Four Texas Teams Listed in National Rankings

Aledo, Katy, Euless Trinity and Allen are ranked in the national Top 25 just released by MaxPreps Football.        MaxPreps Rankings

Texas HS Football Suffers "Down Draft"

Texans take pride in claiming to be the nation's high school football capital, and the state produces college and NFL players almost as fast as McDonald's produces Big Mac's.

However, the conveyor belt slowed to a crawl this year compared to seasons past as only six players from Texas high schools were taken in the first three rounds of the draft.

In 2009, there were six Texans taken in the first round alone and there were 26 players taken from the Lone Star state last year, while 24 players were selected this year. Not much of a difference, but of the 24 players taken, nine were selected in the final round of the draft (round seven).

Here's a breakdown of players taken in the 2011 NFL draft that attended high school in Texas.

Jacquizz Rodgers from Lamar Consolidated was selected
in the 5th round of the NFL draft by the Atlanta Falcons.

Gray Gives Horns Verbal Commit

If Aledo's Johnathan Gray fulfills the verbal commitment he made to Texas today, it gives Texas the top rated running backs in Texas the past two seasons, after the Horn's nabbed Cibolo Steele powerhouse RB Malcolm Brown last year. The Longhorns ran a formidable spread offense when Vince Young and Colt McCoy were in the driver's seat, but with such a talented backfield should this still be their offense of choice? Word is a "Bring Back the Wishbone" chant went up in Austin today.

State's Top Running Back Set to Announce

According to his father, Aledo running back Johnathan Gray is set to announce his college choice next Friday on his birthday. Gray is one of the top backs in the nation and is positioned to break the state record for career touchdowns next season as he only needs eleven scores. That should come early in his senior season as he had eight TD's in last year's state title game alone.

Longhorns off to Another Early Recruiting Start

The Texas Longhorns have become synonomus with early recruiting in the past few years under Mack Brown, and they are at it again as they picked up their fifth verbal commitment Sunday from DeSoto lineman Curtis Riser.

Earlier in the day they received a verbal pledge from Copperas Cove athlete Orlando Thomas, who played QB for the Bulldogs last season after serving as a wide receiver the year before.

Aledo running back Johnathan Gray, who is one of the top running backs in the nation, also visited Texas on Sunday, but it appears he is in no rush to make a decision.

Monument Unveiling Information

We posted the upcoming details of a monument honoring Texas high school football and some of the finest players to grace the Texas high school gridirons to be held in conjunction with the Super Bowl in an earlier post. The details of the unveiling have been finalized and they're listed below. If you're a Texas high school football fan and you're going to be in town, it's definitely worth a venture to downtown Fort Worth.

*** Media ALERT ***

FORT WORTH AND GERDAU AMERISTEEL TO UNVEIL 7-TON RECYCLED STEEL MONUMENT HONORING HISTORIC LEGACY OF TEXAS HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL

WHAT:
The official unveiling of the highly anticipated “Cradle of Champions” monument honoring the rich tradition of Texas high school football. This legacy structure will be an extraordinary visual, standing 16-feet high in historic Fort Worth’s Sundance Square. In celebration of Texas’ deep heritage of high school football, Gerdau Ameristeel built the monument utilizing steel from both the recently demolished stadium in North Texas and high school football facilities from across the state. The seven ton illuminated monument depicts the state of Texas along with football imagery to capture the rich history of football in the Lone-Star state.

Fort Worth Mayor Mike Moncrief will unveil the monument which includes approximately 2,000 names of Texas High School alumni who have successfully gone on to play in “The League.” This remarkable visual will be located at Chisholm Trail in Sundance Square and be available for public viewing from January 28-February 6.

WHEN:
Friday, January 28, 2011
11:00 AM CST

WHERE:
Chisholm Trail Parking Lot - Sundance Square
201 Main Street
Fort Worth, Texas 96102

WHO:
Mike Moncrief, Fort Worth Mayor
Tim Brown, Dallas Native and Professional Football Legend
David O’Brien, Son of College Football Icon Davey O’Brien
Johnny Campbell, President and CEO of Sundance Square
Jim Kerkvliet, Gerdau Ameristeel's Vice President of Sales and Marketing

VISUALS:
· 16-foot Solid Steel Illuminating Monument Depicting State of Texas
· Names of Approximately 2,000 Former Texas High School Football Players
· Kabuki Drop Unveiling of the Monument
· Interviews with City Officials, former NFL players and Gerdau Ameristeel Executives