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Texas Recruiting Notes 2021

Reese Bennett

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1 in coaches were made aware late last night 

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offense   ✍️

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ClubWhatever

ClubWhatever 12152

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44 minutes ago, Helobious said:

What the fuck is it with DFW people and OU? I’ve only been to Dallas 3 or 4 times in my life, one thing that definitely still sticks out to me was seeing just as much if not more OU stickers/hats/etc compared to UT gear. 

It’s the closest place with lots of good jobs and stores.  And everyone’s from some place else so you don’t stick out if you are anything, including a pos Sooner.  

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satyanash

satyanash 14561

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Bobby Burton: Tuesday

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Vote. I’m not advocating any candidate, but I am advocating everyone be heard. If you have time to read this message board, you probably have the time to vote.

**

Tom Herman is on thin ice. The college football world knows it, his own coaching staff is aware of it, as are his players, and lots of recruits. The team’s improbable victory in Stillwater gives Herman a glimmer of hope that he can still get to the Big 12 championship game if the Horns win out. I don’t think it will happen. But stranger things have occurred. There is no guarantee that Tom Herman will be fired. However, I can guarantee that he has no margin for error in the season’s final two months. Period.

**

Over the first six games, what has been the biggest issue for the Horns? I believe it has been the inconsistent play of the offense. There have been large parts of every game, everyone of them except UTEP, where the offense just goes cold. I think a major part of that is the receiver group. They are just not a good group overall.. They are not getting open often enough, especially on the outside, and the injuries to Jordan Whittington and Jake Smith have been a factor.

Only Whittington, Smith and Josh Moore seem to have the ability to regularly beat defenders one on one. Brennan Eagles has been effective at times but also inconsistent in that regard. All other receivers have to be schemed open, which is easier said than done. The same can be said for tight end. Cade Brewer must be schemed open. Jared Wiley has actually gotten himself open a few times but he’s not exactly a crisp route runner yet.

Then we have the play of Sam Ehlinger. Dissecting Ehlinger is tough because he brings so many different aspects to the table. He’s a good, strong runner, but not an explosive one. He’s an adequate thrower, but still has issues waiting too long to throw deep balls or even getting his eyes to go to his next receiver quickly enough. He has a relatively long release which impacts the passing game.

For Texas to improve the remainder of the season, I think Ehlinger’s mindset must change somewhat and I think Texas needs to find a way to get its best receivers on the field more frequently together. Texas coaches need to put Moore, Whittington and Smith into complementary roles, like they did by moving Moore to the slot in overtime against OSU.

As for Ehlinger’s mindset, he has to start thinking less about the deep ball and more about moving the chains. Sure, OSU has a good defense, but Texas went 2 of 15 on third downs on Saturday. The majority of those were third-and-six or longer. Ehlinger has to start taking more of what a defense might give him instead of looking for chunk plays in early downs. Likewise, the Texas coaching staff needs to emphasize that.

Last but not least, the dumb penalties must end. Derek Kerstetter can’t plow into people after the whistle for 15 yards or butt snap a third and short. Junior Angilau must continue to improve as a pass blocker. Denzel Okafor and Christian Jones must play better together on the right side.

I think Texas can get better on offense. The tools are there. They just have to be smarter. It’ll require a slight change in mindset and deploying those tools in a smarter way. Unfortunately, the chances are that not much of this will happen this season. Rarely does it suddenly click seven games into the year. So despite the tremendous guts Ehlinger shows every week, the Horns are likely to continue to be inconsistent on offense and the head coach’s tenure hangs in the balance.

 

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TexasBeta

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Regarding Burton's analysis - The one thing I seem to continually yell at the TV is that Texas needs to move the chains. It's seems always about the big chunk play instead of moving the ball down the field. We abandon the run at any chance we can it seems - 2nd and 4 - let's throw a bomb instead of moving the chains. Our 5 star freshman running back goes for 7.. let's pull him and not keep feeding him.. It's exhausting. F Herman.

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satyanash

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Eric Nahlin: Even when it doesn’t, recruiting matters (defense)

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Recruiting is the lifeblood of the program, and typically when it goes it’s time for a change at the top. Because of its importance, recruiting is a leading indicator of where a program is headed. Tom Herman and his staff did well in their first two classes but hit a bit of a wall in their third. They were still able to finish with a good class, one you can win with, centered around a few elite talents and a cadre of high floor players with some upside.

His fourth class, however, is struggling. His average rating is down significantly by recruiting standards, and there’s a troubling imbalance between the defense and the offense with the defense being the much stronger side. How can that be for an offensive minded coach? I suppose the same way it can be that the defense is better on the field, too. We covered the offense last week. Let’s take a look at the defense now.

Defensive End

Much like the cycle began with the staff needing to hit big on wide receiver, the same can be said for defensive end after moving from a three-man to four-man front. Currently the roster features some high-motor, active bodies, but nobody who can pin his ears back and turn the corner. Five-star Ja’Tavion Sanders (Denton Ryan) is committed but there are two issues: he’s not exactly the pass rushing prototype, and worse, he may elect to play offense.

While the class has other recruits listed as defensive end, Derrick Harris (New Caney) is more of a Jack (Ossai’s position) and Jordon Thomas (Port Arthur Memorial) will be an interior player. For next year, and assuming Ossai returns, I’d consider putting him at defensive end and bringing in the second best pass rushing Jack, at least situationally. There aren’t a ton of good options remaining on the board for this need. If Sanders plays offense, maybe Juan Davis ends up at defensive end.

Defensive Tackle

Given the 2021 haul and Jordon Thomas’ projection, D-tackle is not a major need in the class, but it is a need. Texas already missed on Albert Regis (La Porte) and lost a lot of ground to A&M for Shemar Turner (DeSoto), perhaps the state’s second best prospect. You don’t want to lose those battles. Texas could look to Ike Iwunnah (Lakeview Centennial) in DFW who has some upside at the nose. Fortunately Texas is pretty young on the interior and can still move Moro Ojomo to 3-tech for the remainder of his career (provided they find some defensive ends).

Jack Linebacker

Derrick Harris tore his ACL and will miss almost all of his senior year but he’s a hard worker and should be good as new in time. He profiles quite well to the position with enough movement skills to drop in space, but also strong hands, good length, and initial quickness when on the LOS. Fans are sleeping on him a bit. He has the important trifecta of measurables, fit, and mentality working for him.

Joseph Ossai only has one year left, assuming he returns. That means the staff, or a staff, will need Prince Dorbah to step up and become the man. Jett Bush should be the floor setter, not the ceiling. Juan Davis could surely fit here if Sanders plays tight end. He’s a good, fluid athlete, and I think he has the mindset to play defense. If Ash is the defensive coordinator going forward, the staff needs to hit on this position in a major way. Either that, or move to a traditional four-down alignment most of the time, in which case they’ll still need more defensive ends.

Linebacker

Texas has Morice Blackwell (Arlington Martin) committed. He’s an exciting prospect because he’s nowhere close to being physically mature but already shows some mental aptitude for the position on top of being a plus athlete who can play in space. You’ll notice UT’s linebackers aren’t missing plays due to lack of athleticism. That’s step one in the Big 12. I think they’re starting to play with a little more understanding which offers hope for linebackers coach Coleman Hutzler.

If DeMarvion Overshown continues to round into form, Hutzler should all but lock up Terrence Cooks. Cooks may be the top remaining target UT has a real chance for, at least as of now. The future at the position has promise, especially with a couple of unheralded 2020 recruits in Jaylan Ford and Jaden Hullaby turning heads since the moment they arrived on campus. Hutzler having only one year with this group would be a shame.

Cornerback/Safety

I’m a big Ishmael Ibraheem (Dallas Kimball) fan but I’m also leery of overrating Jalen Green in 2018. While I don’t think Green is bad, and he was done no favors by previous development, it’s clear he might be better suited to a rangy safety role. Green was my initial thought when I saw Ibraheem playing safety/nickel in his only available senior film. To be clear, I still fancy Ibraheem at corner. I like his length, hips, and feet, but absent testing I do wonder about his explosiveness and speed.

Texas also has Jamier Johnson committed from Southern California. There won’t be senior tape to evaluate but we were already thinking he might not last at corner due to speed. It will be imperative to add another corner in the class, and maybe two. The loss of Billy Bowman (Denton Ryan) means there could be some creative accounting in the secondary. They should maybe not replace him with a like for like, but rather go with one corner and one BPA.

Ibraheem’s good friend, JD Coffey (Kennedale), remains committed despite overtures from Oregon and others. He’s not the biggest but he generates force like Overshown does. He has a similar composite and high floor to Xavion Alford and Jerrin Thompson in the 2020 class.

As 2021 toils, the good news is the staff likely hit on the 2020 class, especially given the late addition of Jahdae Barron at corner. Barron, Kitan Crawford, Xavion Alford, and Jerrin Thompson each have multi-year starter potential, if not likelihood. If there’s a staff change, that might open the door for Andrew Mukuba (Austin LBJ). File that away.

 

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NorLa Horns

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11 hours ago, TexasBeta said:

Regarding Burton's analysis - The one thing I seem to continually yell at the TV is that Texas needs to move the chains. It's seems always about the big chunk play instead of moving the ball down the field. We abandon the run at any chance we can it seems - 2nd and 4 - let's throw a bomb instead of moving the chains. Our 5 star freshman running back goes for 7.. let's pull him and not keep feeding him.. It's exhausting. F Herman.

read that Ingram was out with a high ankle sprain.  so, maybe we can see more Bijan

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TexMexBuddha

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Regarding Burton's analysis - The one thing I seem to continually yell at the TV is that Texas needs to move the chains. It's seems always about the big chunk play instead of moving the ball down the field. We abandon the run at any chance we can it seems - 2nd and 4 - let's throw a bomb instead of moving the chains. Our 5 star freshman running back goes for 7.. let's pull him and not keep feeding him.. It's exhausting. F Herman.
Yup. Bijan was open a few times last couple games on easy check downs. Let's see what his YAC can be. He's got good hands. Roshon too.
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satyanash

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(Mike Roach) Performers of the week: Which commits and targets stood out?

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The Texas high school football season is finally in full swing. With the exception of just a few areas where football has been slowed due to county orders, every level is on the field. This week’s list of top performers features three Texas recruits who backed it up on the field in big matchups. Here are the top performers of the week.

Jonathon Brooks, RB, Hallettsville

22 carries, 299 yards, 6 touchdowns

Brooks is no stranger to this space all season, and he’s been on a tear in his seinor year. The three-star Texas commit has been able to kick his game up a notch, and he went crazy with a 300 yard/6 touchdown performance against Columbus. Brooks continues to show fantastic instincts and an excellent feel for finding running lanes and making himself skinny to squirt through holes and pick up chunk yardage.

Brooks is showing more physical ability as a runner and a bit more footspeed than he showed during his sophomore and junior seasons. Brooks has fantastic feet and they allow him to change direction quickly and make cuts without losing much speed. His lower body balance is allowing him to sustain contact and still move forward. Brooks is showing a ton of growth in his senior season.

Johntay Cook, WR, DeSoto (2023)

5 receptions, 137 yards, 2 touchdowns

Cook arrived on the radar as a prospect to know this spring. The next superstar out of the talent-rich DFW high school entered the season with a lot of anticipation regarding how he might play. Cook has been good all season, but he shined in a big win over Mansfield Lake Ridge last week.

Cook is a vertical threat from the slot with great speed and explosion and a natural ability to separate and get open. Cook shows exceptional body control and hands, and he tracks the ball well. Though he isn’t the biggest receiver in the world, his superior athleticism allows him to outjump defenders and win contested balls. Cook’s game is a bit one-dimensional as a deep threat right now, but he certainly has the ability to terrorize defenses from the slot position.

Cade Klubnik, QB, Austin Westlake (2022)

13-19, 313 yards, 4 touchdowns, 1 rushing touchdown

Klubnik continued a dominant junior season with another big performance over nearby Buda Hays. The Westlake signal caller shows great poise in the pocket and often is willing to take a big shot to deliver a pass accurately and on time. Klubnik shows fantastic feet and throws from a strong base with great mechanics. Klubnik also shows the ability to move through multiple reads and make quick decisions.

His pocket presence is a plus, and he routinely goes on the move to elude pressure and extend the play.  Klubnik plays for one of the best programs in the state of Texas, but his talent speaks for itself. Klubnik is trained in the spread offense by Todd Dodge and is a natural fit for a wide open passing attack with the ability to make plays on some designed runs.

 

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satyanash

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(Chip Brown) The Insider: Another perspective on Texas

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ANOTHER PERSPECTIVE ON TEXAS

Talked to a couple former coaches familiar with the Big 12 who have been watching Texas to see where they think the Longhorns’ program is six games into Year 4 under Tom Herman. I spoke to one coach about Texas’ offense and another coach about Texas’ defense. Let’s start with the offense: “If you watch the offense against UTEP and Texas Tech, they’re using tempo and the RPO (run-pass option) game that are both signatures of Mike Yurcich, and they get into rhythm early,” the coach said.

“Against TCU, the penalties and some drops in the passing game really derailed the offense early, and they weren’t able to stay on the field. The defense ended up on the field way too long, and then against Oklahoma, you had the early turnover on the fumble by (Keaontay Ingram) on the first series. But it was 17-17 at halftime. And then they come out on the opening drive of the third quarter and get called for an illegal block (on Brennan Eagles) that puts them behind the chains, and Sam (Ehlinger) got sacked - punt.

“The second series of the third quarter, Sam gets sacked on first down for a 7-yard loss. They can’t overcome it. Meanwhile, the Texas defense is on the field too long as OU goes on two touchdown drives totaling almost 10 minutes off the clock. Now, they’re down 31-17, and they have to go up-tempo, which is the offense Sam (Ehlinger) likes the most, and they get back into the game. They probably should’ve gone for two at the end of regulation, because they had the OU defense on its heels.

“But after that game, there was a change in the offense to emphasize the run, slow things down and help a struggling defense. That is not what Yurcich is all about. So, he’s clearly taken a cue from Herman to emphasize the run and grind out scoring drives that take as much time off the clock as possible. That worked against Baylor, because Baylor is down this year and has had Covid issues. It didn’t work against Oklahoma State, in part, because OSU took away their RPO game by playing press man coverage.

“You beat press man by either hitting the defense with mesh crossing routes or by throwing deep. And Yurcich dialed up a great call on the deep ball to Brennan Eagles for a touchdown by motioning Jake Smith from the outside receiver back inside, getting Eagles on the corner they wanted, and Sam threw a great ball. But for the most part, Texas couldn’t be balanced, because OSU put eight guys near the line with a single high safety, dared Texas to throw it, and Texas’ receivers struggled to get off press coverage.

“So, the timing of their passing game and RPO game was off. And it was painful to watch. What’s amazing is that Sam was able to get into a rhythm late, when he had to have it, and converted those two fourth-down passes, including the go-ahead touchdown pass to Jake Smith.”

The coach said he’s not sure if West Virginia’s cornerbacks are good enough to press Texas’ receivers the way Oklahoma State did. “But I bet you a thousand bucks they (WVU) try to do it,” the coach said. “Texas’ receivers have to do a better job of getting off press man coverage, or their RPO game is in trouble. Oklahoma State, and to a degree, TCU kind of exposed that.”

The coach said he loves Brennan Eagles’ talent, but isn’t sure about Eagles’ “want to.” “He doesn’t strike me as a guy who wants to be great,” the coach said. “He should be so much further along than he is.” The coach said Texas has to do a better job of getting the ball to Joshua Moore. “If Moore is your best receiver, you’ve got to scheme the ball to him with some quick-game passing or reverses or jet motion,” the coach said. “His first catch can’t come in overtime (against OSU).”

The coach said the offense “desperately needs Jake Smith and-or Jordan Whittington on the field to make this offense become more explosive.” Smith finally had a productive game against Oklahoma State (seven catches for 70 yards and a touchdown) after bouncing in and out of the lineup with injuries. Horns247 reported Monday that Whittington (hip flexor) is likely back for the Kansas game (Nov. 21).

“If I’ve got Jake Smith or Jordan Whittington on the field with Joshua Moore and Brennan Eagles, that’s a pretty strong cast of receivers right there,” the coach said. “The rest of the receivers are just OK. Tarik Black is slow. Brenden Schooler is a good rotational guy. But they need Smith, Whittington, Moore and Eagles to be the primary guys.”

On UT’s running backs, the coach said Bijan Robinson is the only back who gives the offense a chance of breaking a long run. “Keaontay Ingram will grind for some tough yards, but he’s slow. He’s stiff,” the coach said. “And he’s messed up some huge situations the past two years. The drop against LSU. The fumbles against TCU and OU. My goodness. Those were killers.

“The best two backs on the team are Roschon Johnson and Bijan. They give you some thunder and lightning, and they can catch the ball. And I don’t want to hear about Bijan being a freshman. J.K. Dobbins tore it up at Ohio State as a freshman.”

On Ehlinger, the coach said Texas’ senior quarterback has clearly played hurt recently. “Against, Oklahoma State, Sam didn’t look to run and didn’t step into his throws the way he normally does,” the coach said. “So you have to give him credit for being able to step it up like he did at the end of the game.”

On the offensive line, the coach said the pass protection has been pretty good. “Sam has had time in the pocket,” the coach said. “He’s either stayed on the deep part of his progression too long, missing some underneath and checkdowns or the receivers struggled to get off press man, disrupting the timing.” The coach said the O-line hasn’t been finishing blocks well in the running game.

“These guys need to be finishing guys to the ground or out of bounds,” the coach said. “And I’m not seeing that this year - not even out of Sam Cosmi. Instead, they’ve committed some costly penalties and just seem to lack some confidence at times. Wasn’t expecting that from a group that has pretty much played every snap together this season.”

On the tight ends, the coach said Cade Brewer and Jared Wiley “are both doing a nice job.” “They’ve been open as checkdowns a lot this season, but Sam doesn’t always find them,” the coach said.

I talked to another coach about the Longhorns’ defense following UT’s 41-34 overtime win at Oklahoma State. "What a game from Joseph Ossai,” the coach said. “I love this kid. He’ll get pancaked on one play. He’ll get blocked out of bounds on a play, and he’ll come back on the next play and get a sack or tackle for loss. He doesn’t care. He just keeps coming back and gives great effort every play. If he can keep building on that dominating performance against Oklahoma State, he’ll have the full attention of NFL scouts. He looks like he might run 4.5 in the 40 at the combine. If he does that, he could really rise up some draft boards.

“I like the defensive line. Ta’Quon Graham is getting better each week. He’s getting more comfortable with cutting it loose, getting into gaps and making penetration plays. Keondre Coburn and T’Vondre Sweat don’t fill the stat sheet, but they do a nice job of eating blocks and disrupting opposing teams’ running games. Moro Ojomo is becoming more disruptive, too. This group is getting better, and the better the D-line gets, the better you’re seeing the linebackers - Juwan Mitchell and DeMarvion Overshown - playing.

“Those guys are fitting the run better. Mitchell isn’t a great player, but he’s important to this defense. They really missed him when he was ejected from the first half of the TCU game (for targeting). Mitchell had a good game against Oklahoma State and was in on a bunch of those tackles on Chuba Hubbard. What did Hubbard get - 72 yards on 25 carries? That’s a really good day at the office for the Texas defense.”

The Longhorns’ pass defense, specifically the lack of ball skills from UT’s cornerbacks, is “surprising.”

“It seems like Texas’ cornerbacks were better at playing the ball in the air last year than they are this year,” the coach said. “If I’m an opposing team, I’m throwing deep on Texas a lot, because it seems there’s either a pass interference penalty or the ball is completed. There have been numerous times this season when the corners had good coverage, stride-for-stride with a receiver and just never looked to make a play on the ball. That’s been surprising.”

The coach said he hasn’t been impressed with safety Caden Sterns or Chris Brown this season. “Sterns seems stiff, and I’m not really seeing him stick his nose in there to fit the running game. Brown gets his hands on a pass or two a game. B.J. Foster is good when he wraps up, but he’ll still throw a shoulder here and there and miss the tackle. Seems like this group should be playing better considering Chris Ash is the safeties coach.” The coach said it appears Ash is still figuring out how to tie the front and back of the defense together.

“Whenever you have a defense that can stop the run and can’t stop the pass, you’ve got to do a better job of tying the front and back of the defense together. But great call on the jailbreak blitz that ended the game against Oklahoma State with Ossai’s sack. That’s a great call, because if the blitz doesn’t get home, you might give up a touchdown that sends the game to another overtime. But if it hits home, like it did, it’s a play of the game. Great call.”

The coach said if the defense can keep forcing turnovers while limiting the big plays being given up (a season-high 14 explosive plays given up against Oklahoma State), the defense will get better. “Once the defense improves, it will allow (Mike) Yurcich to use more tempo in the offense and possibly use the pass to set up the run,” the coach said. “The offense kind of got out of Yurcich’s personality to force-feed the run to help a struggling defense and lost its rhythm. To truly get better as a team, the defense has to keep getting better, so the offense can use more tempo, which is clearly what Ehlinger prefers and does best.”

Both coaches I spoke with said if Texas can put it together and beat West Virginia, the Longhorns might truly start to believe they can win the rest of their games. “They’ve got to get into rhythm and keep building on that the rest of the season,” said the former coach I spoke to about the offense. “The defense will have to keep getting better, and the penalties will have to come way down for the offense to be able to go up-tempo and really run the stuff Yurcich wants to run. That won’t be easy against a defense like West Virginia. But give Texas credit, they’ve found a way to be in every game until the end and pulled off a helluva win last week.”

 

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satyanash

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  (Ian Boyd) Inside the gameplan: How Texas can still make the Big 12 title game

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Texas’ win over Oklahoma State was frankly bizarre. When you’re outgained 530 yards to 287 and go 2/15 on third down typically you don’t feel great about your chances of victory. But Texas did win, thanks to four Oklahoma State turnovers, a Longhorn special teams touchdown, and a lot of veteran decision-making and playmaking by Sam Ehlinger.

They obviously won’t be able to follow that exact formula to success in all of their remaining games, but they may not have to. Oklahoma State was arguably the strongest team in the league and by finding a way to beat them on the road, Tom Herman’s Longhorns may have situated themselves in position to grit out four more wins in their remaining contests.

The remaining slate consists of old Big 12 North teams and West Virginia, all of whom are heavy on size and toughness in the trenches and short on high level skill athletes on the perimeter. The latter has always been Herman’s weakness at Texas, the Longhorns win when their opponents attempt to take it to them with a smashmouth approach in the trenches. When Big 12 teams refuse to play by Big 10 rules and take the game out into space, Herman's squads tend to unravel.

Herman is 2-1 against Matt Campbell with the loss coming via an all-time turtling in Ames last year. He’s 3-0 against Kansas State, 3-0 against Kansas (albeit with close calls), and 2-1 against West Virginia with that loss stemming from Dana Holgorsen’s Air Raid pressure. It’s very possible that this flawed Texas team will drop a game and miss the Big 12 Championship game but their path just got a lot cleaner after that wild win on Halloween and the remaining matchups are less imposing. If they were to pull off a Big 12 title run, here’s how it would happen.

The math

Texas is tied for sixth in the standings right now at 3-2. They're 1-1 against the two Oklahoma schools ahead of them and have yet to play the other three squads (West Virginia, Iowa State, and Kansas State) that are ranked next to them or above.

All of those teams now have a loss and all could necessarily incur another loss because they either play each other or Texas. If the Longhorns win out, they’re almost assured to be into the Big 12 title. They’ll have handed a second L to West Virginia, Iowa State, and Kansas State (who also have some remaining contests against each other) and thus have the tiebreaker over those teams.

At that point the scenarios come down to Texas and the Oklahoma schools. If Oklahoma beats Oklahoma State and each team otherwise wins out, we’ll have a three or four-way tie at the top with the Oklahoma’s, Texas, and potentially Iowa State all holding a 7-2 record. Then it comes down to tiebreakers. If Oklahoma State runs the table then it’ll just be between Texas and maybe Iowa State for two-loss tiebreakers, and Texas would hold that tiebreaker. Everything becomes complicated if Texas loses one more game. A loss wouldn’t eliminate them because these teams are all flawed and will likely drop more games, but if Texas wins out their chances of having one of the two best resumes is a near lock.

As far as location, Texas has three games remaining that are truly difficult. Two of them, potentially the two tougher games (WVU and ISU), are in Austin. Then they finish the year in Manhattan. Tom Herman has failed in these settings before, but again his track record is normally to fail in big games against Big 12 teams that attack his teams in space. Not the midwestern ones that are also trying to gain an edge with physical and disciplined play in the trenches.

The challenge

This week’s game with West Virginia is a good representation of the main challenge that Texas needs to navigate in order to win out. Sam Ehlinger was clearly beat up by the end of the Oklahoma State game, he’s surely accumulated a dozen bumps and bruises of the sort that would probably put most of us on the couch for a week, and he was struggling to hit some throws or make some cuts he would normally be able to execute.

This is one of the easier quarterbacks in the league to keep on the field because he’s so big, tough-minded, and he has skills that translate regardless of injuries. You’re going to get good signal-calling, decision-making, crossing routes and quick outs, and short-yardage running from Ehlinger if he’s on the field. However, Herb Hand’s unit has done their damndest to get him killed and things aren’t getting easier here.

West Virginia’s defensive line features the famous Stills bros in the middle, but between them they only have 5.5 of the Mountaineers’ 20 sacks this season. What that tells you, beyond the fact that West Virginia has other players that can run after the quarterback, is that teams’ attempts to shut down the Stills brothers have not gone unpunished.

Iowa State and Kansas State will both bring defensive lines into the game that can put high level pass-rushers over both tackles. The Cyclones have Will McDonald (5.5 sacks) and JaQuan Bailey (5 sacks) while the Wildcats have Wyatt Hubert (3 sacks) and Khalid Duke (1 sack) plus a third down package that gets multiple defensive ends on the field together. The Wildcats have produced 15 sacks on the year.

Each one will test Texas in different ways. West Virginia can bring four and five man pressures that create 1-on-1 matchups across the front with great athletes. The Cyclones can bring good pressure off both edges while dropping eight into coverage and blow up your weaker offensive tackle. Kansas State will drop six or seven, bracket your top guy, and find a way to game a well-taught defensive end into a 1-on-1 isolation with a weaker offensive linemen.

If Texas fails to make the Big 12 championship game it’ll be because the offensive line failed to protect Sam Ehlinger well enough to stay healthy and make plays in close-fought games that are surely coming. If they had a center that could allow Derek Kerstetter to move back to tackle (assuming he was still up to speed out there) that could be the difference, as it stands things will instead probably hinge on cleaning up their protection schemes and improving on the right side with Denzel Okafor and Christian Jones.

The opportunity

The Longhorns were able to leverage a few of their advantages that made all the difference in the Oklahoma State game. Since July 1st, the Oklahoma State offensive line has lost five members of the two-deep from their roster and their surprisingly good walk-on left tackle was knocked out of this game to make it an even six. For Texas to experience an equivalent that would mean losing Derek Kerstetter before the season, having to suspend Christian Jones and Isaiah Hookfin at the beginning of camp, losing Tyler Johnson and Tope Imade in week one, and then having the best replacement get injured against the Cowboys.

Oklahoma State still had a pair of potential NFL linemen in Josh Sills and Teven Jenkins, who are each about 6-6, 320+ pounds, but the Cowboys just couldn’t handle the Texas defensive line. In addition to those issues, Texas played a lot of man coverage outside with their trio of D’Shawn Jamison, Josh Thompson, and Jalen Green that allowed them to keep Chris Adimora and Chris Brown/B.J. Foster within striking distance against the run game.

Tylan Wallace did his damage, but if he couldn’t punish that approach badly enough for the Cowboys to find a win, how much worse could this go for the Big 12 North schools and West Virginia? Put simply, none of those schools have weapons outside that can reliably generate big plays against good man coverage by the Texas defensive backs. Indeed, that’s why Texas played Iowa State so closely a year ago with a healthier secondary and why Kansas State’s ground and pound approach stalled to a halt. Some may not recall but going into Kansas State last year there was serious panic that the complex Wildcat power run game that had mauled Oklahoma was going to tear Texas apart.

Instead, the presence of tight ends and fullbacks on the field allowed Texas to play some of their big defenders on either edge and funnel the ball inside to Keondre Coburn, Ta’Quon Graham, and Malcolm Roach. Kansas State’s veteran offensive line that had mauled the Big 12 suddenly looked below average when facing multiple 1-on-1 matchups against NFL athletes in the trenches.

Things are even worse here for Texas’ opponents in 2020 with those big boys back and then supported by an improving Juwan Mitchell and DeMarvion Overshown. We’ve all seen what happens when teams try to play in a box against Texas, even squads like Georgia and Utah were stuffed trying to play that game.

The scheme is different now, but the underlying principle is the same. When Texas can force teams to consistently block Coburn and Graham and then get guys like Adimora and Brown or Foster within proximity to take out the trash it makes for very tough sledding. The release valve for attempting to create space to run the ball requires Texas’ opponents to beat coverage outside. Texas' play at cornerback has been good enough to make that a tough proposition.

The adjustment

Texas’ chances of pulling out four more hard-fought wins down the stretch aren’t great if they can’t get more than 300 yards. Part of the reason for that abysmal number against Oklahoma State was the short fields from turnovers and D’Shawn Jamison turning one possession into a non-offensive touchdown, but Texas also ran for just 3 ypc and Ehlinger averaged 5 ypa. That won’t cut it.

Texas needs to adjust on offense beyond just cleaning up their protections to keep Ehlinger clean. They need to improve the efficacy of the passing game and they’re going to need to keep running the ball regularly so that the beat up senior quarterback isn’t accounting for 50 plays a game. The good news for Longhorn fans is that the staff is clearly aware of some of the team’s shortcomings. They had a lot drawn up for Oklahoma State designed to help get receivers open against a good secondary. The best scheme was this pro-spread set up they turned to with the game on the line:

Jake Smith is a maestro running crossing routes in this offense, it’s one of the strongest features they have and this is only the second game in which they’ve even had it. The next strongest feature to the offense is Josh Moore when he has space to get vertical, which doesn’t happen consistently when he has to play outside across from press coverage. The Texas staff used a few sorts of motion to help their receivers beat man coverage but this is the best solution, play Jared Wiley flexed as the X in these “Y-iso” formations and then put both Moore and Smith in the slot where they belong.

This should be their new equivalent of the formations in the past that would move the slot into the boundary and then punish opponents for how they handled that weighting of the passing strength into the short side of the field. Wiley is a good receiver and he’s tough to muscle in man coverage, but if teams keep their safety on him they’re vulnerable to route combinations from Smith and Moore, which should eventually include combinations in which Smith is inside running a crosser like above and Moore is running a post behind him.

Beyond those adjustments, which have already begun to occur and will intensify as the season progresses and they get a bye week to work in plays for the stretch run, Texas needs a better run game. Sam Ehlinger needs some plays where he can avoid hits and to heal up some so the scramble is still a viable threat by the end of the year. Texas running endless crossing patterns with Moore and Smith while Ehlinger picks spots to take off down the middle of the field is a back-breaking combo for a lot of defenses, they need that dimension to pull wins out in the fourth quarter.

One of the bigger adjustments that Mike Yurcich clearly brought to the offense in 2019 was to transition Texas away from being a tight zone/power run team to an inside/outside zone squad. That was a risky strategy for a lot of reasons and has proven to have been misguided.

One problem was that Texas’ line wasn’t recruited for outside zone, which is about lateral quickness and the careful trading of defenders on the move. Junior Angilau in particular has shown clearly discomfort in that scheme. He and Derek Kerstetter are much more effective on inside zone which is downhill and better suited to their size. Each of those two are about 6-5, 300 pounds and better at covering up linemen and moving ahead than moving laterally and maintaining a good, low pad level. Great outside zone lines typically feature short, quick linemen like the 1995 Nebraska crew or some of the Chip Kelly Oregon units with guys like Hroniss Grasu (6-3, 303 pound two-time All-American center).

Another big issue with outside zone is that it’s a rep intensive scheme, you have to major in it to use it effectively and Texas is running it coming off a pandemic-shortened offseason.

Finally, it’s not a scheme that Herb Hand made his reputation teaching. Hand was hired because he installed an effective tight zone/power run game for Gus Malzahn at Auburn and he immediately upgraded the same schemes at Texas in 2018. There wasn’t a major issue with Texas’ run game heading into 2020 other than the need for better blocking at tight end and a consistent RPO threat at X receiver. Roschon Johnson and Keaontay Ingram had a combined 267 carries for 1502 yards at 5.6 ypc with 14 rushing touchdowns. Thus far in 2020 they’ve added Bijan Robinson and are at 124 carries for 623 yards at 5.0 ypc with three rushing touchdowns.

It’s hard to make major changes at this point in the year, but inside zone seems safely intact from previous seasons and should become a bigger component. The outside zone play is good in theory with these running backs and tight ends but the offensive line has not worked it out and they need to spend practice reps on protection. The goal for the running game should be to pick up steady, chain-moving gains that can offer Texas productive snaps without using up Ehlinger. Inside zone is also a play better suited to RPOs because of the angles for the mesh between quarterback and running back. The quarterback can read defenders for opportunities to pull the ball and throw a slant rather than worrying about helping the back get a good angle to the edge. Inside zone could be tough sledding against West Virginia in particular, but at least it won’t ask this line to execute reach blocks on the Stills bros and instead potentially get some key double teams.

Tom Herman’s Texas team has shown up in big games before but they’ve struggled to bring championship-caliber gameplans and execution on a weekly basis. The Big 12 is too deep in dangerous teams for anyone to win it without consistent effort and effective weekly gameplanning. Texas might be able to put together a run at the title game. They have advantages on defense that can help them turn remaining games into lower scoring slogs. Ever since Michael Dickson publicly lambasted the special teams protection as "trash" on social media in defense of his cousin, the Texas special teams have become a difference making unit to help them win games on the margins. Then they have Sam Ehlinger making the difference in the fourth quarter.

It's very possible, but it starts with some further tinkering on offense against West Virginia.

 

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Thiefery

Thiefery 5015

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3 minutes ago, lemonandaturd said:

Maybe Urban will convince Jalen Milroe and Cade Klubnik not to go to bama or aggy.  

nah..he's gonna get Ewers to prove a point.

 

For '21.. he may get it done with the Brocks, Turner, LJ Johnson and flip JoJo

 

chugs another Titos and fruit punch mix

Edited by Thiefery
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satyanash

satyanash 14561

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Gabe Brooks: Notes on new Texas DL offers Gharin Stansbury and Barryn Sorrell

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Texas extended offers Saturday to a pair of three-star defensive linemen in the state of Louisiana's 2021 class: Gharin Stansbury from Franklin (La.) High School and Barryn Sorrell from New Orleans Holy Cross. Stansbury is committed to Arizona State and has been since mid-July. Sorrell recently re-opened his recruitment after an almost five-month commitment to Northwestern.

Both players seem to be attracting the attention of multiple schools this fall. Stansbury reported an offer Wednesday from Penn State. Sorrell, who decommitted Oct. 23 from Northwestern, reported an Arizona State offer two days later, then Washington State on Wednesday.

In the 6-foot-4 1/2, 215-pound neighborhood, Stansbury owns a plus frame with the length to become an effective edge rusher. He needs to add strength and play with a more consistent motor and physicality, but you can certainly see the potential in flashes. His get-off consistency needs to improve, but when he does burst off the line, his closing speed and pursuit ability, including in back-side chase-downs, are impressive.

Sorrell sits within the 6-foot-3, 250-pound range. He plays a lot of odd-front end and would suit that 4i role in college. He could also move inside in four-man fronts. Sorrell uses his hands well and is a solid all-round defensive lineman. He does not have the high-end twitch that Stansbury flashes at times, but he's simply a different kind of player. Having said that, I think that while Sorrell's long-term ceiling may not be as high as Stansbury's in the perfect environment, his floor is perhaps higher. He's a solid, consistent player down to down.

The industry-generated 247Sports Composite rates Stansbury as a three-star recruit ranked No. 52 nationally among 2021 weak-side defensive end prospects and No. 28 overall in Louisiana's 2021 class. He is a strong three-star prospect per 247Sports, which has graded him as an 86. Sorrell is viewed similarly by the 247Sports Composite and 247Sports rankings. The Composite puts him 56th nationally among 2021 strong-side ends and No. 22 overall in Louisiana's senior class. He too has gotten a strong three-star grade of 86 from 247Sports.

In addition to Arizona State and this week's Penn State offer, Stansbury has gotten FBS offers from Indiana, Kansas, Houston, SMU, Toledo, Tulane, ULL, and several other schools. Sorrell adds the three new offers from Texas, Arizona State, and Washington State to a list that includes Baylor, Boston College, Indiana, Kansas, Louisville, Missouri, Purdue, Vanderbilt, Virginia, and several more schools.

 

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satyanash

satyanash 14561

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Nick Harris: Hayden Conner speaks on the vocal leaders in Texas 2021 class

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KATY, Texas — After a state semifinal appearance in 2019, Katy Taylor is off to their first 5-1 start in school history behind senior leaders Bryce Foster and Hayden Conner. Conner, the longest commit of the Texas 2021 class, has shown huge improvement in his senior campaign as he has helped the Mustangs run the ball effectively, as was seen in their 56-42 win over Katy Mayde Creek on Saturday.

"I think we're moving in a great direction," Conner said. "Coming off the loss to Tompkins, we obviously wanted to bounce back and we emphasized that in practice. We had a great week of practice, it paid off, and I hope we can keep rolling with this." On the recruiting side of things, Texas has had some recent turmoil on the recruiting trail but Conner is still set to enroll at Texas in the spring and start getting to work to help change the latest fortunes of the program.

"My perspective is a little different from everyone else's because I've been committed for so long," he said. "Mainly what I try to do when we have a couple bad games here and there, I'll try to make sure the other recruits are good by saying 'We can go in and change this.' Anybody can have a horrible season one year and be playoff contenders the next. That's what happened here at Taylor."

Conner has long been a frontman in the class in staying active in group chats and checking in on recruits as a couple newer commits have joined him in staying vocal with the rest of the class. "Charles Wright, he's a stud and a great recruiter," he said. "Derrick Harris, Ja'Tavion [Sanders]. We all text in our group chat and keep up great relationships with everybody."

A few targets remain on the board for the 2021 class despite a recent lull in recruiting, and the leaders of the class remain committed to improve the class down the stretch. "We're just telling them to keep Texas talent in Texas," Conner said. "Stay loyal to the soil, I really believe it. If you want to go to UT for education, they're top ten in almost every major. I always just pitch that."

Conner plans on enrolling in the ultra-competitive aerospace program when he arrives on campus in January, and while he may be a little nervous, he's ready for the challenge. "I'm really excited but I'm also really nervous because it has the number one drop-out rate," he said. "I've always been one to challenge myself so I'm really excited about getting in." At 6-foot-5.5, 317 pounds, Conner is the No. 328 ranked recruit in the country for the class of 2021, according to 247Sports Composite. He is the No. 25 offensive tackle in the country and the No. 50 recruit in the state of Texas.

 

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satyanash

satyanash 14561

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Gerry Hamilton: Rhett Bomar is the OC at Conroe High ... talked to him for 30 minutes last night before their game

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I'm 45, and I have been in the business a long time. When you see guys you covered now coaching and moving up the ranks, you know you've been in the business a long time.

My point of saying that is the ability to talk to guys such as Rhett, and talk about their recruitments from years ago. Our chat last night was interesting on why he picked OU over Texas. The first thing that was so relevant to the difference today is that Bomar said it was Oklahoma, Texas, Miami, Michigan and USC. Nary an SEC school. He mentioned that there was just no way he would have gone to somewhere other than UT or OU because those two schools were the cool places to be for kids in Texas. The rivalry was off the charts due to Stoops and Brown, and how terrific both teams/programs were. Literally, not a chance he would have ended up somewhere other than the two.

So how did the decision to go to Oklahoma over Texas happen. His father was his head coach at Grand Prairie High, is still a head coach in Texas at Groesbeck High. The father favored OU because when the OU staff all came down to see them, Stoops and assistants stayed long after a practice and got on the board and talked X's and O's of the game. His dad was all Oklahoma at that point.

Rhett said his mom favored Texas. For all the reasons not having to do with X's and O's -- as one would expect from a mom. Said it was a tough decision, but his father loving what Stoops and staff showed in the recruiting process led him to OU. It was a fun conversation, without getting into much else publicly. He's doing a great job coaching kids these days. He's going to be on the trajectory to be a quality head coach at a major HS program in Texas in the coming years, and is one of those that could try to get into the college game.

 

 

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satyanash

satyanash 14561

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1 hour ago, hornfromdallas said:

im being told a couple of our current commits have reached out to a&m commits about joining their class  

We had six seasons of A&M mediocrity after Manziel left. Six seasons where, despite our suckitude on the field, A&M couldn't do too much about it in recruiting other than winning the odd battle. Now that Strong & Herman blew that grace period and A&M has become competent, recruiting is going to get a lot harder.

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