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2021 Texas Offseason: Sark Attacks Austin


texifornia

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23 hours ago, texifornia said:

Athlon Preseason All-Big-XII: https://athlonsports.com/college-football/big-12-football-2021-all-conference-team

1st Team:

RB Bijan Robinson, Texas

2nd Team:

OL Derek Kerstetter, DL Alfred Collins, LB DeMarvion Overshown, CB D'Shawn Jamison, K Cameron Dicker, KR D'Shawn Jamison

3rd Team:

DL Keondre Coburn, P Ryan Bujcevski

4th Team

AP/RB Roschon Johnson, WR Joshua Moore, OL Junior Angilau

Bujcevski is 3rd team punter?  He's not even the best punter on our team.

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(Scipio Tex) Assessing 2021 Potential + Performers

Spoiler

Let's talk Texas football Potential Plus Performers. PPP. And I'm not talking about forgivable loans.

If you read popular sports media and the early preseason Big 12 teams, you'd think Texas will be fortunate to go 3-6 in Big 12 play. Also, please stop reading Athlon. Their advertising should be: "Low information writing for the low information reader!" There are better alternatives. Like Inside Texas. And this thing. If you want to really broaden yourself, grab this.

Preseason Big 12 lists always feature some very good players, but what they typically feature are FAMILIAR players. Total starts and media name recognition. Or simple hype. The average sportswriter (or more accurately: Googling contract worker compiling material for the preseason publications for about $300) doesn't really know what good looks like on the field at the positions without the ball, prefers to be wrong together rather than be right by themselves, and they confuse gross production with efficacy and impact. Amusingly, the postseason teams often don't even adjust for the season that was just played. I've seen players who were benched in-season make postseason teams. You also run into the problem of trying to assign hierarchy to a great run stopping safety in a specific system shielded from much pass coverage vs. a strong pass covering deep safety who is mildly allergic to contact. The player must be understood within their context.

So what's Potential + Performance? Projecting the likely confluence of talent, experience, and coaching deployment of a player. For more alliteration, call it Leap Likelihood. How gifted and developed is the player? Have they seen enough football? Are they being used correctly or in a system particularly suited to their talents? A change in coaching can unleash talent as surely as a great season of S&C or simply maturity and experience.

Some of these players won't go next level. But if enough do, we'll have an enjoyable 2021.

Offense

Core PPP

Bijan Robinson
Jake Majors
Christian Jones
Junior Angilau

Bijan requires no explanation. I'm more bullish on some components of the Longhorn OL than most. They will need time to find their sea legs as a unit, but I believe all three of those listed are capable of being among the Top 10-15 OL in the league. Majors and Jones could even be special. Angilau is now sufficiently seasoned.

On The Cusp

Andrej Karic
Troy Omeire

High energy OL with great feet project well. As good a reach blocker in outside zone for his age as you'll see. He may end up as a better college player than pro prospect, but I don't care.

Troy Omeire: I believe in the hype and in the ability level, despite the injury and total inexperience.

Wildcards

Keilan Robinson
Derek Kerstetter
Jordan Whittington
Joshua Moore
Jake Smith
Kelvontay Dixon
Xavier Worthy
Ja'Tavion Sanders
Starting QB

Keilan's potentially a nice complement to Bijan and Roschon and August will tell us whether he's a depth asset or true change of pace 6-8 touch per game threat with game breaking upside. Derek Kerstetter is purely about health and reclamation of S&C losses.

If it looks like I just took a bunch of wide receivers to fill out the rest, guilty as charged. Some of these guys will be starters, some will be transfer candidates. Does Sanders have enough raw ability to carve out a role in Sark's offense as a flex TE?

Starting QB is a Rorschach test. Obviously the biggest wildcard of all.

Defense

Core PPP

Demarvion Overshown
Alfred Collins
D'shawn Jamison

Alfred needs to get healthier after a sluggish spring, but he's a NFL player. If Overshown can keep his mind on football and not chase shiny things, he's a human box score stuffer who will make up for mistakes with massive impact plays. Does Jamison being here surprise? It surprises me as well. But every PPP indicator screams impact breakout and I love his ability to bait receivers in Pete's system.

On The Cusp

Keondre Coburn
T'Vondre Sweat
Moro Ojomo
Josh Thompson
Chris Adimora

Coburn, and to a lesser degree Sweat, have an offseason decision to make. Do they want to be above average players who flash from time to time or dominant forces in the middle that allow Pete K to run exotics without having to pay a penalty? Conditioning will tell that tale. Ojomo has turned the corner, but I'm not sure if he's going to be great or just good in 2021. I trust and like Thompson and Adimora, but if they go next level, this could be the best secondary in the league. It's plausible.

Wildcards

Ray Thornton
Darion Dunn
Ovie Oghoufo
Jacoby Jones
Jerrin Thompson

We'll know more in August and after our first 3-4 games. Breakout edge presence is sorely needed. Sacks are good, but consistent pressures and disruption are even better. I like what I've seen of Jerrin, but not enough to put him on the cusp yet.

How do you all see it?

 

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Anyone else notice that Sark often refers to himself as "we" or his offensive scheme as "our" scheme? I noticed it right after he was hired and I was watching some of his clinic videos. Sure, he could be referring to the whole coaching staff, but it seems like he says it in many situations. 

Real team player, that Sark.

Edited by Eggo
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Just now, Eggo said:

Anyone else notice that Sark often refers to himself as "we" or his offensive scheme as "our" scheme? I noticed it right after he was hired and I was watching some of his clinic videos. Sure, he could be referring to the whole coaching staff, but it seems like he says it in many situations. 

Real team player, that Sark.

When I think of team players, I think of the royal "we".

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