2023 Longhorns Football Offseason News and Notes

[MuellerHorn 4624]

A few team notes (mostly jersey numbers) from 247 (J Whitt being a great teammate - even if incentivized - again)

Spoiler

The Huddle: Friday Recruiting & Team notes

 

 

I hit up a few sources to gather team scoop, but the best nuggets were surrounding true freshman Cedric Baxter. Everybody around the program raves about the former No. 1 rated RB in the 2023 cycle and it's clear that the Orlando native is going to push for significant playing time to fill the void left by Bijan Robinson and Roschon Johnson alongside Hallettsville's Jonathon Brooks. I did confirm that Baxter will wear the No. 4 next season after working out a deal with Jordan Whittington who will move to No. 13 and push Jaden Alexis to No. 89.

A few more noteworthy new numbers, but not a full list include:

Anthony Hill No. 0, Johntay Cook No. 2, Malik Muhammad No. 5, Jalen Catalon No. 11, Derion Gullette No. 40, Colton Vasek No. 92

 

Edited February 25, 2023 by MuellerHorn

[MuellerHorn 4624]

20 minutes ago, Hookem2147 said:

A few team notes from IT (including a note on Gary Patterson)

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Spring ball is rapidly approaching and it seems there’s a fair amount of excitement within the program. A lot of that excitement centers around wanting to see the freshman put the pads on. Coaches and fellow players alike are looking forward to see what the new guys can do. If there wasn’t a decent amount of talent already in the program we would be talking more about how many freshman impact players there are in the program. As it sits, though, there aren’t a lot of clear paths to playing time despite their talent. That’s a good problem to have and a sure sign of program health.

One of the most talented players in the 2023 class is Derion Gullette, but of course he’s on the mend after tearing his ACL last summer. He was wise to enroll early and have his rehabilitation overseen by those with his best interest in mind. Gullette has been cleared to fully lift with the team. That said, they still don’t want to rush him back to the field even though he’s probably able to go full steam ahead. They’re taking a similar tact with Isaiah Neyor who was injured last August. About two months separate their injuries. Gullette, along with Anthony Hill and Liona Lefau, have the coaches excited about the future of linebacker.

Another freshman who tore his ACL is tight end Will Randle. Randle is not yet on campus but his rehab is going well. He thinks he’ll be cleared by August despite tearing his ACL during the season. He’s lifting now but not going heavy. He’s regained full range of motion and actually has Newman’s juggs machine in his backyard. Randle is excited as ever to get to Austin and rejoin his good friend Arch Manning. When checking on Randle we learned Arch is having a good time. That Texas suits him and Austin is home. People back at Newman are happy for him.

Speaking of Arch, the quarterback position at Texas is looking quite strong. There is a lot of confidence in Quinn Ewers taking a big step next season. That confidence is shared by Steve Sarkisian. The signs Ewers was showing in early December have only grown. Of course Sark is looking forward to seeing what Arch can do, but he is as excited to work with Maalik Murphy as he is anyone else. Privately Sark sings Murphy’s praises and rants and raves about his talent level. From a pure talent regard, Murphy takes a back seat to nobody in the QB room. That’s just something to file away.

Transitioning to the defensive side of the ball, we do not expect Gary Patterson to remain in his formal role. He’s likely already left that position. We do believe he’s open to consulting with Texas, but he’d also like to consult with other programs. Sources have been appreciative of Patterson’s influence on the program but have also been careful not to give him too much credit. The feeling is they’d be fine either way but it was a good experience having him around.

 

Another freshman who tore his ACL is tight end Will Randle. Randle is not yet on campus but his rehab is going well. He thinks he’ll be cleared by August despite tearing his ACL during the season. He’s lifting now but not going heavy. He’s regained full range of motion and actually has Newman’s juggs machine in his backyard. Randle is excited as ever to get to Austin and rejoin his good friend Arch Manning. When checking on Randle we learned Arch is having a good time. That Texas suits him and Austin is home. People back at Newman are happy for him.

- That's an interesting tidbit. I'm surprised by that, but that's great.

Transitioning to the defensive side of the ball, we do not expect Gary Patterson to remain in his formal role. He’s likely already left that position. We do believe he’s open to consulting with Texas, but he’d also like to consult with other programs. Sources have been appreciative of Patterson’s influence on the program but have also been careful not to give him too much credit. The feeling is they’d be fine either way but it was a good experience having him around.

- Fuck. That's not ideal, but I didn't imagine he'd be around much longer. I'm sure he wants to coach again. He's only 63.

[Bevo 13899]

I was thinking about it: We are going to be good next year, aren't we? DB, LB, DL are strong. 1 DE spot is a question mark. On offense, WR will be much improved. Line play will be better. TE will be better. Really, we just need QE to improve and for Baxter to be ready for a big workload.

[Codaxx 6255]

19 hours ago, Reynolds Woodcock said:

I’ll take your word for it, as I don’t pretend to be able to scout high school players. I just rely on the statistically predictive nature of composite rankings, and in that department we are woefully behind if we expect to have anything more than a pedestrian defensive interior after 2023.

I don’t think your take on the DL is wrong, just your take on Sydir. Texas took 1 IDL last year. That is certainly not optimal. They are going to need some younger players to step and/or have a nice DT class this year 

[Elmer_Fudd 22994]

3 hours ago, Bevo said:

I was thinking about it: We are going to be good next year, aren't we? DB, LB, DL are strong. 1 DE spot is a question mark. 

I think Tapp and Burke are going to flash this year.

1 hour ago, Codaxx said:

I don’t think your take on the DL is wrong, just your take on Sydir. Texas took 1 IDL last year. That is certainly not optimal. They are going to need some younger players to step and/or have a nice DT class this year 

The year before we took Bledsoe/Swanson/Ross/Bryant.  Really haven't heard to much about any of those four.  If Ross is really at about 250 lbs like IT says that's not good.  

I posted on the recruiting board, but only getting 1 IDL in the last class was the main blemish.  I'm betting we take three, maybe four, this class, but that doesn't really help for the 24' season.

[billfromlaketravis 11823]

16 minutes ago, Elmer_Fudd said:

I think Tapp and Burke are going to flash this year.

The year before we took Bledsoe/Swanson/Ross/Bryant.  Really haven't heard to much about any of those four.  If Ross is really at about 250 lbs like IT says that's not good.  

I posted on the recruiting board, but only getting 1 IDL in the last class was the main blemish.  I'm betting we take three, maybe four, this class, but that doesn't really help for the 24' season.

Ross needs to get processed if he's really 250 pounds. Best of luck to the kid, but he's not going to do shit in any Power 5 league at that weight. 

[TheMailBox357 213]

2 hours ago, billfromlaketravis said:

Ross needs to get processed if he's really 250 pounds. Best of luck to the kid, but he's not going to do shit in any Power 5 league at that weight. 

WTF?! Ross is currently still only a Freshman going through his 1st Winter S&C that everyone was high on in the '22 class. Way too soon to be even considering processing him.

Edited February 26, 2023 by TheMailBox357

[Vertigo 20498]

49 minutes ago, TheMailBox357 said:

WTF?! Ross is currently still only a Freshman going through his 1st Winter S&C that everyone was high on in the '22 class. Way too soon to be even considering processing him.

Zac Swansen is supposedly 280+ now. I expect him to factor in at some point.

[Pig Bellmont 8887]

22 hours ago, Bevo said:

I was thinking about it: We are going to be good next year, aren't we? DB, LB, DL are strong. 1 DE spot is a question mark. On offense, WR will be much improved. Line play will be better. TE will be better. Really, we just need QE to improve and for Baxter to be ready for a big workload.

I think OL will be improved but RB is likely a huge drop off. on defense we’re weak on the line and have no one to reliably pressure the QB. LB play is also probably pretty spotty

[Bevo 13899]

2 minutes ago, Pig Bellmont said:

I think OL will be improved but RB is likely a huge drop off. on defense we’re weak on the line and have no one to reliably pressure the QB. LB play is also probably pretty spotty

If we can fix 1 of the 2 OG spots, RB will be fine. If we fix both guard spots, our running game will improve. WR will be much much better. All we need is good QB play. Our only weakness on D will be one of the two Edge spots - and that's if no one steps up out of Burke, Tapp, Finkley, etc.

[Eskimohorn 5682]

If we can fix 1 of the 2 OG spots, RB will be fine. If we fix both guard spots, our running game will improve. WR will be much much better. All we need is good QB play. Our only weakness on D will be one of the two Edge spots - and that's if no one steps up out of Burke, Tapp, Finkley, etc.

Our running game was not as consistent as it should have been, hampered by no legit deep threat in passing game and lack of man strength on the line. Later in year you could see us bullying Baylor and Kansas. Bijan was great but also had to be superhuman in half the games, when he should have had more romper room big gains.

[Bevo 13899]

21 minutes ago, Eskimohorn said:

Our running game was not as consistent as it should have been, hampered by no legit deep threat in passing game and lack of man strength on the line. Later in year you could see us bullying Baylor and Kansas. Bijan was great but also had to be superhuman in half the games, when he should have had more romper room big gains.

Yeah, that's basically what I'm saying. Improved OL play and an improved passing game (if Ewers makes a leap), will lead to a much improved running game. So yeah, losing Bijan will hurt but I would not be surprised to see an increase in production.

[TexEx15 17953]

Encouraging.

[MuellerHorn 4624]

49 minutes ago, TexEx15 said:

Encouraging.

A lot of that will depend on a certain WR catching balls... Granted, Quinn was pretty damn inconsistent in his deep passes over the course of the season.

If the WR depth stays healthy, both X and Quinn should benefit a lot.

Edited February 28, 2023 by MuellerHorn

[Bevo 13899]

31 minutes ago, MuellerHorn said:

A lot of that will depend on a certain WR catching balls... Granted, Quinn was pretty damn inconsistent in his deep passes over the course of the season.

If the WR depth stays healthy, both X and Quinn should benefit a lot.

I bet most of those long balls are going to go to Adonis and Neyor.

[MuellerHorn 4624]

4 minutes ago, Bevo said:

I bet most of those long balls are going to go to Adonis and Neyor.

Right, and that frees up Worthy over the middle on intermediate routes and screens where he is most dangerous. Although, with his speed, he's still super dangerous in 1:1 deep situations if Whitt, Neyor, and A.D. stay healthy and keep doubles away from him. I'm excited to see what happens.

[Vertigo 20498]

11 minutes ago, Bevo said:

I bet most of those long balls are going to go to Adonis and Neyor.

If Worthy would have just caught the easy ones last year, nobody would be talking about Quinn's struggles on the long ball. Most guys don't have more than a 30-40% completion rate on throws over 20+ yards. I can think of a bunch of throws off the top of my head that Mitchell or Neyor likely come down with simply by adjusting to the ball in the air. Hitting Worthy 15 yards and in while he is on the run can be a nasty scenario for teams when they are having to keep safeties over the top for Mitchell and/or Neyor. 

[Bevo 13899]

37 minutes ago, Vertigo said:

If Worthy would have just caught the easy ones last year, nobody would be talking about Quinn's struggles on the long ball. Most guys don't have more than a 30-40% completion rate on throws over 20+ yards. I can think of a bunch of throws off the top of my head that Mitchell or Neyor likely come down with simply by adjusting to the ball in the air. Hitting Worthy 15 yards and in while he is on the run can be a nasty scenario for teams when they are having to keep safeties over the top for Mitchell and/or Neyor. 

It will also help Baxter, Brooks, etc.

[Codaxx 6255]

On 2/26/2023 at 12:22 PM, Bevo said:

If we can fix 1 of the 2 OG spots, RB will be fine. If we fix both guard spots, our running game will improve. WR will be much much better. All we need is good QB play. Our only weakness on D will be one of the two Edge spots - and that's if no one steps up out of Burke, Tapp, Finkley, etc.

One of the big issues was pass protection and more to the point interior pressure. I am not really worried about run blocking. I think the OL will be very solid in that department. Have to clean up the 2-3 free interior pass rushers a game 

[Codaxx 6255]

2 hours ago, Bevo said:

I bet most of those long balls are going to go to Adonis and Neyor.

I think Adonai and Neyor (hopefully fully recovered) allow Sark to maximize the WRs. Focus on getting X the ball on the move  in space with the occasional deep shot. Move JWhit inside, where he is much better. He struggled vs press coverage. Use Adonai/ Neyor as main vertical threats and hopefully make what has been 30/70 balls into 60/40 balls. 

[Had Enough 2122]

Heard on NFL network that Zay Flowers had a pretty high drop rate. Per PFF, he and Worthy are reasonably similar. Over the past two seasons, Flowers drop rate is higher with 2022 being about the same. Looks like catch% is about the same in 2022. Flowers a bit better at contested catches over the two year period.

[Ignatius 4142]

46 minutes ago, Had Enough said:

Heard on NFL network that Zay Flowers had a pretty high drop rate. Per PFF, he and Worthy are reasonably similar. Over the past two seasons, Flowers drop rate is higher with 2022 being about the same. Looks like catch% is about the same in 2022. Flowers a bit better at contested catches over the two year period.

Zay Flowers was also a very willing run blocker and was considered a leader of the team. If X had JWhitt’s demeanor those drops would be a lot easier to live with….

Edited February 28, 2023 by Ignatius

[Had Enough 2122]

Zay Flowers was also a very willing run blocker and was considered a leader of the team. If X had JWhitt’s demeanor those drops would be a lot easier to live with….

Perhaps but 10% is too high no matter how willing one is to block. Pure speculation but I’d guess Worthy has a pretty outstanding year.

[ousux 5639]

Perhaps but 10% is too high no matter how willing one is to block. Pure speculation but I’d guess Worthy has a pretty outstanding year.

Idk how true it was, but wasn't there talk of X having a broken bone in one of his hands?

[texifornia 59017]

Hayden Conner: the face of Black History Month

 

[Had Enough 2122]

Idk how true it was, but wasn't there talk of X having a broken bone in one of his hands?

Yeah, I saw reference to that but not sure of the truth of it either.

He’s a significant weapon. Much will be forgiven if he has a great season. This season Sark still called his number. Ewers still threw his way. We forced it to him too often. He’s open a ton though so it’s understandable to a point. Worthy being a 1st rounder could be huge for the program.

The Oline may be the unsung hero of next years pass game. It should help Ewers patience and comfort in the pocket, which should improve our timing.

[someguy 1561]

2 hours ago, ousux said:

3 hours ago, Had Enough said:

Perhaps but 10% is too high no matter how willing one is to block. Pure speculation but I’d guess Worthy has a pretty outstanding year.

Idk how true it was, but wasn't there talk of X having a broken bone in one of his hands?

this is true - happened late October.

[Had Enough 2122]

this is true - happened late October.

So why was he still getting target after target?

Might could possibly explain why there was no diving attempts at certain balls.

[Tex Long 4665]

11 hrs, time to bump. Preceding message thread was 36 minutes earlier? How does surly go 11 hours between football messages/

 

 

pre

Edited March 1, 2023 by Tex Long

[NoName 17151]

13 hours ago, Had Enough said:

So why was he still getting target after target?

Might could possibly explain why there was no diving attempts at certain balls.

because this was the rest of the WR Room:

• Whittington
• Tarique Milton
• Casey Cain
• Agiye Hall
• Savion Red
• Jaden Alexis
• Brennan Thompson
• Bigfoot Troy Omeire

guys were injured or sick or coming off a major injury (Omeire, Alexis, Thompson), at their first year playing solely 1 position (Red, who has since moved to RB), a head case (Hall, who is out here following NC State coaches and ECU Coaches and the scouting director at TTU) - leaving Whittington - who should have gotten more targets for sure, Tarique Milton (2 catches) and Casey Cain (8 catches)

the team's pass distribution last year absolutely shows how little faith Sark and co had in the WR Room

so of those 9 dudes, 4 return next year to the WR room: X, Whittington, Cain, Thompson

 

[Red Five 41739]

Was Brenan Thompson skipping spring to run track covered here? Don't remember seeing it. Seems like a good way to be watching Johntay Cook and DeAndre Moore take your reps. 

[Vertigo 20498]

49 minutes ago, Red Five said:

Was Brenan Thompson skipping spring to run track covered here? Don't remember seeing it. Seems like a good way to be watching Johntay Cook and DeAndre Moore take your reps. 

It has been mentioned, but it was known during the recruiting process that it would be like this. His development arc will be longer. I see him as the backup slot with some packages put in for him next season to get him deep next year. I think his Jr. and Sr. years is when he will have the majority of his production. 

[LTtxfan 50006]

6 hours ago, Tex Long said:

11 hrs, time to bump. Preceding message thread was 36 minutes earlier? How does surly go 11 hours between football messages/

 

Cross-posting...

On Texas Football:  What Positions Are Open Heading Into Spring? | State of the Program

[LTtxfan 50006]

 

[LTtxfan 50006]

Article about jersey numbers...  🤘

https://longhornswire.usatoday.com/lists/texas-football-longhorns-jersey-numbers-spring-practice-jalen-catalon-ad-mitchell-gavin-holmes/

[LTtxfan 50006]

Kyle Shanahan...  Nice!!! 🤘

[LTtxfan 50006]

 

[LTtxfan 50006]

 

[Slacks 7065]

On 1/31/2023 at 5:03 PM, closetojumping said:

 

Texas has an excellent shot to beat Bama in Tuscaloosa. Outside of that one, they should be favored in every game. 

Look, I get it, Texas has had a miserable 13 years. You're a conservative fan and you want to hedge against being optimistic given recent past. I see a group of you doing so. I don't blame any of you, given Seven Loss Steve's track record. 

That said, this isn't about giving someone the benefit of the doubt, making predictions, or not giving someone the benefit of the doubt. This is about being realistic and calling things for what they are.

Texas added 4 players from the portal that materially upgrade the roster at 4 key positions of need. Texas lost no one of planned 2023 consequence. Texas retained all key personnel from hitting the portal and then convinced three (Sweat, Whittington, Jones) high quality starters to come back rather than pursue the NFL, as well as one key role player (KRob). Texas will have an OL and a backup OL with a full new cycle and offseason of experience playing together. The talented QB will have another year in the system and a year of added maturity. Neyor will be back. The roster has raised the floor considerably via recruiting and portal. 

The schedule is favorable to say the least. Rice, Wyoming, Kansas, UH, TCU and OU should all be wins on talent and experience alone. Baylor is a weakening program under a soft coach. That leaves BYU at home, an improving Tech program at home, and a KSU team taking a step back on talent, at home, and an Iowa State team regressing to its historical mean late in November in Ames.

There is zero reason to not expect 10-2 or better. Texas can absolutely run the table this season and make the playoffs. There are no less than 20 coaches in CFB right now who could take this Texas team and get that done with this roster and schedule. So you're either assuming that Steve Sarklostagain is either so toxic as a gameday coach that he simply cannot get it done to that level; willfully ignorant; or you squat to pee. 

Does any of that mean people should get their hopes up? If that's how they fan, yeah. If not, they can objectively acknowledge where the expectations should be, in Year 3, and then state that they expect to be disappointed.  

Executive Summary:

We are going to win.

 

 

[Laga4 1270]

On 2/28/2023 at 9:37 PM, Had Enough said:

The Oline may be the unsung hero of next years pass game. It should help Ewers patience and comfort in the pocket, which should improve our timing.

I sure hope this is true.  

[ousux 5639]

10 times getting our balls gargled seems a little high. Count me in with the skeptical group that expects a single game improvement over '22, but hoping CTJ is right.

[KennyPowders 331]

38 minutes ago, ousux said:

10 times getting our balls gargled seems a little high. Count me in with the skeptical group that expects a single game improvement over '22, but hoping CTJ is right.

pussy

[6th Street 6692]

If Anthony Hill and Ced Baxter can step up we might have a shot at 8-9 wins.

[LTtxfan 50006]

Gonna be alotta fun on April 15th 🤘

[Slacks 7065]

On 2/8/2023 at 3:06 PM, Red Five said:

The team just looks different this spring. Everyone gained 20-30 lbs of muscle.

Freshmen look like they belong. One of our defenders tried to tackle Cedric Baxter and he ended up on row 12 of the east side upper deck. Everyone was pretty impressed. 

[LTtxfan 50006]

Such great guys for TEXAS... 🤘

 

[Slacks 7065]

On 2/20/2023 at 11:37 PM, Fletch said:

Ummmm Charles was on the 05 team....

[Post Oak 20568]

1 hour ago, LTtxfan said:

Such great guys for TEXAS... 🤘

 

Two of my all-time favorites 

[Elmer_Fudd 22994]

Someone posted on 247 that Gerry Hamilton said Campbell will no longer miss any Spring ball and is a 100% go.

[LTtxfan 50006]