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2020 Texas Offseason Thread: Herman's Hail Mary


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20 hours ago, fuck 2020 said:

Herman wants to play aggy now? 

He's not the guy.

It's not about playing aggy. It's a PR play. He knows whatever he says, aggy is not going to sign up to play. So he loudly makes sure that everyone, including recruits/parents/coaches/trainers, knows that we offered to play and they're ducking us.

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11 minutes ago, TheBryMan81 said:

It's not about playing aggy. It's a PR play. He knows whatever he says, aggy is not going to sign up to play. So he loudly makes sure that everyone, including recruits/parents/coaches/trainers, knows that we offered to play and they're ducking us.

Well that and we actually would be willing to play them.

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39 minutes ago, Burt Macklin said:

That is going to be one depressing list. 

Only if your major - if not only - criterion is winning.

This is one of the reasons I enjoy watching games in which I really have no particular attachment to either team - I can enjoy the displays of athleticism and play-calling, regardless of which team shows them... and sometimes both sides on a single play.

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https://www.burntorangenation.com/2020/7/23/21336080/texas-longhorns-depth-chart-preseason-chris-adimora-kenyatta-watson

Preseason Texas depth chart

With the summer enrollees officially added to the roster and several recent departures, it’s time to take another look at the depth chart.

By Wescott Eberts@SBN_Wescott  Jul 23, 2020

The summer tumult in the Texas Longhorns looks like it’s now over — junior linebacker DeMarvion Overshown is back on campus, junior linebacker Juwan Mitchell and junior wide receiver Brennan Eagles are both practicing as well, and two players, junior cornerback Anthony Cook and redshirt junior Kobe Boyce, both departed the program.

So with preseason camp looming and the players now going through on-field workouts several times a week, it’s time to take another look at the projected depth chart for this season with some extra insight provided by Thursday’s roster update.

Projected depth chart

11 Name No. Name No. Name No. Name No. Name No.
QB Sam Ehlinger 11 Casey Thompson 8 Hudson Card 1 Ja'Quinden Jackson 3    
RB Keaontay Ingram 26 Roschon Johnson 8 Bijan Robinson 5 Daniel Young 32    
XWR Brennan Eagles 13 Marcus Washington 15 Al'Vonte Woodard 9 Troy Omeire 82    
HWR Jake Smith 16 Jordan Whittington 21 Dajon Harrison 88        
ZWR Josh Moore 14 Tarik Black 0 Kennedy Lewis 84 Kelvontay Dixon 86    
YTE Cade Brewer 80 Malcolm Epps 85 Jared Wiley 18 Brayden Liebrock 89    
LT Sam Cosmi 52 Reese Moore 76 Isaiah Hookfin 65 Andrej Karic 69    
LG Junior Angilau 75 Willie Tyler 55            
C Derek Kerstetter 68 Rafiti Ghirmai 74 Jake Majors 65        
RG Tyler Johnson 72 Tope Imade 67 Logan Parr 71        
RT Denzel Okafor 78 Christian Jones 70 Jaylen Garth 77        
Defense                    
DE Moro Ojomo 98 Marqez Bimage 42 Jacoby Jones 36 Vernon Broughton 48 Alfred Collins 95
NT Keondre Coburn 99 T'Vondre Sweat 93            
DT Ta'Quon Graham 49 Daniel Carson 88 Myron Warren 92 Sawyer Goram-Welch 91    
JACK Joseph Ossai 46 Byron Vaughns 50 Prince Dorbah 32        
MLB Juwan Mitchell 6 David Gbenda 33 Cort Jaquess 57 Jaylan Ford 41    
WILL DeMarvion Overshown 31 Ayodele Adeoye 40 Marcus Tillman, Jr. 13 Jaden Hullaby 55    
CB D'Shawn Jamison 5 Josh Thompson 29 Jahdae Barron 30        
S Caden Sterns 7 Montrell Estell 39 Xavion Alford 23        
S BJ Foster 25 Chris Brown 15 Tyler Owens 44 Jerrin Thompson 28    
CB Jalen Green 3 Kenyatta Watson II 2 Marques Caldwell 24 Kitan Crawford 19    
SPUR Chris Adimora 11 Chris Brown 15            
Special Teams                    
PK Cameron Dicker 17                
P Ryan Bucjevski 8 Cameron Dicker 17            
H Ryan Bucjevski 8 Zach Edwards 43            
DS Justin Mader 54 Zach Edwards 43            
KR D'Shawn Jamison 5 Jake Smith 16 Montrell Estell 39 Jordan Whittington 21    
PR D'Shawn Jamison 5 Jake Smith 16            
Injured Peter Mpagi 45 heart              
  Derrian Brown 24 stroke              

 

— On the offensive side of the ball, the only change since the last update is moving redshirt senior Tope Imade over to right guard to better reflect the fact that Imade and redshirt freshman Tyler Johnson are the most likely contenders at that position.

— After an offseason of working out at running back, sophomore Roschon Johnson remains ahead of consensus five-star prospect Bijan Robinson until there is reason to believe that Robinson has passed Johnson.

— If he can stay healthy, I’m more bullish on Michigan graduate transfer wide receiver Tarik Black beating out redshirt sophomore Joshua Moore for a starting role than I was when Black committed. Moore is a more explosive athlete, but Black has plenty of speed and almost 50 pounds on the 169-pound Moore, which could make a significant difference with blocking in the screen game, running game, or even in beating press coverage. When Texas wants to get physical at the position, expect Black on the field at Z.

— Keep an eye on senior defensive end Marqez Bimage. He’s still listed behind Ojomo here, but is a breakout candidate after dropping nearly 20 pounds and moving further outside to benefit his explosiveness. There’s a strong chance that Bimage could become the team’s second-best edge rusher by the end of the season.

— Since Texas classifies the Jack position as a LB on the roster, the listing of redshirt junior Reese Leitao as a defensive lineman indicates that he’ll compete at the crowded defensive end position.

— It’s still not clear what the Horns will do with freshmen Vernon Broughton (290 pounds) and Alfred Collins (305 pounds). So far, the apparent plan is to let them compete at the defensive end position, but it’s rare for a four-down defensive front to have such heavy defensive ends. It’s possible that defensive coordinator Chris Ash could use them as Todd Orlando used his defensive ends heads up or inside the shoulder of opposing offensive tackles.

— With 10 players listed at defensive end and defensive tackle here, as well as only two clear nose tackles in redshirt sophomore Keondre Coburn and sophomore T’Vondre Sweat, both of whom are nearly 350 pounds, Texas has an overload of options at two defensive line positions, but not nearly as many at nose tackle or Jack, where junior Joseph Ossai is the only proven contributor beyond special teams. Redshirt sophomore Byron Vaughns did drop about 20 pounds in the offseason, so that’s worth watching to see how that impacts his mobility in space and his ability to play around the line of scrimmage. Or perhaps his weight was simply vastly inflated last year.

— It’s not surprising that Texas will give athlete Jaden Hullaby a shot at linebacker. He’s not really big enough at 217 pounds to compete for playing time at tight end, he never really projected as a college running back, and the Longhorns need more depth at linebacker. It will be interesting to track his development there, but he’s almost certainly a long-term project at the position.

— Smoothing things over with Mitchell and Overshown were really huge developments for head coach Tom Herman and his staff. If either or both ended up sitting out the season, Texas would be in serious trouble at linebacker. As it stands, the Horns are in pursuit of Wildcats graduate transfer linebacker Tony Fields II, who would be a strong addition to the team with his blend of instincts and productivity.

— Look for redshirt freshman Kenyatta Watson II to push for playing time with redshirt junior Kobe Boyce stepping away from football. Getting him some experience last season while still maintaining his redshirt status should be a tremendous boost for Watson in 2020.

— What happens at the Spur position with junior Anthony Cook in the transfer portal and no longer listed on the roster? After gaining nearly 30 pounds over the last year and flashing at times, especially in the Alamo Bowl against Utah, Chris Adimora looks like the clear starter, but without any availabilities since Cook’s departure, it’s not clear who else will play the position.

— There are three candidates in redshirt junior Josh Thompson, junior BJ Foster, and redshirt senior Chris Brown. Thompson and Foster both competed for the job in preseason camp last year, then suffered early-season injuries that forced Brandon Jones into the nickel role. Despite the experience there for Thompson and Foster, Brown might the best bet.

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22 minutes ago, victory88 said:

Fuck man... hope it's not serious.  I wonder if him having the ball on every damn play in high school has worn his body down.

He's too much like other football players that have over trained. Kirk Johnson and David Boston being similar players. You need a little bit of fat to cushion the blows of being hit in football.

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7 minutes ago, HtownHorn said:

He's too much like other football players that have over trained. Kirk Johnson and David Boston being similar players. You need a little bit of fat to cushion the blows of being hit in football.

I like this theory. Fatten these boys up a little.

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TFB...  https://texas.thefootballbrainiacs.com/2020/07/open-post-weekend-july-24th-26th/

Team Note | Wide Receivers
– Super K

Spoke to a source about who we might expect to be breakout stars at the wide receiver position.

***If the season started today, I’m told starters would be Eagles, Marcus Washington, and Jake Smith.

***Not surprisingly, I’m told all three have made big strides.

***Asked how Eagles compared to Collin Johnson and was told simply that Brennan is better. It’s an opinion at this point but it’s at least an informed one. Source also said not to be surprised if Brennan has the kind of season that makes this his final season. It appears the hopes for the kind of production he will have this season are quite high.

***But interestingly, it sounds like a guy to watch who has perhaps emerged as a favorite of Coleman’s is young Marcus Washington. It seems there are quite a few people inside the program who believe Washington could end up being the best of the bunch.

***Overall the vibe is that despite the fact that there isn’t a ton of experience in the wide receiver room, there is a feeling that the kind of players currently at wide receiver are just better athletes and players than have been there in the past three or four years.

***Lack of a trigger man certainly won’t be an excuse. Ehlinger is poised to really take center stage in the Big 12 this year.

 

Thirsty Thursday | Who Steps Up at WR, Big 12 Preseason Talk, & OL Options
– D.T.

Welcome back to another edition of Thirsty Thursdays! As always, I’m here to try to help quench your thirst for Longhorn Football in the drought of the offseason, along with other topics of interest in Longhorn sports this week.

Who steps up at WR?

eagles-300x228.jpg

Super K’s quick-hitter yesterday about the top three Receivers on the Texas roster heading into 2020 season really got the wheels turning in my head.

According to his source within the program, the starting Wide Receivers for your Texas Longhorns if the season started tomorrow would be Brennan Eagles, Marcus Washington, and Jake Smith. Of those three, Eagles is your X, Washington is your Z, and Smith is the Slot Receiver.

Yes, Texas should have the biggest advantage in the Big XII at Quarterback with a Senior version of Sam Ehlinger, but I’m not sure that folks are considering just how much production Texas is having to replace from last year’s team. 

In losing Devin Duvernay and Collin Johnson to graduation/the NFL, Texas will have to replace 151 receptions, 2,024 receiving yards, and 13 receiving touchdowns from last year’s team. 

I’d caution everyone about assuming that there won’t be a bit of a transition period here. 

This will only be Brennan Eagles’ second season as a starter and truthfully, he wasn’t a full-time starter last season (started 7 out of 12 games). Jake Smith will be a first-time starter. Marcus Washington will be a first-time starter.

K was told that Brennan Eagles is “simply better” than Collin Johnson. His source also shares the sentiment with numerous individuals that I’ve spoken to about the topic that believe that there is a real, legitimate chance that this could be Eagles’ final season in burnt orange.

 

In the video posted above, you can see Eagles exclusively in what many saw as a breakout game against a very talented LSU Secondary. He had a career-high 116 yards in the ballgame and a touchdown on 5 receptions. While the numbers look great, if you watch the video you’ll see that every single grab that Eagles made was contested. He struggled to get much if any separation (which I thought was a common theme for him last season) and if Kristian Fulton doesn’t grossly misjudge the ball, Eagles doesn’t have that 55-yard touchdown to his credit. Compare the amount of space that guys like LSU’s Jamarr Chase, Alabama’s Jaylen Waddle, Louisville’s Tutu Atwell, and even a guy like Georgia’s young star George Pickens create when you watch them play. 

Eagles was a consensus top-100 recruit and has verified track speed from his high school days. He’s a physical freak to be as fast as he is at 6’3, 230lbs, but I’ve personally always seen him as more of a very talented developmental piece than a guy that would be WR1 by his third year in college. While physically superior to his competitions, I thought that he was strictly a “Go” route or “Hitch” route and break a tackle and run guy at Alief Taylor HS.

Fast forward a couple of years and I feel like his route tree is still almost as limited as it was as a prep. To this point, Eagles still only really runs two routes, the “Go” route and the “Curl” route. His success next level will depend on how much he has improved as a route runner and understanding the nuance of the position, which is something that new Wide Receivers Coach Andre Coleman is supposed to really thrive at as a developer. 

I think he’s capable of making some jaw-dropping catches and there’s no doubting his physical talent. Consistency is the question. For me personally, the jury is still out on Eagles as WR1. 

Which brings me to our next guy ….

washington-300x180.jpg

Marcus Washington was called a personal favorite of Coach Coleman according to K’s source, which really doesn’t surprise me if you recall a few tweets from Washington’s father following the Alamo Bowl win over Utah and during the spring:

Mr. Washington is fully bought in, which judging from the very little that I know about Marcus personally, was really big in him buying in and trusting his new coach. Washington had a few flashes last season and the expectation by many is that we will be seeing him make plays on the regular in 2020. I vividly remember him shining in the Under Armour All-American Game in 2018. Remember, this is a guy who at one point was priority #1 for Ohio State at Wide Receiver before Texas eventually earned his signature. 

By all accounts, Marcus Washington is a tireless worker. We saw improvement from him as the season went on and we also saw his snaps increase. He is a better route-runner than Eagles and has shown the ability to work the sideline and I suspect that he will be a regular at making plays in the middle of the field as well. I don’t think that a 40/550/6 season from him would be a disappointment or asking too much. 

I’m cautiously optimistic about Washington next season and I’m excited about his future, but I’m even less confident in him as a WR1 than I am Brennan Eagles. I’m not sure it’s realistic to expect that from a guy with 3 career receptions heading into his second season.

Which brings me to ….

smith-300x180.jpg

I’m a big Jake Smith believer. 

Despite the talented Freshman from Arizona getting benched midway through the season, Smith still appeared in all 13 games for Texas and was the starting Punt Returner for most of the year. His 6 receiving touchdowns last season were the second-most in school for a true Freshman, behind only Longhorn legend Roy Williams. 

Jake Smith was the National Player of the Year and a consensus top-75 recruit. I think that he lived up to his billing as a rookie despite going through the usual growing pains that come with the adjustment from private school ball in Arizona to Power 5 Football in the best offensive conference in college football. 

Jake Smith has inside-outside versatility, but I think what gives him a chance to be a breakout star next season are both the opportunity and his ability.

The Slot Receiver or “H” position has been pivotal in the Texas Offense over the past two seasons. Despite there being a change at Offensive Coordinator, Mike Yurcich and Tom Herman share many of the same beliefs in offensive philosophies. 

Someone has to replace Devin Duvernay, just like someone had to replace Lil’Jordan Humphrey. Smith has already shown the ability to consistently get behind defenses and win vertically up the seam with his speed. He’s shown the ability to make contested grabs in traffic while taking a hit. I suspect what’s next is we will see him in more opportunities to make plays with the ball in space and at the point we will really see Smith take off as the next star in the Texas Offense.

This goes without mentioned a guy like Jordan Whittington, a former 5-Star recruit, who is finally healthy and will also see time in the slot in addition to time in the backfield as a versatile weapon for the Longhorns.

Josh Moore is back.

Tarik Black transferred in from Michigan.

As you can see, Texas isn’t lacking for options. The question is simply who’s going to step up?

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