Texas Recruiting Notes 2021

[tokamak 6350]

The Cooks stuff is making me nervous. Our $9.95ers have all had him as a done deal for months, but their version of the story is that he just keeps putting it off and now LSU is in the picture. I believe Scipio said in the middle of one of his rambling 20,000 word screeds once that a lot of times in recruiting it's the trendline that's indicative, not the absolute position.

Every $9.95er update on Mukuba says something slightly different. Someone was saying ASU was in the picture, now Roach says Mizzou out of nowhere. It wouldn't surprise me if Clemson and Texas are the top two but I think anything we hear beyond that is just a pure wild guess.

[UhhhIdk 125]

Can someone tell me why Mukuba is so underrated? The composite shows him at 43 just in the state of Texas, what are the evaluators missing on him? Thanks 

[Getafix 28392]

10 minutes ago, UhhhIdk said:

Can someone tell me why Mukuba is so underrated? The composite shows him at 43 just in the state of Texas, what are the evaluators missing on him? Thanks 

NAILED the username, bruh. 

[golfclap 6903]

27 minutes ago, UhhhIdk said:

Can someone tell me why Mukuba is so underrated? The composite shows him at 43 just in the state of Texas, what are the evaluators missing on him? Thanks 

His composite issue lies in the Rivals OU bias. March 1 McCutching decommits from Alabama and silents to OU. He tells the OU staff that he will get Mukuba to commit as well. In this time period Mukuba's ranking goes from 64 in the state to 43 in the state on May 13th. Mukuba released a top 12 list on May 19th and did not include the Sooners. The next time that Rivals updated their rankings he fell to 56 in the state, unranked nationally.

247 has him as a 91 overall - 214 in the country. He started as an 85. 

ESPN has him as 33 in the state (194 in the country) and 83 overall (the same overall grade as Foster, Blackshire, Ketron, Quay, etc) a single point bump could move him as high as 15. 

 

I am bullish on Mukuba and think he should be a top 10-15 guy. So I think they all have him undervalued but it's Ferrell and Rivals that are doing him the biggest disservice and it's clear why. Fuck that guy. 

[Goodman 3273]

2 hours ago, golfclap said:

His composite issue lies in the Rivals OU bias. March 1 McCutching decommits from Alabama and silents to OU. He tells the OU staff that he will get Mukuba to commit as well. In this time period Mukuba's ranking goes from 64 in the state to 43 in the state on May 13th. Mukuba released a top 12 list on May 19th and did not include the Sooners. The next time that Rivals updated their rankings he fell to 56 in the state, unranked nationally.

247 has him as a 91 overall - 214 in the country. He started as an 85. 

ESPN has him as 33 in the state (194 in the country) and 83 overall (the same overall grade as Foster, Blackshire, Ketron, Quay, etc) a single point bump could move him as high as 15. 

 

I am bullish on Mukuba and think he should be a top 10-15 guy. So I think they all have him undervalued but it's Ferrell and Rivals that are doing him the biggest disservice and it's clear why. Fuck that guy. 

Do you see him as nickel, safety or lb?

[satyanash 14276]

Mike Roach: Where to find Texas commits and targets in action

Quote

The high school football season is in full swing. Texas commits are showing off their skills all over the country, and Horns247 has you covered. This will be the last week where just the lower levels of Texas high school football are on the field with an adjusted schedule due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Longhorns currently hold 17 commitments in the 2021 class — five-star Denton Ryan athlete Ja'Tavion Sanders, four-star Denton Ryan athlete Billy Bowman, four-star Katy Taylor offensive lineman Hayden Conner, four-star Port Arthur Memorial DE Jordon Thomas, four-star New Caney linebacker Derrick Harris Jr., three-star Arlington Martin linebacker Morice Blackwell, four-star Pasadena (Calif.) John Muir cornerback Jamier Johnson, four-star Dallas Kimball cornerback Ishmael Ibraheem, three-star Hallettsville running back Jonathon Brooks, Pro Kick Australia punter Isaac Pearson, four-star Kennedale safety JD Coffey, three-star New Orleans (La.) Warren Easton wide receiver Casey Cain, three-star Jacksonville (Fla.) Bishop Kenny center Michael Myslinski, three-star Austin High quarterback Charles Wright, three-star Englewood (Co.) Cherry Creek tight end Gunnar Helm and three-star Everman athlete Juan Davis as current commits in the Longhorns' 2021 recruiting class.

Let’s take a look at this week’s matchups.

2021

Hallettsville RB Jonathon Brooks: The Brahmas (2-1) won big with a huge win over Ganado last week. Hallettsville will try to keep momentum rolling this week when they host Rice at Brahma Memorial Stadium on Friday at 7:30 PM.

Kennedale safety JD Coffey: Coffey and Kennedale (1-0) got on the board in their first week playing with a win over Sunnyvale last Friday. It will be a short turnaround for the Wildcats as they face off against Fort Worth Carter-Riverside at Handley Field on Thursday at 7PM.

Jacksonville (Fla.) Bishop Kenny OL Michael Myslinski: The Crusaders (0-1) lost a tight one last week. Myslinski and his team will try to reverse momentum when they take on Jacksonville (Fla.) Parker at Parker on Friday at 6 PM.

2022

Edmond (Okla.) Santa Fe WR Talyn Shettron: The Wolves (1-2) broke the losing streak with a win over Edmond (Okla.) North last week. They will be on bye this week before getting back into action against Edmond (Okla.) Memorial on September 25.

Spearman ATH Brenen Thompson: The Lynx (3-0) have been rolling on the back of Thompson’s strong performances. They will try to continue this week when they face off against Vega at Lynx Stadium on Friday at 7PM.

Lexington ATH Jarred Kerr: The Eagles (3-0) have been one of the most exciting teams in Texas in the early going, and Kerr is a big reason. Lexington will try to remain perfect this week against Cameron Yoe at Yoe Field on Friday at 7:30 PM.

2023

El Campo RB Rueben Owens: The Ricebrids (1-1) lost a hard-fought game to Port Lavaca Calhoun last week. El Campo returns to action this week when they host Wharton at Ricebird Stadium on Friday at 7:30 PM.

 

[satyanash 14276]

Lots of good things to show to recruits from the UTEP game.

(Ian Boyd) Inside the gameplan: The Longhorns show off their schematic makeover

Quote

After a tumultuous offseason, we finally got to see the Longhorns take the field on Saturday night. Following the hiring of new coordinators on both sides of the ball, Texas received what proved to be a fairly extensive makeover and finally gave the reveal to their fans. The new look was striking.

Mike Yurcich has finally dragged Texas all the way into the world of pass-first offense, eschewing the option of trying to establish the run against a UTEP team clearly anticipating that approach and instead empowering Sam Ehlinger to fling the ball around. When Texas threw the ball on a vertical RPO to the wide side of the field for a touchdown on the first play of the game they broadcast a loud message to the rest of the Big 12.

Chris Ash’s defense wasn’t quite what I envisioned but was certainly in line with practice reports. They rarely gave the quarterback a clean pre-snap look but used a lot of clever, well-timed coverage shifts, achieving the “look complicated but be simple” model Ash emphasized in the offseason. After reviewing the game I was able to get a solid sense of how the base schemes work and what to expect from Texas in 2020.

Ash’s base defense

I was thrown off by how much cover 3 Ash played early in the game. They’d start from a two-high/quarters look but then always roll into a single high coverage. It was typically one you wouldn’t guess from the initial alignment.

I’ve been watching how teams rotate coverages for years now and sometimes you can tell pre-snap what’s really coming because of the offensive formation and alignment rules out all but one option. Not so with this unit, they’d show a coverage that would make sense against the formation only to shift into another one (that also made sense). Here’s an example:

Before the snap it looks like the sort of trips coverage in which the boundary safety helps rob the post from the boundary receivers while the nickel has to play like a corner to the field. Instead, the field safety rotated down late to help the middle linebacker with the slots and the boundary safety rotated deep, leaving the boundary corner in man coverage.

Eventually they played more of the press-quarters we expected, but they showed more in this game than just one base coverage. The apparent diversity and commitment to disguise should be encouraging to Texas fans. Philosophically it’s much closer to the approach by teams like 2019 Kansas State, putting an emphasis on having multiple options to leverage receivers rather than using valuable practice time to nail down a gazillion pressure packages. In the Big 12 you need options to clamp down on top receivers, if you’re utilizing a four-down front then you’ve already made a lot of concessions to the needs of the pass-rush. You don’t double down against an ace.

The big question every team faces is how to handle trips formations, a topic we’ve covered here extensively in the offseason. When the offense loads three receivers to one side of the field, then another (maybe the best one) alone on the boundary, how do you handle the spacing? Texas had three answers in this game. The base approach in their press-quarters scheme was “solo,” a coverage which asks the field safety to help the nickel over the top, the boundary safety to help over the top for the middle linebacker, and then leaves the boundary corner in man coverage on the backside.

If the boundary safety isn’t occupied by the need to catch that third receiver going vertical, or if he’s really good with his eyes, he might be able to help the boundary corner on a post route. He’s not helping on fades or comebacks though, that’s all on the corner. You’ll notice in both of these instances Texas had Josh Thompson on the boundary (he stays on the left side) and he made plays. UTEP took a shot on Thompson when he was left alone on a deep post to the wide side of the field as well. The boundary safety (B.J. Foster) wasn’t aware and didn’t get depth to help him out, but Thompson still shut it down.

Texas had two other trips coverages in this game. One was “cover 3-buzz mable,” which has the strong safety rotate down to help the middle linebacker, the boundary safety drop to the deep middle, and the corners and even nickel potentially isolated. Seattle’s “Legion of Boom” made this one famous, buzzing down Kam Chancellor and dropping Earl Thomas deep while asking Richard Sherman to hold up in man coverage on the backside. The other trips coverage was a more extreme version of the same thing, fire zone coverage with man or match coverage everywhere and then a single deep safety over the top. Texas brought a fire zone on the first defensive snap of the game, perhaps to troll me.

Those blitzes will be useful in attacking the Big 12 offensive lines that can’t handle 1-on-1 matchups. As defensive mastermind Bill Belichik says, you blitz bad lines and you drop eight against good ones. You want to attack the enemy on the worst possible turf for him. I’m sure Sun Tzu has some quote or another expressing this concept. You don’t want to blitz the better lines as much. I think we’ve all seen enough now to understand why not.

The next big question on defense should be pretty well answered by the Texas Tech game. The coverages Texas showed against UTEP usually gave corners help on the post route but they would concede the slot fade to the nickel in the single-high coverages (see the near touchdown against Chris Adimora) and they trusted Thompson and Jamison to hold up against fade routes. Texas Tech is going to go after those defenders and coverages with those exact routes executed by a big, dangerous receiving corps. We’ll see if Ash has some coverages in the playbook to help Thompson out or if the redshirt junior is simply good enough to play on an island regardless of the opponent.

Mike Yurcich’s offense

This was my favorite play of the game.

They hurried into this set, and you can see the UTEP strong safety struggling to figure out where he’s supposed to be. A now screen to the bottom might have been easy yardage for Texas, or at least it would be if they’d executed it properly. They’re also running inside zone and it’s right on the edge of being called for “ineligible man downfield” (Kerstetter). So Ehlinger has three options on the play, throw to the bottom, hand off, or throw to the top, based on where the defense aligns numbers.

What makes this design so effective is the three receivers loaded into the boundary. They create a lot of space for the single side receiver to the field, like an isolation clear out in a basketball game. UTEP, as most teams would in this situation, gives Brenden Schooler a lot of space to avoid getting beat over the top. Schooler runs a hitch route and then after a nice ball and a stiff-arm he’s running all alone with the rest of the Miners on the other side of the field. The better answer from UTEP would have been to surrender an easy run, but that wasn’t their gameplan.

We’ll call this one “touchdown play 2.0.” It’s an unbalanced sort of formation they can easily get into while moving at “warp speed,” just like they can with the 4x0 tight zone/bubble screen RPO they ran so often in 2019 (and used twice in this game). The defense has to figure out how to align to it very quickly and then Ehlinger is in position to make quick decisions and distribute the ball in space to playmakers.

There’s no reason Texas couldn’t mix in such schemes regularly and have a half dozen or more “touchdown plays” with wonky, perhaps unbalanced formations and multiple options attached to runs for Sam Ehlinger to choose from. Don’t be surprised if they do, what else is a senior quarterback for?

It’s hard to overstate how deadly such a dimension to the offense could be this season. Texas has never had an offense designed to use spread formations and tempo to generate space and options for their quarterback to distribute the ball to playmakers with room to make something happen. There are diminishing returns against top defenses with time to gameplan all your favorite “touchdown plays” but then Texas can fall back on the pro-spread, “isolate the top receiver” schemes they’ve been uniquely good at in recent seasons.

As for receivers, there are a few obvious options for getting looks on third-and-six. Tarik Black had a fantastic opening game, catching a few shallow crosses and hitch passes while narrowly missing a touchdown when Ehlinger slightly overthrew him on a post. Brenden Schooler hasn’t done much yet, except demonstrate great technique on his two hitch route catches and break tackles in both instances (one captured above). After another two weeks he might be able to greatly expand his role. Josh Moore is not only blazing fast but also went up for a catch in the seam on a four-verticals play and accepted the punishment that came from exposing his small body. Very promising showing from Moore. We’ve still yet to even see Jake Smith, who was reportedly developing a great connection with Ehlinger before the injury.

Brennan Eagles made a fantastic touchdown catch but also struggled with his assignments and once ran into another receiver while trying to run a snag route. Texas notably diminished their emphasis on RPOs when Eagles replaced Collin Johnson at the X a year ago. If he’s still not reliably in the right spots there’s more competition to keep him on the bench this year.

Texas also made some use of 12 personnel. This time instead of using it as a way to guarantee enough hats in the box to run the ball regardless of what the defense did, Ehlinger was empowered to throw the ball outside when the defense loaded the box and gave him 1-on-1 matchups outside.

There was very much a 2017 Oklahoma vibe to the Longhorn offense against UTEP. Those Sooners also had a senior quarterback executing a wide array of schemes designed to help inexperienced wideouts. Texas will need to find 1-2 players who can beat man coverage against top defenders and command extra attention to reach their ceiling as an offense, but I think the days of Texas struggling to blow away weaker Big 12 opponents are over.

Really the only significant concerns from this game were on the offensive line, where Texas wasn’t able to consistently impose their will against a loaded box. This offense isn’t necessarily designed to do that, which should be seen as a mercy for Texas fans, and the run blocking wasn’t really so bad anyways. Some of it was even a touch different than a year go. It seems Yurcich didn’t allow a pandemic to stop him from putting more emphasis on outside zone blocking like he had at Oklahoma State and Ohio State:

Texas’ lighter offensive line looked pretty comfortable moving laterally, was that the plan all along? At 6-foot-5, 310 pounds with enough athleticism to stick at tackle, Derek Kerstetter is a center in the mold of a Barrett Jones or Ryan Kelly who powered some terrific stretch blocking schemes at Alabama, or Josh Myers who did so a year ago at Ohio State. Denzel Okafor and Junior Angilau are also quick laterally and Texas’ tackles are much more athletic and powerful than two years ago when their quarterback stretch play with an extra lead blocker was the only way they could count on winning the edge. Outside zone is also a more effective way to run zone-read and Texas mixed in some midline reads (leave an interior D-lineman unblocked and release the tackle) on the play for their younger quarterbacks and ran it as a triple option scheme with the pitch/toss to the tight end twice.

On rewatch Christian Jones was better than it appeared live, most of the issues to his side related to Texas losing hard-charging defenders while trying to trade off blocks on these zone concepts. When you load the box you can cause problems for zone schemes with aggressive linebacker play, but you also might see your opponent house hitch routes. Wait and see how this looks against a team that prioritizes stopping Ehlinger and the passing game before getting overly fretful. Isaiah Hookfin was terrific off the bench. When he hit people there was a noticeable shock and displacement. Andrej Karic looked like the premier athlete Texas needs in the tackle pipeline.

It doesn’t appear Texas will lack for quality athletes on the line this season. Stay tuned for how well they can handle stunts and inside pressure.

The schedule sets up quite favorably for Texas. Texas Tech will test the defense with run/pass conflicts and outside receivers matched up on the cornerbacks, but their own defense will leave them overmatched against the Longhorns. Then TCU will stress test Texas’ offense and their ability to beat good coverage outside or handle well executed pressures. But the Frogs don’t have the offense to really challenge Texas. The upshot is a series of useful tuneups before round one in Dallas. This time Texas will be bringing more firepower into the shootout.

 

[Burt Macklin 18988]

1 hour ago, satyanash said:

Lots of good things to show to recruits from the UTEP game.

(Ian Boyd) Inside the gameplan: The Longhorns show off their schematic makeover

 

I’d honestly rather shoot myself than try to read that whole thing. This is classic Ian Boyd. He just writes the most boring words imaginable going in an endless loop.  If we leave a CB alone on the boundary, other teams will attack that, and if we take the safety off the slot fade to help on the boundary, then teams will attack the slot fade.
No shit, dude. There’s no such thing as a perfect coverage, which is why teams disguise and mix up coverages and make coverage decisions based on opposing personnel, so obviously we’ll handle coverages differently against Tech than UTEP. He really is the epitome of missing the forest for the trees. 

[GRHorn 105]

3 minutes ago, Burt Macklin said:

I’d honestly rather shoot myself than try to read that whole thing. This is classic Ian Boyd. He just writes the most boring words imaginable going in an endless loop.  If we leave a CB alone on the boundary, other teams will attack that, and if we take the safety off the slot fade to help on the boundary, then teams will attack the slot fade.
No shit, dude. There’s no such thing as a perfect coverage, which is why teams disguise and mix up coverages and make coverage decisions based on opposing personnel, so obviously we’ll handle coverages differently against Tech than UTEP. He really is the epitome of missing the forest for the trees. 

You truly hate Boyd. Lol
 

You write pretty long winded posts. I think you should try blogging like him. Step into the arena. 

[Katfid54 8591]

4 minutes ago, Burt Macklin said:

I’d honestly rather shoot myself than try to read that whole thing. This is classic Ian Boyd. He just writes the most boring words imaginable going in an endless loop.  If we leave a CB alone on the boundary, other teams will attack that, and if we take the safety off the slot fade to help on the boundary, then teams will attack the slot fade.
No shit, dude. There’s no such thing as a perfect coverage, which is why teams disguise and mix up coverages and make coverage decisions based on opposing personnel, so obviously we’ll handle coverages differently against Tech than UTEP. He really is the epitome of missing the forest for the trees. 

Okay, but this time say it again and use 2,500 words.

[SydneyCarton 47809]

7 minutes ago, Burt Macklin said:

I’d honestly rather shoot myself than try to read that whole thing. This is classic Ian Boyd. He just writes the most boring words imaginable going in an endless loop.  If we leave a CB alone on the boundary, other teams will attack that, and if we take the safety off the slot fade to help on the boundary, then teams will attack the slot fade.
No shit, dude. There’s no such thing as a perfect coverage, which is why teams disguise and mix up coverages and make coverage decisions based on opposing personnel, so obviously we’ll handle coverages differently against Tech than UTEP. He really is the epitome of missing the forest for the trees. 

It's not a coincidence that Ian Boyd is easily Satya's favorite analyst. Ok, maybe second after his idol Wescott. But the masochism involved in reading it has to be the appeal. 

[Elmer_Fudd 22084]

22 minutes ago, Katfid54 said:

Okay, but this time say it again and use 2,500 words.

Get it up to 3,000+ words and we're in Randolph Duke territory.

[Vertigo 20257]

52 minutes ago, GRHorn said:

You truly hate Boyd. Lol
 

You write pretty long winded posts. I think you should try blogging like him. Step into the arena. 

[JesusSweatDuck 17780]

1 hour ago, GRHorn said:

You truly hate Boyd. Lol
 

You write pretty long winded posts. I think you should try blogging like him. Step into the arena. 

CTJ is Ian Boyd? Wait no, there's no $10 words in those posts.

[futureman 22411]

7 hours ago, UhhhIdk said:

Can someone tell me why Mukuba is so underrated? 

he’s not underrated, he’s overrated.  he’s really not that good.  you need to hope he goes to clemson. 

[Ghost of Shag 2576]

39 minutes ago, futureman said:

he’s not underrated, he’s overrated.  he’s really not that good.  you need to hope he goes to clemson. 

You know, I occasionally unhide one of your posts, and am immediately reminded why I hid you in the first place.

[futureman 22411]

10 minutes ago, Ghost of Shag said:

am immediately reminded why I hid you in the first place.

 

[golfclap 6903]

5 hours ago, Goodman said:

Do you see him as nickel, safety or lb?

S for me. He can cover well and could play nickel - he’s a lot like the Duane Akina type DBs with position flexibility - but I think has a chance to be special at the FS spot. NFL athleticism mixed with an innate ability to take the right angles to the ball or man. he really shows this off in 7on7.

[texifornia 56434]

I spy both purple and orange bracelets.

Edited September 18, 2020 by texifornia

[conVINCEd 21468]

18 minutes ago, texifornia said:

I spy both purple and orange bracelets.

I prefer my linebackers to not wear bracelets.

[RGBIII 22798]

1 minute ago, conVINCEd said:

I prefer my linebackers to not wear bracelets.

Marcel Brooks should be wearing a certain type of bracelets

[conVINCEd 21468]

Just now, RGBIII said:

Marcel Brooks should be wearing a certain type of bracelets

And I would not like for him to be one of my linebackers.

[irishtexan 11442]

You know, I occasionally unhide one of your posts, and am immediately reminded why I hid you in the first place.

Fuck you for showing the rest of us

[cochamps 1875]

43 minutes ago, irishtexan said:

Fuck you for showing the rest of us

No shit.  Use a little common sense dude.

[RGBIII 22798]

Listened to Roachs podcast so you dont have to

 

-Jonathan Brooks is massively underrated per Nick Harris. Thinks he should be a mid 4star and has absolutely elite vision and balance

-They both like where Texas sits with Mukuba and Cooks- Mukuba will put out his commit date this weekend

-Brooks is recruiting LJ Johnson hard and wants a 2 back system

-Bitching about high school football games being cancelled due to covid and not getting sideline passes...WAhhhhhh!

-Landon Hullaby and Caleb Burton were both at the game, they think coaches receiving tickets and giving them to players will happen quite a bit

-They are all in on Jacoby Jackson because they have to be...then they compared him to Cosmi. Expect more offers

-Think Texas and aggy are tied for Kevin Banks but mentioned he may live in a maroon house

-Texas leads for Campbell and in top 2 for Hudson. Have work to do with Dewberry

-Guilbeau is close to making a decision and "Texas isnt out of it by any means hahaha" really sneak Roach definitely cant figure that one out

-Thats it..at least hes not breathing so heavy anymore

[satyanash 14276]

(Eric Nahlin) Humidor: Bye week competition, WR’s well Schooled, Cooks closing in on decision, OL “crootin’”

Quote

By: Gerry, Justin, and Eric

Anxious to see the team again, the bye week is a bit of a bummer but completely understandable given the circumstances. The week off has given the coaches time to do some tinkering ahead of the Big 12 opener versus Texas Tech next weekend.

A battle is emerging at right tackle between Christian Jones and Isaiah Hookfin. Jones originally received the start because Hookfin sustained a slight shoulder injury, but at the time, Hookfin was playing guard and Denzel Okafor was playing right tackle. The injury to Hookfin forced Okafor to right guard and Christian Jones to right tackle. That injury may have been a blessing in disguise for a couple of reasons: Okafor appears entrenched at guard now, which has likely been his best position all along, and, after receiving live snaps versus UTEP at tackle, and looking good doing it, Hookfin is earning more reps at tackle.

Offensive tackle was always the evaluation for Hookfin, with playing guard appearing to be a way to get his feet wet. However, he may be too good to keep off the edge in a year where there is no certain starter. Known for being athletic and hard working, the staff may be forced to live with the highs and lows he’d bring as a redshirt freshman.

But Christian Jones won’t go away quietly and hasn’t been jumped by Hookfin as of yet. We could see a scenario where this competition plays out in games as much as in practice. That would probably be to the benefit of Hookfin. Jones played a little timid at times but he could show vast improvement in the coming weeks as he becomes more comfortable. The staff needs both of the players now and in the years to come so it will be interesting to see how things are handled.

Grad transfer wide receiver Brenden Schooler turned heads in his first outing. He’s quickly becoming both a fan and coach favorite, and the same goes for Tarik Black. Both of these guys come equipped with a maturity the position was needing. With Black and Schooler being a tad redundant at X, the staff has worked Schooler at H. @Hookah Horns beat us to the punch on mentioning it, but we had heard it as well. The staff loves both Schooler’s toughness and intelligence but are pleasantly surprised by just how athletic he is. With Whittington missing time, and Jake Smith just returning from injury, this could be a big move for the program. Schooler’s blocking will be an addition as well, but they’re moving him there for more than grunt work.

Sticking with wide receiver, we’ve heard from multiple people who have interacted with that group who say Andre Coleman is a game changer for them. They say it’s a night and day difference. Given the youth and inexperience of the group, it seems Herman made a great hire. Not having a spring to showcase Coleman’s teaching hurt recruiting, but once recruits are able to interact with players, we think it’s going to make a big difference. It will also help when Coleman can sit down and talk to recruits one on one about the finer points.

We‘ve been asked a lot about linebacker Juwan Mitchell. We try to leave the locker room stuff where it belongs. We’ll just say he’s been in the doghouse some and it’s up to him how long he’s in there. The staff is high on what he brings to the table and would love to start him. That should be versus Tech, but it should have been versus UTEP too. One of the early themes of the new era is the restoration of meritocracy. If a talented guy is suspended for something that doesn’t require a mandatory suspension, that’s probably a good thing.

I asked about running back Bijan Robinson: They have a lot more tricks for getting him into space. I was reminded of the original plans for Jordan Whittington as a running back who motions out to the slot. That’s still in the playbook, just with Yurcich calling things.

STATE OF RECRUITING

We go in depth on one of the most important recruits of the cycle, discuss a long-shot that got a little shorter this week, and offer up some intel on offensive line targets.

Terrence Cooks, LB, Alvin Shadow Creek: After spending significant time at Shadow Creek yesterday, both for a visit with coaches and Cooks, and then Shadow Creek’s scrimmage, we’ve come to the conclusion that our read of this recruitment has been mostly right the whole time.

— Education is in fact important to Terrence and his mother, who is herself an educator. He wants to study ecology. Cooks seems to have a plan for life after football. He sees the sport as a way to springboard into the next chapter of his life and he’d like a little money in the bank to do so.

— When we asked about relationships, Coleman Hutzler was the first name he mentioned. Hutzler was also the most frequently mentioned coach, and the one Cooks went most in depth on. Cooks and Hutzler had a Zoom call this week. Hutzler has worked this one hard, but not too hard, as Cooks isn’t the type to be constantly bombarded. That doesn’t just go for coaches and writers (he apologized to “us”), but also his friends. He did mention he’s most close with Texas commits and he also talks to running back target LJ Johnson some.

— Timeline isn’t set in stone. When asked if he wanted to prolong things in order to build relationships with LSU he said it would be difficult for them to catch up in that regard because he’d still be talking to coaches at other schools he’s known for much longer. LSU is definitely late to the party, but too late? That remains to be seen.

— He mentioned Baylor some. The Bears are definitely working to play spoiler, and he does have solid relationships with them. He likes how they’ve recruited him. In the end we don’t see it, but it’s clear they’ve made some headway and they have his quarterback, Kyron Drones, committed.

— He doesn’t care about conference or how many players a school puts in the league, “if you can play they’ll find you.”

— One thing he does pay attention to is depth chart. He knows relationships are important with coaches in order to get a clear view of the depth chart.

Texas is still in a good spot to earn the commitment, but needs to continue to win over all the members in the Cooks decision tree. If the product on the field is as good as many think it will be, and if DeMarvion Overshown plays to his potential, we think it will end with his Horns up. Development is the final piece. Hutzler seems in control of this recruitment in more ways than one.

Dont’e Thornton, WR, Mount Saint Joseph (Baltimore, MD): The Longhorns and Thornton continue to advance in the relationship building department. Head coach Tom Herman had a productive Zoom call this week with Thornton, and since that time a key person in Thornton's circle has been in communication with members of the Longhorns staff. This recruitment is officially a realistic opportunity for Texas to land an outside difference maker. Thornton, like Jaden Alexis, is a total package recruit --- student body president with plans to major in engineering and study sports management. The theme of wanting to get away from home continues to be key in this recruitment for Texas, Oregon, Notre Dame, and North Carolina. For a recruitment still in its' early stages, the staff is excited about the communication level and positive feedback.

Andrew Mukuba, S, Austin LBJ - The best safety in-state continues to get closer to a decision. Not being able to take visits until January 1st, 2021, helps the Horns. Mukuba is getting antsy to lock up a spot in a class and right now UT is looking like the most likely beneficiary of that decision. At this time we don’t think Clemson is pushing to lock him up while Texas and Chris Ash are all in and have been for a while. We are keeping an eye on Arizona State as the Sun Devils are pushing the right buttons regarding playing time. If we had to predict, we’d say Mukuba decides in the next couple of weeks with the hometown school the most likely destination.

LJ Johnson, RB, Cy-Fair - We think this one reached a point where Johnson got cold feet, probably with he aid of numerous other schools telling him he might as well wait and see the results on the field at this point. Given his status, he’s a player with leverage and not in danger of losing his spot at the schools he truly likes. If the season is going to be a consideration, as it now appears like it will be, Johnson will want to see UT’s platoon run efficiently. He’s not hung up with being a volume back, in fact, it’s a turnoff. He just wants to enter a situation where he’ll have the opportunity to see the field and do his part. UT sets up well for that. We’re as confident as we were a month ago.

JJ Henry, WR, McKinney North - This recruitment is a tough one to handicap because A) Henry is hard to get a read on, and B) from our vantage, Texas is still trying to keep some optionality open as it works on JoJo Earle. There is still a glimmer of hope with the Aledo receiver. Henry does have plenty of advocates on staff and this could become an ‘all in’ recruitment in the coming weeks. He also likes Florida State, Ole Miss, and we sometimes hear A&M mentioned.

Jacoby Jackson, OT, Mansfield Summit - One of UT's most recent offers, the staff is certainly working on the 6-foot-6, 320-pounder. Baylor is the consensus leader at this point and that makes sense because whatever they’re doing recruiting the position, it’s working. We do think UT has a chance to angle in.

Erick Cade, OT, Denton Braswell - We don't mention the 6-foot-5.5, 313-pounder too much because he's still such an unknown in potential and projection. But he's big and strong, and has some interesting suitors. Holding 12 offers, it appears Texas, Alabama, LSU, and Arizona State are the four schools Cade has his eyes on. You‘ll notice ASU is always hanging around the rim. We’ve mentioned if Cade becomes a big priority that means UT missed elsewhere. We still think he’s a name to file away a little down the road rather ‘next man up’.

Max Merrill, OT, Strake Jesuit - This could be next man up. Merrill, at 6-foot-4, 275 holds 38 offers, including Colorado, Indiana, Purdue, Arizona State, Louisville, and virtually all the Ivy Leagues. He seems to have his eyes on two schools that have yet to offer - Texas and Stanford. A UT offer would be something Merrill would relish and push the Longhorns near the top of his list. Beware of the trees in Palo Alto. Jett Bush might actually help here. Merrill has some genuine upside.

Ty Buchanan, OT, Corpus Christi Calallen - Another of the next tier offensive tackles, at 6-foot-5, 280 pounds, Buchanan packs a solid punch and brings his lunch pail to work each day. With 30 offers in hand, only a few stand out - Texas Tech, USC, Oklahoma State, and Colorado. He speaks with Herb Hand often with Zoom meetings being the thing now. Like Jackson, it's tough to gauge his legitimate interest, but at this point, throw it on the wall and see if it sticks.

 

[SydneyCarton 47809]

5 minutes ago, RGBIII said:

Listened to Roachs podcast so you dont have to

 

-Jonathan Brooks is massively underrated per Nick Harris. Thinks he should be a mid 4star and has absolutely elite vision and balance

-They both like where Texas sits with Mukuba and Cooks- Mukuba will put out his commit date this weekend

-Brooks is recruiting LJ Johnson hard and wants a 2 back system

-Bitching about high school football games being cancelled due to covid and not getting sideline passes...WAhhhhhh!

-Landon Hullaby and Caleb Burton were both at the game, they think coaches receiving tickets and giving them to players will happen quite a bit

-They are all in on Jacoby Jackson because they have to be...then they compared him to Cosmi. Expect more offers

-Think Texas and aggy are tied for Kevin Banks but mentioned he may live in a maroon house

-Texas leads for Campbell and in top 2 for Hudson. Have work to do with Dewberry

-Guilbeau is close to making a decision and "Texas isnt out of it by any means hahaha" really sneak Roach definitely cant figure that one out

-Thats it..at least hes not breathing so heavy anymore

Campbell shit really really pisses me the fuck off. Mother fuck. And classic 995er, Roach must be trying to emulate liucci: "We're tied with aTm, but he might actually be a silent commit to them." That or he doesn't understand the concept of living in a ______________ house.

I'm rapidly boarding the Fuck Herb Hand train. 

[texifornia 56434]

4 minutes ago, SydneyCarton said:

Campbell shit really really pisses me the fuck off. Mother fuck. And classic 995er, Roach must be trying to emulate liucci: "We're tied with aTm, but he might actually be a silent commit to them." That or he doesn't understand the concept of living in a ______________ house.

I'm rapidly boarding the Fuck Herb Hand train. 

*Banks

[texifornia 56434]

11 minutes ago, RGBIII said:

Listened to Roachs podcast so you dont have to

 

-Jonathan Brooks is massively underrated per Nick Harris. Thinks he should be a mid 4star and has absolutely elite vision and balance

-They both like where Texas sits with Mukuba and Cooks- Mukuba will put out his commit date this weekend

-Brooks is recruiting LJ Johnson hard and wants a 2 back system

-Bitching about high school football games being cancelled due to covid and not getting sideline passes...WAhhhhhh!

-Landon Hullaby and Caleb Burton were both at the game, they think coaches receiving tickets and giving them to players will happen quite a bit

-They are all in on Jacoby Jackson because they have to be...then they compared him to Cosmi. Expect more offers

-Think Texas and aggy are tied for Kevin Banks but mentioned he may live in a maroon house

-Texas leads for Campbell and in top 2 for Hudson. Have work to do with Dewberry

-Guilbeau is close to making a decision and "Texas isnt out of it by any means hahaha" really sneak Roach definitely cant figure that one out

-Thats it..at least hes not breathing so heavy anymore

Loving the Mukuba trend. Seems he's run out of reasons not to go to UT.

[SydneyCarton 47809]

Just now, texifornia said:

*Banks

They were two different thoughts. Draw a line after the first sentence. I thought that's what the "And" indicated, but yeah, that wasn't exactly clear I suppose. 

 

Campbell is a continuation of my angst that set off the fucking Princess Bride gif-at-thon yesterday. He should already be in this fucking class. 

[Burt Macklin 18988]

12 minutes ago, satyanash said:

(Eric Nahlin) Humidor: Bye week competition, WR’s well Schooled, Cooks closing in on decision, OL “crootin’”

 

I keep forgetting Thornton is a 2021 recruit. Adding him would be absolutely huge and would really change how we view this year’s WR class, plus with how we look on offense and LSU’s potential struggles, the Earle flip possibility is starting to feel a little more real. I’d pretty much written off much hope for the 2021 WR class, but all of a sudden we  have some life in two top 100 recruitments. That would be about as big of a 180 at a position as I can remember, until Hand flips the Brocks and Donovan Jackson, of course. 

[Fud 9543]

4 minutes ago, texifornia said:

Loving the Mukuba trend. Seems he's run out of reasons not to go to UT.

I think Mukuba wants Clemson, but Clemson is taking a small class with only one safety, so I think they might be wanting to wait on senior film to pick that one safety 

[Burt Macklin 18988]

4 minutes ago, SydneyCarton said:

They were two different thoughts. Draw a line after the first sentence. I thought that's what the "And" indicated, but yeah, that wasn't exactly clear I suppose. 

 

Campbell is a continuation of my angst that set off the fucking Princess Bride gif-at-thon yesterday. He should already be in this fucking class. 

Yeah, this shit is getting worse and worse. I still think a lot will change if the OL plays well this year, but UTEP wasn’t exactly a pitcher full of kool aid on that front.

I wish I could say expecting, but I’m really just hoping for a big improvement in OL play against Tech. HBU threw for 567 yards on Tech but only rushed for 26 yards on less than 2 YPC. Not sure if that means Tech’s run defense is actually any good, but I do expect we’ll roll out another pass-heavy attack on them next week. 
 

Maybe Yurcich upping the offenses overall production could help flop the script, but if Hand is going to be this bad in recruiting moving forward, then he’s gonna have to do a hell of a job coaching up our current OL. Hand is approaching the point of no return at light speed, though as we know with Herman, that may mean he stays on for 3 more years. 

[Dijon Robinson 1511]

25 minutes ago, RGBIII said:

-Texas leads for Campbell and in top 2 for Hudson. Have work to do with Dewberry

Jordan Hudson, OU WR commit or Cole Hutson, uncommitted OL?

Edited September 18, 2020 by ChampionshipLevelPiss

[Thiefery 4961]

1 minute ago, ChampionshipLevelPiss said:

Jordan Hudson, OU WR commit or Cole Hutson, uncommitted OL?

I was thinking Cole Hutson?

[tokamak 6350]

3 minutes ago, Burt Macklin said:

Yeah, this shit is getting worse and worse. I still think a lot will change if the OL plays well this year, but UTEP wasn’t exactly a pitcher full of kool aid on that front.

I wish I could say expecting, but I’m really just hoping for a big improvement in OL play against Tech. HBU threw for 567 yards on Tech but only rushed for 26 yards on less than 2 YPC. Not sure if that means Tech’s run defense is actually any good, but I do expect we’ll roll out another pass-heavy attack on them next week. 
 

Maybe Yurcich upping the offenses overall production could help flop the script, but if Hand is going to be this bad in recruiting moving forward, then he’s gonna have to do a hell of a job coaching up our current OL. Hand is approaching the point of no return at light speed, though as we know with Herman, that may mean he stays on for 3 more years. 

I guess we should move this to the 2022 thread, but I'm still comforting myself with the fact that these names are just now starting their junior years, and there weren't a lot of camps this summer. Hopefully that at least gives us a better opportunity to identify additional prospects than the disaster currently unfolding in the '21 class.

But yeah it's going to suck watching aggy land Banks and Dewberry while we stand around holding our dicks in our hands.

[MuellerHorn 4176]

1 minute ago, tokamak said:

I guess we should move this to the 2022 thread, but I'm still comforting myself with the fact that these names are just now starting their junior years, and there weren't a lot of camps this summer. Hopefully that at least gives us a better opportunity to identify additional prospects than the disaster currently unfolding in the '21 class.

But yeah it's going to suck watching aggy land Banks and Dewberry while we stand around holding our dicks in our hands.

We'll see. There's a very real possibility that aggy goes 5-5 this season.

[Bevo 13493]

33 minutes ago, RGBIII said:

 

-They are all in on Jacoby Jackson because they have to be...then they compared him to Cosmi. Expect more offers

No fucking way will he be like Sam Cosmi.

[Doc Sam Beckett 5781]

On 9/16/2020 at 1:34 PM, Ricky's one-hitter said:

Couple things:

• Nahlin is suggesting that Mukuba is not currently a take for Clemson and the pendulum may be swinging back to Texas. Abridged, but: "If he had to choose today, Clemson wouldn't be an option

 

Not a take?? He's our *only* take at Safety! I don't get this Nahlin dude's reporting on Clemson and Mukuba, it's been consistently 180 degrees from everything the Clemson boards report. The only thing I can think of is Nahlin might be confusing Clemson's desire to get Mukuba on campus before accepting a commitment with not accepting a potential commitment. Clemson likes to get kids on campus and see how committed they are, and I'm sure that will change now that the dead period has been extended to January. Either way, it's puzzling to say the only Safety Clemson is recruiting isn't a take for them. 

[golfclap 6903]

4 minutes ago, Doc Sam Beckett said:

Either way, it's puzzling to say the only Safety Clemson is recruiting isn't a take for them. 

fucking Nahlin. 

[RGBIII 22798]

14 minutes ago, ChampionshipLevelPiss said:

Jordan Hudson, OU WR commit or Cole Hutson, uncommitted OL?

Sorry Cole Hutson

[Hank_Hill 18458]

Sorry, what am I missing with us leading for Campbell being a bad thing?

[texifornia 56434]

33 minutes ago, ChampionshipLevelPiss said:

Jordan Hudson, OU WR commit or Cole Hutson, uncommitted OL?

Context clues, dude. Hutson.

[GRHorn 105]

Sounds like Schooler brings his lunch pail and is sneaky fast. 

[RGBIII 22798]

Just now, GRHorn said:

Sounds like Schooler brings his lunch pail and is sneaky fast. 

Real sparkplug with a high motor

[Ricky's one-hitter 9084]

35 minutes ago, Doc Sam Beckett said:

 

Not a take?? He's our *only* take at Safety! I don't get this Nahlin dude's reporting on Clemson and Mukuba, it's been consistently 180 degrees from everything the Clemson boards report. The only thing I can think of is Nahlin might be confusing Clemson's desire to get Mukuba on campus before accepting a commitment with not accepting a potential commitment. Clemson likes to get kids on campus and see how committed they are, and I'm sure that will change now that the dead period has been extended to January. Either way, it's puzzling to say the only Safety Clemson is recruiting isn't a take for them. 

 

53 minutes ago, Fud said:

I think Mukuba wants Clemson, but Clemson is taking a small class with only one safety, so I think they might be wanting to wait on senior film to pick that one safety 

This seems to be the angle Nahlin is taking here. 

[Pato del Muerto 52322]

55 minutes ago, Fud said:

I think Mukuba wants Clemson, but Clemson is taking a small class with only one safety, so I think they might be wanting to wait on senior film to pick that one safety 

If this is true, then I’m grateful to mukuba for waiting instead of being willing to commit here until Clemson comes calling. I don’t know how that would change how we allocate resources, but I assume it would and would hurt if he ended up flipping in December.  

[texifornia 56434]

 

[RGBIII 22798]

12 minutes ago, texifornia said:

 

No hook em from Bowman...hes gone- Satya

[LTtxfan 48928]

1 hour ago, SydneyCarton said:

Campbell shit really really pisses me the fuck off. Mother fuck. And classic 995er, Roach must be trying to emulate liucci: "We're tied with aTm, but he might actually be a silent commit to them." That or he doesn't understand the concept of living in a ______________ house.

I'm rapidly boarding the Fuck Herb Hand train. 

So if Hand can't get the job done, who would be the best candidates to replace him??

Found this info to help:

Quote

The highest-paid offensive line coaches in college football: 2020 edition

1. Matt Luke, Georgia — $900,000
2. Will Friend, Tennessee — $805,000
3. Bill Bedebaugh, Oklahoma — $750,000
4. Justin Frye, UCLA — $700,000
5. Eric Wolford, South Carolina — $700,000
6. Kyle Flood, Alabama — $650,000
7. Herb Hand, Texas — $650,000**  
8. Robbie Caldwell, Clemson — $640,000
9. Ed Warinner, Michigan — $625,000
10. Josh Henson, Texas A&M — $605,000

** Since article, Hand received raise to $700, 000 thru 2021 Season

Additional notes:

— Joe Rudolph earns $770,000 at Wisconsin, but he’s also Wisconsin’s offensive coordinator. As is Louisville’s Dwayne Ledford and his $650,000 salary.

— Josh Henson earned a 41 percent raise in leaving Oklahoma State for Texas A&M. His replacement, Charlie Dickey, earns $500,000.

— We don’t yet know what Randy Clements will earn at Ole Miss, nor Phil Trautwein at Penn State. Clements made $475,000 at Florida State in 2019; Trautwein’s salary at Boston College was private.

— Brandon Jones earns $500,000 as the offensive line coach and co-offensive coordinator at Houston. This makes him the highest-paid assistant in all of Group of 5.

—    Mixed among all that upheaval, former Ole Miss offensive line coach Jack Bicknell, Jr., (a $400,000 salary in 2019) left for Auburn once Luke was not retained in Oxford.  

https://footballscoop.com/news/the-highest-paid-offensive-line-coaches-in-college-football-2020-edition/