Five takeaways from seeing top Texas recruits in action
TEXAS — Rivals National Recruiting Analyst Marshall Levenson was on the sidelines for a pair of marquee games featuring several of Texas’ top recruits in the 2025, 2026 and 2027 classes. Included in that group are several blue-chippers, including players committed to Oregon, Alabama and Baylor.
Here are five takeaways from the live in-person evaluations:
Quinn Murphy shined with aggressive but clean passing attack
Recent Baylor commitment Quinn Murphy started his junior season on a high note two weeks ago with a five touchdown performance in a blowout win. He then had a big test in front of him playing a bigger Texas High program. While Murphy and Liberty Christian finished with a loss, the 6-foot-3 quarterback shined with 336 yards and four touchdowns with zero turnovers.
His four scores came in a variety of ways, consisting of a back pylon toss in the red zone, a deep crosser from 50-plus yards out, a quick slant on the goal line and a quick-hitting stop route, where his wideout shook a defender and took roughly 75 yards. Murphy also displayed a strong and natural creativity when plays break down. He is adept at extending plays and maneuvering in short spaces while keeping his eyes downfield and directing traffic. Several drives were saved or extended simply with the athleticism and IQ of Murphy understanding what was happening down the field and around him.
Run after the catch ability elite for Tradarian Ball
Tradarian Ball was squaring off against the previously listed Murphy, and the Oregon commit was one of the primary reasons Murphy and his squad took a loss as he accounted for a trio of scores. Ball, the No. 31 overall prospect in the country, has been known to be a dynamic playmaker with the ball in his hand, both at running back and wideout. He is still playing both at a high clip, but reverse from his sophomore season, most of his production is coming at wideout this year. Ball caught five passes on Friday night for 183 yards and two touchdowns. His receiving touchdowns came on back-to-back drives via wide receiver screens of 39-yards and 64-yards, respectively.
His third touchdown came on a rush out of the backfield of just over 50 yards, which effectively put the game out of reach, making the score 52-35 late in the fourth quarter. Ball’s ability to navigate traffic and hits a second gear in open space. His vision and contact balance allow him to squeeze by defenders and break plays open down the field even when he gets the ball behind the line of scrimmage.
Qua Ford has the makings of an elite OT
My most intriguing evaluation of the weekend came with 2027 offensive tackle Donquavieus “Qua” Ford. The sophomore absolutely looks the part at 6-foot-6, 285-pounds. And not only does he have the size, but Ford displayed athleticism and flexibility, one of the most important factors of young offensive lineman at that size. Ford has seen his recruitment take off a bit with offers from Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Missouri, Houston, and others. What I saw from Ford was beyond exciting and impressive.
A ridiculously strong lower half with an athletic stance and set, he was consistently mauling defenders Friday night. He performed well in both the run and pass game, displacing defenders laying pancake blocks often. Postgame, a Texas High coach told Ford he had over 20 recorded pancakes in the game.
Witten shows to be an all around playmaker
Cooper Witten, the son of Cowboys legend and Liberty Christian head coach Jason Witten, is an impressive looking prospect and shined at several positions. In his freshman season, he played primarily at safety, but this season, after some growth, he is playing more linebacker. He also lines up as a tight end/wide receiver hybrid, where he made some big plays. Witten logged seven tackles on defense as well as three receptions with two touchdowns on offense. His two scores, which Murphy threw to him, were the back pylon toss and deep crosser.
Witten is active on defense and is always in the area of the ball, often playing closer to the line in the box now that he is at linebacker on most snaps. At 6-foot-2, 205 pounds as a sophomore, the 2027 prospect surely projects as a linebacker for the future.
Run game is the strength for Haywood
I have seen Ty Haywood, a summer Alabama commitment, on several occasions in 2024. What I saw from him Thursday night reinforced what I have thought on Haywood’s evaluation for some time. When Haywood is able to set the tone and fire off the ball, he is dominant. In the run game, when he is able to attack, he drives back defenders before they even have a chance to make a move on him.
One area of improvement I am looking for from Haywood is his pass blocking. There were a fair share of snaps where Haywood got off balance in his set as he worked to react to a rushers moves. The Alabama commit did better on the outside as he was able to use leverage to let rushers run past their lane, but on the inside, he did give up ground on a few occasions, leading to quarterback pressures. At just under 6-foot-5, and 270 pounds, there is plenty to work with to build up and develop Haywood for the future.
