2022 Texas Coaching/Support Staff Thread

[texasstrong12 4,668]

2 minutes ago, NoName said:

Depth Chart 1:

Depth Chart 2:

you know Bama has their pick of 5* or high 4* RBs every year and they will be bringing one in behind you.

let's say he is competing just with his class + the class ahead of him - one side is Jaydon Blue and Jonathan Brooks (injured) and the other option is Camar Wheaton and some RB from LA? plus Jahmyr Gibbs?

ehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh don't think it was competition that ran him off.

This is true but Bama's RB room is actually kind of meh which is why they took Gibbs in the transfer portal. They have a bunch of dudes that can't stay healthy. 

[Fondren & Main 6,715]

4 minutes ago, NoName said:

Depth Chart 1:

Depth Chart 2:

you know Bama has their pick of 5* or high 4* RBs every year and they will be bringing one in behind you.

let's say he is competing just with his class + the class ahead of him - one side is Jaydon Blue and Jonathan Brooks (injured) and the other option is Camar Wheaton and some RB from LA? plus Jahmyr Gibbs?

ehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh don't think it was competition that ran him off.

Actually, the fact that Bama went and got Gibbs means they probably told Miller he could get a lot of snaps as the number 2.  Us going 5-7 probably did us in more than anything.  Still, losing a RB doesn't exactly prompt me to start wringing my hands.  

[RaysBoomBoomRoom 5,742]

8 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

You guys that take a guy like Arch Manning at his word about staff members for various programs when he's talking to reporters should take it to DM so the rest of us don't have to be a party to the nonsense. It's fucking idiotic that you're drawing any conclusions on Arch Manning's recruitment or feelings about assistants based on what he told some $9.95er. 

I don’t understand this. It’s kind of ridiculous for you to ridicule me for pointing out an actual quote. That’s weird. If we can’t take players quotes into account then none of this matters. The anti Harris stuff is hearsay. Maybe it’s credible hearsay but it’s difficult to believe that it’s as bad as some say if he is still being employed. Harris has done some good things and built some solid relationships with recruits. That’s easily verifiable. I can attest to that personally because I know kids who he is currently trying to recruit. Moreover, it is not humanly possible for one person to be liked by everyone, even Carrington rubbed some dudes like Jeffery McCullough the wrong way. You could be right about Harris, if so I hope that he corrects his mistakes but you cant deny the positive that he’s done with many members of this class based on what has been reported.

[closetojumping 62,688]

4 minutes ago, Fondren & Main said:

Okay, that's what I was looking for, examples.

Any chance Miller didn't like our competition?  Though I suppose Bijan and RoJo are both gone after next season.

Anderson likes his rodeo stuff so I could see him genuinely wanting to go to A&M as bizarre as it sounds.  Some people like that hick culture.

What is the word on why people don't like Harris?  Can we define what immature means?  Like is there an example of what he does that pisses people off?

Miller wasn't worried about UT's depth chart. Miller resented UT at the same time he wanted to attend UT. There's a guy around Miller that is all UT, all the time. That guy has done some shit that Miller despises associated to creating problems within his family. On top of that, he wasn't impressed with Harris, who was also one of his main points of contact, especially since Drayton had a habit of outsourcing recruiting responsibilities to admin help. Alabama liked Miller as a player, caught UT sleeping on the recruitment, and we next thing we know, Saban slapped a purple mushroom tattoo on Seven Loss Steve's forehead to remind him of who his daddy is. 

Were Miller worried about depth charts, Alabama seems like a poor choice. Every player on Bama's roster at TB was either ranked above or around Miller when they signed or transferred.

In the interest of not pissing off friends, I'll keep my mouth shut on the details of the Anderson recruitment, but I will offer that it was a monumental fuckup across the whole way, and Harris was just a contributing factor. Part of the blame on that recruitment falls squarely on Bryce Anderson's head. He's also not very mature. He committed to Texas and made assurances and then waffled and went elsewhere. I won't be completely shocked if he's a guy transferring, potentially to Texas, after a short stay in College Station. Maybe not, but more likely than other guys to be out fast. 

As to Harris himself, I'll go back to what I've posted on here about him before. He's been elevated to a role in which his responsibilities involve developing depth of relationship with recruits. He was previously just a superfluous viber who'd play video games with guys and help them feel entertained. For the past year, he's also needed to be a guy that gets real with recruits, probes for concerns from their end, for data regarding who else is recruiting them and how, what's being promised, etc. He's also responsible for helping them see themselves at Texas and fitting into the program. The guy sucks at all of that. Carrington was great at it, but also burned bridges leaving and is relegated to TCU and we'll see how he ascends/descends from there.

[Thiefery 4,995]

Didn't one of the paysites say Miller was wavering because of rumors of Stan wanting to leave for a HC position?

[texasstrong12 4,668]

It will be interesting to follow Bama's RB room. Any chance one of Wheaton or Sanders transfers? 

Saban obviously wasn't thrilled with what he had at the position which is why he started recruiting Gibbs. I think Gibbs will be their RB1 next season. 

[taybo20 2,825]

7 minutes ago, HillCountryBevo said:

 

This guy…

Maybe he’s reading the thread

[golfclap 6,903]

Just now, taybo20 said:

Maybe he’s reading the thread

Only if there’s a Surly widget on Xbox that you can overlay while playing. 

[RaysBoomBoomRoom 5,742]

24 minutes ago, texifornia said:

Y'all saw a guy who was actually good at connecting with recruits with Carrington. Dude got raves from recruits who couldn't wait to take pictures with him, mothers tweeted about him, he was featured in commitment videos.

Do you really think occasional generic "he's a nice guy" quotes about Harris in 9.95er reports are the same thing?

I don’t think anyone believes he’s an elite Director of Recruiting. It’s just hard to believe that his presence in the program is something that should be lamented.

[Shonen 125]

13 minutes ago, NoName said:

Depth Chart 1:

Depth Chart 2:

you know Bama has their pick of 5* or high 4* RBs every year and they will be bringing one in behind you.

let's say he is competing just with his class + the class ahead of him - one side is Jaydon Blue and Jonathan Brooks (injured) and the other option is Camar Wheaton and some RB from LA? plus Jahmyr Gibbs?

ehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh don't think it was competition that ran him off.

not showing for Bama is Jace McClennan 

[texifornia 56,944]

1 minute ago, RaysBoomBoomRoom said:

I don’t think anyone believes he’s an elite Director of Recruiting. It’s just hard to believe that his presence in the program is something that should be lamented.

"He's bad at his job. I don't understand why people don't like the fact he still has his job."

[Chuckie Finster 22,694]

14 minutes ago, HillCountryBevo said:

 

This guy…

Wish I was joking, but he deleted this.

[closetojumping 62,688]

3 minutes ago, RaysBoomBoomRoom said:

I don’t understand this. It’s kind of ridiculous for you to ridicule me for pointing out an actual quote. That’s weird. If we can’t take players quotes into account then none of this matters. The anti Harris stuff is hearsay. Maybe it’s credible hearsay but it’s difficult to believe that it’s as bad as some say if he is still being employed. Harris has done some good things and built some solid relationships with recruits. That’s easily verifiable. I can attest to that personally because I know kids who he is currently trying to recruit. Moreover, it is not humanly possible for one person to be liked by everyone, even Carrington rubbed some dudes like Jeffery McCullough the wrong way. You could be right about Harris, if so I hope that he corrects his mistakes but you cant deny the positive that he’s done with many members of this class based on what has been reported.

We can talk recruiting all day long on this board without concerning ourselves one bit with the coachspeak that a guy like Arch Manning has been taught from childhood when it comes to the press.

I realize part of the fun for some of you guys is to read the interviews with players and then react, but if the interview shows zero discernible signs that a player has a single "con" for any of the schools he's discussing, he's bullshitting the reporter. That's 95% of the quotes from any recruiting article unless a player is off the record. When one does say something negative, we all see it and discuss it because it's at least not bullshit. Do you understand the difference?

As to Harris, there's simply a difference in how people on this board view program and team building from one another. Some of us want to see excellence within the organization and know what the traits for that look like, and the rest of the board is okay with new mediocrity because it isn't the same as the old mediocrity. As for guys like me, we're never going to be okay with "hey, some recruits seem to like this guy. that's more guys than a dead body, so it could be worse. i'll take him." So it's okay that we agree to disagree. 

[RaysBoomBoomRoom 5,742]

Just now, texifornia said:

"He's bad at his job. I don't understand why people don't like the fact he still has his job."

[taybo20 2,825]

1 minute ago, Chuckie Finster said:

Wish I was joking, but he deleted this.

So he is reading

[Fud 9,552]

4 minutes ago, Shonen said:

not showing for Bama is Jace McClennan 

He tore his ACL, so Saban probably doesn't want to have to count on him for next year

[BurntOrange&White 39,931]

3 minutes ago, RaysBoomBoomRoom said:

I don’t think anyone believes he’s an elite Director of Recruiting. It’s just hard to believe that his presence in the program is something that should be lamented.

He’s in a very critical position that requires more than what he can bring to the table

[RaysBoomBoomRoom 5,742]

2 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

We can talk recruiting all day long on this board without concerning ourselves one bit with the coachspeak that a guy like Arch Manning has been taught from childhood when it comes to the press.

I realize part of the fun for some of you guys is to read the interviews with players and then react, but if the interview shows zero discernible signs that a player has a single "con" for any of the schools he's discussing, he's bullshitting the reporter. That's 95% of the quotes from any recruiting article unless a player is off the record. When one does say something negative, we all see it and discuss it because it's at least not bullshit. Do you understand the difference?

As to Harris, there's simply a difference in how people on this board view program and team building from one another. Some of us want to see excellence within the organization and know what the traits for that look like, and the rest of the board is okay with new mediocrity because it isn't the same as the old mediocrity. As for guys like me, we're never going to be okay with "hey, some recruits seem to like this guy. that's more guys than a dead body, so it could be worse. i'll take him." So it's okay that we agree to disagree. 

Thanks for this response. I understand your perspective better now and I think I tend to agree. I have seen so many disaster hires within this program over the years so I guess that it has made average seem attractive to some degree. Wow that’s crazy. You are right.

[NoName 16,351]

8 minutes ago, RaysBoomBoomRoom said:

I don’t think anyone believes he’s an elite Director of Recruiting. It’s just hard to believe that his presence in the program is something that should be lamented.

people don't dislike him or think he is shitty as a person, they just seem to think he is less than great at his actual job.

he clearly is less good than Carrington was

i guess the question for you is, are you willing to settle for average (at best) when there are better potential options on the table AND if DOR is a job where you think it's ok to settle at all.

[Fondren & Main 6,715]

24 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

Miller wasn't worried about UT's depth chart. Miller resented UT at the same time he wanted to attend UT. There's a guy around Miller that is all UT, all the time. That guy has done some shit that Miller despises associated to creating problems within his family. On top of that, he wasn't impressed with Harris, who was also one of his main points of contact, especially since Drayton had a habit of outsourcing recruiting responsibilities to admin help. Alabama liked Miller as a player, caught UT sleeping on the recruitment, and we next thing we know, Saban slapped a purple mushroom tattoo on Seven Loss Steve's forehead to remind him of who his daddy is. 

Were Miller worried about depth charts, Alabama seems like a poor choice. Every player on Bama's roster at TB was either ranked above or around Miller when they signed or transferred.

In the interest of not pissing off friends, I'll keep my mouth shut on the details of the Anderson recruitment, but I will offer that it was a monumental fuckup across the whole way, and Harris was just a contributing factor. Part of the blame on that recruitment falls squarely on Bryce Anderson's head. He's also not very mature. He committed to Texas and made assurances and then waffled and went elsewhere. I won't be completely shocked if he's a guy transferring, potentially to Texas, after a short stay in College Station. Maybe not, but more likely than other guys to be out fast. 

As to Harris himself, I'll go back to what I've posted on here about him before. He's been elevated to a role in which his responsibilities involve developing depth of relationship with recruits. He was previously just a superfluous viber who'd play video games with guys and help them feel entertained. For the past year, he's also needed to be a guy that gets real with recruits, probes for concerns from their end, for data regarding who else is recruiting them and how, what's being promised, etc. He's also responsible for helping them see themselves at Texas and fitting into the program. The guy sucks at all of that. Carrington was great at it, but also burned bridges leaving and is relegated to TCU and we'll see how he ascends/descends from there.

Appreciate the response, truly.  A lot of posters like to parrot your initial posts, but they don't have details.  I can read your posts too which is why I quote you and you alone.  I don't need their two cents on the subject because ultimately they have nothing of value to offer.  This is a very valuable and detailed response.

Hope Sark gets this ship righted, but if he doesn't at least NIL should help the next coach with regards to recruiting moving forward.

[golfclap 6,903]

23 minutes ago, RaysBoomBoomRoom said:

I don’t think anyone believes he’s an elite Director of Recruiting. It’s just hard to believe that his presence in the program is something that should be lamented.

This is an absolute microcosm of the entire staff (on and off the field) and hence the program right now. 
 

[closetojumping 62,688]

4 minutes ago, RaysBoomBoomRoom said:

Thanks for this response. I understand your perspective better now and I think I tend to agree. I have seen so many disaster hires within this program over the years so I guess that it has made average seem attractive to some degree. Wow that’s crazy. You are right.

 

4 minutes ago, NoName said:

people don't dislike him or think he is shitty as a person, they just seem to think he is less than great at his actual job.

he clearly is less good than Carrington was

i guess the question for you is, are you willing to settle for average (at best) when there are better potential options on the table AND if DOR is a job where you think it's ok to settle at all.

The logic flaw previously exhibited in Rays' posts (ahead of the one here that I've quoted to move the discussion along) was the same that we witnessed during the Greg Davis era. Plenty of intelligent (and otherwise) posters fell prey to it over the years. "Well, Greg Davis isn't the best OC maybe, but there are a lot of OCs that are worse than him, too."

I get the premise, it's just flawed. Here's how you know the premise is flawed, and ultimately destructive: look at what Bob Stoops did with the OC role at our biggest rival during the same timeframe as Davis' tenure at Texas. Stoops hired, in order, Mike Leach, Mark Mangino, Kevin Wilson + Chuck Long, Jay Norvell + Josh Heupel (in 2011, so after Davis was gone, but reflecting the same approach), and then Lincoln Riley. 

Mack Brown settled for a guy that he was comfortable with who he could defend with enough talent infused into the program. It went pretty well for both men at Texas for a while, but the foundation was not built on bedrock and Texas has paid the price for that kind of behavior from 2010 forward.

Bob Stoops produced 7 consecutive OCs who would go on to become head coaches. Only one of those OCs, Chuck Long, was a failure as a HC. Mike Leach went on to win at levels that those programs had never seen before. Mangino took Kansas to a damned Orange Bowl and won the motherfucker. Kevin Wilson made Indiana competitive. Stoops fucking fired Norvell and Heupel in order to raise the heights of the program by grabbing Riley and then Norvell and Heupel both went on to become winning HCs down the line.

It is not coincidental, to me at least, that many of these men have deep character flaws that ultimately led to significant schisms with their schools and teams. But that's a feature, not a bug, with what Stoops was looking for and so be it.

One approach is "good enough." The other approach has several names, but it is never called "great enough" because the word "great" doesn't need a modifier. I call it "Up or Out" and I'm sure that's because I read it or picked it up early in my career and it stuck with me, so I'm not claiming originality on it, just that it's the term I attach to the behavior. Accenture (when guys like PhxHorn were founding partners and building it after the breakoff from Andersen), GE (under Welch), Netflix, Amazon, Apple (under Jobs), McKinsey, etc., all follow some version of it. Stoops used it, Saban still does. Start-ups almost require the mentality due to the fact that weak links with small teams cannot hide and erode morale (and the P&L). We can shoot holes in the problems of those orgs, and there are plenty, but you cannot argue their success when Up or Out is the organizational development tactic being deployed. 

[Tex-19 2,872]

Is it confirmed that Harris is staying in the exact same role? IIRC he was DOR but also a QB analyst last year and had explored more coaching-type roles with the Rams etc.

[Mitch Cumsteen 18,549]

Say what you will about Burnt Ends and Horns with Heart, but if we flew an airplane banner to rid ourselves of some lackey in the recruiting department it would take this site's reputation to 11. 

[Tex48 840]

15 minutes ago, Mitch Cumsteen said:

Say what you will about Burnt Ends and Horns with Heart, but if we flew an airplane banner to rid ourselves of some lackey in the recruiting department it would take this site's reputation to 11. 

Maybe this is what we should use the BAMF money on.

[RGBIII 22,840]

1 hour ago, closetojumping said:

I'd mentioned that people had thrown his name out there when it first surfaced and IT published his name. I thought about it the next time it popped up somewhere and convinced myself it was lazy idiocy from $9.95ers for the complete lack of logic attached to it.

I believe I was the first to refer to a big name TE, people put two and two together on the name. FWIW the person I first heard it from does have a habit for lack of logic...

[Dbeasy 15,048]

I have a serious issue with Harris staying if he is in fact a guy with talent that needs development. There is now an organizational issue that really can’t be fixed.

You leave him in the role, he won’t perform and Texas suffers. You demote him or reassign him, you derail his career and he poisons the organization at Texas. You put a boss over him, you create organizational confusion and you demotivate him, poisoning Texas.

Whereas, If you have him go somewhere else to get some good experience, he could actually come back someday potentially as a better manager.  And in the mean time, Texas can bring in a stronger person. 

The only hope here is that they have a person ready to come in at a senior level that will really mentor him, have the roles nailed down so tightly that there’s zero confusion, and Harris has the right attitude, as does the new hire. I put the odds at about 10% 
 

 

 

Edited December 27, 2021 by Dbeasy

[ClubWhatever 12,138]

12 minutes ago, RGBIII said:

FWIW the person I first heard it from does have a habit for lack of logic...

They should see Doctor of Neighborhood.  

[Tex-19 2,872]

18 minutes ago, Dbeasy said:

I have a serious issue with Harris staying if he is in fact a guy with talent that needs development. There is now an organizational issue that really can’t be fixed.

You leave him in the role, he won’t perform and Texas suffers. You demote him or reassign him, you derail his career and he poisons the organization at Texas. You put a boss over him, you create organizational confusion and you demotivate him, poisoning Texas.

Whereas, If you have him go somewhere else to get some good experience, he could actually come back someday potentially as a better manager.  And in the mean time, Texas can bring in a stronger person. 

The only hope here is that they have a person ready to come in at a senior level that will really mentor him, have the roles nailed down so tightly that there’s zero confusion, and Harris has the right attitude, as does the new hire. I put the odds at about 10% 
 

 

 

Doubt this is the plan but Choice was GT’s offensive recruiting coordinator and supposedly a stud so could probably do some mentoring. Obv Glasscock and the other coaches can be teaching him too. Harris’ deleted tweet is actually interesting here - maybe some learning/mentorship plan is what sold him on staying.

[BurntOrange&White 39,931]

4 minutes ago, Tex-19 said:

Doubt this is the plan but Choice was GT’s offensive recruiting coordinator and supposedly a stud so could probably do some mentoring. Obv Glasscock and the other coaches can be teaching him too. Harris’ deleted tweet is actually interesting here - maybe some learning/mentorship plan is what sold him on staying.

Texas isn’t the place to teach someone, especially for that role. 

[nunna yo bizness 1,687]

1 hour ago, golfclap said:

This is an absolute microcosm of the entire staff (on and off the field) and hence the program right now. 
 

First, I'm not defendimg Harris, assuming he's done a poor job, but the blanket statement in that gif is bullshit.  I've managed people for years and the one thing I know is you have to understand the individuals and what they respond to.

I've worked with plenty of managers who believed your gif and thought the only way to drive productivity is to overlook a job well done, find some negative to harp on instead, and demand more with no intention of acknowledging when they get it.

Some people do respond to being constantly beaten down, but a lot don't.  As much as you may want to pretend it isn't the case a lot of people will work their ass off and produce even more when they see their efforts are recognized and acknowledged.

Sorry, I'll get off my soapbox now, and again, none of that is in defense of Harris or someone who truly isn't performing.

[Speedway 152]

Are members of the coaching and support staff State of Texas employees?  If so, do they fall under the same HR guidelines (protection) that other state employees fall under?  The reason I ask is that it's damn near impossible to terminate any State of Texas employee, even "for cause."  Once you have passed the probationary period there is very little recourse for termination.  A job with the State of Texas is almost like for life if you want it.  I don't know, but this may contribute to the chronic bloat and rot inside Belmont.

[Keef 764]

24 minutes ago, Speedway said:

Are members of the coaching and support staff State of Texas employees?  If so, do they fall under the same HR guidelines (protection) that other state employees fall under?  The reason I ask is that it's damn near impossible to terminate any State of Texas employee, even "for cause."  Once you have passed the probationary period there is very little recourse for termination.  A job with the State of Texas is almost like for life if you want it.  I don't know, but this may contribute to the chronic bloat and rot inside Belmont.

Sure doesn't impact our ability to fire football coaches.

[ImissWallyPryor 9,046]

23 hours ago, quigley said:

LSU may have been better off hiring a celibate figurehead who would go along and get along.

go along to get along

Still deserves a +rep.

[RollingPresidential 633]

Can’t believe anyone pays $9.95 to those sites when @closetojumping actually says what’s going on. Imagine IT or whoever writing something like what he wrote about Bryce Anderson above. 

I know some people who knew B Harris at LSU. Seems like a ‘nice’ guy but from what CTJ says, seems ill-suited for a ‘director’ role. Don’t think it’s catastrophic that he’s staying on in the role but also not a great data point.

Weird that the defense was god awful and everyone kept their job. 

[HtownHorn 14,678]

6 hours ago, golfclap said:

who is they? Sarkisian and CDC? No one is holding them accountable for fielding the worst Texas team of the modern era.  

 

Uhm, WUT? Montana State was a fucking top 10 team and won the Patriot 3 years running only to be eliminated from the playoffs by NDSU, and SHSU twice. They won their conference 7 times in 10 years with Kramer and Ash before Choate was hired. Choate built fuckall. The dropoff in our LBs from Hutzler to Choate was a fucking cliff and there's no reason that he should still be employed at Texas. 

Patriot?? What the fuck conference do you think Montana State plays in? It sure the fuck isn't the Patriot with Lehigh, Fordham, Colgate, Bucknell, Holy Cross, Lafayette, and Georgetown.

[Had Enough 2,081]

Sarks comments after the K state game were interesting he said “I’ve never majored in wildcat but we have the personnel to make that a big part of our offense moving forward” I bet Marion’s Go-Go could be used in the wildcat stuff. Sark could give him that portion of the O, if he wanted to

If he believes this, that has significant potential for next year.

There was some discussion about us not being able to sustain long drives this past year on this here board. Sark said that himself too.

Pretty sure we had 4 drives of 9 plays or more versus KState. Did we suddenly figure that out in game 12? I think No. Was RoJo not healthy enough for that critical mid-season stretch? Not sure. I believe it was a lack of commitment to it as a change of pace that was forced due to injuries in the final game. The wildcat with Robinson and Robinson. That’s a lot for a defense to account for. Add Whittington and Worthy, and you’ve got some great personnel for that package. It ain’t no Deuce Vaughn on 4th and 1 good, but it could work.

That was one potential solution to the times when we had stretches of 3 and outs. The jet sweep/pop pass was another drive starter we failed to use during these stretches. That was what kick started the offense vs WVU.

[Michael Knight 12,977]

4 minutes ago, Had Enough said:

If he believes this, that has significant potential for next year.

There was some discussion about us not being able to sustain long drives this past year on this here board. Sark said that himself too.

Pretty sure we had 4 drives of 9 plays or more versus KState. Did we suddenly figure that out in game 12? I think No. Was RoJo not healthy enough for that critical mid-season stretch? Not sure. I believe it was a lack of commitment to it as a change of pace that was forced due to injuries in the final game. The wildcat with Robinson and Robinson. That’s a lot for a defense to account for. Add Whittington and Worthy, and you’ve got some great personnel for that package. It ain’t no Deuce Vaughn on 4th and 1 good, but it could work.

That was one potential solution to the times when we had stretches of 3 and outs. The jet sweep/pop pass was another drive starter we failed to use during these stretches. That was what kick started the offense vs WVU.

Our online started playing better

[dcar00 14,182]

6 hours ago, golfclap said:

Only if there’s a Surly widget on Xbox that you can overlay while playing. 

[dcar00 14,182]

1 hour ago, Had Enough said:

If he believes this, that has significant potential for next year.

There was some discussion about us not being able to sustain long drives this past year on this here board. Sark said that himself too.

Pretty sure we had 4 drives of 9 plays or more versus KState. Did we suddenly figure that out in game 12? I think No. Was RoJo not healthy enough for that critical mid-season stretch? Not sure. I believe it was a lack of commitment to it as a change of pace that was forced due to injuries in the final game. The wildcat with Robinson and Robinson. That’s a lot for a defense to account for. Add Whittington and Worthy, and you’ve got some great personnel for that package. It ain’t no Deuce Vaughn on 4th and 1 good, but it could work.

That was one potential solution to the times when we had stretches of 3 and outs. The jet sweep/pop pass was another drive starter we failed to use during these stretches. That was what kick started the offense vs WVU.

this is what has me concerned about Sark.  He's a we're gonna run our shit guy.  He was literally forced into wildcat at the end of a gun.  for god's sake change some shit up and maybe we get a couple more wins.  how can you be a OC/Head Coach at this level at this time and not know wildcat inside and out?  its not the triple option or wishbone.  it's also why the second half collapses didn't shock me.  good DC's will stop your shit if you don't adjust.  yeah, I know, but what about Bama?  it will be years before we are in Bama's personnel position.  he could run his shit and eventually it would work. 

not firing PK or at least someone on defense is the icing on the cake.  epically awful.

the fortunate recruiting close with the great NIL stuff and Cristobal bolting for Miami may save him but I'm not really seeing a guy who is really ready to cut shitty coaches(Coleman was a Herman holdover). Hell he couldn't even fire Harris(going by what CTJ is saying it appears to be very warranted).

[HenryJames 66,048]

I’d rather not take Ewers off the field.

[Rickylovesweed 14,293]

21 minutes ago, dcar00 said:

this is what has me concerned about Sark.  He's a we're gonna run our shit guy.  He was literally forced into wildcat at the end of a gun.  for god's sake change some shit up and maybe we get a couple more wins.  how can you be a OC/Head Coach at this level at this time and not know wildcat inside and out?  its not the triple option or wishbone.  it's also why the second half collapses didn't shock me.  good DC's will stop your shit if you don't adjust.  yeah, I know, but what about Bama?  it will be years before we are in Bama's personnel position.  he could run his shit and eventually it would work. 

not firing PK or at least someone on defense is the icing on the cake.  epically awful.

the fortunate recruiting close with the great NIL stuff and Cristobal bolting for Miami may save him but I'm not really seeing a guy who is really ready to cut shitty coaches(Coleman was a Herman holdover). Hell he couldn't even fire Harris(going by what CTJ is saying it appears to be very warranted).

I agree with a lot of this but the "fortunate recruiting close" argument is overplayed. NIL is going to help Texas a lot and this staff is much better at recruiting than some posters like to admit. 

I don't see this recruiting class being an outlier or some type of miracle finish because Cristobal bolted. I bet Sark lands similar level classes on a yearly basis if he finds a way to win a few games. 

[Had Enough 2,081]

this is what has me concerned about Sark.  He's a we're gonna run our shit guy.  He was literally forced into wildcat at the end of a gun.  for god's sake change some shit up and maybe we get a couple more wins.  how can you be a OC/Head Coach at this level at this time and not know wildcat inside and out?  its not the triple option or wishbone.  it's also why the second half collapses didn't shock me.  good DC's will stop your shit if you don't adjust.  yeah, I know, but what about Bama?  it will be years before we are in Bama's personnel position.  he could run his shit and eventually it would work. 
not firing PK or at least someone on defense is the icing on the cake.  epically awful.
the fortunate recruiting close with the great NIL stuff and Cristobal bolting for Miami may save him but I'm not really seeing a guy who is really ready to cut shitty coaches(Coleman was a Herman holdover). Hell he couldn't even fire Harris(going by what CTJ is saying it appears to be very warranted).

Maybe it makes me a dumbass, but I’m choosing hope at this point. Hope that he can learn and adjust.

RoJo is the perfect wildcat QB. Well assuming he in fact can throw a little, but we haven’t seen that attempted. 4th and 1 versus Pig and 3rd and 1 versus OSU. Bijan blown up both times. We didn’t have enough bodies to block em or they were too far to get there. Those were true we’re gonna run our shit like you mentioned. Both crucial plays in determining the outcome.

Also in my mind was the thought that he’d overcome by stockpiling talent recruiting the Alabama way. NIL may help that. And the Oline haul says maybe he can.

[dcar00 14,182]

1 minute ago, Rickylovesweed said:

I agree with a lot of this but the "fortunate recruiting close" argument is overplayed. NIL is going to help Texas a lot and this staff is much better at recruiting than some posters like to admit. 

I don't see this recruiting class being an outlier or some type of miracle finish because Cristobal bolted. I bet Sark lands similar level classes on a yearly basis if he finds a way to win a few games. 

I agree they have the chops but it was headed for likely outside the top 10.   they got a couple of pretty good assists.

yes it would be nice if the guy could coach us to 9 or 10 wins next year.

[Had Enough 2,081]

I’d rather not take Ewers off the field.

That’s good thinking. I bet he has some WR skills.


It would be nice to tell em what we’re running then run right over em. Something tells me we won’t quite be there until year after next.

[kevwun 15,782]

Goddamn it, we're going to start running the wishbone next year and it's all your fault.

[Hookem2147 21,217]

1 hour ago, dcar00 said:

this is what has me concerned about Sark.  He's a we're gonna run our shit guy.

That's what concerns you? Every coach ever is a 'run my shit' guy. He's going to run what he knows and what has been successful before and what is implemented in the game plan. No coach ever majors in something they aren't familiar with. The wildcat is a change-up. It should never be a fastball. It worked against Kansas State because they were not expecting it and they are a below average football team who were dropping defenders into Cedar Park out of fear that Casey Thompson was somehow going to throw one of his moon balls over their heads. The 4th and 1 at Arkansas and 3rd and 1 against OSU far from automatic wins if we converted. We were trailing both games (and by a wide margin in the Arkansas game).  Roschon Johnson wasn't even healthy the previous 3 weeks leading up to the Kansas State game so the opportunities to run it more weren't there.

It's a nice wrinkle to have and I'm sure it will be in the playbook next year, but it's not something you hang your hat on to get out of offensive funks against competent opponents. It's most successful when it's set up well by picking up yards with your base offense.

[Slacks 6,819]

On 12/26/2021 at 12:56 PM, UDontKnow said:

Right. But would you rather be in Florence, KY or Cincinnati, OH?

Being Suspicious in Cincinnati has a higher death rate, so this one is tougher than it seems on the surface.

[Hookem2147 21,217]

2 hours ago, Had Enough said:

Did we suddenly figure that out in game 12?

We figured out in game 12 that are only path to a 5 point victory against a below average Big 12 team was to literally take the ball out of our QB's hands and start snapping it directly to one of the only players on the roster who has any heart.

Not something I would try to replicate against Bama next year. 

The wildcat is a nice changeup and RoJo is a good player, but if we are running it more than a handful of times per game next year against good teams we are in big trouble. 

[Viper 12,109]

1 hour ago, dcar00 said:

this is what has me concerned about Sark.  He's a we're gonna run our shit guy.  He was literally forced into wildcat at the end of a gun.