Weekend Recruiting Roundup: John Tyler’s Travaughn Moore, Lufkin’s Michael Farley Commit + More

As expected, the past few days have been busy for East Texas football prospects as National Signing Day approaches next week.

The headlining news of the weekend was a pair of commitments by two 2014 defenders.

John Tyler lineman Travaughn Moore tweeted news of his commitment to Abilene Christian on Saturday afternoon. Shortly after that, Lufkin safety Michael Farley announced via Twitter that he committed to Ouachita Baptist.

The 6-foot-3, 281-pound Moore is headed to the Division I FCS-level Southland Conference after playing as an offensive lineman in 2012 and defensive tackle in 2013. At last year's ETSN.fm Football Recruiting Combine at APEC training facility, Moore recorded the event's best Keiser squat, which issues a power output number (in wattage) based on the amount of weight used and the speed in which it was lifted, making the target a power assessment instead of simply a strength assessment.

Moore teamed with sophomore Braylon Jones and junior Josh Williams to give John Tyler a formidable defensive tackle rotation in 2013, when Moore finished with 23 tackles.

Farley, a two-year starter in Lufkin's secondary, is one of many East Texans who appear to be on the way to signing with a school in the Great American Conference, a Division II league that includes OBU, Southern Arkansas, Henderson State, and others.

Farley finished his senior year with 49 tackles and two interceptions.

Moore and Farley won't the only seniors to commit this past weekend. Chapel Hill's Shaquille Warren, a two-way frontline standout for the Bulldogs in 2013, committed to Central Arkansas, which also plays at the FCS level in the Southland Conference with Abilene Christian, SFA, Sam Houston State, Northwestern State, Lamar, and others. Warren is expected to play on the defensive line for UCA.

For ETSN.fm staff writer Clint Buckley's story on Warren's commitment, click this link.

Texas A&M Offers Sulphur Springs Junior Larry Pryor

Sulphur Springs junior standout Larry Pryor took a junior day visit to Texas A&M on Sunday and left with an offer from the Aggies.

Texas A&M is the 10th program to offer Pryor, who had a huge junior season this past fall at quarterback, but projects to the college level as a safety. Pryor now holds offers from the Aggies, Arkansas, Baylor, LSU, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, TCU, Texas, and Texas Tech.

Pryor had a monster 2013 campaign running Sulphur Springs’ uptempo spread offense. The 6-foot-1, 185-pounder completed 170 of 285 passes for 2,666 yards, 26 touchdowns, and six interceptions while rushing 151 times for 1,027 yards and 16 scores.

Texas A&M has already landed two East Texas commitments in the 2015 class: Gladewater defensive tackle Daylon Mack and Whitehouse safety Justin Dunning. In addition to the offers to Pryor, Mack, and Dunning, the Aggies have offered 2015 Longview running back JaMycal Hasty, who holds seven FBS offers: Baylor, Houston, Oklahoma State, TCU, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech.

Pryor, Dunning, Hasty, and Gilmer 2015 cornerback Kris Boyd all attended Sunday's Texas A&M junior day. Texas A&M has had a lot of contact with Boyd lately and an offer could come soon. He already holds eight FBS offers: Arkansas, Baylor, Cal, Mississippi State, Oklahoma, TCU, Texas, Texas Tech.

Multiple Seniors Get D-II Offers

Longview tight end Jordan Whitaker, Whitehouse defensive tackle Kostin Wallace, and Whitehouse linebacker Reggie Long, and John Tyler running back Reggie Gipson have all received Division II offers since Friday.

The 6-foot-4, 190-pound Whitaker picked up an offer from Texas A&M-Commerce, per the Longview News-Journal. Whitaker caught 24 passes for 356 yards and eight touchdowns, finishing second on the team in receptions and touchdown grabs behind Texas-bound receiver Dorian Leonard.

Wallace, a 5-foot-11, 330-pound nose tackle in Whitehouse's odd-front defense, received an offer Saturday from Tarleton State, which has also offered the 6-foot, 218-pound Long, who led the Wildcats in tackles before a shoulder injury in the regular-season finale against John Tyler ended his season prematurely. Wallace holds another D-II offer from Lincoln University in Missouri, while Long has an FBS offer from Air Force and D-II offers from Tarleton State, Texas A&M-Commerce, and Henderson State, which offered Long on Monday afternoon.

Henderson State has been very active recruiting East Texas, picking up five recent commitments: Chapel Hill QB Andrew Black, John Tyler DE/OLB Darius Amie, John Tyler LB Andrew Clark, Tyler Lee WR Marquiston Williams, and Kilgore DE D.Q. Scott.

John Tyler head coach Ricklan Holmes tweeted early Monday evening that Gipson picked up an offer from Midwestern State, another D-II program that competes in the Lone Star Conference with Texas A&M-Commerce, Tarleton State, and others.

The 5-foot-9, 170-pound Gipson gave the Lions a speedy threat on the ground and through the air, finishing his senior season with 789 yards from scrimmage and 17 total touchdowns (12 rushing, five receiving).