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Popular Content

Showing content with the highest reputation on 02/07/20 in all areas

  1. 18 points
  2. If you are truly middle of the road, then you have to know there is no comparing Trump and Obama. Trump has been hated for decades, and rightfully so. He has only doubled down on his hated personality after finally finding a base of people who celebrate his hate and no filter mouth, while simultaneously ignoring his greed, incompetence, and stupidity. Trump has not ever been a good person, nor a person fit to be a President. He continues to show this many times, every day and it overshadows any shalliw economic successes he has carried on from Obama's recovery. Obama overestimated his stature as a President and underestimated his parties support, competence. He constantly had to concede to greed and conceit if his own party. The Ds failed to anticipate the modern political climate of pure obstruction by Republicans, who grind the government to a halt as a strategy. Obama fundamentally is a good person, who might have done great things. In the end, he helped to turn the country around but failed to be a historic presence in the White House. He was just too inexperienced to deal with the modern political climate imo. I suspect nobody could have successfully navigated these crazy times, especially when his party so messed up the first few years of his career. While I had hoped for so much more, I will always be proud to see Obama in the list of Presidents. I will always cut out the next picture in that list. Trump is fundamentally a deplorable human being. Everyone truly in the middle knows that.
    14 points
  3. Partisanship has killed democracy in our country. The stupidity of people not understanding that the president doesn't make the laws has fucked our entire system of government and now the power creep has been realized to it's maximum. Facts we now know: 1) there will never be another time more dangerous to our country and it's representative government than one party holding complete control of the House, Senate and Presidency. 2) as long as the president and Senate are from the same party the president has unlimited power and is above the law since he cannot be stopped or removed from office. The president can also apparently just say everything is classified under executive privilege 3) there will be absolute deadlock in the event of a party split along the legislative and executive branch where 4 years of policymaking will come to a complete halt including setting budgets in a stupid game of chicken which results in the American people being the casualties. You people in here acting like Hillary wasn't just as bad as Trump are really something else - the only difference is she wouldn't have been gloating publicly about most of it and she's a "more political" public speaker. There are only a few paths to fix this, one is bloody and one makes too much sense to work so I guess we are headed for revolution. The bloody way is obvious. Gerrymandering, lack of representation in government and abuse of power finally breaks the camel's back of the MAJORITY of Americans who are voting one way or another. People start killing each other and government officials until the Constitution is amended to allow for better representation. The way that makes too much sense is to just amend the fucking constitution so elections are fair and balanced. No gerrymandering, no corporate funding, cap election campaign finance or restrict it to individual donors only, within the scope of the election (house reps can't take individual financing from individuals outside the state, pres can take from anyone naturalized or with permanent residency). This will destroy the 2 party system as we know it overnight and allow for a true representative government where partisanship isn't the focus and actual constituent representation becomes the focus again. Basically stop paying our political parties like fucking pro sports teams and feeling like you have to "pick a side" and it'll work again.
    13 points
  4. I realize this person's been banned, but he's completely wrong about everything he says: What's wrong with this country is that in intellectual discourse, we've become too permissive and sympathetic towards other people's opinions for the mere sake of it. This is straight out of the Fox News playbook. To borrow a quote from David Brock when he was interviewed for Glenn Greenwald's Outfoxed when he was actually speaking of Roger Ailes but the same holds true for the right wing in general: [they] want all [discussion] to be a matter of opinion because opinion can't be proven false. I think that is very dangerous because if people don't have a set of facts that they can agree upon, I think it's difficult to reach a consensus on what's correct public policy." Again, Limbaugh is Exhibit A of this vulgar behavior. And again, it's not just him. It's his entire genre. They want all discourse to be a matter of straight out fucking make believe and pretend, and Science forbid if you challenge them on that because if you do, you're slandered and projected with lazy, rubber-stamped accusations of being close-minded, intolerant, and ignorant. For example, saying "trickle down economics works and is a societal good" isn't an opinion; it's a straight up lie that has been exposed over and over again without exception or interruption. But challenge that? Oh boy, here comes the S-word, not that they who use it as a pejorative ever even knew what the fuck it means. This is postmodernism gone absolutely berserk. According to spineless pieces of shit like this one, there are not supposed to be any facts, there is not supposed to be any truth; all discourse is supposed to come down to your "narrative" vs. my "narrative." It's disgusting, and the person who posted the quoted passage is disgusting for promoting it. Also, we are not divided because people insist on establishing basic facts/truths upon which to base public policy, either. We're divided because there's a very small segment of the population that wants to divide us and keep us divided so as to distract us from the fact that we're constantly being fucked over by them. The Koch Brothers, Sheldon Adelson, Tom Steyer, the Uihleins, etc? Divide and conquer isn't a hypothesis; it's a historic truism that's as old as nation states themselves. They who promote it don't care about ideology, and they sure as fuck don't give a shit about any of us posting here or anywhere else. They care about fattening their own pocketbooks even if it means pouring tens of millions of dollars to political campaigns. As long as it benefits them to stoke the flames of divisiveness via screaming about "socialism/communism" or "fascism," that's what they're going do regardless of its accuracy.
    12 points
  5. trying to both sides this shit still huh. i wonder what you guys are witnessing? hillary would probably be telling everyone not to trust the news. hillary would probably be undercutting our intelligence agencies' abilities to warn and protect about weaknesses in our elections. hillary would probably be trying to curry favor with the authoritarians where she just happens to have substantial real property investments. hillary probably would have facilitated canning career public servants executing policy because it was inconvenient for friends' businesses. hillary probably would be stocking the appellate courts with a bunch of thirty year old ideologues that got straight c's. hillary would probably be cooking up ways to stir racial hatred, like building a monument to her racism with money stolen from the defense budget. hillary would be targeting states that didn't vote for her for political retribution. she is just so sneaky though because she is a 'more political' public speaker, so we wouldn't have noticed.
    11 points
  6. I'm personally not into it, but hey, whatever floats your boat.
    7 points
  7. You just summed my dating strategy for the past 40 years !
    7 points
  8. I’ve started to lean into the journey through irrelevant details for my own amusement. For example when a tangent starts “remember, she was the one who you met 6 months ago at my moms thing” I offer, “what was she wearing that night? Was it that flower blouse or was that your other friend? Who is she dating now?” The longer and more off track we go the more fun
    6 points
  9. "hey kevin, what do you think of hagen?" "he's great, tom!" "then why did you fire him, kevin?" "i was drunk, tom." "cheers to that, my man."
    6 points
  10. He wants to finish the recruiting cycle as a 4 star.
    6 points
  11. So, what this tells most Surly posters is -- it CAN be sexually transmitted.
    6 points
  12. The ACA was a Republican plan, written with by a bipartisan team, and then voted on and passed by a single party. It is not both sides. The current republican party wants to allow foreign interference into our election process. This isn't both sides, this is one side opening the gates to the barbarians.
    6 points
  13. Alright, so, the 2020 recruiting cycle is mostly complete. Now that puts 2021 into full swing. So what do we think? Class Size for 2021: 25+ Class Finish for 2021: Top 3 In-state/OOS Mix: 80/20 Highest Ranked Player In the Class: Tommy Brockermeyer Biggest Drama That Texas Avoids: Camar Wheaton I assume a top 5 of Bama, Clemson, Georgia, Florida and Texas. I'm sure LSU, Ohio State, and Oregon will be right there as well. ATM will buy their share, but the wheels flying off whenever their hopes are shattered yet again will start to pull at the fabric of the JimboForPresident tapestry. OU finish: Top 12 with the usual overloading of offensive players by numbers and ranking ATM finish: Top 15 and I alluded to their issues above beyond that. Of course I'm being a little optimistic, but I'm expecting Texas to have a big 2020 season. I'm also not expecting Texas to recruit like pussies in the new landscape, and they mostly haven't. Anybody else want to take a shot?
    6 points
  14. Remember his 27-yard touchdown catch against USC in 2018 that turned a 16-14 lead into a 23-14 advantage and helped break the game open in a 37-14 Longhorns’ victory? Well, it appears he’s finally about to put his legal trouble from a misdemeanor gun possession charge behind him, according to sources. Moore’s attorney Mark Sampson wouldn’t comment other than to say a court date was likely to be set soon that would bring resolution to the matter. Another source close to the situation said County Attorney David Escamilla’s office was close to signing off on an agreement to reduce the charge because Moore had met a requirement to undergo gun education as well as a number of community service hours. After suffering a season-ending shoulder injury in 2018, Moore basically served a year-long suspension in 2019 after being charged with a misdemeanor charge of unlawfully possessing a firearm. The year-long suspension is suitable for violating one of Tom Herman’s core values for the Texas program along with no drugs and treating women with respect, a UT source said.
    6 points
  15. 400 million people - more than the entire population of the USA - locked down over a flu virus that supposedly has only killed around 600 people. Yeah, that makes sense.
    6 points
  16. Lafayette is close enough for this thread, right? Fried catfish Po boy: Then had to stop at Best Stop:
    5 points
  17. The beauty of landing Preston Stone is that you also get the bundle with the 5 Star Helicopter Dad. I think it is going to go really well up there for everyone and I am looking forward to it. Bowman is nickel more than a safety, I'd assume. For some personality types, when they're really good at something, they tend to think anyone else involved with it doesn't know shit. Sounds like there's a bit of that with Hand/pops Brock here. I'll spoiler the rest since it is long-winded stream of consciousness stuff.
    5 points
  18. It's a second DL coach, chill out dude.
    5 points
  19. Hillary is Abraham Fucking Lincoln compared to Trump. Don't be ridiculous. Trump is completely unique, and uniquely abhorrent.
    5 points
  20. I'm sure Perrin didn't handle it well because in the end he was an amateur AD. It is distressing that we weren't able to land at least a big name coach. The timing was bad, for one thing. For another, we actually have to compete for recruits in the state of Texas now. Our facilities and player-training tech were way behind. I don't think there were that many coaches anxious to follow Garrido's and Gus' footsteps in a program that had fallen behind in many ways. Late-stage Dodds-Plonsky syndrome, followed by a couple of years of NBA leadership, really, really fucked us in the ass. CDC has probably done about as well as could be expected so far, because he really inherited a mess. Hopefully, he has us in a sort of steady state from which he can be a real AD, not a triage specialist, and get us back to winning.
    5 points
  21. Perhaps...I'd need to see proof... perhaps he could release his taxes. Remember when he "donated" that money from his presidential campaign event to the vets? I do, because he didn't donate it until he got caught...and then had to pay $2 million fine for his attempted con. Oh, and your claim that he'd be the only one to do it...also bullshit. Three others have done it...one of which, Kennedy, was in his own fucking lifetime you gullible idiot.
    5 points
  22. You reload? Because you finally showed up for a season and performed up to expectations, now we're to believe that that's the trend and not the outlier? Right. Beyond that, no one predicted an easy out with LSU, and particularly, my post didn't. But you knew that. Hell, even when you look at Bama and Clemson, they lost a lot. The talent to reload will undoubtedly be there for both, and Trevor Lawrence alone makes Clemson formidable, but they lost either all of or 4 of 5 of their OL. Multiple guys in the secondary and LB corps too. Bama lost Tua, 2 of the 4 WR badasses, multiple OLs, LBs, DLs, and guys in the secondary. My view is that there has never been a season better set up for an experienced team with an experienced and talented starting QB to make a run at getting into the playoffs for the first time than in 2020. We just don't suffer weak rhetorical tactics from room temperature IQ posters very well. You constructed a strawman that you then burned to the ground and attempted to chide us for behaviors we weren't exhibiting in the process. I'm sure strawmen, non sequiturs and red herrings work quite well in an intellectual shithole like a classroom at LSU or a thread on TigerDroppings/SEC Rant, but you're going to have pull your shit together to come across as anything other than mouthbreathing cajun dolt on this board. Given that you've been on Shaggy/Surly for a decade, it's seems clear that you know that but like the beatings.
    5 points
  23. Incoming! I've had my sights on this for years. Being a huge AC/DC - Malcolm Young fan my entire life, I've always wanted a good Double Cut Jet. The ones they have offered over the years have been either Malcolm signature relics, which I dont care for, or have had some other feature added or missing I wasnt crazy about. I've wanted this one since it was released but couldnt justify that pricetag having 2 guitars already covering the same base. Evidently I bought the last one. Went back to the page and got this message. Thanks DougO, I owe you one
    5 points
  24. Conservative using near meaningless personal anecdote as his go-to evidence, example one gazillion. We've been through this before, but let's review again: 1. Obamacare gave the GOP virtually everything they claimed they wanted in the 1993 counterproposal to the Clinton Universal Healthcare Initiative when they were the roadblock to healthcare reform, including the individual mandate, an idea that came from the Heritage Foundation. 2. After blocking healthcare reform and controlling the House, Senate, and presidency for 4 of W's 8 years, the GOP proposed nothing. 3. The final version of the Obamacare bill contained 161 GOP amendments. The public option was removed. Despite this, the GOP pushed a narrative that the Dems railroaded Obamacare through Congress- a complete fucking lie. 4. The results of Obamacare have been a net positive for the country. a. Millions of more Americans insured b. Rate of healthcare costs slowed (moreso in states that took advantage of the Medicaid expansion provision). c. Medical bankruptcies cut in half https://www.statnews.com/2019/03/22/affordable-care-act-controls-costs/ https://www.consumerreports.org/personal-bankruptcy/how-the-aca-drove-down-personal-bankruptcy/ 5. The GOP House was found guilty in federal court of violating the law, defunding the risk corridors designed to foster competition, prevent provincial monopolies, and shield insurance companies from catastrophic losses in the first 3 years of entering a brand new market. They deliberately roiled the markets with uncertainty through endless threats and attempts of repeal, effectively cancelled a funding stream of the individual mandate (their own idea) through the courts, and generally done anything to tamp down the modest success of a law that's almost identical to what they were advocating years ago before they were apoplectic in opposition. They now are hilariously asking the Supreme Court to hold off on a decision on their own suit challenging the constitutionality of a law they claim is a self-evident disaster until after the election. 6. Like the first 4 years of W's term, and for the 2nd time the GOP controlled the House, Senate, and presidency, the GOP failed to put forth any plan of their own addressing healthcare reform in Trump's first 2 years.
    5 points
  25. Well, we have to end apartheid for one. And slow down the nuclear arms race, stop terrorism and world hunger. We have to provide food and shelter for the homeless, and oppose racial discrimination and promote civil rights, while also promoting equal rights for women. We have to encourage a return to traditional moral values. Most importantly, we have to promote general social concern and less materialism in young people.
    4 points
  26. It's unfathomable that this group of cretins is the best the DNC could assemble.
    4 points
  27. If this was more about executive power creep than it is about asymmetrical political power creep, Shirley Sherrod would have never lost her job based on an indisputably false allegation. Obama getting rid of her to even avoid the appearance of impropriety is less an example of Obama not quite being able to flex the ever increasing muscle of the executive branch to the extent Trump did when he was warned, then went ahead and hired a foreign agent as his National Security Advisor than it is of an almost polar opposite standard. Somehow despite the ever increasing power of the executive branch, Obama was prevented from even getting a Senate hearing on his rightful Supreme Court pick- a fairly routine process that supposedly weaker previous presidents rightfully expected and got- by McConnell who was quite candid in stating not only would a hypothetical Trump SC candidate get a hearing in the final year of his term, he'd be seated.
    4 points
  28. 4 points
  29. But she is a cop, to the core. Consider her crusade against Backpage, her grandstanding against "human trafficking omg" that has done nothing more than provide job safety for pimps and put prostitutes back on the streets. It's akin to a Dem adopting a drug warrior stance today. We should be moving towards the legalization and regularization of prostitution. It is never going to be stamped out and Harris, of all people knows that full well, just as she knows the dangers street prostitutes face. Backpage was a step towards relative freedom for prostitutes and Harris cynically exploited a scant few occasions wherein children were trafficked through the site to shut the whole thing down. Democrats are supposed to be the party of letting women do what they want with their own bodies, not the party of moralist busybodies and the carceral state.
    4 points
  30. Republicans are the biggest snowflakes ever recorded.
    4 points
  31. What does this even mean? She is a “more political” public speaker? How does that relate to anything? Hillary would have completely refused to respond to any inquiries and obstructed congress? Not a chance. Hillary would have stopped passing legislation? That was the GOP in the House that stopped passing anything. The GOP in the senate is currently sitting on tons of bills. Check out HB1 if you aren’t familiar. The both sides are the same narrative is weak and rarely grounded
    4 points
  32. Peanut farm in a blind trust. My how far we have come.
    4 points
  33. HAHAHAHAHAHA. Honestly I’m glad to have FCHorn back, just to see him twist in to enteral pretzel, defending the daily gaffes by trump compared to the once a term gaffes b Obama. Trump is the stupidest mothefucker to hold the office by a factor of at least 10 and obviously the most divisive by 20. Sad!
    4 points
  34. Don't think mom used the same online baby name generator for these two.
    4 points
  35. Choosing Sam's senior year as the year you finally say "screw it" is a decision you will regret. Book it, bitch. You sat there and suffered three years of the worst coach in school history and made it out the other side. You have the intestinal fortitude to make it through 2020.
    4 points
  36. My ex apologized once. She said she was sorry that I was such an asshole
    4 points
  37. 4 points
  38. Sorry in advance for not spoilering it I’m on my phone The 2020 cycle was a year of ups and downs for Texas. At one point, Texas went months without landing a commitment. During the summer, they went on an incredible hot streak and rose to a top-five class in the country. Along the way, Texas managed to sign an incredibly talented quarterback class, performed a high-wire act with several five-star running backs. And smashed recruiting rival Texas A&M in several high-profile head-to-head battles. A tumultuous season led to several decommitments, but Texas was able to counter after making several staff changes to salvage the class. As always, there was drama, intrigue, and plenty of crazy moments behind closed doors. As we do each year, Horns247 has a full rundown of how exactly the 2020 class played out. Alabama Health InsurancePaid content by Health Insurance So without further ado, we take you behind the scenes in the second of a two-part look at the 2020 Texas signing class. — Despite what you read elsewhere, I’m fairly confident in saying that Texas really never trailed in the recruitment of Alfred Collins. In the beginning, Texas A&M actually held a ton of momentum, but at worst, Texas was tied for the lead. The Longhorns really began to stretch their lead in the spring. Over the summer, Texas really hammered it home and opened a big lead. I was told that Collins gave Texas a silent commitment over the summer during the Stars at Night camp. I was told he re-affirmed that commitment on the field at the Louisiana Tech game and again on his official visit. There was a period of time where Oklahoma closed the gap, but they never really wrestled control away from Texas. Oscar Giles came through huge in this recruitment. I’ve mentioned several times that Giles really connects with certain prospects on a different level and Collins was one of them along with Vernon Broughton. — If there was any doubt about this recruitment going into the new year, it was shot to pieces during check-in at the All-American Bowl. From the moment Collins arrived in San Antonio, he was flanked by a combination of Prince Dorbah, Xavion Alford, and Bijan Robinson. Collins spent pretty much the entire week with that crew and I was told during the bowl week that the staff was starting to extend the lead over Oklahoma once again. Baylor had a brief appearance near the end of the cycle, but I was told that despite Collins' relationship with Matt Rhule the Bears were never a serious contender to overtake Oklahoma or Texas. Collins never really looked back after that and made his choice public on National Signing Day. Texas was the program to beat all along for Broughton and Alfred Collins. (Photo: Mike Roach, 247Sports) — Broughton’s recruitment was somewhat similar to that of Collins. Texas lead pretty much the entire way, but several schools took their turn in the spotlight to put a scare in the Longhorns. Texas simply outworked everyone early in this recruitment: Giles forged a strong relationship with Broughton and Craig Naivarworked as his area recruiter. Broughton took his official visit in May with Logan Parr, Jake Majors and Jaylen Garth. The offensive line group did all they could to bond with him early. Broughton then visited Arkansas and we received credible information he might have given Arkansas a silent commitment and was possibly working on a video. Texas A&M started to make a push in the summer and there was a period of time where the whispers around Broughton said he’d be an Aggie. Through it all, one source I was in touch with kept telling me with unshaken confidence that he would be at Texas. The breakthrough moment in that recruitment was when Texas sent Broughton’s family an edit entitled “It takes a village.” In the edit, it outlined a plan for athletic, academic, personal, and spiritual development at Texas. — That family pitch resonated with Broughton’s mother, a former college coach, and a current educator. Broughton was set to make his announcement on a Monday (the first day of Big 12 media days) and shot a video that week weekend. Instead, he delayed and went dark on most media members he’d been in contact with. I finally was able to get through to Broughton who told me the decision was made and the video was done, but he was in no rush. He was overwhelmed by the media attention around him and wanted to just turn off his phone and be a kid. The delay gave Texas A&M the opportunity to get back in on him, but he never really listened. Near the end of the cycle, Broughton hadn’t received admittance to Texas, so the family reached out to several other programs to see if they could take them as an early enrollee. The Texas staff was able to calm them down and reassure everyone in Broughton's camp. Broughton was admitted a few days later. Did Fillinger simply have second thoughts about being a Longhorn? (Photo: 247Sports) — Princely Umanmielen’s recruitment was a roller coaster from the beginning. After visiting Texas what felt like 50 times in the months of January and February, Umanmielen spent the spring talking down the three-man front Todd Orlando preferred as a base alignment. As he talked more and more with schools like Oklahoma and Texas A&M, Texas began to get hot on the recruiting trail. After landing Broughton and Van Fillinger, Umanmielen decided he wanted to get in on the fun when he committed Aug. 12. I was told at the time that he likely wouldn’t stick if things got tough for Texas and that came to fruition. On Oct. 23, just a week or two after I visited Umanmielen for a game where he told me he had no plans to decommit, he opened up his recruitment. Behind the scenes, Umanmielen talked about how he heard negative reports on the program from Javonne Shepherd and Bru McCoy. From what I understand, there was some mixed reaction at Texas as some felt that Umanmielen might not be a culture fit for the program. Umanmielen became a priority for the Texas staff when Chris Ash took over, but it took some time for Umanmielen to reciprocate any interest. Once Texas was able to get him on campus for an unofficial visit during the Elite Day, there began to be some optimism in Austin. There was a feeling that Umanmielen might run out of options and land at Texas, but Florida and Baylor pushed hard. I was told that the official visit Umanmielen took to Austin “couldn’t have gone better,” but Florida and Baylor had the most buzz leading up to his commitment announcement on National Signing Day. After feeling like they were out of it because of his parents' preference to have him stay inside the state, the blessing was given if Florida were the pick and the Gators pushed hard in the last 24 hours. Texas never quite felt like they were able to regain the edge and I was told Umanmielen didn’t think that he was necessarily a fit for the Longhorns either. — Things came together quickly when Van Fillinger committed. Texas identified him early and they were able to get him in for two unofficial visits during the summer. Fillinger grew up a huge fan of Michigan and the thought was that he’d eventually end up in Ann Arbor. Michigan was looking at other options when Fillinger wanted to commit and Texas ended up being the pick. After an easy two months, Fillinger began seriously looking around behind the scenes and Utah tried to capitalize on Texas' struggles. While Fillinger and his mother were telling Texas that everything was good, he was secretly visiting Utah often. By the end of his time as a member of the recruiting class, it was one of the worst-kept secrets out there. Fillinger told me he notified Tom Herman that he was decommitting by sending a text message and he later lamented that he drug things on too long and should have separated from the program earlier. He knew Texas wasn’t the place for him, but he was having a hard time opening things up. After talking to Fillinger during the All-American Bowl week, I just think he was a young kid who learned some valuable lessons about how to deal with tough decisions. — There isn’t much to say about how Texas was able to snag Sawyer Goram-Welch. The Longview product wanted to play Power Five football and he wanted to play it in-state. Texas A&M was a dream school for him, but the Aggies asked him to flip to the offensive line. He wanted to stay on the defensive line. Goram-Welch eventually picked Oklahoma State, but Texas did a great job evaluating him and keeping in contact. When they were ready to move, Goram-Welch made the decision to flip quickly. — There was a lot of hype around Justin Floweearly in his recruitment. I can confirm that he was telling people Texas would be one of the top schools on his list. After missing several visit opportunities, things just never really materialized. It’s a good lesson in actions speaking louder than words. Flowe and Len'Neth Whiteheadare why I always say that I can’t take an out of state kid seriously until he visits. How close did come to keeping White away from LSU? (Photo: Billy Embody, 247Sports) — If we’re talking about missed opportunities, I think that Texas missed a big one with Cy-Creek linebacker Josh White. When he was committed to Oklahoma State, White told me and others that he’d commit on the spot if Texas offered. While the Longhorns waited for Todd Orlando to give the thumbs up and sign off on an offer, LSU moved in and got his recruitment wrapped up quickly. Once committed, White made a couple of secret visits to Texas, but nothing really came of it. This was a classic case of being too late on an in-state kid. — The Longhorns could have had Brennon Scott if they wanted him, but his physical development and spring evaluation weren’t the best. By the time Scott was ready to pick a school, Texas no longer had an offer for him. Scott committed to Kansas, but he ended up signing with UNLV after opening things back up. The Longhorns did a good job in their pursuit of Dorbah. (Photo: 247Sports) — Prince Dorbah’s recruitment was pretty easy to read from the beginning. A source at Highland Park told me early in the process that Texas would be the place Dorbah would be most comfortable because there would be many people like his friends at Highland Park. Dorbah made no secret of the fact Texas was his leader early on and he actually committed during the Heat Wave pool party despite not being in attendance. Dorbah never wavered after that and was resolute regarding his commitment any time I checked with him. Tim Beck also was big in this recruitment. He once coached Dorbah’s mentor and was able to get in with Dorbah and his family from the beginning. — Darius Snow was a priority target for Craig Naivar when he was first offered, but as his body developed to be more of a linebacker, Texas decided to go in a different direction. Snow was probably headed to his father’s alma mater of Michigan State anyhow, but Texas stopped pursuing in the spring. — The Longhorns got in late on Jaqwondis Burns after Todd Orlando saw made an in-game during the fall. There was a lot of momentum for Burns to stay home, but Orlando's firing pretty much put an end to it. There were also some negative voices in his ear when it came to Texas. He chose Minnesota after taking a few visits. — Jaylan Ford is a player I’ve been high on for a few years. I thought he was an automatic eval in a state that struggles to produce linebackers. Texas quietly saw Ford a few times during the late fall and went in-home before signing day. After losing multiple players to Utah, Texas began to quietly pursue. The night before signing day, I was told by a Utah source that Texas was heavily involved. On signing day, I was told Texas sent a National Letter of Intent to Ford. While I was verifying this news, Ford sent his letter and announced he would be a Longhorn the following day. Ringo's recruitment was one the wildest to follow in the cycle. (Photo: 247Sports) — The recruitment of Kelee Ringo was crazy to follow and is one where some good lessons can be learned. Ringo came to Austin during spring break on his own dime and spent the entire week on campus. At that time, he told multiple people at Texas he would be a Longhorn and that nobody else was really close for him. As long as Texas could keep getting him back on campus they had a great shot. Enter Georgia. The Bulldogs hosted Ringo a few times themselves and had him in for their spring game. Coming out of that weekend, the word was that momentum totally flipped in favor of the SEC program. Ringo talked a few times about making a return to Austin for more visits, but he never made it back to Texas. Late in August, the word was going around that Ringo was a silent commit to Georgia. When I went out to see him in the fall, he was adamant that he wanted to make an official visit to Austin. Ringo had a strong relationship with Jason Washington and Tim Beck and, to their credit, both coaches pursued him hard in the final weeks despite the uncertainty about their future. Ringo’s playoffs ran up against the dead period and Georgia was scheduled to receive a visit right before signing day. Beck tried to get Ringo in for a mid-week visit right before to at least give them a shot, but they couldn’t make the schedule work. Texas made a strong push at the end of his recruitment to have Ringo hold off of signing and visit in January, but he ended up signing with Dawgs early. Ringo had some fun at the All-American Bowl by showing up in Texas gear and taking a picture with Texas commits, but he told me early that week it wouldn’t be Texas. — Like Chad Lindberg, Jahari Rogers was a guy I was sure would end up at Texas. When the Longhorns made a push for him in the spring, they started to open up a huge lead. In fact, there were credible rumors out there that Rogers filmed a commitment video for Texas around the same time Ja’Quinden Jackson did. Florida kept pushing for him and they were able to get close to those around Rogers to question the developmental track record of Jason Washington. After telling Texas he was coming, Rogers suddenly began to back off a bit. Ra'Shaad Samples was close to Rogers and his departure wasn’t a total secret behind the scenes. Rogers went on to commit to Florida, but he kept his eyes on Texas early in the fall. When Florida began to thrive as Texas struggled, that pretty much shut the door on any chance the Longhorns had to flip him. — I won’t say that waiting to offer Jalen Kimberwas the ultimate factor that hurt Texas, but they had an opportunity to be aggressive after seeing Kimber perform very well at the Stars at Night camp going into his junior season. Texas A&M offered by the time Texas came around, and the Aggies held a lot of early momentum. In fact, Kimber wanted to give a commitment to Jimbo Fisher at last year’s Super Bowl party weekend, but the A&M staff asked him to hold off. Kimber went on to visit Georgia and fell in love with the campus and program. Jason Washington worked really hard to establish a strong relationship, but in the end, Georgia simply impressed him more. Kimber is not a Texas native, so he had no problem going out of state. Crawford proved to be a tremendous evaluation by the staff. (Photo: Andrew Ivins, 247Sports) — Texas made an impressive eval early when the staff found Kitan Crawford. The Longhorns were able to recruit him hard throughout the spring when it was clear he would develop into a strong prospect and they had a big lead before schools like Oklahoma and Texas A&M could get in on him late in the spring. Texas basically ran wire-to-wire as the leader despite some interest in Tennessee. Crawford was set to make a decision at his spring game, but he decided to take a few visits to the new schools coming in for him. He committed to Texas on Jun. 21 and was a low-maintenance prospect until the staff turnover. When news broke that Jason Washingtonmight be fired, Crawford began to look around behind the scenes. Texas was able to go in-home several times and Washington did his part to keep him in the class despite his murky future. — Ethan Pouncey left just as quickly as he arrived. Texas knew they could go in on Pouncey late because of the link with his brother and he called out of nowhere to commit one night during the summer. Pouncey had some injury issues he was dealing with that would keep him out for the season and I was told he didn’t have the injury repaired. Instead, he was hoping it would work itself out once he got to college as an early enrollee. Pouncey decommitted in the middle of a string of decommitments, but his future with Texas was always was tied to his brother. When Jordan Pouncey announced an intention to transfer, the younger Pouncey was gone, no questions asked. — Texas really liked Dwight McGlothern early, but some off-field issues and transfers to three schools in four years made them take a step back. The Longhorns offered Joshua Eatonwith McGlothern on campus and I’m told they made an effort to let McGlothern know they were taking a step back. To his credit, McGlothern got his grades in order, kept his nose clean at Klein Oak and he found a home at LSU late in the cycle. — Eaton’s recruitment was shaky from the beginning. When Texas offered originally, Eaton was close to shutting things down and making a quick commitment before getting a push from Texas A&M. As Eaton went on through the spring, he struggled during some evaluation opportunities while Texas surged with guys like Crawford and Rogers. Texas re-engaged Eaton in the summer and took a commitment from him knowing he had a high ceiling for development and some high-end traits. Eaton went on to visit Oklahoma during the season and gradually began to separate himself from the Texas class. There was a point where Tom Hermanattempted to get in contact with him and Eaton would not call him back. Oklahoma pushed hard and Eaton ended up de-committing and flipping to the Sooners. — Texas got in way too late on Ennis Rakestraw. He ended up signing with Missouri out of a sense of loyalty, but Jay Valai was a big factor down the stretch in getting Texas a place at the table on signing day. Rakestraw told me that Valai was one of the most real coaches he’d ever met and, given more time, Valai might have landed him. Jones was a prospect Texas wanted, but he signed with Texas A&M. (Photo: Brian Perroni, 247Sports) — Jaylon Jones had a recruitment that probably took years off of Jason Washington’s life. Texas was in early on Jones after landing Caden Sterns from the same high school (Cibolo Steele) and the Longhorns felt they were in a great position. In fact, Jones’ parents spoke very highly of Washington’s recruiting style and coaching ability, and they were somewhat Texas fans themselves. Their son, on the other hand, felt more of a connection with Maurice Linguist and Jimbo Fisher. While he had a relationship with Washington, he didn’t feel that Herman was recruiting him as hard as Fisher did. Once Jones made his commitment to the Aggies, he never looked back and put pen to paper in December. — Texas pursued Xavion Alford throughout the spring and despite many changes at the top of his list, the Longhorns never seemed to slide. They were always co-leaders with Auburn, LSU and eventually Texas A&M. The Aggies slow-played Alford early in the cycle and tried to come on strong in the summer. In the end, Craig Naivar outworked everyone else and landed him. Alford went on to be one of the leaders in the class and despite some shaky moments late in the cycle, he decided that he committed to Texas for the entire package. During the All-American Bowl, Alford was the main vocal recruiter for Texas. — Texas felt good about where things stood with Lathan Ransom coming out of his official visit. He was trending toward LSU early and while the Longhorns felt they overcame the surge of Tiger momentum, they were worried about his upcoming trip to Ohio State. Those feelings turned out to be confirmation more than a revelation when Ransom went to Ohio State the week after visiting Austin and committed to the Buckeyes. Ransom and his family connected well with Naivar , but they saw more potential for development and winning at Ohio State. — Speaking of Naivar, it was a tough year for him after assembling some remarkable talent in his safety room over the last few years. Texas was the runaway leader for Chris Thompson through most of the spring and Thompson even made a commitment video. His video was supposed to be a continuation of Ja’Quinden Jackson’s, but Thompson wanted to make some other visits. Thompson’s family told Texas several times there would be nothing to worry about and he just wanted to take some other trips. Thompson even called me from his official visit to tell me he was pretty much sold on being at Texas. Auburn kept working though. 18COMMENTS When I checked in with Auburn sources, they were even surprised to hear that I was getting some legitimate buzz on the Tigers. In the week leading up to the decision, things started to feel very shaky. Information all but shut down and his video began to be re-shot. I was told it was just to add some more scenes and had nothing to do with the decision, but the ending was re-worked. I was told by sources near Thompson the night before his announcement that Texas would be the pick, but I was warned by others that Auburn was actually the school. In the end, Auburn pitched Thompson on a plan for him not only as a football player but as a student and a professional. He felt that approach fit him and he wanted to forge his own path after being considered a Texas lean for so long. — Things with Bryson Washington played out the same way. After being high on Texas early, Oklahoma started to surge for him and Washington gave the Sooners a silent commitment in the spring. Texas continued to work on him and Naivar was able to get Washington on campus a few times before his official visit. The Longhorns did everything they could during the official visit. They even connected Washington with members the Texas Rangers with Washington pondering a future in law enforcement. The Longhorns thought they might be able to flip him with a strong year, but the opportunity never materialized. Like Jones, I heard from the Washington side of things that Lincoln Riley was more involved in the recruitment from a head coach perspective and Washington felt that he barely had a relationship with Herman. — After offering Ryan Watts early, both parties went their separate ways. There weren’t many juicy details there. I think both sides found better fits elsewhere. — Texas got in on Drew Sanders late after he was already committed to Oklahoma. I’m not sure there would have been much interest there as it was. — I spoke with Darnell Washington during The Opening Finals and he told me he was interested in Texas, but they were pitching the tight end on playing defensive end in Austin. — Texas offered Michael Henderson with the idea of him being a jumbo athlete, but he was always more infatuated with Oklahoma. It was no surprise when he committed to the Sooners. — Texas faced its share of negative recruiting this year. I was told of multiple occasions where other schools played the Zach Smith podcast for recruits and their families in an effort to target Herman from moral standpoint. Many opposing coaches were also said to point out the potential for staff changes with most of the coaches in the last year of their contracts, which turned out to be a legitimate concern. When we say negative recruiting, it doesn’t mean it isn’t true. — I spoke on multiple occasions about how prospects felt Herman wasn’t as involved in their recruitments as other coaches. I think it’s important to note that no two recruitments are alike and there were just as many folks that would tell you nobody was more involved than Herman. It’s important to remember that what I’m told comes from a variety of different viewpoints. I try to filter them, find what makes sense and report the truth.
    4 points
  39. Like how he carries it up himself.
    4 points
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