Texas recruiting notes 2019

[Longhorn94 2,427]

Just now, Bevo14 said:

I think your intention is sarcasm but can't tell since your statement is actually true?

no sarcasm. plain hard facts.

[SydneyCarton 47,874]

As usual, 94 shows up, makes a comment and gets a modest reaction, and instead of quitting with house money he doubles down immediately and promptly takes his comment/joke/inside information entirely too far and fucks it all up. So, you know, just a normal day.

[closetojumping 62,231]

3 minutes ago, SydneyCarton said:

As usual, 94 shows up, makes a comment and gets a modest reaction, and instead of quitting with house money he doubles down immediately and promptly takes his comment/joke/inside information entirely too far and fucks it all up. So, you know, just a normal day.

Well, we all have our roles to play, Sydney. You're sort of the insufferable cocksucker, Machinator is the bot, texifornia is the Rick Moranis of Surly, Longhorn94 is going to pull the bookshelf on top of himself repeatedly, sarvanaash is going to publicly squat to pee on command, fatkid54 is the racist, Fud is the recruiting nerd straight man, and I'm sort of this jovial, benevolent, happy-go-lucky avuncular character who just wants everyone to get along, be happy, and trust the coaches. 

[Longhorn94 2,427]

9 minutes ago, SydneyCarton said:

As usual, 94 shows up, makes a comment and gets a modest reaction, and instead of quitting with house money he doubles down immediately and promptly takes his comment/joke/inside information entirely too far and fucks it all up. So, you know, just a normal day.

damn...im on a long flight with 7 hours more travel ahead of me.

Edited February 7, 2019 by Longhorn94

[Longhorn94 2,427]

1 minute ago, closetojumping said:

 I'm sort of this jovial, benevolent, happy-go-lucky avuncular character who just wants everyone to get along, be happy, and trust the coaches. 

took the words right out of my mouth.

[texifornia 56,513]

2 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

Well, we all have our roles to play, Sydney. You're sort of the insufferable cocksucker, Machinator is the bot, texifornia is the Rick Moranis of Surly, Longhorn94 is going to pull the bookshelf on top of himself repeatedly, sarvanaash is going to publicly squat to pee on command, fatkid54 is the racist, Fud is the recruiting nerd straight man, and I'm sort of this jovial, benevolent, happy-go-lucky avuncular character who just wants everyone to get along, be happy, and trust the coaches.  

[Machinator 32,097]

2 hours ago, austintx said:

When does Inside Texas normally publish their post signing day recap?

Tomorrow

[deech 2,251]

5 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

Well, we all have our roles to play, Sydney. You're sort of the insufferable cocksucker, Machinator is the bot, texifornia is the Rick Moranis of Surly, Longhorn94 is going to pull the bookshelf on top of himself repeatedly, sarvanaash is going to publicly squat to pee on command, fatkid54 is the racist, Fud is the recruiting nerd straight man, and I'm sort of this jovial, benevolent, happy-go-lucky avuncular character who just wants everyone to get along, be happy, and trust the coaches. 

Can I be the person who refers to Chip Brown as a fraudulent cocksucker who fabricates stories that harm the program?

[Machinator 32,097]

 

[texifornia 56,513]

Just now, Machinator said:

 

Hook 'em and pony up Shane!

[Sgt. Slaughter 2,841]

17 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

Well, we all have our roles to play, Sydney. You're sort of the insufferable cocksucker, Machinator is the bot, texifornia is the Rick Moranis of Surly, Longhorn94 is going to pull the bookshelf on top of himself repeatedly, sarvanaash is going to publicly squat to pee on command, fatkid54 is the racist, Fud is the recruiting nerd straight man, and I'm sort of this jovial, benevolent, happy-go-lucky avuncular character who just wants everyone to get along, be happy, and trust the coaches. 

[PTINS 3,442]

My contribution on the way to 1,000.

Very happy with 2018  and with the class we brought in, especially the way it looked early in the year with OU and A$M jumping out of the gates.

Looking forward to melding in the new guys with what's coming back.

Hook' em! 

 

[Hank Scorpio 17,723]

1 minute ago, PTINS said:

My contribution on the way to 1,000.

Very happy with 2018  and with the class we brought in, especially the way it looked early in the year with OU and A$M jumping out of the gates.

Looking forward to melding in the new guys with what's coming back.

Hook' em! 

 

Who the fuck do you think you are? Coming in here and cluttering the thread with this bullshit. 

[Wishbone 4,734]

4 minutes ago, Machinator said:

 

That’s a good man right there. Proud to have him as a fellow alum. Hope he succeeds and enjoys the rest of his life.

[satyanash 14,281]

22 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

Well, we all have our roles to play, Sydney. You're sort of the insufferable cocksucker, Machinator is the bot, texifornia is the Rick Moranis of Surly, Longhorn94 is going to pull the bookshelf on top of himself repeatedly, sarvanaash is going to publicly squat to pee on command, fatkid54 is the racist, Fud is the recruiting nerd straight man, and I'm sort of this jovial, benevolent, happy-go-lucky avuncular character who just wants everyone to get along, be happy, and trust the coaches. 

[Rimbo 25,778]

18 minutes ago, deech said:

Can I be the person who refers to Chip Brown as a fraudulent cocksucker who fabricates stories that harm the program?

So say we all.

[UDontKnow 10,439]

44 minutes ago, texifornia said:

Only difference is that Rick Moranis has better opinions on rap music. 

[sushihorn 3,233]

46 minutes ago, deech said:

Can I be the person who refers to Chip Brown as a fraudulent cocksucker who fabricates stories that harm the program?

When the product is that good, anybody can sell it. 

[Magus Ossis 2,783]

58 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

Well, we all have our roles to play, Sydney. You're sort of the insufferable cocksucker, Machinator is the bot, texifornia is the Rick Moranis of Surly, Longhorn94 is going to pull the bookshelf on top of himself repeatedly, sarvanaash is going to publicly squat to pee on command, fatkid54 is the racist, Fud is the recruiting nerd straight man, and I'm sort of this jovial, benevolent, happy-go-lucky avuncular character who just wants everyone to get along, be happy, and trust the coaches. 

CTJ is so pleasant now that he is taking Valium and SarCams.

[Pato del Muerto 52,342]

15 minutes ago, Skinny Tie said:

Just here to confirm Sydney is in fact a a cocksucker.

Congrats on getting your cock sucked 

[ClubWhatever 12,087]

2 minutes ago, Magus Ossis said:

CTJ is so pleasant now that he is taking Valium and SarCams.

He said he was traveling.  Nagging factor way down, unlimited sports, Marriott burger and home cut fries, realistic alcohol expense policy.  

[Bevo Num1 1,004]

Well, we all have our roles to play, Sydney. You're sort of the insufferable cocksucker, Machinator is the bot, texifornia is the Rick Moranis of Surly, Longhorn94 is going to pull the bookshelf on top of himself repeatedly, sarvanaash is going to publicly squat to pee on command, fatkid54 is the racist, Fud is the recruiting nerd straight man, and I'm sort of this jovial, benevolent, happy-go-lucky avuncular character who just wants everyone to get along, be happy, and trust the coaches. 

I'm here for the gangbang.

[Machinator 32,097]

(Scipio Tex) Walk Hard: Tom Herman's Preferred Walk On Program

One of the most impressive changes instituted by Tom Herman at the University of Texas has been the reinvigoration and advancement of the Texas preferred walk-on program. Perhaps in no small part because he was tasked with working with the walk-ons as a Texas GA under Mack Brown and he sees the opportunity for found money. 

Here's the 2019 class: 

https://247sports.com/player/parker-alford-46053526/

https://247sports.com/Player/Sam-Saxton-46052270/

https://247sports.com/player/jake-ehlinger-46055366/

http://www.hudl.com/profile/7349382/Nate-Hatter

https://247sports.com/Player/Austin-Hill-46056989/

https://247sports.com/Player/Jett-Bush-46055186/

https://247sports.com/Player/Austin-Hill-46056989/

https://www.hudl.com/profile/8745858/Doak-Wilson

https://247sports.com/Player/Chad-Wolf-46050829/

https://www.hudl.com/profile/8028105/Christian-Tschauner

https://247sports.com/Player/Patrick-Bayouth-46037309/

https://247sports.com/Player/Myles-Mass-46039975/

This is 2018:

#96 Tristan Bennett, DL-Soph., 6-3 240, Irving (TX) Ranchview
#46 Luke Brockermeyer, LB-FR, 6-3 215, Fort Worth (TX) All Saints Episcopal
#79 Matt Frost, OL-FR, 6-3 265, Folsom (CA)
#52 Jackson Hanna, LB-FR, 6-2 215, Houston (TX) St. Thomas
#54 Justin Mader, DS-FR, 6-4 225, Magnolia (TX)
#18 Tremayne Prudehomme, QB-FR, 6-1 185, Houston (TX) Aldine Davis
#23 Jarrett Smith, RB-FR, 5-7 195, Webster (TX) Clear Brook
#23 Turner Symonds, DB-FR, 6-0 175, Fort Worth (TX) Country Day
#62 Jeremy Thompson-Sevon, DL/OL-FR, 6-2 240, Lewisville (TX) Hebron
#63 Troy Torres, DL-FR, 5-11 290, El Paso (TX) Bowie
#15 Travis West, WR-FR, 6-0 175, Dallas (TX) Wilson
#36 Kamari Williams, RB-FR, 5-9 175, Conroe (TX) Oak Ridge

You should be pleasantly surprised after watching film of some of these guys. 

**

What is a Preferred Walk On? It's a non-scholarship player with a guaranteed spot on the roster. They don't have to audition in the Spring and be subjected to an open try out. Once on the roster, walk-ons get the same medical, training, dining (a recent positive change), and equipment benefits as scholarship athletes. 

At Texas under Herman, they're being afforded a degree of respect, benefits and inclusiveness that few programs can match.

Texas is only two years in to a plan that by its very nature takes time and the right conditions (or rather, strength and conditioning) for its seeds to grow, but it's useful to point to the revamped preferred walk on program at Texas - particularly as a subset of overall recruiting and development for all athletes - as a good illustration of what Herman is doing best here in Austin. 

We tend to conceive of coaching as Xs and Os, game planning, and assistant hires but the superstructure of a program is just as, if not more, important. That's the real lesson of programs like Alabama, Clemson and, yes, the New England Patriots. The Xs and Os are on point, but the culture and institution building is nonpareil. 

Why do we even care? Aren't these players just glorified tackling dummies, occasionally helping the "real players" get a look? Every now and again, you give one of them an extra scholarship for their sacrifice and film a viral video that makes everyone tear up a little.

Well, I think Herman has more ambitious ideas. And it's written all over the quality of players coming into this PWO program. Watch the film. Look at their other offers. There's a clear talent identification and engagement protocol being run by our personnel staff and I'm pretty impressed by it. Here's why it matters:

They can be guarantors of program culture. While you want your best players to be your leaders, walk-ons can set a hell of an example and be a positive infrastructure. With a college system increasingly geared towards playing elite freshman and good players leaving after three years to the NFL, cultural transfer and the way a program does things has to be constantly re-established. You don't want the coaches constantly establishing it. You want it to be player enforced. Walk-ons will be here for four or five years. All of them got into Texas, so academics are on point. Same with overall organization and maturity. In short, they set a good example and they have institutional memory. A good walk-on can inculcate culture even more directly. When a 23 year old walk-on with five years of S&C and maturity under his belt gives a physically immature 18 year old 4 star recruit an ass whipping in a matt drill or scrimmage, it's an eye opening imperative to take their own development seriously. They also know our offense, defense and our Big 12 opponents backwards and forwards. You want players hearing more constructive voices than just the coaches. Coaches, like parents, get tuned out fast. 

They enforce a standard and create competition. The difference between a PWO who passed up legitimate P-5 scholarship offers, a West Point football appointment, or a full ride to Sam Houston State or an Ivy is a difference in kind from a marginal high school starter who really loves Texas and has always wanted to be a part of the program. Herman's best PWO profiles are former high school stars, often from winning programs, who, because of one or two physical traits, weren't considered Texas material. Or are at least very interesting late bloomers specifically identified at positions where late bloomers with certain physical traits (see Tight End) will often grow into studs. 

If your scholarship guys have to actually try during practice in order not to be shown up, they get better at football. They grow their skills. They actually have to apply teaching and can't just try to turn it on when game day rolls around. The starters and coaches actually get a realistic sense of what the opponents Xs are trying to do to your Os, because schemes without real play speed are useless. 

They create depth and possibly free money starters. Beyond raising the bar at practice, if you stack enough of these guys with legit lower tier D1 offers, legacies with a love of Texas and favorable genetics who opted for Austin rather than a full ride elsewhere, or odd traits that throw off standard evaluation (see Jarrett Smith, the dynamic 5'6" RB), we'll end up with an eventual starter or depth chart asset. In a good way, not desperation. And even if desperation, you'd rather have an option than not.

I look specifically at interior OL, LB, TE, any kicker, blocking fullback and slot receiver as the most likely positional candidates to provide a possible major contributor. Those positions are all hard to project, with late blooming potential and athletic traits that can change radically with S&C. We're probably less likely to see an outside WR, DL or CB be a major contributor, but anything can happen at any position.

Good walk-ons just create program floor. A mature 4th or 5th year walk-on who could have started for an Academy is a pretty damn respectable football player. Under the right circumstances, a team comprised of them can win 11 games and beat Houston by 56 points in a bowl game. 

Striking gold. This is the dream. Every now and then you strike on a Clay Matthews, Aeneas Williams, Baker Mayfield, JJ Watt, Carl Nassib, Jordy Nelson or Antonio Brown. The odds of that increase substantially the higher the baseline quality of PWO. Less ambitiously, simply developing a few guys who can legitimately earn spots on special teams, round out a depth chart or can turn into a starting kicker, blocking fullback or deep snapper is incredibly valuable to a roster. 

Herman has a plan here and his player personnel staff are executing pretty damn well against it. I'm optimistic about what it will yield.

[Tex Pete 20,177]

35 minutes ago, Skinny Tie said:

Just here to confirm Sydney is in fact a a cocksucker.

Tell us something we don't know, Einstein.

[Katfid54 8,591]

1 hour ago, closetojumping said:

Well, we all have our roles to play, Sydney. You're sort of the insufferable cocksucker, Machinator is the bot, texifornia is the Rick Moranis of Surly, Longhorn94 is going to pull the bookshelf on top of himself repeatedly, sarvanaash is going to publicly squat to pee on command, fatkid54 is the racist, Fud is the recruiting nerd straight man, and I'm sort of this jovial, benevolent, happy-go-lucky avuncular character who just wants everyone to get along, be happy, and trust the coaches. 

First,

 

Also,

 

[Wishbone 4,734]

13 minutes ago, Machinator said:

(Scipio Tex) Walk Hard: Tom Herman's Preferred Walk On Program

 

  Reveal hidden contents

 

One of the most impressive changes instituted by Tom Herman at the University of Texas has been the reinvigoration and advancement of the Texas preferred walk-on program. Perhaps in no small part because he was tasked with working with the walk-ons as a Texas GA under Mack Brown and he sees the opportunity for found money. 

Here's the 2019 class: 

https://247sports.com/player/parker-alford-46053526/

https://247sports.com/Player/Sam-Saxton-46052270/

https://247sports.com/player/jake-ehlinger-46055366/

http://www.hudl.com/profile/7349382/Nate-Hatter

https://247sports.com/Player/Austin-Hill-46056989/

https://247sports.com/Player/Jett-Bush-46055186/

https://247sports.com/Player/Austin-Hill-46056989/

https://www.hudl.com/profile/8745858/Doak-Wilson

https://247sports.com/Player/Chad-Wolf-46050829/

https://www.hudl.com/profile/8028105/Christian-Tschauner

https://247sports.com/Player/Patrick-Bayouth-46037309/

https://247sports.com/Player/Myles-Mass-46039975/

This is 2018:

#96 Tristan Bennett, DL-Soph., 6-3 240, Irving (TX) Ranchview
#46 Luke Brockermeyer, LB-FR, 6-3 215, Fort Worth (TX) All Saints Episcopal
#79 Matt Frost, OL-FR, 6-3 265, Folsom (CA)
#52 Jackson Hanna, LB-FR, 6-2 215, Houston (TX) St. Thomas
#54 Justin Mader, DS-FR, 6-4 225, Magnolia (TX)
#18 Tremayne Prudehomme, QB-FR, 6-1 185, Houston (TX) Aldine Davis
#23 Jarrett Smith, RB-FR, 5-7 195, Webster (TX) Clear Brook
#23 Turner Symonds, DB-FR, 6-0 175, Fort Worth (TX) Country Day
#62 Jeremy Thompson-Sevon, DL/OL-FR, 6-2 240, Lewisville (TX) Hebron
#63 Troy Torres, DL-FR, 5-11 290, El Paso (TX) Bowie
#15 Travis West, WR-FR, 6-0 175, Dallas (TX) Wilson
#36 Kamari Williams, RB-FR, 5-9 175, Conroe (TX) Oak Ridge

You should be pleasantly surprised after watching film of some of these guys. 

**

What is a Preferred Walk On? It's a non-scholarship player with a guaranteed spot on the roster. They don't have to audition in the Spring and be subjected to an open try out. Once on the roster, walk-ons get the same medical, training, dining (a recent positive change), and equipment benefits as scholarship athletes. 

At Texas under Herman, they're being afforded a degree of respect, benefits and inclusiveness that few programs can match.

Texas is only two years in to a plan that by its very nature takes time and the right conditions (or rather, strength and conditioning) for its seeds to grow, but it's useful to point to the revamped preferred walk on program at Texas - particularly as a subset of overall recruiting and development for all athletes - as a good illustration of what Herman is doing best here in Austin. 

We tend to conceive of coaching as Xs and Os, game planning, and assistant hires but the superstructure of a program is just as, if not more, important. That's the real lesson of programs like Alabama, Clemson and, yes, the New England Patriots. The Xs and Os are on point, but the culture and institution building is nonpareil. 

Why do we even care? Aren't these players just glorified tackling dummies, occasionally helping the "real players" get a look? Every now and again, you give one of them an extra scholarship for their sacrifice and film a viral video that makes everyone tear up a little.

Well, I think Herman has more ambitious ideas. And it's written all over the quality of players coming into this PWO program. Watch the film. Look at their other offers. There's a clear talent identification and engagement protocol being run by our personnel staff and I'm pretty impressed by it. Here's why it matters:

They can be guarantors of program culture. While you want your best players to be your leaders, walk-ons can set a hell of an example and be a positive infrastructure. With a college system increasingly geared towards playing elite freshman and good players leaving after three years to the NFL, cultural transfer and the way a program does things has to be constantly re-established. You don't want the coaches constantly establishing it. You want it to be player enforced. Walk-ons will be here for four or five years. All of them got into Texas, so academics are on point. Same with overall organization and maturity. In short, they set a good example and they have institutional memory. A good walk-on can inculcate culture even more directly. When a 23 year old walk-on with five years of S&C and maturity under his belt gives a physically immature 18 year old 4 star recruit an ass whipping in a matt drill or scrimmage, it's an eye opening imperative to take their own development seriously. They also know our offense, defense and our Big 12 opponents backwards and forwards. You want players hearing more constructive voices than just the coaches. Coaches, like parents, get tuned out fast. 

They enforce a standard and create competition. The difference between a PWO who passed up legitimate P-5 scholarship offers, a West Point football appointment, or a full ride to Sam Houston State or an Ivy is a difference in kind from a marginal high school starter who really loves Texas and has always wanted to be a part of the program. Herman's best PWO profiles are former high school stars, often from winning programs, who, because of one or two physical traits, weren't considered Texas material. Or are at least very interesting late bloomers specifically identified at positions where late bloomers with certain physical traits (see Tight End) will often grow into studs. 

If your scholarship guys have to actually try during practice in order not to be shown up, they get better at football. They grow their skills. They actually have to apply teaching and can't just try to turn it on when game day rolls around. The starters and coaches actually get a realistic sense of what the opponents Xs are trying to do to your Os, because schemes without real play speed are useless. 

They create depth and possibly free money starters. Beyond raising the bar at practice, if you stack enough of these guys with legit lower tier D1 offers, legacies with a love of Texas and favorable genetics who opted for Austin rather than a full ride elsewhere, or odd traits that throw off standard evaluation (see Jarrett Smith, the dynamic 5'6" RB), we'll end up with an eventual starter or depth chart asset. In a good way, not desperation. And even if desperation, you'd rather have an option than not.

I look specifically at interior OL, LB, TE, any kicker, blocking fullback and slot receiver as the most likely positional candidates to provide a possible major contributor. Those positions are all hard to project, with late blooming potential and athletic traits that can change radically with S&C. We're probably less likely to see an outside WR, DL or CB be a major contributor, but anything can happen at any position.

Good walk-ons just create program floor. A mature 4th or 5th year walk-on who could have started for an Academy is a pretty damn respectable football player. Under the right circumstances, a team comprised of them can win 11 games and beat Houston by 56 points in a bowl game. 

Striking gold. This is the dream. Every now and then you strike on a Clay Matthews, Aeneas Williams, Baker Mayfield, JJ Watt, Carl Nassib, Jordy Nelson or Antonio Brown. The odds of that increase substantially the higher the baseline quality of PWO. Less ambitiously, simply developing a few guys who can legitimately earn spots on special teams, round out a depth chart or can turn into a starting kicker, blocking fullback or deep snapper is incredibly valuable to a roster. 

Herman has a plan here and his player personnel staff are executing pretty damn well against it. I'm optimistic about what it will yield.

 

Not a bad article by Scipio. He listed Austin Hill twice though. Mensa cloning now as well?

[Sabalo 994]

5 minutes ago, Wishbone said:

Not a bad article by Scipio. He listed Austin Hill twice though. Mensa cloning now as well?

If any of the PWO's deserved a second mention, Austin Hill could be the one.

[Pato del Muerto 52,342]

The way scipio and ctj write, I picture them having spent their formative years as rivals at some high dollar elocution school in the countryside. 

[Sabalo 994]

Because of his avatar, I will always picture CTJ as former CIA spook Jack Byrnes from Meet the Parents.

[mr. sunshine 2,824]

49 minutes ago, Machinator said:

Under the right circumstances, a team comprised of them can win 11 games and beat Houston by 56 points in a bowl game. 

nelsonhaha.gif

[Dbeasy 14,966]

Because of his avatar, I will always picture CTJ as former CIA spook Jack Byrnes from Meet the Parents.

Really more like Colonel Flagg from MASH.

[Coelenterate Fuccboi 13,010]

38 minutes ago, Pato del Muerto said:

The way scipio and ctj write, I picture them having spent their formative years as rivals at some high dollar elocution school in the countryside. 

You haven’t heard the Cheerios story, have you? CTJ is the guy who is so angry about being the poor kid, he’s does everything he can to distance himself from it. This includes communicating like he owns several plantations.

[closetojumping 62,231]

1 minute ago, Casual Encounter said:

You haven’t heard the Cheerios story, have you? CTJ is the guy who is so angry about being the poor kid, he’s does everything he can to distance himself from it. This includes communicating like he owns several plantations.

You have me straight. My childhood home recently was abandoned and boarded up, so I bought it and had it bulldozed myself. 

You guys are all weird about language though. I don’t feel like I write any differently than half the board. 

[Burt Macklin 18,997]

1 minute ago, closetojumping said:

You have me straight. My childhood home recently was abandoned and boarded up, so I bought it and had it bulldozed myself. 

You guys are all weird about language though. I don’t feel like I write any differently than half the board. 

Yeah but the other half doesn’t like it.

[Not a Sock 2,308]

5 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

You have me straight. My childhood home recently was abandoned and boarded up, so I bought it and had it bulldozed myself. 

You guys are all weird about language though. I don’t feel like I write any differently than half the board. 

I have yet to see anybody else use microbiology as insults.

Edited February 8, 2019 by Not a Sock

[Laga4 1,270]

53 minutes ago, Pato del Muerto said:

The way scipio and ctj write, I picture them having spent their formative years as rivals at some high dollar elocution school in the countryside. 

I was thinking more along the lines of just being everyday nerds. 

[Machinator 32,097]

 

[satyanash 14,281]

(Ian Boyd) Inside the Gameplan: Grading the fits of Texas' 2019 class

The 2019 class is going to go down as a game-changing group for the Texas football program. As we’re already seeing in the early stages of the 2020 cycle, Texas is clearly going to continue to answer Horace Greeley’s call to “go west” in order to find top prospects. Oklahoma leaned heavily on that strategy this decade while they were getting pushed out of Texas after bringing Mike Stoops and Tim Kish in fresh off their stint in Arizona. It yielded mixed results for them, regularly bringing in blue chip talent but some of which flamed out and some of which drove their success. Texas pulled in four Californians and two Arizonans, the six of which represent some of the strongest components to the class. They also found six players in SEC country and 13 from within the Lone Star State making Texans a slim majority in the class.

Another dimension to this class that will stand out in the future is the large number of versatile, hybrid players that Texas stocked up on. The Longhorns made hay in 2018 by moving their five skill players around in different alignments to cause matchup issues for defenses and the 2019 class includes a number of players that have the size and versatility to cause similar issues when they find themselves on the field. Overall here’s how well Tom Herman and his staff did in filling the roster with players that can realize their vision.

Defense

Secondary
We’re starting here because a major component of what sets apart the top teams in the Big 12 from the mid-tier (except OU) is any capacity for playing defense and you can’t play defense in this league without a deep and skilled secondary. While there are more than enough athletic, skilled wideouts within the state to keep every team stocked up with amazing targets (go check the All-B12 teams), there’s an opportunity for Texas to stand out by cleaning up amongst the much smaller numbers of freak DBs.

Marques Caldwell: 6-1, 171. 3*** from Alvin, TX (Alvin)
Caldwell is long, wiry, and has a nose for the ball. None of his testing numbers jump out and neither does his speed on film but his positioning and physicality are always on point. He’s listed at CB but I’d bet that he becomes a safety down the road after gaining some size and force. As a 200 pound enforcer playing over the top in a dime package, Caldwell becomes a useful player.

Chris Adimora: 6-2, 192. 4**** from Lakewood, CA (Mayfair)
Adimora is the right guy to load up into the defense. He’s violent and explosive in tighter areas, has borderline athleticism for covering ground on the back end, and could potentially go in one of two directions that would be useful for the team. Either his already thick frame could pack on some weight to get closer to 215 so that he could play as a linebacker/hybrid or he could improve his athleticism and pop to stay back at safety. Every team needs lots of guys like Adimora that are comfortable in a scrum but have the athleticism to cover some ground as well.

Kenyatta Watson II: 6-2, 182. 4**** from Loganville, GA (Grayson)
Watson is the one pure coverage player in the class and he’s a good one. At 6-2 he has the size to match up with the big targets that teams love to put on the field, and he also has the necessary quickness and skill to press up or else play off in coverage and match vertical routes. Right now you mostly need guys like that outside on the boundary so that’s where he projects.

Tyler Owens: 6-2, 200. 4**** from Plano, TX (Plano East)
Owens is the biggest of the bunch and has grown violent with the addition of weight and increasing comfort throwing around his large, athletic frame. He’s a lot like Brandon Jones, really good at hawking down from depth to blow up ballcarriers with the speed and range to do so from well off the LOS. They’ll probably start him on the far back end and then move him around as needed to make sure his ability to close and tackle can impact games.

Grade: B-

Texas did well on numbers and grabbed several guys that should be useful in building out DB-heavy packages and bringing the necessary toughness/athleticism. They didn’t get as many guys that can can match up in coverage but you can always adjust for that if you have lots of guys on the field that are comfortable in space.

Linebackers
This position is in a state of flux across the game. Currently most teams are aiming to find guys that can split the difference between safety and linebacker to man the positions that get put into run/pass conflicts in space by modern spread tactics. Then there are the other positions that can still be full-time “first responder” players against the run or attacking pieces against the pass. I honestly think that the former types are going to be phased out in exchange for playing more safeties like Chris Adimora that can be a space-backer one play and then a deep zone defender the next. The latter types are still invaluable.

David Gbenda: 6-0, 218. 4**** from Katy, TX (Cinco Ranch)
Gbenda has the quickness and lateral range to match the space-backer profile. He can cover ground and avoid being a sieve in coverage, the only problem is that A) it’s not the only thing he does impressively well or even what he does best and B) he doesn’t do that as well as a safety like Adimora would and he doesn’t bring the same extra coverage skills that a converted safety would bring. However, where Gbenda has some major upside is as an eventual 230 pound wrecking ball in the box who can blow up or dart by blocks and could become a devastating blitzer in time. In a future where linebackers don’t have to take on coverage assignments they have no prayer of executing without substantial help, Gbenda still fits the bill.

Caleb Johnson: 6-1, 215. 3*** from Fullerton, CA (Fullerton College)
Johnson is a faster, more experienced Gbenda who has less growth potential (literally, he probably won’t be as sturdy or big) and is trapped a little more in the space-backer role that has a dubious future long term. He’s an extremely helpful addition to the roster for 2019 when Texas is still sorting out how they are going to handle LB. They need guys that know how to play the position and can hold up in space even if they eventually downshift B.J. Foster, Demarvion Overshown, or Brandon Jones down to steal a LB spot. If he wins a role and has an impact in 2019 as a reliable run stopper and an effective blitzer he could potentially hold off the hordes of young safeties Texas is accumulating.

Marcus Tillman, Jr: 6-1, 220. 3*** from Orlando, FL (Jones)
Tillman is similar to Gbenda, he’s a good profile for what a tite front inside-backer needs to look like these days. The combination of lateral quicks, thick build, and overall savvy tends to come in shorter packages like Roquan Smith (6-1, 230). Tillman projects as a guy that could play Anthony Wheeler’s position without being a major liability in coverage while still having the size and pop to perform traditional linebacker roles in the box.

De’Gabriel Floyd: 6-2, 230. 4**** from Westlake Village, CA (Westlake)
Floyd is the mold for what rovers should look like for the Texas scheme. He’s athletic enough that he can play coverage and chase down screens and perimeter plays but he’s a nightmare on insert blitzes. In all likelihood, Floyd will be the winner of this bunch that commands a spot on the field with the rest of the lineup in the defensive backfield chosen to complement his skills and maximize his impact.

Grade: A-

Texas finally loaded up on the sort of linebackers that they’ve needed for the last 10 years. Some of them will become superfluous either because of the numbers here or position changes from safeties. However, Orlando’s D will always field at least two linebackers that need to be both plus athletes AND dangerous weapons in his blitz packages and there are a lot of players in this mix that project very well in that regard.

Defensive line
Texas has a couple of goals for the DL, the first of which is to play big, athletic guys that can cancel out interior gaps and set up the LBs and rest of the defense to run and close on the ball from depth. The other is to have a guy or two that can also blow by guys in the pass-rush when they get a 1-on-1 matchup on a blitz without necessarily having the favorable edge angle.

T’Vondre Sweat: 6-3, 260. 3*** from Huntsville, TX (Huntsville)
Sweat is probably the nose tackle of the bunch, a powerful dude with a high motor and a big frame that will be a nightmare lined up as a zero technique nose across from the undersized thinkers that often comprise the league’s centers. Texas’ scheme doesn’t do favors to the DEs in terms of piling up stats in the pass-rush but it does set up a quick and powerful nose to wreak havoc against the run and Sweat fits that bill.

Myron Warren: 6-3, 240. 3*** from Many, LA (Many)
Malcolm Roach redux, except this time he’ll zero in on playing inside shade DL techniques early on in his career. Warren is extremely bouncy at 240 and will end up as a terrible problem for opponents knifing through backside gaps as a 4i or nose down the line at 270+. Watch for what Roach does this coming season as a full-time DL and that’s the prognosis for what Warren can become.

Peter Mpagi: 6-4.5, 230. 3*** from Richmond, TX (George Ranch)
Mpagi is more of a pure edge player or a true DE. He’s lightning working to the corner on opponents, even from 4i alignments in HS, but he’s also currently too small to play inside. He has two paths he could end up on in the coming years at Texas. One would see him explode in size like Charles Omenihu so that he could handle the rigors of battling 330 pounders in the interior lanes and then moving outside on passing downs. The other path has him staying lighter and forcing Texas to adjust to playing a B-backer more often or adjusting their front to accommodate his deployment as a full-time edge player. Joseph Ossai’s next two seasons could be a good indicator of where Mpagi’s future lies.

Jacoby Jones: 6-4, 250. 4**** from El Dorado, KS (Butler C.C.)
Jones is definitely more of a pure edge player like Mpagi may prove to be with time. He’s good insurance on a dilemma that Texas has for the 2019 season. That dilemma is that they have a player in Ossai that probably needs to be a starter at B-backer and then another solid but less destructive edge LB in Jeffrey McCulloch that probably needs to spend the offseason focused on ILB. Jacoby gives Texas insurance at B-backer to have options and depth at that position even if they move McCulloch away. He’s a good pass-rusher and talent who may also carve out a role as a third down specialist or even pass up Ossai as a starter.

Grade: B+

Texas got a pair of guys in Sweat and Warren that project cleanly and with upside to their infrastructure positions inside and then another pair in Mpagi and Jones that offer them flexibility in building packages that can attack opponents in the pass-rush.

Offense

Offensive line
This is arguably where Texas has been the sickest as a program this decade and where the comeback under Tom Herman has been most pronounced. They’ve been following a similar formula for a while now, hoping to land lots of guys with tackle size and quickness but a guard’s physicality and strength to play at all five spots to make their inside zone schemes a surefire way to dominate the box.

Isaiah Hookin: 6-5, 270. 4**** from Sugar Land, TX (Dulles)
Hookin looks like a future tackle that’s just missing three years of S&C and instruction before he wins that gig. He’s got effortless quickness at 270 and should be really precise and deadly when he’s 310 and has better footwork and technique.

Javonne Shepherd: 6-6, 327. 4**** from Houston, TX (North Forest)
Shepherd has tackle athleticism and has shown that he has it at 6-6/320, hence his lofty rankings and sought after status. He’ll have to work to remake his body some and earn trust as a guy who can be counted on as the blindside protector but with his frame and power he could still translate pretty easily to being a plus at either guard or right tackle if he doesn’t fully maximize.

Tyler Johnson: 6-5, 308. 4**** from Conroe, TX (Oak Ridge)
Johnson is even a little more athletic than Shepherd with less of a taste for drama that might portend a more trustworthy bodyguard for Texas’ QBs. He’ll get his chances to play early at guard because of his talent but down the line he’s a tackle.

Grade: B+

The numbers aren’t all that high, but all three of these guys are plus athletes that could grow into monsters and the Longhorns figure to solve for numbers with the 2020 class.

Ancillaries
Texas has pretty lofty expectations from their tight ends, who make up the extent of their “ancillary” class of skill players. For starters, these guys are asked to be capable of blocking DEs in the run game to allow Texas to command that opponents get 6.5 or seven defenders into the box at the snap to have a chance of preventing easy, chain-moving gains in the zone run game. They’re also asked to run a variety of routes from different flex alignments in order to allow the offense to play matchup games to isolate key targets. It’s a demanding position but one that can make the whole offense come together even when the player isn’t putting up big numbers (Beck, Andrew).

Jared Wiley: 6-6, 225. 3*** from Temple, TX (Temple)
Wiley is an early enrollee but he’ll be spending the next few years being remade through S&C and drill work as a blocker in order to translate his huge frame and fluid athleticism into the kind of TE that makes this offense hum. He has major potential as a receiver, though not as much perhaps as a Cade Brewer or Brayden Liebrock, but his path to the field will come from embracing the grind of blocking.

Brayden Liebrock: 6-5, 220. 4**** from Chandler, AZ (Chandler)
Liebrock can probably have a major impact at Texas even if he never learns to block. He’s remarkably fluid and skilled as a route runner and when you have that at 6-5, 220 then you tend to be pretty effective in the spread. Liebrock could either be a full time flex TE in the mold of a Lil’Jordan Humphrey, or more likely, he’ll learn to block as well and be nightmare-fuel for Big 12 DCs that don’t have any ways to match up. Imagine Texas playing formations down the road where Liebrock is lined up as a tight X receiver with three other WRs on the opposite edge of the formation:

The matchup problems and headaches this would induce would make for good times and easy reads for the Texas QB.

Grade: A+

It’s harder to do much better than this, both of these guys could be just what Texas needs and more.

Running backs
The workhorse of the Texas offense. Texas in 2018 and probably in the future is evolving to use the RB run game more as a steady constant than necessarily the main engine of the offense. However, there’s going to be a lot of carries and opportunities for this player for the foreseeable future with a chance to put up superstar numbers for a guy with enough talent to make the most of it.

Derrian Brown: 5-11, 188. 4**** from Buford, GA (Buford)
Brown’s health problems have clouded his football future but he’s an explosive downhill runner with a knack for the inside zone scheme and making the cuts between the tackles that make the scheme dangerous. If the young man gets healthy he should be quality depth at the least with a chance to surprise if he can add some size (215 or so) without slowing down.

Grade: C-

Texas got one solid player here when they need some numbers and more top line talent to benefit from the mauling and emphasized run game they’re building. They’ll have to open the transfer portal again and see what comes through.

Receivers
Receivers are really the primary skill players in the Big 12 today and that was even true at Texas last year with Lil’Jordan Humphrey and Collin Johnson leading the way for the breakthrough offense. The goal is to assemble as many matchup problems as you can but the trick is to get the guys who aren’t featured in a given year to buy in on running clear out routes and blocking on screens while honing their route adjustment skills as they wait their turn. Texas really struggled to get this right in 2017 amidst all of their other problems and then nailed it in 2018.

Kennedy Lewis: 6-3, 190. 3*** from Melissa, TX (Melissa)
Lewis could end up at either outside WR spot due to his length and speed. He’s a vertical threat that should be a solid target on jump balls or fade routes in general and should make the post a bigger part of the arsenal if he ever sees the field.

Marcus Washington: 6-2, 191. 4**** from Saint Louis, MO (Trinity Catholic)
Similar prospect to Lewis but a touch smaller and perhaps also a touch more explosive and skilled. Texas is basically hoping that one of Lewis or Washington is able to come close to matching what they would have had from Garrett Wilson should the Buckeye have become an Z or X for Texas.

Jake Smith: 6-1, 189. 4**** from Scottsdale, AZ (Notre Dame Prep)
Jordan Whittington: 6-0, 200. 5***** from Cuero, TX (Cuero)
Bru McCoy: 6-2, 205. 5***** from Santa Ana, CA (Mater Dei)
All three of these guys project as versatile matchup weapons that can easily move around to multiple alignments from snap to snap. Whittington is an H receiver in the mold of Lil’Jordan Humphrey, he could be a demon running option routes in the seams or move into the backfield and take handoffs or wildcat snaps in the run game. McCoy is of a similar mold but with more of an inside/outside versatility to his skill set. He should also develop as a big, trustworthy target in the middle of the field but may also move outside from time to time to capitalize on matchups. Smith is smaller and faster than either and is more of a blank canvass at this point but will probably be a guy that Texas uses to stretch the field vertically and horizontally with screens and deep routes.

Grade: A

Texas got a full cast of weapons in this class and the smart money would be on more than one of them becoming a 1k-yard, All-B12 player in the future. The trick now will be making sure that everyone stays happy when they’re blocking or waiting their turn.

Quarterback
Everyone wants a QB that is accurate, can make all or most of the throws, read defenses, and ideally that can move around within and outside of the pocket. Herman’s system zeroes in from the broader attributes onto football IQ and toughness. Mensa Tom likes to manipulate defenses with hybrid personnel to create matchups and allow the offense to out-execute the defense from a slimmer playbook of well-drilled concepts. Understanding the system and how to use it to attack defenses requires a higher football IQ and Herman has often murdered opponents with QBs that didn’t have NFL arm talent but did have great poise and savvy. The hybrid, HUNH spread stuff is built on a foundation of toughness and inside running that is required from everyone in the backfield including the QB.

Roschon Johnson: 6-1, 200. 4**** from Port Neches, TX (Port Neches-Groves)
Johnson is a perfect fit for this system, having commanded a power-spread system at PN-G and run for nearly 5k yards over three years as a starter. The PN-G offense was tactically different from the Longhorn offense, built more around power/iso run schemes and a few different passing concepts than Texas prefers, but strategically similar. They had a million ways to run power and the main passing concepts and would come into each week with formations and set-ups designed to allow them to run power at the weak spots of their opponent that week.

Johnson had to understand how they were trying to attack the defense and distribute the ball accordingly. He also regularly had to be the guy to make it happen by running over opponents on 20 carries a game. The starting QB job at Texas is back to being a highly competitive gig but Johnson has the right skills and mindset to emerge on top.

Grade: A-

Overall this was another big time class for Texas that has more than its share of big impact players that will command feature roles in the years to come. Herman and his staff didn’t allow a tough year of in-state recruiting to stop them either from filling up on what they need to fill out the roster nor snagging multiple potential star players.

[Bigbend1812 12,886]

2 hours ago, texifornia said:

Hook 'em and pony up Shane!

This!  Good luck, Shane!

[irishtexan 11,445]

Two top three classes in a row. Mack never did that in all his time here. That’s pretty fucking impressive.

[Tree Fidy 1,196]

You have me straight. My childhood home recently was abandoned and boarded up, so I bought it and had it bulldozed myself. 
You guys are all weird about language though. I don’t feel like I write any differently than half the board. 

Dafuq?

[Neonmoon 38,127]

3 hours ago, closetojumping said:

Well, we all have our roles to play, Sydney. You're sort of the insufferable cocksucker, Machinator is the bot, texifornia is the Rick Moranis of Surly, Longhorn94 is going to pull the bookshelf on top of himself repeatedly, sarvanaash is going to publicly squat to pee on command, fatkid54 is the racist, Fud is the recruiting nerd straight man, and I'm sort of this jovial, benevolent, happy-go-lucky avuncular character who just wants everyone to get along, be happy, and trust the coaches. 

[sushihorn 3,233]

2 hours ago, Machinator said:

(Scipio Tex) Walk Hard: Tom Herman's Preferred Walk On Program

 

  Reveal hidden contents

 

One of the most impressive changes instituted by Tom Herman at the University of Texas has been the reinvigoration and advancement of the Texas preferred walk-on program. Perhaps in no small part because he was tasked with working with the walk-ons as a Texas GA under Mack Brown and he sees the opportunity for found money. 

Here's the 2019 class: 

https://247sports.com/player/parker-alford-46053526/

https://247sports.com/Player/Sam-Saxton-46052270/

https://247sports.com/player/jake-ehlinger-46055366/

http://www.hudl.com/profile/7349382/Nate-Hatter

https://247sports.com/Player/Austin-Hill-46056989/

https://247sports.com/Player/Jett-Bush-46055186/

https://247sports.com/Player/Austin-Hill-46056989/

https://www.hudl.com/profile/8745858/Doak-Wilson

https://247sports.com/Player/Chad-Wolf-46050829/

https://www.hudl.com/profile/8028105/Christian-Tschauner

https://247sports.com/Player/Patrick-Bayouth-46037309/

https://247sports.com/Player/Myles-Mass-46039975/

This is 2018:

#96 Tristan Bennett, DL-Soph., 6-3 240, Irving (TX) Ranchview
#46 Luke Brockermeyer, LB-FR, 6-3 215, Fort Worth (TX) All Saints Episcopal
#79 Matt Frost, OL-FR, 6-3 265, Folsom (CA)
#52 Jackson Hanna, LB-FR, 6-2 215, Houston (TX) St. Thomas
#54 Justin Mader, DS-FR, 6-4 225, Magnolia (TX)
#18 Tremayne Prudehomme, QB-FR, 6-1 185, Houston (TX) Aldine Davis
#23 Jarrett Smith, RB-FR, 5-7 195, Webster (TX) Clear Brook
#23 Turner Symonds, DB-FR, 6-0 175, Fort Worth (TX) Country Day
#62 Jeremy Thompson-Sevon, DL/OL-FR, 6-2 240, Lewisville (TX) Hebron
#63 Troy Torres, DL-FR, 5-11 290, El Paso (TX) Bowie
#15 Travis West, WR-FR, 6-0 175, Dallas (TX) Wilson
#36 Kamari Williams, RB-FR, 5-9 175, Conroe (TX) Oak Ridge

You should be pleasantly surprised after watching film of some of these guys. 

**

What is a Preferred Walk On? It's a non-scholarship player with a guaranteed spot on the roster. They don't have to audition in the Spring and be subjected to an open try out. Once on the roster, walk-ons get the same medical, training, dining (a recent positive change), and equipment benefits as scholarship athletes. 

At Texas under Herman, they're being afforded a degree of respect, benefits and inclusiveness that few programs can match.

Texas is only two years in to a plan that by its very nature takes time and the right conditions (or rather, strength and conditioning) for its seeds to grow, but it's useful to point to the revamped preferred walk on program at Texas - particularly as a subset of overall recruiting and development for all athletes - as a good illustration of what Herman is doing best here in Austin. 

We tend to conceive of coaching as Xs and Os, game planning, and assistant hires but the superstructure of a program is just as, if not more, important. That's the real lesson of programs like Alabama, Clemson and, yes, the New England Patriots. The Xs and Os are on point, but the culture and institution building is nonpareil. 

Why do we even care? Aren't these players just glorified tackling dummies, occasionally helping the "real players" get a look? Every now and again, you give one of them an extra scholarship for their sacrifice and film a viral video that makes everyone tear up a little.

Well, I think Herman has more ambitious ideas. And it's written all over the quality of players coming into this PWO program. Watch the film. Look at their other offers. There's a clear talent identification and engagement protocol being run by our personnel staff and I'm pretty impressed by it. Here's why it matters:

They can be guarantors of program culture. While you want your best players to be your leaders, walk-ons can set a hell of an example and be a positive infrastructure. With a college system increasingly geared towards playing elite freshman and good players leaving after three years to the NFL, cultural transfer and the way a program does things has to be constantly re-established. You don't want the coaches constantly establishing it. You want it to be player enforced. Walk-ons will be here for four or five years. All of them got into Texas, so academics are on point. Same with overall organization and maturity. In short, they set a good example and they have institutional memory. A good walk-on can inculcate culture even more directly. When a 23 year old walk-on with five years of S&C and maturity under his belt gives a physically immature 18 year old 4 star recruit an ass whipping in a matt drill or scrimmage, it's an eye opening imperative to take their own development seriously. They also know our offense, defense and our Big 12 opponents backwards and forwards. You want players hearing more constructive voices than just the coaches. Coaches, like parents, get tuned out fast. 

They enforce a standard and create competition. The difference between a PWO who passed up legitimate P-5 scholarship offers, a West Point football appointment, or a full ride to Sam Houston State or an Ivy is a difference in kind from a marginal high school starter who really loves Texas and has always wanted to be a part of the program. Herman's best PWO profiles are former high school stars, often from winning programs, who, because of one or two physical traits, weren't considered Texas material. Or are at least very interesting late bloomers specifically identified at positions where late bloomers with certain physical traits (see Tight End) will often grow into studs. 

If your scholarship guys have to actually try during practice in order not to be shown up, they get better at football. They grow their skills. They actually have to apply teaching and can't just try to turn it on when game day rolls around. The starters and coaches actually get a realistic sense of what the opponents Xs are trying to do to your Os, because schemes without real play speed are useless. 

They create depth and possibly free money starters. Beyond raising the bar at practice, if you stack enough of these guys with legit lower tier D1 offers, legacies with a love of Texas and favorable genetics who opted for Austin rather than a full ride elsewhere, or odd traits that throw off standard evaluation (see Jarrett Smith, the dynamic 5'6" RB), we'll end up with an eventual starter or depth chart asset. In a good way, not desperation. And even if desperation, you'd rather have an option than not.

I look specifically at interior OL, LB, TE, any kicker, blocking fullback and slot receiver as the most likely positional candidates to provide a possible major contributor. Those positions are all hard to project, with late blooming potential and athletic traits that can change radically with S&C. We're probably less likely to see an outside WR, DL or CB be a major contributor, but anything can happen at any position.

Good walk-ons just create program floor. A mature 4th or 5th year walk-on who could have started for an Academy is a pretty damn respectable football player. Under the right circumstances, a team comprised of them can win 11 games and beat Houston by 56 points in a bowl game. 

Striking gold. This is the dream. Every now and then you strike on a Clay Matthews, Aeneas Williams, Baker Mayfield, JJ Watt, Carl Nassib, Jordy Nelson or Antonio Brown. The odds of that increase substantially the higher the baseline quality of PWO. Less ambitiously, simply developing a few guys who can legitimately earn spots on special teams, round out a depth chart or can turn into a starting kicker, blocking fullback or deep snapper is incredibly valuable to a roster. 

Herman has a plan here and his player personnel staff are executing pretty damn well against it. I'm optimistic about what it will yield.

 

The closest Jimbo will get to Walk Hard is Droopy Cox.  Come to think of it, that would explain a lot of Candi's behavior...

[CastHorn 793]

41 minutes ago, irishtexan said:

Two top three classes in a row. Mack never did that in all his time here. That’s pretty fucking impressive.

Our roster is starting to look like a Longhorn roster again. The 2020 team will most likely be our most complete team since ‘08. I have a feeling the 20’s is going to be a great time to be a Longhorn.

[nunna yo bizness 1,687]

2 hours ago, Skinny Tie said:

Just here to confirm Sydney is in fact a a cocksucker.

Yeah, but does he swallow?

[IBuryPaul 273]

1 hour ago, irishtexan said:

Two top three classes in a row. Mack never did that in all his time here. That’s pretty fucking impressive.

Unpossible. Mack was Coach February. Pretty sure he had 16 top 5 classes in a row.

Imagine red shirting incoming freshmen, especially linemen and QBs, and they still don't see the field for another year.

[AndThenIWentToTexas 25]

2 hours ago, Machinator said:

A good walk-on can inculcate culture even more directly.

Not gonna lie, had to look it up.

in·cul·cate

verb

instill (an attitude, idea, or habit) by persistent instruction.

"the failures of the churches to inculcate a sense of moral responsibility"

[IBuryPaul 273]

2 minutes ago, AndThenIWentToTexas said:

Not gonna lie, had to look it up.

in·cul·cate

verb

instill (an attitude, idea, or habit) by persistent instruction.

"the failures of the churches to inculcate a sense of moral responsibility"

Couldn't just have said "instill"?

[satyanash 14,281]

Eric Nahlin: Where OOS signees would fit within the IT Texas Top 25

The 2019 cycle came to an end on Wednesday with the signing of offensive lineman Javonne Shepherd. I'm not sure you could have drawn up a more taxing cycle in which a team still finishes inside the top-five. A lot was initially going wrong for the staff within the borders, not all of it their own fault, so Tom Herman made the calculating decision to be ultra-aggressive out West.

While Herman and staff, including support staff, made their own luck, but they also benefited greatly from Clay Helton's rather public trials and defibrillations. Expect Texas to try and take advantage of the USC death rattle once again. But, before we focus too much on the next cycle, we still have some tidying up to do with the current haul. This article discusses how Tom Herman found similar fits for in-state priorities the staff didn't sign. Successfully addressing these issues was the #1 story-line for the entire cycle. Without the successes of out-of-state poaching the class would have finished outside of the top-ten.

When asked where the OOS players would rank within Texas, the hardest part was simply ranking those prospects from first to last. These are some flat-out ballers who represent A) what Herman is looking for, B) he won't settle for less, and, C) the Texas brand is more national than you might have thought. Excluding the two JUCO signees, Texas signed a whopping 10 players from outside the state. Here's how I rank them, though there's tons of room for disagreement.

1. LB De'Gabriel Floyd, Westlake (Westlake Village, CA)
2. WR Bru McCoy, Mater Dei (Santa Ana, CA)
3. WR Jake Smith, Notre Dame Prep (Scottsdale, AZ)
4. CB Kenyatta Watson, Grayson (Loganville, GA)
5. TE Brayden Liebrock, Chandler (Chandler, AZ)
6. DB Chris Adimora, Mayfair (Lakewood, CA)
7. WR Marcus Washington, Trinity Catholic (St. Louis, MO)
8. DL Myron Warren, Many (Many, LA)
9. RB Derrian Brown, Buford (Buford, GA)
10. LB Marcus Tillman, Jones (Orlando, FL)

That was difficult. Many of those guys are bunched closely as far as quality goes, as you'll soon see. No. 3 could be No.1 and No. 7 could be No. 4. Quick takeaways with the added caveat that this is a silly exercise:

- DGF gets the call over Bru. If you want to make Bru a five-star I won't stop you. He certainly has great traits for receiver but part of his rating stems from being a fantastic linebacker prospect as well, though not as good as Floyd. I sort of used the NFL as a tiebreaker; I feel Floyd will be drafted higher. Both could make a significant impact as freshmen, though Floyd will have a greater adjustment period due to playing a more mentally taxing position.

- Smith at #3 was a pretty easy call. Normally whether a player succeeds or not is up to the player, but with him it's more up to the staff to create space and opportunity. I only have McCoy ahead of Smith because I think the offense is more likely to run through him. That could change over the course of their careers.

- Watson, Liebrock, Adimora, and Washington are nearly interchangeable. I went with the freakiest athlete first. As a pillar of the offense Liebrock will be set up to succeed. Adimora is a certified stud but may have to wait his turn to see the field. I LOVE Marcus Washington and have him #7. I think he's going to be productive, but the focus won't be on XWR after Collin Johnson.

- I like Warren quite a bit, especially as a late-cycle find, however he has just a hint of tightness to him and he doesn't have the greatest length.

- I respect Derrian Brown's all around game; he's a slasher who finds daylight, runs hard relative to his body type, and has fantastic hands. He and Whittington could have similar roles, and who knows, perhaps Whittington becomes a full-time receiver later in his career. Obviously first and foremost for Derrian is his long-term health.

- I just don't know as much about Tillman as I'd like to, and that's scary because the position is hard enough for a rube like myself to evaluate. I can clearly see he's fluid, can generate pop in a hurry, and has some twitch, but he's just too much of an unknown. I do know I'm glad they have him.

Where do they land in-state?

1. De'Marvin Leal
De'Gabriel Floyd
Bru McCoy
2. Theo Wease
3. Jordan Whittington*
Jake Smith
4. Kenyon Green
5. Garrett Wilson
6. Tyler Johnson*
7. Baylor Cupp
8. Jeffery Carter
9. Roschon Johnson*
10 Tyler Owens*
Kenyatta Watson
11. Erick Young
Brayden Liebrock
12. Demani Richardson
13. Jamal Morris
Chris Adimora
14. Jalen Catalon
Marcus Washington
15. Branson Bragg
16. Dylan Wright
17. T'Vondre Sweat*
18. Trejan Bridges
19. Brian Williams
20. David Gbenda*
21. Elijah Higgins
22. Isaiah Spiller
Myron Warren
23. Lewis Cine
24. Marcus Banks
25. Steven Parker

Derrian Brown would be about 30-35. Marcus Tillman would be about 35-40. That's how I see it. It will be interesting to see if the staff can match similar out-of-state success while landing more of the in-state top-10. There's a good chance they do in the 2020 class.

[UDontKnow 10,439]

1 hour ago, nunna yo bizness said:

Yeah, but does he swallow?

PM Derka