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2021 Texas Offseason: Sark Attacks Austin


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Jeff Howe: Steve Sarkisian, Texas hire Jason Grooms to lead football administration, operations

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Jason Grooms has been hired by Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian to fill one of the most important roles within the football program as his Chief of Staff, the school announced on Thursday. Most recently the assistant athletics director overseeing the Vanderbilt football program, Grooms steps into the role previously held by Fernando Lovo, who was the Chief of Staff for former head coach Tom Herman, which effectively made him Herman’s right-hand man.

“Jason is an extremely organized, hard-working and dedicated guy who came highly recommended and will head up our administrative efforts and manage all of our football operations,” Sarkisian said. “We’re happy he’s joining us.”

Promoted to his role at Vanderbilt after one season as the program’s director of football operations, Grooms had a similar career arc in his time at Ohio University (2005-2013). Grooms was the director of football operations for the Bobcats through 2010, spending his final three seasons with the MAC program in the role of assistant athletic director.

Grooms is the highest-ranking member of a support staff Sarkisian is expected to fill out robustly. Herman’s organization wasn’t small by any means, but Sarkisian is coming from an Alabama program where head coach Nick Saban continues to set the trend for hiring the best, brightest and a large number of staff members for roles in football operations, recruiting and as analysts.

With that said, Sarkisian said on Jan. 22 when he introduced Kyle Flood, Pete Kwiatkowski, Jeff Banks, A.J. Milwee, Andre Coleman, Stan Drayton, Bo Davis, Terry Joseph and Blake Gideon as the first nine members of his initial on-field staff (Jeff Choate was officially introduced on Thursday as the 10th and final assistant coach to round out Sarkisian's staff) that the hires the Longhorns make to fill out the organization will be for specific roles and not made to simply be able to boast a large staff in terms of the number of employees.

“We definitely buy into the idea that a quality support staff is helpful for the overall organization,” Sarkisian said. “All I'm just trying to be sure of is anybody we hire in the organization has a real job and a real role in the organization with things to do. I think a lot of times you can hire a lot of people and then it's, 'Well what do they do?' We're just going to be very diligent and clean as far as, 'OK we're hiring X individual to do what' to make sure he's got a real role in the organization for our success.”

A 2001 Ohio graduate, Grooms was a student assistant coach with the Bobcats for four seasons (1997-2000) under Jim Grobe, following Grobe when he left to take over as the head coach of the Wake Forest program as a graduate assistant for two seasons (2001-2002). Grooms was the outside linebackers coach and video coordinator at East Tennessee State in 2003 and the outside linebackers coach and recruiting coordinator at Elon in 2004 before returning to Ohio in 2005 to work for head coach Frank Solich.

 

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18 minutes ago, UncleSonny said:

IT saying Carrington is interviewing at USC. Figured there was probably something to his twitter silence. 

Weird he would leave if Sark is actually trying to keep him but whatever. I wouldn't consider him indispensable. 

 

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21 minutes ago, texifornia said:

It was funny at the time...

If SC's going to give him real football or admin responsibilities, then I can see us letting him go rather than matching.

Good for BC if true, can't blame the guy for an upward career move at a place like USC.

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2 hours ago, closetojumping said:

You're a smart bot, TARS. Notice anyone expected that is missing? 

Also, everyone remember that part where Nahlin kept pushing the narrative that there would be two leads on the S&C side, just like Bama? Yeah, that was just as much bullshit as his "we're hearing it's Golding, and he'll be announced following the national title game" silliness that he fashioned out of whole cloth.

Burton just posted that Drew Hughes hasn't been cleared by NCAA compliance yet, which is what I assume you were referring to.

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2 hours ago, UncleSonny said:

IT saying Carrington is interviewing at USC. Figured there was probably something to his twitter silence. 

Weird he would leave if Sark is actually trying to keep him but whatever. I wouldn't consider him indispensable. 

At this point I could care less if he goes. We have coaches who are damn good recruiters and it won’t be as big of a loss as some may think. 

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Mike at Night: Support staff names to consider for Texas

 

Spoiler

Mike at Night: Support staff names to consider for Texas

MikeRoach

 

As I reported earlier tonight, Bryan Carrington will interview with USC for a position on its staff. I'm not sure where Sarkisian would go to replace Carrington, who we heard was approached to stay on, but I've got a few names that might be of interest.

 

Mason Smith, Recruiting Specialist, Mississippi State

Smith is young, but he made a huge mark in his first year at Mississippi State. If you noticed that the Bulldogs made a big impression in Texas this year, Smith is a huge reason why. A native of Houston, Smith is experienced in recruiting Texas and Louisiana. When talking with kids and families Mississippi State was recruiting, his name came up multiple times. Smith was a big reason the Bulldogs landed Sawyer Robertson, Daniel Greek and Teddy Knox. He also had a huge hand in Mississippi State picking up transfers KJ Costello and Tyrell Shavers. It would likely be easy to get him back to Texas as he has family in the Houston area and recruits that area quite a bit.

 

Cooper Petagna, Director of Recruiting, Oregon

Petagna serves as Director of Recruiting for the Ducks, and he’s another name I hear a lot about when talking about up and coming personnel analysts. Petagna is originally from the south and spent time working at Cincinnati, Michigan, LSU and Alabama before taking a job at Washington. A source told me Petagna was one of the most trusted evaluators for Chris Petersen at Washington, and he’s respected in multiple circles. Petagna has drawn NFL interest and I was told he knows how to organize and put a board together better than anyone in the country.

 

Alex Brown, Director of Football Recruiting/NFL Liasion, Rice

Brown might be a good candidate to replace Carrington as the two were really close friends. Brown worked closely with Carrington on Houston's recruiting staff under Tom Herman before moving on to Rice. Since making the move, Brown has the Owls recruiting at a higher level, and he's thought of as one of the up and coming evaluators and communicators in the business. Brown is likely headed for the professional ranks in the future, but a stop at Texas would make sense as he continues to make his way up the career ladder.

 

Ethan Young, Director of Player Personnel, UCLA

Young is known as one of the sharp up and comers in the business with west coast ties and legitimate recruiting chops. A Washington native, Young knows Sarkisian from his time in the Pacific Northwest, and he's experienced having worked in the NFL under Chip Kelly before joining him at UCLA as Director of Strategic Intelligence before moving to his current role. Young has a deep background in analytics and is tabbed as a fast riser in the industry.

 

Kerry Cooks, Defensive Analyst, Notre Dame

This might be a bit outside the box, but Cooks is currently an analyst at Notre Dame, and the Irving, Texas native has a strong reputation as a recruiter.  If he wanted to get back closer to home, an off-field role could suit him perfectly.  The former Iowa safety had stops as a coach at Minnesota, Wisconsin, Notre Dame, Oklahoma and Texas Tech.  He knows the landscape well and has recruited this area for years.  Cooks has an excellent reputation with high school coaches and could be a vital asset in a recruiting department.

 

 

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12 minutes ago, Getafix said:

 

 

cockroach nom GIF

 

Mike at Night: Support staff names to consider for Texas

 

  Hide contents

Mike at Night: Support staff names to consider for Texas

MikeRoach

 

As I reported earlier tonight, Bryan Carrington will interview with USC for a position on its staff. I'm not sure where Sarkisian would go to replace Carrington, who we heard was approached to stay on, but I've got a few names that might be of interest.

 

Mason Smith, Recruiting Specialist, Mississippi State

Smith is young, but he made a huge mark in his first year at Mississippi State. If you noticed that the Bulldogs made a big impression in Texas this year, Smith is a huge reason why. A native of Houston, Smith is experienced in recruiting Texas and Louisiana. When talking with kids and families Mississippi State was recruiting, his name came up multiple times. Smith was a big reason the Bulldogs landed Sawyer Robertson, Daniel Greek and Teddy Knox. He also had a huge hand in Mississippi State picking up transfers KJ Costello and Tyrell Shavers. It would likely be easy to get him back to Texas as he has family in the Houston area and recruits that area quite a bit.

 

Cooper Petagna, Director of Recruiting, Oregon

Petagna serves as Director of Recruiting for the Ducks, and he’s another name I hear a lot about when talking about up and coming personnel analysts. Petagna is originally from the south and spent time working at Cincinnati, Michigan, LSU and Alabama before taking a job at Washington. A source told me Petagna was one of the most trusted evaluators for Chris Petersen at Washington, and he’s respected in multiple circles. Petagna has drawn NFL interest and I was told he knows how to organize and put a board together better than anyone in the country.

 

Alex Brown, Director of Football Recruiting/NFL Liasion, Rice

Brown might be a good candidate to replace Carrington as the two were really close friends. Brown worked closely with Carrington on Houston's recruiting staff under Tom Herman before moving on to Rice. Since making the move, Brown has the Owls recruiting at a higher level, and he's thought of as one of the up and coming evaluators and communicators in the business. Brown is likely headed for the professional ranks in the future, but a stop at Texas would make sense as he continues to make his way up the career ladder.

 

Ethan Young, Director of Player Personnel, UCLA

Young is known as one of the sharp up and comers in the business with west coast ties and legitimate recruiting chops. A Washington native, Young knows Sarkisian from his time in the Pacific Northwest, and he's experienced having worked in the NFL under Chip Kelly before joining him at UCLA as Director of Strategic Intelligence before moving to his current role. Young has a deep background in analytics and is tabbed as a fast riser in the industry.

 

Kerry Cooks, Defensive Analyst, Notre Dame

This might be a bit outside the box, but Cooks is currently an analyst at Notre Dame, and the Irving, Texas native has a strong reputation as a recruiter.  If he wanted to get back closer to home, an off-field role could suit him perfectly.  The former Iowa safety had stops as a coach at Minnesota, Wisconsin, Notre Dame, Oklahoma and Texas Tech.  He knows the landscape well and has recruited this area for years.  Cooks has an excellent reputation with high school coaches and could be a vital asset in a recruiting department.

 

 

Mason, Cooper, Alex, and Ethan? Can’t we get a Hayden or Brayden on the list?

Kerry it is!

Edited by Tex Pete
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16 minutes ago, thunderlounge said:

Any rumors on the holdup? 

From Burton:

Spoiler

Drew Hughes, the expected football director of player personnel for Texas, is awaiting NCAA compliance for his hiring.

The compliance process is not unique to Hughes. All coaches and staff that have served under Jeremy Pruitt at the University of Tennessee are similarly situated because Pruitt was fired for cause and the university and the NCAA are currently investigating the program for recruiting violations. Hughes, according to a source, has not been implicated in any wrongdoing.

Hughes was director of player personnel for Pruitt for a couple of years before taking over at South Carolina last year. Hughes, since graduating from Alabama in 2011, has also served as player personnel director at Florida, Central Florida and North Carolina State.

 

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25 minutes ago, texifornia said:

Why dontcha take a look at where he was before taking the SoCar job last year: https://www.thestate.com/sports/college/university-of-south-carolina/usc-football/article240764366.html


Oohhhhhhhhh.  Lights on now. 
 

I’m not familiar with his body of work, is he going to be worth hiring? Sark obviously thinks so, but what’s the consensus?

 

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10 hours ago, Getafix said:

Mike at Night: Support staff names to consider for Texas

 

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Mike at Night: Support staff names to consider for Texas

MikeRoach

 

As I reported earlier tonight, Bryan Carrington will interview with USC for a position on its staff. I'm not sure where Sarkisian would go to replace Carrington, who we heard was approached to stay on, but I've got a few names that might be of interest.

 

Mason Smith, Recruiting Specialist, Mississippi State

Smith is young, but he made a huge mark in his first year at Mississippi State. If you noticed that the Bulldogs made a big impression in Texas this year, Smith is a huge reason why. A native of Houston, Smith is experienced in recruiting Texas and Louisiana. When talking with kids and families Mississippi State was recruiting, his name came up multiple times. Smith was a big reason the Bulldogs landed Sawyer Robertson, Daniel Greek and Teddy Knox. He also had a huge hand in Mississippi State picking up transfers KJ Costello and Tyrell Shavers. It would likely be easy to get him back to Texas as he has family in the Houston area and recruits that area quite a bit.

 

Cooper Petagna, Director of Recruiting, Oregon

Petagna serves as Director of Recruiting for the Ducks, and he’s another name I hear a lot about when talking about up and coming personnel analysts. Petagna is originally from the south and spent time working at Cincinnati, Michigan, LSU and Alabama before taking a job at Washington. A source told me Petagna was one of the most trusted evaluators for Chris Petersen at Washington, and he’s respected in multiple circles. Petagna has drawn NFL interest and I was told he knows how to organize and put a board together better than anyone in the country.

 

Alex Brown, Director of Football Recruiting/NFL Liasion, Rice

Brown might be a good candidate to replace Carrington as the two were really close friends. Brown worked closely with Carrington on Houston's recruiting staff under Tom Herman before moving on to Rice. Since making the move, Brown has the Owls recruiting at a higher level, and he's thought of as one of the up and coming evaluators and communicators in the business. Brown is likely headed for the professional ranks in the future, but a stop at Texas would make sense as he continues to make his way up the career ladder.

 

Ethan Young, Director of Player Personnel, UCLA

Young is known as one of the sharp up and comers in the business with west coast ties and legitimate recruiting chops. A Washington native, Young knows Sarkisian from his time in the Pacific Northwest, and he's experienced having worked in the NFL under Chip Kelly before joining him at UCLA as Director of Strategic Intelligence before moving to his current role. Young has a deep background in analytics and is tabbed as a fast riser in the industry.

 

Kerry Cooks, Defensive Analyst, Notre Dame

This might be a bit outside the box, but Cooks is currently an analyst at Notre Dame, and the Irving, Texas native has a strong reputation as a recruiter.  If he wanted to get back closer to home, an off-field role could suit him perfectly.  The former Iowa safety had stops as a coach at Minnesota, Wisconsin, Notre Dame, Oklahoma and Texas Tech.  He knows the landscape well and has recruited this area for years.  Cooks has an excellent reputation with high school coaches and could be a vital asset in a recruiting department.

 

 

 

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11 hours ago, Getafix said:

 

 

cockroach nom GIF

 

Mike at Night: Support staff names to consider for Texas

 

  Reveal hidden contents

Mike at Night: Support staff names to consider for Texas

MikeRoach

 

As I reported earlier tonight, Bryan Carrington will interview with USC for a position on its staff. I'm not sure where Sarkisian would go to replace Carrington, who we heard was approached to stay on, but I've got a few names that might be of interest.

 

Mason Smith, Recruiting Specialist, Mississippi State

Smith is young, but he made a huge mark in his first year at Mississippi State. If you noticed that the Bulldogs made a big impression in Texas this year, Smith is a huge reason why. A native of Houston, Smith is experienced in recruiting Texas and Louisiana. When talking with kids and families Mississippi State was recruiting, his name came up multiple times. Smith was a big reason the Bulldogs landed Sawyer Robertson, Daniel Greek and Teddy Knox. He also had a huge hand in Mississippi State picking up transfers KJ Costello and Tyrell Shavers. It would likely be easy to get him back to Texas as he has family in the Houston area and recruits that area quite a bit.

 

Cooper Petagna, Director of Recruiting, Oregon

Petagna serves as Director of Recruiting for the Ducks, and he’s another name I hear a lot about when talking about up and coming personnel analysts. Petagna is originally from the south and spent time working at Cincinnati, Michigan, LSU and Alabama before taking a job at Washington. A source told me Petagna was one of the most trusted evaluators for Chris Petersen at Washington, and he’s respected in multiple circles. Petagna has drawn NFL interest and I was told he knows how to organize and put a board together better than anyone in the country.

 

Alex Brown, Director of Football Recruiting/NFL Liasion, Rice

Brown might be a good candidate to replace Carrington as the two were really close friends. Brown worked closely with Carrington on Houston's recruiting staff under Tom Herman before moving on to Rice. Since making the move, Brown has the Owls recruiting at a higher level, and he's thought of as one of the up and coming evaluators and communicators in the business. Brown is likely headed for the professional ranks in the future, but a stop at Texas would make sense as he continues to make his way up the career ladder.

 

Ethan Young, Director of Player Personnel, UCLA

Young is known as one of the sharp up and comers in the business with west coast ties and legitimate recruiting chops. A Washington native, Young knows Sarkisian from his time in the Pacific Northwest, and he's experienced having worked in the NFL under Chip Kelly before joining him at UCLA as Director of Strategic Intelligence before moving to his current role. Young has a deep background in analytics and is tabbed as a fast riser in the industry.

 

Kerry Cooks, Defensive Analyst, Notre Dame

This might be a bit outside the box, but Cooks is currently an analyst at Notre Dame, and the Irving, Texas native has a strong reputation as a recruiter.  If he wanted to get back closer to home, an off-field role could suit him perfectly.  The former Iowa safety had stops as a coach at Minnesota, Wisconsin, Notre Dame, Oklahoma and Texas Tech.  He knows the landscape well and has recruited this area for years.  Cooks has an excellent reputation with high school coaches and could be a vital asset in a recruiting department.

 

 

The $9.95 crowd has been all over the coaching hires, I'm sure they will be nails on the support staff too.

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Athlon predicts us to be 4th in the Big XII

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247Sports’ take: Despite yet another bowl win, Texas made the decision to fire head coach Tom Herman and hired Steve Sarkisian away from Alabama. Herman went 32-18 and was 4-0 in bowl games at Texas, but that wasn’t enough for the Longhorns, which clearly shows they have high expectations for the program. And Sarkisian will be expected to meet those expectations, despite losing his starting quarterback, his best offensive linemen and other players.

Athlon’s take: Casey Thompson is expected to start at quarterback with Sam Ehlinger off to the NFL, and Sarkisian should find more ways to maximize Bijan Robinson’s talent after only 86 carries in 2020. Left tackle Sam Cosmi is a big loss up front, but there’s enough young talent for new line coach Kyle Flood to build around this spring.

https://247sports.com/college/texas/LongFormArticle/Big-12-football-2021-preseason-rankings-Oklahoma-Sooners-Lincoln-Riley-Texas-Longhorns-Steve-Sarkisian-160086770/#160086770_7

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https://footballscoop.com/news/update-at-texas/

Spoiler

Texas has pressed pause on Drew Hughes’s hiring in connection to Tennessee’s ongoing investigation into alleged recruiting violations during Jeremy Pruitt’s tenure, sources told FootballScoop on Friday. Other outlets have reported the same.

Our original reporting on Hughes heading to Texas is here.

Hughes has not been publicly implicated in any alleged violations that cost Pruitt and nine staffers their jobs, but Texas wants to make sure it’s buttoned up from a compliance perspective before formally bringing him aboard.

 

Hughes was Tennessee’s director of player personnel in 2018-19, Pruitt’s first two years in Knoxville. He spent 2020 as the director of player personnel at South Carolina and previously held similar roles at Florida, NC State and UCF.

Shane Beamer was set to retain Hughes to his new Gamecocks staff until Steve Sarkisian hired him away earlier this month, which was first reported by FootballScoop.

Friday’s news comes as USC is attempting to hire Bryan Carrington, director of recruiting on Tom Herman’s staff, away to Los Angeles.

 

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18 minutes ago, Bevo14 said:

 

spacer.png

Can't we just kick the new coach's tenure off with Rice or something? Whatever, as long he doesn't talk about going 1-0 we have a chance.

Breaking in a new head coach/offense/defense against ULaLa (top 15 team who’s #1 in returning “production”) and Arkansas (mighty SEC team on the road returning 19 of 22 starters) will be one hell of a test. I guarantee we’d go 0-2 with Herman or Charlie at the helm. 
I’m thinking starting 2-0 may be enough to hang a banner on the stadium wall???

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ULaLa gets a lot of notice for the ISU win, but they played a ton of close games in conference afterwards.  

Won by 3 in OT against Georgia State.  Won by 2 against Georgia Southern.  4 point win vs UAB.  10 point win against Spav and TxState. 7 point win against Arkansas State and won by 3 against Appalachian State.

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IT notes on staffing and team

Spoiler

HUMAN RESOURCES

We are continuing to monitor the situation with prospective Director of Player Personnel Drew Hughes. It’s not certain he’ll be able to take the job because of the Tennessee imbroglio. We can’t report on that situation authoritatively but we’ve heard it’s a tangled mess that could affect other schools. That isn’t to say Hughes is involved, it’s more to say it’s a jumbled mess that might not be resolved anytime soon and it’s directly affecting UT’s ability to hire Hughes.

Elsewhere. Bryan Carrington continues to be in demand with the latest overtures coming from USC. It’s certainly conceivable the Trojans hire UT’s ace greeter. The term greeter is not said in jest, he’s very good at his job and he’s not always tasked with the easiest personalities. On top of his people skills, the timing of losing him would not be great as the new coaches aren’t able to hit the road and create definitive recruiting bonds.

Meanwhile. Stan Drayton is hearing from the NFL. We’ll maintain we don’t think he’ll leave his current position but he’s fielding very real interest and you just never know. It would take an amazing deal to uproot him.

Finally. We expect Jake Langi and JM Jones to be retained. With the hire of Pete Kwiatkowski, Langi’s impact could increase greatly. Jones has been at Texas since late stage Mack Brown. He was the architect behind the PWO program and is seen as upwardly mobile even outside of football.

TEAM

*On Derek Kerstetter: He's rehabbing his ankle injury and not with the team. His intentions remain unknown. Kerstetter is really close to Sam Cosmi, who left early, and there is some thinking that will play into his decision. He hasn’t entered the NFL draft, and while he likely wouldn‘t be drafted, he’d certainly be a coveted UDFA. If the coaches push for a return we think that would occur but we aren’t sure.

*Torre Becton and his crew have been overwhelmingly positive in the first week. He and his charges are big on stressing technique.

*We say his crew, because there are 5-6 people we know of working in the S&C department. The guys really like Becton so far, but who knows if that’s the honeymoon period or what. He comes across as genuine but also serious and business-like. Becton is ever-present but he has help.

*Hip flexibility and mobility aren’t just buzzwords. They do a lot of change-of-direction work: how to plant and shift weight/momentum to reduce wear and tear, body control, optimal stride length, etc. There is a big emphasis on opening up the hips. (If Sarkisian has mentioned something publicly, like he has with hip mobility, he’s beating that drum loudly behind the scenes. He’s noticeably transparent)

*They are emphasizing total body strength. Funny enough, it’s heavy on isolation, but not like a body builder would lift. They’d rather a player have a very strong split squat than back squat. The idea is to not have one muscle dominate and overcompensate for others like what can happen with a back squat. An example would be a player standing on a box and descending until one heel touches the floor and the other leg is bent to 90 degrees. The emphasis on the heel is so the person can’t use their foot to bounce and cheat the motion. You should be doing this too.

*Weights are low and the emphasis is on exploding through the movement. Descend under control and explode. They’ve been squatting with dumbbells at their side with weight heavy enough to where they almost jump with it but not quite.

*They seem to be de-emphasizing loading the lower back while still working the hell out of it. There is a lot of hip hinge work. ‘Good mornings‘, meant to labor the hamstrings, are front loaded with dumbbells. Smart. Split squats are also front loaded. This emphasizes the quads. Squats, so far, are front squats. The most football traditional lift so far seems to be power clean, but even that is a complex where three different moves culminate into one rep. Lighter weight, explode.

*The work is detail oriented with a lot of emphasis on minor muscles. They emphasize this is to minimize some of the injuries that tend to plague football players. They take special care of the shoulders and hamstrings, but don’t neglect ankles, knees, etc.

*Like you should do with your squat, we’ll go deeper on S&C as new information comes to light.

*Edge/DE Marqez Bimage is working with the team. We expected him back but wanted to mention that he is in fact back. This is an awesome scheme for him, but he’ll have competition in the form of two new transfers. One person who wont’ be competing against Bimage...

*Reese Leitao has left the team. The Gaskamp watch list takes a hit but pencil Ray Thornton in.

*WR Dajon Harrison continues to rehab. He’s not cleared for workouts but is expected back with team.

*Troy Omeire has not been medically released yet, though he’s running on social media. He can run, but cutting/planting is out of the question. We think he’ll practice this spring but we’re not sure about 100% clearance.

*The leaders of this team continue to emerge. Roschon Johnson has emerged, no surprise there. Casey Thompson has become more vocal, which is how it should be. Josh Thompson is well-respected within the squad. Thompson’s an interesting guy because he’s always been held in high regard, whether it’s older players when he first arrived or younger players now. Coburn’s a vocal leader. Overshown and Bijan Robinson are your silent types, but they’re two of the most liked and most respected. Robinson inspires guys beyond the football field. You don’t often get leadership like Roschon and Bijan from the RB position. Overshown is becoming more confident.

*Early leaders in the Underwear Olympics: Jahdae Barron and Kitan Crawford. Both Barron and Crawford are looking like real ball players. Body movements, fluidity, and quickness. These two make the cornerbacks room look deeper. The staff sees big things with this pair.

*One wide receiver told a source of ours that Crawford is the most difficult corner to go against.

*LB Marcus Tillman appears to be at full strength and the guys are really happy for him. He's dealt with injuries during his time on the 40 Acres. He’s moving more like he did as a promising freshman. Not having a real offseason hurt him.

 

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IT notes on staffing and team
Spoiler

HUMAN RESOURCES
We are continuing to monitor the situation with prospective Director of Player Personnel Drew Hughes. It’s not certain he’ll be able to take the job because of the Tennessee imbroglio. We can’t report on that situation authoritatively but we’ve heard it’s a tangled mess that could affect other schools. That isn’t to say Hughes is involved, it’s more to say it’s a jumbled mess that might not be resolved anytime soon and it’s directly affecting UT’s ability to hire Hughes.
Elsewhere. Bryan Carrington continues to be in demand with the latest overtures coming from USC. It’s certainly conceivable the Trojans hire UT’s ace greeter. The term greeter is not said in jest, he’s very good at his job and he’s not always tasked with the easiest personalities. On top of his people skills, the timing of losing him would not be great as the new coaches aren’t able to hit the road and create definitive recruiting bonds.
Meanwhile. Stan Drayton is hearing from the NFL. We’ll maintain we don’t think he’ll leave his current position but he’s fielding very real interest and you just never know. It would take an amazing deal to uproot him.
Finally. We expect Jake Langi and JM Jones to be retained. With the hire of Pete Kwiatkowski, Langi’s impact could increase greatly. Jones has been at Texas since late stage Mack Brown. He was the architect behind the PWO program and is seen as upwardly mobile even outside of football.
TEAM
*On Derek Kerstetter: He's rehabbing his ankle injury and not with the team. His intentions remain unknown. Kerstetter is really close to Sam Cosmi, who left early, and there is some thinking that will play into his decision. He hasn’t entered the NFL draft, and while he likely wouldn‘t be drafted, he’d certainly be a coveted UDFA. If the coaches push for a return we think that would occur but we aren’t sure.
*Torre Becton and his crew have been overwhelmingly positive in the first week. He and his charges are big on stressing technique.
*We say his crew, because there are 5-6 people we know of working in the S&C department. The guys really like Becton so far, but who knows if that’s the honeymoon period or what. He comes across as genuine but also serious and business-like. Becton is ever-present but he has help.
*Hip flexibility and mobility aren’t just buzzwords. They do a lot of change-of-direction work: how to plant and shift weight/momentum to reduce wear and tear, body control, optimal stride length, etc. There is a big emphasis on opening up the hips. (If Sarkisian has mentioned something publicly, like he has with hip mobility, he’s beating that drum loudly behind the scenes. He’s noticeably transparent)
*They are emphasizing total body strength. Funny enough, it’s heavy on isolation, but not like a body builder would lift. They’d rather a player have a very strong split squat than back squat. The idea is to not have one muscle dominate and overcompensate for others like what can happen with a back squat. An example would be a player standing on a box and descending until one heel touches the floor and the other leg is bent to 90 degrees. The emphasis on the heel is so the person can’t use their foot to bounce and cheat the motion. You should be doing this too.
*Weights are low and the emphasis is on exploding through the movement. Descend under control and explode. They’ve been squatting with dumbbells at their side with weight heavy enough to where they almost jump with it but not quite.
*They seem to be de-emphasizing loading the lower back while still working the hell out of it. There is a lot of hip hinge work. ‘Good mornings‘, meant to labor the hamstrings, are front loaded with dumbbells. Smart. Split squats are also front loaded. This emphasizes the quads. Squats, so far, are front squats. The most football traditional lift so far seems to be power clean, but even that is a complex where three different moves culminate into one rep. Lighter weight, explode.
*The work is detail oriented with a lot of emphasis on minor muscles. They emphasize this is to minimize some of the injuries that tend to plague football players. They take special care of the shoulders and hamstrings, but don’t neglect ankles, knees, etc.
*Like you should do with your squat, we’ll go deeper on S&C as new information comes to light.
*Edge/DE Marqez Bimage is working with the team. We expected him back but wanted to mention that he is in fact back. This is an awesome scheme for him, but he’ll have competition in the form of two new transfers. One person who wont’ be competing against Bimage...
*Reese Leitao has left the team. The Gaskamp watch list takes a hit but pencil Ray Thornton in.
*WR Dajon Harrison continues to rehab. He’s not cleared for workouts but is expected back with team.
*Troy Omeire has not been medically released yet, though he’s running on social media. He can run, but cutting/planting is out of the question. We think he’ll practice this spring but we’re not sure about 100% clearance.
*The leaders of this team continue to emerge. Roschon Johnson has emerged, no surprise there. Casey Thompson has become more vocal, which is how it should be. Josh Thompson is well-respected within the squad. Thompson’s an interesting guy because he’s always been held in high regard, whether it’s older players when he first arrived or younger players now. Coburn’s a vocal leader. Overshown and Bijan Robinson are your silent types, but they’re two of the most liked and most respected. Robinson inspires guys beyond the football field. You don’t often get leadership like Roschon and Bijan from the RB position. Overshown is becoming more confident.
*Early leaders in the Underwear Olympics: Jahdae Barron and Kitan Crawford. Both Barron and Crawford are looking like real ball players. Body movements, fluidity, and quickness. These two make the cornerbacks room look deeper. The staff sees big things with this pair.
*One wide receiver told a source of ours that Crawford is the most difficult corner to go against.
*LB Marcus Tillman appears to be at full strength and the guys are really happy for him. He's dealt with injuries during his time on the 40 Acres. He’s moving more like he did as a promising freshman. Not having a real offseason hurt him.

 


RE: Drayton - have to say, the fact that Urban has built most of his staff EXCEPT RB coach has definitely caught my attention.
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6 minutes ago, Machinator said:

IT notes on staffing and team

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HUMAN RESOURCES

We are continuing to monitor the situation with prospective Director of Player Personnel Drew Hughes. It’s not certain he’ll be able to take the job because of the Tennessee imbroglio. We can’t report on that situation authoritatively but we’ve heard it’s a tangled mess that could affect other schools. That isn’t to say Hughes is involved, it’s more to say it’s a jumbled mess that might not be resolved anytime soon and it’s directly affecting UT’s ability to hire Hughes.

Elsewhere. Bryan Carrington continues to be in demand with the latest overtures coming from USC. It’s certainly conceivable the Trojans hire UT’s ace greeter. The term greeter is not said in jest, he’s very good at his job and he’s not always tasked with the easiest personalities. On top of his people skills, the timing of losing him would not be great as the new coaches aren’t able to hit the road and create definitive recruiting bonds.

Meanwhile. Stan Drayton is hearing from the NFL. We’ll maintain we don’t think he’ll leave his current position but he’s fielding very real interest and you just never know. It would take an amazing deal to uproot him.

Finally. We expect Jake Langi and JM Jones to be retained. With the hire of Pete Kwiatkowski, Langi’s impact could increase greatly. Jones has been at Texas since late stage Mack Brown. He was the architect behind the PWO program and is seen as upwardly mobile even outside of football.

TEAM

*On Derek Kerstetter: He's rehabbing his ankle injury and not with the team. His intentions remain unknown. Kerstetter is really close to Sam Cosmi, who left early, and there is some thinking that will play into his decision. He hasn’t entered the NFL draft, and while he likely wouldn‘t be drafted, he’d certainly be a coveted UDFA. If the coaches push for a return we think that would occur but we aren’t sure.

*Torre Becton and his crew have been overwhelmingly positive in the first week. He and his charges are big on stressing technique.

*We say his crew, because there are 5-6 people we know of working in the S&C department. The guys really like Becton so far, but who knows if that’s the honeymoon period or what. He comes across as genuine but also serious and business-like. Becton is ever-present but he has help.

*Hip flexibility and mobility aren’t just buzzwords. They do a lot of change-of-direction work: how to plant and shift weight/momentum to reduce wear and tear, body control, optimal stride length, etc. There is a big emphasis on opening up the hips. (If Sarkisian has mentioned something publicly, like he has with hip mobility, he’s beating that drum loudly behind the scenes. He’s noticeably transparent)

*They are emphasizing total body strength. Funny enough, it’s heavy on isolation, but not like a body builder would lift. They’d rather a player have a very strong split squat than back squat. The idea is to not have one muscle dominate and overcompensate for others like what can happen with a back squat. An example would be a player standing on a box and descending until one heel touches the floor and the other leg is bent to 90 degrees. The emphasis on the heel is so the person can’t use their foot to bounce and cheat the motion. You should be doing this too.

*Weights are low and the emphasis is on exploding through the movement. Descend under control and explode. They’ve been squatting with dumbbells at their side with weight heavy enough to where they almost jump with it but not quite.

*They seem to be de-emphasizing loading the lower back while still working the hell out of it. There is a lot of hip hinge work. ‘Good mornings‘, meant to labor the hamstrings, are front loaded with dumbbells. Smart. Split squats are also front loaded. This emphasizes the quads. Squats, so far, are front squats. The most football traditional lift so far seems to be power clean, but even that is a complex where three different moves culminate into one rep. Lighter weight, explode.

*The work is detail oriented with a lot of emphasis on minor muscles. They emphasize this is to minimize some of the injuries that tend to plague football players. They take special care of the shoulders and hamstrings, but don’t neglect ankles, knees, etc.

*Like you should do with your squat, we’ll go deeper on S&C as new information comes to light.

*Edge/DE Marqez Bimage is working with the team. We expected him back but wanted to mention that he is in fact back. This is an awesome scheme for him, but he’ll have competition in the form of two new transfers. One person who wont’ be competing against Bimage...

*Reese Leitao has left the team. The Gaskamp watch list takes a hit but pencil Ray Thornton in.

*WR Dajon Harrison continues to rehab. He’s not cleared for workouts but is expected back with team.

*Troy Omeire has not been medically released yet, though he’s running on social media. He can run, but cutting/planting is out of the question. We think he’ll practice this spring but we’re not sure about 100% clearance.

*The leaders of this team continue to emerge. Roschon Johnson has emerged, no surprise there. Casey Thompson has become more vocal, which is how it should be. Josh Thompson is well-respected within the squad. Thompson’s an interesting guy because he’s always been held in high regard, whether it’s older players when he first arrived or younger players now. Coburn’s a vocal leader. Overshown and Bijan Robinson are your silent types, but they’re two of the most liked and most respected. Robinson inspires guys beyond the football field. You don’t often get leadership like Roschon and Bijan from the RB position. Overshown is becoming more confident.

*Early leaders in the Underwear Olympics: Jahdae Barron and Kitan Crawford. Both Barron and Crawford are looking like real ball players. Body movements, fluidity, and quickness. These two make the cornerbacks room look deeper. The staff sees big things with this pair.

*One wide receiver told a source of ours that Crawford is the most difficult corner to go against.

*LB Marcus Tillman appears to be at full strength and the guys are really happy for him. He's dealt with injuries during his time on the 40 Acres. He’s moving more like he did as a promising freshman. Not having a real offseason hurt him.

 

Getting Bimage back and Tillman in pre-injury form would be a nice boost to the D'.

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7 minutes ago, Chuckie Finster said:


RE: Drayton - have to say, the fact that Urban has built most of his staff EXCEPT RB coach has definitely caught my attention.

If Drayton were to leave for an NFL opportunity rather than by Sark's decision maybe that is actually best case scenario. Bijan unlikely to have the hard feelings towards Sark and Drayton provided a bridge opportunity to get to know the new guys. Probably closes the door on LJ Johnson but that may not go our way anyway. 

Then it gives Sark a chance to handpick his guy, hopefully another volume recruiter. As long as Bijan is cool, works for me. 

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28 minutes ago, Machinator said:

IT notes on staffing and team


Not sure on Carrington. I think we could persuade him a bit. Seriously, if Sark thinks it is worth keeping him. 
 

If he leaves, hell I could be a perfect greeter. Been my dream job. 
 

Whataburger bag with lunch, a little something for the effort, and a small folder of all the right “business” cards of contacts. 
 

How hard could it be? 
 

 

11 minutes ago, UncleSonny said:

If Drayton were to leave for an NFL opportunity rather than by Sark's decision maybe that is actually best case scenario. Bijan unlikely to have the hard feelings towards Sark and Drayton provided a bridge opportunity to get to know the new guys. Probably closes the door on LJ Johnson but that may not go our way anyway. 

Then it gives Sark a chance to handpick his guy, hopefully another volume recruiter. As long as Bijan is cool, works for me. 

 
I’m not sure he leaves. However it is plausible that Sark got the word from him about Bijan, and they’re working a potentially delicate situation. So Sark may have kept him on initially to help build a bridge, knowing he was likely going to get an NFL offer. Being the NFL, he could wait a little before moving on since their not in as big of a damn hurry like college ball with recruiting, signing day, spring ball, etc. 

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2 hours ago, CBHorn said:

I know this makes me an asshole, but I get a little joy from knowing that Herman thought this would be his office.  😈


Well no, that doesn’t make you an asshole. You already were. However you shouldn’t feel bad about being quite entertained by that. I think we all are, and it does give me a nice shit eating grin at the thought. 

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