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Jimbo 2021: Meemaw's Got a Brand New Bag

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Ricky's one-hitter
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Reddit throwing shade    

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... but enough about KKL.

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Oh stewardess, I speak Aggy... Translated: Victory Vaka posts a lot of shit on social media. Bryce Foster and Monkell Goodwine liked a twitter post. It was a pretty big deal. Vaka said he's

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satyanash

satyanash 14569

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Ian Boyd: Oklahoma, Texas A&M, and the Kendal Daniels recruiting test

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Over the weekend Texas A&M secured the commitment of 4-star safety Kendal Daniels. Interestingly enough, the blue-chipper was from the state of Oklahoma with an offer (of some sort) from the Oklahoma Sooners.

There was tremendous excitement on the A&M side of things and at first blush appeared as a bad sign for Oklahoma recruiting. In recent cycles the Sooners have lost some other top defensive recruits from within their own state, most notably losing 5-star safety Dax Hill to Michigan in the 2019 class. A deeper look reveals a trend in recent Oklahoma and Texas A&M defensive back recruiting in which the Sooners are ultimately coming out ahead.

Kendal Daniels, the evaluation

Daniels is currently a 6-4, 190 pounder with some unique film. He has good ball skills both as a safety and in other clips as a wide receiver (or in clips as a basketball player). He hails from a small town south of Tulsa (Beggs), which is closer to the other Oklahoma school. His best attributes are in closing downhill on the football, as a buzz safety in particular he's effective in multiple clips at closing from depth, eliminating angles, and make tackles on the ball. You don't see him flip his hips and run much and if he wasn't so effective as a tackler moving downhill then wide receiver would be a cleaner evaluation.

His fit in a college scheme would ideally be something similar to the Kam Chancellor role with the Seattle Seahawks. He's a box safety that will undoubtedly fill out to be 6-4, 220 or even larger in college. DeMarvion Overshown of Texas is another useful comp, both are at their best filling downhill without fear and making plays on the ball with their length and ability to erase angles with their long strides. Incidentally, Overshown is moving to linebacker this season in Austin.

There isn't much film to suggest that Daniels is as useful going backwards and picking up route combinations and matching route breaks deep in space. He might have that potential but it's not where he shines and it's not going to get easier when he fills out into a 220 pound thumper.

The Oklahoma and Texas A&M defensive concepts

Mike Elko and Alex Grinch have a few different ideas on the best way to defend modern offenses but some similar underlying philosophies. Elko mixes quarters and single-high cover 3 like many coaches and loves to utilize the zone blitz to attack offenses and dictate play calls to them. The Aggies have put a major emphasis on defensive line recruiting and often aim to make the most of it with the five-man zone blitz structure that can create 1-on-1 matchups for their pass-rushers.

The Sooners also bring pressure but they get there differently, playing 3-down and showing five on or near the line of scrimmage before using slanting and stunting to alter who comes and from where. It's not as much of a matchup oriented defense as one designed to use movement and disguise, but the end result is still often 1-on-1 matchups in space against the passing game. That's a cost of trying to win up front.

On the back end both teams use the safeties a lot in the middle of the field to play downhill from the hash marks. Here were the starting trios for either unit's nickel defenses in 2019.

image.png

The A&M lineup had a higher recruiting pedigree and were also 10-20 pounds heavier at every position. Interestingly enough, neither unit made many plays on the ball, making 2020 and 2021 recruiting paramount for either unit in upgrading the back end of their defense.

Their respective contests with LSU made clear the need for better coverage either unit. Both defenses were completely lit up due to an inability to keep pace with the LSU wide receivers in space. The Sooners had to play without Delarrin Turner-Yell, and then after a classic dumb penalty, without Radley-Hiles either. Without those starters available the Sooners turned to Ryan Broiles, a 5-10, 181 pound former 4-star from Oklahoma. The Tigers relentlessly targeted Broiles and Justin Jefferson caught five touchdown passes.

The Aggies were totally overmatched at just about every level. No one in their secondary covered themselves with glory and their attempt to match the Tigers with a 3-3-5 nickel package in which linebackers would travel out wide with tight ends and running backs made them all look like fish out of water for most of the game. Their D-line was able to get pressure at times but not enough to contain the crafty Burrow or to erase the regular gains in the passing game.

Both teams like to use the boundary safety as a sort of pseudo-linebacker, fitting the run regularly and playing the weak hook/curl zone, but both teams were caught trying to do so for big gains over the top. That style also puts a lot on the other defenders to hold up in 1-on-1 matchups when the opponent is in a 4 or 5-wide set.

The takeaway from either squad in those games could and should have been that they need more coverage ability and athleticism across the entire defensive backfield. A player that could expect to match underneath routes and get long limbs into passing windows has obvious value in combating modern teams, but it's not playing deep or wide on the perimeter, it's in congesting the space between the hash marks where a team like LSU will otherwise feast on quick hitting option routes and bounced runs by the running backs. A modern defense that wants to use box safeties needs to use more than one and sub out linebackers for them, otherwise they're better off playing smaller and faster on the back end.

Kendal Daniels and the home team

Here's a look at the 2020 defensive back classes for the Sooners and Aggies.

image.png

The Aggies signed the prized Cibolo Steele prospect Jaylon Jones and otherwise loaded up on some more long athletes of the sort many teams have been prizing lately. Jones' best fit is probably to grow into a Minkah Fitzpatrick, he's at his best in zone and doesn't quite have the recovery speed to make an elite cornerback but uses his eyes well enough that he could be a great cover safety. Oklahoma scored some longer players of their own and will need DJ Graham and/or Kendall Dennis to pan out as potential press-man cornerbacks.

In addition to signing big Justin Harrington in the 2020 class, the Sooners also already had 6-4, 192 pound 3-star Oklahoman Jordan Mukes in the 2021 class who was going to get a chance to play safety. Evidently that meant that their expectation for Kendal Daniels would be that he'd spin down to linebacker, as big safety Robert Barnes did this last spring in Norman. At some point that then translated to Oklahoma pulling the offer for the big, in-state prospect:

Rather than give up on his preferred position, Daniels opted for Texas A&M, home of the big safety with iffy turn and run ability (Demani Richardson, Leon O'Neal, etc).

The future for the Aggie and Sooner backfields

You can't play big safeties that can't turn and run in today's game, at least not in schemes that rely on 1-on-1 coverage like the Aggies and Sooners often employ. Texas A&M has been recruiting some big defensive backs in recent years beyond Daniels, such as the aforementioned Jaylon Jones or the 2019 blue chip crew of Brian Williams (6-1, 211) and Erick Young (6-0, 208, predictably already moved from corner to safety).

The Aggies will inevitably find that they can't play all of their big defensive backs in the normal positions and expect to cover teams like LSU or the other squads that will inevitably start to copy their model of pro-spread passing. Players like Jaylon Jones and Erick Young will need to move inside to maximize, pushing the big safeties to the bench or to linebacker. Or alternatively, A&M will have to play cornerbacks that aren't well suited to that position. Meanwhile Oklahoma is signing more depth and raw athleticism that will give them flexibility to build more matchup-resistant defensive backfields.

Kendal Daniels was a test for Oklahoma and Texas A&M of which team understands how to build a defensive roster that offers the athleticism and flexibility to withstand the pressure of facing modern offenses. A big player like that has major value if he spins down to play in and around the box, much like Oklahoma did with big Roy Williams back in the early 2000s. A&M may have won the recruitment (by default) but they continue to fail the test of how to build a team that can win in space.

 

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Chopper

Chopper 17242

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Getting football back should be feasible given the safeguards that have been put in place and if everyone figures out what's at stake.

Tarp really has a way to simplify even the most complicated questions in life. Motherfucking genius. 

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texasstrong12

texasstrong12 4668

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2 hours ago, Burt Macklin said:

Serious question after reading those quotes, is Bjork regarded?

I don't think he's a very good AD. Terrible hiring history at Ole Miss and he botched the Hugh Freeze stuff. 

Ole Miss fans loved Bjork in the beginning because he likes to run his mouth on twitter but they wanted him gone at the end of his tenure. 

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billfromlaketravis

billfromlaketravis 11520

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17 minutes ago, TexasMan said:

1:29:30 - 1:44:30

Looch gives his propaganda about the Beggs commit, his revisionist history about Lincoln Riley, and - because rent free - has to talk about the state of UT recruiting apropos of nothing. 

 

 

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TexAgsRadio/~5/Ky7_g3ZD4Hw/0131909-gtcc.mp3

 

1 minute in and Looch polishes off the Beggs - Isiah Simmons comparison.Well done. 

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golfclap

golfclap 6903

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44 minutes ago, billfromlaketravis said:

1 minute in and Looch polishes off the Beggs - Isiah Simmons comparison.Well done. 

It's funnier because Clemson tried to sell Daniels on being in the Simmons role AT CLEMSON and he preferred aggy's pitch of playing S. 

Fantastic. 

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golfclap

golfclap 6903

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Fong with an absolute fluff job for his Bro Elko -- this is absolutely peak Elko/Fong ::

Texas A&M recruiting DBs as well as any program in the country

chappelle show lol GIF

Over the weekend Top247 safety Kendal Daniels became the latest uber-talented defensive prospect to commit to Texas A&M as Jimbo Fisher and the Aggies continue to build a championship-level defense in College Station.

When I think about Daniels running alongside the likes of Jaylon Jones and Antonio Johnson who signed in the 2020 class, I don’t see many if any programs running out a more talented trio than those three in the secondary down the road.

Jones and Johnson were the top two ranked safeties in the Top247 in last year’s cycle, although Jones will play cornerback in College Station, and now with Daniels who is the No. 4 safety in the land (and perhaps still ranked too low), those are three freaky type Top100 talents being added to a secondary that already includes several first-rate guys in former five-star safety Demani Richardson, another Top247 safety in Leon O'Neal, former No. 1 ranked JUCO cornerback Elijah Blades, former No. 2 ranked JUCO cornerback Brian George (early returns are strong) and I expect former Top247 cornerback Erick Young to have major impact on the back end this fall as well.

It wouldn’t be surprising to see someone from Texas A&M win the Jim Thorpe Award in the coming years.

So with all that, this is turning into a massive, yet still athletic defensive back room.

“When you look at what Mike Elko and Jimbo Fisher inherited at the position when they got to College Station and you look at the kind of talent they got over the last three classes and are continuing to bring it, it says a lot about their ability to flip that position in recruiting and really kind of turn what was a weakness on the roster into a strength,” 247Sports National Analyst Charles Power said. “When you start to look at types of players they’re bringing in there is a lot of size obviously but they’re not sacrificing the size for playmaking ability and athleticism and there is a lot of versatility among those guys as well to line up at multiple spots and make plays.”

Daniels makes a lot of plays on Friday nights. His film is a fun watch. He picked off six passes (for a second-straight year) as a junior and returned three for touchdowns. He’s incredibly rangy with elite ball skills, a sideline to sideline turf eater that could ultimately blossom into a freak 6-4, 215-pound specimen at Texas A&M.

 

 

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Burt Macklin

Burt Macklin 19038

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17 minutes ago, Dbeasy said:

Three Texas misses on that list. That hurt.

4b67c41fdcd56ca6800e1ffe4f50d75b.jpg

 

15 minutes ago, SydneyCarton said:

Jaylon Jones hurt, but fortunately he'll be wasted at Cornerback. 

Who else? Bryson Washington is a big yawn and so is Josh Eaton. 

Yeah, Jones is the only big miss on that list. Not sure what dbeasy’s smoking. 

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Ricky's one-hitter

Ricky's one-hitter 9120

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1 minute ago, texifornia said:

Three Texas misses between ALL of the DB starters at aggy and OU isn't awful. Especially since Jones is straight up out of position and Washington got sold on "lol we have no one as good as you"

We missed on Washington the LB, not the safety. He wouldn't play safety here. Skinny project Eaton is a skinny project. Not devoid of talent by any stretch, but not a miss that hurts.

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Longhornfrenzy

Longhornfrenzy 5783

Posted
Posted (edited)
34 minutes ago, Elmer_Fudd said:

Wait, what did Wiltfong say?

Steve Wiltfong avatar
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I think Longhorns have pulled to the top alongside the Aggies here. Auburn is the school I'd probably put third right now

Edited by Longhornfrenzy
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golfclap

golfclap 6903

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29 minutes ago, Dbeasy said:

Three Texas misses on that list. That hurt.

4b67c41fdcd56ca6800e1ffe4f50d75b.jpg

 

 

 

Texas ::

Kitan Crawford - Xavion Alford - Jahdae Barron - Jerrin Thompson

 

If you put all 13 of those guys on to a big board  Texas has 3 of the top 4 guys. Jones at FS would make the list - if he's judged at CB then that 4th spot becomes a chasm between the top 3 and the rest of the board.  

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Ricky's one-hitter

Ricky's one-hitter 9120

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7 minutes ago, texifornia said:

Oh buddy, the way OL and (bluechip) RB career arcs go, he never will run behind the guys in this class

  Reveal hidden contents

EelEPnuX0AAsx6F?format=jpg&name=360x360EelEP1IXkAIVOPA?format=png&name=360x360

 

If Texas rolled out senior Ingram with Bijan, LJ, and Wheaton in 2021, that would be shades of Gurley/Chubb/Michel. It won't happen, but the potential production there would be mind blowing. 

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golfclap

golfclap 6903

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1 minute ago, Neonmoon said:

Aggys offer 4 star RB Ahmonte Watkins [aka the Amari Daniels dream boat has sailed to Miami]

this is the 4.7 shuttle guy

4.76 shuttle with a 4.58 40. It's too bad they don't want him at CB. 

I believe the preferred nomenclature is "blazing fast Ahmonte Watkins" (as long as it's a straight line, right?). They've used that phrase in just about every single update. Also, he's originally from LA and just moved to Texas, so he's like an OOS recruit. 

Also, he's really dialed in to the Ags. For instance, it's clear he has no idea who the HC is ... 

Quote

 

"I've never been to Texas A&M," he said. "And, honestly, I don't know much about it at all. Coach T-Rob, he said that the head coach wants me to Butcome up there for a visit when the NCAA allows them again. The head coach, he wants to meet me in person.

"I know they're in the SEC but not too much more. Coach told me it's really nice, though. He said I'll really like it up there."

 

 

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Dbeasy

Dbeasy 15075

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Texas ::
Kitan Crawford - Xavion Alford - Jahdae Barron - Jerrin Thompson
 
If you put all 13 of those guys on to a big board  Texas has 3 of the top 4 guys. Jones at FS would make the list - if he's judged at CB then that 4th spot becomes a chasm between the top 3 and the rest of the board.  

Fair enough, but I know the staff wanted Jones and Washington, with Eaton as a lesser priority.
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golfclap

golfclap 6903

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2 minutes ago, Dbeasy said:


Fair enough, but I know the staff wanted Jones and Washington, with Eaton as a lesser priority

Yep at FS, OLB, and as a project. I think those are probably the next 3 names off the board along with Antonio Johnson (at FS).

Johnson has a chance to be really fucking good - but he's so slight. I think he's got a ton of potential as a CF-style FS but I think that he'll be forced on to the 2-deep at aggy early and lose a year to acclimate and reshape his body. A lot of the time those guys never seem to catch back up and it's hard to ever gain the 20-25 pounds in a way where they can keep a lot of that mass effectively through the season. He's listed at 190 but I'd bet he's lighter than that (at 6'3") and would likely finish the year closer to 170 than 200.  

I honestly have no idea what to make of George and Harrington. Both are very non-traditional bodies for CB and both are coming from JUCO so color me VERY skeptical of them until we see them play. Blades was the #1 JUCO CB and he was pretty freaking terribad and couldn't crack the 3rd team at Texas right now. JUCO highlights are often so hard to judge that you get almost nothing. Crazy mix of NFL measurable guys and guys that would struggle to start at a 6A Texas high school - a lot of guys not running the plays/schemes the coaches call just freelancing. I hate it. (Harrington was coming in with knee that needed to be cleaned up - tried to play through it and got Bennie Wylie'd and hurt it far worse, sucks for the kid. Don't choose OU). 

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Thiefery

Thiefery 5015

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I wanted Bryson Washington in 2020, think he is a really good player. I personally liked Eaton.. the video of him getting offered by Jason Washington unexpectedly made me a fan.  However I knew he was going to be a project that would need a RS season and push for a starting spot his Jr season.  Think ou will immediately have him on the field this season, which could mess up his confidence.

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TommyGufano

TommyGufano 6021

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1 hour ago, Fud said:

He wasn't 2020

 

1 hour ago, SydneyCarton said:

Wong year, bud. Richardson played on the field in 2019. 

Ah. I read it as some sort of projected lineup for 2020 rather than the 2020 classes. I suppose my lack of knowledge/interest in those teams is showing. 

ConfusedCoolDuckling-size_restricted.gif

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Mdhorn

Mdhorn 5974

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Posted (edited)
1 hour ago, golfclap said:

4.76 shuttle with a 4.58 40. It's too bad they don't want him at CB. 

I believe the preferred nomenclature is "blazing fast Ahmonte Watkins" (as long as it's a straight line, right?). They've used that phrase in just about every single update. Also, he's originally from LA and just moved to Texas, so he's like an OOS recruit. 

Also, he's really dialed in to the Ags. For instance, it's clear he has no idea who the HC is ... 

 

Well, Price is probably talking to his uncle now along with a few family members.

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Hank_Hill

Hank_Hill 18893

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2 hours ago, Dbeasy said:


Fair enough, but I know the staff wanted Jones and Washington, with Eaton as a lesser priority.

Yea, they wanted them. But these misses didnt “hurt” when looking at who we did get. Jones would obviously have been very nice. 

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