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    CJ Vogel
    I chatted a bit with KJ Lacey over the weekend following his performance at the Elite 11 which earned him an invitation to the Finals in California later this spring.
    The Texas commit visited campus Monday where he was able to spend time with Steve Sarkisian and the staff after taking in a spring practice during the morning hours.
    While programs like Oregon, Auburn and Ole Miss have continued to recruit Lacey over the last six months, Lacey reaffirmed his commitment status to me. Lacey added he has three trips planned for the spring and summer months – all of which to Texas (April 6, April 20, June 21-23 OV). No visits planned anywhere else at the moment and Lacey said he hopes to keep it like that.
    "My commitment is still really strong," Lacey said. "I have been talking to them all the time, getting everything right about the official visit part and when I am going to visit, plus who I need to be recruiting."
    Lacey has put on his recruiting hat a bit for the Longhorn 2025 class. He mentioned three wide receivers that he will be courting to Texas as the cycle progresses: Dakorien Moore, Jaime Ffrench and Kaliq Lockett.
    As for the commits in the class, Lacey said he is beginning to build a strong relationship with Emaree Winston as well. The two talk and text often throughout the week.
    The next time Lacey does make it to campus, his recruiting skills will be put to the test. Wide receivers Kaliq Lockett, Jaime Ffrench and Kelshaun Johnson will all be in attendance. Plus guys like John Mills and Tyler Thomas as well on the offensive side of the ball.
    All in all, a good visit to Austin for Lacey. 
    I won't say there is nothing to worry about because Texas will need to continue recruiting through the whistle, but Texas is where Lacey wants to be at the moment and he reiterated that to me on Sunday.
     
    CJ Vogel
    Texas has extended an offer to 2026 Euless Trinity OL Toa Katoa this afternoon.
    A name that might be familiar to the board is one that Texas fans should certainly keep an eye on now. Katoa, a 6-foot-5 and 375-pound trench monster is slated to be on campus April 13 for what is turning into a bit of a 2026 day on campus.
    Texas is officially in the game for Katoa, though the Longhorns have been high on him prior to the extended offer. This will be a recruitment to keep a close eye on.
    Gerry Hamilton
    Monday afternoon recruiting nuggets
    The Texas Longhorns hosted a number of unofficial visitors over the weekend, and are scheduled to host a big time target in the near future. 
    OnTexasFootball bring Texas fans some Monday afternoon nuggets, and you don't have to wait in a long line to get them. 
    Josiah Sharma and Texas
    OnTexasFootball spoke again today with a source in California on 4-star defensive tackle Josiah Sharma (Folsom, Calif./High). OnTexasFootball reported last week that we expected the one-time Washington verbal to be on campus in the next two or three weeks. OTF can now say we expect Sharma on campus this weekend, barring a scheduling change. 
    Sharma, 6-4.5 and 300 pounds, has family ties in Texas including the Austin area. He lived in Arlington for a while before moving to California. Johnny Nansen and Kenny Baker are in contact with Sharma on a regular basis. Sharma has official visits scheduled to Washington and Utah currently. Alabama, Texas, Oregon and Georgia are in line for official visits. Texas is confident that a June official visit will happen. 
    WIll Keiundre Johnson make an official visit?
    Terrell (Texas) High TE/EDGE Keiundre Johnson was on campus Saturday for an unofficial visit. While he doesn't have plans to return in April as of today, tight ends coach Jeff Banks is in talks about a June official visit date. 
    Johnson, 6-3 and 230 pounds, has three official visit dates locked in. Johnson will make an OV to SMU May 17-19, LSU June 7-9 and Texas A&M June 21-23. Texas is talking about a June 14-16 date. Texas is recruiting Johnson at tight end, while Texas A&M is talking EDGE. 
    D.J. Sanders has two visits scheduled
    Bellville (Texas) High defensive lineman D.J. Sanders is expected on campus April 6 according to a source close to the recruitment. OnTexasFootball also expects the 6-4, 290 pounder to make an official visit June 21-23, as of today. 
    Nick Brooks and a Texas OV
    OnTexasFootball 4-star IOL Nick Brooks (Cedar Rapids, Ia./John F. Kennedy) is scheduled to talk to offensive line coach Kyle Flood early this week to finalize an official visit date. That date is expected to be June 14-16. An unofficial visit is also expected April 20 for the spring game. 
    Brooks, 6-7 and 345 pounds, has to official visit scheduled. Georgia is locked in for May 31-June 2 and Iowa June 21-23. Georgia, Iowa and Texas were the first three schools mentioned by Brooks in two recent conversations. 
    CJ Vogel
    The Elite 11 took place on Sunday at Austin Westlake HS a few miles from downtown Austin.
    Of course, the big name in attendance was Texas commit KJ Lacey who received an invitation to the Elite 11 Finals in California later this summer. 
    Elite 11 Finals invites: KJ Lacey, Kevin Sperry, Keelon Russell
    Lacey of course stuck around in Austin Monday morning for the spring practice. 2027 Shreveport (LA) QB Peyton Houston also stuck around to view practice this morning. Houston holds six offers at the moment – Louisiana Tech, Ole Miss, TCU, Texas Tech, Texas A&M and Grambling State.
    But here are my biggest takeaways from the day of throwing:
    ***
    KJ Lacey
    I really enjoy watching KJ Lacey in action. He has a smoothness to his game that is evident when you watch him in person. More so than anything, when Lacey is outside of the pocket he really has a natural release on passes down the field when he rolls to either side of the field. Lacey is a pure thrower and displayed plenty of arm talent. Like Quinn Ewers, I question his fast ball, but when he gets in a rhythm you rarely see misses on passes down the field.
    On top of anything else that happened on the field Sunday for Lacey, he confirmed he is locked in with the Longhorns and is looking forward to his three additional trips to Austin this spring/summer.
    Keelon Russell – SMU Commit
    The drills yesterday really allowed for me to get an idea of Russell as a thrower of the ball. I know he is a playmaker and can create explosive plays as a QB. Russell did well yesterday, well enough to earn MVP of the Elite 11 festivities.
    I will add I think there is a bit more life on passes thrown by Russell than others in attendance. He has a big arm and certainly uses his frame to his advantage as a quarterback. Russell has some fine tuning to do on the technical side of things, but he has plenty of potential. 
    2026 Jake Fette – Del Valle (El Paso) HS
    For my money's worth, Fette had the most impressive arm of anyone in attendance. The El Paso native debuted as a 5-star on the initial On3 2026 recruiting rankings. The ball truly zips out of his hand upon release. 
    Fette told me he is very high on TCU and Texas Tech for the time being. The Tech staff has done a fine job of evaluating early and prioritizing him so far. Fette told me Texas did not stop by in the winter, however he is expecting AJ Milwee to make the trek west this spring to see him throw in person.
    2027 Weston Nielsen – Bastrop HS
    I was able to watch Nielsen in person for a weight session earlier this offseason where I got a first glance at his athleticism. This might sound a bit out of the blue, but Nielsen reminds me of former Westlake QB Cade Klubnik, just a notch or two lower on the athleticism scale. Nielsen will need to improve his footwork in the pocket, but his arm talent is undeniable at this age.
    Nielsen will camp with the Longhorns on June 1 – Milwee stopped by Bastrop this winter and will return in the spring to see him throw. He currently holds 11 offers. 
     
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