From the Trail | Westlake High School

Spent the morning out at Westlake High School in Austin to check in on a number of top prospects, as well as catching up with Coach Tony Salazar, one of the best coaches in the state. There were a number of prospects that stood out on the trip, though five specifially caught my eye.

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2026 QB Rees Wise was mentioned by our Gerry Hamilton yesterday in a 2026 quarterback article yesterday. Wise has received offers from Houston, SMU, Texas Tech, Oklahoma State and Nebraska since the middle of January. At 6-feet-2-inches, Wise has the prototypical size and a lively arm. 

I really enjoy Westlake's approach to the offseason. They run a tight ship and the kids are tremendously disciplined. During the winter months, the quarterbacks do not lift with the team, but instead go through a QB Bootcamp on campus where they watch film and go through the entire playbook. Wise lifts either before or after school to make sure he fits in with the schedule of the offseason weights program. But this is something that was very impressive to me on the trip.

Steve Sarkisian and AJ Milwee stopped by at the beginning of the contact period on January to catch up with the Westlake prospects. Wise also visited campus for the Junior Day. Texas has yet to offer, but I would expect them to be in immediate contention if they do get involved here. Wise will visit a handful of schools this spring.

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2025 Westlake EDGE Connor Vasek has received offers from Texas State and SMU this offseason. The younger brother of Texas' Colton Vasek is recovering from a shoulder injury but colleges are wasting no time getting involved here.

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I was probably most impressed with 2026 Westlake iDL Maddox Flynt. Recruiting has yet to really pop for Flynt, however, he has a tremendous frame and was named the 26-6A Newcomer of the Year this past season. Flynt stands 6-foot-2 and 265 pounds at the moment. 

Texas A&M is a school that showed a lot of interest in the winter when they came through the halls of Westlake. Flynt can move very well and I watched him bench 315 pounds this evening with room to improve. He will be a baller.

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Sticking on the defensive line, EDGE Cullen Devine could develop into a P5 guy. Opposite of Vasek, Devine's 6-foot-3 frame brings plenty of length to the Westlake defensive line. Devine was previously at Houston Stratford where he was the 17-6A Newcomer of the Year. He still has plenty to go in development, but encouraging signs early on.

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In the secondary, 2026 DB Thompson Bennett caught my eye. Bennett is quite the athlete. He will be looking to break 50 seconds in the 400m this spring, which is an elite time. The 6-foot-2 safety looks the part. Excited to return in the spring to see him with pads on.