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Texas Recruiting Notes 2021

Reese Bennett

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satyanash

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(Mike Roach) The Stampede: Position by position look at the 2021 class

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Another game week for Texas brings a chance to right the ship and get things moving in the right direction. The Longhorns need to get back in the win column badly in order for recruiting to return to some sense of normalcy. While Texas treads water with recruits in the 2021 and 2022 classes, every other school it competes with is moving forward. Recruitments can turn on a dime and the momentum of a race can change in the blink of an eye, meaning the Longhorns need something positive to hang onto as soon as possible.

Texas is still trying to finish out the 2021 class, which currently ranks No. 17 in the country and appears to be leaking oil after a recent decommitment from Denton Ryan four-star athlete Billy Bowman. How much are the current Longhorn struggles altering the future outlook of this class? In this week's edition of The Stampede, Horns247's weekly gathering of recruiting intel, we take a position-by-position look at the Texas board and see how much damage has been done.

Current state of the program

In the past week I’ve said that recruiting is stuck in neutral, but a better description is dead in the water as of right now. In talking with recruits, parents, coaches and trainers, it’s clear that everyone is in wait-and-see mode with where Texas stands. The program’s stock seems to be as low as it has been in recent years and it doesn’t help that Texas had a bye this week.

The Longhorns haven’t won a game in nearly a month and they didn’t have the opportunity to erase the last two weeks with a better performance on the field. The problem is two-fold. While the staff is having trouble closing out the 2021 group, they also can’t put the hammer down on 2022 and be as aggressive as they’d like to be with a player like Quinn Ewers in the fold. While the 2022 kids aren't panicking yet, there isn't much froward momentum there.

The bottom line is something needs to change soon or this team could find themselves playing from far behind when it comes to recruiting late in the fall.

Running Back

Texas already has a commitment from Jonathon Brooks and I think the staff would be comfortable making him the only take if they strike out on the options left on the board. The main option is LJ Johnson. Texas made a big push for Johnson over the summer and took control of his recruitment according to most accounts behind the scenes. With Texas poised to land the four-star runner pending a good season, everything is now up in the air.

In fact, the main competition for Texas is with the in-state recruiting rival Texas A&M and the Aggies have worked their way into the top 10 nationally by physically running the football in their last two wins. I checked with sources on Johnson and while I was told that he wasn’t going to make any hasty decisions, it’s hard to argue against notion that the Aggies are surging ahead in this recruitment at the moment.

If Texas misses out on Johnson, I’d expect Brooks to be the only take unless a new name pops up this year. Johnson was one of the highest-rated targets left on the board, so losing out on him would also hurt the overall class rating.

Wide Receiver

This is probably the position where there is the most room for things to change at the moment. Texas holds commitments from Jaden Alexis and Casey Cain and I believe the staff would like to add at least one more commitment, if not more to this group. Texas has been kicking the tires on out of state prospects like Dont'e Thornton, Keon Coleman and Antonio Harmon as well as in-state prospects like JJ Henry.

Thornton recently told 247Sports that Texas is a school he’s growing to have interest in, but sources I speak with count Oregon as the runaway leader for the big outside target. Coleman seems to be more wide open at the moment, but his future in basketball will also play into his decision of where to land at the next level. Sources in the state of Mississippi continue to profess optimism that Harmon eventually winds up in Austin and that could be true depending on how the other schools recruiting him view him in the pecking order.

Henry is still saying good things about Texas, but he’s still a long way from making a decision and those around him don’t have a great feel for where he’s leaning. Texas A&M is also in the top group for Henry at the moment. In actuality, Henry being incredibly patient with his process is helping Texas more than anything right now.

Offensive Line

The Longhorns are probably done with offensive line recruiting in 2021 pending a commitment from an elite prospect like Bryce Foster or Savion Byrd. I think that’s a big reason the Texas staff seemed to back off of Jacoby Jackson, who picked Texas Tech last week. There isn’t much new to report on Foster and Byrd. Texas is probably running fourth for both at the moment and the added concerns of instability on the Forty Acres won’t help. If the Longhorns fail to land Foster or Byrd, the inability to cash in on one of the best in-state offensive line groups in recent history will be glaring.

Defensive Line

This is probably the area of greatest need combined with the most possibilities left on the board for the Longhorns. Tunmise Adeleye’s rekindling with the Texas staff was short-lived as he released an expected top three of Texas A&M, Alabama and Florida. Shemar Turner remains the prize and I don’t hear much new on that front, but you can bet he’s taking notice of what’s going on with Texas, Texas A&M and Alabama.

After losing out on Albert Regis, Ikechukwu Iwunnah could be in play for the Longhorns if they push. It sounds like that race could come down to Texas and Baylor. The Longhorns also appear to still be alive in the race for Notre Dame commit David Abiara, who could end up in Austin by default if all of his other options dry up. It will also be interesting to see if Texas chooses to push for Arden Walker, who is a teammate of current Texas commit Gunnar Helm. Whatever the case may be, Texas must finish out this group with some talent and hold on to Ja'Tavion Sanders who could figure in on either side of the ball.

Linebacker

The Longhorns appeared to be in pretty good shape here with Derrick Harris and Morice Blackwell committed and Terrence Cooks on deck. Cooks has been all Texas since the moment the staff offered and I’ve been told that Cooks has been very close to committing to Texas on several occasions. As of late, however, Cooks has been questioning the inability of Texas to produce high-level results despite highly-ranked recruiting classes.

Baylor and LSU are the other schools in it for Cooks and I was told that he recently reached out to the Oklahoma staff to see where things stood with them and their class numbers. This recruitment went from in the bag to up in the air over the course of the last month.

Safety

A few weeks ago, it looked like the Texas class was set in the secondary. Even after missing out on Andrew Mukuba, the Longhorns were likely set with a strong four-man group. Following Bowman’s recent decommitment, however, Texas is now in the market for a safety with nobody on the board currently. The Longhorns offered Devin Lemear before he committed to Baylor and it doesn’t appear that the staff will re-visit that recruitment. The Longhorns could choose to re-engage with South Grand Prairie’s Jalon Williams or look to totally new targets altogether.

 

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satyanash

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(Justin Wells) Inside Scoop: Coaching insight/scenarios, latest on 2021 targets, and Coleman quotes

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A year ago, almost to the date, we wrote this to assuage any fears Tom Herman wouldn’t make substantial changes to his coaching staff. The expected overhaul occurred and Tom Herman was given a new lease on life. Of course that lease didn’t last very long and now athletic director Chris Del Conte finds himself in a similar situation to last year, just this time his focus will be on the head coach rather than coordinators and below.

Del Conte was hired at Texas for two reasons, to raise money and hire coaches. He understands the two go hand in hand. Hire good coaches and raising money becomes much more easier, particularly in the $100k group. Hiring a big name coach would bring more financial support from that donating demographic. The million-dollar bunch is usually around the rim already, but they’re currently sitting on their wallets when it comes to athletic donations.

The current climate has made it much harder to raise money, so even if it’s not his fault, Del Conte is failing to do the #1 thing he was hired to do. Fundraising hitting the wall is a fait accompli for Herman, unless he pulls off a miraculous run of winning. And even then, his job is still in danger. Del Conte won’t be taking the blame for his inability to raise money.

Donors who don’t wield heavy influence, but who cut large checks, all ask the same question: What about Urban Meyer? In the past, Meyer's history would preclude being hired at Texas. We’ve probably never reversed course more quickly on something we were so adamant on. That’s because the donors’ appetite changed almost overnight. At the same time, Texas has a new school president in Jay Hartzell who is a friend to athletics in general and football in particular. While it wouldn’t be accurate to say he’s beating the drum for Meyer, we’ve heard he’s open to it.

We know Del Conte’s open to it because a hire like that fulfills both of his main obligations: raising money and making excellent coaching hires.

SCENARIOS

While you play A Tribe Called Quest in your head, we’ll update the current scenarios we outlined in the recent Humidor. Here we go, yo.

1. Option #1: Not to confuse Meyer being likely, but we were early to say the hire is at least possible. Because of that, the early signals were coming through loud and clear. We were able to corroborate some key bits of news. As more catch on behind the scenes, the noise is starting to drown out the signal. Rumor SZN is upon us. Everybody has heard something it seems, but unfortunately the info doesn’t always align. Our best sources on the matter, however, are in a holding pattern. That is to say, the hire is still doable.

If top brass deems it’s time to move on from Herman, buyout money won’t be an issue for a quality hire. Funding a hire as ambitious as Meyer could be a bit more difficult. There are a lot of ways to make the numbers work, however, and if a realistic number is negotiated, the school will find a way to ante up. If this were to come to fruition, the politics wouldn’t look great for the school. A lot of people don’t understand ROI, sadly.

Aside the financial considerations, another question is if he would really take the job? That’s impossible to know, but we know he wants to coach again. He’s hyper-competitive and wants to win a fourth National Championship at a third school. Could he find a situation better than UT? With a talented roster, new facilities, a defensive coordinator he’s won a trophy with, as well as an accomplished running backs coach he’s familiar with, Texas sets up quite well. If he doesn’t want the job, we’ll have to question whether he truly wants to work again, and that’s not Texas arrogance talking. UT really does have a solid foundation in place.

We know he wanted the Dallas Cowboys job even though his heart belongs to college football. He wants to coach again. Some have speculated Oklahoma could come open. That would be a great situation for him but it’s unlikely there will be a vacancy in Norman. We heard last year Lincoln Riley turned down the Cowboys. We never corroborated it but we find it plausible. There’s also some fear OU would be more proactive than Texas. We don’t know why there’s an assumption now that Del Conte isn’t already being proactive. In short, Meyer likely won’t have a better option than Texas. This will likely come down to money, and, well, there being a job opening.

2. Herman saves his job: At this time it’s hard to fathom this scenario. To his credit, his players still believe in him, but try as we might, we haven’t found much support for him otherwise. Some of the most instrumental people in bringing him to Texas are out on him for much the same reasons the fans are. It’s hard to overstate the level of frustration with Herman from people who have influence over his immediate future.

It’s morbid to talk about, and for all his faults we hate writing it. But we can’t discuss the future of Texas football without this being in the record. We don’t know the likelihood that Herman could be removed in-season, but we have heard it’s not off the table. Typically that’s a no-go but recruiting and roster considerations aren’t what they once were. A protracted search must begin much earlier in the calendar otherwise the carcass will be picked of what quality meat remains.

3. Comprehensive process: If Meyer isn’t the guy, and if Herman doesn’t save his job, Del Conte and Hartzell will have a difficult decision on their hands. There is no clear alternative to Meyer but there are numerous potential candidates. Just whittling that group down to a manageable number will be difficult. Last week we hinted at one common name becoming a plausible candidate. We’re still not putting his name out there but he and Del Conte have some familiarity with each other. You might leap to Sonny Dykes, but no, that’s not him. This is a more high profile coach.

Over the weekend we heard a couple of Tier 3 names: Billy Napier at the University of Louisiana and Luke Fickell at Cincinnati. That isn’t to say these coaches have already been back-channeled, just that there are people who consider them rising stars in the industry. The most telling thing is, the school seems to be operating on two tracks should a change need to be made. The names aren’t important, at least not yet.

RECRUITING

Running back

L.J. Johnson, Cy Fair

Texas had surged to the top over Texas A&M, LSU, and Georgia prior to the season, and the Longhorns were extremely close to receiving a verbal. Now, the Longhorns are fighting to remain in the mix and delay Johnson's decision behind the work of Stan Drayton and Bryan Carrington. It’s imperative Drayton and Carrington keep their hooks in Johnson while the coaching uncertainty plays out.

Wide receiver

Dont’e Thornton, Mount Saint Joseph (MD)

The Longhorns were making headway in this recruitment prior to the back-to-back losses. Oregon has been considered the front runner over North Carolina and Notre Dame prior to Texas and Georgia jumping in with both feet. This decision will be getting away from home as much as football with a decision expected this week.

Keon Coleman, Opelousas (LA)

More below.

Offensive line

Savion Byrd, Duncanville

Texas has quietly continued to work to get Byrd to make a student visit to Austin, but remains behind Oklahoma, SMU, and LSU and is considered a long shot. Byrd’s former offensive line coach Marcus Graham is now the head coach at Beaumont United and had this to say about Byrd last week. “He’s going to play on Sundays. He’s gotten a lot bigger and is now more than a great frame. He’s an intelligent kid. He works at it.”

Bryce Foster, Katy Taylor

Heading into the season Oklahoma was considered the favorite with Texas quietly running second or third with Texas A&M and Oregon in the hunt. Both OU and UT have struggled, while A&M is off to a better than expected start. Given his good relationship with Hand, and Hand very, very unlikely to be retained, we’re barely watching this one.

Defensive line

Shemar Turner, DeSoto

Texas made up ground over the summer to the point of one person close to the recruitment placing the Longhorns in front, but the performance on the field this season has placed Texas A&M comfortably in the driver's seat with Alabama lurking.

Byron Murphy II, DeSoto

After missing on Albert Regis, Texas has made contact with the DeSoto staff about offering Murphy. To this point, Murphy hasn’t shown signs of budging off his commitment to Baylor.

David Abiara, Mansfield Legacy

The Notre Dame “soft commit” continues to be a target of the Texas staff, with continued communication with both Abiara and family. Abiara mentioned in September that Texas would likely be the pick if not the Fighting Irish. SMU’s Randall Joyner continues to be in contact as well, and the Mustangs continue to believe they have a chance for the flip.

Je’Lin Samuels, Sam Rayburn

The 6-foot-6, 225-pound senior defensive end surprised many by committing to SMU last week. The timing of his announcement happened to be literally hours before Texas planned to offer, and when the interest from Texas A&M was nearing that point, too. Arizona State, Colorado, and Houston had offered in recent days along with SMU. This is a recruitment that IT doesn’t feel like is a wrap.

Ike Iwunnah, Lakeview Centennial

With Regis committed to A&M, and Turner possibly following suit, Texas needs interior help in the class. We won’t be surprised if this recruitment heats up after Iwunnah was offered months ago.

Linebacker

Terrence Cooks, Shadow Creek

Cooks is planning to announce his commitment in November, and the Longhorns continue to be squarely in the mix along with Baylor and LSU. This was a recruitment that IT felt strongly about Texas winning out in September, but the product on the field matters.

KEON COLEMAN

Texas continues to look for outside receivers in the 2021 class. It’s been a journey thus far. UT offered the 6-foot-4, 200-pounder from Opelousas (LA) Catholic following his decommittment from Kansas. Coleman currently holds 40 offers, including Georgia, Auburn, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Miami. In 2019, the four-star wideout had 1,143 yards and 22 touchdowns on 35 catches. That's 32.6 ypc. He added seven INTs on defense as well and excels on the hardwood as a Division I level point guard.

He has a lot of responsibilities in 2020, namely getting back to the playoffs. "We are finding ourselves after losing nine of our defensive starters last year," said Coleman. "There isn't one school on the schedule we won't be ready for." All the schools are in the "same boat" as others, according to Coleman, but he's got his eyes on a few programs. "(Texas) is a great school," said Coleman. "They are good at getting the ball to their big receivers."

TCU is also on his mind. "I've been listening to (Malcolm Kelly, TCU WR coach)," Coleman said. "We're supposed to chop it up again soon." It's hard to gauge where UT stands early in this pursuit, but he's eager to listen to Texas and likes Andre Coleman. In most years, he'd probably attend LSU, but the Tigers have bigger fish on the line.

 

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satyanash

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(Scipio Tex) Texas Football Coaching Hires: The Small Time, Big Time

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This is not a historical reprise of the intricacies of every hire in Texas football history. Let's keep this manageable. What I will illustrate is how often Texas, a clear Top 10 national football program, has thought small and/or hired unproven more often than not in its program history. History does not repeat itself, but it does rhyme and our rhymes owe more to MC Hammer than Eric B and Rakim, if you catch my drift.

Whether simple bad luck, poor administrative hiring acumen, financial constraints, or a lack of awareness of what translates well to the 40, this program can go through some rough patches. We've also hit a lotto ticket here and there, including a power ball ticket named Darrell K Royal. A program can kick ass with a young, energetic riser. But you'd better have supreme confidence in the administration's ability to discern winning attributes, leadership, and what it takes to make it in Austin. Or just have really good luck. Take this ride with me - you'll find it interesting. (h/t to my friend @srr50 for his input on this piece)

**

Dana X Bible. I begin with the biggest hire in Texas football history - well, at least up until 1937. Bible won 5 SWC championships at Texas A&M and 6 Big 8 titles in 8 years at Nebraska. He had a 122-34-16 record with 19 years as a head coach under his belt before coming to Texas. The slam dunk hire of his era. Bible was an experienced coach with impeccable credentials and Texas alums, disgusted by slothful underachievement, passed around the hat and signed him to an unprecedented contract: $15,000 a year! A 25% bump over his salary at Nebraska. Bible came to Texas, went 3-14-1 in his first two years, puked and rallied, and then finished out with 3 SWC titles on a 60-17-2 run. Not shabby. We won't hire another coach with anything like his track record for over sixty years. Hire: Very experienced head coach, proven high level track record.

Blair Cherry. Bible's successor, Blair Cherry, was a longtime Bible assistant. He went 32-10-1 at Texas and then quit. Good coach. Good man. His essay Why I Quit Coaching holds up nicely still today. Insomnia and ulcers from dealing with media and fan criticism plagued him and he had his fill. It didn't help that he was named after a stripper. Hire: no head coaching experience, assistant promotion.

Ed Price was Cherry's assistant. He was promoted just as Cherry had been. He cruised on Cherry's fumes (23-8 in his first 3 seasons) and then drove it right into the ground (10-19-1) including his 1-9 final season. For an amusing description of that time period, read Jim Dent's portrait of a Longhorn football practice around that time in The Junction Boys. Star players reclining in the grass, flirting with their girlfriends in attendance, good times. Hire: no head coaching experience, assistant promotion.

DKR. Texas saw what lazy assistant succession had wrought and put on a national search. Let me amend that: a cheap unsuccessful national search. They were rebuffed by Bobby Dodd at Georgia Tech and Michigan State's Duffy Daugherty. Interestingly, both independently mentioned Royal as a good young coach, worthy of a look. Royal was a relatively obscure inexperienced young coach with no real track record. He'd coached the Edmonton Eskimos for a year in the CFL, coached Mississippi State for two, and the Washington Huskies for one. His experience, age, and career coaching record (17-13, never finished higher than 4th in conference) impressed few. Hire him today and Longhorn fans would riot wearing Coaching Matters shirts. He was young, cheap and had the recommendations of the football men of his era. Texas hired him. He went 167-47-5 in Austin. I guess it panned out. 🙂 Hire: limited head coaching experience, limited track record.

Fred Akers. The longtime Royal assistant and former high school coach led Wyoming for a scant two years, going 10-13 (but won his conference in Year 2). The politics and machinations of the Akers hire are long and fascinating, but let's just say that his primary qualification was that he was young, familiar, projected the right image, and wasn't DKR or his handpicked successor. He fit the image of the New Texas that the administration wanted: young, optimistic, dapper, affordable, and positive. Akers went 86-31-2 and had only one losing season in his ten years. Akers fielded some incredible defenses here and his time here is best described as...almost. Almost. Hire: limited head coaching experience, limited track record.

David McWilliams. McWilliams, a longtime DKR and Akers assistant, had exactly one year of head coaching experience. At Texas Tech. Where he went 7-4. The Texas administration was so out of touch with the financial reality of college football that when they interviewed hot national coaching candidate John Cooper (who won the Rose Bowl at Arizona State) their conversation went something like this.

Texas: We want to hire you, John.

Cooper: Fantastic. The Texas job speaks for itself. A lifelong dream.

Texas: We're offering you these $$$.

Cooper: (Long pause) My coordinators make that. Thank you for your time.

Texas: OK, who can we get cheap that will please all of the Royalists we've alienated?

Cooper went on to coach Ohio State. McWilliams was fired after five years. Hire: Very limited head coaching experience, no track record.

John Mackovic. If folksy, defense-oriented, and local burned us, let's go for icy, stand-offish, offense, NFL pedigree, and national. Unlike so many of his Longhorn predecessors, Mackovic was a decently experienced head coach with a legitimate track record. That track record was one of offensive modernity, defensive indifference, and alienated locker rooms. He was fired as head coach of the Chiefs after taking them to the playoffs for his inability to build player rapport. He had a respectable little run at Illinois with Top 25 rankings in 2 of 4 years, but his last team there went 6-5. He also had defenses led by legendary 3-4 LB DC Lou Tepper. Tepper literally wrote the book on 3-4 linebacking. Mackovic's DC hires at Texas were...less than successful. Hire: Reasonable head coaching experience, average track record.

Mack Brown. Mack was on the 1st tier of national coaching hires for what he built at UNC and was known as a recruiting marvel with extraordinary EQ and salesmanship, even if the Steve Spurriers of the world mocked his football acumen. Gary Barnett was a 1st tier national darling for what he'd done at Northwestern (they won the freaking Big 10) and thought to be the clear favorite. We were set to hire Barnett, but Mack blew everyone away in an interview. Dodds was told: this is your guy. Mack Brown was the most credentialed football hire in the history of Texas football since Dana X Bible. Dana X Bible was hired in 1937. Big time program, huh? Maybe in revenue and wins. But mindset!? Mack went 158-48 at Texas, with a 64-9 run between 2004-2009. Hire: Deep head coaching experience, strong track record.

Charlie Strong. National name. A Tier 2 or 3 candidate depending on your perspective at the time. Likable. Seen as "real" and "tough" juxtaposed against the now "fake" and "soft" Mack Brown regime. Political pressures. Korn Ferry consulting buffoons. Limited track record as a head coach (4 years at Louisville, 37-15 record) at a kingmaker program with natural advantages vis a vis peers in a weak conference. Gotta watch out for those. Three painful losing seasons at Texas. Hire: Limited head coaching experience, kingmaker program playing weak schedule, national name.

Tom Herman. National name. Limited track record as a head coach (only two years at Houston, 22-4) at a kingmaker program with natural advantages vis a vis peers in a weak conference. Gotta watch out for those. Seen as an offensive innovator, with organized, mentally tough teams. Concerns? Immaturity, inflexibility, insecurity. A furious Longhorn fanbase terrified that he'd slip away to another bidder and perceived (or real) lack of viable alternatives made the hire nearly fait accompli. Hire: Very limited head coaching experience, kingmaker program playing weak schedule, national name.

Pre-Texas years as college head coach for Texas hires since 1937 (then total as head coach, including NFL):

Bible- 19
Cherry - 0
Price- 0
DKR - 3
Akers - 2
McWilliams- 1
Mackovic - 4 (8)
Brown - 13
Strong - 4
Herman- 2

Since 1937, exactly 2 of 10 Texas head coaching hires had a decade or more as a head coach with an extensive proven track record preceding their Longhorn hire. Half of our coaches hired since 1937 had two years or less of head coaching experience when hired. 8 of 10 had four years or less as college head coaches before their hire. Texas is a big-time program that has traditionally hired small-time. Many programs have succeeded identifying and hiring young talent with a limited track record. Texas has not been one of them.

 

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RGBIII

RGBIII 22,840

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Posted on football board but relevant everywhere

Super k TFB-

I know there has been a lot of twitter talk about the desire by some Texas fans to see Texas hire Urban Meyer.

Of course much of this is premature. Herman still has a path to redemption – make it to the Big 12 championship and win.

But I have now heard from multiple folks that back channel donor talk dealing with Urban has already begun.

I have no idea what that means about the potential for the hire to materialize but I can say it seems it’s not just a discussion happening on twitter.

its happening the office GIF

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RGBIII

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51 minutes ago, Elmer_Fudd said:

The longer we fool around hiring Urban the less time he has to salvage this class.  I've pretty much given up on LJ and Turner and it's really going to stink seeing them go to aggy.  Each day that passes is one less day Urban could be talking to these kids.

This class will be a transition class for sure. Maybe Meyer can salvage something but god damn 2022 will be special...Meyer plus Ewers is just scary

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realgreggym

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3 hours ago, Elmer_Fudd said:

The longer we fool around hiring Urban the less time he has to salvage this class.  I've pretty much given up on LJ and Turner and it's really going to stink seeing them go to aggy.  Each day that passes is one less day Urban could be talking to these kids.

You may be right but I believe that if this happens, its a brand new game unless some of the kids have already signed elsewhere.

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NoName

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12 hours ago, satyanash said:

The prevailing opinion has now shifted to James Franklin. (I sincerely hope not because that would be a very deflating hire.)

I posted this over in the Fire Tom thread but here is where CDC has been and where the very thin potential connection between Franklin and CDC comes from:

Spoiler

 

  • TCU - 09+
  • Rice (06-09)
  • Arizona (00-06)
  • Washington State (98-99)
  • Cal Poly (94-98)

the full overlap between Franklin and CDC appears to be the 1 year Franklin was a TE Coach at Washington State (1998) when CDC was the Assistant AD for External Operations.

 

 

 

 

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satyanash

satyanash 14,634

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Bobby Burton: Tuesday

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With the Baylor game looming, Tom Herman’s job hangs in the balance. A loss to a Bears’ team that hasn’t practiced much in the last two weeks because of Covid-19 restrictions would be a fatal blow to the embattled Texas coach. And it doesn’t look like Texas is going to be at full throttle itself. The injury to Jordan Whittington puts one of the team’s best offensive players on the bench.

Who will replace him? Hopefully Jake Smith remains healthy over the next several days. But if not, Baylor will be going up against Kai Money, and that doesn’t exactly strike fear in a Baylor defense that shut down Texas a year ago. Sure, Baylor lost several key pieces to their defense and a ton of experience from last year, but the Bears remain talented overall, especially in the secondary and at linebacker. If Texas can’t find a way to run the ball with consistency, it’ll be a long game whose outcome probably is undecided until the fourth quarter.

Baylor has some pieces on offense that could give the Texas D some real trouble. Former Bear HC Matt Ruhle placed a premium on recruiting speed at all skill positions and Baylor benefits from big plays despite an offensive line that is still a work in progress. And don’t forget fourth-year starter Charlie Brewer, a Longhorn legacy, returns at QB.

I’d be foolish not to pick the Horns in this game, to stave off the grim reaper that is bound for Herman one more week. But this Texas team is so inconsistent, I feel anything is possible. They could lose a close game or win big. They could play hard yet lack discipline, and make key errors, like a fumble, suffer multiple offensive line penalties or muff a punt, any of which could alter the momentum and outcome of the game.

Some say Texas often plays down to its opponent. I just think Texas isn’t that good until they prove they can eliminate their inconsistencies across the board, from an offense that goes three-and-out more than any in the conference not named Kansas, to a special teams unit that has given up points in multiple games, and a defense that inexplicably leaves the middle of the field open for a QB prone to running.

Texas fans want so desperately to see a different team than they’ve witnessed the last three weeks. The possibility is there. But it’s also unlikely they somehow put it all together now. Each week, each quarter there needs to be improvement. We have yet to see that sort of team that shows that they want to be great.

**

I’ve been asked more times than I count who I would want to replace Tom Herman, if Herman is indeed let go. And furthermore, I’ve been asked when such a move should be made. First and foremost, it is extremely rare that a coach with the success of Urban Meyer is sitting out there like a coaching free agent. Usually, a school has to lure someone of that caliber away from a pro or college job, not an announcer’s booth. I’m sure there are good candidates other than Meyer. But I see no reason Texas should look beyond Meyer.

As for the timing of Herman, I think the next loss makes sense unless we somehow see a team that has undergone a metamorphosis of biblical proportions. I just think Herman has had more than enough time and ample opportunity to turn the program around and install a culture. Texas didn’t hire him, and doesn’t hire any football coach, for a .650 winning percentage. In short, the very minute Chris Del Conte, Jay Hartzell and/or the Texas Board of Regents feel a change needs to be made is exactly when the change should be made.

 

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satyanash

satyanash 14,634

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(Eric Nahlin) Harnessing Ian: Was the Sugar Bowl win a good thing for Tom Herman?

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I feel a bit like our resident contrar-Ian pondering the possibility the Sugar Bowl victory was in fact a negative, but I think a solid case can be made the victory hindered Tom Herman more than it helped him because it validated what turned out to be a broken process. There’s been much discussion regarding Herman’s initial poor staff hires. There’s been much less discussion about what is really sinking him: his refusal to shake his faculty up after year-one.

Herman arrived to Texas mentioning “alignment” to the point it could have become a deadly drinking game. Alignment meant many things, some good and some bad. Staff continuity — this term will rear its head again in a negative light — does have value when remaking a broken program. You want your coaches aligned so messaging and expectations are even throughout the program. You want the whole program moving in the same direction. PJ Fleck has a saying for this.

Not only did Tom bring with him a staff better suited for the G5 ranks, it wasn’t exactly a Team of Rivals either. Thought was uniform because he brought yes-men with him. There was nobody to truly challenge him, and as it turns out, that’s exactly what he needs: to be challenged.

It was clear early into year-one Tim Beck had no business being the offensive coordinator. He’s a better man than coach in a profession where that relationship is often reversed, but for Herman’s purposes that meant he was the de facto OC while also being the head coach. This had a negative affect on his in-game management overall program leadership. Texas struggled a lot in that first year, but there were justifiable reasons for it beyond the coaching. This offered Herman the excuse he needed to sell staff continuity, or continued alignment.

In January of that offseason the NCAA allowed for the hiring of a 10th assistant. This was a gift. The problem was, the defense played well that first year, while the offense languished behind a depleted offensive line, no credible TE to serve as the fulcrum, and a freshman quarterback. Despite the staff imbalance already favoring the offense, Herman used that 10th allocation for an offensive coach.

On a staff lacking schematic, play-calling, and self scouting IQ, Herman‘s lone move was to hire Herb Hand as offensive line coach. It seemed to be a good hire in real time, and you won’t find me Monday morning quarterbacking that one. I will continue to wonder as I did in real time, why he didn’t find a new offensive coordinator, and why he had two (2!) wide receiver coaches for an 11 personnel offense. This was indefensible mismanagement of an already questionable staff. No fan of the Pareto Principle is he.

2018 started much like 2017 with another season opening loss to Maryland. That was followed by a dishearteningly close win over Tulsa. Surprisingly, Herman’s team then ripped off six wins in a row. Coincidentally, that’s the same win streak he needs now. That streak included the most Herman victory of all, a 48-45 victory over OU after the Horns were up big in the 2nd half. Holding on to commanding leads is really, really hard.

Over the second half of that schedule it became crystal clear the defense had issues. Ian, Paul, and myself were all mentioning concerns over Todd Orlando’s scheme. We already had significant concerns over his deployment of personnel. Texas entered the Sugar Bowl licking its wounds after a too-close victory versus Kansas and a loss in the Big 12 Championship to OU in a rematch where the Texas headsets took it on the chin.

Fans and pundits alike gave Texas little chance versus Georgia, but absent emotion you could see that matchup setting up well for Texas. Herman had a good track record for big games, and Georgia would be emotionally drained after thinly missing the playoffs. Most importantly, though, Georgia’s quintessential SEC style of play favored Texas. Styles make fights and the style of this fight favored Texas by a wide margin.

Georgia’s offense was straightforwardly run-centric, which Texas had no problem defending. Georgia’s passing game was like taking the donut off a bat after playing in the Big 12. On the other side of the ball, Tom Herman entered as the game’s best offensive mind, something that happens all too infrequently in his native conference. Full credit goes to Tom Herman and Yancy McKnight for having a Big 12 team capable of trading body blows and head shots with mighty Georgia, but a win that should have been viewed solely from a culture standpoint was projected over every aspect of the program.

Most coaches would have looked at the season and lamented the four losses, especially given each game was winnable. After the fact, Tom Herman was telling his team they were a year ahead of schedule and had no business winning the Sugar Bowl. With losses to Maryland, West Virginia, Oklahoma State, and an Oklahoma team they had already defeated, Herman felt his team overachieved.

Given this view, it’s no wonder no staff changes were made. Despite the offense being overly reliant on Sam Ehlinger, not upgrading offensive coordinator was validated. Having two wide receiver coaches for a very simple passing attack was validated. Despite Orlando’s increasingly obvious struggles with spread offenses, keeping him, or not finding him help, was validated.

Tom Herman’s whole process was unjustifiably validated. That gave way to the disappointment of 2019 where his stubbornness and misguided self belief (ego?) was exposed. In Monday’s press conference, Herman said he’s been sharing books with the team about how ego is the enemy within. It was as shocking to hear as a super model offering cursory warnings about the pitfalls of vanity. Egos need to be humbled, and if you’re reading a book about it, it’s probably too late. You’d think the losses would serve that purpose. The Georgia victory couldn’t have helped.

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satyanash

satyanash 14,634

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Nick Harris: JJ Henry talks relationships with schools, decision timeline

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ROCKWALL, Texas — One of the top uncommitted prospects in the state of Texas, McKinney North wide receiver JJ Henry, was in action this past Thursday as he took the field for the third time this season against Rockwall-Heath. McKinney North fell to the Hawks 56-14 as the Bulldogs struggled to get their offense going. They were only able to get the ball to Henry once, and the speedster turned it into a 65-yard score in the third quarter.

"The whole game I knew I could win one-on-one anytime," Henry said. "So as soon as the ball went in the air I knew I had an opportunity to win, and once I caught the ball I can create plays in space and I just made a play and scored."

The recruitment process for Henry has been slow, but it's mainly been because of personal choice. Despite a huge spring with offers across the country flying in, Henry hasn't followed the path that many 2021 recruits have gone down as he has taken his time on making a decision. "Most colleges that are contacting are saying I can be a big-time player and I can make plays with the ball in my hands," he said. "Just I can be a really good player for them. I'm working on a top 8, it's coming soon."

Henry said that he plans on taking some self-guided visits since the only campus he has seen during his recruitment is SMU. In-state schools that will most likely get a look are Texas and Texas A&M. However, location is not an issue for Henry as he is also looking at Ole Miss, Louisville and Florida State closely. "Location is not a deal, just the relationship with coaches," Henry said. "How I can fit the scheme and the play style and how I can be used to be efficient towards their offense, so wherever I feel like I can fit in and feel good and feel welcome, that's where I'll be."

The Aggies had an impressive showing against Florida that caught the attention of Henry, but he insists that his relationships with coaches will be the determining factor in his recruitment. "They had a big game on Saturday," he said. "Most people say it was an upset but it was a really good game. It was very explosive out of both teams but then Texas A&M just started buckling down and making plays. They see me as a playmaker that can redshirt just get bigger, learn the offense, do all the basics and probably get on the field and do my thing."

Texas has been adamant in keeping up with Henry since offering as he remains as one of the few targets left on the board. Head coach Tom Herman and receivers coach Andre Coleman have been diligent in staying in touch with the speedster in hopes of landing his commitment despite a turbulent start to the season. "Coach Herman texts me a lot and always telling good luck with the games," he said. "Coach Coleman texts me telling me to step up my game. He's the one that tells me to keep eating, and he just congratulated me my last game when I went off so it's been real good."

Henry is looking to commit towards the end of the season after putting out a top 8 in the coming weeks. At 5-foot-10, 165 pounds, Henry is the No. 435 ranked recruit in the country, according to 247Sports Composite. He is the No. 67 wide receiver in the country and the No. 66 recruit in the state of Texas.

247Sports' Andrew Hattersley contributed to this report.

 

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futureman

futureman 22,550

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3 hours ago, satyanash said:

As for the timing of Herman, I think the next loss makes sense unless we somehow see a team that has undergone a metamorphosis of biblical proportions. I just think Herman has had more than enough time and ample opportunity to turn the program around and install a culture. Texas didn’t hire him, and doesn’t hire any football coach, for a .650 winning percentage. In short, the very minute Chris Del Conte, Jay Hartzell and/or the Texas Board of Regents feel a change needs to be made is exactly when the change should be made.

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Dijon Robinson

Dijon Robinson 1,511

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5 hours ago, Sir Ulrich said:

While I agree with the sentiment from Ian, the Sugar Bowl gave Tom an extra year thus allowing us a chance at Urban. Had they not won that game then we would be stuck with Matt Campbell right now. 

I doubt Herman would have been fired if we would've gone, say, 8-5 in 2018 then again in 2019. Strong was probably going to get a fourth year until he lost to Kansas. Point being, I don't think the Sugar Bowl necessarily gave Tom another year, he probably would've got a fourth year anyways.

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BigHorn'13

BigHorn'13 3,387

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31 minutes ago, ChampionshipLevelPiss said:

I doubt Herman would have been fired if we would've gone, say, 8-5 in 2018 then again in 2019. Strong was probably going to get a fourth year until he lost to Kansas. Point being, I don't think the Sugar Bowl necessarily gave Tom another year, he probably would've got a fourth year anyways.

Fired? Probably not but at least he doesn't get an extension and a blank fucking check to pass off his bullshit excuse for an offense onto another OC. At least we all seem unified this time around that the HC at Texas needs to be something beyond shitcanned, and we didn't have to lose to fucking Kansas to reach this conclusion. 

Now all we can hope for is that a segment (albeit large) of our base can get it through their thick skulls that this isn't the same game it was 30-50 years ago and if we want to remain relevant in college football, we need to play the same game (within reason) as the heavyweights and aggy, or else it's shit and fuckall that we'll be competing for. 

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