40 Acres Sports

It’s official. Plano West 5-star defensive end [tag]Jackson Jeffcoat[/tag] has committed to the Texas Longhorns. He chose the Horns over Oklahoma and Houston. Congrats to Jackson and welcome to the 40!

He’s been added to the 2010 commit list.

Follow along live with 40 Acres Sports on Twitter and below for beat by beat coverage of the two big recruits making their commitments today. We’ll have breaking news and our thoughts during today’s [tag]Jackson Jeffcoat[/tag] and [tag]Jordan Hicks[/tag] press conferences. Things start early with Jeffcoat’s announcement from Plano West High School at 10am. We’ll be live here and on Twitter so join us to discuss the next Longhorn greats.

Feel free to leave comments and questions using the live tool, but not all comments will be published. Read below for more notes on comments and how the live blog will work. Hook ’em!

(Live threads from Jeffcoat & Hicks commits after the jump.)

Friday is going to be a busy day for fans of the Texas Longhorns.

According to Dallas sports reporter Mike Doocy, 5-star defensive end [tag]Jackson Jeffcoat[/tag] will announce his choice live on Dallas’ Fox affiliate live on Friday. Linebacker [tag]Jordan Hicks[/tag] will also make his decision known that day.

Jackson is the son of former Dallas Cowboy Jim Jeffcoat, who is currently a coach at the University of Houston. Texas, Oklahoma, and Houston are Jeffcoat’s three finalist with most believing. Jeffcoat will be choosing between the Sooners and the Longhorns. The Jeffcoat family has, as expected, handled the entire process very professionally. No press conferences, rumors, or other BS. They have followed their plan and thoughtfully considered all their options.

Jackson has his dad at Houston and his twin sister is headed to OU, but still Texas reportedly has remained at or near the top of his list. Longhorn fans have to feel good about their chances. Despite family pulling him towards his other finalists, the Horns are rumored to be the young man’s favorite.

Update: According to Orangebloods.com, Jeffcoat will make the announcement from his high school gym at 10am Friday. (Jan. 28. 12:32pm)

Small town running back Traylon Shead will get a chance to show his skills to the nation. (Image: Rivals)

The second big high school all-American game of the year happens this Saturday at noon when at least six future Horns take part in the US Army All-American Bowl on NBC. No expected new commits for Texas at the game but it will be a chance for fans to see a bunch of future Longhorns compete against top notch talent.

The most interesting commits to watch may be quarterback [tag]Connor Wood[/tag] and running back [tag]Traylon Shead[/tag]. In these wide open all-star games QB and RB are two of the spots where you get the best reflection of what a player is actually capable of. Shead is one of the most prolific prep running backs in the history of Texas high school football and today will be a great chance to see what the stud from tiny Cayuga can do against the country’s best.

On the defensive side of the ball watch for defensive end [tag]Reggie Wilson[/tag] and linebacker [tag]Tevin Jackson[/tag]. Both players are incredible athletes who can fly around the football field. With the pass happy game plans it should mean lots of chances for Wilson to get after the quarterback.

(click to view the positions and numbers of the Texas commits …)

ESPN is reporting the USC Trojans’ head coach Pete Carroll and the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks have reached an agreement in principle to make Carroll their next head coach. He may also become team president and have control over personnel decisions. This could be big for the Longhorns as top defensive end recruit Jackson Jeffcoat, who is believed to be deciding between Texas, Oklahoma, and USC.