Fumbles

I agree and like I said, I'm glad they did it. But it's not going to look very smart if we go 0-4 on the OOS guys and get snubbed when we circle back on all the guys who weren't good enough 3 months ago.

Eh, I'm certainly not despairing, but I don't like the way the coaches have handled this cycle at OL. I'm glad that we recognized the in-state crop of OL talent was down and we decided to look out of state for guys that meet our standard. Nyier Daniels, Daniel Calhoun, Brandon Baker, Deandre Carter, etc. But even in a down year for in-state talent, Texas recruits will always be the lifeblood of the program. Texas recruits will also feel a gravitational pull to UT that OOS guys don't. OOS guys should always be seen as potential cherries on top, not Plan A to be relied on. Michael Uini, Blake Ivey, and Ory Williams all seemed like gettable guys. But (I have no inside information, just my impression from publicly available information so I could be way off base) it seems like the coaches invested more into chasing the OOS guys and other schools prioritized the Texas OL talent. And now here we are, hoping that a California kid with stronger ties to Oregon than Texas decides to commit here to keep the OL class from looking like a Tom Herman OL class. But it's a long way to signing day and Sark's staff have consistently shown an ability to close strong. I'm not stressing it, we'll see how it plays out.

Aggy won heads up against us on Myles Davis and Tyanthony Smith, both good gets. Blake Ivey and Weston Davis are both players I hope the Texas staff circles back to if we whiff on the Mater Dei boys. If Dealyn Evans can gain 40 pounds and maintain his quickness, he'll be a really good interior D-lineman. Cameron Coleman is a legitimately fantastic WR prospect who wins a ton of difficult jump balls in his film and is really difficult to bring down after the catch. Of their 20 current commits, those are the only 6 dudes I think Texas would be interested in and we're currently looking at better prospects than all of them. I like Josh Lair more than Myles Davis, Lair hits like a truck. Davis shows better coverage skills on film, but you can't teach a violent mentality like Lair has. Brandon Baker and Deandre Carter are both better OL prospects than Davis and Ivey. Dominick McKinley is just as athletic as Evans at DL but is already bigger and has a better frame for adding more weight to play inside. Ryan Wingo has better deep speed than Coleman, though Coleman shows more jump ball skills on film. There's only one guy Aggy has that was clearly at the top of our board at the position and that is Tyanthony Smith. And considering last year's haul, I don't think we were pushing all that hard to fill a LB spot in this class. And that's not even mentioning the dudes we already have committed. Texas is addressing its roster needs well with this class so far and, if we close out strongly with the remaining guys on our board, I wouldn't trade our class for anyone else's.

Good player but was always a longshot for us. Colin Simmons, Danny Okoye, Zina Umeozulu, and maybe a fourth guy like Solomon Williams or Deshawn Warner if the coaches feel like we need the numbers, that should be our '24 Edge class. Combine that with an interior DL class of Dominick McKinley, Alex January, Jayden Jackson, and Melvin Hills, we're talking about maybe the best defensive line recruiting class in Texas history. Ross would be a nice cherry on top, but if we get all these more realistic targets I'm not going to miss him at all.

Since Hartline coaches at the local community college, all he has to bring in recruits is a firm handshake and a confident smile. Great take.

Very curious to see where we go at LB. Justin Williams and Tyanthony Smith both look like they’re going out of state and we don’t seem to like any other in-state guys that much. The staff seems ambivalent on the California guys, Mathudi and House, as well. Long way til signing day and LB is hardly a position of need after last year’s haul, but I hope we don’t end up with a gap year on the LB depth chart.

In 2022 I would have because Dillon Gabriel was the better QB. I believe Quinn will be better in 2023, but objective reality is that Gabriel is the better QB until Quinn proves otherwise.

I also question QB at #1. I love Quinn, I think he’s going to take a big leap this year and be put in a great position to succeed. But I’ve also been guzzling burnt orange kool-aid all offseason. Objectively, Dillon Gabriel and Jalon Daniels had better years last year. Even Will Howard at Kansas State was statistically the better player last year. I understand potential should count for something, but I don’t understand how you can rate Quinn above Gabriel and Daniels until he actually proves he’s better than them on the field. Which he will do, but he hasn’t done it yet.

Good info and my apologies to Muhlique Aghbeaux.

Which of the 2022 OL do you think transfers first? I know there was some smoke around Neto this season, but he seems on the cusp of getting starter snaps. Malik Ogbo or Connor Robertson seem the farthest behind at this point. Surely there’s no chance we keep 7 OL from the same cycle all the way through graduation.

I agree, Lefau made a good play and the ball was a bit high. I just think it's funny that Murphy is apparently bringing all sorts of intangible energy to the team, and yet he couldn't inspire Helm to bring the ball down. Not trying to hate on Murphy, he had a good game, it's just amazing how people make up shit to justify their takes.

I don't have an issue with people saying Malik threw better than Quinn yesterday, Malik was more efficient with his throws. My problem is people saying stupid shit like "the team seemed more energized with him on the field" or "Murphy just has IT." That's dumb and has no objective basis. Murphy seems to have "IT" and made the team "seem more energized" to you because he did something you liked. Did Deandre Moore seem "energized" when he dropped that deep pass or did Helm seem "energized" when he dropped the touchdown? Also, that throw at 6:40 is about a 5 yard out route to the boundary. Hmm... Yeah, Quinn can make that throw.

Hey, do you guys remember the 2022 spring game? Back when Quinn Ewers had "IT" and was definitely going to win the Heisman as a redshirt freshman? Everyone needs to calm down about Murphy, he threw some nice passes and cooked a walk-on. It's one glorified scrimmage.

I don't care about your ad hominems or your tired tough guy movie quotes. I never said USC beat Texas heads up for anyone, I said USC is being more active in filling the holes on their roster. If Texas thinks Mason Cobb or whoever else isn't worth the money they're asking for, fine, whatever. And if we come out swinging after the New Year or spring practice and clean up all of our roster issues, great! I still don't like the fact that other programs are being more proactive than we are when there are guys out there that I think could help the team. If that makes me a cunt, go right ahead and neg away.

Ok, so it is a financial issue. If that's the case, and Texas is "doing everything it can to be righ there on that," why are other programs doing so much better at filling their holes than we are? Look at what USC is doing in the portal. Are they more "armed to the teeth financially" than Texas?

Why not? Are we turning over the couch cushions looking for change at the athletic department? Is our NIL game not as strong as we previously thought? Are we approaching the portal with a Mack Brown-esque "good kids from good families" attitude where we only offer guys that "truly want" to be at Texas? Go get the best 11 possible. No excuses.

Mason Cobb would have been a perfect plug-and-play guy who would have better than DTD was last year. That's one guy off the top of my head that we never seemed to try for. That's the main guy I had in mind, but there have been plenty of other guys at least as good as DTD was last year and we haven't made a run at any of them. I love Anthony Hill, I think our 2023 LB class is fantastic, but I am not remotely interested in placing faith in true freshmen to take over starting roles.

I'm not saying the sky is falling, I'm just saying I wish they were more proactive about getting guys who can compete for starting spots. We have holes at WR, LB, and Safety. We've hosted 1 safety, no WRs, and no LBs. I understand us not going after mid guys at Edge or OL, we've got a lot of bodies there and we'd only take a real difference-maker. But we have no one proven to play beside Jerrin Thompson, we have no productive 3rd WR after Zay and JWhitt, and we have no one to replace Overshown and DTD's snaps at LB. Would it be great if we could find studs for those holes? Sure. But I'll take steady, productive contributors even if they aren't surefire draft picks. DTD was a great addition last year, an athletically limited but obviously experienced and talented plug-and-play guy to provide decent snaps at LB. A guy like that at each position of need would be fantastic and those guys are available.

I don't know, but I know there have been multiple wide receivers in the portal better than Casey Cain and we haven't hosted any of them. I know we haven't hosted any linebackers, despite multiple quality starters being available. We've only hosted one safety and apparently we got outbid by Ohio State, which hey, that happens. I don't know why, I just know we have multiple positions of need and multiple portal players available to fill those needs and we don't seem to be making an effort at getting them.

I don’t really like all this “selectiveness” regarding portal offers. I think the staff has shown real aggression and tenacity on the recruiting trail, which is awesome. But I’m not seeing any of that in the portal, which has much greater potential to impact the roster immediately. Go and get the starter-quality guys who are available and if better guys become available down the road, go get them too. If numbers become an issue, trapdoor the dead weight on the roster. There’s still plenty of fat to trim. We need to approach this like professional free agency, we can’t be squeamish about hurt feelings or crushed dreams. You want to live your dream of going to Texas on a football scholarship? Get better at football or gtfo.

I want to revisit this because it seems like people are super high on Duce and I just wasn't getting it based on the tape I could see. Problem was, Duce has multiple profiles on HUDL and I couldn't find his complete senior season highlights on the profile I found. Well, I found his senior tape this morning. Senior Season Highlights - Duce Robinson highlights - Hudl. Jesus. I've been wary of super tall guys tabbed as "flex tight ends" since Dan Buckner was such a disappointment back in 2009. For anyone catching passes, getting open is more important than being tall. Being open gives the QB a clear sight picture and an easy throw, being tall means the QB has to go against his instincts to not throw against coverage and just hope the WR makes a play. If you get open and are tall, congrats, you're about to make first round NFL money because that's a rare skillset. Most high school "flex tight end" guys are just tall and abuse lesser players. I can see now that Duce is not one of those guys. Check out the clip at 00:45. Duce is open by a solid yard and has to come back to make a (fantastic) contested catch. If the QB lays the ball out in front of Duce, that's an easy TD instead of a highlight reel effort. The highlight at 1:13 is what it looks like when Duce gets open and has a well-placed deep ball. The clip at 2:18 really drives the point home. A man that size should not be able to cross a defensive back's face on a post route and create separation. Also, check out that casual one-handed grab at 3:48. Kid's got hands. I was wrong, Duce is a giant dude who can get open. If he can do that against college competition, easy first round money. I am officially losing sleep if we miss him.

It has to be the level of competition and how it affects his game. Just so anyone who wants to follow along doesn't have to scroll back to my other post: SR Highlights - Liona Lefau highlights - Hudl. Lefau's not just an athlete playing linebacker, there are moments where he shows an ability to wrap up effectively in his highlights. But there are a worrying amount of times where it looks like Lefau is relying on the force of his impact to knock the ball carrier over, rather than wrapping up. Check out 00:48, 00:54, 2:03, 2:12, 2:18, 3:06, 3:32. That works when you physically outmatch your opponent, but imagine him trying to do that to Roschon Johnson or Cedric Baxter. That's a bad habit that the staff will need to coach out of him. Contrast to Anthony Hill's senior tape. 2022 Highlights. Only 6 Games Played - Anthony Hill Jr. highlights - Hudl. Let's start with the first clip, which is exactly the kind of hit I was just saying is a bad habit for college ball. But even this hit shows the difference between Hill and Lefau. Hill doesn't meet the ball carrier in a full sprint, he slows to a jog and doesn't over-run himself into a cut for the RB's highlight reel. When it's too late for the RB to throw a move, Hill gathers himself and strikes with his shoulder, delivering a blow to the ball carrier that is absolutely devastating. The power of that hit didn't come from Hill running in from 20 yards away with a full head of steam, he took a good angle and was in control the whole time. Is it a fundamentally sound wrap-and-drive tackle? No. Is that 5 star physicality and violence? You betcha. And then watch the rest of Hill's defensive highlights. Check out 1:26, it's not the flashiest highlight but man, that is every fundamental you could ask for of a linebacker. He takes on the center, sheds the block, meets the ball carrier, wraps up, and drives through to the ground. And nearly every highlight after is just him wrapping up and bringing guys to the ground. That's fundamentally sound, extremely good linebacker play.

Alright, we got offense out of the way, let's take stock of the defensive side of the 2023 class. Defensive Linemen - Sydir Mitchell Misses - David Hicks, Hunter Osborne, Markis Deal, Roderick Pierce, Dylan Spencer Sydir Mitchell is a goddamn beast with a rare skillset. Watch this senior tape: 3x State Champ. Senior Year - Sydir Mitchell highlights - Hudl. When I see a kid listed at 6'5", 340 pounds playing in New Jersey, I expect to see him throwing opponents around like Godzilla swatting airplanes out of the sky. And Sydir is most definitely physically outclassing everyone on the field, but look at how he's beating those kids. He's not just bull-rushing straight through overmatched opponents, he's using his hands to beat attempted blocks and flashing a lot of acceleration once he's won initial contact. Check out the spin move at 1:00, look at that swim at 1:32, look at the way he sheds the run block at 2:46. The only question I have is does he have the conditioning to give us 30-40 snaps at that level per game? If so, that's first round talent. I do wish we had picked up one more interior guy, but we loaded up on big bodies in 2022 and we got the best guy on our board. I think the staff prioritized scholarships elsewhere, namely.... Edge - Tausili Akana, Colton Vasek, Derion Gullette, Billy Walton Misses - Braylan Shelby Holy shit, you think the coaches noticed we have a pass-rush problem? I love Tausili Akana. His senior film dropped about two weeks ago: senior season - Tausili Akana highlights - Hudl. First step, closing speed, length and frame, it's all there. Also, dude is just hype all the time, popping right up after he makes a play, flexing, shit-talking. Check him out after the sack at 3:15. Yeah, let him fucking know about it, Tausili. I've heard criticism that he's 19 and therefore "physically maximized," which is absurd. Jerrin Thompson and Jaylan Ford got run over by Kansas as 19 year-old sophomores, one year later they look like completely different players. Everyone has their own developmental curve and we won't know Akana's until he gets on campus, but he's got all the tools to be an elite rusher. Vasek isn't as quite as quick as Akana, but he's better at taking on blocks and he's relentless. Colton Vasek 4-0 Highlights - Colton Vasek highlights - Hudl. Check out the clip at 0:08, he spins off the tackle AND swims the running back in the same play. That's a technically proficient, high-motor player. Derion Gullette's classification as "Edge" makes me feel like I'm taking crazy pills. Am I wrong in assuming that "edge" means at least sometimes playing on the line with an expectation of taking on blocks? Is everyone else just better than me at projecting Gullette's skills to a different position in college? Whatever, here's his junior film: ⭐️Junior Season Defensive Highlights⭐️ - Derion Gullette highlights - Hudl. I see a guy playing exclusively off-ball linebacker and doing it rather fucking well. He's lining up outside in coverage, he's comfortable playing in space, he's clearly got fantastic sideline-to-sideline speed (and hopefully still does post-knee injury). I don't see a whole lot of taking on blocks, pass-rushing moves, or setting the edge. Wherever he ends up playing, I'm glad we have him. I like Billy Walton. Billy Walton Senior Highlights - Billy Walton highlights - Hudl. He doesn't have any one elite characteristic, he's just above-average-to-good at everything. He's the kind of player that Oklahoma State, TCU, and Baylor regularly turn into All-Big 12 selections. If he's willing to develop and wait to earn his snaps, I think he can be a solid contributor as an upperclassman. Could we have let Walton go to Oklahoma State or wherever and circled back in the portal in 3 years if he panned out? Maybe, but Walton's good enough that I don't feel bad about this take. This is a fantastic edge class. Missing on Shelby sucks because I think he's fantastic, but I like Akana even better and who could complain about this embarrassment of riches? Speaking of riches... Linebacker - Anthony Hill, S'Maje Burrell, Liona Lefau Misses - Not a Damn One PRAISE BE! There is only one LB Coach, who's true name is Choate, and Jaylan Ford is His prophet. I'm so happy that we have legitimately good, fundamentally sound linebacker play in Texas again. We're not just bringing in world-class athletes and telling them to go chase the ball. Malik, you deserved so much better. Anyway, the croots! Anthony Hill. 2022 Highlights. Only 6 Games Played - Anthony Hill Jr. highlights - Hudl. No, one is not enough. Take his junior highlights too. 2021 Highlights - Anthony Hill Jr. highlights - Hudl. He's elite at all the basic things, he has great closing speed, great size, he generates turnovers at a Ford-esque rate. He's wrapping up well, taking great angles to the ball carrier, moving decisively. In his senior film, he's making a lot of those plays after getting off of a block, which is a huge skill to learn for an off-ball linebacker. He's a day 1 starter beside Jaylan Ford. I love S'Maje Burrell as a compliment to Anthony Hill, but also as a player in his own right. Non District Highlights - S’Maje Burrell highlights - Hudl. Look at that beautiful drop back into zone coverage at 00:35. You think we could have used that on a few third downs this year? Gimme. Liona Lefau's tape is even better than Burrell's (though in fairness, Burrell's longest montage is from a few games and this is Lefau's full senior season). SR Highlights - Liona Lefau highlights - Hudl. He's laying guys out, running in stride with receivers in coverage, taking on and shedding blocks, and he looks even bigger than his listed 215 to me. Or maybe everyone else is just smaller. It is Hawaii, not exactly a competitive area for high school football. Still, that's a damn fine highlight reel. Anthony Hill is arguably the best LB prospect we've ever recruited to Texas in my lifetime and, top to bottom, this is without question the best LB class I have ever seen come to Texas. Secondary - Malik Muhammad, Derek Williams Misses - Peyton Bowen, Javien Toviano It's always hard to judge a cornerback by a highlight reel because, by the nature of the position, you doing your job means the quarterback looks somewhere else and the play never comes your way. And who's gonna make a clip of that? Still, there's a lot of positives to see in Malik Muhammad's junior tape: Malik Muhammad Highlights - Malik Muhammad highlights - Hudl. I think my favorite clip is at 1:31, that's a nice pop for a guy listed generously at 175. He shows soft hands and obvious deep speed as a wide receiver. In the few clips we have of his senior season so far, he's constantly playing tight man and running right with his guy: Malik Muhammad Senior Highlights - Malik Muhammad highlights - Hudl. I love how close he starts the play at 00:10, practically in the neutral zone. He sure as shit isn't afraid of anyone running past him. Derek Williams is a classic alley-filling strong safety. Derek Willaims Junior Year - Derek Williams highlights - Hudl. The athleticism jumps right off the screen in his running back highlights, Williams certainly does not lack for short area acceleration or top end speed. His safety clips show a player very comfortable moving forward and getting physical with the ball carrier. I do worry that we don't see a whole lot of coverage in these highlights. 00:36 shows a nice press man moment (although if you're wearing burnt orange in the Big 12, that's a defensive holding flag) and there are a few other moments in there, but nothing showing his ability to track deep balls, run with his man, or transition from backpedal to sprint. But he definitely has the speed, size, and ill temperament to be a terrifying enforcer in the middle of the field. Including Peyton Bowen as a miss is admittedly a stretch, we were never really in it for him and there's the whole signing day drama. But oh man, can that kid ball. After Jalen Hale, missing out on Bowen is the biggest miss of this class. He's a deep safety with elite coverage skills and incredible speed for a guy his size. We do not have that skillset on campus right now and we could really use it. Javien Toviano isn't as good as Malik Muhammad, but he's got the size to play safety or corner and that positional versatility would have been a great addition to the class. Overall thoughts on the 2023 Defensive Class Excellent defensive class top to bottom. We aggressively addressed our roster needs with top tier talent and numbers. And we didn't settle for the low-hanging fruit. Previous staffs would have taken guys like Markis Deal, Dylan Spencer, and Jamel Johnson and wondered why we look like a bunch of JAGs on defense in 2025. This staff identified Sydir Mitchell as a rising star in New Jersey and beat Georgia head-to-head for him. This staff closed Anthony Hill. This staff went into the Bayou and poached Derek Williams. I love it. I do wish we had added one more safety with established coverage skills, but hey, that's what the portal is for.

I feel like you're hyperfocusing on my negative comments and missing the part where I concluded this was a really good offensive class that meets our roster needs very well. But I'm very sorry for what I said about your little boy, Mrs. Randle.

I'm not as high on Duce. When I watch his film, I just see a giant dude catching well-placed balls against 5'9"ish players. I'm not saying he's not a take or that he doesn't deserve five stars. He's huge, he has a great catch radius, and he has decent speed for a guy his size. That's the kind of stuff you can't teach and I'd be really happy if we got him. But I also think his competition is weak and I don't see him adjusting to poorly thrown balls, running crisp routes, or blocking much in any of his highlight videos. I think he's a raw player getting by on pure talent right now and I wonder what will happen when coaches ask more of him or he plays against guys who aren't scared of him.