Spring Football starts today

[Machinator 32,099]

TFB team notes: https://texas.thefootballbrainiacs.com/2019/04/open-post-tuesday-april-2nd/

Quick Hitters | Injury Update and Team Notes
– Will Baizer

– OG Junior Angilau had an impressive week of practice this past week. I’m hearing he has taken first team reps away from Imade. Parker Braun will be your LG so that leaves a battle for RG between him, Derek Kerstetter, and few others.

– From what I’m hearing coming out of practices, Malcolm Roach will be this years Poona Ford/Charles Omenihu type of force on the defense this year.

– Linebacker is one of the positions I’ve been most curious about. The word on Ayodele Adeoye has been mixed. From the last report he seems to have been better, but then the next day it’s just ok. The “official” word is that “he’s moving around like he did in high school.” At this point, I’ll believe it when I see it.

– Marcus Tillman is a name I haven’t mentioned on here, so I asked about him. I was told he’s a very smart guy and is picking it up. He’s not there yet in his physical maturity.

– Despite the lack of depth at safety, Chris Brown looks like the guy they recruited out of high school. He’s a versatile, head hunter and has shown the ability to spin down to nickel. He has impressed.

– Another guy who has impressed is D’Shawn Jamison. He has made the transition back to defense much more smoothly than they thought.

– The word I’d use with the staff’s feeling on cornerbacks and linebackers is “uneasy optimism.” Lots of talent and lots to prove.

[rickyspub 801]

Where are the practice reports that say Okafor has been bad? I haven't really seen his name mentioned in any fashion, good or bad, on the reports that get posted here. I wasn't going to mention him in mine, but now that I have been told he sucks...

[Machinator 32,099]

Just now, rickyspub said:

Where are the practice reports that say Okafor has been bad? I haven't really seen his name mentioned in any fashion, good or bad, on the reports that get posted here. I wasn't going to mention him in mine, but now that I have been told he sucks...

IT has been pretty consistent in saying he's good in run-blocking and subpar in pass-blocking.

[rickyspub 801]

Just now, Machinator said:

IT has been pretty consistent in saying he's good in run-blocking and subpar in pass-blocking.

Thanks, I didn't remember it being a consistent drone from across the paysite spectrum. I figured it had something to with the accolades that Roach has been getting. But they have also said that Roach is applying pressure across different positions, so it's hard to pin his success solely on Okafor's failure. 

[RoyalBevo21 780]

Is Parker Braun likely a starter come fall?

I'm guessing something like this?

Cosmi - Braun - Shack - Angilau - Okafor

[texifornia 57,033]

43 minutes ago, RoyalBevo21 said:

Is Parker Braun likely a starter come fall?

I'm guessing something like this?

Cosmi - Braun - Shack - Angilau - Okafor

He was First Team All-ACC last year. Dude didn't come to be a backup.

[Bamboozled73 315]

Cosmi-Braun-Shack-Okafor-Kerstetter would be my guess.

[Viper 12,109]

2 minutes ago, Bamboozled73 said:

Cosmi-Braun-Shack-Okafor-Kerstetter would be my guess.

you would think, but for some reason they have Kerstetter at G and Okafor at T right now.

[Bamboozled73 315]

1 minute ago, Viper said:

you would think, but for some reason they have Kerstetter at G and Okafor at T right now.

Agreed.  They have been trying Okafor at RT for three seasons without any success.  Perhaps, they just want to work/cross train on their weakness during the spring.  It's very odd.

[texifornia 57,033]

Eagles vs Jamison

[cmontexas 3,272]

Leaving Okafor as the right tackle is possibly a sign they feel good about Tyler Johnson

[ShowmeyourTDs 1,141]

2 hours ago, texifornia said:

 

1.) Why do our receivers hurt their shoulders/break collarbones so often?  

2.) come on Kirko, I want to see you play in the spring game.

[Lerka Lerka 1,087]

6 minutes ago, ShowmeyourTDs said:

1.) Why do our receivers hurt their shoulders/break collarbones so often?  

 

Because it's football?

[Katfid54 8,635]

36 minutes ago, texifornia said:

Eagles vs Jamison

Damn.  He's fast.  I'm excited to see what he can do at Z.  I think that's a perfect fit for his skillset.

[irishtexan 11,522]

22 minutes ago, cmontexas said:

Leaving Okafor as the right tackle is possibly a sign they feel good about Tyler Johnson

Not sure why/how you would come to this conclusion. Tyler Johnson probably isn't playing this year. At least he better not play this year. 

[LTtxfan 49,320]

41 minutes ago, texifornia said:

Eagles vs Jamison

That size difference is just unfair..... makes Jamison look like he's from junior high.

[Walden Ponderer 12,639]

1 minute ago, LTtxfan said:

That size difference is just unfair..... makes Jamison look like he's from junior high.

No kidding. Jamison did everything right, too. Just... didn't matter. Nothing you can do if a guy that much bigger than you just nudges you away every time you get draped all over him.

[Red Five 40,877]

Who was throwing that ball?

[closetojumping 62,765]

2 hours ago, Machinator said:

Kirk getting injured just as he starts getting hyped up again? Right on schedule.

I know someone will shriek over this, but I literally laughed out loud when I saw that update. It is un-fucking-real how fragile that dude is. 

[cmontexas 3,272]

8 minutes ago, irishtexan said:

Not sure why/how you would come to this conclusion. Tyler Johnson probably isn't playing this year. At least he better not play this year. 

First round type linemen end up starting as true freshmen more often than not. If we're starting guys like Kertsetter or Josh Cochran as true freshmen its not a good thing, but if he's a Connor Williams or Andrew Thomas or Jonah Williams type talent he'll be too good to keep off the field.

Redshirting freshmen linemen is a good rule to have though 

[Goodman 3,273]

Someone was talking about this recently, could have been Fozzy or Tre during pro day. Said Kirko does not have enough body fat to absorb hits.

[Lerka Lerka 1,087]

5 minutes ago, Goodman said:

Someone was talking about this recently, could have been Fozzy or Tre during pro day. Said Kirko does not have enough body fat to absorb hits.

Quote

“That dude’s a specimen,” Watson said. “I mean he’s jacked. Maybe too jacked. When you have that little of body fat, the pounding you’re taking at running back is all directly on the muscle, and that’s tough.” Johnson is listed at 215. But I’m told he’s closer to 220 or 225 and is an absolute workout warrior. The only thing that matters to Johnson is if he can maintain his speed at his current weight, and I’m told Johnson has been monitoring that and making sure as he’s rebuilt his body.

 

[Bodacious Bevo 3,587]

5 minutes ago, cmontexas said:

First round type linemen end up starting as true freshmen more often than not. If we're starting guys like Kertsetter or Josh Cochran as true freshmen its not a good thing, but if he's a Connor Williams or Andrew Thomas or Jonah Williams type talent he'll be too good to keep off the field.

Redshirting freshmen linemen is a good rule to have though 

I'm also really confused here. Are you saying that Okafor being the starter means that Tyler Johnson is a future first rounder? I don't see how one leads to the other

Also I'm skeptical of the premise that first round linemen start as true freshman "more often than not" unless you care to back up that claim. 

[cmontexas 3,272]

Just now, Bodacious Bevo said:

I'm also really confused here. Are you saying that Okafor being the starter means that Tyler Johnson is a future first rounder? I don't see how one leads to the other

Also I'm skeptical of the premise that first round linemen start as true freshman "more often than not" unless you care to back up that claim. 

What Im saying is they might not be worried about Okafor being the starting right tackle because they feel good about what they have behind him, otherwise we'd probably see Kerstetter out there

I listed 3 guys in the post who started as true freshmen for big time college teams. If you wanna quibble with "more often than not" fine. Im not a scientist.

 

[Tex Pete 20,410]

13 minutes ago, Goodman said:

Someone was talking about this recently, could have been Fozzy or Tre during pro day. Said Kirko does not have enough body fat to absorb hits.

There's a reason football players don't look like or work out like Bennie Wylie. I would guess Kirk works out like Bennie Wylie. It's nice at the beach, but bad for football.

[Red Five 40,877]

10 minutes ago, cmontexas said:

What Im saying is they might not be worried about Okafor being the starting right tackle because they feel good about what they have behind him, otherwise we'd probably see Kerstetter out there

I listed 3 guys in the post who started as true freshmen for big time college teams. If you wanna quibble with "more often than not" fine. Im not a scientist.

 

[texifornia 57,033]

 

[texifornia 57,033]

44 minutes ago, Red Five said:

Who was throwing that ball?

Impossible to tell, he's facing sideways to the camera the whole time he's in frame.

[Burt Macklin 19,038]

5 minutes ago, texifornia said:

 

Bru's gonna be a monster after the catch, and Eagles could be a dynamic Z for us this year. 

Couldn't tell if was Boyce or Estell that dove head down at Bru's ankles at 0:48, but yeesh, that was bad. 

Edited April 2, 2019 by Burt Macklin

[victory88 5,669]

46 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

I know someone will shriek over this, but I literally laughed out loud when I saw that update. It is un-fucking-real how fragile that dude is. 

We really should be giving his reps to other guys.  The guys can’t make it 2 weeks without getting hurt.

[Tex Long 4,410]

3 hours ago, Machinator said:

  Hide contents

The word I’d use with the staff’s feeling on cornerbacks and linebackers is “uneasy optimism.” Lots of talent and lots to prove.

 

 

Surly sez "precautious optimism". And it's two words. Two.

[victory88 5,669]

I would put our WR and safety units up against anyone in the country including Bama.  This is what a national championship team should look like at every position.  It’s why Bama reloads every damn year.  This staff is doing its best to get this roster heathy.  We’ve got a solid 7-8 guys I expect to see play on DL.  I expect lots of rotation with the WR and DB units.  RB is talented but inexperienced, however seems like the staff is very much pleased with their performance so far in the spring.  I think our biggest concerns are LB and TE.  Next you need to figure out who can play RT.  Lastly, they need one of Thompson/Johnson ready for game time snaps as I doubt Sam makes it through the entire year without an injury.

Those are the 4 quesion marks we need to figure out before LSU.  If they can answer those concerns, I think we win 10+ games this next year.  

 

Edited April 2, 2019 by victory88

[Katfid54 8,635]

18 minutes ago, texifornia said:

1 hour ago, Red Five said:

Who was throwing that ball?

Impossible to tell, he's facing sideways to the camera the whole time he's in frame. 

Instagram says Sam threw it.  I hope so.  It's a fucking dime, and he struggled with that throw last year.

[texifornia 57,033]

5 minutes ago, longhornmatt said:

I still they think they should try to bring in a grad transfer at TE, even if it’s just an average guy who can block.  Liebrock and Wiley look like great prospects, but our upperclassmen options are not exciting.  Depth is also a problem since Brewer is realistically the only upperclassmen they are likely to actually put on the field.

They're four-deep at the position, and Leitao should be fine enough behind Brewer - he's at least got size and knows the offense. Hard to think any GT will give you much more than that (think Kendall Moore).

[QfromOH_1013 13]

1 hour ago, Red Five said:

Who was throwing that ball?

[Goodman 3,273]

48 minutes ago, victory88 said:

We really should be giving his reps to other guys.  The guys can’t make it 2 weeks without getting hurt.

JFC. He was healthy this past season just could not beat out the top 2, tons of ST and scout team work. ST and scout team are physical under Coach Herman. 

[Bobby_Batronic 1,994]

4 hours ago, longhornmatt said:

Angilau was our highest rated OL recruit from the 2018 class (and I think higher rated than anyone on campus except Tyler Johnson), and practice reports have him looking good.  Surely, Kerstetter could move out to RT and he could play RG, right? 

Our insistence on cramming Okafor into the RT slot is confusing given our bevy of talented G bodies and Kerstetter’s ability to adequately man right tackle. 

[Red Five 40,877]

2 minutes ago, Bobby_Batronic said:

Our insistence on cramming Okafor into the RT slot is confusing given our bevy of talented G bodies and Kerstetter’s ability to adequately man right tackle. 

I think it's a Naashon Hughes situation. There is no reason for him to not be wildly successful there.... but he's not. Just hoping for the light to come on is my guess. 

[Burt Macklin 19,038]

6 minutes ago, Red Five said:

I think it's a Naashon Hughes situation. There is no reason for him to not be wildly successful there.... but he's not. Just hoping for the light to come on is my guess. 

Huh? Okafor is a guard. He’s too short for OT, and he doesn’t have the feet to make up for it.

This isn’t some scenario where he’s thought to be a prototypical OT but isn’t producing. 

[Bobby_Batronic 1,994]

7 minutes ago, Red Five said:

I think it's a Naashon Hughes situation. There is no reason for him to not be wildly successful there.... but he's not. Just hoping for the light to come on is my guess. 

Cross training him makes sense in case of injury, but that dude is draftable G material if we’ll just put him in his natural spot. His starting at RT basically demands TE or RB help to his side on passing plays, or constraining action in the backfield. And suddenly the offense gets pretty predictable. 

[Red Five 40,877]

9 minutes ago, Burt Macklin said:

Huh? Okafor is a guard. He’s too short for OT, and he doesn’t have the feet to make up for it.

This isn’t some scenario where he’s thought to be a prototypical OT but isn’t producing. 

While I'm not arguing that (he is obviously a guard), isn't he 6'4"? With long arms? 

[closetojumping 62,765]

1 hour ago, texifornia said:

They're four-deep at the position, and Leitao should be fine enough behind Brewer - he's at least got size and knows the offense. Hard to think any GT will give you much more than that (think Kendall Moore).

Help me understand why you think confidence in the TE unit is currently warranted.

[Napoleon 8,692]

8 hours ago, Bevo said:

Measles is going around.

I've never had measles, but the first time I went to the UT Health Cliniic on campus was to get a measles shot before road-tripping up to my brother's graduation in Connecticut. Princeton University was having a measles outbreak and my family was probably going to do an overnight in Princeton so that I could hangout with my high school buddies for a night.

SIDE NOTE: The second, and last, time I went to the UT Health Clinic was to get an EKG so that I would have a doctor's excuse for missing an exam later in my undergraduate odyssey. Complained of some chest pains from rowing crew, getting little sleep, and way too much caffeine (two of those things weren't lies) and was able to retake an exam without penalty "as soon as I got better".

With parents and older siblings who played by the rules, it took me a long time to learn to game the system even just a little and I still never got Lori Loughlin-level good at it. (Not like a friend who had a similar looking friend take his Spanish exam so that he could place out of 4 semesters of language requirements, but I think that that was at TCU or UNT.)

[texifornia 57,033]

3 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

Help me understand why you think confidence in the TE unit is currently warranted.

I'm not confident, I'm neither under- nor over- whelmed, but I don't know what Kendall Moore 2.0 (aka your standard available TE grad transfer) adds to the room.

If there's someone actually decent out there, that changes things.

Edited April 2, 2019 by texifornia

[Ricky Butler 2,731]

Looks like they invested in a steadicam. Props. 

[futureman 22,510]

5 hours ago, Burt Macklin said:

I think Okafor would be a significantly better G than Angilau if Kerstetter moves to RT. He's a very good run blocker and would likely be an above average pass blocker at G. Angilau did almost no pass blocking in HS, and he's extremely raw. Same with Moore, who played TE even in his Senior year of HS. Angilau is likely the closest to being ready, but I doubt he'd be better than a 4th year Okafor at G. 

We don't have some glaring need to plug in a RS FR into the starting OL.  We need to start setting our expectation that most OL will take two full years before they're ready to play. I know that hasn't been our experience the last ten years, but that's how healthy programs operate, and the good news is I'd say we're finally at a point where we can call consider our OL room to be healthy, even if it's not quite yet at an elite talent level.

what happened with tope imade?  I thought he was supposed to be a 340 lb super freak. 

[texifornia 57,033]

Just now, futureman said:

what happened with tope imade?  I thought he was supposed to be a 340 lb super freak. 

Really big, really strong, just ok at football.

[futureman 22,510]

1 minute ago, texifornia said:

Really big, really strong, just ok at football.

so herb hand isn’t doing his job?

[Machinator 32,099]

 

[GoldAppleCorps 619]

This is the time of year to experiment with OL combinations. They're not at all the sum of their parts. Five skilled individuals can look like cat puke if they don't complement each other or freelance. Conversely, five adequate players can become all-world when they act as one unit, picking up DL shifts and stunts while still sensing where their teammates are.

I get the sense Alex Okafor is in a "figure it out or forget it" period. He's had all the coaching and development he can stand. Now, he's either going to jell with his unit, or find himself as an emergency backup.