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

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closetojumping
closetojumping

Texas is going to field the best team it's had since 2008 in the upcoming season. They will be relevant in the playoff discussion, beat Bama in Tuscaloosa, and win the conference. Take off your protec

crash_davis
crash_davis

Sir, I have over 10k posts on this site. 

Rimbo
Rimbo

nsiap   y'all gotta watch this video with sark

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cafe society

cafe society 2872

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19 hours ago, DanTheHorn said:

Back in those days you could call in and ask Mackovic when he was going to get a real defense? and get hung up on by the host while an upset coach ranted. Also, you could call Mack Brown and ask if he was the Mackovic of special teams and have him act confused. I liked those radio call in shows. One time I called in from DC during an internship and a friend told me he recognized my voice but they hung up on me because I was shit faced after a win against OU in 1991 I think. I can't remember calling in. Mack Brown put an end to them saying he did not want to talk to people he did not respect.

Mack was such a pussy; he tried to carry on like he was LBJ (no CR) but he lacked the force of personality and depth of character.  "I expect my people to kiss my ass in Bloomingdale's display window at high noon and tell me it smells like roses," was a bridge too far for all his bleeding vag writhings. 

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Red Five

Red Five 40877

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Here's the... um.... the thing from IT with the.... um..... I'm sorry, can we get a name there Treaty Oak?

Humidor:

Thursday’s practice started off in line with what you’d expect ahead of the Spring game on Saturday. It was a little slower paced and coaching driven. But it eventually spun into a spirited thud tempo scrimmage replete with trash talk and some minor skirmishes. Just a bunch of guys being dudes.

It was a competitive day. Today they’ll do a walk-through and of course tomorrow is the scrimmage that signifies the end of Spring ball. I have no idea what we’ll learn from the scrimmage but below we’ll share what we’ve learned from practice thus far through the eyes of quality sourcing. 

Quarterback

How improved is Quinn Ewers?

The source stated the second-year quarterback transformed everything, not just his body. He transformed his mind, his knowledge of the playbook, reading defenses, etc. “Based on Spring he went from a rookie to a veteran.” There are a lot of examples throughout the Spring of Ewers making plays with his head, not just his arm, said the source.

Running Back

Who was the best running back this Spring?

One source had to hesitate and think about this one. Since Jonathon Brooks has been back, he’s been the best, but he really liked Cedric Baxter and had good things to say about Savion Red and Jaydon Blue. He was trying not to cop out and went with Baxter of the three who practiced all of Spring. He mentioned Red looked really good but it was hard to get a real barometer because he was with the second team more often than not. 

Brooks and Baxter are the most complementary duo of the five potential starters so that’s a good sign. 

Wide Receiver

Who was the best wide receiver throughout the Spring?

“I don’t know if he was the best but AD Mitchell was the most noticeable. Maybe because he was new. He really showed up. You can tell he’s experienced and athletic and he can make difficult catches look easy.”

The source didn’t have a negative thing to say about the receivers other than there were a couple practices with too many drops. There were also some practices where the receivers displayed strong hands. 

The source is very bullish on Johntay Cook and DeAndre Moore.

Tight End

Is Ja’Tavion Sanders improved in any way?

“It’s hard to tell because he made such a big leap last offseason and followed it up with a really strong year. There certainly wasn’t a drop off.”

How is Gunnar Helm as a receiver?

“He can get the job done. He has pretty good hands and moves well enough. He uses his size well as a receiver. He’s a solid receiver. He’s not JT but there aren’t many JT’s.”

Offensive Line

Who was the best interior offensive lineman this Spring? 

Hayden Conner was the first mentioned as having a good Spring. The source indicates Conner is improved and will likely start. Jake Majors also received notice for being “steady Jake Majors.”

How have the tackles looked?

“Kelvin Banks is better than last year and dominates whoever he goes up against. Christian Jones has looked really good, too. He’s had the ability, he’s just way more consistent these days.”

Edge

Who were the best two, whether Jack or Buck?

Barryn Sorrell and Ethan Burke. The source mentioned Sorrell is a better version of his 2022 self, mainly through additional strength. “Burke is a savvy football player. He knows how to use his strengths to his advantage.” By this he meant Burke will use length and quickness to not just get after the pass rush, but also to set the Edge. He can set the Edge without brute force (that doesn’t mean he’s a finished product or getting the best of Banks/Jones). 

Interior Defensive Line

Who was the best iDL this Spring?

“Byron Murphy, hands down. He’s tough to move, he’s tough to keep blocked, he’s great taking on double teams, he’s great against the run.” The source is bullish on Murphy having a breakout year.

Linebacker

What’s the likelihood David Gbenda wins the job and has a good year?

“It’s his to lose. Morice Blackwell has been good and Anthony Hill has improved a lot throughout the Spring, maybe even more than anyone on the team, but Gbenda’s experience gives him a big advantage.”

All three will play with Blackwell and Hill also getting looks at Sam. “Blackwell is fast and physical. Even though he isn’t big he’s strong. Hill has the total package, he just needs more time.” 

The source has said enough about the way Hill prepares to make me think he’s destined for very big things at Texas because we know he has the physical and athletic ability.

Safety

Who was the best safety?

After hesitating, “That’s tough. Kitan Crawford shined the most and showed what he can be if he remains consistent. Jerrin Thompson picked up where he left off last year and still brings a lot to the table. He’s not as spectacular as Crawford but he’s more consistent. If you went by pure production, Michael Taaffe probably was around the ball or ball carrier the most. He had a pick on Thursday as well as some breakups.”

This source has always been a fan of Crawford’s upside and Taaffe’s underrated ability. He was the first person to say Taaffe would be a scholarship player at Texas.

Cornerback

Who was the best and second best?

More hesitation, followed by a surprise answer. “They all play differently, except maybe Gavin Holmes and Malik Muhammad. They’re somewhat similar. The most exciting was probably Muhammad. He’s just a savvy player with a pro mindset. Ryan Watts had a good camp. Terrance Brooks is just so athletic. Gavin’s not far behind if at all. It’s hard to pick between those four. I’ll say Muhammad has been playing at a high level. He doesn’t know he’s a freshman. It’s a very competitive room.”

Despite depth and experience at the position, Muhammad has a chance to start as a freshman. 

*****

We don’t know how the teams are comprised for the Spring game but we do expect them to be divided pretty equally. The coaching staff will also be divided and I’d bet bragging rights will be on the line. We’ll see if Sark games his own system and gives himself Ewers.

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Codaxx

Codaxx 5808

Posted
Posted
44 minutes ago, Red Five said:

Here's the... um.... the thing from IT with the.... um..... I'm sorry, can we get a name there Treaty Oak?

Humidor:

Thursday’s practice started off in line with what you’d expect ahead of the Spring game on Saturday. It was a little slower paced and coaching driven. But it eventually spun into a spirited thud tempo scrimmage replete with trash talk and some minor skirmishes. Just a bunch of guys being dudes.

It was a competitive day. Today they’ll do a walk-through and of course tomorrow is the scrimmage that signifies the end of Spring ball. I have no idea what we’ll learn from the scrimmage but below we’ll share what we’ve learned from practice thus far through the eyes of quality sourcing. 

Quarterback

How improved is Quinn Ewers?

The source stated the second-year quarterback transformed everything, not just his body. He transformed his mind, his knowledge of the playbook, reading defenses, etc. “Based on Spring he went from a rookie to a veteran.” There are a lot of examples throughout the Spring of Ewers making plays with his head, not just his arm, said the source.

Running Back

Who was the best running back this Spring?

One source had to hesitate and think about this one. Since Jonathon Brooks has been back, he’s been the best, but he really liked Cedric Baxter and had good things to say about Savion Red and Jaydon Blue. He was trying not to cop out and went with Baxter of the three who practiced all of Spring. He mentioned Red looked really good but it was hard to get a real barometer because he was with the second team more often than not. 

Brooks and Baxter are the most complementary duo of the five potential starters so that’s a good sign. 

Wide Receiver

Who was the best wide receiver throughout the Spring?

“I don’t know if he was the best but AD Mitchell was the most noticeable. Maybe because he was new. He really showed up. You can tell he’s experienced and athletic and he can make difficult catches look easy.”

The source didn’t have a negative thing to say about the receivers other than there were a couple practices with too many drops. There were also some practices where the receivers displayed strong hands. 

The source is very bullish on Johntay Cook and DeAndre Moore.

Tight End

Is Ja’Tavion Sanders improved in any way?

“It’s hard to tell because he made such a big leap last offseason and followed it up with a really strong year. There certainly wasn’t a drop off.”

How is Gunnar Helm as a receiver?

“He can get the job done. He has pretty good hands and moves well enough. He uses his size well as a receiver. He’s a solid receiver. He’s not JT but there aren’t many JT’s.”

Offensive Line

Who was the best interior offensive lineman this Spring? 

Hayden Conner was the first mentioned as having a good Spring. The source indicates Conner is improved and will likely start. Jake Majors also received notice for being “steady Jake Majors.”

How have the tackles looked?

“Kelvin Banks is better than last year and dominates whoever he goes up against. Christian Jones has looked really good, too. He’s had the ability, he’s just way more consistent these days.”

Edge

Who were the best two, whether Jack or Buck?

Barryn Sorrell and Ethan Burke. The source mentioned Sorrell is a better version of his 2022 self, mainly through additional strength. “Burke is a savvy football player. He knows how to use his strengths to his advantage.” By this he meant Burke will use length and quickness to not just get after the pass rush, but also to set the Edge. He can set the Edge without brute force (that doesn’t mean he’s a finished product or getting the best of Banks/Jones). 

Interior Defensive Line

Who was the best iDL this Spring?

“Byron Murphy, hands down. He’s tough to move, he’s tough to keep blocked, he’s great taking on double teams, he’s great against the run.” The source is bullish on Murphy having a breakout year.

Linebacker

What’s the likelihood David Gbenda wins the job and has a good year?

“It’s his to lose. Morice Blackwell has been good and Anthony Hill has improved a lot throughout the Spring, maybe even more than anyone on the team, but Gbenda’s experience gives him a big advantage.”

All three will play with Blackwell and Hill also getting looks at Sam. “Blackwell is fast and physical. Even though he isn’t big he’s strong. Hill has the total package, he just needs more time.” 

The source has said enough about the way Hill prepares to make me think he’s destined for very big things at Texas because we know he has the physical and athletic ability.

Safety

Who was the best safety?

After hesitating, “That’s tough. Kitan Crawford shined the most and showed what he can be if he remains consistent. Jerrin Thompson picked up where he left off last year and still brings a lot to the table. He’s not as spectacular as Crawford but he’s more consistent. If you went by pure production, Michael Taaffe probably was around the ball or ball carrier the most. He had a pick on Thursday as well as some breakups.”

This source has always been a fan of Crawford’s upside and Taaffe’s underrated ability. He was the first person to say Taaffe would be a scholarship player at Texas.

Cornerback

Who was the best and second best?

More hesitation, followed by a surprise answer. “They all play differently, except maybe Gavin Holmes and Malik Muhammad. They’re somewhat similar. The most exciting was probably Muhammad. He’s just a savvy player with a pro mindset. Ryan Watts had a good camp. Terrance Brooks is just so athletic. Gavin’s not far behind if at all. It’s hard to pick between those four. I’ll say Muhammad has been playing at a high level. He doesn’t know he’s a freshman. It’s a very competitive room.”

Despite depth and experience at the position, Muhammad has a chance to start as a freshman. 

*****

We don’t know how the teams are comprised for the Spring game but we do expect them to be divided pretty equally. The coaching staff will also be divided and I’d bet bragging rights will be on the line. We’ll see if Sark games his own system and gives himself Ewers.

Not sure what to make of the Kitan kool-aid. Athletically, he is far and away the most talented Safety on the roster. You have to be worried about the setting though. He knows this offense and that should allow him to play fast. The worry has always been from the neck up with him. Can he diagnose an offense that he has only 5 days to prepare for, instead of 3 years of familiarity he has with the Texas offense. 

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Eggo

Eggo 3980

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52 minutes ago, Red Five said:

We don’t know how the teams are comprised for the Spring game but we do expect them to be divided pretty equally. The coaching staff will also be divided and I’d bet bragging rights will be on the line. We’ll see if Sark games his own system and gives himself Ewers.

Yes, you want the offensive play caller to call plays for the starting QB in the spring game. 

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Vertigo

Vertigo 20299

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Posted
15 minutes ago, Codaxx said:

Not sure what to make of the Kitan kool-aid. Athletically, he is far and away the most talented Safety on the roster. You have to be worried about the setting though. He knows this offense and that should allow him to play fast. The worry has always been from the neck up with him. Can he diagnose an offense that he has only 5 days to prepare for, instead of 3 years of familiarity he has with the Texas offense. 

It has taken him 3 seasons to be good against an offense he sees every day. I am not sure if that translates to being good against an offense you only have a week to prepare for. 

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Fondren & Main

Fondren & Main 6726

Posted
Posted
14 minutes ago, Red Five said:

Hopefully it won't matter much. A healthy Catalon and Thompson are the starters. 

They will both get hurt this year.  The others need to unfuck themselves mentally and provide depth.  That was the biggest issue with the defense last year imo.  The depth was non-existent at every level besides the line.

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Eggo

Eggo 3980

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19 minutes ago, williemackgarza said:

If I take the kid to the spring game, where is the best parking? I assume the parking garage by the stadium. Is it free or do I need to buy the pass? Sorry, Couldnt find it anywhere

Yellow Rose on N Lamar. Grab bbq at Stiles Switch for lunch, bus down to campus, game, bus back to Yellow Rose for a show, drive home. Kid will love it.

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Park Gothic

Park Gothic 5048

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Posted
29 minutes ago, pyrohornIII said:

I haven't seen much on the kickers.  Does it look like Sanborn at P, Auburn at FG and Stone for kickoffs still?  

Paraphrasing, but Sark has basically said that Sanborn has been punting for 4 years at Stanford and he'll be doing the same thing at Texas. They already know what he can do don't need to see more. Regarding Auburn and Stone, if it ain't broke... 

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satyanash

satyanash 14573

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Posted

Ian Boyd: What to watch for in the Orange and White game

Quote

What do you make of a spring game? Some people love them for the chance to see new and young players and build connections to the kids they’ll be rooting for in the fall. Some in the media love to play on the entertainment angle, others like to play up their own smarts and downplay the importance of the spring game scrimmage as a meaningful evaluative tool.

Gary Patterson used to always conceal TCU’s spring scrimmages and said, in effect, “if we put it on television then everyone else will scout us. I know because that’s what I do when they put their scrimmages on.” Regardless of what spring game naysayers will claim, if you know what to look for there’s a lot to glean from watching these guys play football even if in carefully scripted and contextually unique situations. Here’s what I’ll be watching for:

How is Sark building these teams?

Steve Sarkisian explained at a recent presser that this scrimmage would have the feel of a game and pit two teams of his own invention against each other.

The obvious takeaway is to see how he stacks the teams, as that will be pretty revealing about where he sees talent and depth disparities. The easy way to try and create a competitive game in a format such as this one is to pair opposite ends of the roster, 1st team offense and 2nd team defense against 1st team defense and 2nd team offense. If Sark is foregoing that option it’s telling he doesn’t think it’d be competitive for one reason or another.

So how will the teams be comprised? Will he create Frankenstein units on either side of the ball to obscure the depth chart and create units who don’t normally play against each other? Doing so would also obscure how the team is coming along as you can end up with some pairings and players who don’t normally play together a lot. It’ll be interesting to gauge who plays together and who handles the mismatched lineups well.

What are the quarterbacks asked to do?

How often will they have these quarterbacks drop back and read through progressions? How often will they run RPOs and will they include real reads or be given predetermined decisions?

Because Texas has put two year’s worth of offense on film, there’s a lot they can run in the spring game without giving much away for opponents in the coming season other than how well their quarterbacks and players are executing older, base concepts. Last year I made the mistake of not watching very closely to see how it looked when the quarterbacks were asked to read the field and make decisions, thinking Quinn Ewers‘ deep shot to Isaiah Neyor behind max protection was telling enough.

That play didn’t prove to quite be as telling as it seemed, partly because Neyor didn’t play all season. Will we get to see how far Ewers, Maalik Murphy, and Arch Manning are executing dropbacks or RPOs? How do they look? This will be very telling about the true state of quarterback readiness and ability for the 2023 season. There’s no questioning the “arm talent” or other physical abilities, but whether they’re ready to put together winning play is another question entirely.

Trench battles

There’s no hiding the guys in the trenches in these games and whether they’re ready to win battles with other Big 12-caliber big men. If the team avoids the run game, you’ll still see how the D-linemen and O-linemen fare in various pass rushing/protection scenarios. If they do run the ball then we’ll see which guys can create a push and which guys can stop it.

Several guys have some question marks around their ability to win battles with the caliber of players they’ll face on Saturdays in the fall. Can these Bucks hold the edge against the real blockers on this team? How does Alfred Collins look in the run game if he faces one of the better interior O-linemen? Which of those O-linemen can actually make something of Byron Murphy or T’Vondre Sweat?

The absence of guys like Cole Hutson, Connor Robertson, and D.J. Campbell will make it harder to find “good on good” matchups in this game but at least we won’t be seeing as many instances of scholarship athletes on the two-deep crushing walk-ons on the offensive line. If Colton Vasek whips Payton Kirkland around the edge it tells us more about both of them than if he does so against a walk-on, for instance.

Who are the “dudes?”

Athletic flashes don’t always mean much. For years Texas fans and program observers have seen guys flash elite athleticism in a spring game only to fail to pan out. We’ve seen John Chiles run wild on zone-read, I remember sitting up close and seeing Malcolm Williams accelerate on a kickoff return and being amazed by how fast a guy that big was moving. Both ended up being busts.

It’s not nothing though. Sometimes you see guys do things other player cannot do and know if the circumstances are right they’ll become special football players on the 40 Acres. You’d like to see something like that from Anthony Hill, Johntay Cook, or maybe particularly Colton Vasek amongst the freshmen. Anyone showing some explosiveness and bend rushing around the edge is going to generate excitement as Texas has lacked that dimension to their defensive fronts.

Texas will have a lot of athletes on the field Saturday who will get a chance to show off their speed.

Running back

There’s a particular spot where Texas needs to see something a little less flashy. The running back position is moving on from two NFL players and needs someone to emerge who can carry the load, pick up tough yards, and offer either a receiver or a blocker on passing downs. Fielding an elite athlete at running back would be nice, but this team would be well served by a Chris Ogbonnaya type who is reliable, will fight for hard yards, and knows what to do on 3rd-and-8.

How are Savion Red and CJ Baxter coming along at all these tasks? Is Jonathon Brooks up for a feature role? Some of this should be apparent from watching them work in a scrimmage setting. There will be a lot to watch and take in on Saturday. If you’re not planning to do a rewatch, then try and pick one or two things or a few particular players and see how they look. The athletic flashes will always still stand out.

 

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Red Five

Red Five 40877

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Posted

It wasn't that long ago that our questions were like "Who will play QB? Who will play left tackle? Which walk-on will be starting at safety?". Now it's "Will the nation's top high school running back be able to help us this year? Will it be Aaron Bryant or Jaray Bledsoe as the #5 DT with the third team?". 

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CashMcCoy

CashMcCoy 3199

Posted
Posted
6 minutes ago, Red Five said:

It wasn't that long ago that our questions were like "Who will play QB? Who will play left tackle? Which walk-on will be starting at safety?". Now it's "Will the nation's top high school running back be able to help us this year? Will it be Aaron Bryant or Jaray Bledsoe as the #5 DT with the third team?". 

How many targets will Kai Money have?

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Zeus

Zeus 6109

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Posted
On 4/13/2023 at 4:31 PM, Wulaw Horn said:

This is a man who knows how to pregame 45 hours ahead of time for a spring game.  And teaching the whole family.  Good for you sir, good for you.

Morenos bar b que then skipping rocks at the hill of Life weather looking awesome can't beat it!

Sark sounds like we are going to get a real spring game instead of warm ups and 12 kick offs in a row. That was tough last year.

I wonder how crazy the autograph thing is going to be tomorrow..

PSX_20230414_174517.jpg

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Slacks

Slacks 6835

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Posted
On 4/13/2023 at 8:42 AM, closetojumping said:

Yeah, I’m with you. I’m pretty sure I still haven’t figured out what it means, a day later. It just sailed right by me. 

I get it as a phrase... Never heard it and not sure when it applies other than... In traffic.

But I'll probably just start saying it randomly to confuse people.

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