, Alabama, LSU, Florida, Ole Miss and Mississippi State all offered as a tight end. Texas or Texas A&M remains expected to be the eventual winner of this recruitment with the Aggies trying to make a big push knowing the Longhorns surged in January. 

Pleasant Grove has future 4-stars
Pleasant Grove has produced a number of 4-star prospect in recent years. Up next will be 2027 OL Jaden Withered. Seeing his up close Thursday, he has the size, arm length, flexibility, agility and frame upside to be a national recruit. Withered checks in at 6-4 and 284 pounds currently. 

An eighth grader, yes 8th grader, was head turning prospect Thursday. Kedrid Smith (6-3, 195) will be a highly recruited prospect if he ascends over the next couple of years. He’s a TE/EDGE player long term with the frame and movement skills. His older sister is LSU Women’s basketball forward Sa’Myah Smith, who played in high school at DeSoto High.

Texas High has two names to know
Class of 2027 offensive tackle Donquavius Ford will be a national recruit if he continues to ascend toward his ceiling. Ford, 6-6 and 270 pounds, is a fluid mover that can run with arm length. He has early offers from Mississippi State, Arkansas, Texas Tech, SMU, Houston, Arizona State and UTSA. Texas is aware of Ford. 

Sophomore DL Duncan McGhee (6-4, 280) is another name to know at Texas High in the 2026 cycle. He has early offers from Mississippi State, Baylor, Texas Tech, SMU, Houston and UTSA.