2023 Spring Practice to Fall Camp Thread - Just hook it to my veins!

[Vito Andolini 9127]

And they allowed for a 20 minute viewing window, some of that stretching. Cook seems like a solid kid, works harder as a beat reporter than anyone the Statesman has put out there in ages, and I don’t recall any incidents where he’s hurt the program with reckless takes, so I’ll cut him some slack. Sure, there’s a lot of creative writing being done to make a story out of a few drills, but it is what it is. 

Regarding the Sarkisian quote above about why he didn’t reveal Worthy’s injury last season, I didn’t hear it when I watched the newser later on YouTube, but I did see an obvious edit… I suspect they cut that part of his response from the official YT channel.

[Laga4 1270]

25 minutes ago, Codaxx said:

in his defense it is practice #3 and the 1st with pads, there is nothing real to report now. 

That's never stopped them from making shit up in the past.  

 

Edited March 10, 2023 by Laga4

[sith_horn 2407]

On 3/8/2023 at 4:21 PM, Vertigo said:

I once saw Byron Murphy throw a cow into the sun.

 

[Hermanator 7139]

14 hours ago, Nivek said:

I seriously cannot be the only person who saw this.  

 

 

[Hermanator 7139]

Why would they schedule 3 practices and only 1 with pads then be off for Spring Break? I'm guessing there's an unwritten understanding that you "can" leave for spring break but are "encouraged" to stay and work out. 

That's the only way it makes any sense

[LTtxfan 49332]

NCAA does not allow full pads in spring till the 3rd practice...

[sith_horn 2407]

1 hour ago, Red Five said:

Practice notes from Joe Cook, with virtually no new information. 

Here’s another run through the offensive skill depth chart at a handful of positions from various drills.

QB: Quinn Ewers, Arch Manning, Charles Wright, Cole Lourd, Joe Tatum

RB: Jaydon Blue, CJ Baxter, Ky Woods, Savion Red, Colin Page, Anton Simieou

TE: Ja’Tavion Sanders, Gunnar Helm, Patrick Bayouth, Juan Davis, Gus Asel

ZWR: Xavier Worthy, Johntay Cook, Jaden Alexis

XWR: Casey Cain, AD Mitchell, Thatcher Milton

HWR: Jordan Whittington, DeAndre Moore Jr., Hamilton McMartin, Remy Patson

No mention of Brenen Thompson.

[LTtxfan 49332]

1 minute ago, sith_horn said:

No mention of Brenen Thompson.

He's running track... 

[Pato del Muerto 52571]

1 hour ago, Laga4 said:

That's never stopped them from making shit up in the past.  

 

Rbs look great on the hoof.

in qb/wr only drills, ball never hit the ground. 
 

team as a whole looks bigger and more put together, already physically built for the sec. 
 

pads were popping. Energy was electric. 
 

upperclassman leadership was evident all over. 
 

coaches were coaching hard. But not too hard. Always ended with positivity. 
 

feel better now?

 

eta:  I’ll go ahead and add two future comments for when they get back to it after spring break.

the energy and focus was lacking today in the viewing window, despite coaches imploring the team to do better. Multiple coaches were visibly exasperated. 
 

(next practice)

the energy level is much improved from yesterday’s lackluster practice. Whatever the coaches said to their charges in the locker room after practice to light a fire under them has worked. 
 

*apologies if I happened to spell everything correctly, I purposely didn’t proofread. 

Edited March 10, 2023 by Pato del Muerto

[texifornia 57077]

2 minutes ago, sith_horn said:

No mention of Brenen Thompson.

He's running track during the spring my dude

[Red Five 40881]

When was Jaden Alexis' injury? I feel like I haven't heard one word about that dude since whenever it happened. 

[NoName 16369]

38 minutes ago, Red Five said:

When was Jaden Alexis' injury? I feel like I haven't heard one word about that dude since whenever it happened. 

the last one i know about was an ACL tear?

[closetojumping 62785]

A few of my friends have gotten to see the practices this week. 

-"Texas finally looks the part of a team that can compete with anyone. Been awhile."

-Savion Red is a mean dude. Everybody thinks he's going to do well getting between the tackles and trying to hurt people. Now they're questioning if they actually need a bigger back from the portal. He's not a "big" back, but he isn't small, and they're looking for mentality as much as size. 

-Baxter isn't far from 6'0/1", 225 already and will comfortably play around those numbers.

-Handwringing about Mitchell's hands which I mocked. 

-Omeozulu is another of the OL that looks like an NFL body, physically. 

-Everyone is really high on Brooks as a future star at CB. 

-Sarkisian is poor-mouthing the schedule, talking up Bama in Tuscaloosa, thinks OU is a 10+ win team, and says that KSU should be considered the chalk pick to win the Big 12 in 2023. He's poor-mouthed every season so far. Unfortunately, in 2021, he was right. No one is convinced of what he's doing with this shit before the upcoming season. Is he sandbagging? Is this just loser talk from a guy that can't get it done? You got me. 

-The consensus is this should be a top 10 team that wins 10+ and is relevant in the playoff picture. The roster is in the best shape it's been in since at least 2009 and maybe 2008. The OL will be better than those years. These are thoughts from people who attend UT practices every spring and fall and have for decades who are also not there due to access as donors. They're never this high on the personnel. So take it FWIW.

-Freshmen that people are raving about: Cook, Baxter, Manning, Hill, D Moore. 

 

38 minutes ago, Red Five said:

When was Jaden Alexis' injury? I feel like I haven't heard one word about that dude since whenever it happened. 

It happened in the Multiverse. We lost him there for perpetuity. Hence his complete irrelevance going forward to the program.

 

[Elmer_Fudd 22313]

 

[Hozz 1017]

 

[Vertigo 20309]

DP

Edited March 10, 2023 by Vertigo

[Frank Drebin 5651]

31 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

A few of my friends have gotten to see the practices this week. 

-"Texas finally looks the part of a team that can compete with anyone. Been awhile."

-Savion Red is a mean dude. Everybody thinks he's going to do well getting between the tackles and trying to hurt people. Now they're questioning if they actually need a bigger back from the portal. He's not a "big" back, but he isn't small, and they're looking for mentality as much as size. 

-Baxter isn't far from 6'0/1", 225 already and will comfortably play around those numbers.

-Handwringing about Mitchell's hands which I mocked. 

-Omeozulu is another of the OL that looks like an NFL body, physically. 

-Everyone is really high on Brooks as a future star at CB. 

-Sarkisian is poor-mouthing the schedule, talking up Bama in Tuscaloosa, thinks OU is a 10+ win team, and says that KSU should be considered the chalk pick to win the Big 12 in 2023. He's poor-mouthed every season so far. Unfortunately, in 2021, he was right. No one is convinced of what he's doing with this shit before the upcoming season. Is he sandbagging? Is this just loser talk from a guy that can't get it done? You got me. 

-The consensus is this should be a top 10 team that wins 10+ and is relevant in the playoff picture. The roster is in the best shape it's been in since at least 2009 and maybe 2008. The OL will be better than those years. These are thoughts from people who attend UT practices every spring and fall and have for decades who are also not there due to access as donors. They're never this high on the personnel. So take it FWIW.

-Freshmen that people are raving about: Cook, Baxter, Manning, Hill, D Moore. 

 

It happened in the Multiverse. We lost him there for perpetuity. Hence his complete irrelevance going forward to the program.

 

How are they feeling about interior DL?  I think we are okay for 2023, but going forward that looks dicey to me.  Is that a position that is easy to address in portal like WR seems to be. 

We should back channel with some of A&M's DL in the portal.

[Fug 541]

34 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

A few of my friends have gotten to see the practices this week. 

-"Texas finally looks the part of a team that can compete with anyone. Been awhile."

-Savion Red is a mean dude. Everybody thinks he's going to do well getting between the tackles and trying to hurt people. Now they're questioning if they actually need a bigger back from the portal. He's not a "big" back, but he isn't small, and they're looking for mentality as much as size. 

-Baxter isn't far from 6'0/1", 225 already and will comfortably play around those numbers.

-Handwringing about Mitchell's hands which I mocked. 

-Omeozulu is another of the OL that looks like an NFL body, physically. 

-Everyone is really high on Brooks as a future star at CB. 

-Sarkisian is poor-mouthing the schedule, talking up Bama in Tuscaloosa, thinks OU is a 10+ win team, and says that KSU should be considered the chalk pick to win the Big 12 in 2023. He's poor-mouthed every season so far. Unfortunately, in 2021, he was right. No one is convinced of what he's doing with this shit before the upcoming season. Is he sandbagging? Is this just loser talk from a guy that can't get it done? You got me. 

-The consensus is this should be a top 10 team that wins 10+ and is relevant in the playoff picture. The roster is in the best shape it's been in since at least 2009 and maybe 2008. The OL will be better than those years. These are thoughts from people who attend UT practices every spring and fall and have for decades who are also not there due to access as donors. They're never this high on the personnel. So take it FWIW.

-Freshmen that people are raving about: Cook, Baxter, Manning, Hill, D Moore. 

 

It happened in the Multiverse. We lost him there for perpetuity. Hence his complete irrelevance going forward to the program.

 

 

[closetojumping 62785]

7 minutes ago, Frank Drebin said:

How are they feeling about interior DL?  I think we are okay for 2023, but going forward that looks dicey to me.  Is that a position that is easy to address in portal like WR seems to be. 

We should back channel with some of A&M's DL in the portal.

I posted about recruiting over in the recruiting thread for 2024. If you go over there, I've posted some other peoples' thoughts on that as well.

[Rimbo 26052]

51 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

-The consensus is this should be a top 10 team that wins 10+ and is relevant in the playoff picture. The roster is in the best shape it's been in since at least 2009 and maybe 2008. The OL will be better than those years. These are thoughts from people who attend UT practices every spring and fall and have for decades who are also not there due to access as donors. They're never this high on the personnel. So take it FWIW.

This is more or less my expectation (I'll be disappointed with fewer than ten wins and signing up for the "fire Sark" club with only eight). But playoffs? We're not there YET.

We haven't had a roster anywhere near this in fifteen years. Comparing this year's team to anything we've had in the past decade and a half is going to make us feel irrationally exuberant. This is NOT the level of talent we had in '08 or '05 or even 2001... YET.

One more good year of recruiting and a ten win season? 2024 is a playoff year.

[Magus Ossis 2833]

I have no inside scoop on Maalik, but I have a couple of thoughts. (1) from a medical standpoint, it is the rare ankle injury that suddenly makes a dramatic improvement this late in the game. (2) Sark's nonverbal cues when discussing Malik were a bit different than when discussing some other guys. He did more talking while looking down and to his left with less upper facial muscle involvement and left-handed gesturing (though Sark is inconsistent with this tell)-- until he came to the topic of competition. When his answer shifted themes, he was back to candid and excited coach instead of cagy answer coach. He didn't look like a guy who expects to see a single actual game snap out of Murphy. Psych is not my field, but there's my take-- hope I'm wrong.

[closetojumping 62785]

8 minutes ago, Rimbo said:

This is more or less my expectation (I'll be disappointed with fewer than ten wins and signing up for the "fire Sark" club with only eight). But playoffs? We're not there YET.

We haven't had a roster anywhere near this in fifteen years. Comparing this year's team to anything we've had in the past decade and a half is going to make us feel irrationally exuberant. This is NOT the level of talent we had in '08 or '05 or even 2001... YET.

One more good year of recruiting and a ten win season? 2024 is a playoff year.

You're putting playoff pussy on the pedestal. Don't do that. A 1 loss Big 12 winner has a strong chance of being in the playoffs. Especially if that loss is close against Bama in Tuscaloosa, or if Texas had a win there and lost somewhere else on the schedule.

That said, I didn't say anything about making the playoffs. I said relevant in the playoff picture. To me and others, that means being in the top 10 of the playoff rankings late in November. That is something that has never happened for Texas since the beginning of the CFP. 

[BurntOrange&White 39962]

Anything less than 10 is failure in year 3.

Just now, closetojumping said:

You're putting playoff pussy on the pedestal. Don't do that. A 1 loss Big 12 winner has a strong chance of being in the playoffs. Especially if that loss is close against Bama in Tuscaloosa, or if Texas had a win there and lost somewhere else on the schedule.

Agreed, a 1 loss Big 12 champion Texas is getting in unless there are 4 undefeated teams.

[BornAndRaised 12307]

 

[Frank Drebin 5651]

56 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

I posted about recruiting over in the recruiting thread for 2024. If you go over there, I've posted some other peoples' thoughts on that as well.

Thanks.  I saw that about 5 minutes after I posted.  Appreciate it.

[FreeHorn 1307]

Had a conversation late this week with a Defensive GA and he believes the DLine is going to be much better than last year.   Better pass rush with the same ability against the run. I chalk that up to coaches talk but he thinks Murp and Bledsoe are animals. If Tapp can stop the run they will unleash him. 
 

He likes the transfer from Wake but felt it was not needed. Believes Brooks will be the best corner on the team by year end and doesn’t want the other CB starting just for the sake of starting. Brooks and his family were very confused as to why Jamison started the bowl game after Brooks had basically took the spot towards end of last year. 
 

Poly LB has the goods. All football. All the time. Long term Hill will be drafted higher but Poly LB is going to be a stud. Blackwell is not mentioned much but he busted his ass to put on weight to compete. 

I’ll check back in closer to end of spring and we see how things look when the pads are on. 

[BurntOrange&White 39962]

2 minutes ago, FreeHorn said:

He likes the transfer from Wake but felt it was not needed. Believes Brooks will be the best corner on the team by year end and doesn’t want the other CB starting just for the sake of starting. Brooks and his family were very confused as to why Jamison started the bowl game after Brooks had basically took the spot towards end of last year.

Depth at corner/nickel is never not needed. An injury away from being on the 3/4th guy on the depth chart is always a possibility. 

Edited March 10, 2023 by BurntOrange&White

[Helobious 9464]

48 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

 

That said, I didn't say anything about making the playoffs. I said relevant in the playoff picture. To me and others, that means being in the top 10 of the playoff rankings late in November. That is something that has never happened for Texas since the beginning of the CFP. 

Forget that. We’ve never appeared in the top 4 of any weekly CFP ranking. Damn thing started in 2014.

[FreeHorn 1307]

6 minutes ago, BurntOrange&White said:

Depth at corner/nickel is never not needed. An injury away from being on the 3/4th guy on the depth chart is always a possibility. 

I get it. I think it’s more about what the coaches deal with behind the scene with parents/trainers and expectations around playing time. Guys start to question if you have a plan for them or value them if it starts to feel like you’re trying your hardest to replace them every chance you get. Brooks head is in a good place and the right conversations have been had with his family. But most people really think he is a 3 and done future pro as long as he can run well in combine type setting. 

[Codaxx 5829]

23 minutes ago, FreeHorn said:

I get it. I think it’s more about what the coaches deal with behind the scene with parents/trainers and expectations around playing time. Guys start to question if you have a plan for them or value them if it starts to feel like you’re trying your hardest to replace them every chance you get. Brooks head is in a good place and the right conversations have been had with his family. But most people really think he is a 3 and done future pro as long as he can run well in combine type setting. 

It wont happen, but I would be all for Holmes (field) and Brooks (Boundary)starting at CB. I still think Watt's ceiling is at safety. I assume the coachs will cross train Brooks at both spots and he will get something like 1/4- 1/3 of the plays at each spot. 

Edited March 10, 2023 by Codaxx

[Rimbo 26052]

1 hour ago, closetojumping said:

You're putting playoff pussy on the pedestal. Don't do that. A 1 loss Big 12 winner has a strong chance of being in the playoffs. Especially if that loss is close against Bama in Tuscaloosa, or if Texas had a win there and lost somewhere else on the schedule.

That said, I didn't say anything about making the playoffs. I said relevant in the playoff picture. To me and others, that means being in the top 10 of the playoff rankings late in November. That is something that has never happened for Texas since the beginning of the CFP. 

Eh. I don't consider it a playoff team if I don't expect us to actually win a game in the postseason. Make it? Sure, why not. Win a game? NAAAAAAAHH.

[tokamak 6433]

Am I the only one that it took a while to figure out who the fuck "Poly LB" was?

(Lefau, I assume)

Edited March 10, 2023 by tokamak

[Plorant 808]

10 minutes ago, tokamak said:

Am I the only one that it took a while to figure out who the fuck "Poly LB" was?

(Lefau, I assume)

Actually, he meant S'Maje Burrell.  He's in a well known power throuple.

[deech 2291]

11 minutes ago, tokamak said:

Am I the only one that it took a while to figure out who the fuck "Poly LB" was?

(Lefau, I assume)

You need better ties.

[closetojumping 62785]

1 hour ago, tokamak said:

Am I the only one that it took a while to figure out who the fuck "Poly LB" was?

(Lefau, I assume)

I always forget about him, but people keep talking him up. They think he's really well-developed from a coordination perspective and leveraging his body in the right way to make plays. I don't know how in the fuck that is known of someone before they've put the pads on, but okay.

[Atticus 3984]

Lefau, along with the safety we signed out of LA, has been one of my favorites for a while. 
 

Big hands, hard nosed, really good in coverage, strong leadership, chip on his shoulder, etc. my only concern with him was him actually being 220+ at 6’1. 

if he is physically able to play the run, he’s a steal all the way. His ranking never made sense to me unless he was just very physically unimpressive/limited.

[gmr548 16607]

4 hours ago, closetojumping said:

talking up Bama in Tuscaloosa, thinks OU is a 10+ win team, and says that KSU should be considered the chalk pick to win the Big 12 in 2023.

 

Two of these are at least defensible takes but the OU thing is impossible to take seriously, and that's coming from someone who probably expects more out of them next year than most on this site. I hope he is just being heavy handed in trying to manage expectations. Otherwise, uh, wow.

[Vertigo 20309]

18 minutes ago, gmr548 said:

Two of these are at least defensible takes but the OU thing is impossible to take seriously, and that's coming from someone who probably expects more out of them next year than most on this site. I hope he is just being heavy handed in trying to manage expectations. Otherwise, uh, wow.

I think OU will definitely be better, but they are a year behind us on the growth trajectory. It would not surprise me to see them be an 8 win team next year. Jackson Arnold is not going to replace a super senior Dillon Gabriel unless there is an injury, and Gabriel is very limited against good teams. This might be the best I have felt heading into OU in a while. Last year I still wasn't quite sure what we were going to get even though it turned into a crime against humanity. 

[FreeHorn 1307]

49 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

I always forget about him, but people keep talking him up. They think he's really well-developed from a coordination perspective and leveraging his body in the right way to make plays. I don't know how in the fuck that is known of someone before they've put the pads on, but okay.

I think it’s 100% BS but Chote is on record saying if the Poly LB was from Texas he would have been ranked higher than Hill. 

[Bigbend1812 12927]

5 hours ago, Magus Ossis said:

I have no inside scoop on Maalik, but I have a couple of thoughts. (1) from a medical standpoint, it is the rare ankle injury that suddenly makes a dramatic improvement this late in the game. (2) Sark's nonverbal cues when discussing Malik were a bit different than when discussing some other guys. He did more talking while looking down and to his left with less upper facial muscle involvement and left-handed gesturing (though Sark is inconsistent with this tell)-- until he came to the topic of competition. When his answer shifted themes, he was back to candid and excited coach instead of cagy answer coach. He didn't look like a guy who expects to see a single actual game snap out of Murphy. Psych is not my field, but there's my take-- hope I'm wrong.

[Elmer_Fudd 22313]

 

[Hornlover 8830]

7 hours ago, closetojumping said:

-Sarkisian is poor-mouthing the schedule, talking up Bama in Tuscaloosa, thinks OU is a 10+ win team, and says that KSU should be considered the chalk pick to win the Big 12 in 2023. He's poor-mouthed every season so far. Unfortunately, in 2021, he was right. No one is convinced of what he's doing with this shit before the upcoming season. Is he sandbagging? Is this just loser talk from a guy that can't get it done? You got me. 

I'm guessing he's trying his best to channel his inner Lou Holtz. "Aww, thucks, you look at U Th C over there, and they are the biggeth, baddeth, team I've ever theen. We'll be lucky to not get thutout by them.". 

[South Austin 52567]

6 hours ago, Magus Ossis said:

I have no inside scoop on Maalik, but I have a couple of thoughts. (1) from a medical standpoint, it is the rare ankle injury that suddenly makes a dramatic improvement this late in the game. (2) Sark's nonverbal cues when discussing Malik were a bit different than when discussing some other guys. He did more talking while looking down and to his left with less upper facial muscle involvement and left-handed gesturing (though Sark is inconsistent with this tell)-- until he came to the topic of competition. When his answer shifted themes, he was back to candid and excited coach instead of cagy answer coach. He didn't look like a guy who expects to see a single actual game snap out of Murphy. Psych is not my field, but there's my take-- hope I'm wrong.

So you’re telling us that Maalik is dead and Sark is part of a cover up.  Fuck, how am I going to tell my kids about this?

[Hermanator 7139]

9 hours ago, LTtxfan said:

NCAA does not allow full pads in spring till the 3rd practice...

I know, I'm talking about the timing of starting at all. If everyone is breaking for spring break to go home or party or wherever then what's the point of wasting 3 practices and 1 padded practice before it? Just start after spring break. 

Unless Sark expects everyone to stay and workout all week. 

[someguy 1509]

where are people getting the idea that Murphy's injury is related to the high school injury? Is that sourced anywhere?

[Hermanator 7139]

7 hours ago, Magus Ossis said:

 Sark's nonverbal cues when discussing Malik were a bit different than when discussing some other guys. He did more talking while looking down and to his left with less upper facial muscle involvement and left-handed gesturing (though Sark is inconsistent with this tell)-- until he came to the topic of competition. 

[ousux 5601]

I know, I'm talking about the timing of starting at all. If everyone is breaking for spring break to go home or party or wherever then what's the point of wasting 3 practices and 1 padded practice before it? Just start after spring break. 
Unless Sark expects everyone to stay and workout all week. 

That last part there..

[Funk Doctor Spock 12496]

10 hours ago, Vito Andolini said:

And they allowed for a 20 minute viewing window, some of that stretching. Cook seems like a solid kid, works harder as a beat reporter than anyone the Statesman has put out there in ages, and I don’t recall any incidents where he’s hurt the program with reckless takes, so I’ll cut him some slack. Sure, there’s a lot of creative writing being done to make a story out of a few drills, but it is what it is. 

Regarding the Sarkisian quote above about why he didn’t reveal Worthy’s injury last season, I didn’t hear it when I watched the newser later on YouTube, but I did see an obvious edit… I suspect they cut that part of his response from the official YT channel.

I personally enjoy listening to Joe Cook on the YouTube channel On Texas Football with Bobby Burton. He comes off as a good dude who just loves Longhorn football, and he's am easy listen. Gerry, Justin, Joe, and Bobby's guests are all good. 

[Nope 3121]

57 minutes ago, someguy said:

where are people getting the idea that Murphy's injury is related to the high school injury? Is that sourced anywhere?

Sark

 

[someguy 1509]

very helpful, thanks!