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SMU received a commitment today from Hutto Hippo OG Lee Gonzales 6-4, 285 5.2 and benches 325(unverified). Scout.com reports he did attend one of their camps and verifies at 6-3.5, 285 ran the 40 in 5.35(5th out of 13), the shuttle in 5.08(8th out of 13) and his Vertical was 26(tied for 8th out of 13). First Team All District 19-3A. Only other offer or interest listed was Stephen F. Austin.

It's a start and at least he is a big ugly.

I was going to worry if we got some slow LB or WR as our first. Does this maybe mean we are really really looking at a herd this year? I know it is early.

All Right. That is the way to start.

After a red shirt year at SMU. He will be a player!!

BIG MEN -

Stallion wrote:Only other offer or interest listed was Stephen F. Austin.

If this is true it is a continuation of last year….not a good sign for Bennett or this program.

On a more positive note, the girl on the far right in today’s picture…you could do a full week pictorial of her

I concur.

As far as Big men go.. IMHO Many of the big men are not the Rivals or Scout darlings.

At the Kickoff Lunch the guys I saw are BIG. A lot bigger than the past 3 to 7 years. That is ALL good to me.

I know, lets see how they protect the QB this year. OR - how they smash the QB.

SFA??????????

I heard Texas College was in the mix too.

Anyone know where Hutto Hippo is?

RGV Pony wrote:I heard Texas College was in the mix too.

Anyone know where Hutto Hippo is?

Suburb of Round Rock-close to Austin

RGV Pony wrote:Anyone know where Hutto Hippo is?

I would have had no idea myself, but - last year - the DMN ran a huge story on the adtual Hippo statue itself... and the whole thing about it being a unique High School mascot name.


-Thaddeus

LakeHighlandsPony wrote:

RGV Pony wrote:I heard Texas College was in the mix too.

Anyone know where Hutto Hippo is?

Suburb of Round Rock-close to Austin

The town (and school) is Hutto -- the Hippos are the mascot / team name.

And .... a suburb of Round Rock? Isn't Round Rock a suburb of Austin? It's not like Austin is even that big a town. Hard to believe its suburbs have suburbs of their own.

Congratulations, coaches, on commitment No. 1.

The rivals.com write-up:

SMU picks up agressive offensive guard
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Though Hutto (Texas) offensive guard Lee Gonzales may have flown somewhat under the recruiting radar compared to other seniors in the state, the 6-foot-4, 285-pound lineman has quietly been picking up offers and just this afternoon decided he had found the right one.


Stephen F. Austin and SMU were the first two schools to offer the talented prospect. After an unofficial visit to the SMU campus, Gonzales decided staying close to home would be the best option, according to coach Lee Penland.

"Yeah, they went down today and called a couple of hours ago to let me know he had decided to commit to SMU," Penland said about Gonzales. "He had a couple of offers, but he told me he liked the coaches and it wouldn't be too far from home. Lee really likes whats going on there and he wanted to commit early and get it done."

Being a smaller school, many people may not recognize the name of the aggressive guard, but his coach said he has all the intangibles of a top notch Division I prospect.

"He is a very intense kid," Penland said. "They're recruiting him as an offensive lineman, but he plays both for us. He works hard, has got good feed, and really a strong kid. Lee is probably the most aggressive lineman I've seen because even on the O-line, he has the mentality of a defensive player."

One thing is for sure and that is that Penland doesn't think the recruitment will stop. More offers could still be coming for his young player, but Penland believes SMU is where he's going.

"Lee is the type of kid that if he says he's going to do something, that's it," Penland said. "I think he'll get more offers, but I think he is solid and ready to go for SMU."

Welcome to The Hilltop, Lee! Thank you for choosing SMU!


Hutto got its name for a mascot when a circus train derailed there and a hippopotamus ran loose on the streets until some cowboys lassoed the beast.

One of my favorite high school mascot names in the state.

http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/onl ... hlh59.html

HUTTO, TEXAS. Hutto is on the Missouri Pacific Railroad at the intersection of State Highway 79 and Farm Road 1660, near Cottonwood Creek seven miles east of Round Rock in south central Williamson County. The International-Great Northern Railroad, the first railroad in Williamson County, reached the site of Hutto in 1876 and purchased five acres of land for Hutto Station from James Emory Hutto, a local rancher. The following year the community, which soon changed its name to Hutto, had a railroad depot, a post office, a general store, and a lumber business. By 1884 Hutto had 200 inhabitants, a school, three churches, and five gins and shipped cotton and grain. A bank and a hotel opened in the early 1890s, and the population reached 700 in 1896, when Hutto was described as an "important cotton market" by the Texas State Gazetteer. Many of the inhabitants and the local farmers were German, Danish, or Swedish immigrants, and the town had a Swedish church in 1896. In the 1890s Hutto had two weekly papers, the Church Helper and the Hutto Enterprise. After reaching a peak population of 900 in 1928, Hutto was hard-hit by the Great Depressionqv and the decline of the cotton industry. By 1931 the population had fallen to 538. The town was incorporated in 1940, when it had 579 inhabitants. In the 1960s the population dropped to 400, and the town had nine businesses in 1970. The community revived over the next two decades and had 842 inhabitants and seventeen businesses in 1988. In 1990 the population was 630.

all I know is he's another big hoss and that the program is getting to a point where he may have 3 years to mature and develop before he contributes any significant playng time. Hopefully, the big fella has a strong work ethic and will ultimately prove to all those who passed hi over that he is a legitimate I-A lineman.

Welcome to the Hilltop, Lee. Have a great senior season and get ready to have a great time at SMU!

The first thing that I should have said is - Wlecome Lee.

Proud that you are part of the HERD of BIG MEN at SMU!