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Vertigo

Burnt Ends
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Posts posted by Vertigo

  1. 18 minutes ago, Huckleberry said:

    Top 30 WR 40 times by conference

    Big 12 - 3, SEC - 6, ACC - 6, Pac-12 - 8, G5 - 2, non-FBS - 2, Big 10 - 3

    2 of the Big 12 were Texas of course but then again we won't get burned by Texas receivers other than spring games

    New alignments count

    SEC - 8, ACC - 6, Big 10 - 8, Big 12 - 3, G5 - 3, non-FBS - 2

    Be glad we're not in the Big 10, apparently. And the SEC fluffery is so tired already. No, not everybody in the SEC has guys who can fly unless sub-4.7 is your definition of flying. 

    I am talking about the teams that matter. Last season Bama (Isaiah Bond), Georgia (Arian Smith), A&M (Evan Stewart), LSU (Brian Thomas Jr.), Ole Miss (Jordan Watkins), Kentucky (Barrion Brown), Auburn (Ja'varius Johnson), and Florida (Jerray Hawkins) all had guys who were upper level NFL fast. Fortunately, Bama's guy now plays for Texas, but now they have Ryan Williams. The point remains, he was going to get beat a bunch if they left him in man.     

  2. 4 hours ago, SydneyCarton said:

    Lol at people here bemoaning the loss of Brooks. If he'd stayed, we'd have been bitching about him all season. Hell, the motherfucker got torched much of last season and was routinely bailed out by WRs not catching passes that hit their wide open hands.

    I'm not going to sit here and exonerate Joseph or even Gideon. They're obvious weak links on the defensive staff. Joseph isn't going to develop shit, particularly at CB over Safety. Fine. Brooks has been on campus 3 years, and he's plateaued or regressed. I have little faith that he would have turned it around with another year of coaching from Joseph. I'll roll the dice that Mack or Black are the next Manny Muhammed, dogs that come in and are self-disciplined and will get better on their own with more reps. We know what Brooks is, at this point, under Joseph. 
     

    We just simply can't recruit corners who don't have top end speed anymore. We could get away with that somewhat in the B12, but in the SEC everyone has guys that can fly. It would have been a long and painful season for Brooks if I had to guess followed by discussion on moving him to safety. I also question why he is blowing coverages in year 3 as a multiyear starter. I was a little dubious about him going into next season prior to the spring game. We just need more athleticism in that spot.  

  3. 5 minutes ago, BlueGreySky said:

    One of my athletes is considering aggy.  I am doing my best to educate him and his dad on the disaster that decision would be.  First time in 17 years of coaching I've had someone heavily consider aggy.  He's T&F, 800/400 runner, so granted that skews his decision.

    T&F is at least a respectable sport for them, but yeah, you are doing the Lord's work. 

  4. 1 hour ago, Jkwellborn said:


    Yeah, everything ive heard was that pc was delayed at best.

    It wouldnt surprise me to see PC come out in like August or September, but I know they have been pushing to get this out and get it right, so maybe they sacrificed PC this go around and wait until next year. 

    • Like 1
  5. 1 hour ago, BurntOrange&White said:

    Apparently at a private pro day event for NFL draftees that weren't able to compete at combine or their team pro day Whittington ran a 4.42 verified 40.

    That is way better than I thought it would be. 

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  6. 11 minutes ago, BurntOrange&White said:

    x-posting and an FYI

     

    Per Bobby:

    Bert Auburn is not be a scholarship number this fall due to his NIL exceeding scholarship value.

     

    So If that is true that would put us at 85 with the 3 transfers of Burrell, Walton, Kirkland. 

    It still would not surprise me to see another OL or DL go along with a few others.

  7. 9 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

    You guys read too much into things. There's no "nice" or "mean' or any other thing. There's just closetojumping. If I had the controls to this site last week, I'd have rolled your handle and 20 others into purgatory just the same as I'd do right now if I could.

    Admin for a day seems like a fun exercise during the offseason. This board would devolve into an episode of Real Housewives of wherever. 

  8. 3 hours ago, closetojumping said:

    I think Alabama is going to have some surprising and serious LOS issues in 2024. I'll wait until the portal is closed to really think about it, but as of right now, and from what I saw in their spring game, there's a good shot that they won't look like the same fronts from Bama since 2008.

    Watching their spring game highlights, their defensive line and secondary look like shit compared to the last few years. Offensively they look pretty solid, at least against that defense.  

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  9. 59 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

     

    Regarding their current outlook for starting OL, it's really, really grim over there. Holy shit, from Tarp:

      Reveal hidden contents

    I've provided some thoughts on Texas A&M's offensive tackles but focused primarily on them as players. Now, here are some takes on the offensive line this spring as a whole (the following is solely a product of my thought process).

    1. You're going to have at least five starting caliber guys for the five spots up front. Your questions are more about who's going to play as opposed to can so and so be an adequate player at a particular position.

    2. A lineup of Trey Zuhn (left side) and Dametrious Crownover (right side) at tackle, Chase Bisontis and Armaj Reed-Adams at guard, and Mark Nabou at center makes a lot of sense for multiple reasons going into the spring game (this isn't necessarily a projection for the season opener…we've got a long way to go before then).

    3. Zuhn is experienced and has a nice kick step to stay with people on the edge. He's got to deal with people getting their hands into his chest but he's gradually improved that aspect of his game as he's gotten bigger and more experienced. Crownover offers a lot of potential and is probably the best pure athlete up front. He has dominant reps when everything works for him and that's something that everyone seems to be attracted to. However, he has to reduce the problematic reps and individual games, particularly in terms of his usage rate.

    4. Bisontis is a big guy with a quick first step. He looks good on initial contact and his legs keep churning to sustain his advantage. Playing between people and getting help in pass pro will enable him to avoid the "play in space with no help" scenarios he faced far too often in 2023 as a converted guard on the edge (and he was a true freshman to boot). Reed-Adams is a massive guy and he's got quite a few starts under his belt. The trick for him will be dealing with quicker players on the interior since (like Bisontis) you're not going to run over him in pass pro.

    5. Nabou is solid on the inside as the pivot man. He doesn't seem to struggle with snaps, and he can be very physical. He is another guy that you're not going to run over. The trick for him will be getting off of the ball, keeping his feet moving, and getting his hand placement going.

    6. Beyond what I think would be the first five, there's still generally a lot of people trying to reconcile themselves to a new campus or offensive scheme, gaining experience as youngsters, in track, or dealing with injuries (either from the spring or last season). 

    7. I think that Reuben Fatheree is an exception to all of the above, I like him just fine, and I could be wrong, but we'll see.

    ----

    To translate, they have Crownover and Bisontis starting and neither guy has any film that can be viewed positively. They have a guy at C that was trampled repeatedly last season. Reuben Fatheree is their offensive line's MacGuffin. 

    I am so incredibly curious about the type of team they will be able to roll out against us after having gone through SEC league play. They are paper thin in terms of depth, and if they sustain even one or two key injuries they are going to be DOA. This would be an amazing time for Sark to pull a 49-0 OU beatdown. They are at 90 scholarship players currently, which means they can't necessarily go crazy in the upcoming portal window. 

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  10. 56 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

    Dude, you have a sweet bromance with Nahlin? Y'all are a perfect fit for another. You should just hang out over there and help him huff his farts while the Wells idiot gets visibly high by 10am on video and Ian Boyd puts everyone to sleep with a lunchtime breakdown of why the 4-4 needs to see a resurgence.

    Don't you dare besmirch the 4-4 cover 3 you corpuscular fecal membrane.

  11. 29 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

    I also posted this on the aggie thread in the football forum, but recognizing that some of you elitists don't visit there:

    The Elk has confessed to his audience, after the first aggie scrimmage, that things are ... not so great right now.

    https://247sports.com/college/texas-am/longformarticle/texas-a-m-football-notebook-aggie-coach-mike-elko-says-team-remains-a-work-in-progress-230249778/#2404181

    "I am a coach, so I do not know how to sugarcoat all of this stuff," Elko said. "It is not great right now, because they are not comfortable in it yet. That is part of spring. It is just learning how the system works, taking more and more reps of it. 

    "The challenge that we will have coming out of spring ball is understanding where we are and having a phenomenal summer so that when we get back to fall camp, practice one, we are 100 days better and not taking any steps back."

    Spoilered the full article in case the link is subscriber only:

      Reveal hidden contents

    COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Texas A&M head football coach Mike Elko covered a variety of topics in his mid-spring press conference Wednesday. Here are five highlights from what he discussed with the media.

    The Aggies are still a 'work in progress'

    A&M is beyond the halfway point of spring football, completing nine of its 15 practices so far. The Aggies also held their first spring scrimmage Tuesday. But in his three spring football press conferences, Elko has seemingly refrained from giving many revealing takeaways.

    Elko does not appear to be playing coy with his answers. He has simply suggested that his Aggie team remains far from a finished product, describing them as a "work in progress." With a new coaching staff and 30 scholarship newcomers this spring, A&M certainly has a learning curve.

    "Every time our kids are going out on the field, they are doing something for the first time," Elko said. "I think that is always a challenge, and that is what makes the first spring so challenging. Very happy with our guys in terms of their mindset, how hard they are working, the things that they are doing to try to get this thing in the right direction. 

    "We have managed to stay relatively healthy, which is huge, and getting a lot of guys out there and getting a lot of reps and a lot of work."

    With six practices remaining, the Aggies should only continue to progress and have a better understanding of the scheme and depth chart. They are expected to have two more scrimmages this spring – one next Tuesday and the other for the Maroon and White Game in Kyle Field next Saturday.

    "I am a coach, so I do not know how to sugarcoat all of this stuff," Elko said. "It is not great right now, because they are not comfortable in it yet. That is part of spring. It is just learning how the system works, taking more and more reps of it. 

    "The challenge that we will have coming out of spring ball is understanding where we are and having a phenomenal summer so that when we get back to fall camp, practice one, we are 100 days better and not taking any steps back."

    QB Conner Weigman is not exactly cemented as the starter

    Going into the spring, Elko named redshirt sophomore Conner Weigman as his starting quarterback. However, that label should not be considered permanent. If quarterbacks Jaylen Henderson or Marcel Reed outperform Weigman in practice, they could conceivably leapfrog him on the depth chart. At least, that is how Elko seemed to describe the situation.

    "Just because you go in the spring as the number one (quarterback), that does not really mean anything other than your number one going in the spring," Elko said. "Conner had earned that right, we felt like from how he had performed. But like every kid in our program, competition is there. So Conner knows there is a level of play that he needs to reach in order to continue to be number one and be number one when we play Notre Dame."

    Weigman began last season as the top option and impressed in his four starts. He completed 68.9% (82 of 119) of his passes for 979 yards and eight touchdowns with two interceptions while turning 12 carries into 63 yards and two scores.

    However, Weigman remains limited from the season-ending left foot/ankle injury that he suffered against Auburn last September. He has been practicing with restrictions throughout this spring.

    "He is not 100%," said Elko of Weigman. "He is not going to be 100% coming out of spring. He is still recovering from the ankle. So he is able to go. He is a tough kid, and it is a testament to him that he understands how important it is to get these reps."

    After what they showed last season, Henderson and Reed appear to have the talent to push Weigman in the coming months.

    Henderson started the last four games last season, though he permanently exited the TaxAct Texas Bowl vs. Oklahoma State early after going down with a right arm/elbow injury. In his three full starts combined, Henderson completed 67.5% (52 of 77) of his passes for six touchdowns with two interceptions while turning 40 carries into 97 yards and two scores.

    As a true freshman last season, Reed initially served as the fourth-team quarterback. But he replaced Henderson in the bowl game and shined, completing 20 of 33 passes for 361 yards with an interception. He also rushed for 29 yards and a score on 10 carries.

    "Jaylen Henderson is getting a little bit more and more comfortable functioning within the system," Elko said. "He is obviously extremely athletic. He does have the ability to throw the football well. Just seeing the game and getting the game to slow down for him a little bit so it can be a little bit more consistent, the way he delivers the football, I think would help. 

    "Then Marcel Reed as a young kid – and you saw it in the bowl game. I think he has really high potential. It is very similar, though. It is, can we get it to be out there every single play? A little less peaks and valleys and a little bit more consistent execution and operation is what we need to get."

    New transfers who have stood out this spring

    A&M has landed 24 scholarship players from the NCAA Transfer Portal this offseason, and only three of them are not on campus yet. After fielding a question about who has stood out among the new transfers, Elko initially dodged it with a quip.

    "I could reword that question," Elko said. "'Hey, coach, you brought in 24 guys. Are there 22 you would like to really get upset by singling out only two?' I am trying to figure out how to word it without doing that."

    Elko eventually named defensive end Nic Scourton (Purdue), offensive lineman Ar'maj Reed-Adams (Kansas) and tight end Tre Watson (Fresno State) as three transfers who have made a solid first impression this spring. He added that Watson has been dealing with a shoulder injury, though, and did not participate in the scrimmage Tuesday.

    Scourton impressing is no surprise. He led the Big Ten in sacks last season with 10 and received second-team all-conference honors. Reed-Adams and Watson emerging are the more interesting developments.

    The 6-foot-5, 325-pound Reed-Adams brings versatility and significant experience. In four seasons with the Jayhawks, he appeared in 31 games with 14 starts. Reed-Adams started his first eight games of the 2023 season at left guard before lining up at right tackle for the final three. His other three career starts came as a true freshman in 2020 and were all at right guard. Reed-Adams will likely compete for one of the two starting spots at offensive guard for the Aggies.

    A&M lacks a cemented starter at tight end, and Watson has the talent to be in consideration. He is seen as more of a receiving tight end but had a productive 2023 season with the Bulldogs, catching 38 passes for 378 yards and four touchdowns. Watson and Henderson were teammates at Fresno State in the 2021 and 2022 seasons.

    Elko also named most of the eight new transfers in the secondary as standout performers. Safety Trey Jones III (Central Michigan) and cornerback Dezz Ricks (Alabama) have been dealing with injuries. Safety De'Rickey Wright (Vanderbilt) is not set to join the Aggies until June.

    "From Marcus Ratcliffe to Will Lee to Donovan Saunders to BJ Mayes … every one of those kids has flashed at times," Elko said. "They are going to add a lot of value back there."

    Bryce Anderson affirmatively moving to safety, other DB tidbits

    As a sophomore, Bryce Anderson entered last season with lofty expectations. He stepped into a starting role at nickel cornerback and looked ready to fill the void that the previous starter, Antonio Johnson, left. But while Anderson had his moments, he mostly produced mixed results.

    Perhaps because he played out of position.

    "Bryce is a safety. We recruited Bryce to play safety," said Elko, who as the former A&M defensive coordinator helped pursue Anderson out of the 2022 recruiting class. "I have always envisioned him being a safety in this defense. He is not playing nickel. I do not think he is a nickel."

    Anderson seems like a lock to secure one of the two starting safety jobs. Which player will claim the other starting spot remains unclear. Jones and Wright bring the most starting experience, but one has not been 100% healthy and the other is not with the team yet.

    Elko noticeably raved about Dalton Brooks, who played a lot of high-leverage reps as a true freshman last season.

    "Dalton Brooks has taken a huge step forward this spring and been really happy with him," Elko said. "He is an elite run-and-hit safety. He still has a little bit of a gap to close in terms of processing and understanding everything that we are doing, which he is doing every day. But I do think he has got some really elite traits, and we are excited about that one."

    With Anderson permanently leaving the nickel unit, that position group will be worth monitoring as well. 

    Going into the spring, Florida transfer Jaydon Hill seemed like the favorite to win the starting nickel job. He started 11 games at nickel for the Gators last season. However, Elko mentioned that incumbent starting cornerback Tyreek Chappell has been cross training on the outside and at nickel. He said cornerback Bravion Rogers has seen action at nickel, too.

    "Nickel is probably a little bit harder than corner," Elko said. "You are a little bit closer to the ball. There is a little bit more going on. From a scheme standpoint, the more reps you can get at nickel, it probably benefits you than always needing them to be out at corner."

    The next step for running back Rueben Owens II

    In an interview with the media last week, A&M offensive coordinator Collin Klein opined that the days of a workhorse running back are "probably not there anymore." The Aggies using a committee approach in 2024 would certainly make sense. Running backs Amari Daniels, Le'Veon Moss and Rueben Owens II shared an equal workload last season, and they all produced similar numbers.

    Still, Owens will be worth monitoring as someone who could emerge from the group this offseason. He has the recruiting pedigree, receiving a five-star rating in the 2023 class. And despite being a true freshman last season, Owens played about as well as Daniels and Moss.

    To reach another level as a player, though, Owens will probably need to improve his pass protection and ability to gain yards after contact. Pro Football Focus gave Owens a 16.8 pass-blocking grade last season. Among the 119 FBS running backs who played at least 50 pass-blocking snaps, that grade came in last. His 2.53 yards after contact per attempt ranked 143rd out of 157 FBS running backs (minimum 100 attempts).

    "He has had a really good spring in terms of doing the things he needs to do to take his game to the next level," Elko said. "He is extremely athletic. He does a really good job catching the ball out of the backfield. 

    "He needs to just learn how to be a running back in the SEC and how to get four and five yards sometimes. He does a really good job of getting the 30 and 35 yards. That is his natural athleticism. We have to get him to be a little bit cleaner at the four and five yards, and that is what he is working on. I think he is getting really good at it."

    For the tl/dr crowd, Weigman isn't working out as much as Elko thinks he needs to, so Elko is hinting that he might not be QB1 after the spring; Reuben Owens is a pussy who still can't pass protect and goes down immediately on contact; Bryce Anderson is a safety and they don't know who the other safety will be, nor do they have a clue who the corner will be; outside of Nick Scourton and a guard from Kansas, they are in deep shit regarding transfer talent.

    Do you think they are in a position to be big portal shoppers in the second window? I have heard that this one is going to be very active with some quality guys out there. Hell, guys like Austin Jordan and Tapp would be huge lifts for them. 

  12. 5 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

    Burton posted thoughts today around the Burrell exit that I thought made some sense. Link below. In the comments section, @Red Five had an interesting counterpoint to some pollyanna nonsense as well.

    https://ontexasfootball.com/forums/topic/1252-thoughts-on-smaje-burrell/#comment-14740

    Anyway, the attrition has begun. We're discussing it plenty in the transfer thread on the recruiting board, but here are some thoughts in this thread too.

    Obviously, there aren't a bunch of guys on the roster that the program "wants" to lose but there are between 7-10 spots that need to be vacated.

    1) Burrell was gone before he drunkenly rearended Sweat on Sunday morning. Until that incident, the staff wanted to keep him, but Baylor and other Big 12 schools had already told his family that he'd be a day 1 starter for them and he's riding 3rd string at Texas.

    2) They're overloaded at DB. A name there is Jordan, although nothing in concrete. Again, that guy could be starting somewhere. I wouldn't be surprised by 2+ exits from DB. Holmes maybe? He's looked good this spring and playing with urgency. He's not a bum. I don't see how pain is avoided at DB. 

    3) OL is simply loaded and they're about to put another top 1-2 OL class in the country together. I've heard that Stroh isn't going anywhere and they like him a lot. Not a lot of rumblings about anyone on the two deep. There have long been whispers about Connor Robertson maybe heading elsewhere. My problem with that story is that this site is loaded with Westlake honks who have said something at some point. Merril's family have deep ties and support to UT and UT athletics, allegedly, and that dude is valued. Kirkland checks a lot boxes for why someone would transfer - away from home, buried on the depth chart, lingering recovery work from a serious injury, was in the doghouse almost immediately after arriving to campus. 

    4) No one is saying much, but I view Mitchell as the single most likely candidate to transfer in this cycle. He checks every box for why a guy would leave.

    5) There are too many TEs on the roster.

    6) I'll be surprised if Savion Red is on the roster come August.

    7) No rumblings about anyone at WR.

    8 ) There are too many DEs/Edge guys on the roster. 

    Mitchell, Kirkland, Jordan, Red, Burrell, Agbo, Chatman, Walton, Tapp to me seem the most likely guys to head elsewhere. Tapp is a good player, but he will get less snaps this year with Simmons, Moore, Burke, Sorrell, Finkley, and probably Vasek. That would be 9, maybe there is another surprise or two in there somewhere. 

  13. 3 hours ago, Fud said:

    If I'm picking his side, one of the most common draft bust archetypes is track speed WR going in the first round, and Worthy weighing only 165 doesn't help his cause 

    I think Worthy, even with the issues I think he has (drops at times, tracking issues at times), is much more than that. I'd probably have him over Coleman and Wilson, although I really like Pearsall. I think something like 7th or 8th is more fair. 

    I think you are vastly underestimating the value he brings in being able to get open on damn near every play unless he is triple covered. His acceleration and deceleration is elite, along with his lateral cutting ability. Straight line speed is an afterthought when I think about how he will perform at the next level. To me, he profiles as someone similar to Marvin Harrison. 

  14. 24 minutes ago, SydneyCarton said:

    Yeah, but that motherfucker is talented and a rare size. I get it, but you're talking about fat cutting at a position where we couldn't really afford to cut any fat, hence the portal acquisitions. It would be a shame. 

    It would seem that Swansen is the easy candidate for any turnover in that room unless Mitchell just can't put it together. I hope he does, we really need him to develop.  

  15. 48 minutes ago, Fud said:

    Those are just his grades, not where he predicts where players will go

    I think Worthy could sneak into the late first, and I think Sanders and Sweat could still go in the 2nd 

    Yeah, but there is no way in hell Worthy is the 10th best WR on the board grade wise. That is just a dumb eval.. again. 

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  16. 6 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

    3) The gigantic fat guy of Pacific Islander descent has lost weight without picking up any quickness or strength advantages, apparently. If he doesn't just lodge himself into the center of a play like a buttplug and stay stuck, he's a huge liability. 

    Fuck. made me spit take. 

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  17. 4 hours ago, hobbs said:

    Meh, doesn't get touched much, so no YAC...do not want.

    I couldn't put my finger on why he looked like he wasn't fast, yet was outrunning everyone, until I finally figured it out. He runs really flat footed, not like a track guy would. It actually makes for a big advantage in bad weather. He is the dude you want to trot out in the rain or snow. His running style reminds me a bit of Ramonce Taylor, but without the extra gear. 

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