Recruiting Notebook: 2024 tight end Jordan Washington
Inside Texas takes a look at the fit and evaluation for 2024 Houston (Texas) Langham Creek tight end and UT target Jordan Washington.
How he fits at Texas:
Washington would definitely fit as more of a flex tight end playing off the ball like Juan Davis, JT Sanders (at times), or Jahleel Billingsley in the Steve Sarkisian offense. While already 6-foot-4, he’s currently a bit light (listed at 205 by Langham Creek) and does a lot of his best work in highlights flexed out at receiver and running by people. You can see some physicality and willingness to block in the highlights for down the road when he’s added 20+ pounds. He should be a good off-ball tight end both in the blocking game and as a target in the passing game with time and development. – Ian Boyd
Coach Says:
Strengths: Well-built high school athlete with a good frame for the TE position. Game speed looks about average for the position. Acceleration looks above average. Featured as a flexed and in-line Y as well as an H-back/sniffer. Has exceptional run blocking technique for the level of play and for the position. Squares up the defender and establishes a strong base. Keeps legs moving on contact and drives the defender. Run blocking as lead, split-flow and stalk varieties all look well-coached. As a receiver, gets his stem established easily without wasted motion. Especially effective down the seam and on sail/crossing routes. Film of routes to all levels. Alert to the scramble drill and finds space to settle into vs. zone. Will play for the contested catch and seems calm in traffic. Tracks the ball well and adjusts well to the throw. Has longish arms and will usually catch the ball with a wide catch radius and soft hands, away from his body. Quickly secures the ball. Keeps legs moving on contact and shows at least some physicality on highlights. Falls forward and appears to fight for those last few inches.
Areas for Improvement / Concerns: Does not look like he’s pressed often and contact early in routes isn’t easy to find film of. His overall athleticism looks pretty promising for the TE position but less so for a WR. As a blocker, will sometimes lose leverage/lock out with agile defenders (needs to keep feet moving). Isn’t going to separate easily from collegiate defenders on his own. May find he gets caught in the open field by second level defenders more often than we’d expect.
How this affects Texas:
UT tight ends coach Jeff Banks had been watching and evaluating the 6-foot-4 athletic tight end for months before the recent offer. Washington has official visits to Texas and Utah in June, with a Purdue visit possible. The Longhorns could take two TEs in the 2024 cycle with Washington factoring into one spot and the search going out-of-state for the other with candidates like Ryner Swanson, Colton Heinrich, and KJ Duff. – Justin Wells
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