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NoName

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  1. Wiltfong comments about Cain CB:

     

    Spoiler

    Logged a 247Sports Crystal Ball forecast in favor of Penn State for Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy Top247 running back Noah Cain after talking to several sources with knowledge of the recruitment.

    Confidence is high around Happy Valley.

    It seems all other suitors believe they're battling the Nittany Lions.

    Other programs in the mix for Cain include Auburn, Georgia and Texas. The industry-generated 247Sports Composite ranks the 5-foot-10, 212-pound Cain as the nation's No. 7 running back and No. 104 prospect overall.

    Cain took his official to Penn State in November for the win over Wisconsin and also visited in the spring. His parents attended Lasch Bash on a separate occasion. Running backs coach JaJuan Seider has led the charge for the Nittany Lions on this one and James Franklin was in-home with the Cain camp late last week.

    Cain will announce his college decision on Dec. 19 and enroll early at the school of his choosing.

     

  2. 4 minutes ago, Vertigo said:

    I may be in the minority here, but I am not super excited by this new Missouri pipeline we have. Washington's Sr. Huddle is pretty good, but nothing jumps out at me on it as being a game breaker. Daniel Carson was pretty meh and needs a few seasons in the weight room before even considering hitting the field. Dele is TBD, i want to believe he will be good, but Floyd may jump him from Day 1. I am not sure both of those guys will see the field at the same time, but I could be very wrong on that.  

    Washington is a top 200 national recruit who has offers from Texas, tOSU, Bama, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Notre Dame, OU, Penn St, USC, etc. Let's pump the brakes before deciding he ain't shit.

    Daniel Carson didn't play a snap this year. At best you can give him an incomplete, but saying he was "pretty meh" isn't correct.

    Adeoye started off the season hurt - and he was behind a guy who has started 27 career games, played in 48 and earned 4 letters at Texas. It's kind of hard to make an impact in college football as a true freshman anyway. I would think the fact that Wheeler was not very good for much of the season and the fact that Adeoye is going to end up taking a RS makes it clear that he wasn't going to be much of an actual upgrade over Wheeler if one at all this year. Also, I thought Floyd played a different position (Rover) than Adeoye (Mac) in a perfect world?

    The odds of both of those guys being on the field at the same time (just to be clear both guys would have 4 years to play 4 as of today) - is extremely high considering that next year the returning DEs on the depth chart include the following players:

    • Ta'Quon Graham
    • Malcolm Roach
    • Marquez Bimage

    ...and that's it. Carson is pretty damn likely to play next year almost no matter what. Adeoye is maybe the only LB on the roster next year who actually projects to be a Mac in an ideal world.

     

    • Like 1
  3. IT:

    Spoiler

     

    Some Recruiting Ruminations and Reiterations - Eric Nahlin

    t's been a fun week of recruiting. Here's something to read while we get back to work on the Humidor.

    TEMPLATE OF DOOM

    The current defensive line haul is a spitting image of what I've been writing the staff is looking for if elite high school talents are off the board. The short version is: the staff wants athletic, yet "undersized" players it can develop into prototypes. If Texas can't get a 6-foot-5, 275 pound unicorn, it will show patience and take a smaller version with the ability to add the necessary weight while maintaining athleticism.

    This staff didn't sign Charles Omenihu, but it clearly would have. The Big 12 Defensive Lineman of the Year is pretty much the personification of the approach.

    This approach requires patience and hitting on mental evaluation as much as physical ones. You don't want to waste time on a guy who falls off the assembly line midway through production.

    Peter Mpagi: He's the closest to Charles, though he's a little smaller but more explosive. He's going to have better movement skills but will have to really dedicate himself in the weight room to hold up versus the run. An early enrollee, he's going to make the greatest physical gains of his life over the next handful of months. Mpagi has a sensational mental eval.

    T'Vondre Sweat: Great evaluation of Sweat's upside by the staff early on. He isn't explosive, but he's mobile and moves well laterally. He's really big. I don't know what his current weight is, but I'd guess he's carrying close to 280 pounds with still plenty of room left to go. I've stood next to bigger people who didn't make me feel as small. Whoever originally came up with the Kheeston Randall comp is in the right neighborhood and also underlines the development vs finished product nature of the staff's approach. Randall was about 270-280 when he finished high school but ended up playing around 320. The staff won't want Sweat to get that big, but that's fine, because he'll be comfortable at 300-305 pounds. I like his motor and play strength.

    Myron Warren: Warren is between Sweat and Mpagi as a player. Not as big and filled out as Sweat, but bigger than Mpagi. Not as quick as Mpagi, but quicker than Sweat. The recent picture of him and Oscar Giles makes me question whether or not he's really 6-foot-4. Giles is probably a shade under 6-foot-2. Either way, Warren will play comfortably at 280 pounds and that's a big deal. You don't want guys starting the season at 280 and dropping to 265 over the course of the schedule. With a little more twitch Warren would be a top 100 type.

    Jacoby Jones: One way to cheat the developmental curve is to take JUCOS or grad transfers. If you have a player taking up four years of eligibility but only seeing extensive playing time in two seasons, it's a little inefficient. Jones will immediately join a pretty deep roster of defensive ends and B-backers.

    While this preference for patient development will yield quality results over time, everyone including the staff wants to see it in action with the bevy of 2020 defensive linemen who are certified studs, even if they're currently poorly rated.

    RUNNING BACK ROULETTE 

    It's a good thing Derrian Brown is in the boat, but that's not enough, especially when looking at next year's roster.

    The staff currently has two priority targets in Noah Cain and Trey Sanders. Long ago I mentioned we'd be able to measure the staff's confidence on Cain by who they offered late in the cycle. Thus far, they've only offered JUCO Rhamondre Stevenson, a player who will sign on NSD2. That's a fortuitous break, as is Deondrick Glass waiting to decide as well.

    I get it, the board is entirely wrapped up in the staff landing one of Cain/Sanders, I'm pretty much there myself, but Glass is a high floor player with a better ceiling than people realize. He gets a lot of tough yards. Poor man's David Montgomery isn't bad, plus he'd be ready to play early.

    As you can see, the staff still feels relatively good on Cain, but he's no slam dunk. I just can't fathom Sanders picking Texas, but if he did it would be much bigger than Texas just landing a star running back.

    The staff's plan here is clear, and a good one: work on the primaries up until they sign, then focus on some solid replacements if necessary.

    There's still DJ Williams who I would take right now if it meant losing out on every other back but it's going to be tough to just get him to visit.

    Georgia is the big domino. They might out-recruit Alabama for Sanders, or push hard for Williams, or swoop in late for Cain.

    WR RECRUITING IN 2019 WAS OUT OF STEP

    But Texas should be just fine at the position.

    It started with a late offer to Garrett Wilson. Yes, November of your junior year is late when you're a potential five-star at a local school.

    Along with missing on Wilson, the staff will likely miss out on Elijah Higgins, also of Austin. I'm not above UT being the default option for a prospect if it doesn't work out with his primary, and that's what it would take with Higgins and Stanford. I believe he's still waiting on gaining admittance to Stanford. We saw this play out late with Obi Eboh. For UT's sake, hopefully it works in the opposite direction this time.

    Texas wasn't going to land Theo Wease, no foul there, and they were wise to pull back on Arjei Henderson.

    Not prioritizing Trejan Bridges might not work out too well. I get why they didn't press, I just don't think it was reason enough.

    The odd run of offers in the summer, and taking Demariyon Houston was what I really didn't get. If you're going to preach championship caliber players, only offer those types. Kennedy Lewis was another odd flirtation. Peyton Powell might be in that boat as well, but he has defensive upside, at least in theory.

    I love the current commits.

    The staff very wisely switched Jordan Whittington's offer from safety to wide receiver in plenty of time for that to not hurt. He's been recruited to play slot but we may see him at Z with his ability to get deep and come down with contested passes. He's quicker than fast, but that's in part to him being really, really quick. Great body control and strength. Early enrollee. It'll be fun to watch his career arc.

    Jake Smith is the piece this offense is missing to really constrain defenses. Maybe he'll help do away with grab bag trick plays and poorly executed jet sweeps. He'll also return punts early in his career if I had to guess.

    Marcus Washington at X was a major need. He may not have tested well over the summer but there's no evidence of his pedestrian numbers on tape. He won't be Collin, but they'll also run him on different routes and I anticipate him being more dangerous than CJ on the ground.

    If UT only finishes with three players, at least it's a complementary group. Of course, Bru McCoy still looms. The most recent person I talked to about him thinks it will be USC in the end, but this source is a bit of a doomsdayer.

    OFFENSIVE LINE RECRUITING

    The plan here is similar to defensive line recruiting. In lieu of bona fide studs, find guys with untapped physical growth potential who profile culturally to your program.

    Eric how do you reconcile that with Javonne Shepherd???

    Good question. His physical upside is just too great to discount, plus the staff is pot committed at this point. Shepherd's latest push to reconfigure his body is encouraging, and his recruitment hasn't been as quite off the rails as I anticipated. Some close to Shepherd are excited about him spending the next few years with Tyler Johnson as a positive influence. If Shepherd commits to himself he's a millionaire.

    Speaking of Tyler, his senior film was about as good as anything the state had to offer this cycle. A credible argument could be made for him being the state's top player. If only all recruitments of upside studs were this easy.

    Hookfin fits the Template of Doom: A late-bloomer with obvious athletic upside and plenty of room left for Yancy McKnight to add functional weight. Texas continues to be positioned well here. I'll whisper some previous sentiments I've had that he may be a center long-term.

    And of course, like with Jacoby Jones, the short cut, or the roller coaster rail card ride through the mountain if you will, with the staff's ToD approach is to add JUCOs or grad transfers.

    Tom Herman getting Myron Cunningham to take his official visit just a few days before NSD1 is a huge win and potential game-changer. I knew when he went to see Cunningham in person it would mean a lot to the JUCO OT. We saw what happened when former OU commit Jones visited Austin, though a big difference is Jones plays defense and Cunningham plays offense.

    With Cunningham currently leaning towards OU, Jay Williams has emerged as an offer-and-sign candidate. He'll visit this weekend. The catch here is the staff will have to balance offering him with waiting on Cunningham. Wait too long and Williams may end up at Free Shoes.

     

    Other IT Comments:

    Spoiler

     

    Hookfin Q: Can you elaborate on what makes you think that? His body (tall, lean, long limbs) certainly doesn't fit the stereotype of a center; there are presently only two NFL centers who are taller than he is.

    But I'm sure you have your reasons for saying that, so I'm curious to hear. Thanks.

    Nahlin: There are only two NFL centers taller than 6-4, or do you think he’s taller? Creed Humphrey is 6-5. I saw Matt Anderson play it at 6-6 at Texas. 

    Ability to anchor inside would be a question but centers often have help.

    I think he’s smart enough, quick enough off the ball, agile enough, and he likely won’t be the best tackle option for quite some time, if ever.

    /

    Q: Is D'shawn Jamison getting a run at NB dead? Or is that a possibility if we end up missing on Catalon?

    Any update on Georgia with Cain?

    Still in good standing with the elite DL in the 2020 class (Broughton, Collins, etc)?

    EN: Jamison is returning to defense. They need to put him at corner.

    I don’t know who UGA is going to prioritize. If they go all in on Cain it could be real trouble.

    Yep, looking good there.

    /

    Q: 2 backs for 3 schools - UT, UGA and bama. Buckle up

    EN: Cain, Williams, and Sanders.

    Cheer for Georgia/Bama to split Williams and Sanders.

    Really need UGA to prioritize Williams.

     

     

    I guess the #GunnellEffect is a bit overrated now that he is a composite 3* (#302 nationally, #35 in Texas, #8 Pro Style)

    • Like 1
  4. Tfloss overnight on Jones and Adimora

    Spoiler

     

    OrangeBloods saying OL Dawand Jones has only two official visits remaining since he took one to USC in November, and two others to Ball State and Kent State for basketball.

    He is in no rush to make a decision on his remaining officials or commitment.

    /

    S Chris Adimora has cancelled his official to Arizona State this weekend, per Orangebloods.

    Even though he's locked into UT, he mentioned he felt disloyal taking the trip.

     

     

    • Like 1
  5. 7 minutes ago, Mack City Bitch said:

    this guy a super late bloomer or is the 13th best player in Indiana usually this sought after?

    offer list for last years #10 prospect

    https://247sports.com/Recruitment/Madison-Norris-91478/RecruitInterests/

    notable offers:

    Indiana, Louisville, Minnesota, Mizzou, NC State, Pitt, Purdue, Tenn 

    2017 #10 prospect: https://247sports.com/Recruitment/Caleb-Jones-86870/RecruitInterests/

    Indiana, Cincy, Illinois, Purdue

  6. 4 minutes ago, Hiphopopotamos said:

    Interesting offer - according to 247 he is supposed to announce in 10 days.  Has offers from FSU, USC, Michigan, and now Texas but is a 3-star barely top 1000 player.

    late bloomer evidently

    • 10/30 - Miss State
    • 11/7 - USC
    • 11/13 - Fla State
    • 11/17 - Michigan
    • 11/21 - tOSU
    • 12/2 - Oregon
    • 12/6 - Texas


    re: OVs: took one to USC on 11/9 and FSU on the books for 12/15

     

  7. Just now, SydneyCarton said:

    You mean guys who mostly haven't played at all and haven't proven anything yet? Dunno man, it seems like a pretty defensible pitch to me. Brennan Eagles looks like tarzan but hasn't exactly busted his way into playing time, and Malcolm Epps is arguably a tweener who might not work out at WR. 

    It's almost like it is hard to be a first year WR in CFB or the NFL...

  8. 1 minute ago, UcancallmeSurly said:

    Very telling that the EJ write up made no mention of the Waddle transfer.  I'm starting to think that boat may have sailed.

     

     

    giphy.gif

    he is clearly just keeping it to himself and trying not to pull a Ketch - fucking it up for everyone.

  9. TFloss data dump:

    Spoiler

     

    24/7 saying Texas will see WR Elijah Higgins of Austin Bowie this week.

    His recruitment could go beyond the early signing period depending on what happens with the Stanford admissions process.

    /

    Coach Hand started following this OL transferring out of Oregon.

    https://247sports.com/Player/Jacob-Capra-75691/

    /

    re: Powell visit to Baylor

    24/7 saying there isn't anything to be concerned about as far as Baylor goes.

    At least one of Powell's high school teammates is visiting this weekend and he is thinking about tagging along, but it's not set in stone.

    /

    OrangeBloods saying S Chris Adimora will be taking an official to Arizona State this weekend, but they don't feel it's anything to worry about.

     

     

  10. TFloss info on Powell, Lewis and Sanders

    Spoiler

     

    Per OrangeBloods, ATH Peyton Powell of Odessa Permian will be taking an official visit to Baylor this weekend.

    He's also said he will be talking to the new Texas Tech staff soon.

    /

    24/7 reporting Texas is likely to see WR Kennedy Lewis of Melissa this week, but nothing has changed so far on Texas wanting to hold on to the extra scholarship.

    Lewis is expected to end up at Baylor.

    /

    Two notes from The Football Brainiacs...

    -they're hearing RB Trey Sanders was very fond of former Alabama OC Mike Locksley (Kai's father). With Locksley being re-hired by Maryland this week, that supposedly leaves a "sizable" window for Florida and Texas to make a bigger move with him.

    -the Texas coaches are telling WR Lil'Jordan Humphrey they believe he should return for his senior year. It appears as if the decision will come down to his draft grade as opposed to former players who were ready to leave UT regardless of their draft position.

     

     

  11. 19 hours ago, satyanash said:

    1) Jimmys and Joes > X's and O's at the CFB level. Georgia is deeper and more talented than us at nearly every position. If Alabama's defense is struggling to contain D'Andre Swift, I can guarantee you that we will too regardless of scheme.

    2) Fromm is one of the best QBs in CFB against the blitz. It doesn't really matter that he's not so mobile, we try our usual delayed blitzes and he'll pick us apart. And like Murray he'll have eons of time to throw the ball.

    Swift went 16/75 and Holyfield went 14/60

    let's not act like it was a HUGE struggle here...

  12. IT Tuesday Notes:

    Spoiler

    BY: Eric and Justin

    TEAM


    Caden Sterns: Good news, we hear the safety only suffered a deep bone bruise. It's painful, but he's been walking around fine and will be good go to go for the bowl game.

    Big 12 Championship Loss: The team took it tough. Lots of players blaming themselves. One thing I’ve noticed about this team, the players blame themselves while not fingerpointing at each other. Lots of frustration. One source, "we gave it away." The coaches told the players the loss is supposed to hurt, they'll get things right, and they'll be back.

    Playing Georgia in the Sugar Bowl: The coaches and players haven't really prepped much yet, but there's a lot of excitement for the game. People I've talked to think it sets up well for Texas. One joked, at least partially, "the game may come down who doesn't go out on New Years Eve." We will cover this match-up much more thoroughly in the coming weeks.

    Team Schedule: The team had Sunday off but was back in the weight room today. As is his custom, Yancy McKnight welcomed them back to the grind with very intense sessions. The team will work out on Wednesday and Friday and practice on Friday and Saturday in front of the official visitors. Next week they'll have three practices, five the following week, then four days off before departing for New Orleans on the 27th.

    I asked some questions pertaining to a few discussions on the board:

    Who plays nickel next year? "Josh Thompson. They'll get him ready this spring. I'm beginning to think he's the fastest player on the team. Either him or John Burt. Dude can run." I agree, and Josh will make the jump Deshon Elliott and Brandon Jones made in their third year.

    I followed that up by asking about BJ Foster at nickel, even though I know the answer. "He doesn't have the cover skills for it. The run support, of course, but he'd be a liability in the passing game." No harm in that, he's a safety. He's not a nickel, he's not a linebacker, he's a safety.

    What does Malcolm Epps' future look like? "I like him. I think there's some real upside. He's carrying his current weight (probably 225) really well. I'd leave him at receiver and get him ready to for after Collin. He uses his height well; Mosses guys in practice." Epps suffered a broken collarbone recently due to at least the third boneheaded action of the season by a defensive player.

    What about Brennan Eagles? "Brennan will be solid, not elite, but solid. They need to get him more flexible. Tight hips, tight hamstrings. Getting his body right is the #1 issue."

    I mentioned Marcus Washington is going to play a ton once Collin leaves. "We'll see, it's a tough offense to learn."

    Josh Moore? "Josh is going to be great. He can run by anybody. Not a skilled route runner but like Hollywood Brown he'll just run right past you." I said he should move to Z and the source agreed. “Yeah, you can move him around.”

    Lil'Jordan Humphrey staying or going pro? "He's talking about staying but it's undecided. He just wants to be shot straight by the staff and by those giving him his grade. He's a smart kid and sees through bull****. If he feels like he's being mislead it'll piss him off." I told my source that it's conceivable grades will be all over the map on him. He's obviously a good NFL talent but he's really raw as a route runner. So the staff telling him he should stay is a fair, honest assessment, unless he gets a first round grade.

    Collin Johnson and Brandon Jones are staying, right? "Yes, I believe so. Collin loves Texas and wants to finish what he started. Jones will stay. Missing those three games didn't help."

    DEMARIYON HOUSTON DE-COMMITS

    The staff won't get in a rush to add a replacement receiver to the class. Houston de-committing won't motivate the coaches to pursue guys like Kennedy Lewis or Jaylen Ellis, at least not yet. Numbers are low so it might not be a #savetheship moment, but they're going to stand pat for now.

    We'll probably go into greater detail on this recruitment in the year-end review, but the staff not rushing to fill the position should tell you something regarding this recruitment: they didn't really fight hard for it.

    JAY WILLIAMS

    On Monday, Herb Hand went out to Southern California to check in on Jay Williams, a 6-foot-6, 290 pound tackle at Grossmont College.

    Texas is still trying to get Myron Cunningham to visit but is setting up contingencies in the meantime. Williams has two years to play two, and originally signed with San Diego State.

    Hand told Williams he was going to talk to Coach Herman and he would be back in touch soon. The clock is ticking for Williams.

    "I’m going to Florida State on the 14th then I haven’t decided where I’ll be at this weekend and will be doing a mid week as well."

    Currently, Indiana is his best offer but as I've always asserted, bigs are at a premium late in cycles. Hence the interest from Florida State and Texas. Well, FSU's offensive line looks like UT's in 2014 so they’re definitely going to be looking everywhere.

    I'll get back in touch with him to see if he's heard back from Hand.

    TUNMISE ADELEYE

    "UT has had a great season man, contending in a Big 12 championship in only the second year of coach Herman’s tenure there is big. Especially from a recruiting standpoint and if they could pull off a win against Georgia it would be huge for me and would prove that Texas can stack up against SEC teams especially against one of high caliber like Georgia."

    Adeleye, a 2021 defensive lineman from Katy Tompkins, is what the recruiting networks tried to tell you Marcus Stripling was. At 6-foot-3, 260 pounds, he plays defensive end in high school but will almost certainly grow into an interior player. I saw him versus Seven Lakes and loved his movement skills and motor.

    With him already holding a Texas offer, you can tell how the staff feels about him. Texas looks really good early, but national powers are hard-charging. Adeleye had this to say about schools that have his attention besides UT, "LSU now that they’ve offered, definitely Alabama as well and Ohio State and Oklahoma even though they haven’t offered yet." Speak of the devil, OU offered on Monday.

    Texas needs to kill offensive and defensive line recruiting in the next two cycles. The staff can load up in a way that competes with the Alabamas and Clemsons. They have to land guys like this.

    SA'VELL SMALLS

    Kelee Ringo isn't the only nationally elite 2020 player who has paid attention to UT this season. Smalls is about as good of a prospect as you will find. Hailing from Garfield high school in Seattle, he's going to be a tough pull, but Texas will at least get him in for a visit.

    What has caught his attention about UT? “Just how fast Coach Herman has turned the program around.”

    “It’s Year Two and to turn it around that fast, that’s impressive.” Those previous lows were low enough to make this season look like a big rebound.

    Smalls has visited Oregon as well as Washington numerous times. Along with Texas, he wants to visit Notre Dame, Ohio State, and maybe Penn State.

    When he does visit, Texas will need positive responses to these questions: “Definitely the vibe of the coaches and the team, how I fit in with the people in general, not just the players, but the people in the program. Can I live there? Am I going to get a good education? Am I going to develop as a player and a person? That’s really big for me.”

    (Christian McCollum of Irish Sports Daily helped with the Smalls section)

     

    • Like 1
  13. 51 minutes ago, BrazilHorn said:

    Urbs just announced he’s retiring after Rose Bowl. 

    Day is replacing. Any OSU recruits to go for? 

    did another health issue conveniently pop up?

    edit: yes per Pete Thamel's SI article

     

    Quote

     

    Part of the reasoning for Meyer stepping down stemmed from his health. He’s endured painful and aggressive headaches as a result of a congenital arachnoid cyst in his brain. He had brain surgery in 2014 to help relieve the pain, but it had returned in spurts the past two seasons and, at times, limited him from performing the job with the required intensity.

    The image of Meyer dropped to a knee and hunched over in pain has resonated as one of the dominant images in college football this season. Doctors had begun to caution Meyer about long-term risks.

     

     

  14. 11 hours ago, LTtxfan said:

    Wonder if any issues for Houston qualifying at Texas?? ... Hate that BlowU probably the benefactor of this decommit and that he's a blazer......

    Would help if LJH and/or CJ are returning for 2019 Horns FB Season

    --------------------------------------------------------------

    Last Week's IT write-up mentions this:

    I caught up with a source on Texas wide receiver commit Demariyon Houston. He says OU hasn't been in contact with Houston and that Houston still plans on signing in February. In February? "That's always been his plan." We'll see if the staff asks him to sign early or not. (9.95 failure)

    There is some 'save the ship' potential to finish this cycle to the benefit of the next one.

    Herman mentioned what we've been saying for a while now; a Big 12 Championship doesn't do much for 2019 but helps a lot with the class of 2020. Go get that win, fellas.

     

    Wells posted #SaveTheShip in the decommit thread over at IT just for what it is worth

  15. Just now, Vertigo said:

    They won't dump him, but I was hoping to not see him on the road. No sense in building relationships with a person that wont be there. 

    At the same time, no sense in having fewer than the # of legally allowed coaches on the road, right?

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