Texas Recruiting Notes 2023: Strippers, Monkeys, and 5-Stars

[cashman 20]

2 minutes ago, TrashMaster G said:

Lots of talk on the intricacies of NIL.  Seems like a pretty big topic, probably worthy of having a dedicated place for discussion.

 

Back on topic: What are the chances we actually sign Deandre Moore? Duce Robinson?

I'm gonna say 69% on Deandre Moore ( only if he signs today)and 4.20% on Duce Robinson

 

[Hank_Hill 18797]

2 hours ago, BrewmanTX said:

I can only speak for the Dallas Texas Exes, but we have raised millions for scholarships. The chapter has funded three Forty Acre Scholars, which provides a full ride based on academics, stemming the flow of top students in Texas going to schools like Duke. Additionally the chapter has given out countless need-based scholarships. I believe Houston has done pretty much the same. Smaller chapters do what they can, providing need-based scholarships to local students.

Yea, ok, but what have you done for foobawl you fucking nerds?

[closetojumping 62568]

2 hours ago, BrewmanTX said:

I can only speak for the Dallas Texas Exes, but we have raised millions for scholarships. The chapter has funded three Forty Acre Scholars, which provides a full ride based on academics, stemming the flow of top students in Texas going to schools like Duke. Additionally the chapter has given out countless need-based scholarships. I believe Houston has done pretty much the same. Smaller chapters do what they can, providing need-based scholarships to local students.

 

1 hour ago, WBT said:

Alread addressed but their fundraising goals are aimed at providing scholarships based on financial need and/or academic achievement and not paying football players.  As the recipient of a nearly full ride texas exes academic scholarship, I don't find that fucking worthless.  Your mileage may vary.

Scholarships, cool. My “worthless” comment touches more on their overall indifference in even being willing to let NIL folks make a pitch. The original take from leadership around the fall of 2021 was even worse, in which they said they were going to run an NIL program too and then tried stir up shit with the AD about what we were actually doing. They never did shit on the NIL front and haven’t been otherwise helpful. I get that it’s not their remit, but we weren’t asking them for money, either. I stand by my position as it pertains to NIL. 

 

[ClubWhatever 12120]

24 minutes ago, TrashMaster G said:

Lots of talk on the intricacies of NIL.  Seems like a pretty big topic, probably worthy of having a dedicated place for discussion.

 

Back on topic: What are the chances we actually sign Deandre Moore? Duce Robinson?

You’re a born leader.  trash master G for manager.  

[MrX 728]

When is Hicks supposed to announce today?

[BrewmanTX 76]

11 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

 

Scholarships, cool. My “worthless” comment touches more on their overall indifference in even being willing to let NIL folks make a pitch. The original take from leadership around the fall of 2021 was even worse, in which they said they were going to run an NIL program too and then tried stir up shit with the AD about what we were actually doing. They never did shit on the NIL front and haven’t been otherwise helpful. I get that it’s not their remit, but we weren’t asking them for money, either. I stand by my position as it pertains to NIL. 

 

Point taken.

My limited interaction with the TE leaders in Austin is spotty at best. I can see how they could totally F up any NIL endeavor.

[T’Boo Ted Marshall 2732]

4 minutes ago, MrX said:

When is Hicks supposed to announce today?

When the check clears.  

[TommyGufano 6021]

5 minutes ago, MrX said:

When is Hicks supposed to announce today?

If I remember correctly, when today is Friday

[WBT 20561]

25 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

 

Scholarships, cool. My “worthless” comment touches more on their overall indifference in even being willing to let NIL folks make a pitch. The original take from leadership around the fall of 2021 was even worse, in which they said they were going to run an NIL program too and then tried stir up shit with the AD about what we were actually doing. They never did shit on the NIL front and haven’t been otherwise helpful. I get that it’s not their remit, but we weren’t asking them for money, either. I stand by my position as it pertains to NIL. 

 

Yeah, that's what I would expect.  I don't know why they would want to become involved with NIL.

[MichaelDicksonFanClub 2904]

 

[MoJames 8244]

3 minutes ago, MichaelDicksonFanClub said:

 

[Junior Bonner 6242]

Is that Ketch’s lackey?

[Ignatius 4017]

47 minutes ago, ClubWhatever said:

You’re a born leader.  trash master G for manager.  

Dude has upper management written all over him….

[JFKFC 4878]

8 minutes ago, MoJames said:

[closetohumping 17437]

1 minute ago, Ignatius said:

Dude has upper management written all over him….

I think we should let him manage…..up to 4 surlyites

[CowtownHorn 5126]

[immamac 42838]

Burnt ends isn't a collective.

Surly charges subscriptions for access to certain content. 

That revenue gets paid out as NIL for promotional content and content generation to players. 

It's a straight up commercial entity doing NIL deals just like Dr pepper. 

[RGBIII 22838]

4 hours ago, JesusSweatDuck said:

Did getting all the different initiatives aligned via the Texas One Fund and thus getting Texas Exes/LHF associated help break down any of the concerns of the big $?

It’s helped eliminate a lot of confusion for sure 

4 hours ago, tokamak said:

The stuff with Peyton Bowen is eye opening. I know, I know, fuck ND and all that. I assume that ND has their NIL shit together relatively well. That's a very large, well-connected, and motivated fan base. Still, Oregon swooped in at the 11th hour and took their chain. Basically, if Oregon decides that they really need a player, they're going to get the player, and there's nothing to stop them. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that ND is currently with Under Armor and Nike schools would be off limits, but personally I have my doubts about that.

Also, something I've been meaning to ask, since it's come up on this page. Are we supposed to drop Burnt Ends and send those dollars to Texas One now? Are they the same thing? I'm confused on that point.

I think both schools get investigated because of this personally, what a red flag. Also don’t drop burnt ends, they are separate but both helpful

4 hours ago, Mr. Mojo Risin' said:

Hopefully someone with better understanding will chime in... 

I believe the One Fund is the only university related NIL collective. But it is a collective of collectives. 

Burnt Ends is a collective without university ties.  

Both totally legit, and both can receive your donation legally. 

 

**Waiting on @RGBIII to see how I did**

Ya basically. One fund is the main Texas collective, burnt ends will remain a cool thing Surly has done and will continue to do

4 hours ago, NoName said:

to be clear he has not signed with anyone yet and as of yesterday afternoon/evening was rumored to be in contact with all 3 Oregon, ND and OU

edit: between when I hit post and now I saw this on twitter lol

---

regarding Burnt Ends, i think @RGBIII and @immamac said that Burnt Ends is going to be it's own thing - outside of Texas One - moving forward but will let them or someone else who knows confirm that.

Burnt ends can’t be rolled into Texas one, just fun to do both!

[Okcool 786]

1 minute ago, RGBIII said:

It’s helped eliminate a lot of confusion for sure 

I think both schools get investigated because of this personally, what a red flag. Also don’t drop burnt ends, they are separate but both helpful

Ya basically. One fund is the main Texas collective, burnt ends will remain a cool thing Surly has done and will continue to do

Burnt ends can’t be rolled into Texas one, just fun to do both!

Have you heard anything from Andrew or others @LHF about Texas One Fund counting towards loyalty points with the LHF? Just curious if that’s on the table or been discussed.

[CoachTex 2623]

11 minutes ago, JFKFC said:

Why are you dragging @immamac into this?

[futureman 22444]

1 hour ago, TrashMaster G said:

Back on topic: What are the chances we actually sign Deandre Moore? Duce Robinson?

Duce is 💯% 

Moore probably 75

[Fumbles 299]

I know we're still hanging around the rim with some guys, but we've got NSD in the books and 22 signees (plus 2 transfers so far).  Let's take stock of what we got, starting with the offense.

QB - Arch Manning

Misses - Don't care, got Arch.

Best player on the board at the most important position in football.  I haven't watched film on the other top QBs in this cycle to know what we're missing out on because I don't care.  Arch is fantastic prospect and he would deserve his ranking if his name was Archquavious Jones.

RB - Cedric Baxter, Tre Wisner

Misses - Rueben Owens

I love Cedric's film and I love that we pulled him out of Florida.  Dude is a power runner with top end speed and some nice shake for his size.  I can't believe there are recruiting services who don't think he's the best running back in the country.  Tre Wisner is a nice complementary piece with a lot of versatility.   Owens would have been an even better lightning to Baxter's thunder, but he also seemed like a headcase who didn't want to share carries or the spotlight.  If I had to choose between Owens and Baxter, I take Baxter every time.

WR - Johntay Cook, Ryan Niblett

Misses - Jalen Hale, Jaquaize Petteway, Jaden Greathouse, DeAndre Moore (maybe?), Ja'Kobi Lane (maybe?)

I'm excited about Johntay Cook and think he's one of the very few guys who could contribute as a true freshman depending on how the WR room develops in the offseason.  He's a polished route runner, has great speed, and his film shows solid hands.  Niblett is a super athletic project who has all the tools to become a great slot receiver.  Two great recruiting wins against some very stiff competition.

The problem is both Cook and Niblett are under 6 feet and neither shows much of an ability to win contested balls on film.  Enter Jalen Hale.  Go watch his junior season highlights:  Jalen Hale - Longview - 2021 Junior Season Highlights (247sports.com).  Nearly every catch is him adjusting to poorly thrown balls, high-pointing, and fighting for the catch.  It's a skill that is woefully missing from this recruiting class and the WR room on campus right now.   Hale would have been the perfect player to round out this WR class and, in my opinion, is the worst miss of the cycle.  We really could have used him.  Jaden Greathouse is a really well-rounded player, good routes, good hands, good size, decent speed, and has a lot of nasty blocks on film.  I'm not gonna dickride him like I did Hale, but I like his game and wish we would have made him more of a priority.  Petteway is a good player, but between Cook and Niblett I think we have his skillset covered in the class.

I'm happy with who we got, but I think the misses really hurt here.  Maybe we can make up for it with Moore or Lane, but neither of those guys is bringing what Hale has to the table.

TE - Spencer Shannon, Will Randle

Misses - Duce Robinson (maybe?), Ka'Morreun Pimpton

Spencer Shannon's film shows a technically competent blocker with a great frame for physical development.  And he caught a few balls on slant routes for like 40 yards.  Hopefully he eventually wins the Geoff Swaim Memorial Extra Blocking Surface Award for providing outstanding value to the team that no one cares about.  Will Randle only makes sense to me as a take if he was necessary to secure Arch Manning.  If we just needed a guy with Will Randle's skillset, there are 10 dudes as good or better than him in Texas every year.

Pimpton and Robinson would have been nice additions, but I'm not losing sleep over either of them.  I would have been perfectly happy with Shannon as the only TE take this cycle.

OL - Jaydon Chatman, Trevor Goosby, Payton Kirkland, Connor Stroh, Andre Cojoe

Chatman is an excellent player that's a solid take in any class.  Trevor Goosby is a lean, athletic player with a great frame that has the skillset to play outside.  His upside is Connor Williams/Sam Cosmi.  His downside is the fact that we have to hope he becomes that level of player instead of already being that level of player.  Payton Kirkland is a massive human being that plays as tough as he looks, but I'm not sure he has the feet to play tackle at the college level.  Compare Kirkland's tape to Kelvin Bank's senior season:  SENIOR SZN HIGHLIGHTS - Kelvin Banks jr highlights - Hudl.  00:35, 3:10, and 4:40 show some beautiful pass protection and at 1:03 there is a literal murder caught on film.  Now, I know we can't expect everyone to be Kelvin Banks, but I think the comparison is useful to see Kirkland's shortcomings so far.  There's not a whole lot of tape on Kirkland pulling, getting to the second level, finding guys in space, or stonewalling in pass protection.  He's just lining up and mauling dudes half his size.  Maybe we see more of his game in senior season tape but it's not on HUDL so I haven't seen it.  I love Connor Stroh's senior highlights:  2022 Senior Season Highlights - Connor Stroh highlights - Hudl.  He's consistently finding guys in space and at the second level to block.  There's also some nice pass protection moments in there at 2:39 and 5:45. He's still got a long way to go regarding footwork and technique but I could see him taking the Christian Jones developmental path.  Andre Cojoe is a poor man's Payton Kirkland and he's carrying a lot of bad weight in his senior tape.  You need a lot of faith in Kyle Flood to see Cojoe as a take.

Honestly, this is a bit of a disappointing haul.  There are excuses: 2023 was clearly a down year for offensive linemen in Texas, the 2022 OL class was so good that it scared off elite linemen who wanted quick playing time, the coaches were looking for developmental guys to sit behind the 2022 OLs, etc.  I also can't recall us "missing" on anyone as the coaching staff locked the OL guys down pretty quickly and seemed to focus on other areas.  I wish we had made finding a surefire offensive tackle more of a priority, even considering last year's class.  We're a few key injuries/portal entries away from the dark times again, we need to keep the cupboard as stocked as possible.

Overall Thoughts on the 2023 Offensive Class

Listen, we got the number 1 recruit/top QB in the class, top RB in the class, the best WR in Texas, and a lot of useful toys to go along with them.  Could I piss and moan about the WRs we didn't get or that the OL class isn't loaded with five stars?  Sure.  And I kinda did already.  But this is still a really good class and, when viewed in context with the 2022 class, addressed our roster needs very well.   

[allrightallrightallright 67]

Why would ND get investigated re: Bowen?  Pretty clear they are playing a similar game to Texas.  If there is any school outside of stanford and the ivys that aren't playing a pay for play it's ND.  What probably happened is that when Dante Moore flipped to UCLA it freed up some capital that Oregon spread around hence all of the flips

[Kormit The Frug 134]

21 minutes ago, allrightallrightallright said:

Why would ND get investigated re: Bowen?  Pretty clear they are playing a similar game to Texas.  If there is any school outside of stanford and the ivys that aren't playing a pay for play it's ND.  What probably happened is that when Dante Moore flipped to UCLA it freed up some capital that Oregon spread around hence all of the flips

Don't forget about Clemson dude. Dabo built that team on NIL, not NIL. 

[Elmer_Fudd 22204]

 

[Ricky's one-hitter 9084]

28 minutes ago, Fumbles said:

I know we're still hanging around the rim with some guys, but we've got NSD in the books and 22 signees (plus 2 transfers so far).  Let's take stock of what we got, starting with the offense.

QB - Arch Manning

Misses - Don't care, got Arch.

Best player on the board at the most important position in football.  I haven't watched film on the other top QBs in this cycle to know what we're missing out on because I don't care.  Arch is fantastic prospect and he would deserve his ranking if his name was Archquavious Jones.

RB - Cedric Baxter, Tre Wisner

Misses - Rueben Owens

I love Cedric's film and I love that we pulled him out of Florida.  Dude is a power runner with top end speed and some nice shake for his size.  I can't believe there are recruiting services who don't think he's the best running back in the country.  Tre Wisner is a nice complementary piece with a lot of versatility.   Owens would have been an even better lightning to Baxter's thunder, but he also seemed like a headcase who didn't want to share carries or the spotlight.  If I had to choose between Owens and Baxter, I take Baxter every time.

WR - Johntay Cook, Ryan Niblett

Misses - Jalen Hale, Jaquaize Petteway, Jaden Greathouse, DeAndre Moore (maybe?), Ja'Kobi Lane (maybe?)

I'm excited about Johntay Cook and think he's one of the very few guys who could contribute as a true freshman depending on how the WR room develops in the offseason.  He's a polished route runner, has great speed, and his film shows solid hands.  Niblett is a super athletic project who has all the tools to become a great slot receiver.  Two great recruiting wins against some very stiff competition.

The problem is both Cook and Niblett are under 6 feet and neither shows much of an ability to win contested balls on film.  Enter Jalen Hale.  Go watch his junior season highlights:  Jalen Hale - Longview - 2021 Junior Season Highlights (247sports.com).  Nearly every catch is him adjusting to poorly thrown balls, high-pointing, and fighting for the catch.  It's a skill that is woefully missing from this recruiting class and the WR room on campus right now.   Hale would have been the perfect player to round out this WR class and, in my opinion, is the worst miss of the cycle.  We really could have used him.  Jaden Greathouse is a really well-rounded player, good routes, good hands, good size, decent speed, and has a lot of nasty blocks on film.  I'm not gonna dickride him like I did Hale, but I like his game and wish we would have made him more of a priority.  Petteway is a good player, but between Cook and Niblett I think we have his skillset covered in the class.

I'm happy with who we got, but I think the misses really hurt here.  Maybe we can make up for it with Moore or Lane, but neither of those guys is bringing what Hale has to the table.

TE - Spencer Shannon, Will Randle

Misses - Duce Robinson (maybe?), Ka'Morreun Pimpton

Spencer Shannon's film shows a technically competent blocker with a great frame for physical development.  And he caught a few balls on slant routes for like 40 yards.  Hopefully he eventually wins the Geoff Swaim Memorial Extra Blocking Surface Award for providing outstanding value to the team that no one cares about.  Will Randle only makes sense to me as a take if he was necessary to secure Arch Manning.  If we just needed a guy with Will Randle's skillset, there are 10 dudes as good or better than him in Texas every year.

Pimpton and Robinson would have been nice additions, but I'm not losing sleep over either of them.  I would have been perfectly happy with Shannon as the only TE take this cycle.

OL - Jaydon Chatman, Trevor Goosby, Payton Kirkland, Connor Stroh, Andre Cojoe

Chatman is an excellent player that's a solid take in any class.  Trevor Goosby is a lean, athletic player with a great frame that has the skillset to play outside.  His upside is Connor Williams/Sam Cosmi.  His downside is the fact that we have to hope he becomes that level of player instead of already being that level of player.  Payton Kirkland is a massive human being that plays as tough as he looks, but I'm not sure he has the feet to play tackle at the college level.  Compare Kirkland's tape to Kelvin Bank's senior season:  SENIOR SZN HIGHLIGHTS - Kelvin Banks jr highlights - Hudl.  00:35, 3:10, and 4:40 show some beautiful pass protection and at 1:03 there is a literal murder caught on film.  Now, I know we can't expect everyone to be Kelvin Banks, but I think the comparison is useful to see Kirkland's shortcomings so far.  There's not a whole lot of tape on Kirkland pulling, getting to the second level, finding guys in space, or stonewalling in pass protection.  He's just lining up and mauling dudes half his size.  Maybe we see more of his game in senior season tape but it's not on HUDL so I haven't seen it.  I love Connor Stroh's senior highlights:  2022 Senior Season Highlights - Connor Stroh highlights - Hudl.  He's consistently finding guys in space and at the second level to block.  There's also some nice pass protection moments in there at 2:39 and 5:45. He's still got a long way to go regarding footwork and technique but I could see him taking the Christian Jones developmental path.  Andre Cojoe is a poor man's Payton Kirkland and he's carrying a lot of bad weight in his senior tape.  You need a lot of faith in Kyle Flood to see Cojoe as a take.

Honestly, this is a bit of a disappointing haul.  There are excuses: 2023 was clearly a down year for offensive linemen in Texas, the 2022 OL class was so good that it scared off elite linemen who wanted quick playing time, the coaches were looking for developmental guys to sit behind the 2022 OLs, etc.  I also can't recall us "missing" on anyone as the coaching staff locked the OL guys down pretty quickly and seemed to focus on other areas.  I wish we had made finding a surefire offensive tackle more of a priority, even considering last year's class.  We're a few key injuries/portal entries away from the dark times again, we need to keep the cupboard as stocked as possible.

Overall Thoughts on the 2023 Offensive Class

Listen, we got the number 1 recruit/top QB in the class, top RB in the class, the best WR in Texas, and a lot of useful toys to go along with them.  Could I piss and moan about the WRs we didn't get or that the OL class isn't loaded with five stars?  Sure.  And I kinda did already.  But this is still a really good class and, when viewed in context with the 2022 class, addressed our roster needs very well.   

 

[BornAndRaised 12281]

37 minutes ago, Fumbles said:

I know we're still hanging around the rim with some guys, but we've got NSD in the books and 22 signees (plus 2 transfers so far).  Let's take stock of what we got, starting with the offense.

QB - Arch Manning

Misses - Don't care, got Arch.

Best player on the board at the most important position in football.  I haven't watched film on the other top QBs in this cycle to know what we're missing out on because I don't care.  Arch is fantastic prospect and he would deserve his ranking if his name was Archquavious Jones.

RB - Cedric Baxter, Tre Wisner

Misses - Rueben Owens

I love Cedric's film and I love that we pulled him out of Florida.  Dude is a power runner with top end speed and some nice shake for his size.  I can't believe there are recruiting services who don't think he's the best running back in the country.  Tre Wisner is a nice complementary piece with a lot of versatility.   Owens would have been an even better lightning to Baxter's thunder, but he also seemed like a headcase who didn't want to share carries or the spotlight.  If I had to choose between Owens and Baxter, I take Baxter every time.

WR - Johntay Cook, Ryan Niblett

Misses - Jalen Hale, Jaquaize Petteway, Jaden Greathouse, DeAndre Moore (maybe?), Ja'Kobi Lane (maybe?)

I'm excited about Johntay Cook and think he's one of the very few guys who could contribute as a true freshman depending on how the WR room develops in the offseason.  He's a polished route runner, has great speed, and his film shows solid hands.  Niblett is a super athletic project who has all the tools to become a great slot receiver.  Two great recruiting wins against some very stiff competition.

The problem is both Cook and Niblett are under 6 feet and neither shows much of an ability to win contested balls on film.  Enter Jalen Hale.  Go watch his junior season highlights:  Jalen Hale - Longview - 2021 Junior Season Highlights (247sports.com).  Nearly every catch is him adjusting to poorly thrown balls, high-pointing, and fighting for the catch.  It's a skill that is woefully missing from this recruiting class and the WR room on campus right now.   Hale would have been the perfect player to round out this WR class and, in my opinion, is the worst miss of the cycle.  We really could have used him.  Jaden Greathouse is a really well-rounded player, good routes, good hands, good size, decent speed, and has a lot of nasty blocks on film.  I'm not gonna dickride him like I did Hale, but I like his game and wish we would have made him more of a priority.  Petteway is a good player, but between Cook and Niblett I think we have his skillset covered in the class.

I'm happy with who we got, but I think the misses really hurt here.  Maybe we can make up for it with Moore or Lane, but neither of those guys is bringing what Hale has to the table.

TE - Spencer Shannon, Will Randle

Misses - Duce Robinson (maybe?), Ka'Morreun Pimpton

Spencer Shannon's film shows a technically competent blocker with a great frame for physical development.  And he caught a few balls on slant routes for like 40 yards.  Hopefully he eventually wins the Geoff Swaim Memorial Extra Blocking Surface Award for providing outstanding value to the team that no one cares about.  Will Randle only makes sense to me as a take if he was necessary to secure Arch Manning.  If we just needed a guy with Will Randle's skillset, there are 10 dudes as good or better than him in Texas every year.

Pimpton and Robinson would have been nice additions, but I'm not losing sleep over either of them.  I would have been perfectly happy with Shannon as the only TE take this cycle.

OL - Jaydon Chatman, Trevor Goosby, Payton Kirkland, Connor Stroh, Andre Cojoe

Chatman is an excellent player that's a solid take in any class.  Trevor Goosby is a lean, athletic player with a great frame that has the skillset to play outside.  His upside is Connor Williams/Sam Cosmi.  His downside is the fact that we have to hope he becomes that level of player instead of already being that level of player.  Payton Kirkland is a massive human being that plays as tough as he looks, but I'm not sure he has the feet to play tackle at the college level.  Compare Kirkland's tape to Kelvin Bank's senior season:  SENIOR SZN HIGHLIGHTS - Kelvin Banks jr highlights - Hudl.  00:35, 3:10, and 4:40 show some beautiful pass protection and at 1:03 there is a literal murder caught on film.  Now, I know we can't expect everyone to be Kelvin Banks, but I think the comparison is useful to see Kirkland's shortcomings so far.  There's not a whole lot of tape on Kirkland pulling, getting to the second level, finding guys in space, or stonewalling in pass protection.  He's just lining up and mauling dudes half his size.  Maybe we see more of his game in senior season tape but it's not on HUDL so I haven't seen it.  I love Connor Stroh's senior highlights:  2022 Senior Season Highlights - Connor Stroh highlights - Hudl.  He's consistently finding guys in space and at the second level to block.  There's also some nice pass protection moments in there at 2:39 and 5:45. He's still got a long way to go regarding footwork and technique but I could see him taking the Christian Jones developmental path.  Andre Cojoe is a poor man's Payton Kirkland and he's carrying a lot of bad weight in his senior tape.  You need a lot of faith in Kyle Flood to see Cojoe as a take.

Honestly, this is a bit of a disappointing haul.  There are excuses: 2023 was clearly a down year for offensive linemen in Texas, the 2022 OL class was so good that it scared off elite linemen who wanted quick playing time, the coaches were looking for developmental guys to sit behind the 2022 OLs, etc.  I also can't recall us "missing" on anyone as the coaching staff locked the OL guys down pretty quickly and seemed to focus on other areas.  I wish we had made finding a surefire offensive tackle more of a priority, even considering last year's class.  We're a few key injuries/portal entries away from the dark times again, we need to keep the cupboard as stocked as possible.

Overall Thoughts on the 2023 Offensive Class

Listen, we got the number 1 recruit/top QB in the class, top RB in the class, the best WR in Texas, and a lot of useful toys to go along with them.  Could I piss and moan about the WRs we didn't get or that the OL class isn't loaded with five stars?  Sure.  And I kinda did already.  But this is still a really good class and, when viewed in context with the 2022 class, addressed our roster needs very well.   

Strong post from a newish poster. I would argue that with the portal dates coming up, our WR misses aren't that drastic. I'm not sure how much you've read or checked back on the board. Greathouse wouldn't call Freeman up to decommit, even though he wanted to come to Texas, he didn't want to tell ND no. Also, if i remember correctly, the associated NIL price tag with Hale got driven up in the 11th hour to something our side wasn't comfortable with, relative to expected portal options. Otherwise good summarization.

[Michael Knight 12977]

Everyone arguing about a recruit playing games and stringing schools along are forgetting a key component of NIL, the image. Eventually they want to see some sort of return on all this and some bitch like Bowen or Mcclain isn't gonna have the image that people want their endorsements associated with they would rather throw their money at Bijan or Young. College football is now pro sports and with real money involved shenanigans will be tolerated much less because none of these recruits have proven anything on the field to warrant that kind of investment. This shit will get normalized and like everything else the money is going to get concentrated at the top on proven assets

[DanTheHorn 4919]

44 minutes ago, Fumbles said:

Pimpton and Robinson would have been nice additions, but I'm not losing sleep over either of them.  I would have been perfectly happy with Shannon as the only TE take this cycle.

The only reason you are not losing sleep over Robinson is because we have never really had a chance. If we were in an actual competition for his services he would be a big miss.

[RGBIII 22838]

1 hour ago, Okcool said:

Have you heard anything from Andrew or others @LHF about Texas One Fund counting towards loyalty points with the LHF? Just curious if that’s on the table or been discussed.

Working on it. Definitely top of our list, it’s more about tax implications than anything 

1 hour ago, allrightallrightallright said:

Why would ND get investigated re: Bowen?  Pretty clear they are playing a similar game to Texas.  If there is any school outside of stanford and the ivys that aren't playing a pay for play it's ND.  What probably happened is that when Dante Moore flipped to UCLA it freed up some capital that Oregon spread around hence all of the flips

They won’t get punished but the whole situation will be investigated (probably) and they are a part of it

[Bevo 13570]

1 hour ago, immamac said:

Burnt ends isn't a collective.

Surly charges subscriptions for access to certain content. 

That revenue gets paid out as NIL for promotional content and content generation to players. 

It's a straight up commercial entity doing NIL deals just like Dr pepper. 

I would guess that there is some revenue difference between you and the doctor. This Dr. Pepper is probably pretty rich, like at least double what that rich nurse on here makes. Look, all I’m saying is that when you say we are just like Dr. Pepper:  

 

[Tex Pete 20339]

2 hours ago, closetojumping said:

 

Scholarships, cool. My “worthless” comment touches more on their overall indifference in even being willing to let NIL folks make a pitch. The original take from leadership around the fall of 2021 was even worse, in which they said they were going to run an NIL program too and then tried stir up shit with the AD about what we were actually doing. They never did shit on the NIL front and haven’t been otherwise helpful. I get that it’s not their remit, but we weren’t asking them for money, either. I stand by my position as it pertains to NIL.

Right. Noble business, to be sure, but absolutely emblematic of the problem we have in achieving athletic excellence (particularly in football) at the University of Texas.

This is a discussion about NIL and we are busy sniffing farts about what Texas Exes is doing for academics. We can have both.

[allrightallrightallright 67]

14 minutes ago, RGBIII said:

Working on it. Definitely top of our list, it’s more about tax implications than anything 

They won’t get punished but the whole situation will be investigated (probably) and they are a part of it

'Let us unpack why you lost a player committed to you for over year...what did you do illegal?'  nah, listen to Freemans interview today...ND and Texas aren't paying 'aquisition fees'.  others are...it's that simple

[Ricky's one-hitter 9084]

9 minutes ago, Bevo said:

I would guess that there is some revenue difference between you and the doctor. This Dr. Pepper is probably pretty rich, like at least double what that rich nurse on here makes. Look, all I’m saying is that when you say we are just like Dr. Pepper:  

 

Your shitposting has really gotten out of hand. 

[Hiphopopotamos 20869]

Deandre Moore posted this to Instagram about an hour ago.  Post was like by Brennan Marion for what its worth.

Did he make a decision?

Edited December 22, 2022 by Hiphopopotamos

[Junior Bonner 6242]

12 minutes ago, Hiphopopotamos said:

Deandre Moore posted this to Instagram about an hour ago.  Post was like by Brennan Marion for what its worth.

Did he make a decision?

[Fumbles 299]

40 minutes ago, DanTheHorn said:

The only reason you are not losing sleep over Robinson is because we have never really had a chance. If we were in an actual competition for his services he would be a big miss.

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.

[Zhorn96 1773]

16 minutes ago, Hiphopopotamos said:

Deandre Moore posted this to Instagram about an hour ago.  Post was like by Brennan Marion for what its worth.

Did he make a decision?

And will we respect it?

[Mikey4 2476]

8 minutes ago, Zhorn96 said:

And will we respect it?

Depends on what it is. Duh.

[Snotrocket 108]

1 hour ago, Fumbles said:

I know we're still hanging around the rim with some guys, but we've got NSD in the books and 22 signees (plus 2 transfers so far).  Let's take stock of what we got, starting with the offense.

QB - Arch Manning

Misses - Don't care, got Arch.

Best player on the board at the most important position in football.  I haven't watched film on the other top QBs in this cycle to know what we're missing out on because I don't care.  Arch is fantastic prospect and he would deserve his ranking if his name was Archquavious Jones.

RB - Cedric Baxter, Tre Wisner

Misses - Rueben Owens

I love Cedric's film and I love that we pulled him out of Florida.  Dude is a power runner with top end speed and some nice shake for his size.  I can't believe there are recruiting services who don't think he's the best running back in the country.  Tre Wisner is a nice complementary piece with a lot of versatility.   Owens would have been an even better lightning to Baxter's thunder, but he also seemed like a headcase who didn't want to share carries or the spotlight.  If I had to choose between Owens and Baxter, I take Baxter every time.

WR - Johntay Cook, Ryan Niblett

Misses - Jalen Hale, Jaquaize Petteway, Jaden Greathouse, DeAndre Moore (maybe?), Ja'Kobi Lane (maybe?)

I'm excited about Johntay Cook and think he's one of the very few guys who could contribute as a true freshman depending on how the WR room develops in the offseason.  He's a polished route runner, has great speed, and his film shows solid hands.  Niblett is a super athletic project who has all the tools to become a great slot receiver.  Two great recruiting wins against some very stiff competition.

The problem is both Cook and Niblett are under 6 feet and neither shows much of an ability to win contested balls on film.  Enter Jalen Hale.  Go watch his junior season highlights:  Jalen Hale - Longview - 2021 Junior Season Highlights (247sports.com).  Nearly every catch is him adjusting to poorly thrown balls, high-pointing, and fighting for the catch.  It's a skill that is woefully missing from this recruiting class and the WR room on campus right now.   Hale would have been the perfect player to round out this WR class and, in my opinion, is the worst miss of the cycle.  We really could have used him.  Jaden Greathouse is a really well-rounded player, good routes, good hands, good size, decent speed, and has a lot of nasty blocks on film.  I'm not gonna dickride him like I did Hale, but I like his game and wish we would have made him more of a priority.  Petteway is a good player, but between Cook and Niblett I think we have his skillset covered in the class.

I'm happy with who we got, but I think the misses really hurt here.  Maybe we can make up for it with Moore or Lane, but neither of those guys is bringing what Hale has to the table.

TE - Spencer Shannon, Will Randle

Misses - Duce Robinson (maybe?), Ka'Morreun Pimpton

Spencer Shannon's film shows a technically competent blocker with a great frame for physical development.  And he caught a few balls on slant routes for like 40 yards.  Hopefully he eventually wins the Geoff Swaim Memorial Extra Blocking Surface Award for providing outstanding value to the team that no one cares about.  Will Randle only makes sense to me as a take if he was necessary to secure Arch Manning.  If we just needed a guy with Will Randle's skillset, there are 10 dudes as good or better than him in Texas every year.

Pimpton and Robinson would have been nice additions, but I'm not losing sleep over either of them.  I would have been perfectly happy with Shannon as the only TE take this cycle.

OL - Jaydon Chatman, Trevor Goosby, Payton Kirkland, Connor Stroh, Andre Cojoe

Chatman is an excellent player that's a solid take in any class.  Trevor Goosby is a lean, athletic player with a great frame that has the skillset to play outside.  His upside is Connor Williams/Sam Cosmi.  His downside is the fact that we have to hope he becomes that level of player instead of already being that level of player.  Payton Kirkland is a massive human being that plays as tough as he looks, but I'm not sure he has the feet to play tackle at the college level.  Compare Kirkland's tape to Kelvin Bank's senior season:  SENIOR SZN HIGHLIGHTS - Kelvin Banks jr highlights - Hudl.  00:35, 3:10, and 4:40 show some beautiful pass protection and at 1:03 there is a literal murder caught on film.  Now, I know we can't expect everyone to be Kelvin Banks, but I think the comparison is useful to see Kirkland's shortcomings so far.  There's not a whole lot of tape on Kirkland pulling, getting to the second level, finding guys in space, or stonewalling in pass protection.  He's just lining up and mauling dudes half his size.  Maybe we see more of his game in senior season tape but it's not on HUDL so I haven't seen it.  I love Connor Stroh's senior highlights:  2022 Senior Season Highlights - Connor Stroh highlights - Hudl.  He's consistently finding guys in space and at the second level to block.  There's also some nice pass protection moments in there at 2:39 and 5:45. He's still got a long way to go regarding footwork and technique but I could see him taking the Christian Jones developmental path.  Andre Cojoe is a poor man's Payton Kirkland and he's carrying a lot of bad weight in his senior tape.  You need a lot of faith in Kyle Flood to see Cojoe as a take.

Honestly, this is a bit of a disappointing haul.  There are excuses: 2023 was clearly a down year for offensive linemen in Texas, the 2022 OL class was so good that it scared off elite linemen who wanted quick playing time, the coaches were looking for developmental guys to sit behind the 2022 OLs, etc.  I also can't recall us "missing" on anyone as the coaching staff locked the OL guys down pretty quickly and seemed to focus on other areas.  I wish we had made finding a surefire offensive tackle more of a priority, even considering last year's class.  We're a few key injuries/portal entries away from the dark times again, we need to keep the cupboard as stocked as possible.

Overall Thoughts on the 2023 Offensive Class

Listen, we got the number 1 recruit/top QB in the class, top RB in the class, the best WR in Texas, and a lot of useful toys to go along with them.  Could I piss and moan about the WRs we didn't get or that the OL class isn't loaded with five stars?  Sure.  And I kinda did already.  But this is still a really good class and, when viewed in context with the 2022 class, addressed our roster needs very well.   

This class is a little disappointing ?  Spare me the everything is crap, I want to make friends and gather pos rep by the truckload bullshit.  I kind of see it differently.  I see a class with excellent pieces and a few hidden gems, plus we have the portal to look forward to.  They are all longhorns now so I'll take every single one of them.   Your take is to negative.  Pos rep for the research and facts you gave.  Neg rep for the depressing over the top dysphoria.

 

 

 

[RomaVicta 29902]

God doesn't give a shit. If He doesn't, I'm having trouble donating any shit either.

You're a fucking high school football player who has been a functoning human for about 7 years. Fuch your journey and how you've had to go out take what you wanted.

It's a narrow view of Moore's mind, but it's not very favorable. 

[Vertigo 20276]

2 hours ago, immamac said:

Burnt ends isn't a collective.

Surly charges subscriptions for access to certain content. 

That revenue gets paid out as NIL for promotional content and content generation to players. 

It's a straight up commercial entity doing NIL deals just like Dr pepper. 

Yeah, well I never got my shirt. 

[honolulu horn 6158]

11 minutes ago, RomaVicta said:

God doesn't give a shit. If He doesn't, I'm having trouble donating any shit either.

You're a fucking high school football player who has been a functoning human for about 7 years. Fuch your journey and how you've had to go out take what you wanted.

It's a narrow view of Moore's mind, but it's not very favorable. 

Geez, tough crowd

[Fumbles 299]

7 minutes ago, Snotrocket said:

This class is a little disappointing ?  Spare me the everything is crap, I want to make friends and gather pos rep by the truckload bullshit.  I kind of see it differently.  I see a class with excellent pieces and a few hidden gems, plus we have the portal to look forward to.  They are all longhorns now so I'll take every single one of them.   Your take is to negative.  Pos rep for the research and facts you gave.  Neg rep for the depressing over the top dysphoria. 

 

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.

[Rickylovesweed 14262]

The Akana family-

*Keonilei Akana left Nebraska in the dust and transferred to Texas. After making the national title match the year before at Nebraska. 

*She then helped Texas win a national title in volleyball and her service ace was the final point in the national championship match. 

*Tausili Akana then led OU on in recruiting and signed with Texas. 

This family is really trying to get a building named after them. 

 

[Rockwell Torrey 1280]

18 minutes ago, RomaVicta said:

God doesn't give a shit. If He doesn't, I'm having trouble donating any shit either.

You're a fucking high school football player who has been a functoning human for about 7 years. Fuch your journey and how you've had to go out take what you wanted.

It's a narrow view of Moore's mind, but it's not very favorable. 

Are you Dabo’s sock?

[BurntOrange&White 39930]

52 minutes ago, Fumbles said:

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.

Duce is a sure fire first rounder 

[TexasEx 1667]

31 minutes ago, Rickylovesweed said:

The Akana family-

*Keonilei Akana left Nebraska in the dust and transferred to Texas. After making the national title match the year before at Nebraska. 

*She then helped Texas win a national title in volleyball and her service ace was the final point in the national championship match. 

*Tausili Akana then led OU on in recruiting and signed with Texas. 

This family is really trying to get a building named after them. 

 

Akana wanna give it to them too. 

[FloridaHorn 4753]

41 minutes ago, Vertigo said:

Yeah, well I never got my shirt. 

Sounds like you are being processed.

[OB3 3608]