The 2008 Longhorn recruiting class was up in the air for most of the year, with commitments not filtering down to the 40 Acres until the late spring. And with questions still surrounding the eligibility of J’Covan Brown, Texas fans still can’t be sure if that pair of incoming freshmen will stay intact until the season starts in November. But with temperatures still in the triple-digits and most fans just starting to think about football, Coach Barnes and company got an early start on the 2009 class by signing small forward Shawn Williams of Duncanville.

Williams is slotted 15th in the country by Rivals amongst small forwards in the 2009 class, and 77th overall. The 6-foot, 7-inch prep star is a “sharp-shooting wing” and averaged nearly a double-double in his last season. He is a part of the absolutely loaded Duncanville team that hopes to win its second state championship in the last three years. The Panthers ripped off a storybook undefeated season en route to its 2007 title and lost a narrow four-point decision to North Crowley in last year’s Region 1 semifinals. This year’s team looks to be even more talented, with Williams joining four other upperclassmen in a starting five that has only two blemishes on its record in the last two seasons.

The Longhorns are also still in the hunt for top-ranked small forward Jordan Hamilton of Los Angeles, who allegedly is enamored with the Texas program. It appears that after an off-year for the Texas recruiting machine, things could be back to normal in Austin.