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Reese Bennett

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NEW ORLEANS – Texas Football's Barryn Sorrell is enjoying his 'full circle' moment, as one of six New Orleans natives on the Longhorns' roster, returning to his hometown to play in the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Allstate Sugar Bowl.

"It literally feels unreal just being able to come back and play with my team, with a lot of them experiencing this city for the first time," Sorrell said. "I could go on and on about the feelings I have about being able to come home and play in the Superdome. Thinking about playing in it is a blessing. It's the Superdome, it's the center of the city and the heart of the city."

A third-year player and two-year starter on the Texas defensive line, Sorrell won't be making his first appearance on the field of the Caesars Superdome on New Year's Day. This will however be his first time since a brief youth football game during halftime of a New Orleans Saints game.

"I never got to it in high school but I did have a little halftime quarter in park ball," said Sorrell.

Sorrell was an All-State and Academic All-State honoree at Holy Cross School in New Orleans before signing with Texas in 2020. A tight end for his first two seasons, Sorrell switched to the defensive line as a junior in 2019 and ended his career ranked as one of the top prospects in the state.

"Not that many people get to a stage like this from where I'm from. I'm happy to be in this position to share the message and show how far people can come with hard work," Sorrell said.

As a freshman for the Longhorns in 2021, Sorrell played in six games under first-year head coach Steve Sarkisian and defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski. Sorrell became a starter as a sophomore, playing in all 13 games and racking up 44 tackles, nine tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks.

This season Sorrell has been a force, starting all 13 games and being named All-Big 12 Honorable Mention by the league's head coaches. He has also been selected to serve as a team captain in two game this season. As Sorrell has grown since his freshman season, so has the Texas Football program going from a five-win season in 2021 to a College Football Playoff berth in 2023.

Sorrell's teammates also appreciate how special the moment is for him to return home and play in this game.

"He kind of says it himself, this is like a full circle moment for him," senior linebacker Jaylan Ford said. "To be able to be back at home and play in the game that means so much not only to him but to the city and to this Texas team, it's definitely a great moment for him and I can't wait to see what he's going to do." 

 

 

Edited by LTtxfan
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Bo Davis -- 2023 FootballScoop Defensive Line Coach of the Year

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ZACH BARNETT     7 HOURS AGO

FootballScoop is proud to announce that Bo Davis (Texas) is the 2023 FootballScoop Defensive Line Coach of the Year presented by AstroTurf as selected by prior winners.

It's no coincidence that Texas finally completed its climb back up the mountain to college football relevancy when it had the best defensive tackle tandem in the game. 

Senior defensive tackle T'Vondre Sweat won the Outland Trophy as college football's best interior lineman -- offense or defense -- and was one of just 14 unanimous All-Americans across the sport. The Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year posted 42 tackles -- sixth on the team -- with eight TFLs and two sacks. 

Playing next to him was, by far, the premier second-best defensive tackle in the nation in junior Byron Murphy. Playing closest to the center, Murphy collected 26 tackles, eight TFLs and five sacks on the season. While Sweat was the Big 12's Defensive Player of the Year, Murphy was named the Big 12 Defensive Lineman of the Year. 

Together with fellow tackles Alfred Collins, Vernon Broughton, Trill Carter and Jaray Bledsoe, Texas controlled the middle of the field throughout the season. 

The Big 12 champions enter the College Football Playoff ranked third nationally against the run, limiting opponents to 80.85 yards per game and 2.87 per carry. Five of 13 opponents have failed to hit the 35-yard mark, six opponents failed to rush for two yards per carry. Houston (14 yards), Kansas State (30), Iowa State (nine) and Oklahoma State (31) all registered season-lows against the Longhorns, and TCU (87) was one above its season low. 

Texas also displayed steady improvement in pass rush. After ranking 101st in sacks in 2021 and 71st a year ago, Texas is 35th in the country at 2.46 sacks per game. Sophomore defensive end Ethan Burke leads the team with 5.5 sacks, followed closely by Murphy's five. 

Controlling the line of scrimmage has allowed Texas to place second nationally in third down defense, permitting 44 conversions on 166 attempts (26.5 percent), while ranking third in red zone defense, surrendering 25 scores in 35 trips. 

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Davis was a Second Team All-SEC nose guard at LSU in 1992, then entered the profession as a GA with LSU's strength program in 1995. He spent 1997-02 coaching at powerhouse Galena Park North Shore High School near Houston, then returned to the college game as a strength coach on Nick Saban's LSU staff. He followed Saban to the Miami Dolphins, then coached the defensive line for Saban at Alabama. Davis is in his second stint at Texas, having initially coached defensive tackles for the Longhorns from 2011-13. He has also coached for UTSA, the Jacksonville Jaguars, and the Detroit Lions. 

Davis also won this award in 2015 while coaching with Nick Saban at Alabama. 

The FootballScoop Coaches of the Year awards presented by AstroTurf are the only set of awards that recognize the most outstanding position coaches in college football. The finalists (Deion Barnes [Penn State], Pat Kuntz [James Madison], Ikaika Malloe [UCLA], Eric McDaniel [Troy] and Davis) were selected based off of nominations by coaches, athletic directors, and athletic department personnel. The prior winners selected this year's winner.

Previous winners of the Defensive Line Coach of the Year award are Dick Bumpas (TCU, 2008), Jim Panagos (Central Florida, 2009), Bill Kirelawich (West Virginia, 2010), Brick Haley (LSU, 2011), Randy Hart (Stanford, 2012), Ron Burton (Michigan State, 2013), Craig Kuligowski (Missouri, 2014), Bo Davis (Alabama, 2015), Greg Mattison (Michigan, 2016), Larry Johnson (Ohio State, 2017), Ron Burton and Chuck Bullough (Michigan State, 2018), David Turner (Florida, 2019), Charlie Partridge (Pittsburgh, 2020, 2022), and Shaun Nua (Michigan, 2021).

 

 

Edited by LTtxfan
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We failed to get much pressure on Penix last night and he developed a rhythm that really exposed our weaknesses in the secondary.  We did finally start blitzing and that made Penix uncomfortable enough to throw a few incompletions and that helped give us a shot at the end.  That makes me think our odds to win these games against a great QB improve dramatically with a consistent pass rush that makes them have to operate under some duress.

So, where is that help going to come from?  Do we have a monster pass rusher on the roster or in the pipeline?  I wouldn't mind seeing what Anthony Hill might be able to do playing on the edge in passing situations.  He has the athleticism and explosiveness to potentially be a disruptor.

 

 

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15 minutes ago, Goredho said:

We failed to get much pressure on Penix last night and he developed a rhythm that really exposed our weaknesses in the secondary.  We did finally start blitzing and that made Penix uncomfortable enough to throw a few incompletions and that helped give us a shot at the end.  That makes me think our odds to win these games against a great QB improve dramatically with a consistent pass rush that makes them have to operate under some duress.

So, where is that help going to come from?  Do we have a monster pass rusher on the roster or in the pipeline?  I wouldn't mind seeing what Anthony Hill might be able to do playing on the edge in passing situations.  He has the athleticism and explosiveness to potentially be a disruptor.

 

 

We did recruit the no. 1 pass rusher in the country, and we have a pass rusher coming in from the portal who rated near the top of those available. Both should offer immediate help as well as a maturing group of underclassmen. For the first time in a while I'm more worried about DT than DE.

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18 minutes ago, Goredho said:

We failed to get much pressure on Penix last night and he developed a rhythm that really exposed our weaknesses in the secondary.  We did finally start blitzing and that made Penix uncomfortable enough to throw a few incompletions and that helped give us a shot at the end.  That makes me think our odds to win these games against a great QB improve dramatically with a consistent pass rush that makes them have to operate under some duress.

So, where is that help going to come from?  Do we have a monster pass rusher on the roster or in the pipeline?  I wouldn't mind seeing what Anthony Hill might be able to do playing on the edge in passing situations.  He has the athleticism and explosiveness to potentially be a disruptor.

 

 

we blitzed the whole game

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5 minutes ago, Dahobbs said:

Yeah, I have no idea where this idea came from that we weren't trying to pressure him. We weren't succeeding. But we were bring 5 constantly. 

evidently if you don't get pressure you weren't trying

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17 minutes ago, USNALonghorn said:

https://247sports.com/college/texas/Article/texas-longhorns-football-alfred-collins-senior-defensive-linemen-expected-to-return-for-fifth-year-224526461/amp/
 

Didn’t see this posted anywhere else of the football board. Collins expected to return. Still pending official announcement though.

That certainly helps if true.  Would like to see Carter return as well. If so, D-line would be solid, good depth.

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On 1/2/2024 at 11:22 AM, Goredho said:

We failed to get much pressure on Penix last night and he developed a rhythm that really exposed our weaknesses in the secondary.  We did finally start blitzing and that made Penix uncomfortable enough to throw a few incompletions and that helped give us a shot at the end.  That makes me think our odds to win these games against a great QB improve dramatically with a consistent pass rush that makes them have to operate under some duress.

So, where is that help going to come from?  Do we have a monster pass rusher on the roster or in the pipeline?  I wouldn't mind seeing what Anthony Hill might be able to do playing on the edge in passing situations.  He has the athleticism and explosiveness to potentially be a disruptor.

 

 

I feel like we got a lot of pressure on him.  He just avoided it and made plays.  He was absolutely on fire.  Tip your cap to him and move on.

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On 1/2/2024 at 11:41 AM, hookem48 said:

we blitzed the whole game

First half esp I saw some of the slow developing delay type blitzes that the OL/RB picked up with much ease and essentially left giant holes in coverage. 

Very OU game esque 

Didn't notice it as much second half

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2 minutes ago, Slacks said:

LSU just fired most of their D coaching staff. 

Pay Bo Davis today. I have a couple dollars. 

https://footballscoop.com/news/the-highest-paid-defensive-line-coaches-in-college-football-2023-edition

 

for the lazy:

 

1. Larry Johnson -- $1.167 million
2. Elijah Robinson, Texas A&M -- $1.1 million
3. Bo Davis, Texas -- $1 million
3. Tray Scott, Georgia -- $1 million
3. Sean Spencer, Florida -- $1 million
6. Brian Williams, Maryland^ -- $850,000
7. Nick Eason, Clemson -- $800,000
8. Rodney Garner, Tennessee+ -- $775,000
9. Freddie Roach, Alabama -- $750,000
10. Mark Hagen, Purdue -- $700,000

 

That is from May of 2023, but I cant imagine it has changed dramatically. 

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1 minute ago, Codaxx said:

https://footballscoop.com/news/the-highest-paid-defensive-line-coaches-in-college-football-2023-edition

 

for the lazy:

 

1. Larry Johnson -- $1.167 million
2. Elijah Robinson, Texas A&M -- $1.1 million
3. Bo Davis, Texas -- $1 million
3. Tray Scott, Georgia -- $1 million
3. Sean Spencer, Florida -- $1 million
6. Brian Williams, Maryland^ -- $850,000
7. Nick Eason, Clemson -- $800,000
8. Rodney Garner, Tennessee+ -- $775,000
9. Freddie Roach, Alabama -- $750,000
10. Mark Hagen, Purdue -- $700,000

 

That is from May of 2023, but I cant imagine it has changed dramatically. 

Make him CO-DC at 1.5M. 

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Just now, Slacks said:

Make him CO-DC at 1.5M. 

I dont think that is possible. Looks like Nansen is the top choice to come in as the LB coach (his daughter attends Texas). He is currently the DC at Arizona, so he would have to be given the Co-DC title in order to bring him in. Texas will just have to do it the Randy Moss way, straight cash homie. 

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  • 3 weeks later...

On the first video you can see he is very sharp and well spoken, I can see why a lot of people see his potential. Being detail oriented is also part of the culture Sark is building at Texas. 

Definitely walking off the ledge.

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I didn't see this posted elsewhere, but FCB has an article saying Kenny Baker was mentored by Pete Jenkins. I did a search for Pete Jenkins and found the following post by bar earlier in this thread

Spoiler

Sark should make the call to this Pete Jenkins for a consulting gig -- he was at Alabama, Georgia, Michigan in the past year: https://www.si.com/college/2021/12/21/when-alabama-nick-saban-calls-pete-jenkins-answers-daily-cover

  Quote

During these trips, Jenkins doesn’t work with players. That’d be an NCAA violation. Instead, he coaches the coaches. He identifies technical weaknesses from watching hours of Alabama practice and game footage of its defensive line before making suggestions using his own teaching methods and videos. Those who have been around Jenkins call him the best teacher they have ever seen, a master of detail on the most granular level, right down to the positioning of a defensive line coach during a drill. 

Apparently he does speak with Bo Davis regularly though.

  Quote

Many of his former players, now coaching, still send him clips on a weekly basis, seeking help about a technique—maybe it’s hand placement or foot positioning. That includes Texas defensive line coach Bo Davis.

“They don’t make ’em any better than Coach Pete,” says Davis, a former Jenkins player at LSU who nearly quit college football after the school fired the entire staff, including Jenkins, in 1990. “He told me then, ‘Just because you’re mad at the bus driver, don’t get off the bus.’ He’s the reason I continued to stay and play.”

 

Sources: New Texas defensive line coach Kenny Baker is an 'elite teacher' with NFL experience

Article below. 

Spoiler

Sources: New Texas defensive line coach Kenny Baker is an 'elite teacher' with NFL experience

In hiring Miami Dolphins assistant defensive line coach Kenny Baker, Steve Sarkisian is getting a young, rising star known as "an elite teacher and developer of talent" with energy to burn on the recruiting trail, sources told 247Sports' Matt Zenitz and me.

AUSTIN, Texas — In hiring Miami Dolphins assistant defensive line coach Kenny Baker, Steve Sarkisian is getting a rising star known as "an elite teacher and developer of talent" with energy to burn on the recruiting trail, sources told 247Sports' Matt Zenitz and me.

Zenitz was the first to report Sarkisian is hiring Baker, 37, as the Longhorns’ new defensive line coach, replacing Bo Davis, who spent three seasons at Texas before taking the defensive line coaching position at LSU, Davis’ alma mater.

Baker helped coach a defensive line for the Dolphins led by Christian Wilkins, Raekwon Davis, Zach Sieler and Emmanuel Ogbah as Miami finished No. 3 in sacks (56) behind the Baltimore Ravens (60) and Kansas City Chiefs (57) while also ranking No. 7 against the run, giving up 97.1 yards per game on the ground.

Before joining the Dolphins in 2023, Baker spent three seasons as Western Kentucky's defensive line coach, helping develop DeAngelo Malone into the Conference USA Player of the Year and a third-round draft pick of the Atlanta Falcons in 2022.

One source close to the situation told Horns247 that Sarkisian wanted “a young, hungry technician who has helped groom NFL talent” to replace Davis.

Sarkisian also emphasized hiring a coach with NFL experience when he hired wide receivers coach Chris Jackson away from the Jacksonville Jaguars before the 2023 season. Sarkisian's belief is to attract NFL-caliber players in recruiting, it helps to have coaches who've helped develop players in the NFL and know what it takes to make it in the league.

Baker, a native of Cartersville, Ga., has a “relentless work ethic and passion for the game,” said a coach who has worked with Baker.

“Elite teacher,” the coach said. “He’s from Georgia, and he’s going to recruit hard. And as a coach, he’s elite and has gone through every level of college football and worked his way up. He’s earned it, and he’s now a hot name because of his work with DeAngelo Malone (at Western Kentucky) and then now in the NFL.”

The coach said Baker had been mentored by legendary former SEC defensive line coach Pete Jenkins, who has worked at Florida, Mississippi State, Auburn and LSU.

“Just a great developer of talent,” the coach said of Baker. “He’s going to be very precise. He’s going to be technical. And I think the talent development is the biggest piece with him. That’s what they got — an elite developer of talent and an elite teacher. And he’s a monster on the recruiting trail — non-stop — and he’s got the right connections in the southeast being from Georgia.”

Baker served as the defensive line coach at Chatanooga in 2019 and at Mercer from 2014-18. Baker was a three-year starter on the defensive line at Gardner-Webb from 2005-08.

 

 

 

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Thx Sith_Horn !!! 

Good find on that old post by @bar .  Here's link to story on Pete Jenkins as "Alabama Coach Nick Saban’s Secret Weapon? Meet Defensive Guru Pete Jenkins"

https://www.si.com/college/2021/12/21/when-alabama-nick-saban-calls-pete-jenkins-answers-daily-cover

 

Btw... Pete Jenkins came back from retirement to help Lsu last fall as an analyst. Jenkins is 82yrs old.  

 

Last summer, interview with the DL Legend

DL Coach Pete Jenkins talks LSU Football, SEC schedule, & Louisiana Line Camp, Monday, June 19, 2023

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  • 1 month later...

Hope Colin Simmons is the greatest pass rusher ever at Texas 🤘

 

Mar 14, 2024                3rd & Longhorn

Alex Okafor, Jeremy Hills, Rod Babers, and Nick Shuley are joined by Texas defensive end, Colin Simmons. They discuss why he chose Texas as a 5-star recruit, playing in one of the country's most competitive high school football districts, what went into his decision to enroll early, and his relationship with Micah Parsons.

 

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  • 4 weeks later...

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