Codaxx

Florida is probably a better job. I can’t think of a worse situation than following Saban at Bama.

It’s definitely a loss, but it is not 1 that can not be overcome. Best way to think of it is wins above replacement. Texas can find options to mitigate that loss. You can point to recruits like French/Locket or the portal. Some positions are just more plentiful, than others. WR is arguably the most stacked position in football currently

Moore is the biggest loss perception wise, but not football wise. This isn’t Colin Simmons, who was the number one player at a position of need (at the time). WR has multiple options left in recruiting and maybe the most plentiful position in the portal. Texas has recruited well there and the state pisses out 4/5 star WRs every year. Much bigger need at DT.

Patient is one word for it

Are you sure about that?? Lets call it 12 games.. Texas will have 6 homes that family can drive to.. Oregon has 6 home games, that the family needs to fly to.. Texas will have away games that are the family could drive to (LSU, OU, and A&M) Oregon will will not.

I hate to defend Nahlin, but I think what he said is on point. Texas is "leading" for 2 5 star WRs (whatever that is worth). They have recruited well at WR, so this is not a position of need. WR is the most plentiful position in the portal. If this came down to not wanting to go over 7 figures, than it makes sense. People need to start taking an NFL cap mindset. It is about what is the best use of your available capital.

Its a few issues. #1 the state of Texas is not producing DTs at a high level. #2 Texas has a new coach that had <6 months to establish relationships #3 Texas decided to go for white whales without contingency plans (that probably a Sark call, not a Baker call). You could add mediocre at best DT recruiting the last 4 years has exacerbated the situation.

Its a beating. People need to understand that even if Texas has the one of the largest NIL collectives, they are still going to be subject to someone doing something stupid. Its no different than the draft or free agency. You want to use a 1st round pick on a guy with a middle of the 2nd round grade, you will get him. If you want to pay 15 million a year for someone that the market believes is worth 10-12 million, you will get him. If a recruit is deemed to be worth 500-700k and you pay 7 figures, you win. On the aggregate Texas is more than competitive, but that does not mean they will win every individual NIL battle.

Really hard to make that guess without knowing his age or family tree.

??? Pettijohn- 6' 1.5" and 215 Barnes-6'1" and 230 Faraimo - 6'3" to 230..

A&M went all in and blew up their program. We can say Georgia, but I am not completely sure how they run things recently. I do know they threw a mercenary out of their program (Bear Alexander).

I used 247 and did this quickly. They had him as a 3 star with an 89 rating. I was just putting recent DT recruiting into perspective. As it has been an issue for awhile and it is not just a 2025 problem

People are worried about the DT room, because it is not a 1 year problem.. 2021- Bryon Murphy (4 star GIles).. 2022- Ross (4 star), Bledsoe (4 star), Bryant (4 star). Swanson (3 star) 2023- Mitchell (3star) 2024- January (3 star), Hills (3 star) That is the recruiting talent left on campus after this season. This is position that generally takes some time to develop. 2022 was a class to supplement to 2021. 2024 was supposed to supplement 2023. 2025 the goal was 4 DTs to supplement the 23/24 classes. Its fair to say DT recruiting has not been up to the standard of general team recruiting under Sark. There is a lot of pressure on Baker to develop at a high level, because Texas cant afford busts. . Texas took 3 DTs this year in the portal and it appears Texas is headed in down that path in 2025. Texas needs Bledsoe to make a major jump this year and get himself into the rotation (He maybe the biggest athletic freak on the team). I think Texas should be fine this year at DT, but relying on the portal to build a championship DL is tough.

Gerry has been critical of the DT recruiting. His biggest complaint is the lack of targets. Texas has passed on in state guys that will go to SEC schools. He has basically said if you go big game hunting at one of the most competitive positions, you better bring in 8-10 visitors there. I believe Texas brought in 5.

I just don’t understand these posts. Texas had a top 5-10 defense last year. That was with “meh edge play” and inconsistent DB play. Imagine what that defense would have looked like with “meh” DT play? Having elite DTs allows you to play honest and even light boxes, which is very helpful to the secondary. It keeps your LBs clean. Gives your edges 1 on 1 opportunities to rush the passer.

Texas got 1 last year. He did not play a ton, so I am missing your point. The portal might have 1-3 legitimate DTs a year in it. There is depth, but it is going to be hard to get All-SEC caliber players. They rarely leave. Unless your Georgia and have a plethora of NFL DTs and don’t want to deal with a headcase

This idea is fine, but if you are not hitting on elite talent, you need numbers. That is the issue. Having 2 classes of 1 DT in the first 4 cycles is not ideal. Texas has hit their number once in 4 years (that class of 4 already has an 50% attrition rate). Texas overhauled the OL room by bringing in numbers and hitting on some elite recruits. Neither have happened at DT. This is one of the most important positions in football and it’s the least healthy position on the team. There is reason Texas went so hard in the portal. It’s going to be tough to be consistent at DT relying on the portal.

Nansen is a proven recruiter with a lot of skins on the wall. He killed the portal with kids from his old team. Unfortunately, there are no Dolphins in the portal for Baker. Nansen was recruiting and establishing relationships with 2025s last year. Baker was not. I hoped for better, but most assumed this would be a tough cycle for Baker and he would need help. Any expectation that Baker would walk in and perform like Nansen is just misguided

Gerry brought up questions about if he stays at safety and the fact it is hard to play 2 sports at a high level in college. Not much reason to push for a kid that is not solely focused on football with positional ambiguity.

not sure if this has been posted here, but I'll add it jus tin case

Gerry said Texas is likely #2 in the Dijon Lee recruitment. They in better position than most think and capable of pulling a surprise, but Bama is expected to be the pick.

Would suck, but missing on Charles and Sharma would be much worse. OL is arguably the most solid position group on the team (though always need OTs). Imagine saying that 3-4 years ago.

Thanks. My biggest question on defense this year is how much of Nansen's Arizona defense will show up on the field in 2024. That seems like an indication that he is influencing PK (who has always been flexible).

I believe the prioritization of offense over defense under Sark and especially at DT. I also think it is a bit of a mixture of events. 1 DT in 2021 on coaching change, thank God that one was Murphy (cant remember if that was Giles or Hagen). 2022: Ross, Bledsoe, Bryant, and Swanson. Bledsoe extremely talented, but came in very raw with an expected long developmental curve 2023: Mitchell. 2024: Sark wanted to loaded up, but Bo leaves and it is only January and Hills. Needed to load up this year and have a new position coach. With most recruits signing over the summer now, Baker was in the tough position of having 6 months to build relationships and sign kids. On numbers alone it has put a lot of pressure on Baker to develop at a high rate. Hopefully, he Nansen hire was Sark realizing that he needed to up the recruiting game among the defensive coaches.