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

[CHIEF 5,067]

5 hours ago, Codaxx said:

I really can not take anyone serious that can not admit that Arch faced way more pressure than Murphy or Ewers. Don’t have to believe me, you can believe Bobby and Gerry’s reactions on the subject

I don't think there was any maliciousness in what PK did. Arch got the same treatment that any other true freshman QB would get from any opposing DC. Send the house and get to the QB, until he can prove that he can read a defense quickly enough to get the ball out. It's the price of inexperience.

CHIEF

[BurntOrange&White 39,566]

8 minutes ago, CHIEF said:

I don't think there was any maliciousness in what PK did. Arch got the same treatment that any other true freshman QB would get from any opposing DC. Send the house and get to the QB, until he can prove that he can read a defense quickly enough to get the ball out. It's the price of inexperience.

CHIEF

I just think it was Manning playing with the 3rd string offensive line.

[Nivek 16,843]

I just think it was Manning playing with the 3rd string offensive line.

He needs to elevate the players around him! /unrealistic fan

[NorLa Horns 1,458]

9 hours ago, Park Gothic said:

I appreciate that Scipio told Boyd to shut the fuck up and let him finish at the beginning of the podcast though. Reigned in some of the signature Ian Boyd word vomit. 

Gawd dammit. Ya made him cry again!!

[Vertigo 20,265]

8 hours ago, CHIEF said:

I don't think there was any maliciousness in what PK did. Arch got the same treatment that any other true freshman QB would get from any opposing DC. Send the house and get to the QB, until he can prove that he can read a defense quickly enough to get the ball out. It's the price of inexperience.

CHIEF

If anything, throwing the sink at Arch in his first game action will give him a ton of stuff to study over the summer. That may have been the goal. You know he is going to go over this film a hundred times before fall camp.

[LTtxfan 48,952]

 

[LTtxfan 48,952]

 

[TreatyOak 16,148]

[SKA the boss 729]

I have watched the game through a couple of times so far. Here are my thoughts:
1. AD Mitchell is exactly what Quinn needed. His body control is freaky and he adjusts well to the ball in the air with soft hands.
2. We tend to forget how good Worthy is because of the struggles last season, then we see him running wide open all over the field and I was thinking "Oh yeah, there he is."
3. Aaron Bryant is going to be really valuable in the DL rotation, he just doesn't go backwards very much.
4. Maalik Murphy was excellent, he gave himself a nice cushion heading into the summer for that #2 role.
5. Arch looked like a freshman, but he made good decisions with the ball running for his life behind that line. Maalik got a much cleaner pocket behind the same guys for whatever reason.
6. I found myself very impressed with Conner Stroh. He looks like he can be a guy in that 2 deep if needed next year.
7. Cam Williams has Mike Tyson level punch when he gets his hands on guys. He picked one guy up and threw him a yard or two in the air. He did really well at guard and tackle.
8. Kelvin Banks just erases whoever he is lined up against. Total mismatch.
9. Byron Murphy was showing a little more disruption than last season, but I am still not going to pencil him in for 5 sacks next year.
10. Sorrell, Burke, and Vasek were the three edge guys that stood out. Vasek blew by a tackle on more than one occasion and sacked Arch once that wasnt called. Burke can be a major problem if he stops reading so much and pins his ears back and crashes down. He also recorded a sack on Quinn, but he still gets moved in the run game too much. Finkley looks like a fire hydrant out there but physics is not on his side. Tapp looks either lost or unmotivated. Portal candidate.
11. Loved some of the coverage from the dbs. Brooks, Watts, Barron, Muhammad, and Holmes all had really nice plays. 
12. Safety was meh. BJ Allen got abused by Worthy all day.
13. Gbenda looks to be spring ball bluster, he was fine but I don't see him keeping Hill off the field. Hill is just too rangy and gets through the wash much more effectively.
14. Sydir Mitchell is going to be a monster when he grows up.
15. I would not pencil Jake Majors in at starting center yet. His ceiling is just so much lower than the guys around him.
16. Lefau had a couple of nice plays, but he needs some more time.
17. Deandre Moore had a tough day, but I am still excited about him. Johntay was really good, but his long TD catch was against a walkon in 1 on 1 coverage, so I am not really giving that too much weight. 

18. Blue looked pretty good with a couple of nice runs between the tackles. His TD would have been tackled well before he scored had Barron not had a green jersey on. Red was really intriguing, I can see him giving some less athletic teams like K State or Iowa State some real problems. Baxter showed a couple of nice things, but he looks like he may need a little time to be the guy.

After a few rewatches too, lots of spot on takes here.
I was trying to focus a lot on new players and guys with less experience.
Burke has a really high ceiling. He plays better from a two point stance than with a hand on the ground. Worthy blocking him nasty on one play means summer weight room and more explosiveness is necessary, but he flashed and showed football iq.
Sydir is simply going to be a beast. You are not running through his gap. Period.
The transfer portal was very good for us.
Hill. Going to be hard to keep him off the field.

[Laxtonto 11,927]

 

[Codaxx 5,591]

4 minutes ago, SKA the boss said:

After a few rewatches too, lots of spot on takes here.
I was trying to focus a lot on new players and guys with less experience.
Burke has a really high ceiling. He plays better from a two point stance than with a hand on the ground. Worthy blocking him nasty on one play means summer weight room and more explosiveness is necessary, but he flashed and showed football iq.
Sydir is simply going to be a beast. You are not running through his gap. Period.
The transfer portal was very good for us.
Hill. Going to be hard to keep him off the field.

His performance was overlooked. He was really good. Given all the talk that he came in a disgusting fat body, that was a major surprise. 

Lefau and Ant look to be potential players. As Gerry pointed out, it is great that they are almost polar opposites in the way they play. 

[closetohumping 17,386]

IT spring game report (defense):

 

Spoiler

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Sock Monkey 718]

Winning (spring games) is hard. Particularly for our edgE rushers going against perhaps our best tackle since Leonard Davis. However, one data point in favor of Sorrell is that I think he MIGHT have turned our first play from scrimmage into a sack in an actual game. Either way, it was a solid rep worth noting.

[Bodacious Bevo 3,576]

1 hour ago, closetohumping said:

IT spring game report (defense):

 

  Reveal hidden contents

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Scipio's post mortem. Here's the text version. 

Spoiler

The obvious thing that jumped out was the secondary depth (I don’t mean names on a depth chart, I mean dudes) led by a good nucleus up front of every down stalwarts in the defensive line, Jaylan Ford at linebacker and some potential specialists that can be creatively integrated with the infrastructure pieces to fashion a good defense.

Going scattershot…

Interior Defensive Line

I wasn’t happy with some of T’vondre Sweat’s early efforts, particularly as a pass rusher. He was either trying to do shake-and-bake head feints or standing up instead of methodically walking back the interior lineman across from him and collapsing pocket depth. Add a lazy face mask by not moving his feet. I understand the ball is getting out quickly, but work on your craft No. 93. It’s a salary year. On one play in the second half, he shocked and controlled Sawyer Goram-Welch, discarded him like a sack of potatoes, then pursued the ball. We need more of that.

Byron Murphy had some pass rush moments, including a flush sack into Burke’s waiting arms. Good get off from Byron. Alfred Collins is better at the point of the attack and in the third quarter he had a sequence where he tipped a pass and then got a sack. He’s noticeably bigger and stronger. Pete Kwiatkowski didn’t let them cut it loose much taking gaps and I expect more of that in season.

Sydir Mitchell is carrying a lot of bad weight, but he’s an absolute problem when he’s fresh, standing up interior run blockers like they’d hit a brick wall and effectively collapsing pockets. He’s potentially special if he wants it. Texas will have to substitute him in judiciously and make sure he doesn’t get caught on the field when a team goes hurry up or in end of half situations. He has 4.5 months to work on his body and earn 20 snaps a game this year. Those snaps need to come 3-5 at a time spread out over 4 quarters, not entire series per se. I’d play him a lot against running teams and advisedly against the pass-happy.

Jaray Bledoe and Zac Swanson are both too light and not yet strong enough, but Swanson is a game pass rusher from the interior. Good first step, uses his hands well, finds the QB and gets small going through gaps so that OL can’t get a real piece of him. No. 86 may actually be a problem for people in this role. Buried on run down double teams, but I’d happily employ him on clear passing downs. Before you ask, no, he’s probably not an edge solution.

Aaron Bryant made a solid stop on a short yardage situation late game. Nothing stood out about him to me. Vernon Broughton looks like the same guy as last year.

Edge

Barryn Sorrell is good to go. Still a power rusher who sets the edge well and does a fine job extending his arms and working through or over blockers. The hustle is always present. Pretty good on the few stunts we ran.

J’Mond Tapp showed zero juice. I was shocked given his high school film. Kris Ross has a first step, but he’s not strong and can’t play through contact. Like a lot of guys who lose weight when they reimagine their role, he’s learning that play strength still matters. Justice Finkley might outwork some lazier offensive tackles and he’s good on the move where he can attack interior gaps on a game, but short edges better have outstanding quickness and power to make up for their lack of length.

Ethan Burke uses his long arms well and is very mobile. He will be good, particularly at 265+. But right now, he’s not strong enough at the point of the attack and he needs an interior flush or stunts to get at the QB consistently. He’s not going to run the arc and whip a 5th year senior tackle quite yet. Didn’t play counters well (he has to learn to squeeze and keep his outside shoulder free) and No. 91 was the biggest culprit in Jaydon Blue’s 31 yard touchdown run. Currently our best option opposite Sorrell, unless we get creative with Ant Hill. More on that later…

It should be noted that our edges were going against Kelvin Banks and a 6th year Christian Jones. It’s possible their competition level is squashing some positive traits.

We need a great offseason from the guys on campus and a quality edge transfer for this D to maximize.

Linebacker

Jaylan Ford was very good. He had a unheralded highlight taking out both pulling offensive linemen on a counter play, forcing Cedric Baxter to reverse field. I don’t need to expound his virtues, do I?

Right now, Jett Bush is our second best linebacker against the run. I might even put a period after the word linebacker. This is his natural position and at 240-245 he has solid range, certainly much better than the average fan’s perception of him. How he played in 2021 as an undersized out of position edge is irrelevant. He probably led the team in tackles in the 1st half and he made a variety of good plays, to include a terrific goal line stop on Blue and a nice read on a screen. Also had a sack on Arch coming off of the edge on a stunt.

I made a point of watching David Gbenda. I still don’t know. Physically looks better and didn’t run himself out of any plays as has been his wont, but I want undersized linebackers to have freaky ball sense, decisiveness and outstanding quickness. Gbenda picks through a bit too much when I’d like to see him recognize and attack.

Anthony Hill is the best blitzer and edge pass rusher on the team. He’s cheetah quick, gets off blocking, with motor and recovery in spades. I laughed when I watched him detonate 360 pound Payton Kirkland on one thwarted blitz. There wasn’t a gap to shimmy through, so he just decided to choose violence. That’s the attitude we want. I counted two sacks and some other nice runs at the QB. Can he reliably play the run as a traditional linebacker? Probably not. PK needs to dust off some LSU Harold Perkins packages for him. He can play every LB position because he’ll still be blitzing wherever he’s lined up. We should obviously expand his use on the edge, but he’s not big enough to play it every down.

Morice Blackwell is a big safety playing linebacker and he tackled well in space.

I’d still like to add a quality portal linebacker if possible.

Safety

Absent Jalen Catalon and incoming freshman Derek Williams, the challenge was to see if the safeties could be effective anyway. Jerrin Thompson had an uncharacteristically off afternoon at times but I’m not worried about No. 28. I’m still not sure about Kitan Crawford and the scrimmage didn’t clear things up for me.

Michael Taaffe is a much better tackler than he’s given credit for. BJ Allen was very active and present in a number of plays, in both positive and negative ways. Larry Turner-Gooden lacks range. I don’t see a path.

Cornerbacks/Nickel

A once problem area is morphing into an embarrassment of riches. The riches aren’t in the form of high profile 1st round draft picks (at least not yet), but rather in multiple high level college players all battling for snaps.

Terrance Brooks and Gavin Holmes give Texas legitimate man-to-man coverage capabilities but they achieve it differently. Holmes is gazelle-footed, long, quick. Good lateral quickness and he can match a receiver’s route. Brooks is a horsepower cornerback: powerful, bigger, straight line fast. He doesn’t match the route, he DIRECTS the route. You saw that on what he did to Worthy on a 2nd half go route. Payback for Worthy using his superior quickness on him in the RPO game.

Ryan Watts was really good. Great tackle early in the run game and then laid a big lick on DeAndre Moore late going about 50% speed so he didn’t hurt a teammate. He’s just too big, sound, aggressive and athletic to keep him off of the field, even if some feel Brooks or Holmes may be better pure man-coverage guys.

Jahdae Barron had a non-contact jersey on. I don’t know if he had any injury. More likely the staff knows he’s the second least replaceable player on the entire defense and chose discretion over valor. Interesting on rewatch how frequently Barron was in on a big play, but pulled off due to his non-contact status.

Ian Boyd and I discussed the possibility of Texas playing a lot of dime coverage this year on the Everyone Gets A Trophy Spring Game Defensive Breakdown. I won’t rehash why here, but if you want to understand the premise, give it a listen.

Final

I’m pretty confident that Texas will play good defense. Ultimate upside will be defined by offseason development, adding a key portal piece or two, the Catalon wildcard, and the defensive brain trust hitting the white board creatively to find ways to create pass rush with defensive line depth and a blitzing Anthony Hill (from several spots) while taking full advantage of four coverage assets in Watts, Holmes, Brooks and Barron who can attack the short and intermediate routes that so many Big 12 offenses live on.

The less conventionally Texas thinks through some of these challenges, the better this defense will be.

 

[NoName 16,286]

from Stewart Mandel's mailbag @ The Athletic: https://theathletic.com/4426283/2023/04/19/spring-football-texas-mandel/
 

Spoiler

Over the years I’ve perfected the art of watching spring games, the key being — never watch them live. Those are two hours of your life you’ll never get back. Either record and fast forward liberally (you’ll save 20 minutes on the sideline interviews with former players alone) or go on YouTube the next day.

Which I did for Texas’ game.

Note: Submitted questions have been lightly edited for length and clarity. 

As an Oklahoma fan, I hate to say this, but it seems like Sark has Texas trending in the right direction. What are your expectations for the Longhorns this season? — Timothy D.

Against my better instincts, I came away from Saturday’s spring game feeling more optimism for the Horns than I expected. Quinn Ewers, who was underwhelming for most of his debut season, looked noticeably more polished than at any time last fall. Texas already had a lot of weapons at receiver even before adding Georgia transfer AD Mitchell, but I was particularly impressed with the running backs post-Bijan/Roschon. Sophomore Jaydon Blue was making guys miss, sophomore Savion Red has some serious burst and early enrollee CJ Baxter looked ready to contribute.

All of which is encouraging, because Steve Sarkisian is at his best when he has a quarterback and playmakers he can scheme open.

But Texas’ last 13 seasons in the wilderness were not for lack of playmakers; the question has always been, can Sark build a team that’s more physical in the trenches than the Horns of years past? And we won’t get that answer until they get into a live game (notably Week 2 at Alabama). He’s certainly recruited more of those body types since he got there in 2021. On Monday, Texas landed Minnesota starting DT Trill Carter from the portal. If he can upgrade the talent up front, and if guys like Alfred Collins (6-foot-5, 313 pounds) and Byron Murphy II (6-1, 300) show up in games the way those in the program talk about them, the Horns can contend for a Big 12 title.

Would I feel comfortable predicting that right now? Absolutely not. But it helps Texas’ cause that the conference as a whole will not likely be as strong as it was last season when Kansas State and TCU stole the show. I don’t anticipate any of the four newcomers making an immediate splash. I do expect Oklahoma to be back at or near the top of the league, though.

Imagine if it’s an OU-Texas Big 12 title game in their last year in the league. Can’t happen, right? Brett Yormark will find a way to put Colorado or Arizona in the game instead.

idk if it was posted but here is Sam Khan Jr's article on the Spring Game also:
 

Spoiler

Seven thoughts on Texas’ Orange-White spring game on Saturday:

1. The play on the field made it clear, and coach Steve Sarkisian confirmed as much afterward, to nobody’s surprise: Quinn Ewers is QB1. There was plenty of curiosity about freshman Arch Manning, considering his last name and lofty recruiting status, but if the Longhorns are going to play for a Big 12 championship this fall, it’s Ewers who has to take them there.

Ewers showed flashes last year of what he can be, mixed in with typical freshman struggles amid a frustrating midseason slump. Saturday, the redshirt sophomore showed accuracy, patience and progress. He connected on an early deep ball with receiver Xavier Worthy, a welcome sight for frustrated Texas fans who watched the pair struggle to link up with regularity last season whenever Sarkisian drew up deep shots downfield.

“I think it’s pretty clear to say Quinn’s our starting quarterback, and we feel very good about that,” Sarkisian said.

Ewers, who finished 16-of-23 passing for 195 yards and a touchdown, didn’t commit a turnover and was smart with the football, not putting himself or the offense in bad situations. Sarkisian has alluded multiple times this spring to the progress Ewers has made in his game and in his personal development, and the quarterback mentioned Saturday the efforts he took this offseason to grow.

“I didn’t like where I was at last year,” Ewers said. “Obviously, something had to change if I want to end up where I want to be in the future. … I’m eating a lot better. I’m doing all the small things a lot harder, and I’m excited.”

 

2. For all the buzz about Manning, who looked like a true freshman, it was redshirt freshman Maalik Murphy who shined among the backup quarterbacks. The 2022 four-star recruit, who has battled injuries for much of his Longhorns career, looked comfortable and in command when he was in the game.

The 6-foot-5, 235-pound California native finished 9-of-13 for 165 yards and a touchdown. The offense ran smoothly with him in the game, and he made two impressive deep throws, one of which went through the hands of freshman receiver DeAndre Moore Jr., and the other of which was hauled in by 2023 five-star recruit Johntay Cook II for a 79-yard touchdown.

 

“He’s got great vision,” Sarkisian said. “When he pushes the ball down the field, it’s natural. It’s not like he has to force it. He’s got a quick delivery and quick release.”

Manning, who finished 5-of-13 for 30 yards, was pressured early and often, forcing him to scramble and throw the ball away at times. To his credit, he didn’t force any poor throws or decisions while under pressure, but he wasn’t able to create any explosive plays, either.

The No. 1 recruit in the 2023 class, Manning displayed a quick release and a ball that arrives in a hurry to receivers. But he was off-target a handful of times, as well. The New Orleans product still has a lot of developing to do.

Sarkisian said he didn’t feel the need to establish a pecking order among the quarterbacks.

“Sometimes we can rush to judgment on where guys are at,” Sarkisian said. “I don’t ever want to take the stinger of these other guys that they’re not competing for something, that they’re not striving for something because they’re all talented players.”

3. If there’s a most improved position on the roster, it’s receiver. Last year, Sarkisian talked about the need to develop other weapons to take some of the defensive attention off Worthy, who was coming off his freshman All-America season in 2021.

Isaiah Neyor’s preseason knee injury, as well as injuries to others at the position, disrupted that plan, leaving Texas with just Worthy and Jordan Whittington as its consistently reliable options at receiver.

Enter Georgia transfer Adonai Mitchell. The junior from Missouri City, Texas, who helped the Bulldogs to consecutive College Football Playoff national championships, made the best catch of the day, a one-handed touchdown snag in the middle of the field.

 

Mitchell, who finished with a game-high six catches for 58 yards but was wearing a non-contact jersey, looks like an instant impact weapon in the Longhorns’ passing game.

Add Cook and Moore to the mix plus a healthy Neyor (who was held out of the game for precautionary reasons) and suddenly the Longhorns have a host of quality options for Ewers — not to mention tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders, their second-leading pass catcher last year.

“AD Mitchell is an explosive athlete,” Sarkisian said. “That explosiveness that he has … in combination with Xavier, with Jordan, with JT, that’s a problem. Now, let’s make sure we’re calling the right plays to get all those guys open and that the quarterback is finding those one-on-one matchups because those guys can win one-on-one and they can’t double everybody.”

4. One of the biggest voids to fill is at running back, where Bijan Robinson and Roschon Johnson have been mainstays but are off to the NFL.

There’s little question about the talent level at the position, but the other backs haven’t played major roles in the offense because of the presence of Robinson and Johnson.

The spring game offered a glimpse at a few of the backs, namely sophomore Jaydon Blue and true freshman CJ Baxter. Blue made a highlight-worthy run for a touchdown, breaking tackles and juking a defender. Baxter received a lot of work in between the tackles and scored a 1-yard touchdown.

 

Both were blue-chip recruits: Blue was a top-200 prospect in the 2022 class, Baxter a five-star in 2023. Sophomore Jonathon Brooks, who was impressive in the limited action he saw last season, carried the ball just twice Saturday, and senior utility back Keilan Robinson was held out of the game. But Texas has plenty of backfield options from which to choose.

Savion Red, a former receiver recruit who moved to running back this offseason, also got plenty of work. He finished with nine carries for 45 yards and also caught two passes. He is an intriguing player with skill and versatility.

5. The defensive front got consistent pressure throughout the day and is an area Texas should feel good about because of the number of good, young talent there. Sophomore edge rusher Ethan Burke and redshirt freshman edge J’Mond Tapp each tallied sacks.

Freshman linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. was active, picking up three tackles and a sack and looking like every bit of the five-star recruit he was.

And although he didn’t fill up the stat sheet Saturday, the player who has gotten the most buzz on defense this spring is junior defensive lineman Byron Murphy II. The DeSoto, Texas, product has been a consistent matchup headache throughout spring, drawing praise from multiple teammates.

“He’s right there on the nose of the ball every time,” linebacker Jaylan Ford said. “He easily causes disruption.”

Ewers offered praise to senior defensive lineman Alfred Collins, who finished with a sack.

“He’s a disruptor of pretty much everything inside,” Ewers said. “I hate playing against him.”

Because the Longhorns split the squad into separate teams, more snaps were available for linemen on the two-deep, but Sarkisian is excited to see what it looks like when they’re on the field as a full group in the fall.

“We’re at our best defensively when we can roll our front and guys aren’t having to play 40 or 50 plays but they’re playing 25 or so,” Sarkisian said. “Our depth, when we’re all on one team, is going to be advantageous for us.”

6. Ford was asked who among the defensive players has stood out as a potential breakout player this season. Murphy was top of mind, but he also pointed out safety Kitan Crawford.

“He’s a physical guy for a safety,” Ford said of Crawford. “He’ll make plays as if he was a linebacker, and he’s got the speed.”

Ford also singled out redshirt freshman defensive lineman Aaron Bryant for his play up front Saturday.

7. After two years of constructing the roster to his specifications, Sarkisian has a team that looks drastically different from the one he took over in January 2021, in a good way. It’s bigger and deeper in the trenches, it’s explosive at receiver and it’s fast on the defensive perimeter.

The offense finally has the talent Sarkisian needs to allow him to do what he does best: create mismatches with his game planning and play calling. If Ewers continues to grow and the young backs can settle into their new roles, Texas’ offense could take off.

“You’re like the kid who gets a bunch of new toys at Christmas and then you still have those other toys you love playing with,” Sarkisian said. “Now our job is to make sure that we craft an offense that allows all of those guys to play to their potential and to do the things that they do really well and hopefully make things difficult on our opponents.

“We should be fresh, we should be fast and making sure that we’re distributing the ball in a way to where, at any given moment, one of these guys can really hurt you.”

Most importantly, Texas has depth, which is critical if the Longhorns are going to seriously contend for a conference title. Injuries happen, but being able to endure them and continue winning is what makes a championship possible. The transfer portal opened Saturday, so we’ll find out soon enough what moves the Longhorns make there. But Texas doesn’t need much.

In his first two years at Texas, Sarkisian said there were positions where he felt shaky if he had to turn to a backup. But that’s not the case anymore.

“You can go position by position, and I feel very comfortable if the starter isn’t in — the backup doesn’t look much different,” Sarkisian said. “We haven’t been in that space here my first couple of years.

“We have depth on this team now to where we have a very solid two-deep and — at some positions three-deep — where we’re very comfortable with the players that we have.”

 

[BurntOrange&White 39,566]

 

 

[Vito Andolini 9,098]

Sam Khan has much better eyesight than I… or worse… if he saw Jonathan Brooks carry the football during the spring game.

[Big Woodrows 4,195]

1 hour ago, NoName said:

from Stewart Mandel's mailbag @ The Athletic: https://theathletic.com/4426283/2023/04/19/spring-football-texas-mandel/
 

  Reveal hidden contents

Over the years I’ve perfected the art of watching spring games, the key being — never watch them live. Those are two hours of your life you’ll never get back. Either record and fast forward liberally (you’ll save 20 minutes on the sideline interviews with former players alone) or go on YouTube the next day.

Which I did for Texas’ game.

Note: Submitted questions have been lightly edited for length and clarity. 

As an Oklahoma fan, I hate to say this, but it seems like Sark has Texas trending in the right direction. What are your expectations for the Longhorns this season? — Timothy D.

Against my better instincts, I came away from Saturday’s spring game feeling more optimism for the Horns than I expected. Quinn Ewers, who was underwhelming for most of his debut season, looked noticeably more polished than at any time last fall. Texas already had a lot of weapons at receiver even before adding Georgia transfer AD Mitchell, but I was particularly impressed with the running backs post-Bijan/Roschon. Sophomore Jaydon Blue was making guys miss, sophomore Savion Red has some serious burst and early enrollee CJ Baxter looked ready to contribute.

All of which is encouraging, because Steve Sarkisian is at his best when he has a quarterback and playmakers he can scheme open.

But Texas’ last 13 seasons in the wilderness were not for lack of playmakers; the question has always been, can Sark build a team that’s more physical in the trenches than the Horns of years past? And we won’t get that answer until they get into a live game (notably Week 2 at Alabama). He’s certainly recruited more of those body types since he got there in 2021. On Monday, Texas landed Minnesota starting DT Trill Carter from the portal. If he can upgrade the talent up front, and if guys like Alfred Collins (6-foot-5, 313 pounds) and Byron Murphy II (6-1, 300) show up in games the way those in the program talk about them, the Horns can contend for a Big 12 title.

Would I feel comfortable predicting that right now? Absolutely not. But it helps Texas’ cause that the conference as a whole will not likely be as strong as it was last season when Kansas State and TCU stole the show. I don’t anticipate any of the four newcomers making an immediate splash. I do expect Oklahoma to be back at or near the top of the league, though.

Imagine if it’s an OU-Texas Big 12 title game in their last year in the league. Can’t happen, right? Brett Yormark will find a way to put Colorado or Arizona in the game instead.

idk if it was posted but here is Sam Khan Jr's article on the Spring Game also:
 

  Reveal hidden contents

Seven thoughts on Texas’ Orange-White spring game on Saturday:

1. The play on the field made it clear, and coach Steve Sarkisian confirmed as much afterward, to nobody’s surprise: Quinn Ewers is QB1. There was plenty of curiosity about freshman Arch Manning, considering his last name and lofty recruiting status, but if the Longhorns are going to play for a Big 12 championship this fall, it’s Ewers who has to take them there.

Ewers showed flashes last year of what he can be, mixed in with typical freshman struggles amid a frustrating midseason slump. Saturday, the redshirt sophomore showed accuracy, patience and progress. He connected on an early deep ball with receiver Xavier Worthy, a welcome sight for frustrated Texas fans who watched the pair struggle to link up with regularity last season whenever Sarkisian drew up deep shots downfield.

“I think it’s pretty clear to say Quinn’s our starting quarterback, and we feel very good about that,” Sarkisian said.

Ewers, who finished 16-of-23 passing for 195 yards and a touchdown, didn’t commit a turnover and was smart with the football, not putting himself or the offense in bad situations. Sarkisian has alluded multiple times this spring to the progress Ewers has made in his game and in his personal development, and the quarterback mentioned Saturday the efforts he took this offseason to grow.

“I didn’t like where I was at last year,” Ewers said. “Obviously, something had to change if I want to end up where I want to be in the future. … I’m eating a lot better. I’m doing all the small things a lot harder, and I’m excited.”

 

2. For all the buzz about Manning, who looked like a true freshman, it was redshirt freshman Maalik Murphy who shined among the backup quarterbacks. The 2022 four-star recruit, who has battled injuries for much of his Longhorns career, looked comfortable and in command when he was in the game.

The 6-foot-5, 235-pound California native finished 9-of-13 for 165 yards and a touchdown. The offense ran smoothly with him in the game, and he made two impressive deep throws, one of which went through the hands of freshman receiver DeAndre Moore Jr., and the other of which was hauled in by 2023 five-star recruit Johntay Cook II for a 79-yard touchdown.

 

“He’s got great vision,” Sarkisian said. “When he pushes the ball down the field, it’s natural. It’s not like he has to force it. He’s got a quick delivery and quick release.”

Manning, who finished 5-of-13 for 30 yards, was pressured early and often, forcing him to scramble and throw the ball away at times. To his credit, he didn’t force any poor throws or decisions while under pressure, but he wasn’t able to create any explosive plays, either.

The No. 1 recruit in the 2023 class, Manning displayed a quick release and a ball that arrives in a hurry to receivers. But he was off-target a handful of times, as well. The New Orleans product still has a lot of developing to do.

Sarkisian said he didn’t feel the need to establish a pecking order among the quarterbacks.

“Sometimes we can rush to judgment on where guys are at,” Sarkisian said. “I don’t ever want to take the stinger of these other guys that they’re not competing for something, that they’re not striving for something because they’re all talented players.”

3. If there’s a most improved position on the roster, it’s receiver. Last year, Sarkisian talked about the need to develop other weapons to take some of the defensive attention off Worthy, who was coming off his freshman All-America season in 2021.

Isaiah Neyor’s preseason knee injury, as well as injuries to others at the position, disrupted that plan, leaving Texas with just Worthy and Jordan Whittington as its consistently reliable options at receiver.

Enter Georgia transfer Adonai Mitchell. The junior from Missouri City, Texas, who helped the Bulldogs to consecutive College Football Playoff national championships, made the best catch of the day, a one-handed touchdown snag in the middle of the field.

 

Mitchell, who finished with a game-high six catches for 58 yards but was wearing a non-contact jersey, looks like an instant impact weapon in the Longhorns’ passing game.

Add Cook and Moore to the mix plus a healthy Neyor (who was held out of the game for precautionary reasons) and suddenly the Longhorns have a host of quality options for Ewers — not to mention tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders, their second-leading pass catcher last year.

“AD Mitchell is an explosive athlete,” Sarkisian said. “That explosiveness that he has … in combination with Xavier, with Jordan, with JT, that’s a problem. Now, let’s make sure we’re calling the right plays to get all those guys open and that the quarterback is finding those one-on-one matchups because those guys can win one-on-one and they can’t double everybody.”

4. One of the biggest voids to fill is at running back, where Bijan Robinson and Roschon Johnson have been mainstays but are off to the NFL.

There’s little question about the talent level at the position, but the other backs haven’t played major roles in the offense because of the presence of Robinson and Johnson.

The spring game offered a glimpse at a few of the backs, namely sophomore Jaydon Blue and true freshman CJ Baxter. Blue made a highlight-worthy run for a touchdown, breaking tackles and juking a defender. Baxter received a lot of work in between the tackles and scored a 1-yard touchdown.

 

Both were blue-chip recruits: Blue was a top-200 prospect in the 2022 class, Baxter a five-star in 2023. Sophomore Jonathon Brooks, who was impressive in the limited action he saw last season, carried the ball just twice Saturday, and senior utility back Keilan Robinson was held out of the game. But Texas has plenty of backfield options from which to choose.

Savion Red, a former receiver recruit who moved to running back this offseason, also got plenty of work. He finished with nine carries for 45 yards and also caught two passes. He is an intriguing player with skill and versatility.

5. The defensive front got consistent pressure throughout the day and is an area Texas should feel good about because of the number of good, young talent there. Sophomore edge rusher Ethan Burke and redshirt freshman edge J’Mond Tapp each tallied sacks.

Freshman linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. was active, picking up three tackles and a sack and looking like every bit of the five-star recruit he was.

And although he didn’t fill up the stat sheet Saturday, the player who has gotten the most buzz on defense this spring is junior defensive lineman Byron Murphy II. The DeSoto, Texas, product has been a consistent matchup headache throughout spring, drawing praise from multiple teammates.

“He’s right there on the nose of the ball every time,” linebacker Jaylan Ford said. “He easily causes disruption.”

Ewers offered praise to senior defensive lineman Alfred Collins, who finished with a sack.

“He’s a disruptor of pretty much everything inside,” Ewers said. “I hate playing against him.”

Because the Longhorns split the squad into separate teams, more snaps were available for linemen on the two-deep, but Sarkisian is excited to see what it looks like when they’re on the field as a full group in the fall.

“We’re at our best defensively when we can roll our front and guys aren’t having to play 40 or 50 plays but they’re playing 25 or so,” Sarkisian said. “Our depth, when we’re all on one team, is going to be advantageous for us.”

6. Ford was asked who among the defensive players has stood out as a potential breakout player this season. Murphy was top of mind, but he also pointed out safety Kitan Crawford.

“He’s a physical guy for a safety,” Ford said of Crawford. “He’ll make plays as if he was a linebacker, and he’s got the speed.”

Ford also singled out redshirt freshman defensive lineman Aaron Bryant for his play up front Saturday.

7. After two years of constructing the roster to his specifications, Sarkisian has a team that looks drastically different from the one he took over in January 2021, in a good way. It’s bigger and deeper in the trenches, it’s explosive at receiver and it’s fast on the defensive perimeter.

The offense finally has the talent Sarkisian needs to allow him to do what he does best: create mismatches with his game planning and play calling. If Ewers continues to grow and the young backs can settle into their new roles, Texas’ offense could take off.

“You’re like the kid who gets a bunch of new toys at Christmas and then you still have those other toys you love playing with,” Sarkisian said. “Now our job is to make sure that we craft an offense that allows all of those guys to play to their potential and to do the things that they do really well and hopefully make things difficult on our opponents.

“We should be fresh, we should be fast and making sure that we’re distributing the ball in a way to where, at any given moment, one of these guys can really hurt you.”

Most importantly, Texas has depth, which is critical if the Longhorns are going to seriously contend for a conference title. Injuries happen, but being able to endure them and continue winning is what makes a championship possible. The transfer portal opened Saturday, so we’ll find out soon enough what moves the Longhorns make there. But Texas doesn’t need much.

In his first two years at Texas, Sarkisian said there were positions where he felt shaky if he had to turn to a backup. But that’s not the case anymore.

“You can go position by position, and I feel very comfortable if the starter isn’t in — the backup doesn’t look much different,” Sarkisian said. “We haven’t been in that space here my first couple of years.

“We have depth on this team now to where we have a very solid two-deep and — at some positions three-deep — where we’re very comfortable with the players that we have.”

 

Has anyone followed up with Mandel yet about his hardline stance that Manning would transfer if he didn't win the starting job as a true freshman?

 

[Vito Andolini 9,098]

Another quote from that movie would seem to apply to Mandel.

[MonkeyDoughnut 10,138]

Mandel followed up with...

 

I feel Mandel's a guy who social media and click counts has completely ruined.  Back when he was just writing stories and articles he never would have acted like such a tool as he is now.

Edited April 19, 2023 by MonkeyDoughnut

[BrazilHorn 6,576]

30 minutes ago, MonkeyDoughnut said:

Mandel followed up with...

 

I feel Mandel's a guy who social media and click counts has completely ruined.  Back when he was just writing stories and articles he never would have acted like such a tool as he is now.

He is hack. He knows he lives in clickbait world and has morphed into the “ Skip Bayless” of CFB. 

[LTtxfan 48,952]

Wow, Mandel really has no clue. 

If it works out ok, Arch being able to redshirt his freshman year looks like a good thing for him.

[Tex Long 4,342]

Miz Long brought home a copy of Bud Shrake's last novel, Custer's Brother's Horse, the other day. I was a serious fan, though not practitioner of Nekkid Bridge and collections of Harvey Penick's wisdom. For thirty years, and more, I picked up publications with "Bud Shrake" on the cover and - as sure as the guy snapping open his chair next to a righteous milf and announcing "Dis gone be good" - was never disappointed. 

Fuck Mandel and every one of the other pretenders. None of them will ever measure up to Bud.

[Sir Ulrich 5,187]

After one of the worst pre season predictions of all time why are we still giving Mandel any weight? 

[ousux 5,586]

Wow, Mandel really has no clue. 
If it works out ok, Arch being able to redshirt his freshman year looks like a good thing for him.

That was always the plan. We all suspected it was the case, VY actually let it slip publicly as if it was common knowledge and already decided. That was confirmation enough for me. The only thing that changes this is the I word which shall not be named...and may karma give Dallas Turner a very painful hangnail when we visit gumpville in September.

[jetsfan76 700]

ESPN FPI has us 11-1 this year, with a 23.6% chance to beat Bama.

[TexEx15 17,456]

6 minutes ago, jetsfan76 said:

ESPN FPI has us 11-1 this year, with a 23.6% chance to beat Bama.

What did it have us last year?

[Hookem2147 20,925]

1 hour ago, Sir Ulrich said:

After one of the worst pre season predictions of all time why are we still giving Mandel any weight? 

He had Nebraska losing to North Dakota last year, and when he was called out on it on twitter, it was revealed that he thought North Dakota was the same as North Dakota State.

[Deej 76,524]

Howie Mandel's opinions on college football carry more weight. 

[Vertigo 20,265]

11 minutes ago, Deej said:

Howie Mandel's opinions on college football carry more weight. 

Well he is doing a bang up job on P12 realignment. Carrying the P12 flag, parroting the P12 narrative from Kliavkoff's office, and then getting a giant dick in his mouth after every tweet is proven false in less than 5 minutes. 

[Park Gothic 4,964]

Y'all are wasting a lot of energy on a guy who clearly doesn't give a shit about college football or journalism anymore. In terms of actually knowing what's happening, rather than just regurgitating what other people have told him, Mandel has been a dry hole for years. He's the EIC of The Athletic which means his job, first and foremost, is to generate revenue. That is his primary occupation, not good football reporting. He's (arguably) leaving that to his staff. 

I don't even begrudge the guy his situation. Online journalism is a rough industry with thin margins. But I don't concern myself with his opinions on football. Nobody should. 

[jetsfan76 700]

1 hour ago, TexEx15 said:

What did it have us last year?

11-1 also. So, 8-5 season again?

[Josef Pwag 1,722]

1 hour ago, jetsfan76 said:

23.6% chance to beat Bama.

[Wishbone 4,731]

On 4/17/2023 at 8:09 AM, LTtxfan said:

 

Help me out here. That vid of Cook’s catch and run was considered a TD? Do they not count “OB” in the Spring Game?

Edited April 19, 2023 by Wishbone
Nevermind. Sucks being drunk early and needing a new eyewear script. Carry on.

[Vertigo 20,265]

2 minutes ago, Wishbone said:

Help me out here. That vid of Cook’s catch and run was considered a TD? Do they not count “OB” in the Spring Game?

I thought the same thing. He is running on the yard markers, but from that view it looks like the sideline. 

[LTtxfan 48,952]

On 4/17/2023 at 12:59 PM, Bodacious Bevo said:

Scipio's post mortem. Here's the text version. 

  Reveal hidden contents

The obvious thing that jumped out was the secondary depth (I don’t mean names on a depth chart, I mean dudes) led by a good nucleus up front of every down stalwarts in the defensive line, Jaylan Ford at linebacker and some potential specialists that can be creatively integrated with the infrastructure pieces to fashion a good defense.

Going scattershot…

Interior Defensive Line

I wasn’t happy with some of T’vondre Sweat’s early efforts, particularly as a pass rusher. He was either trying to do shake-and-bake head feints or standing up instead of methodically walking back the interior lineman across from him and collapsing pocket depth. Add a lazy face mask by not moving his feet. I understand the ball is getting out quickly, but work on your craft No. 93. It’s a salary year. On one play in the second half, he shocked and controlled Sawyer Goram-Welch, discarded him like a sack of potatoes, then pursued the ball. We need more of that.

Byron Murphy had some pass rush moments, including a flush sack into Burke’s waiting arms. Good get off from Byron. Alfred Collins is better at the point of the attack and in the third quarter he had a sequence where he tipped a pass and then got a sack. He’s noticeably bigger and stronger. Pete Kwiatkowski didn’t let them cut it loose much taking gaps and I expect more of that in season.

Sydir Mitchell is carrying a lot of bad weight, but he’s an absolute problem when he’s fresh, standing up interior run blockers like they’d hit a brick wall and effectively collapsing pockets. He’s potentially special if he wants it. Texas will have to substitute him in judiciously and make sure he doesn’t get caught on the field when a team goes hurry up or in end of half situations. He has 4.5 months to work on his body and earn 20 snaps a game this year. Those snaps need to come 3-5 at a time spread out over 4 quarters, not entire series per se. I’d play him a lot against running teams and advisedly against the pass-happy.

Jaray Bledoe and Zac Swanson are both too light and not yet strong enough, but Swanson is a game pass rusher from the interior. Good first step, uses his hands well, finds the QB and gets small going through gaps so that OL can’t get a real piece of him. No. 86 may actually be a problem for people in this role. Buried on run down double teams, but I’d happily employ him on clear passing downs. Before you ask, no, he’s probably not an edge solution.

Aaron Bryant made a solid stop on a short yardage situation late game. Nothing stood out about him to me. Vernon Broughton looks like the same guy as last year.

Edge

Barryn Sorrell is good to go. Still a power rusher who sets the edge well and does a fine job extending his arms and working through or over blockers. The hustle is always present. Pretty good on the few stunts we ran.

J’Mond Tapp showed zero juice. I was shocked given his high school film. Kris Ross has a first step, but he’s not strong and can’t play through contact. Like a lot of guys who lose weight when they reimagine their role, he’s learning that play strength still matters. Justice Finkley might outwork some lazier offensive tackles and he’s good on the move where he can attack interior gaps on a game, but short edges better have outstanding quickness and power to make up for their lack of length.

Ethan Burke uses his long arms well and is very mobile. He will be good, particularly at 265+. But right now, he’s not strong enough at the point of the attack and he needs an interior flush or stunts to get at the QB consistently. He’s not going to run the arc and whip a 5th year senior tackle quite yet. Didn’t play counters well (he has to learn to squeeze and keep his outside shoulder free) and No. 91 was the biggest culprit in Jaydon Blue’s 31 yard touchdown run. Currently our best option opposite Sorrell, unless we get creative with Ant Hill. More on that later…

It should be noted that our edges were going against Kelvin Banks and a 6th year Christian Jones. It’s possible their competition level is squashing some positive traits.

We need a great offseason from the guys on campus and a quality edge transfer for this D to maximize.

Linebacker

Jaylan Ford was very good. He had a unheralded highlight taking out both pulling offensive linemen on a counter play, forcing Cedric Baxter to reverse field. I don’t need to expound his virtues, do I?

Right now, Jett Bush is our second best linebacker against the run. I might even put a period after the word linebacker. This is his natural position and at 240-245 he has solid range, certainly much better than the average fan’s perception of him. How he played in 2021 as an undersized out of position edge is irrelevant. He probably led the team in tackles in the 1st half and he made a variety of good plays, to include a terrific goal line stop on Blue and a nice read on a screen. Also had a sack on Arch coming off of the edge on a stunt.

I made a point of watching David Gbenda. I still don’t know. Physically looks better and didn’t run himself out of any plays as has been his wont, but I want undersized linebackers to have freaky ball sense, decisiveness and outstanding quickness. Gbenda picks through a bit too much when I’d like to see him recognize and attack.

Anthony Hill is the best blitzer and edge pass rusher on the team. He’s cheetah quick, gets off blocking, with motor and recovery in spades. I laughed when I watched him detonate 360 pound Payton Kirkland on one thwarted blitz. There wasn’t a gap to shimmy through, so he just decided to choose violence. That’s the attitude we want. I counted two sacks and some other nice runs at the QB. Can he reliably play the run as a traditional linebacker? Probably not. PK needs to dust off some LSU Harold Perkins packages for him. He can play every LB position because he’ll still be blitzing wherever he’s lined up. We should obviously expand his use on the edge, but he’s not big enough to play it every down.

Morice Blackwell is a big safety playing linebacker and he tackled well in space.

I’d still like to add a quality portal linebacker if possible.

Safety

Absent Jalen Catalon and incoming freshman Derek Williams, the challenge was to see if the safeties could be effective anyway. Jerrin Thompson had an uncharacteristically off afternoon at times but I’m not worried about No. 28. I’m still not sure about Kitan Crawford and the scrimmage didn’t clear things up for me.

Michael Taaffe is a much better tackler than he’s given credit for. BJ Allen was very active and present in a number of plays, in both positive and negative ways. Larry Turner-Gooden lacks range. I don’t see a path.

Cornerbacks/Nickel

A once problem area is morphing into an embarrassment of riches. The riches aren’t in the form of high profile 1st round draft picks (at least not yet), but rather in multiple high level college players all battling for snaps.

Terrance Brooks and Gavin Holmes give Texas legitimate man-to-man coverage capabilities but they achieve it differently. Holmes is gazelle-footed, long, quick. Good lateral quickness and he can match a receiver’s route. Brooks is a horsepower cornerback: powerful, bigger, straight line fast. He doesn’t match the route, he DIRECTS the route. You saw that on what he did to Worthy on a 2nd half go route. Payback for Worthy using his superior quickness on him in the RPO game.

Ryan Watts was really good. Great tackle early in the run game and then laid a big lick on DeAndre Moore late going about 50% speed so he didn’t hurt a teammate. He’s just too big, sound, aggressive and athletic to keep him off of the field, even if some feel Brooks or Holmes may be better pure man-coverage guys.

Jahdae Barron had a non-contact jersey on. I don’t know if he had any injury. More likely the staff knows he’s the second least replaceable player on the entire defense and chose discretion over valor. Interesting on rewatch how frequently Barron was in on a big play, but pulled off due to his non-contact status.

Ian Boyd and I discussed the possibility of Texas playing a lot of dime coverage this year on the Everyone Gets A Trophy Spring Game Defensive Breakdown. I won’t rehash why here, but if you want to understand the premise, give it a listen.

Final

I’m pretty confident that Texas will play good defense. Ultimate upside will be defined by offseason development, adding a key portal piece or two, the Catalon wildcard, and the defensive brain trust hitting the white board creatively to find ways to create pass rush with defensive line depth and a blitzing Anthony Hill (from several spots) while taking full advantage of four coverage assets in Watts, Holmes, Brooks and Barron who can attack the short and intermediate routes that so many Big 12 offenses live on.

The less conventionally Texas thinks through some of these challenges, the better this defense will be.

 

Thx for above.

If it exists, can someone please post Scipio Tex's post mortem on the offense...

[billfromlaketravis 11,357]

3 hours ago, Deej said:

Howie Mandel's opinions on college football carry more weight. 

Get ready. That fat fuck Ari Wasserman teased a long piece on Andy Staples’ pod that he promised will take a giant shit on the Texas Program. It will focus on player development, and include the Herman and Strong years. Thank God 0.000001% of recruits subscribe to The Athletic. 
 

I’m sure aggy and OU will copy and paste the article and throw up on LED screens in their football facilities. 

[LTtxfan 48,952]

4 minutes ago, billfromlaketravis said:

Get ready. That fat fuck Ari Wasserman teased a long piece on Andy Staples’ pod that he promised will take a giant shit on the Texas Program. It will focus on player development, and include the Herman and Strong years. Thank God 0.000001% of recruits subscribe to The Athletic.  I’m sure aggy and OU will copy and paste the article and throw up on LED screens in their football facilities. 

Guess the Suckeyes folks asked Ari to write this upcoming hit piece in an attempt to hurt Longhorns recruiting...

[horn4life 3,753]

On 4/15/2023 at 8:20 PM, Codaxx said:

I thought Arch played well given the circumstances. Sark did not set him up for success. I wouldn’t be surprised if this was Sark’s way for dampening the media flames on Arch 

I would be surprised if you didn't think there was some sort of conspiracy against Arch.  Instead of maybe, just maybe, the kid's a freshman.  

Yeah... Sark submarined him...🙄

[billfromlaketravis 11,357]

39 minutes ago, LTtxfan said:

Guess the Suckeyes folks asked Ari to write this upcoming hit piece in an attempt to hurt Longhorns recruiting...

He hides it well. Overly complimentary of Michigan/Harbaugh. Constantly talks up Bama. Adores Saban. Loves Notre Dame. 
 

The only school he hates more than Texas is probably Georgia. I didn’t think you could backhand compliment a two peat national champion, but he finds a way. I think he needed some tissues and lotion after the Bear Alexander transfer news broke. 
 

I’m probably done with Staple’s podcast. The 20 minutes of small talk at the beginning of each episode is like nails on the chalkboard. 

[Nope 3,111]

57 minutes ago, billfromlaketravis said:

Get ready. That fat fuck Ari Wasserman teased a long piece on Andy Staples’ pod that he promised will take a giant shit on the Texas Program. It will focus on player development, and include the Herman and Strong years. Thank God 0.000001% of recruits subscribe to The Athletic. 
 

I’m sure aggy and OU will copy and paste the article and throw up on LED screens in their football facilities. 

Who cares about an article explaining why we were right to fire two shitty coaches?

[Sandbagging Steve 982]

1 hour ago, LTtxfan said:

Guess the Suckeyes folks asked Ari to write this upcoming hit piece in an attempt to hurt Longhorns recruiting...

We didn't need all that info to know he covered tOSU. His profile picture gives it away.

[TotallyLegit 3,050]

1 hour ago, billfromlaketravis said:

Get ready. That fat fuck Ari Wasserman teased a long piece on Andy Staples’ pod that he promised will take a giant shit on the Texas Program. It will focus on player development, and include the Herman and Strong years. Thank God 0.000001% of recruits subscribe to The Athletic. 
 

I’m sure aggy and OU will copy and paste the article and throw up on LED screens in their football facilities. 

Dang, a hit piece like that could really sting. If the article really gets traction, we may need to fire Herman and/or Strong (hopefully not both).

[billfromlaketravis 11,357]

Just now, TotallyLegit said:

Dang, a hit piece like that could really sting. If the article really gets traction, we may need to fire Herman and/or Strong (hopefully not both).

Haha. I should probably just punt on college football podcasts. I can listen to a book instead. I like the IT guys but talking for a living isn’t their strong suit.  All the national guys are currently putting out the Texas still sucks narrative while treating Jimbo/aggy with kid gloves. 

[Schulz2.0 28,761]

1 hour ago, billfromlaketravis said:

Get ready. That fat fuck Ari Wasserman teased a long piece on Andy Staples’ pod that he promised will take a giant shit on the Texas Program. It will focus on player development, and include the Herman and Strong years. Thank God 0.000001% of recruits subscribe to The Athletic. 
 

I’m sure aggy and OU will copy and paste the article and throw up on LED screens in their football facilities. 

His wife is an A&M grad IIRC.

[Vertigo 20,265]

At least he is doing it now and not the night before signing day. I guarantee his wife is giving him a blowjob for this one. 

[Hookem2147 20,925]

2 hours ago, billfromlaketravis said:

Get ready. That fat fuck Ari Wasserman teased a long piece on Andy Staples’ pod that he promised will take a giant shit on the Texas Program. It will focus on player development, and include the Herman and Strong years. Thank God 0.000001% of recruits subscribe to The Athletic. 
 

I’m sure aggy and OU will copy and paste the article and throw up on LED screens in their football facilities. 

Bad news for OU, they are ranked 1 spot ahead of Texas when it comes to programs who develop the least amount of 5-stars into draft picks.

[Park Gothic 4,964]

3 hours ago, billfromlaketravis said:

Get ready. That fat fuck Ari Wasserman teased a long piece on Andy Staples’ pod that he promised will take a giant shit on the Texas Program. It will focus on player development, and include the Herman and Strong years. Thank God 0.000001% of recruits subscribe to The Athletic. 
 

I’m sure aggy and OU will copy and paste the article and throw up on LED screens in their football facilities. 

Is it this one?

https://theathletic.com/4412195/2023/04/19/nfl-draft-talent-college-football-recruiting/

Honestly not that bad. 

[NoName 16,286]

12 hours ago, billfromlaketravis said:

Get ready. That fat fuck Ari Wasserman teased a long piece on Andy Staples’ pod that he promised will take a giant shit on the Texas Program. It will focus on player development, and include the Herman and Strong years. Thank God 0.000001% of recruits subscribe to The Athletic. 
 

I’m sure aggy and OU will copy and paste the article and throw up on LED screens in their football facilities. 

it's already out, basically Texas puts 5* in the league at the lowest rate in a handful of positions, same with 4*.

they did a bunch of work on it, but i didn't share it here.

[texifornia 56,479]

21 minutes ago, NoName said:

it's already out, basically Texas puts 5* in the league at the lowest rate in a handful of positions, same with 4*.

they did a bunch of work on it, but i didn't share it here.

Give Captain Obvious over here a Pulitzer, what a unique and unexplored story.