Texas D-Line Talk

[LTtxfan 49,356]

Thanks for this @Machinator

What do those who were on the inside think? The Athletic spoke to four members of Texas’ 2020 staff who were granted anonymity in return for offering a clear picture of what Sarkisian inherits on the Longhorns’ roster.

Strength in the middle on D
The Longhorns should return a lot of talent on the interior of their defensive line, and in 2020 the program brought in two four-star in-state defensive linemen who have generated a lot of enthusiasm. Alfred Collins, ranked No. 63 overall in the Class of 2020, embraced a move inside and bypassed the competition at three-technique. Collins was getting around 30 snaps a game for much of the season but then played about 50 snaps in the Alamo Bowl. He is further along than Vernon Broughton, who was No. 123 in the Class of 2020.

Both were recruited as defensive ends for Todd Orlando’s system and then were asked to shift inside for Chris Ash’s defense. That position switch required a mindset adjustment.

“Collins is more athletic and twitchier than Broughton,” Coach Four said. “He’s the better pass rusher. He can make guards and centers look silly. Alfred ran as well, if not better than, the edge guys we had. Vernon’s got good length and athleticism.

Nose tackles Keondre Coburn and T’Vondre Sweat are a capable tandem. “Both are too heavy,” Coach Four said. “Sweat will be a better pro. He has more length and is naturally strong. You can’t move him. He’s like a big tree in there. Keondre loves football. We felt like people couldn’t run up the middle on us.”

“They can be pretty salty on the interior,” said Coach One. “Alfred Collins is a potential first-round defensive tackle. He’s 6-5, 310, and his 10-yard times were better than most of the linebackers.

“T’Vondre Sweat could be an NFL player, but he has to lose weight. He was 348. He needs to get under 330. Broughton, the jury’s still out on him. He’s talented but he doesn’t move anything like Alfred.”

New arrivals at defensive end
The Longhorns’ options at defensive end are less proven, thanks in part to the recent scheme shifts and the prior staff’s limited success in identifying edge rushers. Joseph Ossai, who led the team with 16 tackles for loss and five sacks, is off to the NFL. “He played harder than everybody else,” said Coach Four.

A walk-on linebacker, Jett Bush, became a backup defensive end. A reserve tight end, Reese Leitao, saw extensive action at defensive end. “Moro Ojomo isn’t a defensive end, but we had to play him there,” said Coach One. “We had one true defensive end body, Jacoby Jones, out there and he got better as the year went on. He’s an above-average player.”

The 6-3, 276-pound Ojomo did make some plays and finished second on the team in sacks, but it only took him two to get that high on the leaderboard. “He works his ass off,” said Coach Four.

In an attempt to remedy the issues at defensive end, Sarkisian signed David Abiarra, a three-star 6-4, 245-pound recruit, welcomed in LSU grad transfer Ray Thornton and received a verbal commitment from Notre Dame grad transfer Ovie Oghoufo.

“We really believe (Abiarra) can grow into a 265-270-pound defensive end,” Sarkisian told us on the podcast. “The key to the drill there is understanding our style and (new defensive coordinator Pete) Kwiatkowski’s style of play when he was at Washington. That hybrid defensive end that can also play stand-up outside linebacker. It’s a big component to generating the pass rush but also the versatility.”

One intriguing option as an edge rusher is the Longhorns’ top-rated signee: Ja’Tavion Sanders, a 6-3, 235-pound athlete who caught 63 passes for 1,156 yards and 15 touchdowns for a state championship team at Denton Ryan last fall but also piled up 23.5 sacks as a sophomore and junior. On The Audible, Sarkisian talked about the prospect of Sanders having a two-way role in Austin as something he’s considering.

“I had this discussion with J.T. when I took the job: ‘Hey, clearly you can play on either side of the ball. Let us get through spring practice and really assess what are the needs on the roster.’” Sarkisian said. “We took a grad transfer, Ray Thornton from LSU, who fills that role as an OLB, DE; David Abiarra who we just signed, kind of fits that mode. When J.T. comes here in the summer, wherever that need is will be the focus of where he starts, but all that being said, when I had Austin Seferian-Jenkins at Washington, he played tight end but we also played him as a third-down pass rusher. We had John Ross on offense, but we played him at nickel on third down. When we signed Adoree’ (Jackson, at USC), he started at corner as a true freshman but we played him 8-10 snaps a game on offense. This isn’t foreign to me, to kinda go down that road with some of these players who have that ability, and I think J.T. does. How it will all play out, I think time will tell. But I won’t shy away from that if he’s capable enough to do it.”

[LTtxfan 49,356]

Thx for this @Machinator 

(Scipio Tex) 2021 Recruiting Class Final Thoughts: The Underestimated

But this group (2021 Class) has a potentially better collective floor than conventional wisdom holds and there are some individuals who can play much better football than their rankings suggest. Don't let the Herman hangover poison your mind or attitude.

Here are some 2021 signees you shouldn't sleep on...

DT Byron Murphy - 3 star, #56 player in Texas

Murphy is 6 feet even but carries his weight well. You will hear Poona Ford comps, but Poona was actually a freakier athlete, though shorter. Murphy shares the same dawg mentality though. That matters.

I prefer long DL and Alfred Collins is my model, but here's the deal: if a short guy at any DL spot has a huge motor, first step quickness, and the ability to break down a larger OL's arms in extension, they're a freaking nightmare for less athletic guards and centers. A short DL "space eater" can be rendered useless athlete against modern offenses. Murphy is not that guy. Folks portraying him that way don't understand line play. Murphy has motor, quickness, and he never stops moving his feet. Develop his power and max him out at a rock hard 290 and we're cooking with gas. But let's not chunk him out. If he puts on bad weight, he's a JAG.

Think Andrew Billings from Baylor (absent the incredible powerlifting numbers). Ignore his 5.0 40. Pay attention to that 31 inch vertical. Bursty.

Murphy has a huge chip on his shoulder. Don't underestimate the power of that in a DL recruit.

DL Jordon Thomas, low 4 star #45 in Texas
DL David Abiara, 3 star, #62 in Texas
DL Barryn Sorrell, 3 star, #21 in Louisiana

Same, same but different. Three guys lumped together? What kind of weak hedge is this? I'll explain.

I'm not saying all three will pan. DL don't pan for reasons off the field as often as on it. But I will tell you that absent landing the elite guys, these are the kinds of prospects Texas should be taking on the DL as secondary and tertiary options. Each player has some individuality: Abiara is the strongest and most imposing, Thomas is the most consistent dawg (not many soft dudes from Port A in my experience), Sorrell is the most sushi raw with interesting flashes, but all three share one key commonality: they're tweenerish edge guys who can move, have big frames, and have the highest level starter potential inside.

They're all athletic enough to play credibly outside. But I want to see them fill out and attack the passer and running game from a 3 or 5 technique.

Might each player be rated appropriately individually? Sure. Though I'd quibble on Abiara if his off field issue was a one off. But this is a collective trait bet. These are the right kinds of takes of the available options.

[LTtxfan 49,356]

Thx @Machinator 

IT Team Notes... D-line

*The defensive line, including OLB’s, is: X Ray Thornton, DT Moro Ojomo, NT Keondre Coburn, Jack Jacoby Jones. Some notes, here: Jones is proving to be a worker in the weight room and with Pete Kwiatkowski getting a lot out of that position there are some thoughts he has an NFL future. Thornton is also a worker who came in with a leader‘s mindset. Prince Dorbah is behind Thornton and weighs in the 235-240 range. By no means is he chopped liver, but Ojomo is just in place of Alfred Collins who is nursing something minor. T’Vondre Sweat is still rehabbing his shoulder but is out there with the ”twos” behind Coburn.

 

[LTtxfan 49,356]

 

[LTtxfan 49,356]

Thx for this TARS...   (Eric Nahlin) Spring Roster Audit: Defense

Defensive Line

Keondre Coburn: A clean and easy fit, Coburn is the defender closest to the ball whether in a three- or four-man front. If he loses 20-25 pounds he’ll see a jump in his already quality play. An oddity, Coburn’s motor runs hot regardless of how big he is, the question becomes how long can he run? Depth helps his effectiveness but he needs to take a little more ownership in his body. He seems to be doing that.

T’Vondre Sweat: Sweat plays the same 1-tech/NT role Coburn does and the same applies to weight loss. Behind the scenes Sweat is viewed as talented enough to play at Bama. Improved conditioning will make him more consistent. He’s still nursing a shoulder injury suffered last year and will be limited in camp.

Moro Ojomo: Ojomo will likely be the first guy out there at 3-tech with Alfred Collins’ wrist still not 100%. PK seems to prefer big bodies in the interior and that’s not Ojomo. It’s conceivable he’s a guy who moves around and also plays Jack, similar to him playing defensive end last year. He showed improvement as the season wore on.

Alfred Collins: A wrist injury can’t slow his momentum off a strong freshman year. He’s one of the most talented underclassmen in the country and will start at 3-tech when he’s healthy. We’ll get a better idea of his health in the coming days.

Sawyer Goram-Welch: Played sparingly as a freshman but didn’t look out of place. 3-tech is his best fit on defense.

Vernon Broughton: The talented freshman had a quiet year, but that was predicted given his need for development and the depth in front him. Expect more of a breakout this season, but his junior year is where he’ll really take off. He’ll be a 3-tech but could also play Jack on running downs.

Myron Warren: His stay in the El Portal Motel was short-lived and he returned to the program.

Jack/X-backer

Jacoby Jones: Jones is presented with a golden opportunity at Jack. PK’s reputation for teaching and developing the position is a much-deserved break for the former Juco product. He should be the best pass rusher Texas has at the position, but it’s still unknown how good he’ll be. This is a big spring for him from a developmental standpoint.

Ray Thornton: Thornton will likely bounce between X-backer, which is the smaller OLB, and Jack, the more traditional defensive end. He doesn’t carry a ton of weight but he’s a very strong 6-foot-3.5 and 240+ pounds. He wasn’t overly productive at LSU, but he had NFL guys ahead of him and he did play.

Prince Dorbah: At a minimum, Dorbah needs to prove himself as a pass rusher to give the defense some burst off the edge. He’ll have plenty of opportunity, but will he be prepared?

Derrick Harris Jr: He’s still not 100% healthy after season-ending knee surgery last fall but he’s getting close.

[LTtxfan 49,356]

Stud...

 

[LTtxfan 49,356]

Thx to TARS for this...

IT:  Coaching Clinics

Bo Davis was an old school, fundamentals-based coach in his presentation. He was spitting chew and raspily going over drills and film from the early 2010s Texas defensive line with Kheeston Randall and Dez Jackson. He also broke down some film from his time with the Detroit Lions film.

Davis' priority was teaching hips, hands, and feet with a variety of drills he insists as being "daily musts" to build muscle memory and the right habits. He had a lot of energy going over film, with a lot of "watch this right here! Look at this right here! Get off his ass right here! I don't want them clicking their heels like Dorothy, that won't take you nowhere good!" (When your feet are close together you lose your power base)

The drills were all built as part of a progression to get the feet right, the hands right, and to build explosion in the hips while executing both 1-gap and 2-gap techniques. He had examples of both, including from the Longhorns he coached back in 2011 when they were stuffing the Kansas State run game. The 1-gap techniques involved attacking half a man while the 2-gap techniques had his players hitting guys in the middle to stack them and then get off the block in the relevant gap.

He didn't have a ton of cut-ups from the current team but in the ones he did he used Vernon Broughton as an example of a guy with some explosive power.

Davis also had a segment on tackling in the backfield, emphasizing his tackles to cover the back's hips with their own so they couldn't use a spin move to get free. After that, a teaching on fighting double teams which involved striking the blocker across from them, throwing their hips into the ”helper” to hold their ground, then working free.

He was asked about teaching pass-rush moves to inside tackles and whether height matters. Davis said he teaches the same thing regardless of height; interior guys often can't flip their hips like outside guys and it becomes about pushing the pocket instead. Attacking half a man and using power to push the pocket, so length is useful but it's still the same fundamentals whether you're tall or not.

[LTtxfan 49,356]

 

[LTtxfan 49,356]

 

[LTtxfan 49,356]

 

[LTtxfan 49,356]

Thx for finding these tweets TARS 🤘 

 

Edited May 30, 2021 by LTtxfan

[LTtxfan 49,356]

SIAP... IT

Big 12 Media Days: Keondre Coburn delivers the goods

Justin Wells     Jul 15, 2021 

The senior defensive tackle has always had a wonderful sense of humor. When Keondre Coburn hit the podium today, it was exactly what you’d expect. 

Coburn spoke on his upcoming senior year, adapting to a new staff, and the hope for 2021. But it was his takes on his teammates and UT coaches that had everyone’s attention. 

On defensive line coach Bo Davis: 

“I wish I could tell you how he really is but that’s Rated R. I wish he was my D-line coach every year. I can’t wait to play for that man.”

On offensive lineman Andrej Karic: 

“I’m not going to say dirty, but he’s nasty. That dude right there is strong, nasty, and that’s an offensive lineman that I like. I’ll go to war with him any time.” 

On the differences between S&C programs under Yancy McKnight and Torre Becton: 

“This year with coach Torre, he’s been real focused on explosion, speed, making sure we’re flexible, and making sure our hips are right.” 

On offensive lineman Christian Jones: 

“Christian (Jones) is probably the best O-lineman that I’ve seen so far.” 

On running back Bijan Robinson:

“He’s an alien. I don’t know where he came from.” 

On defensive lineman Byron Murphy:

“He’s a human pit bull. Strong. Real strong.” 

On defensive lineman T’Vondre Sweat: 

“I thought I was big until I saw him. He makes me look little sometimes. He’s probably one of the best pass-rushers we have on the team, precise in every move.” 

On defensive lineman Alfred Collins: 

“He’s one of the quickest people on the team. That dude loves football. That kid loves football. He loves Austin. He loves Texas.” 

On wide receiver Troy Omeire: 

“I call him ‘Little Julio.’ He was making some great plays in 2020 fall camp before he was injured. He’s got something to prove.”

On defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski: 

“His mindset on the game, the way he schemes, the way he tells us what to do on the field, I love it.”

On defensive back Kitan Crawford: 

“Physical. Physical. Physical. He wants to knock your chest off. Physical. And I love it.” 

On edge-backer Jacoby Jones: 

“He’s got the potential to be a breakout player for the defense this season. He could be one of our best players.” 

[LTtxfan 49,356]

 

[LTtxfan 49,356]

 

[LTtxfan 49,356]

 

[LTtxfan 49,356]

 

 

 

[LTtxfan 49,356]

On 5/19/2021 at 9:45 PM, LTtxfan said:

 

 

 

[LTtxfan 49,356]

On 8/8/2021 at 9:51 PM, LTtxfan said:

 

 

 

Edited August 13, 2021 by LTtxfan

[LTtxfan 49,356]

 

[LTtxfan 49,356]

 

[Bevo14 8,378]

DL is one of the biggest positions of strength on this team. Very excited to see these guys play.

[gmr548 16,616]

 

Maybe he’s just watching Byron Murphy?

[victory88 5,669]

Somehow we probably ended up with the better DT from the Desoto program.  Funny how recruiting works out sometimes considering we lost out on the 5 star to aggy from the same school.  
 

Really excited about Murphy and he’s going to be a perfect fit at nose for PK.

[LTtxfan 49,356]

Only 20 years old... DAMN 🤘

 

[LTtxfan 49,356]

 

[Bevo14 8,378]

12 hours ago, LTtxfan said:

Only 20 years old... DAMN 🤘

 

When does Jake Langi get his Nobel prize for computing Ojomo's age?

[LTtxfan 49,356]

 

[LTtxfan 49,356]

On 8/16/2021 at 8:01 AM, LTtxfan said:

Only 20 years old... DAMN 🤘

 

 

Moro -- quite an impressive 20yr old

 

[Reese Bennett 3,616]

You can tell Moro thinks through his position and defensive philosophies at a level that most don't or can't. Glad to have him on The 40.

[LTtxfan 49,356]

 

[LTtxfan 49,356]

 

Edited August 18, 2021 by LTtxfan

[Bevo14 8,378]

11 hours ago, LTtxfan said:

 

Moro -- quite an impressive 20yr old

 

[LTtxfan 49,356]

Yesterday...  IT

Moro Ojomo had a big spring but we hear he’s elevating his game once again and has become a very well rounded defensive lineman. Run or pass, he can play it.

This likely coincides with Alfred Collins getting reps at Jack/defensive end. We don’t believe this is a full time move — more of a package — but it indicates the coaches want to find ways to get Keondre Coburn, Moro Ojomo, and Collins on the field together. That makes sense.

Collins had one rep in team drills that really stuck out where he got off the ball in a blur and was into the backfield untouched. Keep in mind he has one of the quickest 10-yard splits on defense.

We asked about Jacoby Jones. He’s been a little quiet. We heard he’s playing well, but better versus the run.

Asked about Ben Davis at Jack. “Pretty good, pretty disruptive at Jack or Sam.”

[LTtxfan 49,356]

 

[LTtxfan 49,356]

 

 

Edited August 20, 2021 by LTtxfan

[Thatguy 8,860]

On 8/16/2021 at 8:01 AM, LTtxfan said:

Only 20 years old... DAMN 🤘

 

 

On 8/17/2021 at 12:18 PM, Reese Bennett said:

You can tell Moro thinks through his position and defensive philosophies at a level that most don't or can't. Glad to have him on The 40.

 

  Nigerians bro! This dude isn't wasting his opportunity on the 40. Look at his Linkedin

 

 

[LTtxfan 49,356]

 

[LTtxfan 49,356]

 Have to get more pressure and sacks on QB's

Ian Boyd...  "Ovie Oghoufo is the top pass-rusher"

The Notre Dame transfer end/linebacker, Ovie Oghoufo, got a lot of action in this game. He played at Sam linebacker in base defense and then regularly subbed in for Ray Thornton at “Buck” end (the weakside edge), particularly on third downs. He had a terrific sack on Louisiana quarterback Levi Lewis where he simply whipped his man around the edge and landed the big, blindside hit.

Overall the Texas pass-rush was really promising in this game against a very veteran offensive line. Defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowksi was working the 2-4-5 defense with all of it’s opportunities for “creeper” zone blitzes where the defense can overwhelm a weak spot in the protection while only sending four pass-rushers and leaving seven in coverage to execute a base coverage.

One of his best tricks in this game was taking advantage of how Louisiana had to double or triple team the Texas nose tackles to protect their smaller center Shane Vallot. PK would either bring or show double A-gap blitzes bringing Luke Brockermeyer and DeMarvion Overshown through the interior against a unit trying to get bodies on Keondre Coburn and the other nose tackles. Then he’d drop both edges back into coverage, leaving a seven man base coverage. Texas had three sacks on the game. One by Oghoufo, one by Brock and DMO in tandem on a double A-gap blitz (in the red zone, forcing a field goal), and then one more by Jack Jett Bush to close the game.

[XYZ 2,154]

Hard to tell watching TV, but the Texas d-line looked kind of quiet yesterday.

[Tex-19 2,885]

I wasn't super impressed by the run D yesterday, but in the pass game I think they were really emphasizing containing the QB over all-out pass rush. Mission accomplished if so.

Anyone know what's up with Alfred Collins? I didn't see him once

[ClubWhatever 12,158]

That Oline was legit.  They were blowing big dudes like Sweat off the ball.  

[horngrad03 1,150]

4 minutes ago, Tex-19 said:

I wasn't super impressed by the run D yesterday, but in the pass game I think they were really emphasizing containing the QB over all-out pass rush. Mission accomplished if so.

Anyone know what's up with Alfred Collins? I didn't see him once

I keep reading that he has a minor injury.

[Tylerocks 2,553]

9 minutes ago, XYZ said:

Hard to tell watching TV, but the Texas d-line looked kind of quiet yesterday.

This.

After thinking about it though, I'm pretty sure that was the plan.  Sweat and Coburn etc were getting doubled ( to help their undersized center) and it freed up our LB's to make plays.  Brockermeyer and Overshown played well. Sacks by Bush, Oghuofo, Thornton and Brock/Overshown

I also saw that undersized center plow some of our DL, so I don't know how much help he needed.  He flattened Byron Murphy on 1 memorable play.

[Funk Doctor Spock 12,512]

30 minutes ago, Tex-19 said:

I wasn't super impressed by the run D yesterday, but in the pass game I think they were really emphasizing containing the QB over all-out pass rush. Mission accomplished if so.

Anyone know what's up with Alfred Collins? I didn't see him once

I think he's still nursing a wrist injury, I believe. 

[Hagbard Celine 10,923]

32 minutes ago, Tex-19 said:

Alfred Collins

here for this

wtf

bueller?

anyone?

[Hagbard Celine 10,923]

a wrist injury?  keeps a D-beast out?  there's this thing called a cast?

[EZ$ 2,105]

2 minutes ago, Hagbard Celine said:

a wrist injury?  keeps a D-beast out?  there's this thing called a cast?

Not a cast, a club….and fitting a monster like Collins with a club would put Sark in prison. 

[Hagbard Celine 10,923]

4 hours ago, EZ$ said:

Not a cast, a club….and fitting a monster like Collins with a club would put Sark in prison. 

all gas no brakes?

[LTtxfan 49,356]

Hopefully we can get Collins healthy (wrist?) and productive -- gonna need him in B12 games.

Nahlin posted this

— I only saw Alfred Collins on one snap. We’ll find out why he didn’t play more but from my vantage it reads like coaches sending him a message.

[LTtxfan 49,356]

Thx for this @satyanash 

Scipio Tex      DL/Edge vs Louisiana

Texas played solid defense and the mistakes in player execution and coaching calls over the course of the game can be counted on a hand. I've watched some recent Texas defenses provide that on a single drive. A call Pete might like to have back was when Texas got outnumbered in the run game on Chris Smith's 27 yard TD scamper. Texas also played a bit more off coverage than we'll see in coming weeks, but I'm guessing that's a base call that Kwiatkowski is trying to teach his charges.

As for the worst combo of non-ideal call and very poor player execution, see below:

 

Those guys would like to have that one back. Also, Kyren Lacy is pretty talented.

DL/Edge

Louisiana doesn't have a Sun Belt level OL, but I was disappointed by the lack of game impact from the Longhorn interior DL. Keondre Coburn got a big paw up to block a low trajectory Cajun extra point, but beyond that he played high in pass rush, stopped moving his feet, and had no real plan once he got engaged or double teamed. Sweat, much the same. Heat? I don't know. But the big men need a wake up call and to spend some time working on a plan. Ojomo had a couple of nice pass rushes. Broughton brings good punch off of the ball, but he gets washed out against zone and he doesn't have much carry through after initial contact

Jacoby Jones looks physically transformed and played the run well, but didn't add a great deal as a pass rusher on Saturday. Ovie is the most gifted natural pass rusher by a large margin and he'll be the ongoing nickel edge rusher. Great second half sack where he showed get off and controlled the tackle's hands. Ray Thornton is good against the run, shows some gap awareness, and has really strong hands. He cleaned up with a late flush sack. Jett Bush brought very good motor and effort, complete with a George Jefferson walk-off after another flush sack. Jett is a little too small to present ideal physicality setting the edge and he needs to work on getting off of the ball faster.