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closetojumping

Burnt Ends
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Everything posted by closetojumping

  1. Spoilered below is the Sooners Illustrated preview of the LBs/Cheetah (kind of a NB, but also a DPR). Highlights: -They lament the loss of Danny Stutsman. It's heresy to say, but I think that guy was more harm than asset. Sure he made a lot of tackles, but that's a byproduct of the defense being designed to funnel plays to the second level. He was always tackling guys 8 yards downfield. -Kobe McKenzie is average as grits. I'm glad Texas didn't land him, given the talent accumulated now at LB. He played a lot last year and did very little. -One of my picks for surprise standouts for next year is Omosigho. They've now committed him to a position and I think he'll win the most PT. When I watched them last year, I felt like he was impacting plays during limited snaps. -Getting Kendal Daniels has been kind of downplayed by all of the okies, I guess because he went to OSU first? I think it is a huge pickup and expect him to win the lion's share of snaps at Cheetah, playing the Big Cheetah version. -This could potentially be a team strength unless they're committed to starting McKenzie and Dolby. -I feel like Kip Lewis was a non-entity all year in 2024 except when some dark voodoo shit performed on the OU sidelines called for the "Defensive Touchdown Play" in desperate moments.
  2. Also, on Kreul, the Sooners Illustrated gurus are now telling their audience that it feels like Texas is making a push for Kreul and, all things equal, it looks like he'd prefer Texas. Take that FWIW, as I do not think they have decent connections to the Texas side. Their providing that update based on what the Kreul camp is saying and what their OU staff connections are now whining about to them.
  3. Here's Gerry's view on who can finish with the #1 class and how. Personally, I think excluding Oregon or Michigan is dicey. Either one could go on a feeding frenzy and imbalance the whole thing. As far as I know, Hiter is expected to land at OSU. Georgia does not feel bullish. On Anthony Jones, Bama seems to think they lead, last time I looked. ****** Race for the No. 1 recruiting class in 2026 The Texas Longhorns are squarely in the mix for the No. 1 recruiting class in the 2026 cycle after a very strong last half of July. When looking at the teams that are truly in the hunt for the top ranked class, there six teams with a realistic shot. Those schools are Georgia, USC, Texas A&M, Alabama, Texas and Ohio State. Notre Dame is currently a top 5 level class, but doesn't have the runway to be in the mix for the No. 1 class as it stands today. While Georgia and USC have the top classes currently, they both have at least 30 commitments and don't have as long of a potential runway as Texas, Ohio State and Alabama. Texas A&M has 27 commitments, and would have to domino on a couple of top remaining targets to stay in the race. There are several factors that will play into which team finishes No. 1: Final prospect rankings after senior season: mid-January of 2026 Size of the class The different class ranking calculations within the industry Team-by-team look at the contenders ... Georgia Bulldogs Commits: 30 Top targets remaining: Industry ranked 5-star RB Savion Hiter (Aug. 19 announcement), industry ranked 4-star IOL Breck Kolojay, industry ranked 3-star++ DL Anthony Lonon Jr. +flip candidates USC Trojans Commits: 31 Top targets remaining: Flip candidates Ohio State Buckeyes Commits: 21 Top targets remaining: Industry ranked 5-star RB Savion Hiter (Aug. 19 announcement), industry ranked 5-star S Bralan Womack (Aug. 21 announcement), industry ranked 5-star IOL Darius Gray, industry ranked 4-star DL Emanuel Ruffin and industry ranked 4-star IOL Breck Kolojay + flip candidates Alabama Crimson Tide Commits: 21 Top targets remaining: Industry ranked 5-star EDGE Anthony Jones, industry ranked 4-star+ DL Elijah Golden (Aug. 9 announcement), industry ranked 4-star DL Emanuel Ruffin, industry ranked 3-star++ LB Anthony Davis Jr. + flip candidates Texas Longhorns Commits: 21 Top targets remaining: Industry ranked 4-star++ DB Davon Benjamin (announcement August 2, or possibly the 5th), industry ranked 4-star++ EDGE Jake Kreul (announcement August 2 or in October) + a number of flip candidates Texas A&M Aggies Commits: 27 Top targets remaining: Industry ranked 5-star S Bralan Womack (Aug. 21 announcement), industry ranked 5-star EDGE Anthony Jones, industry ranked 4-star+ WR Jase Mathews (Aug. 8 announcement)
  4. I just opened an actual fall camp thread and posted Bobby's preview on position battles and such heading into practice this week. Also, I don't give a shit who the QB is, if you're dropping great passes, that's a you problem. We all watched the games. If you guys see an early draft pick in Moore, awesome. He needs to show out this season like the contract year it is and we can all be happy.
  5. The offseason is over and I don't trust @BurntOrange&White's dark and sinister aura with the 2025 fall camp or season. The march begins this week towards the 2025 National Title. I've pasted below Bobby Burton's first look at his view on what big things are up for grabs when practice starts on Wednesday. He really kind of beats around the bush in regard to the team needing to find a 4th WR. He also ignores the kicking game altogether which seems like something we want to see fixed in a major way. ***** Let’s keep today’s column relatively simple and straight-forward. What are the primary position battles and questions expected during fall camp? - Back-up QB. Matthew Caldwell or Trey Owens? Word is, Caldwell very much looks the part But let’s see if Owens is prepared to defend the spot. - RB rotation and the timing of it. Trey Wisner is obviously going to play a lot. The questions are the health and timing of Ced Baxter, and the ability of Jerrick Gibson, Christian Clark and James Simon. Baxter is thought to be “ahead” in his recovery, but just how far exactly? Gibson has worked hard this off-season to re-shape his body. We’ll see if that helps his quickness. Clark looked really good in spots, too. Simon is the freshman worth watching. One key on these back-ups: which one is the best in pass protection? - WR depth. After DeAndre Moore, Ryan Wingo, Emmett Mosley and Parker Livingstone, we need to see if any of the talented freshman make a move during camp. Texas would love another freshman to join Daylan McCutcheon as being highly reliable (and not just talented). - TE. Though he may not be there on day one of practice because he is a transfer, we can pencil Jack Endries in as the starter. But who will be the back-up and what will the rotation be? Is Spencer Shannon the sole in-line option? - Right tackle and the overall influence of Nick Brooks and possibly Nate Kibble. Brooks might get reps at right tackle to push Brandon Baker and Andre Cojoe. Brooks might also be so good they force feed him into the lineup at left guard. Kibble has not received the same fanfare but he could be a guy who makes things happen for himself during camp. - Interior DL. We already got a taste of Cole Brevard and Hero Kanu in the spring. What is the rotation and what is the value of Travis Shaw, Maraad Watson and Levon Johnson? - Linebacker. Lots of options here. How will Texas deploy them? The development of Trey Moore as an off-ball linebacker will be intriguing, as is the usage of Brad Spence. - The Secondary. Good luck figuring this out before camp starts. Texas legitimately has eight players who could fill five starting spots: Manny Muhammad - starting corner Jaylon Guilbeau - corner or nickel Michael Taaffe - starting safety Jelani McDonald - safety or big nickel Derrick Williams - safety Kobe Black - possible starting corner Wardell Mack - possible starting nickel Warren Roberson - possible starting corner The list doesn’t include three freshman that people are speaking highly of in Jonah Williams, Graceson Littleton and Kade Phillips. In other words, there’s a lot of vetting left to do in the secondary. And that begins in training camp, starting Wednesday, just three days from today. OTF will be there.
  6. If you guys want new stuff, just ask @texifornia to change the title again. It's like opening Pandora's Box - it will change things, just no idea whether for the better or for the worse. But sure, roll the dice.
  7. Yeah, I don’t see it. He doesn’t have an elite trait, he doesn’t have great hands, he’s average in size and speed.
  8. I believe that character was played by Burgess Meredith. Great call.
  9. I was just reading a Sooners Illustrated poster considered an “insider”. The guy is almost always wrong but he must have gotten something right at some point or be involved with the program verifiably, otherwise, I don’t get why they lend him credence. Anyway, his latest is that Dominic Williams now has a 1st round grade from the NFL and he’s the unquestioned leader of the entire team. Does the NFL give out grades in the winter and then come back, after zero ball has been played, and give new grades out after the spring? I’ve never heard of that. You know how I know that he didn’t have a first or second round grade in the winter? He’s still on the OU roster. He’s getting like $500k again. Ott has added a bunch of weight but he’s also faster and quicker. The Gibson guy from UAPB is truly amazing. He’s barely out of a boot, but he’s for real for reals good. These fucking guys start spouting this every year in the offseason from the OU camp. They wound up being right a lot when Stoops was in charge throughout the 2000’s. They’ve been a lot lately. It doesn’t change their behavior or how posters receive it.
  10. There isn’t a damned thing going on with regard to 2026 recruiting that we haven’t covered and at some level of volume in the past 48 hours of posts here. Here’s a Kreul (Krell) interview if people truly need a hit:
  11. Didn’t know that. I’m sure there’s plenty I haven’t seen, though. Same. I flew once as a 2 year old and then didn’t fly again until I was 14. In between I watched that movie on cable with my older brother probably 10 times. I was terrified getting on that plane as a 14 year old. The one with Lithgow is from the movie, but yeah. He’s great in it.
  12. It would be hard to rank the creepiest Twilight Zone episodes, but this one, the one with the talking girl doll (Talking Tina?) and the one where the aliens had a recipe for humans would all be in my top 10. The one from the movie where Lithgow is the only one seeing the goblin on the wing of the plane would have to be on there as well.
  13. The “Dirty Jobs” guy has been ranting about a shortfall in the trades on a massive level coming up. I’m not fact-checking either of you, but he’s known as an expect.
  14. Illinois is going to open the season ranked much higher than USC. The Illini return a seasoned and solid QB and a lot of talent in the trenches on both sides of the ball. Riley teams play soft on the road. Illinois is likely to beat the absolute dogshit out of those frauds.
  15. We had a coach in junior high that told us a story the week of our rivalry game in the middle of practice. He said the other team had a giant DE who had almost died in a tragic car accident. Instead, he spent a year in the hospital recovering from burns and other injuries. As a result, he’d already gone through puberty so he was huge. On top of that, his right forearm was nothing now but just a grizzled club that had lost its nerve endings. He used it to batter opposing running backs and had knocked multiple guys out of games already. “Jesus Christ”, I thought. “What the fuck are we walking into here?!“ I looked for this guy all game. The coach made the whole thing up but I’ve always thought that could be a badass player it had been true. Welp, here he is, folks. Our DL better have their shit together against this monster in 2026 and beyond.
  16. I assume he must be the John Daly of the roster.
  17. That’s actually a good article from a writer at the Statesman. Wow.
  18. I’ve advocated for vocational school to become a plumber or carpenter or something of that ilk, then an apprenticeship and then we’d help the kid get a franchise or hang a shingle. I dealt with franchisees for a few of the national electrician, HVAC and plumbing brands. Many of them were self-made millionaires. I bring it up to my kids in front of my wife every now and then because she loses it and the kids all crack up. I can’t say it’s a path that apparently my kids may be going on, but I don’t think anyone is a dummy for taking that route. I honestly think that is a better choice than getting a sociology degree from Arkansas or Auburn or any degree whatsoever from LSU.
  19. Aggies talking conference title smack. Just outstanding. That’s a good one. He’s got to weight 400#+ given his height.
  20. Is Elko the fattest HC in FBS right now? I’m probably forgetting a couple of truly giant lardasses. Still, gone are the days of Ralph Friedgen and Mark Mangino. Those were the halcyon days of gluttons roaming CFB sidelines.
  21. To your last point, I like the guy. He cracks me up. None of him making me laugh is intentional on his part, but God love him, man. I enjoy his morbid obesity and cheap jokes we all make about him. I enjoy even more reading frustrated aggies talking about him being a fatass, usually following losses. I love the fact that he’s either aggressively lying and misleading aggies and the media regarding the talent on his roster, or he’s actually oblivious to how many gaps he has on his depth chart and how little depth he actually has. I don’t know which I prefer, but I know what the aggie reactions are going to be either way and I can’t wait.
  22. Apparently, he made it pretty clear, without Texas asking for it, that there would be no home team discount. Whatever he did, he came across as an ass doing it.
  23. I like the spirit. Some thoughts on a few of them: -Lott - He's getting DK Moore money, but he's not on that level. Does Texas come back and match anyway, like they did with Moore? Given the less than stellar buzz around initial returns for the 3 WRs Texas just signed to big paydays, that dampens the likelihood. "It's early!" I know, just passing stuff on. -Benjamin - Texas is matching whatever he's offered. He'd be the best skill guy in a class with multiple excellent skill guys. He could be the next Tyrann Mathieu or Earl Thomas. Returns punts like a witch, same for INTs, and makes plays all over the field and can see the future. Of every player still on the board in some form, he's the one I would most like to see Texas land. -Henderson - I view him as a far more likely flip than Lott. -Finley - You didn't mention him, but he's another. Texas wasn't that far away from ND's final offer. Jermichael Finley being a buffoon in the process didn't help. It's still one to keep in the back of your mind simply because they like the player a lot and the numbers could move. -Lee - Ultimately deciding to take Ojo at his word could kill this even with everything between Texas and Michigan being really similar. They need to get him back on campus. -USC Commits - The big issue here is that Riley's buyout is massive, allegedly. Someone mentioned to me that it mirrors Fisher's, and that's from agent connections. If that is the case, it is way cheaper to commit money to get Riley the players he's claiming he has to have in order to win and hope that he's right. Will he be? Apparently, across the 85 man roster, scouts feel like USC has like 10 quality NFL prospects. That isn't going to get it done if those folks are correct. -As to other Georgia commits/targets, Georgia gets religion around an ask above $300k, and then they're really pious and pointing fingers. Texas could absolutely do more damage there if it makes sense with their view of the player. Part of why everyone else in that area ignored several of the GA guys ATM landed is because ATM went in big early and then wound up negotiating with itself. Multiple schools just bowed out really early because they didn't have the players at the top of their board in the first place, and ATM is going to be paying them like they're top 5 guys in the country. -Florida went crazy with $1M+ for Guervil. That's just a barrier for countering as of last month.
  24. I'll break the schtick again for a post and say that I don't disagree, but that's not really all that fun to do on this one.
  25. Wheels: Shutdown Texas One Fund? Yes I'm sure you're right. I'm sure that's the thing to do. Wait, I've got a better idea. Lets transfer the entire roster off the campus. On second thought- lets transfer the whole athletic program off the campus. saarvanash, tell those boys to get down off the field. They're packing their bags. RGBIII? RGBIII: [Enters the office] Sir? Wheels: Get me the President on the phone. We're surrendering our position in NIL. RGBIII: Yes, sir. Wheels: Wait a minute, RGBIII. Don't get the President yet. Maybe we should consider this for a second. Dismissed, RGBIII. RGBIII: Yes, sir. Wheels: Maybe, and I'm just spit balling here, maybe, we have a responsibility as boosters to ignore that EO. Maybe we as boosters have a responsibility to this athletic program to see to that the men and women charged with its quest for titles are trained professionals. Yes, I'm certain that I read that somewhere once. And now I'm thinking, saarvanash, that your suggestion of shutting down TOF, while expeditious and certainly painless, might not be, in a matter of speaking, the Longhorn way. TOF stays where it is. We're gonna pay the lads!
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