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Machinator

Certifiably Surly
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Posts posted by Machinator

  1. FCB on the turf

    Spoiler

    — We reported in the Brew back on May 12 that new field turf would be installed at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium (DKR) for the 2021 season - while also reporting the new field turf might only be a temporary upgrade.

    Well, the new field turf is being laid this week - replacing the field turf installed in 2010 in Royal-Memorial Stadium. The shelf life of field turf is typically 10 years.

    The timing wasn’t right to go to a grass field at this point because of all the construction going on as part of a $200 million renovation of the south end of DKR (due to be completed in early August), sources said.

    But if Texas coach Steve Sarkisian wants a grass field in the near future, it will be done, sources told Horns247.

    Sarkisian has been asked about whether he’d prefer a grass field over field turf, and his concern about a grass field was wear and tear.

    Sarkisian said because he likes the team to practice and do off-season workouts on the field inside the stadium, the concern would be keeping the grass field in optimal condition for game days.

    The Texas coach noted that some of the top football stadiums, such as the Dallas Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium (which has also been the home of the Big 12 football title game), has field turf.

    Another issue for Texas in terms of wear and tear is the marching band practicing on the field inside DKR. That could be alleviated when Texas renovates its football practice facility - currently located at Denius Fields on Red River across from the LBJ Library.

    Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte has indicated a new indoor practice facility will be the next significant athletics project on the to-do list following the completion of the south end of DKR and the new Moody Center arena for basketball (expected to open in March 2022).

    The new football indoor practice facility would include more space for the Texas band to practice than "the bubble" at Denius Fields that has served as Texas' indoor football practice facility since 2002.

     

  2. (Justin Wells) Just In Time Evening News: Calm before the July storm

    Spoiler

    You hit, you miss.

    You land Jamarion Miller less than 48 hours ago, then lose out on Terrance Brooks and Keahnist Thompson this evening. But then maybe you land another tomorrow. The life of college football recruiting.

    The month of June provided so much activity and in-person recruiting and evaluating. I can tell you college coaches and staffers are exhausted, and many hit the vacation button when the dead period ended in late June. But all the work this staff prepared for pre-dead period was executed quite strongly over the last four weeks. @Eric Nahlin laid out the upcoming July, and here's a quick update on announcement dates and the calm before the storm.

    (2022s) July 1st --

    OL Cam Williams, Duncanville (Duncanville, TX): It's only fitting that the largest target in UT's class of 2022 begins the festivities. The 6-foot-5, 360-pound two-sport stud went coast to coast - Oregon, Miami, Oklahoma, and Texas - in search of a college home. He's found one. He'll tell us tomorrow, choosing between Texas and Oregon. Williams would make a nice splash in the pool of 2022.

    July 2nd --

    OL Cole Hutson, Frisco (Frisco, TX): There's a lot to like about the 6-foot-5, 300-pounder with offers from Alabama, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, and Arizona State. He can play all three spots - center, guard, and tackle - with a preference for the interior. That shows intelligence and accountability. With the Huston crew, I wouldn't expect anything less. It sets up nicely for Kyle Flood and company.

    OL Connor Robertson, Westlake (Austin, TX): There’s a lot to like about the 6-foot-4, 295-pounder with offers from USC, Stanford, Miami, and Penn State. He can play two spots - center, guard - and brings strength and intensity every snap. That shows the disposition and potential for the next level. Robertson is a quiet guy who doesn't care for the attention of social media. It also sets up nicely for Kyle Flood and crew.

    July 4th --

    DE/EDGE Justice Finkley, Hewitt-Trussville (Trussville, AL): The 6-foot-2, 255-pound four-star deep in the heart of SEC country posted he'll drop his top 4 schools on July 4th. My Independence Day prediction: Texas, Michigan, Stanford, and Alabama. After racking up 146 tackles, 26 tackles for loss, and 12 sacks over the last two seasons, losing Thompson to UCF might be a blessing in disguise.

    July 20th --

    EDGE Derrick Brown, Texas High (Texarkana, TX): Months ago, this looked like an OU-Texas A&M fight, then the Longhorns and Bears got in the mix and basically kicked the Sooners, Aggies, Red Raiders, and others out. He has long said he wants to commit before his senior year, and now we have a date. Best guess: Horns lead.

    July 24th --

    OL Kelvin Banks, Summer Creek (Humble, TX): After UT, Texas A&M, LSU, and Oregon official trips, the 6-foot-5, 300-pound offensive tackle has his date set. No reason to think Texas doesn't still hold the cards here. Three more weeks.

    This list doesn't contain the changes. With the frantic pace of NIL and high school seniors looking to secure a spot in the 2022 class, there will be movement. Just understand, June wasn't the ideal time for UT to start grabbing commits, especially with many of the player and parent meetings on visits serving as the first in-person introductions.

    Can this staff close? We'll start learning that tomorrow.

     

  3. (Super K) Terrance Brooks | Decision Incoming | Update

    Spoiler

    ***Only a few hours after I posted my update on Terrance Brooks, Brooks tweeted out that he has a big announcement set for today at 3 pm.

    ***We do believe it is a commitment.

    ***In the update I posted just before his tweet, I said the following (here)…

    I’m currently on the road. I’ll have more on this later but wanted to pass along a note on the top 2022 DB target in the state – Terrance Brooks.

    As you know, Brooks took an OV to Texas recently. He is also coming off visits to Ohio State and Alabama.

    I thought Alabama may have sealed things up this past weekend but apparently, that is not necessarily the case.

    I’m told that the Texas OV actually went better than the Alabama OV. That doesn’t mean he will necessarily end up in Texas but it does tell me that Texas remains in this one.

    ***So, let me expand on this a bit…

    ***Prior to Brooks’ receiving his recent Ohio State offer, we had reported it was likely down to Texas and Alabama and I had Alabama in the lead.

    ***Once he received the offer from the Buckeyes, he immediately set up that visit. I’m told it was a dream offer of his and I know Kerry Coombs is a very persuasive coach with an incredible resume.

    ***The Ohio State visit followed the Texas visit. His final official visit was to Alabama.

    ***The big thing I heard after his official visit to Texas was that he didn’t expect to like it nearly as much as he did.

    ***After the visit, Brooks’ father said, “Texas OV was great! Sark, Joseph and the gang did a great job recruiting my young pup”

    ***Apparently the Texas visit went so well that after the Alabama OV, as noted earlier, the Texas OV outdid the Alabama OV.

    ***The question is whether the OV experience is enough to fight off the Tide and coach Saban.

    ***I know there is some talk of Ohio State trending. All I can go off of is my source who seems to believe it’s between Texas and Alabama. I’m not discounting anyone because we don’t know Brooks’ decision but we are following a source on this one.

    ***As I said yesterday, Texas remains in this one. It’s hard to bet against Nick Saban but that move Texas pulled with Jamarion Miller was pretty amazing. I was becoming a bit bearish on Sark and their recruiting efforts but that Jamarion Miller pull and the speed at which they pulled it made me take a step back.

    ***Brooks has told me in the past that he’s keen on playing early and his chances of doing so at Texas are much higher than they are at Alabama.

    ***Because of Saban, you always feel like you have to hedge their direction but neither move would surprise me.

    ***I’d maybe go 45-55 Bama.

    ***Should Texas follow that Jamarion pull by landing Brooks, my bearish signals are going to turn pretty hard bullish.

     

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