Takeaways from spring football in Texas

On3 National Recruiting Analyst Sam Spiegelman navigated through the talent-laden Lone Star State last week to check in with some of the top players in the On300 in 2024, in 2025 and beyond.

With stops north of Houston, in Central Texas and North Dallas, here’s the latest on some of the best recruits as they get ready for official visits and start to wrap up the spring evaluation period.

Lagway has all the tools

DJ Lagway is back on the field this spring after his junior season came to an end prematurely as injuries derailed what was otherwise a statement campaign. The Willis (Texas) High five-star QB threw for 2,000 yards with a 24:5 touchdown to interception ratio with another 500 yards and seven touchdowns rushing.

This spring, Lagway has continued to tweak different aspects of his game — from his release to his emphasis on timing with receivers, and a continued effort to improve accuracy. From what this analyst saw, consider this another step forward.

We are just weeks away from NFL Draft season, and for all of the reasons the Indianapolis Colts front-office members were ecstatic to land former Gators QB Anthony Richardson No. 4 overall, there are a lot of reasons to be bullish about Lagway’s projection as well.

Lagway has insane traits — a 6-foot-3, 215-pound frame, speed and toughness to extend and make plays with his legs, and the ability to efficiently command an offense. During a stop at his practice on Tuesday, Lagway was stroking it. He has outstanding deep-ball accuracy and a fastball to fit it into tight windows underneath. Lagway turns heads with his ability to also escape or roll out of the pocket and maintain this accuracy and also arm strength to attack all over the field.

Perhaps the best comparison this analyst could offer is former Southlake (Texas) Carroll QB Quinn Ewers, who like Lagway, has profound arm talent and a special ability to make throws at unique arm angles and plays off-schedule. Ewers is already garnering a lot of NFL Draft buzz for next year after Texas wrapped up its spring practices; Lagway has those same physical gifts with even more intangibles away from the field.

Lagway is the face of a small community in Willis, Texas, and there’s a lot riding on his shoulders every single day, let alone on Friday nights. That’s going to be the case when Lagway arrives in Gainesville and whatever happens is front-page news on the local community paper. This is something Lagway has dreamt about as a kid and he’s currently living out everything he envisioned for himself. I’ve had some strong gut feelings about a quarterback or two in every recruiting cycle I’ve covered, and Lagway might have the most infectious personality of any of them. Obviously, there is a lot that’s going to have to occur on the field between now and when he gets drafted, but in this analyst’s opinion he has all the makings of a future first-round pick.

Red Raiders are rolling

These are not your father’s Red Raiders anymore.

Spring football in Texas always provides a good sampling of the latest recruiting trends around the state. For years, the Lone Star State has always been a battling ground for Texas and Oklahoma, with Texas A&M, TCU, Houston, Baylor and Texas Tech also mentioned on occasion.

Now, Texas Tech is being mentioned more and more with On300 prospects in-state. Some of the notable names in the 2024 class include the state’s top receiver, five-star WR Micah Hudson, who already has an official visit locked in to get back to Lubbock. He said he never feels uncomfortable there.

The Red Raiders are also trending in the right direction with top-10 safety Peyton Morgan. Joey McGuire and his staff have also turned up the heat on four-star RB Frankie Arthur. They have also put themselves in strong positions early with blue-chip underclassmen like EDGE Chad Woodfork.

Deion Sanders is one coach to watch in Xavier Atkins’ recruitment

There has already been a lot of movement in Xavier Atkins‘ recruitment.

As an underclassman, the four-star linebacker gave Missouri an early commitment. The Louisiana native flipped to LSU soon after Brian Kelly and Matt House got settled in Baton Rouge.

Since relocating out of Jonesboro, La., to Humble, Texas, there’s been another chapter in Atkins’ recruitment. Texas A&M has made a massive splash with the LSU commitment. The same goes for Travis Williams and the Razorbacks, who have also gotten the talented defender on campus multiple times this spring.

House, Williams and Aggies DC D.J. Durkin are among the defensive coordinators pursuing Atkins along with first-year Colorado coach Deion Sanders. Atkins, who was in Boulder for the spring game, believes the hype is real with Coach Prime.

“Seeing it in person shows it’s not just the hype around Instagram; it’s the current people there teaching you life lessons,” Atkins told On3. “Coach Prime has been there and done that. Growing up, all you heard was ‘Prime this’ and ‘Prime that,’ and hearing that he has a plan for you means a lot.”

This SEC-focused recruitment likely has a few more twists and turns as summer official visit season heats up in June, and don’t rule out the Prime effect.

Oklahoma trending in the right direction along the DL

When Brent Venables took the job at Oklahoma, the focus of the roster construction shifted to the trenches. In particular, the defensive front seven.

Entering Year 2 in Norman, the process has continued to evolve behind the scenes with a deep group of position coaches and also graduate assistants devoted to the defensive line, the EDGE position, and the entire front seven.

After inking a top-10 class headlined by five-star EDGE Adepoju Adebawore last cycle, the Sooners are already sitting with the On3 Industry Team Ranking’s No. 15 class with six early commitments and more importantly, trending in the right direction along the defensive line.

On3 top-40 DL Joseph Jonah-Ajonye and Industry Ranking top-100 DL Nigel Smith were both in Norman for the spring game last month. Both have critical Junes on tap with multiple official visits locked in. Both Texas-based DL have decision dates set.

Jonah-Ajonye will reveal his decision before Conroe (Texas) Oak Ridge kicks off the season and Smith is set to announce his on Sept. 8 at Melissa (Texas) High’s home opener in the new stadium. There are many big names to monitor along the Sooners’ defensive line targets this cycle and I like my RPM picks for both Jonah-Ajonye and Smith as they are at the tail end of the spring.

Ducks continue to make Texas a priority

In 2023 with the help of safeties coach Matt Powledge, the Ducks were able to manufacture several colossal quacks out of the talent-laden Lone Star State, including four-star QB Austin Novosad at the buzzer along with four-star DL Johnny Bowens, four-star WR Ashton Cozart, four-star S Tyler Turner, four-star DL Terrance Green and four-star DL Ashton Porter along the way.

Oregon is holding tight to the No. 10 class in the On3 Industry Team Ranking with two Texans already on board in the form of On300 safety Aaron Flowers and three-star TE Jackson Ford, who is also a formidable defensive end for Melisa (Texas).

In Powledge’s absence, first-year OC Will Stein has thrived in cushioning Oregon’s pipeline to Texas. The Ducks are in a heavyweight fight with Alabama and Georgia for the nation’s top LB Justin Williams, who returned to Eugene for the spring game. Oregon is trending in the right direction with Williams as Dan Lanning is trying to stave off former bosses Nick Saban and Kirby Smart for the elite LB.

Also, Oregon is likely going to get Jonah-Ajonye back on campus for an official visit. Five-star CB Kobe Black is expected to make his first visit out to Eugene this summer and the Ducks have made early moves to capture the attention of elite 2025 On300 WR Adrian Wilson.

Riley Pettijohn has unreal measurables

Riley Pettijohn is already a top-100 prospect in the On300 for the 2025 class, but the soon-to-be junior linebacker is giving us reason to believe that he’s just scratching the surface.

Pettijohn, who’s still 15 years old, is the son of former Syracuse All-American DL Duke Pettijhon, who played alongside Hall of Famer Dwight Freeney. The younger Pettijohn played basketball and safety — at a high level — as a freshman. The next offseason, he moved down to outside linebacker at 176 pounds.

After focusing solely on football since the end of last season, Pettijohn has tacked on almost 30 pounds. He checked in this spring at 6-foot-3 and 207 pounds. He’s clocked a 4.57-second 40 (hand time) with a 275+ bench press and 450+ squat. Pettijohn hit 6-foot-2 in the high jump and clocked an 11.1 in the 100M before spring football started.

The coaches at McKinney (Texas) High believe this has been Pettijohn’s best spring yet — that he’s seamlessly adjusted to playing inside and at times, is a thorn in the side of the first-team offense. Pettijohn appears primed for a breakthrough year.