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National Signing Day Roadmap: Houston’s stars set to put ink to paper on Wednesday
HOUSTON – Early National Signing Day is normally a spectacle by itself.
But this year, you throw in the wild summer of conference realignment – started by Texas and Oklahoma officially getting accepted into the SEC and leaving the Big 12 Conference – paired with the wild coaching carousel that was headlined by Lincoln Riley leaving Oklahoma for USC, this day is crazier than usual.
New head coaches and staffs have been racing across the country in their private jets to either try and keep their new program’s current signing class together or flip players from their old to their new school.
Here is what we know about Houston’s top stars in the Class of 2022 and what they plan to do this week. This is your Roadmap to Early National Signing Day in Houston.
Harold Perkins (Cy Park) – Will Commit January 2
Ranked No. 1 player in Texas by 24/7Sports and No. 1 Linebacker. Ranked No. 5 overall Nationally
Perkins is down to his Top 3 of Texas A&M, LSU and Texas. Perkins had an in-home visit with the Longhorns back on December 9.
Kelvin Banks (Summer Creek) – Will Sign to Texas on Wednesday
Ranked No. 3 player in Texas by 24/7 Sports and No. 15 Nationally
Banks was originally committed to Oregon since early this fall. But with Mario Cristobal taking the Miami job, Banks decommitted. He originally said he would wait until February after this. But on Saturday, Banks verbally committed to Texas. He does plan to sign to Texas on Wednesday. VYPE has been told that Banks is on vacation and will sign his NLI and send it in Wednesday morning.
Denver Harris (North Shore) – Is Expected to Announce and Sign on Wednesday
Ranked No. 5 player in Texas, No. 16 Nationally
Denver Harris has kept his recruiting process rather quiet. The five-star cornerback has made it known that he will be making his decision on Wednesday. VYPE has been told it will be done in the morning prior to the team’s practice around 10:30 am. Harris hasn’t publicly released his top schools but has recently made a trip to Texas A&M and visited with Texas coaches in-home back on December 10.
Conner Weigman (Bridgeland) – Will Sign with Texas A&M on Wednesday
Ranked No. 7 player in Texas, No. 19 Nationally
The dual-sport Conner Weigman will sign with Texas A&M on Wednesday. He will celebrate the signing at 3:15 in the cafeteria at Bridgeland High School. Weigman, a five-star quarterback, is a part of what the Aggies hope is their best class in history. Earlier on Monday, Zach Calzada entered the transfer portal from Texas A&M. This leaves former Longview QB Haynes King, who was starting for the Aggies before an injury this past season and Blake Bost, for Port Neches-Groves signal-caller as some of his main competition. Weigman also plays baseball and could see the field this spring for Texas A&M as he is an early graduate.
Chris Marshall (Fort Bend Marshall) – Will Sign in February
Ranked No. 11 player in Texas, No. 62 Nationally
Chris Marshall verbally committed to Texas A&M on November 6. The dual-sport star tells VYPE that he is not signing early but will do so in February.
Malick Sylla (Katy) – Will Sign to Texas A&M on Wednesday
Ranked No. 12 player in Texas, No. 66 Nationally
Sylla, a four-star defensive lineman, will be signing with Texas A&M on Wednesday morning at 6:45 am in the team meeting room.
PJ Williams (Dickinson) – Will Sign to Texas A&M on Wednesday
Ranked No. 14 player in Texas, No. 80 Nationally
PJ Williams is the ninth-ranked offensive lineman and will be heading to Texas A&M. Williams will be signing along with teammate Donovan Green at 10:20 am in the gym.
Julian Humphrey (Clear Lake) – Will Sign to Georgia on Wednesday
Ranked No. 16 player in Texas, No. 90 Nationally
The Clear Lake CB has had an interesting recruitment process. He was at one point committed to Florida but then opened his recruitment again on October 25. He dropped a Top 3 of Texas A&M, LSU and Georgia on November 2 before committing to the Bulldogs on November 12. He is set to sign and receive his All-American Jersey on Wednesday at 11:45 am in the Performance Athletic Center at Clear Lake HS. But on Tuesday, Humphrey was re-offered by new Florida coach Billy Napier just a day before signing … so we will see what happens.
Kam Dewberry (Atascocita) – Will announce his commitment on Wednesday
Ranked No. 17 player in Texas, No. 91 Nationally
The Atascocita offensive lineman has made his decision. He will make it publicly known on Wednesday at 3 p.m. It has come down to Texas A&M, which with Dewberry’s commitment could help vault the Aggies 2022 class to No. 1 in the nation, Texas and Oklahoma. Dewberry on December 9 had an in-home visit with the Longhorns coaches, including head coach Steve Sarkisian. He also visited with the Aggies in home, including Jimbo Fisher on December 1. The Longhorns have had a recent run of success with offensive linemen, including grabbing Summer Creek’s Kelvin Banks, who Dewberry grew up playing Little League with in the area.
Donovan Green (Dickinson) – Will Sign with Texas A&M on Wednesday
Ranked No. 20 in Texas, No. 121 Nationally
The Dickinson tight end is a nice get for the Aggies. Green follows in the steps of also former Dickinson Gator Jalen Wydermeyer, who was a star at Texas A&M this past season in the offense. This past season for Dickinson, Green had 27 catches for 602 yards and nine scores. He led the team in receiving yards, according to MaxPreps.
Other Key Houston-Area Signings
No. 27 Bobby Taylor (Katy) - Will Sign to Texas A&M on Wednesday -7 am at Katy’s Team Meeting Room
No. 32 Jaydon Blue (Klein Cain – Did Not Play His Senior Season) –Will Sign to Texas on Wednesday
No. 35 Matthew Golden (Klein Cain) – Will Sign on Wednesday at 12:30 in auditorium of Klein Cain HS
No. 38 Nicholas Anderson (Katy) - Will Sign to Oklahoma on Wednesday-7 am at Katy’s Team Meeting Room
No. 41 Martrell Harris (The Woodlands) – Will Sign to Texas A&M on Wednesday at 11:30 am at the HS
No. 44 Kristopher Ross (North Shore) – TBD
No. 47 Noah Thomas (Clear Springs) – Will Sign to Texas A&M at 11:45 am in the gym at Clear Springs HS
No. 54 Marcus Scott II (Conroe) – Will Sign to Missouri on Wednesday at 11:30 am in Conroe HS Gym
No. 65 Justin Medlock (Manvel) – Will Announce his Commitment on Wednesday
No. 75 Ty Kana (Katy) - Will Sign to Texas Tech on Wednesday-7 am at Katy’s Team Meeting Room
Former Allen star, Kyler Murray, sports Allen HS letterman ahead of Sunday game
There's no doubt that one of the biggest quarterback names to come out of the Dallas area is Arizona Cardinal Quarterback Kyler Murray. Before the lights and eyes of the NCAA and NFL world were on him, though, Murray was making a name for himself at Allen High School. Sunday night, ahead of the Cardinals vs. Los Angeles Rams game, Murray took his swag all the way back to his roots and entered the stadium in none other than his high school letterman.
Throwin' it back
Posted to the Arizona Cardinals Instagram story featured various athletes entering the stadium before Sunday's game. A few clicks brought fans to something that is rarely- if ever- seen in the NFL: an NFL star wearing his high school letterman:
Arizona Cardinals Instagram feat. Kyler Murray as he sports his high school letterman.Arizona Cardinals
The Twitter account known as Allen Eagle Nation Inc. quickly posted a photo showing Murray's throwback to his high school days. The tweet brought a lof of attention from fans who have followed Murray on his journey through high school, college, and now the NFL.
pic.twitter.com/zQhRmwNDGT
— 🦅 Allen Eagle Nation Inc. 🦅 🅰️🆙 (@AllenEagleNati1) October 3, 2021
REWIND
As most will recall, Murray had arguably one of the best high school careers ever. Murray helped lead the Allen Eagles to three straight UIL Class 5A State Championship titles between 2012 and 2014.
During his high school career, Murray went 42-0 as the starter in the pocket for the Eagles. The 5-10, five-star athlete threw for 10,386 passing yards and 117 touchdowns with only 21 interceptions. Additionally, Murray rushed for 69 touchdowns racking up 139 rushing yards.
Originally going to Texas A&M, Murray did not win over the starting role for the Aggies- instead Kyle Allen took the lead spot in College Station. From there, Murray transferred to the University of Oklahoma where he served as the backup for Baker Mayfield before taking over in 2018. During his collegiate career, Murray threw for over 4,360 passing yards and 42 touchdowns with only seven interceptions. In 2018, he became the Heisman Trophy winner and the No. 1 pick in the 2019 NFL Draft by the Arizona Cardinals.
Murray has stayed with the Cardinals where he has played as the starting quarterback for three seasons now. So far, Murray has tallied 8,966 passing yards and 55 touchdowns with 28 interceptions while completing 66.9% of his passes.