2021 Texas spring football thread

[closetojumping 62,546]

In following this thread and others, I see the sentiment is somewhat pervasive that 2021 will be a season in which expectations should be tempered. It’s not always clear to what degree, but I don’t get the impression that many folks are expecting Texas to compete for the conference title. On page 14 here alone, there’s healthy skepticism that 10 wins is a legit target without some real breaks. That implies that many do not expect Texas to be in contention for the Big 12 title, unless folks have convinced themselves that Texas will lose to ULaLa, Arky, and the bowl game. 

I understand reluctance to buy-in. We’ve had a rough 11 year run and Sarkisian isn’t going to prove himself reliable until, well, he does. 

In any event, there are 3 factors that, to me at least, should trump the skepticism. 

1) Texas recruited well under Herman. Specifically, Texas recruited well on the DL and OL. There is talent on the roster. It’s not Bama’s or Ohio State’s roster at this time. It’s also got more raw talent on it than arguably any other roster Texas will face with the possible (probable?) exception of OU. Again, if you’re a “recruiting rankings don’t matter” guy, that’s fine. Data doesn’t support that unless coupled with coaching incompetence (see Texas specifically for the last 11 years), but, hey, it’s been a hard run on that front as a Texas fan. I get it. 

2) This is the best coaching staff assembled at Texas since probably DKR, at least on paper. We can quibble over Coleman or Joseph, I guess, but a lot of coaches seem to actually think they can coach, so I’ll cross my fingers. 

3) The 2021 schedule simply isn’t intimidating. Long gone are the days where we can be confident in beating the also-rans of the conference, but if Texas is ever going to ascend to the top tier again, you have to believe that Texas is going to start actually beating the teams it’s supposed to be beating, and that includes Okie State, TCU, WVU and Baylor, consistently. I expect that to start this year. 

[Bevo 13,563]

2 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

In following this thread and others, I see the sentiment is somewhat pervasive that 2021 will be a season in which expectations should be tempered. It’s not always clear to what degree, but I don’t get the impression that many folks are expecting Texas to compete for the conference title. On page 14 here alone, there’s healthy skepticism that 10 wins is a legit target without some real breaks. That implies that many do not expect Texas to be in contention for the Big 12 title, unless folks have convinced themselves that Texas will lose to ULaLa, Arky, and the bowl game. 

I understand reluctance to buy-in. We’ve had a rough 11 year run and Sarkisian isn’t going to prove himself reliable until, well, he does. 

In any event, there are 3 factors that, to me at least, should trump the skepticism. 

1) Texas recruited well under Herman. Specifically, Texas recruited well on the DL and OL. There is talent on the roster. It’s not Bama’s or Ohio State’s roster at this time. It’s also got more raw talent on it than arguably any other roster Texas will face with the possible (probable?) exception of OU. Again, if you’re a “recruiting rankings don’t matter” guy, that’s fine. Data doesn’t support that unless coupled with coaching incompetence (see Texas specifically for the last 11 years), but, hey, it’s been a hard run on that front as a Texas fan. I get it. 

2) This is the best coaching staff assembled at Texas since probably DKR, at least on paper. We can quibble over Coleman or Joseph, I guess, but a lot of coaches seem to actually think they can coach, so I’ll cross my fingers. 

3) The 2021 schedule simply isn’t intimidating. Long gone are the days where we can be confident in beating the also-rans of the conference, but if Texas is ever going to ascend to the top tier again, you have to believe that Texas is going to start actually beating the teams it’s supposed to be beating, and that includes Okie State, TCU, WVU and Baylor, consistently. I expect that to start this year. 

The flipside is that there is more parity in college than ever before. Scholarship limits and open transfers give many schools opportunities. I am not convinced that we can out talent everyone to any better than 7 wins. And I think we still need to get the LB from Bama and a couple others to keep from having glaring weaknesses that teams can attack. Basically, this is about where Herman left the program. The remaining wins have to come from coaching. But, with first year coaches I just don't know what that means. I guess I just need to see it on the field before I can envision us winning the conference.

[Atticus 3,973]

I don't quite get all the hype for our DBs. Jamison had a good stretch last year but we lost our best DB to the draft and will have two new starters at safety. I love Gideon's recruiting so far but he and Joseph are going to be a big step down from Jimmy Lake and PK's defense puts a lot of pressure on his safeties. 

Chris Brown? If so, not a high bar to clear at all.

[TommyGufano 6,021]

1 hour ago, Hmmm said:

Jamison.

Can't tell who split the two on the first play, but he left BJ in the dust.  BJ can't afford to get beat deep because his recovery speed is not good.

98% confidence: Adimora

[UncleSonny 6,570]

2 minutes ago, Bevo said:

The flipside is that there is more parity in college than ever before. Scholarship limits and open transfers give many schools opportunities. I am not convinced that we can out talent everyone to any better than 7 wins.

How are you measuring parity exactly? The same program wins the Big10, SEC, ACC, and Big12 pretty much every season. The playoff has been some combination of Bama, OSU, Clemson, and then a 4th team that rotates in every year. I'm not seeing it. The teams with the most talent have been overwhelmingly successful. 

[westexhorn 2,013]

At least WV is losing their all american safety lol, just need the rest of them to also lose a few studs to other conferences.

[Bodacious Bevo 3,584]

1 hour ago, Burt Macklin said:

Rating our position groups based on how they performed under a coaching staff that just got fired and then using that as the expectation of performance under our new staff doesn’t make a whole lot of sense

This logic is right but the flip side is that you can't count on a player to do things that they haven't done before. I took the bait for the 2019 defense and got burned (but not as much as our DBs did ayoo)

 

11 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

In following this thread and others, I see the sentiment is somewhat pervasive that 2021 will be a season in which expectations should be tempered. It’s not always clear to what degree, but I don’t get the impression that many folks are expecting Texas to compete for the conference title. On page 14 here alone, there’s healthy skepticism that 10 wins is a legit target without some real breaks. That implies that many do not expect Texas to be in contention for the Big 12 title, unless folks have convinced themselves that Texas will lose to ULaLa, Arky, and the bowl game. 

I understand reluctance to buy-in. We’ve had a rough 11 year run and Sarkisian isn’t going to prove himself reliable until, well, he does. 

In any event, there are 3 factors that, to me at least, should trump the skepticism. 

1) Texas recruited well under Herman. Specifically, Texas recruited well on the DL and OL. There is talent on the roster. It’s not Bama’s or Ohio State’s roster at this time. It’s also got more raw talent on it than arguably any other roster Texas will face with the possible (probable?) exception of OU. Again, if you’re a “recruiting rankings don’t matter” guy, that’s fine. Data doesn’t support that unless coupled with coaching incompetence (see Texas specifically for the last 11 years), but, hey, it’s been a hard run on that front as a Texas fan. I get it. 

2) This is the best coaching staff assembled at Texas since probably DKR, at least on paper. We can quibble over Coleman or Joseph, I guess, but a lot of coaches seem to actually think they can coach, so I’ll cross my fingers. 

3) The 2021 schedule simply isn’t intimidating. Long gone are the days where we can be confident in beating the also-rans of the conference, but if Texas is ever going to ascend to the top tier again, you have to believe that Texas is going to start actually beating the teams it’s supposed to be beating, and that includes Okie State, TCU, WVU and Baylor, consistently. I expect that to start this year. 

Agree with points 1 and 2. The quality of our staff is really the basis of any and all optimism for next year imo 

But the cap on my excitement is OU and ISU. OU has gone all in on next year and is primed for a title run. Iowa State returns a ton and is a legit top ten team, talent be damned. Sure we could contend for the conference and both games are winnable but I think it's wrong to rank us higher than either of them

[Bevo 13,563]

3 minutes ago, UncleSonny said:

How are you measuring parity exactly? The same program wins the Big10, SEC, ACC, and Big12 pretty much every season. The playoff has been some combination of Bama, OSU, Clemson, and then a 4th team that rotates in every year. I'm not seeing it. The teams with the most talent have been overwhelmingly successful. 

First, we aren't OSU, Bama, and Clemson. After OSU, who is going to win the Big? After Bama, who is going to win the SEC? That is the parity that I am talking about. 

[Machinator 32,099]

 

[SarkAfterDark 1,688]

Part of the reason WRs on other teams looked better than ours was because they had better thrown balls for them to catch. Also ran more unpredictable routes. I think the WRs will look better with Sam and Herman gone.

[Machinator 32,099]

IT team notes

Spoiler

It feels like spring practice officially started on Saturday.

The very first thing we heard about Saturday’s makeup practice was that it was physical. Throughout the conversation with the source, he used the terms emotional, chippy, and rowdy.

IT responded by saying the video of the defensive backs going through drills was definitely violent and heard in response, “it was more than that. It was also like that on special teams and d-line versus o-line drills.“

Special teams too? That’s not hard to believe with the human upper Jeff Banks coordinating it. “Special teams you had two blockers versus the gunner and the gunner would either be pushed way out of bounds or fight through and go make the play. Guys were really fighting and it set the tone. Most energetic practice of the spring by far.”

Texas is using a number of gunners and they all won reps in this setting: Josh Thompson, D’Shawn Jamison, Chris Adimora, and Kitan Crawford.

Thompson continues to be singled out regardless of playing corner or special teams. “He had another pick on Saturday. He’s picked off both quarterbacks already this spring.” He’s also being singled out for his leadership.

The OL versus DL consists of either tandems or trios going at it. E.g. A tight end and offensive tackle would be pitted against a three-tech and X-backer. Or you could have the OG/C/OG going versus the two interior defensive linemen and a linebacker. These drills also helped spark an energetic and physical practice.

IT has heard the tight ends and offensive lineman are showing some improvement as practice goes on. Even Malcolm Epps at tight end was mentioned for showing some real spirit with regards to blocking.

Christian Jones spent the bulk of practice at left tackle, with Andrej Karic the bulk of time at right tackle. Isaiah Hookfin also worked in at right tackle.

Rafiti Ghirmai was with the ones at center.

The quarterbacks continue to share reps equally and that will be a fixture into August. There’s no real disparity between them yet. In team drills, Casey Thompson may be a bit quicker to leave the pocket, but that’s more him being decisive and taking the free yards rather than feeling antsy. Card so far looks to push the ball downfield a little more. Other than that, they’re pretty similar.

 

[UncleSonny 6,570]

21 minutes ago, Bevo said:

First, we aren't OSU, Bama, and Clemson. After OSU, who is going to win the Big? After Bama, who is going to win the SEC? That is the parity that I am talking about. 

I'm not really following your point I guess. No, we aren't OSU, Bama, Clemson. That's kind of the problem, most of us believe with better coaching for the last decade we would be. Or hell, at the very minimum be the Georgia to OUs Bama in conference (drinks bleach). Not every school can say that. Iowa State can get a great coaching performance out of Matt Campbell but he can't turn them into a perennial contender. 

I just don't see parity as a good descriptor of college football. I guess you could say the Big12 has some, OU at the top, and then almost everyone else bunched around the middle with Kansas on the bottom. That isn't a function of those middle teams being especially dangerous compared to the past, it's mainly because Texas has fucked around for a decade and wastes talent year after year. Even as bad as things have been we have recruited significantly better than everyone in the conference every year (save OU), same as always.

The Big12 significantly easier now than it was in 2008 when we had to play 4 consecutive top 10 teams in conference. We still have enough of a talent advantage against most teams on the schedule to expect a fast turnaround on the field if Sark is the real deal.

[SydneyCarton 48,054]

On 4/5/2021 at 11:44 AM, stork642 said:

Not sure if it’s just me but every time I see a Greenspoint post I can’t help but think of...

This is an inaccurate and unfair comparison. Because that guy was at least a Doctor. 

Edited April 7, 2021 by SydneyCarton

[jinx 2,635]

13 minutes ago, SarkAfterDark said:

Part of the reason WRs on other teams looked better than ours was because they had better thrown balls for them to catch. Also ran more unpredictable routes. I think the WRs will look better with Sam and Herman gone.

I am a simple man, and only hope for an offense where the opponent knows our play less than 90% of the time.

[ousux 5,596]

"rebuild?" I'm not expecting a playoff run in 2021, but I can't really get behind the notion that this staff is facing a rebuild. There's plenty of talent on the roster to go with a forgivable schedule. If they're not 10wins+ after the bowl game, "7 Win Steve" will be feeding the fires around his so far well-earned nickname. Dude's getting paid $5+ and his staff's getting another $5+ in the Big 12. They need to be putting a lot of W's up in 2021 and building on it.

Know what makes me feel better about the coming season? It's how overconfident the sister fuckers to our north are about their returners plus half of Rocky top now following a covered wagon out on the field. Every time they get cocky we play them well even if we come up short, but I dont think Sark and his crew will allow Lincoln to outcoach us..

[JFKFC 4,878]

I am worried about what people are saying this spring about the o-line. If our o-line gets manhandled again by Iowa State and TCU, I am going to start bombing game threads with pictures of myself in colorful boxer briefs. You've been warned.

[ousux 5,596]

Card is the real deal. He is a tough minded kid that won't buckle under the stress of the job. The stage will not be too big for him. His family moved to LT in 8th grade so he could play for LT. Kid was ready to play in the State Championship game against Allen as a soph who spent the whole year playing WR. He made a couple of mistakes early and then played his ass off to bring LT almost all the way back. He did the same thing against North Shore. He never gave up. He battled.
Now, saying all of the above, I wouldnt have given Casey a chance until I saw him slice up Colorado. He looked like an epiphany in that game. I was like WTF??? If he can play like that all the time, it doesnt make a shit who is playing QB because they will be lighting it up!!!

Agreed on the last part. Breaking in a new QB is far less scary this year than any other in recent memory..

[Tex-19 2,872]

49 minutes ago, Machinator said:

IT team notes

  Hide contents

It feels like spring practice officially started on Saturday.

The very first thing we heard about Saturday’s makeup practice was that it was physical. Throughout the conversation with the source, he used the terms emotional, chippy, and rowdy.

IT responded by saying the video of the defensive backs going through drills was definitely violent and heard in response, “it was more than that. It was also like that on special teams and d-line versus o-line drills.“

Special teams too? That’s not hard to believe with the human upper Jeff Banks coordinating it. “Special teams you had two blockers versus the gunner and the gunner would either be pushed way out of bounds or fight through and go make the play. Guys were really fighting and it set the tone. Most energetic practice of the spring by far.”

Texas is using a number of gunners and they all won reps in this setting: Josh Thompson, D’Shawn Jamison, Chris Adimora, and Kitan Crawford.

Thompson continues to be singled out regardless of playing corner or special teams. “He had another pick on Saturday. He’s picked off both quarterbacks already this spring.” He’s also being singled out for his leadership.

The OL versus DL consists of either tandems or trios going at it. E.g. A tight end and offensive tackle would be pitted against a three-tech and X-backer. Or you could have the OG/C/OG going versus the two interior defensive linemen and a linebacker. These drills also helped spark an energetic and physical practice.

IT has heard the tight ends and offensive lineman are showing some improvement as practice goes on. Even Malcolm Epps at tight end was mentioned for showing some real spirit with regards to blocking.

Christian Jones spent the bulk of practice at left tackle, with Andrej Karic the bulk of time at right tackle. Isaiah Hookfin also worked in at right tackle.

Rafiti Ghirmai was with the ones at center.

The quarterbacks continue to share reps equally and that will be a fixture into August. There’s no real disparity between them yet. In team drills, Casey Thompson may be a bit quicker to leave the pocket, but that’s more him being decisive and taking the free yards rather than feeling antsy. Card so far looks to push the ball downfield a little more. Other than that, they’re pretty similar.

 

WHY

[Machinator 32,099]

Just now, Tex-19 said:

WHY

They're probably trying out different combinations early on in spring practice.

[Laxtonto 12,078]

6 minutes ago, Tex-19 said:

WHY

Well someone has to play the other positions during the Spring game. Run through the combos in camp now and find out what works, what sorta works and what to stay the fuck away from at all costs..

[Nivek 16,917]

1 hour ago, SydneyCarton said:

This is an accurate and unfair comparison. Because that guy was at least a Doctor. 

Counterpoint: Greenspoint has a PhD in life.  

Edited April 5, 2021 by Nivek

[oldhorn2 430]

2 hours ago, Bevo said:

The remaining wins have to come from coaching. But, with first year coaches I just don't know what that means. I guess I just need to see it on the field before I can envision us winning the conference.

I expect that more than "remaining wins" coming from better coaching.....I expect the better coaching to quit adding to the damned losses. We have continued to lose games we should have won through total dumbassery. I am hopeful that the new staff will not give games away. If that indeed does happen we will be fine.

[stork642 4,498]

1 hour ago, SydneyCarton said:

This is an accurate and unfair comparison. Because that guy was at least a Doctor. 

Ballgame. 

[Bevo 13,563]

2 hours ago, Machinator said:

IT has heard the tight ends and offensive lineman are showing some improvement as practice goes on. Even Malcolm Epps at tight end was mentioned for showing some real spirit with regards to blocking.

They had me going until this.

[Bevo 13,563]

2 hours ago, UncleSonny said:

I'm not really following your point I guess. No, we aren't OSU, Bama, Clemson. That's kind of the problem, most of us believe with better coaching for the last decade we would be. Or hell, at the very minimum be the Georgia to OUs Bama in conference (drinks bleach). Not every school can say that. Iowa State can get a great coaching performance out of Matt Campbell but he can't turn them into a perennial contender. 

I just don't see parity as a good descriptor of college football. I guess you could say the Big12 has some, OU at the top, and then almost everyone else bunched around the middle with Kansas on the bottom. That isn't a function of those middle teams being especially dangerous compared to the past, it's mainly because Texas has fucked around for a decade and wastes talent year after year. Even as bad as things have been we have recruited significantly better than everyone in the conference every year (save OU), same as always.

The Big12 significantly easier now than it was in 2008 when we had to play 4 consecutive top 10 teams in conference. We still have enough of a talent advantage against most teams on the schedule to expect a fast turnaround on the field if Sark is the real deal.

If you are Michigan, PSU, or any team not tOSU, there are very few gimmes on the schedule. If you are LSU or Florida, there are very few gimmes on the schedule. There is no dominant team on the West Coast.

[NeverMarryAStripper 21,872]

Has LSU really fallen to the point where McNeese St  and Central Michigan are not gimmes?

[BornOrange 1,441]

6 minutes ago, NeverMarryAStripper said:

Has LSU really fallen to the point where McNeese St  and Central Michigan are not gimmes?

The word "few" can be confusing

The phrase "very few" can be even more confusing.

Edited April 5, 2021 by BornOrange

[NeverMarryAStripper 21,872]

Yeah I guess including Kentucky and ULM making it 1/3 of their schedule takes it from very few to a goddamn rarity

[UncleSonny 6,570]

2 minutes ago, NeverMarryAStripper said:

Yeah I guess including Kentucky and ULM making it 1/3 of their schedule takes it from very few to a goddamn rarity

Can probably add Arkansas too. They are improving but their huge 3 win showing in the SEC last season was on the heels of a 20 game losing streak in conference. 

[maninblack 7,974]

6 hours ago, GreenspointTexas said:

I cant remember a worse/more unproven WR corps at Texas than what we had last year and going into this season

Go back and look at 2015

[ousux 5,596]

I dont get the handwringing about our roster, I mean even our transition class was still #17, how many teams (good ones at that) who werent turning over their coaching staff would love to crack the top 20 in recruit class rankings?

O-line in the future could be a concern, but the portal makes that less grim than it appears. What I really dont understand the concern at WR...we have a very good one in this class, (Alexis, NFL legacy) Keithron Lee, Casey Cain and then lets not forget J'tavion Sanders on the other side of the ball..joining Jordan Thomas, Morice Blackwell, Terrence Cooks and others who I think will be the future of a pretty stout D.

Oh, and we even got another kicker from Oz to replace the Dickson cousin that didnt quite keep the legacy going.

[Machinator 32,099]

Broughton

[Had Enough 2,078]

10 wins is it. Holy hell. If you thought the coaching was poor last year and looking to be an upgrade this year, 10 is the answer.

Every year, as was previously mentioned, teams have holes. Every year teams have guys step up. LBers. I might feel better about this group than any in 10 years. From a talent comparison, this years bunch is better than Bobino, Harris and Killebrew. Is Overshown playing in the NFL or not?
Best upside RB in the league. Mature new QB. No way the Oline is not better if the coaching is. Good experience and ability at dline. Good talent, Experience at DB. Bucevski and Dicker are solid.

1 play away from beating OU and ISU. Point being those are toss ups at this point.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[texifornia 56,862]

4 hours ago, ousux said:

I dont get the handwringing about our roster, I mean even our transition class was still #17, how many teams (good ones at that) who werent turning over their coaching staff would love to crack the top 20 in recruit class rankings?

O-line in the future could be a concern, but the portal makes that less grim than it appears. What I really dont understand the concern at WR...we have a very good one in this class, (Alexis, NFL legacy) Keithron Lee, Casey Cain and then lets not forget J'tavion Sanders on the other side of the ball..joining Jordan Thomas, Morice Blackwell, Terrence Cooks and others who I think will be the future of a pretty stout D.

Oh, and we even got another kicker from Oz to replace the Dickson cousin that didnt quite keep the legacy going.

Bujcevski is still around, he just got hurt last year.

[ousux 5,596]

Bujcevski is still around, he just got hurt last year.

I'm aware, but he needs to step it up to keep his job

[conVINCEd 21,469]

14 minutes ago, ousux said:

16 minutes ago, texifornia said:

Bujcevski is still around, he just got hurt last year.

I'm aware, but he needs to step it up to keep his job

Aussie on Aussie violence is my favorite kind of violence.  2 men enter, one man leaves.

[ousux 5,596]

Aussie on Aussie violence is my favorite kind of violence.  2 men enter, one man leaves.

Unless this new Aussie is Michael Dickson 2.0 right out of the gates, I wouldnt be shocked if Dicker pulls double duty this year..

[Dijon Robinson 1,511]

25 minutes ago, ousux said:

41 minutes ago, conVINCEd said:

Aussie on Aussie violence is my favorite kind of violence.  2 men enter, one man leaves.

Unless this new Aussie is Michael Dickson 2.0 right out of the gates, I wouldnt be shocked if Dicker pulls double duty this year..

Assuming punting duties killed Dicker's FG game last season. We better hope he's not having to do both for a full year.

[Bevo 13,563]

7 hours ago, conVINCEd said:

Aussie on Aussie violence is my favorite kind of violence.  2 men enter, one man leaves.

I prefer Scottish on Scottish violence.

[texifornia 56,862]

8 hours ago, ousux said:

8 hours ago, conVINCEd said:

Aussie on Aussie violence is my favorite kind of violence.  2 men enter, one man leaves.

Unless this new Aussie is Michael Dickson 2.0 right out of the gates, I wouldnt be shocked if Dicker pulls double duty this year..

You're conflating freshman Buj with last year's edition. He got a lot better, no reason to split those duties and pull practice time from Dicker's normal duties.

[BornOrange 1,441]

10 hours ago, Had Enough said:

10 wins is it. Holy hell. If you thought the coaching was poor last year and looking to be an upgrade this year, 10 is the answer.
...
1 play away from beating OU and ISU. Point being those are toss ups at this point.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

And one play away from beating TCU.

[Pato del Muerto 52,485]

So 2 or 3 plays away from tom herman and herb hand and others still being employed here

[Had Enough 2,078]

So 2 or 3 plays away from tom herman and herb hand and others still being employed here

I reckon so. We’ll just have to find different reasons to bitch about frustrating losses.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[futureman 22,443]

2 hours ago, Bevo said:

I prefer Scottish on Scottish violence.

nothing compares to irish on irish violence. 

[texifornia 56,862]

Fun reminder: Louisiana and ISU both bring back nearly their complete rosters

Quote

I guess if I have a concern about UL taking this thing even further this year, it's on offense. Not sure of the upside. Got almost 1/3 of their total yards in one play against ISU (the late-Q3 TD bomb). Run game went nowhere, which also killed RPO chances.

 

Edited April 6, 2021 by texifornia

[ousux 5,596]

You're conflating freshman Buj with last year's edition. He got a lot better, no reason to split those duties and pull practice time from Dicker's normal duties.

I hope so, its not like I dont want him to do well...but we need the best punter out there unless we score or kick a FG every possesion.

[BurntOrange&White 39,930]

9 minutes ago, ousux said:

2 hours ago, texifornia said:

You're conflating freshman Buj with last year's edition. He got a lot better, no reason to split those duties and pull practice time from Dicker's normal duties.

I hope so, its not like I dont want him to do well...but we need the best punter out there unless we score or kick a FG every possesion.

Dixon was awful as a freshmen

[Herbie Hancock 7,344]

Dickson

[Machinator 32,099]

 

[Machinator 32,099]