Tom "the turtle" Herman [Lame Duck or greatest 5d chess player ever?]

[JOSEYWALES66 1801]

[BurntOrange&White 39932]

[closetohumping 17442]

That wasn't a great update from TFB

[westexhorn 2018]

Thank you fellow surly horniers

[UncleBuck 6454]

6 minutes ago, closetohumping said:

That wasn't a great update from TFB

I don't think it was a bad update? Still seems Urban's in play, and actually contacting coaches for a possible staff. Seems Tom bought some time, which is basically what we've speculated since Saturday evening, and kinda obvious. 

Edited November 2, 2020 by UncleBuck

[closetohumping 17442]

1 minute ago, UncleBuck said:

I don't think it was bad update? Still seems Urban's in play. Seems Tom bought some time. Basically what we've speculated. 

Yeah, I guess it seems tempered.  IMO, we're waiting for a Herm loss, in any capacity.  I think one more loss in the Big 12 and he's done.  If he wins this conference, and before any of you say "what are you fucking crazy have you seen what we have on the field, have you checked his track record," yes I agree with that.  But talent wise, Herm can bully almost any team other than ou and I guess osu in this conference.  Other than Kansas, the remaining 3 games are toss ups.  He can definitely win out in the regular season, then his fate will rest in the conference title game against ou or osu.

[westexhorn 2018]

2 minutes ago, UncleBuck said:

I don't think it was a bad update? Still seems Urban's in play. Seems Tom bought some time. Basically what we've speculated since Saturday evening.

Kinda sucks to see that most of the old assistant may not join him as I am sure that plays pretty big in his enthusiasm for a new job, especially a rebuild.  Hopefully his desire to coach one more time and the money is enough to convince him.

[DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt 12301]

1 minute ago, UncleBuck said:

I don't think it was bad update? Still seems Urban's in play. Seems Tom bought some time. Basically what we've speculated. 

I really don’t think that win bought him time. I think the timing all boils down to the back channel Urban talks.

I refuse to even entertain a scenario where those talks won’t result in his hiring, so let’s not discuss the implications/timing should they fail.

[TexasGolf 4903]

7 minutes ago, closetohumping said:

That wasn't a great update from TFB

Confirms CUM is wanting to be CUM.  Some speculation he was done with coaching. 

Big picture....TH is not the guy and UM has been around long enough to know one win vs Okie Lite does not make a resume. 

[UncleBuck 6454]

4 minutes ago, closetohumping said:

If he wins this conference, and before any of you say "what are you fucking crazy

Yah, that's the problem we're going to have, which sounds really ridiculous to say... but FTH 

And yah, people were saying how stupid people were to believe Tom could beat OkSt on the road. I didn't say a gotdamn thing because I know it's absolutely possible. This roster is good enough, and Sam has enough late-game heroics left in him that the worst case scenario can play out....

.... but I'd say the chances are probably on our side. 

Edited November 2, 2020 by UncleBuck

[BurntOrange&White 39932]

Just now, DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt said:

I really don’t think that win bought him time. I think the timing all boils down to the back channel Urban talks.

I refuse to even entertain a scenario where those talks won’t result in his hiring, so let’s not discuss the implications/timing should they fail.

I think that win bought him some time from being fired after WVU to being fired to after season.  Especially if we lose to WVU. 
 

 

[ztejas 43425]

1 minute ago, TexasGolf said:

Confirms CUM is wanting to be CUM.  Some speculation he was done with coaching. 

Big picture....TH is not the guy and UM has been around long enough to know one win vs Okie Lite does not make a resume. 

He's already CUM he's just waiting to be THCUM.

[closetohumping 17442]

[Hiphopopotamos 20872]

2 minutes ago, UncleBuck said:

I don't think it was a bad update? Still seems Urban's in play. Seems Tom bought some time. Basically what we've speculated since Saturday evening.

Yep - it is what it always has been. 

1. Urban is there for the taking if we're willing to pay.

2. Tom's only real chance to save his job is to win the Big12

3.  Texas has been reaching out to other candidates, through back-channels, to gauge interest (Fleck and Cristobal) - though nobody merits real consideration if Meyer is still available

4.  This likely won't be Ohio State South - though only a couple of coachers were queried.  Urban is going to build out an A+ staff - he won't return to coaching if he doesn't have a strong support staff lined up.  It just might have to be some people he hasn't worked with before.

[ztejas 43425]

1 minute ago, UncleBuck said:

Yah, that's the problem we're going to have, which sounds really ridiculous to say. 

And yah, people were saying how stupid people were to believe Tom could beat OkSt on the road. I didn't say a gotdamn thing because I know it's absolutely possible. This roster is good enough, and Sam has enough late-game heroics left in him that the worst case scenario can play out....

.... but I'd say the chances are probably on our side. 

It's like saying aggy has no chance at winning out.

It might fucking happen, and we need to be prepared for it.

[BurntOrange&White 39932]

2 minutes ago, closetohumping said:

Tbh I could give two shits but Herman not tweeting anything since late September is more interesting 

 

No RT anything university or recruit related being most interesting give. His Twitter past

Edited November 2, 2020 by BurntOrange&White

[DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt 12301]

Just now, BurntOrange&White said:

I think that win bought him some time from being fired after WVU to being fired to after season.  Especially if we lose to WVU. 
 

 

If you have an agreement in principle with UM, you fire Tom immediately, wait 48 hours and announce UM. 
 

things get messy if UM is a no go, and you’re probably right regarding actual results on the field dictating the timing.

[UncleBuck 6454]

1 minute ago, Hiphopopotamos said:

4.  This likely won't be Ohio State South - though only a couple of coachers were queried.  Urban is going to build out an A+ staff - he won't return to coaching if he doesn't have a strong support staff lined up.  It just might have to be some people he hasn't worked with before.

He's shown he can put staffs together at multiple places. Dude has an eye for coaches. Sure he'll do it again. 

[Rimbo 25932]

Let's be clear here.

We didn't beat a Top 10 team on the road.

A Top 10 team proved itself unworthy by choking to an unranked us.

They had what... 4 turnovers? 5?

Our product on the field was the same crap it's been all year. No pulse from Sam throwing in the first half. Countless dumb preventable mistakes and penalties. Tons of on-field talent out of position and lacking discipline.

We got lucky that OSU did their annual thing that they always do with Gundy -- shit the bed against an inferior opponent. Sad thing is, we aren't inferior, talent-wise. We just are because of crap coaching.

So don't tell me some magical lie about how this changes anything. We are who we thought we were, and Gundy let us off the hook!

[TotallyLegit 3053]

33 minutes ago, Dbeasy said:

Here Hartzell is discussing the methodology he will use to dispose of Herman’s body.

Light the Tower!

 

Edited November 2, 2020 by TotallyLegit

[JOSEYWALES66 1801]

As long as CDC agrees to let a new coach fill out his staff as he wants, I'm not overly worried about specific OSU coaches.  There are a lot of excellent coaches to choose from. 

[closetohumping 17442]

2 minutes ago, BurntOrange&White said:

Tbh I could give two shits but Herman not tweeting anything since late September is more interesting 

Both are interesting data points.  That was probably the best moment in sports for Texas this year and CDC is silent?

[closetohumping 17442]

6 minutes ago, UncleBuck said:

Yah, that's the problem we're going to have, which sounds really ridiculous to say. 

And yah, people were saying how stupid people were to believe Tom could beat OkSt on the road. I didn't say a gotdamn thing because I know it's absolutely possible. This roster is good enough, and Sam has enough late-game heroics left in him that the worst case scenario can play out....

.... but I'd say the chances are probably on our side. 

If I had to put money on it, we won't win the conference.  But shit, ou is down this year and nobody else is a guaranteed loss.  We'll see what WVA does this weekend.

[UncleBuck 6454]

Just now, closetohumping said:

Both are interesting data points.  That was probably the best moment in sports for Texas this year and CDC is silent?

It's crazy to think about. 

 

CDC getting the final score update (because he wasn't watching):

[BurntOrange&White 39932]

5 minutes ago, DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt said:

If you have an agreement in principle with UM, you fire Tom immediately, wait 48 hours and announce UM. 
 

things get messy if UM is a no go, and you’re probably right regarding actual results on the field dictating the timing.

Completely agree. I thought prior to the upset that it was always going to be after WVU because I had us going 1-2 during this 3 game stretch. 2-1 with a bad loss again to WVU could re-escalate the process and hit that target date of the bye week. Being technically in the race for the big 12 championship game changes things. A loss to WVU takes us out. 

Edited November 2, 2020 by BurntOrange&White

[UncleBuck 6454]

5 minutes ago, closetohumping said:

If I had to put money on it, we won't win the conference.  But shit, ou is down this year and nobody else is a guaranteed loss.  We'll see what WVA does this weekend.

OU's back, though (at least to being the best team in the conference, IMO).

One more negative post then I'm done: but I could see a Late Game Sam Heroics session in the conf champ coming up just short, and it still saving Tom's job. I won't say he's right, because I think he's been off on the entire situation as a whole, but the shit RD over on the Urban Meyer thread has been saying DOES get closer to playing out if it comes down to this type of scenario (close loss in Conf Championship). Firing after that could be the kind of optics in this climate that keep an admin from making a big money move. "COULD"

 

BUT IT WON'T HAPPEN SO SHUT THE FUCK UP BUCK

Edited November 2, 2020 by UncleBuck

[someguy 1508]

4 minutes ago, UncleBuck said:

It's crazy to think about. 

 

CDC getting the final score update (because he wasn't watching):

CDC was at the game, dressed in all black.

[BurntOrange&White 39932]

Sadly I feel like ousux ends up winning the conference again. 

[BrazilHorn 6603]

40 minutes ago, runthebone said:

Really?  The moved it to election day?

 

Fewer people are going to hear about how winning is hard and how beating a shitty West Virginia team will be tough because of coronavirus.

yep. By moving players to Monday it allows them to go vote Tuesday.

[closetojumping 62710]

Just stopping by to say "of course." I used to have a handle on Hornfans called "cursed as fans" and this weekend reminded me of it. Weirdest feeling watching a win that I can remember. I mean, great, we won. But this fucking cunt of a head coach stumbled into that because Oklahoma State realized around roughly kickoff that "oh yeah, I just realized, we're Oklahoma State" and then shit the bed on national television. 

Knowing the idiocy of Coach Fuckface, I won't be the least bit surprised if West Virginia beats us at home this weekend and he half cries on camera again. But he'll probably win out until getting beat in the conference title game because he's a fucking cockroach intent on stealing as much time and money as he can. 

[Tex Pete 20354]

2 minutes ago, someguy said:

CDC was at the game, dressed in all black.

Then it's even more significant that he didn't watch the game.

[DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt 12301]

2 minutes ago, UncleBuck said:

OU's back, though (at least to being the best team in the conference, IMO).

One more negative post then I'm done: but I could see a Late Game Sam Heroics session in the conf champ coming up just short, and it still saving Tom's job. I won't say he's right, because I think he's been off on the entire situation as a whole, but the shit RD over on the Urban Meyer thread has been saying DOES get closer to playing out if it comes down to this type of scenario (close loss in Conf Championship). Firing after that could be the kind of optics in this climate that keep an admin from making a big money move. "COULD"

 

BUT IT WON'T HAPPEN SO SHUT THE FUCK UP BUCK

in a normal scenario, where you're canning a guy and then turning around and making a big gamble on the next guy, i would agree. but there is a coach available right now that has won 3 national championships. the optics for firing a guy that was given everything he asked for and more and couldn't win a conference championship in 4 years to hire one of the best college football coaches of all-time is simple: Texas is ready to do what it takes to win.

[UncleBuck 6454]

3 minutes ago, DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt said:

in a normal scenario, where you're canning a guy and then turning around and making a big gamble on the next guy, i would agree. but there is a coach available right now that has won 3 national championships. the optics for firing a guy that was given everything he asked for and more and couldn't win a conference championship in 4 years to hire one of the best college football coaches of all-time is simple: Texas is ready to do what it takes to win.

Yah, not saying you're wrong, which is why I did stress "Could." It'd just be better if it never reaches that point, ya know. 

Edited November 2, 2020 by UncleBuck

[utee94 15823]

5 minutes ago, BurntOrange&White said:

Sadly I feel like ousux ends up winning the conference again. 

OF course they will, because it's up to us to prevent that, and we haven't done shit-all toward that end.  GDit I hate losing to those meth-addled hillbillies again and again and leaving the conference title for them to grab by default.

Torch Tom, Hire The Meyer

 

[DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt 12301]

7 minutes ago, UncleBuck said:

Yah, not saying you're wrong, which is why I did stress "Could." It's just be better if it not get to that point, ya know. 

fear not, tom gonna tom

[CurlyDumps 4471]

2 hours ago, UncleBuck said:

Did you just awake from a nightmare, or do you have some news to share?

Creed, right?

[closetohumping 17442]

23 minutes ago, UncleBuck said:

OU's back, though (at least to being the best team in the conference, IMO).

One more negative post then I'm done: but I could see a Late Game Sam Heroics session in the conf champ coming up just short, and it still saving Tom's job. I won't say he's right, because I think he's been off on the entire situation as a whole, but the shit RD over on the Urban Meyer thread has been saying DOES get closer to playing out if it comes down to this type of scenario (close loss in Conf Championship). Firing after that could be the kind of optics in this climate that keep an admin from making a big money move. "COULD"

 

BUT IT WON'T HAPPEN SO SHUT THE FUCK UP BUCK

RD is off.  The money is there, and it's coming from private sources.  I don't think the optics are bad because let's be honest Herm is pretty hated.  If we come up "just short," CDC can still point to the body or work rather than a one game mandate.

[TexasRenegade 2435]

12 hours ago, dcar00 said:

inclusive of DKR this is the list and its really not arguable.  best to worst

DKR, Mack, Akers, Mackovic, McWilliams.....Strong

Herman is incomplete at this point but if he makes the Big 12 champ game he would be ahead of Mackovic.   the 94 title was tallest midget, 95 was legit, 96 was glorious because of crushing Neb dreams but in both cases he got fucking pantsed in the bowl.   I would say he's tied with Mackovic now because Mackovic went 5-5-1 and 4-7 in 2 of his 6 years.

He needs to be fired because he'll never even be Akers.  we need at least Akers level.

I am sorry... but how?  Mackovic was a bit of an ass, but he at least built something. Herman not only doesn't build he gets worse every year. One conference championship for Herman(which aint gonna happen) doesn't overturn 3 conference championships for Mackovic.  Plus, JM's brand of football was still more enjoyable then THs.  Both give you bad defense but at JM had a functional offense and knew how to recruit an oline.

[closetohumping 17442]

1 minute ago, TexasRenegade said:

I am sorry... but how?  Mackovic was a bit of an ass, but he at least built something. Herman not only doesn't build he gets worse every year. One conference championship for Herman(which aint gonna happen) doesn't overturn 3 conference championships for Mackovic.  Plus, JM's brand of football was still more enjoyable then THs.  Both give you bad defense but at JM had a functional offense and knew how to recruit an oline.

I think we're in the top five in scoring.

[Jersey Man10 3528]

We are not winning out. The last 10 years have proved that.

[horn.g20 109]

lol, i got downvoted into oblivion for predicting we would beat okst and mensa would not be fired.

fuck this. I hope we win out just to spite all of you.

[reneg_2 74]

Here’s what y’all need to look at:

Urban reaching out to his big hitters to see if they’d be interested. Y’all think there isn’t real movement behind the scenes? 
 

Herman has to win the Big 12. It’s not just winning out to get to the title game. 

[CfRhTxStBobcats 600]

33 minutes ago, BrazilHorn said:

yep. By moving players to Monday it allows them to go vote Tuesday.

How many players do you think are eligible to vote in the Austin area? I highly doubt many guys will be driving home to vote tomorrow. Hopefully they already voted by mail.

Edited November 2, 2020 by CfRhTxStBobcats

[mdmost 43001]

Pretty sure the NCAA made Tuesday a player holiday. 

[orangecat92 306]

um...OSU gave us 4 turnovers PLUS a kickoff return, PLUS a roughing kicker penalty, and we still had to go to OT.  Seriously, how many teams remaining will give us those 6 huge breaks?  

I predict 0.  

[RGBIII 22840]

Inside Texas Scoop...good info here

Spoiler

QUICK TEAM

On Saturday, we mentioned the players were still bought in. This group doesn’t play smart but they damn sure play hard, and we are seeing incremental improvement in some places.

As you can imagine, they were quite excited about the win and keeping their season’s goals alive. With West Virginia coming to town on Saturday, there’s the chance for another big win. WVU thrashed K-State and their D-line is going to give UT’s O-line fits. All of a sudden, given parity and a poor conference, WVU is a player for the conference.

A couple of notes:

- While he had a costly drop, Jake Smith also made some plays and reached the end zone. The hope is this gives him some confidence. He’s been quite disappointed with his season so far. He’s never really been known for drops so hopefully more targets and playing time will allow himself out of it.

- Keaontay Ingram’s ankle is the main injury concern on Saturday. He’s been in a boot. We have him as questionable.

- Brenden Schooler should return this week. The offense needs more reliable targets to emerge and he gives them another option.

- The main concern is the Stills brothers on the defensive line. They dominated last year, and given the offense’s problems they could be the difference this weekend. The Texas defense is going to have to play a strong game because the offense might not help much. The right side of the O-line has the offense hamstrung.

- There are some guys not seeing the field but it isn’t an indication of how the staff feels about them. Two that come to mind are Brayden Liebrock and Vernon Broughton. Hopefully they’re not overly frustrated. They could be playing more, especially Liebrock.

THEN AND NOW

The more things change, the more they stay the same. If you saw Tom Herman crowd surfing on a swell of players after Saturday‘s victory, I’m sure you were reminded of Charlie Strong doing the same.

Funny thing about the Strong crowd surfing — it wasn’t organic. The players were put up to it to show support for their embattled coach.

Some other things weren’t real from that era, either. Most notably: The players who threatened to protest in support of Strong if he was fired were put up to it by one of Strong’s friends in my line of work. These were younger, more impressionable players. The older players on the team caught wind of that and squashed it. While Strong was well-liked, most key players were done with him after year two and certainly after year three.

For all intents and purposes, Strong lost his job after the Oklahoma State game where the 'Pokes blocked three extra points and carved up the Horns secondary. That’s at least when the groundswell initially started and we spent as much time writing about Tom Herman as anything else. That was early October.

If the same fate befalls Tom Herman, his all intents and purposes game was TCU. Yes, not even OU. Given factors we’ve documented beyond wins and losses Herman had already lost most of his support.

The ‘now’ hasn’t changed much since I wrote about the situation last week, but I’ll use brackets to make amendments to the original now to offer my most recent info after the improbable Saturday victory.

The ‘then‘ will change from the end of the Mack Brown era to the end of the Strong era.

President then: Greg Fenves - Fenves knew what had needed to be done early in 2016 but there was a lot of concern over whether or not he’d make the call. I wasn’t as concerned — Texas had actually explored removing Strong after his second year. While some mention the Kansas loss as the deal breaker, at a minimum he was done after the West Virginia loss the week before. Along with an academic needing to make a major decision regarding the state’s highest paid employee, Fenves had another problem: a placeholder athletic director in Mike Perrin. Perrin, along with Strong, had previously required Fenves to jump on a private plane to help land an offensive coordinator from Tulsa. This brought great shame on the university; people in Japan have committed seppuku for less. From an administration standpoint, Texas was not in a good place to have a robust search.

While it was very likely Tom Herman would be the next head coach in October of 2016, Texas did reach out to Chris Petersen. Fenves must have stumbled onto one of DeLoss Dodds’ dossiers from 2010. Texas also reached out to David Shaw.

Herman was the consensus pick, and Fenves didn’t mess around when the time came. When LSU started to push heavily for Herman, Fenves did the same and made the hire. The school was not set up for a quality search. The chances were too great it would be another Korn Ferry debacle.

President now: Jay Hartzell - It’s Hartzell’s job now, but even his predecessor was done with Herman last December. It was Chris Del Conte who persuaded Greg Fenves to give Herman one more year. Hartzell has always been seen as sympathetic to the athletic and donor side, though I believe he‘d prefer to not be pigeonholed as such. That’s likely why he assigned Richard Reddick to run the historical review of The Eyes of Texas. If we learned anything from the Saban Saga, it’s to get a good understanding of the president’s office when significant changes need to be made. Simply put, Hartzell is open to hiring Urban Meyer.

[Even more simply put, Hartzell wants Meyer if a transition needs to be made]

Athletic Director then: Mike Perrin - Two key factors led to the Herman hire; one was the poor process that led to Charlie Strong, and the other was the poor process that led to Steve Patterson over Oliver Luck as athletic director. Luck was a popular figure with key donor support, but at the last minute a push was made for the prickly Patterson. This may still be a source of derision among donors, and it certainly was in real time. Said one donor to me at the time, “those guys should be black-balled from having influence.” Patterson was terrible and didn’t last long. Mike Perrin was a quick and easy fix and he took the assignment out of duty to the school he loves. After the handling of the OC hire less than a year earlier, he had little input in singing the next head coach.

Athletic Director now: Chris Del Conte - Del Conte has a great working relationship with Hartzell, as well as an okay but recently strained relationship with boosters. There’s one way to repair that relationship and restore the donations rolling in. This is the key difference in the two scenarios, well that and not having Powers involved: Given the financial impact of Covid-19 in conjunction with numerous capital projects, furloughs, and layoffs, the donors are needed much more than in 2013. They have the leverage to get things done, though I don’t get the sense Del Conte needs his arm twisted on this one. In less than a year, Herman has lost a lot of the support from the person who just helped oversee an expensive staff overhaul.

[Del Conte is the duck, calm above water but paddling like hell beneath the water line. He’s fielding calls and emails left and right. These calls don’t necessarily need to be made because he has a handle on the situation. The win in Stillwater was good for the program but it didn’t change anything]

Head coach then: Charlie Strong - There isn’t much to say here that hasn’t been written. He never should have been the head coach at Texas and I use the data of him at USF to make that assertion as anything else.

Head coach now: Tom Herman - Herman has none of the leverage or support from the administration Brown had in 2013. Try as I might, I can’t find any pockets of support for the embattled coach. He never cared much for politicking (hard to blame him) but it’s shortsighted to not create allies in a position such as his. I had two people this weekend speculate that even if he won out, he’d be on the hot seat. That’s hard to fathom, but given the situation, not all that hard to believe.

[The previous two sentences are still the case, but also heard, “he’ll trip up” and “he can’t handle success.” There’s a reason his teams are better as an underdog. Another negative for him is, everyone knows the conference is way down this year.]

BOR then - The BOR was resolute to sign off on whoever Fenves came up with as head coach.

BOR now - From my vantage, the BOR appears to be in lockstep with Del Conte, Hartzell, and the most influential boosters. I can’t speak knowledgeably on all of them. Typically some care about sports, and some don’t. The ones who care about football are like Hartzell and are open to the idea of Urban Meyer. This is a key point: the president, AD, and BOR are on the same exact page.

[Still the case. “There have been leadership voids in the past, but they’re in a good place with this president, athletic director, and BOR.”]

Boosters then - After the Saban fiasco, the Strong hire and tenure, and the Patterson hiring/firing, the boosters were quite jaded with Texas. I can’t tell you how frequently I’d receive some variation of “I don’t care.” Now, that’s not to say some key boosters didn’t help the Herman hire along the path, but booster interest was much lower than normal.

Boosters now - There is no such divide. The lines we have into both cities all favor hiring the strong, centralizing figure. You can add Austin to that group too.

[Del Conte has done a great job of re-engaging donor interest and they’re extremely engaged right now. This group has an Urban or bust mentality]

Result then - Knowing what we knew then, Fenves made the best hire he could have. The best indicator of the market is, LSU wanted Herman but when they couldn’t sign him they stuck with Ed Orgeron. Matt Rhule was hired in that same class, but nobody was calling for that and he probably would have split for the NFL even sooner.

Result now - It’s impossible to know what will happen, and there isn’t yet a job opening, but if UT doesn’t land its top target it won’t be for lack of effort and pulling out all the stops. It won’t be self-inflicted.

[Herman earned a big win on Saturday, and will be favored versus West Virginia, and maybe every game the rest of the way. If he wants to keep his job, he’s going to have to create success, then learn to handle it. He has not been consistently good at either. From the people I talk to, not much changed on Saturday. They don’t think the team is playing well (yard discrepancy was mentioned to me, as well as turnover battle) in general, plus the down conference is being accounted for. It’ll be tough for Herman to keep his job while being the tallest midget.]

From: @Gerry Hamilton

The win over Oklahoma State didn’t add any significant recruiting bounce, but it wasn’t expected to. The staff is ultra-focused on winning/team preparation right now with literally everything on the line.

If Texas should beat West Virginia Saturday, sitting at 5-2 with a three-game win streak and back inside the top 20 in the polls, you will see the staff go extremely hard on the recruiting trail with some potential momentum.

That’s not to say the staff isn’t in communication with key targets, as they are. But the last few weeks have been tough in messaging. More questions than answers for top targets.

Let’s go through some top targets and see where the Longhorns stand.

Shemar Turner, DE/T, DeSoto

Texas has been in communication since the win over Oklahoma State. Turner is still responsive and positive toward the staff. Those recruiting and close to Turner feel like Texas A&M is in a very good spot and the Aggies continued winning with the defensive line's performance only helps.

L.J. Johnson, RB, Cy-Fair

Texas also continues to receive consistent and positive feedback from the difference-maker. Again, Texas A&M is trending here from those recruiting Johnson. Unlike Shemar Turner’s recruitment in which those recruiting feel like Texas A&M is way out in front, Johnson is still more open.

Terrence Cooks, LB, Shadow Creek

This is a recruitment the Longhorns still feel pretty good about. The combination of education and football could win out over program adversity and questions. The current competition for Cooks isn’t lighting it up on the field, so that helps with Texas not having momentum on the trail.

Bryce Foster and Savion Byrd, OL

The duo remains in contact with Texas, but the Longhorns are not expected to win either battle currently.

Andrew Mukuba, S, Austin LBJ

Texas remains in contact with the Clemson commit, and that communication is being initiated both ways. Mukuba is not considered a potential flip candidate to Texas right now, but could be one to remember in December if key factors in his recruitment change.

The staff continues to evaluate cornerback prospects in the 2021 class. Lake Ridge’s Marvin Covington has offers from Miami and Houston, and Jay Valai and Chris Ash are in serious evaluation mode here. Klein Forest’s Ahmonte Watkins prefers running back or offense at the next level, so recruiting him as a pure athlete with a chance at running back first could be a potential road block for Texas.

From: @Justin Wells

CADE KLUBNIK

Texas head coach Tom Herman was so happy after UT’s win over No. 6 Oklahoma State, he offered local Westlake signal-caller Cade Klubnik on the way home from Stillwater.

At 6-foot-3 and 180 pounds, the 2022 quarterback holds 20+ offers, including Notre Dame, Auburn, North Carolina, and Georgia. But getting that call from UT was big.

“I’m looking for a great culture and people of the school," said Klubnik. "Somewhere I can grow as a person, the consistency of a football program of greatness, and a great education.”

After securing a 6A-DI state championship as a sophomore, he knows that expectations come with the success.

“We are 5-0 right now, and that’s great,” said Klubnik. “We're averaging 58 points a game. I'm really looking forward to Lake Travis last game of the season.”

Despite being only midway through his junior year, Klubnik already has a good idea of where he’s wanted.

“I would say Auburn, Georgia, Texas, UNC, and Clemson,” said Klubnik.

Growing up in a home full of Aggies, and having an uncle that played for UT, makes for some fun holiday events. After all that, he still sees himself open. If Texas A&M offered, I believe it would grab his attention. Texas definitely did.

“I think (Texas) will be up there for me,” Klubnik said. “I like their football program a lot and am excited to see how Coach Yurcich does in the future.”

Playing for Texas-Ex Todd Dodge and watching Westlake product Sam Ehlinger lead the Longhorns, Westlake has been very good to Texas and that could continue here.

TREVELL JOHNSON

At Arlington Martin, the defense is loaded with college prospects.

Texas offered 2022 OLB Trevell Johnson yesterday. The 6-foot-1, 200-pound three-star has the eyes of a number of programs, including Arkansas, Baylor, Ole Miss, and Texas Tech. However, the UT offer might mean a little more to Johnson.

“This one means a lot to me and the family," said Johnson. "It’s nothing but high regards for the coaches, (Texas) has been there, building this relationship since my sophomore year. It’s going to be pretty strong.”

He's got a teammate currently committed to UT's Class of 2021, Morice Blackwell. He also already knows what he wants in his future program.

“Good coaching, facilities, and just what it’s going to be like around campus," Johnson said. "I hear from Baylor and Texas Tech the most, and overall we have pretty good relationships.”

Johnson burst on the scene as a sophomore after tallying 99 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, one forced fumble and one safety in 2019. Now, a trip to the state’s capitol is something Johnson plans to do.

“I hope to get down (Austin) after this dead period ends,” Johnson said. “And finally get to see what it’s like in Austin.”

QUICK-HITTERS

- Billy Bowman Jr. to OU. Bad enough to lose him, but to play him for the next four years isn’t appealing either. Oklahoma is also pushing Denton Ryan teammate and UT pledge Ja'Tavion Sanders. There are some expecting his separation from the class, but he's still in the group.

- Jack Bech to LSU. It’s a family thing for the Bech’s and nobody keeps in-state talent in-state like LSU in Louisiana. Bech had told me last week how much he wanted to see Texas, but this kid wasn't leaving home. (throws quotes in the trash)

-Johnathan Brooks, Texas commit from Hallettsville, has been looking around of late. It's hard to know who's interested, but I know he's reached out to Texas A&M.

-JD Coffey, Texas pledge out of Kennedale, is hearing from a few schools, notably Oregon. But I'm told he's still solid to the Horns today.

 

[nycHorn 3008]

lol, i got downvoted into oblivion for predicting we would beat okst and mensa would not be fired.
fuck this. I hope we win out just to spite all of you.

Internet football stuffs is serious business.

[TejasPedro 1858]

Sorry, had it wrong, all wrong!

CDC wore black!

Prez said, light the tower! 

Urban called some people!

We beat the 6th ranked team in the country! SIXTH RANKED TEAM IN THE WHOLE UNITED STATES!

McConaughey said, sing EOT as simply “the ice of Texas” and everything will be alright, alright, alright!

Get the Brocks on the phone. Send QE a tweet. We’re back bitches!

 

[utee94 15823]

12 minutes ago, orangecat92 said:

um...OSU gave us 4 turnovers PLUS a kickoff return, PLUS a roughing kicker penalty, and we still had to go to OT.  Seriously, how many teams remaining will give us those 6 huge breaks?  

I predict 0.  

Agreed, but oSu is also better than any teams remaining on our schedule, so we won't need as many breaks to win.

I still think we're going to lose 2 of 3 against WVU, KSU, ISU though.  And this weekend's game coming off a road upset of a Top 10 team, now with us as a ranked team, at home, against unranked but dangerous WVU team, sets up as a serious Tom Herman letdown special.

[closetohumping 17442]

8 minutes ago, TejasPedro said:

Sorry, had it wrong, all wrong!

CDC wore black!

Prez said, light the tower! 

Urban called some people!

We beat the 6th ranked team in the country! SIXTH RANKED TEAM IN THE WHOLE UNITED STATES!

McConaughey said, sing EOT as simply “the ice of Texas” and everything will be alright, alright, alright!

Get the Brocks on the phone. Send QE a tweet. We’re back bitches!

 

Shit.  You had a chance to walk back your dumbass post but you doubled down.  Dipshit.  You're a spazz. Chill the fuck out

Edited November 2, 2020 by closetohumping