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Bobby Burton: Tuesday

I think we can all agree that Sam Ehlinger has endured a pretty rough and tumble four years as the starting QB at Texas. Not just riding the roller coaster of emotions of wins and losses, but physically, he has given his body to the game and his team. So when Sam Cosmi, a team captain, elects to opt out and go pro two or three games early, thereby leaving Ehlinger theoretically more exposed than before, I’m sorry if I don’t clap for Cosmi on his way out the door no matter how he performed in his career.

Nor do I clap for Caden Sterns. Another captain who wasn’t really a captain after all.

By no means am I denigrating their play on the field. Even though I think Cosmi never quite reached the level of All-American, I think he came as close to maximizing his ability as any talented Texas OL has in years. He should be applauded for that. And while Sterns has his deficiencies, especially against speed and quickness in space, he too is a mostly solid player.

Yet I feel strongly that neither captain is actually acting as a captain. The captain goes down with the ship, he’s the one everyone else looks to for guidance in times of tumult. Either they do that or the captains shouldn’t have agreed to be captains in the first place. I know not everyone will agree with this opinion, and that’s fine. But football, at its core, is a team sport. Your actions impact those of your teammates.

So on Saturday, as we watch the left-side of the Texas pocket collapse earlier than usual because a true freshman is thrust into service at left tackle and Ehlinger takes a hit he might not have otherwise taken, I ask everyone to realize that all choices a person makes can not be about themselves, no matter how justified or financially motivated. Choices impact others. Especially the choices of “captains”.

**

I spent some time looking into possible hires of Urban Meyer at Texas. One name was brought to me from an Ohio State reporter that was interesting. UCLA offensive coordinator Justin Frye was a GA at Florida and worked for close Meyer friend Steve Adazzio at Temple and Boston College. Frye also coaches the offensive line which would more naturally allow Meyer’s son-in-law Corey Dennis to take the QB coaching position. Does this mean Meyer to Texas is definitely happening? No, of course not. But it’s a peek into what Meyer might be thinking.

 

Thanks for this info  @satyanash

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On 10/14/2020 at 11:34 AM, LTtxfan said:

DAMN, move Kerstetter to OG or OT and this O-line would be a helluva lot better.

Hand is a worthless fuck as a football coach!! 😠

 

So far so good in 1st quarter vs K-State... 🙏🙏🙏

Guess I can be right sometimes... 😁

(Even a broken clock has right time twice a day... )

 

Edited by LTtxfan
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On 11/30/2020 at 2:09 PM, LTtxfan said:

Herman with no clue who would be the starters at OL vs K-State with Cosmi and probably Kerstetter (ankle) out.  Moving a guy (C.Jones) who has sucked at Right Tackle to Left Tackle is ridiculous!!!

Not prepared -- Fire this fraud named Tom!!!

 

are these posts serious when you make them?  are you typing this shit with a straight face?

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Bobby Burton Freshman Update...   Thx @utexas8

Along the OL, Herb Hand struck gold at center. Jake Majors is a what-you-see-is-what-you-get type of player. The staff expects Majors to be an eventual team captain and multi-year starter. Likewise, Andrej Karic has already pushed up the depth chart to become a factor. The question is not whether Karic will be a contributor or starter for the Horns over the long term, it’s at what position. Will he be good enough to play left tackle, or is he tailor-made for a right tackle spot?

Unfortunately, just like a prospector sometimes hits gold, he sometimes gets less than rosy results. It’s way too early to write off Logan Parr by any means, but early results are the expectation of that of a late-career starter or solid back-up. And perhaps the worst news is that Jaylon Garth may very well end up being a medical opt out in time. His initial injury was severe and it just isn’t coming around as much as all had hoped. Again, it’s way too early to write offensive linemen off because of the development time they take, but that’s where those two sit currently.  

Sawyer Goram-Welch is considered one of the finds of the class. While he is currently playing DT, he could move over to offense in the off-season and try his hand at either guard or tackle. Coaches really like his motor, toughness and better-than-anticipated athleticism.

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Worse case scenario and Herman stays. What are our options to replace Hand? Noone with a proven record, a future, and a brain will want to join this sinking ship, so do we try to find an older/retired OL coach who might just welcome one last challenge and generous paycheck? Do we try to find a young diamond-in-the-rough at an FCS program who might appreciate a one year resumé padding job at a blue blood?

And regarding the comments at the top of this page regarding OL having foot problems that sank their careers, let’s not forget 5 star Tray Allen. 

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On 12/11/2020 at 6:48 AM, LTtxfan said:

Bobby Burton Freshman Update...   Thx @utexas8

"And perhaps the worst news is that Jaylen Garth may very well end up being a medical opt out in time. His initial injury was severe and it just isn’t coming around as much as all had hoped".

Along the OL, Herb Hand struck gold at center. Jake Majors is a what-you-see-is-what-you-get type of player. The staff expects Majors to be an eventual team captain and multi-year starter. Likewise, Andrej Karic has already pushed up the depth chart to become a factor. The question is not whether Karic will be a contributor or starter for the Horns over the long term, it’s at what position. Will he be good enough to play left tackle, or is he tailor-made for a right tackle spot?  Unfortunately, just like a prospector sometimes hits gold, he sometimes gets less than rosy results. It’s way too early to write off Logan Parr by any means, but early results are the expectation of that of a late-career starter or solid back-up. Again, it’s way too early to write offensive linemen off because of the development time they take, but that’s where those two sit currently.  

Sawyer Goram-Welch is considered one of the finds of the class. While he is currently playing DT, he could move over to offense in the off-season and try his hand at either guard or tackle. Coaches really like his motor, toughness and better-than-anticipated athleticism.

Good to see better news on Garth!!    Thanks for this info @utexas8

Update from IT

With Cosmi out and Derek Kerstetter's injury, the offensive line continues to shuffle. The current projection from left-to-right: Karic-Angilau-Majors-Jones-Okafor. But there will be more shuffling.

We’re seeing more Andrej Karic at left tackle after his play versus Kansas State. Christian Jones has moved to RG, with Okafor moving the other direction to RT. We’re also hearing Tyler Johnson has been working at RG/RT and true freshman Jaylen Garth has been at RT. Garth has been at full strength the last two weeks and hopes to finish strong and be in a position to contribute in 2021.

On the offensive line, Derek Kerstetter and Denzel Okafor have yet to decide if they’ll return for 2021. Willie Tyler, who opted out earlier in the year, may also return but is undecided.

 

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11 minutes ago, UDontKnow said:

Seems like these two spares are returning for next season. O-line won't get any better if thy continue to play.

 

Kerstetter’s the one that really matters, but who knows if he’ll even be ready to play next year after his injury. Still better to have these guys back than be forced into playing true freshmen during the season. 

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On 12/18/2020 at 12:15 PM, LTtxfan said:

Good to see better news on Garth!!    Thanks for this info @utexas8

 

Update from IT

With Cosmi out and Derek Kerstetter's injury, the offensive line continues to shuffle. The current projection from left-to-right: Karic-Angilau-Majors-Jones-Okafor. But there will be more shuffling.

We’re seeing more Andrej Karic at left tackle after his play versus Kansas State. Christian Jones has moved to RG, with Okafor moving the other direction to RT. We’re also hearing Tyler Johnson has been working at RG/RT and true freshman Jaylen Garth has been at RT. Garth has been at full strength the last two weeks and hopes to finish strong and be in a position to contribute in 2021.

On the offensive line, Derek Kerstetter has yet to decide if he’ll return for 2021. Willie Tyler, who opted out earlier in the year, may also return but is undecided.

(Bump)

 

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On a live call-in Auburn YouTube show a caller blamed part of Auburn's problems on Herb Hand's poor o-line coaching there for 2yrs...    
So will Herb be a big contributor to the firing of both Malzahn and Mensa ?? 
 

Given the average IQ of the subset of Auburn fans that call in on YouTube videos, this seems like the biggest compliment you can give a coach.
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Future is now for Texas offensive line in Alamo Bowl

By JEFF HOWE     30 minutes ago

A prime example of a bowl game representing the intersection of closing out the current season on a high note and springboarding into the coming year is the makeup of the offensive line Colorado will see from No. 20 Texas in Tuesday’s Alamo Bowl (8 p.m., ESPN). Jake Majors getting his second start in as many games at center and Andrej Karic expected to make his first career start at offensive tackle are moves with much more meaning to the Longhorns than simply two true freshmen being asked to fill holes created by Samuel Cosmi opting out of the final two games of the season with an eye toward the 2021 NFL Draft and Derek Kerstetter suffering a season-ending leg injury in the first half of a 69-31 demolition of Kansas State on Dec. 5.

If Kerstetter decides to join starting right guard Denzel Okafor and reserve lineman Tope Imade in taking advantage of the NCAA granting an extra season of eligibility to all fall sports athletes, the Alamo Bowl could be a preview of highly-competitive spring practices with only left tackle (where Christian Jones became the first Longhorn other than Cosmi or Calvin Anderson to start at left tackle since Elijah Rodriguez replaced Connor Williams for the 2017 Texas Bowl after the current starting left guard for the Dallas Cowboys chose to skip the game) up for grabs. Even if Kerstetter decides to move on, the return of Okafor, Jones and Junior Angilau would give Texas three returning starters from the 2020 line back in the fold with Majors expected to start at center and the flexibility to move pieces accordingly depending on what the coaches get out of the likes of Isaiah Hookfin (season-ending shoulder surgery in the spring), Tyler Johnson and Willie Tyler (opted out of the 2020 season due to COVID-19 concerns) in spring practice.

“I do think that those guys are in a very good spot right now and we are encouraged by what we've seen thus far and excited about seeing them again this winter,” head coach Tom Herman said on National Signing Day when asked about the developmental linemen in the program. Accompanying Herman’s thoughts on the future of the offensive line were him stating he likes where Johnson (No. 58 overall in the 247Sports Composite in 2019) is in his development and that tackle Jaylen Garth (No. 264 in the 247Sports Composite in 2020) has been able to get on the practice field with recovery complete from a pectoral injury.

Johnson (who’s expected to start at right guard in Tuesday’s game in place of Okafor, who’s dealing with COVID-19 protocols according to Horns247’s Chip Brown), Garth, Hookfin, Angilau, Okafor, Majors and Karic make up more than half of the 10 blue-chip (five and four-star recruits) offensive linemen in the program. There's talent capable of being developed into capable pieces, a process which has been easier said than done on the Forty Acres with only two picks produced in the last 13 drafts along the offensive line.

Texas hasn’t recruited a blue-chip lineman out of high school and turned them into an NFL draft pick since Tony Hills in the 2003 recruiting cycle (Williams was a three-star prospect and future NFL players like Trey Hopkins and David Snow weren’t drafted) and hasn’t produced a Pro Bowl or All-Pro player up front since Leonard Davis (three-time Pro Bowl selection; 2007 second-team All-Pro), who was the No. 2 overall pick in 2000. With that said, the way Majors and Karic played in the win over K-State by helping the Longhorns roll up 608 yards of total offense (10.1 yards per play) and 334 yards rushing (the most ever by a Herman-coached Texas squad in 44 games when facing a Power Five defense) and a blistering 10.1 yards per rushing attempt was promising when thinking about the 2021 offensive line was encouraging, to say the least.

Majors looked every bit of the center of the future Herman and Herb Hand recruited out of Prosper High School in the 2020 cycle (No. 5 center prospect and No. 195 overall in the 247Sports Composite). Karic (No. 364 overall in the 247Sports Composite) was on the field for meaningful snaps as Bijan Robinson galloped his way into history with a school-record of 19.1 yards per carry (172 yards on nine carries) and three rushing touchdowns.

It’s not a given Majors and Karic are destined to continue what appears to be the start of an upward trajectory, or that Johnson will step into the lineup and make a similar immediate impact. If they do, however, Cosmi’s departure could be offset if Majors, Karic and Johnson contribute to the whole being greater than the sum of the parts in 2021. 

https://247sports.com/college/texas/Article/Texas-Longhorns-Alamo-Bowl-offensive-line-Jake-Majors-Andrej-Karic-Tyler-Johnson-157937893/

 

Edited by LTtxfan
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Reports: Texas OG Denzel Okafor will miss the Alamo Bowl

Wescott Eberts  2 hrs ago

The No. 20 Texas Longhorns will be without redshirt senior guard Denzel Okafor on Tuesday in the Alamo Bowl against the Colorado Buffaloes due to COVID-19 tracing, according to multiple reports on Monday.  Inside Texas confirmed the news after an initial report on Horns247 earlier in the day.

The 6’4, 317-pounder became a full-time starter in 2020 for the first time in his career and recently announced his intentions to return for the 2021 season.  With Okafor out, fellow redshirt senior Tope Imade and redshirt freshman Tyler Johnson are listed as the co-backups at the right guard position. On Monday, head coach Tom Herman praised Johnson’s work in practice in the lead up to the game, but it’s not clear which player will start against the Buffaloes.

If Imade starts, it will be the most significant contribution of his career — he’s only appeared in seven games over five years and hasn’t ever started. Johnson is yet to appear in his two-year career. A 2019 signee, Johnson was the highest-rated offensive line signee for the Horns since 2013, making an in-game evaluation of him in the Alamo Bowl much more significant for the program moving forward than giving Imade his first start.

Okafor’s absence means that Texas will have three offensive line starters out for the Alamo Bowl after redshirt junior left tackle Sam Cosmi opted out to declare for the 2021 NFL Draft and senior center Derek Kerstetter suffered a dislocated ankle and broken fibula against Kansas State.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/ncaafb/reports-texas-og-denzel-okafor-will-miss-the-alamo-bowl/ar-BB1ciA6d?ocid=uxbndlbing

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