AUSTIN, Texas -- Welcome to the brave new world of Texas recruiting. On Saturday, the Longhorns will host their first-ever Sophomore Day in an effort to get a step ahead of everyone else on recruiting prospects in the Class of 2015.
Texas will also have some 2013 and 2014 recruits in town for Saturday's spring football scrimmage, but all eyes will be on the young guys taking their first trips to campus.
Here's a look at a few things to keep an eye on as the inaugural event unfolds. Remember to check in with HornsNation all weekend for the latest, and join the discussion in our forum HornsNation all weekend for the latest, and join in the discussion in our forum "The Tower."
Sending a message
On the day that Patrick Suddes was introduced as Texas' new director of player personnel, he and Mack Brown announced they were planning a significant recruiting event for March 23.
They'd already told their signees and commits to make it down if they could, but soon word quickly spread that a Sophomore Day was in the works. Invites officially began going out on Monday, and the invite list is a long and impressive one.
What can Texas achieve this weekend? Just by creating this event, the coaching staff is sending a message that its 2015 recruiting has officially begun and that Texas will not fall behind the competition.
Expect other schools to follow Texas' lead and up their early efforts for these sophomore prospects, even if most recruiters are still heavily invested in a 2014 class that won't sign for more than 10 months.
Most importantly, this weekend is about building relationships. The staff cast a very wide net for Saturday's visitors, and lots of these recruits will land dozens of offers. Texas has a chance to get to the top of these kids' lists early on.
Big names on defense
The most important visitor this weekend is no surprise, since he's the only 2015 prospect who already holds a Texas offer.
Gladewater (Texas) defensive tackle Daylon Mack earned the earliest offer in Brown's tenure as head coach, and for good reason. Texas A&M is the initial leader for the 6-foot-1, 310-pound lineman, so Texas has a chance to make a strong push this weekend.
He'll be joined in Austin this weekend by some of the state's best 2015 defensive prospects, including Mesquite (Texas) Poteet linebacker Malik Jefferson and Missouri City (Texas) Marshall cornerback Kendall Sheffield.
Included among the 2014 prospects expected to attend is one key out-of-state visitor, Tampa (Fla.) Plant linebacker Andrew Beck. He already holds offers from Florida State and Miami among others, but spent part of his childhood in Texas and still has a strong allegiance to the Lone Star State.
No shortage on skill
Dallas Bishop Lynch running back Rawleigh Williams III had to cancel his visit plans, but fear not: The list of running backs and receivers expected to visit Texas isn't short on talent.
Two of the state's best sophomore backs, Plano (Texas) West's Soso Jamabo and Rockwall (Texas) standout Chris Warren, received invites, as did two guys who could be the next great backs at their respective powerhouses: DeSoto's Jatory Sparks-Brown and Dallas Skyline's Jordan Stevenson.
The list is even longer at wide receiver. James Proche II of Dallas Prime Prep, Damarkus Lodge of Cedar Hill, Akilian Butler of West Mesquite and Keke Coutee of Lufkin are just a few of the many talented pass-catchers expected to attend.
And then there's Jordan Davis, the new Florida State commit from Houston Clear Lake who is still very interested to see if Texas is recruiting him. An offer to Davis could make things interesting.
Speaking of that ...
Will sophomores land offers?
The offer to Mack was the exception to the rule, but don't forget the rules are subject to change now that Suddes is overseeing Texas' recruiting operations.
It wouldn't be a major surprise if Texas began extending more offers to 2015 prospects by the end of the month, though it would be unprecedented. Bringing in all these prospects this weekend gives the staff a better sense of which kids fall under the must-offer category.
Last year, Texas determined that around 20 prospects in the 2014 class needed offers in August. Could that many sophomores get a Texas offer in the near future? Hard to say, but there are some obvious candidates.
The two big-name guys committed elsewhere, Davis (FSU) and spring game visitor Deionte Thompson (Alabama), are on the radar. The verdict is still out on the quarterback position, but Jamabo and offensive linemen Zach Rogers (Lewisville, Texas/Hebron) and Aaron Garza (Sherman, Texas/Sherman) could be in line for early offers.
Jefferson, Sheffield and spring game visitor Larry Pryor (Sulphur Springs, Texas/Sulphur Springs) are three defenders who could merit immediate offers as well. But will those come on Saturday?
That's what we'll be keeping a close eye on this weekend. The fact Texas is speeding up its process by almost a full year in hosting this Sophomore Day suggests this is just the first of many firsts for Texas' changing recruiting philosophy.