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Posts posted by closetojumping
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1 minute ago, Thiefery said:
Just want to give you some Kudos for your behavior in responses over at the OTF boards @closetojumping
was expecting you to jump down on some of those posters...
I get enough action from this board for that. The guru boards are oriented around the gurus. The posters on those boards are super sensitive if you take them to task. They wind up complaining to the gurus, almost like they're mad for being called out in front of them or something. No win situation.
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3 minutes ago, Codaxx said:
This is just you making wild ass assumptions. At no time did I say he was a great addition vs the run oriented teams. It was the only reason I could come up with for the staff to bring him in. He is different body type, than the rest of the room. Texas is not loaded with great run stuffing LBs, you could argue there isnt a single one. You would hope the staff thought Blackshire could be a solid C gap to C gap old-school LB, whose fit would be in clear run situations.. Babysit comment was to the comments that he is brought in for the sole purpose of providing leadership to the room and he is not capable in any facet of LB play. That something I could see in the first few years of building a program. Imagine if that was the strategy at WR this year or any other position.
Listen, I understand your condition and don't like picking on you about this kind of behavior, but come on, man. You cannot be this literal when considering the fluidity and strategic requirements of roster management. Black and white certainties, the kind of way Tom Herman thought about such matters, get managers in trouble. They limit their own ceilings or get peter principled into clear failure and get fired. No one is literally arguing that Blackshire is at Texas solely to mange other LBs. Get a grip.
As to the old school Mike desires, good luck with it. That wouldn't suit Texas' needs in 2024 and that is true for most/all other P4s and Notre Dame. If I have to choose in terms of giving a scholarship to a kickoff specialist or a situational Mike, I am taking the kickoff guy. Michigan's TEs and TBs would go for 300+ yards against the Texas defense with a MLB standing flat footed on the 50.
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53 minutes ago, CosmoDog said:
Why so much bile vented on Taafe, Haines, and Gideon? Is it because they are all white? That’s some pathetic bitching.
These guys made good plays and bad, just like everyone else. They were the starters for a reason - the alternatives sucked. It’s the JAGs below them on the depth chart that should be the focus of your scorn.
Wait one.
I forgot this was Surly.
Carry on.
Gideon and Haines sucked. Taafe gives people flashbacks because he's white. That's a simple and legitimate psychological thing that many idiots can't fathom being reasonable and therefore get themselves into a twist over. The human brain primitively seeks analogs when comparing a current item/situation/person/group.
Mykelle Thompson (I don't care about his NFL career), BJ Foster, and Jerrin Thompson all were mediocre at Texas at S and all get run over regularly on this board. They are all black. I think this place is an equal opportunity ridiculer.
Now, as to the "they were the starters for a reason" premise, the only player with a valid reason for being a starter, who has only been a starter in a limited manner, is Taafe. Gideon had better players behind and around him, and the coaching staff was idiotic in playing him as their teacher's pet. Haines was objectively so bad that whoever was behind him should have been getting looks.
34 minutes ago, Codaxx said:You would hope so, if you are a team looking to compete for a title in the coaches 4th year. Just cant imagine Sark saying I need to bring in a guy to babysit the LBs, even if I dont think he will add much on the field. LB isnt a deep spot and that could be a huge problem with injuries. It assumes that there were no options in the portal that brought leadership and solid ILB play.
Only you are taking a POV on Blackshire that he needs to "babysit" the LB room, and that that is a waste of a roster spot for one cycle. That's your own whining idiocy because in your mind, while playing EA Sports NCAA Football 2024, you convinced yourself that he'd be a great plug and play solution at MLB for rush-oriented teams.
Bringing a guy in that is a known quantity to the staff, who is mature and positive and supportive with coaches and team members, and who can contribute in a limited scope on defense and more than that on special teams, is a perfectly fine portal addition as one of the last guys on the roster. BTW, also while costing the program virtually nothing in NIL.
What the fuck is going on here? How is this even debatably a bad thing worth worrying about in multiple posts?
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4 minutes ago, Red Five said:
Think there is some placating going on, so we don’t lose any of these guys post-spring?I'm hoping that, yeah, it's just good management that they probably discussed with him before the spring or before they moved him for snaps at C.
I will be surprised if some of us don't start hearing about who is likely to be portaling from different position groups. I'm assuming 2-3 OL, 1 WR, 1 TB, 1 TE, 1-2 Edge, 1 LB, 2-3 DBs, 1 K. I'm sure not all of those will come to fruition, but none of those moves would surprise me. More than that somewhere would surprise me. I'm guessing another 2-3 portal additions as well. Should wind up around 83-85 scholarship players. Likely a little pain from the exits, particularly potentially at OL and LB.
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1 hour ago, Fud said:
Going to Bar Bludorn tonight. I will have drinks and food.
I've been to Bludorn twice and the results were the same - the food was solid but super overpriced. I'm wondering if Bar Bludorn is any different. My view of Bludorn is that I can go elsewhere for similar vibe and food and pay 2/3's of what I'd pay at Bludorn, therefore feeling like less of an idiot.
7 minutes ago, Frank Drebin said:Needed a last minute reservation on Easter. Went to Hudson House on West Gray. Was just average.
But did you have "the coldest martini on earth"? 4 of us went there in December and enjoyed it, but it wasn't a place where we said "man, we have to go back".
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1 minute ago, sith_horn said:
Practice News & Notes - OTF
Spoke to a couple of sources regarding Tuesday's practice and practice generally over the first seven sessions.
Here are a few notes:
- "Tre Wisner has two speeds -- standing still or full throttle. When he goes, he goes all out on every play." With a quote like that, it's easy to see why Steve Sarkisian praised the sophomore from DeSoto.
- Ryan Wingo has been very good. He's still working on his route running but he is not backing down, he has not hit the freshman wall.
- I asked for the biggest strength of the team, and received an interesting answer.
"It's a talented team - really good talent - but these guys are not allergic to hard work. There's not a bunch of prima donnas running around. They know how to work, and they work hard. Really impressed by that."
- The offensive line rotation continues to be just that, a rotation. Hayden Conner is back at left guard after spending a week as back-up center. But the position is a real battle right now. According to at least one source, Neto Umeozulu's week as a starter showed some stuff in the inside run game that could be a little different.
But do not belittle the experience Conner brings to the unit. The right-side of the offensive line is relatively young and inexperienced whereas the left-side that includes Conner and Kelvin Banks will both be three-year starters.
- Newcomer Tia Savea has been singled out as perhaps the best interior run stopper, at least thus far. "He probably anchors the best."
- Unsurprisingly, tight end Amari Niblack is seeing more run with the 1s and 2s in live action.
- We've mentioned Cedric Baxter's big practice on Friday. Well, more praise for him and running mate Jaydon Blue came this morning. Baxter is said to be using his weight and contact balance better and Blue has actually gained some good weight that has made him a little stronger on contact as well. Of course, Blue's speed continues to be a major asset for the offense.
- Last but not least, two bits of news on Quinn Ewers.
First, he clearly looks and feels more at ease as the QB at Texas and that seems to be translating on the field. That echoes the sentiments from Sark at his presser yesterday. But another piece of intel?
That ease appears to be directly translating into quicker reads. Quicker reads are part of any QB's development, but definitely something identified by scouts as a piece that Ewers wanted to work on this off-season.
The Hayden Conner news is irritating. Umeozulu is a clear upgrade. Let the charade of a battle end. I am sick and fucking tired of watching Conner flat out miss guys on critical downs.
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26 minutes ago, satyanash said:
Man they just cannot find a good picture of Elko 😄
It's pretty funny reading the ATM 247 board regarding this one. They're twisting themselves into a logic knot calling this a recruiting "win" over Texas even though Texas wasn't in Rink's final 4. Apparently one of the idiots at Orangebloods said that Texas led for Rink a month ago or something and they've hanging their hat on it.
It's pretty obvious what went down on this one, but none of them are willing to consider it.
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5 minutes ago, Park Gothic said:
There is no slap fight. I don't read that imbecile's word salad posts of nothingness or respond to them. The only time I even remember this guy exists is when he's voluminously clogging a thread with some of the hawtest takes in Internet history. Just put him on ignore and you'll never think about him again either.
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19 minutes ago, Codaxx said:
I didnt like the pick up to start with, but I have to assume the coaches saw some role for him. I dont buy the culture angle, Texas is far beyond that at this point. I am going to hope he can fill a limited role that is utilized vs power running teams and short yardage. If that isnt the case, then it is completely mystery as to why they brought him in.
It is only a complete mystery because of the way your brain works. You dismiss that absolute reason as to why he was brought in, like right in front of your face, because you've decided that that reason can't exist. It's pretty amusing to witness. I'm not even speculating. They told folks he was a great culture fit. You don't just work and agonize to create a great program culture with high character players and then say "well, okay, we did that. onward and upward to the next challenge. the culture is frozen where we want it."
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1 hour ago, DixonHur said:
How do you define, "never excellent" in HS?
I agree it never translated at Bama, but wasn't he a Top 20 prospect in Texas?
1 hour ago, DixonHur said:Certainly not always a 1-to-1 relationship, but they typically don't rate complete JAGs (working in the thread title) as 4-Star, Top 20 prospects.
Granted I never saw him play in HS, but I remember reading about him on the recruiting board. But I know he was good enough for Jeff banks to recruit him twice.
Other guys have addressed it, but to be clear, this isn't revisionist history from us regulars on the recruiting board. We didn't give a shit when he originally committed to Bama, other than losing another Texas kid to Bama. He's apparently a high character and team guy who profiles really well for creating/maintaining a positive and resilient locker room. That plus some special teams and goal line contributions made him a take for guys who had been around him in college.
Nonetheless, he's the same guy he's always been - looks a ton better than he plays in terms of being a linebacker.
39 minutes ago, cafe society said:I'm not an expert, scout or professional evaluator, but I do watch a fuckton of THSF, especially in the Metroplex, and Blackshire was surrounded by talent that made him look likewise, but he was very jaggy. I am sorry we wasted a scholarship/NIL on him. I'd much rather his snaps go to someone with upside, like Burrell, for instance.
To be clear, Blackshire didn't get any kind of big NIL package. We can all be happy to have him on this roster and not worry about opportunity cost for NIL, and, I suspect, playing time as well. Burrell is a transfer risk because Texas is simply loaded at LB, not because someone like Blackshire might get snaps. Burrell has starter potential for good P4 programs, just not this season at Texas. Here's hoping he sticks, though.
5 minutes ago, BurntOrange&White said:I'm under the impression that we shouldn't draw conclusions on a player from Clemson when projecting him to a secondary last year that featured Jerrin Thompson, a true freshmen, a white walk on, an often injured transfer that didn't contribute much of anything.
I think Mukuba might wind up being one of the sneaky best pickups from the portal in the entire country. He was played in a weird role last year that I never really figured out as to why. He was really good as a freshman and sophomore, if memory serves. Texas playing him at S and not getting cute about it might be a part of taking the defense into the range of elite.
Also @Doc Sam Beckett for his thoughts on Mukuba.
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Here is today's Carter Karels article on their defense, spoilered as a courtesy.
SpoilerFollowing last season, Texas A&M underwent a significant roster overhaul. As of now, nearly half of the scholarship players for the Aggies this fall will be newcomers. With spring football now underway, GigEm247 is ready to examine what their entire roster looks like from a scholarship distribution standpoint.
For the fall, A&M has an unofficial scholarship count of 89. The Aggies have 79 of those players on campus this spring, while the remaining 10 are set to join them in June. Until the first day of its fall semester, A&M does not have to satisfy the NCAA-imposed limit of 85 scholarship players.
Since firing former head coach Jimbo Fisher last November, the Aggies have lost 30 scholarship players for various reasons: 18 entered the NCAA Transfer Portal, seven saw their eligibility expire and five departed early for the 2024 NFL Draft. 247Sports previously reported that two other scholarship players, safety Jacoby Mathews and cornerback Sam McCall, plan to transfer out of A&M during the 15-day portal window this month (April 15-30).
Top StoriesREAD MOREStay, Go, Hello: What the future holds for LSUbasketball after Elite 8 loss to Iowa
The Aggies mostly replenished their roster through the portal, adding 23 scholarship transfers over the winter. They also signed 17 scholarship players to their 2024 recruiting class. A&M has all but two of its transfers and eight of its high school signees on campus this spring.
Compared to their 2023 team, the 2024 Aggies are considerably more experienced. They have 16 scholarship players who will exhaust their eligibility following this season after having only seven in 2023. Going into last season, 67.9% (55 of 81) of the scholarship players on their roster had three or more seasons of eligibility remaining. A&M has seen that number decrease to 48.3% (43 of 89) for its projected roster this fall. Again, those are unofficial figures.
Here is the conclusion of a two-part series that breaks down the scholarship distribution for the Aggies even more, ending with their defense and special teams. An analysis of the offensive position groups can be found here.
But first, keep these four things in mind:
1. College football players received eligibility relief during the COVID-impacted 2020 season. So if a player came from the 2020 recruiting class or earlier, he could have an extra season of eligibility remaining than usual.
2. In an effort to eliminate confusion, potential redshirts will not be counted as a season of eligibility. For instance, sophomore running back Rueben Owens II could theoretically take a redshirt in 2024 before playing three seasons from 2025-27. But for this exercise, he has three seasons of eligibility remaining and a potential redshirt year will be excluded from his count.
3. These scholarship tallies are unofficial. Under Fisher, A&M never publicized when walk-ons were put on scholarship. GigEm247 will count former walk-on and current starting kicker Randy Bond, though, after learning that he is on scholarship.
4. Just because a player is listed with a position group does not mean he is not cross training or will not eventually move to another position. For this exercise, it makes it less confusing if various players are not appearing in multiple position groups.
DEFENSIVE TACKLE
Position inventory: Fifth-year senior Rodas Johnson, redshirt junior Albert Regis, redshirt sophomore Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy, sophomore DJ Hicks, redshirt freshmen Jadon Scarlett and Samu Taumanupepe and true freshman Dealyn Evans.
One season of eligibility remaining: Johnson.
Two seasons of eligibility remaining: Regis.
Three seasons of eligibility remaining: Brownlow-Dindy and Hicks.
Four seasons of eligibility remaining: Scarlett, Taumanupepe and Evans.
Arrives in June: Evans.
Analysis: Following last season, the Aggies lost their top defensive tackle, McKinnley Jackson, to the NFL Draft. Their other starting defensive tackle, Walter Nolen, and top backup Isaiah Raikes entered the NCAA Transfer Portal before landing at Ole Miss and USC, respectively. So in 2024, A&M will be relying on a largely unproven defensive tackle group and seems thin on numbers.
The Aggies will need to hope that a few players – particularly their former five-star signees, Hicks and Brownlow-Dindy – step up in increased roles. Though, A&M might not be done adding to the group. Last week, the Aggies extended a scholarship offer to Indiana defensive tackle transfer Philip Blidi. More offers could be coming after the spring window begins.
DEFENSIVE END
Position inventory: Senior Shemar Turner, redshirt junior Cashius Howell, juniors Nic Scourton, Shemar Stewart, Enai White and Malick Sylla, sophomore Rylan Kennedy, and true freshmen Solomon Williams and Kendall Jackson.
One season of eligibility remaining: Turner.
Two seasons of eligibility remaining: Howell, Scourton, Stewart, White and Sylla.
Three seasons of eligibility remaining: Kennedy.
Four seasons of eligibility remaining: Williams and Jackson.
Arrives in June: None.
Analysis: No position group for the Aggies might be more impressive than this one. Scourton, who transferred from Purdue to A&M following last season, and Turner were second-team all-conference players in the Big Ten and SEC in 2023, respectively. At Bowling Green last season, Howell tied for the most sacks in the MAC with 9.5 and received third-team all-conference honors. Stewart, White and Sylla were highly touted recruits who have looked the part in their opportunities as backups.
The biggest worry with this unit could be their scholarship distribution. Of the nine players listed, six of them have only two or fewer seasons of eligibility remaining. Scourton and Turner could conceivably depart a year early for the 2025 NFL Draft, too. So the Aggies will need to effectively restock this unit soon.
LINEBACKER
Position inventory: Fifth-year senior Alex Howard, redshirt junior Scooby Williams, junior Martrell Harris Jr., sophomores Taurean York, Chantz Johnson and Daymion Sanford, and true freshmen Tristan Jernigan and Jordan Lockhart.
One season of eligibility remaining: Howard.
Two seasons of eligibility remaining: Williams and Harris.
Three seasons of eligibility remaining: York, Johnson and Sanford.
Four seasons of eligibility remaining: Jernigan.
Arrives in June: None.
Analysis: Even though the Aggies lost arguably their best player, in linebacker Edgerrin Cooper, the position group he left is still in a decent spot. Their best returning linebacker, York, still has three seasons of eligibility remaining. And after emerging as a true freshman last season, York is now on pace to have one of the better careers for an A&M linebacker in recent memory.
It remains to be seen which linebacker steps into the starting role beside York. But the Aggies need only one player to emerge among a group that is full of promising options. Their two transfer additions, Williams and Howard, bring significant experience. Sanford has received a lot of buzz this offseason. Harris brings the athleticism to play at a high level but has not quite put it together yet.
CORNERBACK/NICKEL
Position inventory: Fifth-year senior Jaydon Hill, seniors Tyreek Chappell and BJ Mayes, juniors Will Lee III and Donovan Saunders, redshirt sophomore Bobby Taylor, sophomores Jayvon Thomas and Bravion Rogers, redshirt freshman Dezz Ricks and true freshman Terry Bussey.
One season of eligibility remaining: Hill, Chappell and Mayes.
Two seasons of eligibility remaining: Lee and Saunders.
Three seasons of eligibility remaining: Taylor, Thomas and Rogers.
Four seasons of eligibility remaining: Ricks and Bussey.
Arrives in June: Bussey.
Analysis: In the winter portal window, A&M made the cornerback position its biggest priority. The Aggies picked up five cornerback transfers: Hill, Mayes, Lee, Saunders and Ricks. They signed one freshman as well, in Bussey. Those additions helped A&M make up for losing cornerbacks Deuce Harmon, Tony Grimes and McCall to the portal and Josh DeBerry to expired eligibility.
Chappell seems like the favorite to secure a starting cornerback job. He started at cornerback in each of his first three seasons. The other starting cornerback spot looks to be up for grabs. Sophomore Dalton Brooks and Hill will be worth monitoring at nickel. Junior Bryce Anderson, the starting nickel for the Aggies last season, appears to be moving to safety.
The two players with the least amount of college experience among the group, Ricks and Bussey, might have the best long-term potential. Both of them are former five-star recruits and have four seasons of eligibility remaining.
SAFETY
Position inventory: Sixth-year senior Trey Jones, fifth-year senior De'Rickey Wright, juniors Bryce Anderson and Jarred Kerr, sophomores Marcus Ratcliffe and Dalton Brooks, and true freshmen Myles Davis and Jordan Pride.
One season of eligibility remaining: Jones and Wright.
Two seasons of eligibility remaining: Anderson and Kerr.
Three seasons of eligibility remaining: Ratcliffe and Brooks.
Four seasons of eligibility remaining: Davis and Pride.
Arrives in June: Wright.
Analysis: Like cornerback, the Aggies hammered the portal for safeties during the winter window. They needed reinforcement after losing Jardin Gilbert and Mathews to the portal. They replaced them with three safety transfers who were starters elsewhere: Jones, Wright and Ratcliffe. It is worth noting, though, that there is buzz about Wright potentially backing off his verbal commitment and returning to Vanderbilt. We will see how that situation plays out, as no announcement has been made yet.
If Anderson permanently moves to safety and makes the transition look seamless, A&M should be in good shape. But if Anderson struggles, the Aggies will need a solid backup plan.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Position inventory: Redshirt junior kickers Randy Bond and Jared Zirkel, junior punter Keegan Andrews, redshirt sophomore kicker Ethan Moczulski and redshirt freshman punter Tyler White.
One season of eligibility remaining: None.
Two seasons of eligibility remaining: Bond, Zirkel and Andrews.
Three seasons of eligibility remaining: Moczulski.
Four seasons of eligibility remaining: White.
Arrives in June: Zirkel.
Analysis: Maybe the Aggies will experience some attrition with this group during the 15-day portal window. Otherwise, they will be using too many scholarships on special teams players. Major college football programs do not tend to have five special teams players on scholarship. Not to mention, none of these five players will see their eligibility expire following this season.
There is a lot going on there. Here are some of my thoughts:
At DT, they have some talent on paper. Regis has looked good when healthy. Hicks may wind up being really good. GBD is rumored to be portal-bound and can't stay healthy if not. It's a thin group until several guys do more than flash. I would happily take Hicks and Regis and insert them into the DT rotation at Texas.
They are loaded at DE. They are probably too loaded. I assume they're going to lose a guy or two in the portal. This position will clearly be a team strength for this team.
Karels tries to spin the LB set up, but the loss of Cooper means a massive talent dropoff with this group. They think highly of York and that reminds me of the gurus and posters who often spoke well of Dusty Renfro. Yeah, the guy knows the playbook and is decent at reading offenses, but he's slow and small. A linebacker "making plays" 8-10 yards downfield isn't much of a linebacker. If you're having to spin Martrell Harris Jr positively, you're probably fucked. There isn't a LB on their roster that I would add to UT's roster. This is the jaggiest group of JAGs on their defensive roster.
ATM has 10 CBs on their roster. Chappell had a terrible 2023 season after being talked up as a draft target following 2022. Oregon offered Chappell $300k after the 2022 season to join them and ATM posted something in that range to keep him. None of that happened this cycle. Maybe that guy rebounds? I don't know. The rest of this group is a mixture of transfer trash and/or very young. This is a serious area of concern for their staff, apparently.
Anderson is moving full time to S and the Vandy starting S is going back to Vandy accordingly. They have talent at S with Anderson there and the younger guys.
The aggies have 5 scholarship ST players, which is hilarious. They're over the 85 man limit by 4 and they're going to be aggressive in the upcoming portal cycle, so they have a lot of guys to cut unless they get crushed again with portal attrition. I assume they'll lose at least 3 guys from the ST side. One of those guys is the punter they took in 2022. If that guy and GBD leave this spring, that's 14 of 30 signed players from the vaunted greatest class of all time who have vanished into thin air before their JR year on campus.
I assume the ATM defense, with Elko knowing what he's doing on that side of the ball, will carry the team to a mediocre winning record given their weak schedule.
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20 minutes ago, NoName said:
agreed on this front, going to be negatively recruited really really hard on this - as they should be
here are how USC and UCLA will compare to the next highest team in the B10:
for comparison here was work someone did for CFB in 2023: https://old.reddit.com/r/CFB/comments/14myzuz/how_far_each_fbs_team_has_to_travel_in_2023/
just 17 schools traveled more than 5000 miles, only 1 of them was a P5 program (WVU, who is high on these lists historically due to the historic b12 geography) and the other was ND whose # is inflated with 48% of their miles coming from the Dublin trip.
USC is going to see a 293% increase in miles traveled (4097 --> 16134) YOY
that's going to be their life, basically forever, now.
FYI, a lot of this data predates the additions of UW and Oregon, which caused the Big 10 to reshuffle schedules again. USC is no longer traveling to NW, Purdue or PSU. They're no longer even playing NW or Purdue. They go @Vegas, @Michigan, @Minnesota, @Maryland, and @UW. @UCLA as well, but there's no travel for that one. So it's still a lot, but not as much as previously assumed.
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3 minutes ago, Codaxx said:
He just fits the Michigan offense. I am not high on Blackshire, but he should decent from C gap to C gap in the run game. You dont want him covering Loveland. This should be the type of game suited for him. I can see him getting peak play time vs run oriented teams and watching from the sidelines vs passing teams, but we will find out.
That is some wishcasting shit right there, Codaxx. It's a good new look for you, so have at it.
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23 minutes ago, cmontexas said:
Since there isnt much to discuss, what are we thinking with Ant Hill 0 and LB this season? Looking at depth chart it seems obvious to move him offball to replace Ford and maybe rotate with Blackwell and Gbenda (Lefau?)
LSU lived this same scenario with Perkins in 2023 and I didnt watch every LSU game but I remember their fans complaining about it
LSU did a whole bunch of idiotic things last season on defense. They used Perkins as a spy multiple times to their detriment. They basically took him out of games. Using him as a spy against FSU rendered him irrelevant.
Frankly, if you take out the Arkansas 2022 and Arkansas 2023 games, where Perkins went apeshit, his stats in both seasons are otherwise pedestrian. Maybe the new staff gets it right with him.
If you believe the Nansen hype, Hill is going to be all over the field as a 3 down LB this season. Here's hoping.
8 minutes ago, Codaxx said:I would expect to see a healthy amount of Blackshire in that game. If you are going to bring in a 260 LB MLB, that is the game to use him
They didn't want him coming in at 260.
I think expectations on Blackshire are unrealistic. He was never an excellent player in HS or at Bama, even though he looked the part. I'd be stunned if, outside of special teams, Blackshire was getting more than 10% of the snaps in any single game unless there are injury issues.
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14 minutes ago, RomaVicta said:
@closetojumping How do you think their offensive roster fits the presumable Colin Klein offense?
I think the problem for Klein this year is similar to the problem Sarkisian had when he arrived at Texas. He doesn't have some of the dudes he's going to need in order to get the results they'll want. He moves guys around and varies his sets as much as Sarkisian does, even though they're very different playcallers. Klein has a lot more Tom Herman in him but adapted well when having to use Will Howard.
You look at their roster and they don't have a Silas Bolden or Xavier Worthy at WR. Those guys would probably get 20-25 carries (combined) in an optmized Klein offense over a 12 game regular season. That wouldn't be fun for opponents. They don't have that guy at WR this season. They'll probably try to wedge Campbell in there somewhere if he's as quick as he's billed to be, but that's a lot to ask of a freshman.
Daniels is rumored to be heading to the portal at TB. He's a JAG, but he's at least a reliable JAG. Moss is a flake and he may be gone too. Then you've got Owens, who has talent, but he made Cedric Baxter look tough and seasoned this past year. They can't do ground and pound with their TB depth, especially if they lose either or both of Daniels and Moss. Smith is a big nothing. They basically, unbelievably, don't have anybody else. Maybe they buy someone like Savion Red from the portal or something. They almost have to do something like that. Or go buy a midget from somewhere. Who is the smallest starting TB in CFB heading into 2024? That guy.
Klein loves to use a TE. Unfortunately for him, while they carry 6 on the roster, the talent consists of a recovering triad blowout, a Swedish dude resembling Lurch, and a bunch of guys named Bob.
The offensive line has a future draft pick at LT in Zuhn, a dude who doesn't want to play football at C, another one at RT, an incompetent at RT who has been moved inside because maybe he won't be used like a whore in the pass rush at RG, and a bunch of nobodies outside of that. The OL is going to be a problem for any playcaller at ATM for the next few years, at least. We know how that goes.
I think Klein is going to be forced to use the QB in the running game. That is going to lend itself better to Henderson than Weigman, and that will be funny to witness unless a Weigman injury simply forces that outcome.
The irony is that the Fisher set up of trying to keep every game close, lose inside the spread or pull things off in the fourth quarter using turnover momentum in their favor, is probably how Klein and The Elk are able to get this offense on this team to 8-5 with that schedule and the support on defense.
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5 minutes ago, Vermin said:
Throwing big money at high school recruits is ill advised since most don’t pan out or take years to develop.
Better to save up for proven, finished products in the portal.
Nope. You have to do both. "ill advised" is sitting on the sidelines of either route for talent acquisition.
Christ. Texas sat on the sidelines of paying players during the Great Bag Era of college football. That, along with profoundly pathetic behaviors from two HCs (late stage Mack and Herman) and absolutely terrible hires at HC and AD (Chuckles, Patterson, Perrin) sent us wandering in the wilderness for 13 seasons.
Tell me how things are working out for Stanford now that the portal has been a one-way direction for their program while stacking some mediocre to poor HS classes on top of one another for years. We are witnessing the active destruction of the Clemson program by their head coach right now as he continues to be a vocal portal denier.
Programs not excelling in both recruiting and the portal going forward will not be top 10 programs. Both include a foundation with NIL.
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1 hour ago, Js1 said:
I guess if that last “hold” Plonsky has in Bellmont is soccer, that’s fine since CDC got his guy in WBB and softball
Soccer shares a calendar with football (king at Texas) and VB (most successful program on campus) so not surprised if people just don’t care that much
Soccer has patrons and has been discussed in meaty parts of the NIL working groups. People care. Just not enough for the juice to be worth the squeeze.
I think, due to lack of program success, women's soccer is the absolute fringiest* sport in the UT portfolio, even if women's soccer overall is continuing to grow in national interest. Good place to hang out as a coach if you can get that gig. You certainly cannot hide as a coach in any other sport on campus.
*Beach Volleyball was brought on during CDC's time. They suck as a fledgling program right now, but the stud coach's remit for that group is to start winning in 2025 and winning big from there.
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39 minutes ago, Vertigo said:I don't see how anyone could be bullish on their portal class. It is comprised of a bunch of sun belt and FCS guys to replace 4 and 5 stars. But it is low hanging fruit at this time of year to be able to point to the portal because nobody has seen them play yet. Member when Nebraska got all lathered up about Casey Thompson because he threw one nice pass in their spring game? I member. There were podcasts and articles ad nauseum about how much of a game changer he was going to be based on literally one play.
To this point, I was reading the article from Carter Karels, spoilered below, about their scholarship allocations on the offensive side of the ball. The article is well done. Frankly, I don't envy Carter Karels' job. He's constantly producing content for a dwindling subscriber base that generally hates itself. They're too self-aware to be on texags but they are too aggified to allow an On3 site to survive because of them durn sip founders, so they just sit on 247 and pummel Karels and Tarp repeatedly for anything resembling negative insights or news.
Anyway, just read through the offensive players on the roster and ask yourself, objectively, how many of them you'd take on the Texas roster, which Texas player you'd cut for the ATM replacement, and where they'd fit on the org chart.
SpoilerFollowing last season, Texas A&M underwent a significant roster overhaul. As of now, nearly half of the scholarship players for the Aggies this fall will be newcomers. With spring football now underway, GigEm247 is ready to examine what their entire roster looks like from a scholarship distribution standpoint.
For the fall, A&M has an unofficial scholarship count of 89. The Aggies have 79 of those players on campus this spring, while the remaining 10 are set to join them in June. Until the first day of its fall semester, A&M does not have to satisfy the NCAA-imposed limit of 85 scholarship players.
Since firing former head coach Jimbo Fisher last November, the Aggies have lost 30 scholarship players for various reasons: 18 entered the NCAA Transfer Portal, seven saw their eligibility expire and five departed early for the 2024 NFL Draft. 247Sports previously reported that two other scholarship players, safety Jacoby Mathews and cornerback Sam McCall, plan to transfer out of A&M during the 15-day portal window this month (April 15-30).
The Aggies mostly replenished their roster through the portal, adding 23 scholarship transfers over the winter. They also signed 17 scholarship players to their 2024 recruiting class. A&M has all but two of its transfers and eight of its high school signees on campus this spring.
Compared to their 2023 team, the 2024 Aggies are considerably more experienced. They have 16 scholarship players who will exhaust their eligibility following this season after having only seven in 2023. Going into last season, 67.9% (55 of 81) of the scholarship players on their roster had three or more seasons of eligibility remaining. A&M has seen that number decrease to 48.3% (43 of 89) for its projected roster this fall. Again, those are unofficial figures.
Here is the start of a two-part series that breaks down the scholarship distribution for the Aggies even more, beginning with their offense. An analysis of the defense and special teams units will come out later.
But first, keep these four things in mind:
1. College football players received eligibility relief during the COVID-impacted 2020 season. So if a player came from the 2020 recruiting class or earlier, he could have an extra season of eligibility remaining than usual.
2. In an effort to eliminate confusion, potential redshirts will not be counted as a season of eligibility. For instance, sophomore running back Rueben Owens II could theoretically take a redshirt in 2024 before playing three seasons from 2025-27. But for this exercise, he has three seasons of eligibility remaining and a potential redshirt year will be excluded from his count.
3. These scholarship tallies are unofficial. Under Fisher, A&M never publicized when walk-ons were put on scholarship. GigEm247 will count former walk-on and current starting kicker Randy Bond, though, after learning that he is on scholarship.
4. Just because a player is listed with a position group does not mean he is not cross training or will not eventually move to another position. For this exercise, it makes it less confusing if various players are not appearing in multiple position groups.
QUARTERBACK
Position inventory: Redshirt junior Jaylen Henderson, redshirt sophomore Conner Weigman, redshirt freshman Marcel Reed and true freshman Miles O'Neill.
One season of eligibility remaining: None.
Two seasons of eligibility remaining: Henderson.
Three seasons of eligibility remaining: Weigman.
Four seasons of eligibility remaining: Reed and O'Neill.
Arrives in June: O'Neill.
Analysis: A&M has to feel good about its quarterback group. Weigman, Henderson and Reed have all impressed in game settings. All three of them have at least two seasons of eligibility remaining, too.
By playing only four games last season, Weigman redshirted and preserved a year of eligibility. Maybe Weigman will not ultimately need that extra season. If Weigman lives up to his five-star rating as a recruit, he would probably leave early for the NFL Draft. Still, that extra season of eligibility should be a nice safety net for him and the Aggies.
RUNNING BACK/FULLBACK
Position inventory: Sixth-year senior Jerry Johnson II, fifth-year senior EJ Smith, redshirt junior Amari Daniels, junior Le'Veon Moss and sophomore Rueben Owens II.
One season of eligibility remaining: Johnson.
Two seasons of eligibility remaining: Daniels, Moss and Smith.
Three seasons of eligibility remaining: Owens.
Four seasons of eligibility remaining: None.
Arrives in June: None.
Analysis: In the 2024 recruiting class, the Aggies did not sign a running back. They instead landed one transfer: Smith. With four scholarship running backs, A&M now seems one injury or outgoing transfer away from having a thin unit.
Fortunately for the Aggies, they returned their three most productive running backs from last season: Moss, Owens and Daniels. However, Owens is the only player among the group who has more than two seasons of eligibility remaining. So A&M will need to make the running back position a priority on the recruiting trail.
WIDE RECEIVER
Position inventory: Fifth-year seniors Moose Muhammad III and Jabre Barber, senior Jahdae Walker, juniors Noah Thomas and Cyrus Allen, sophomore Micah Tease, and true freshmen Izaiah Williams, Ernest Campbell and Ashton Bethel-Roman.
One season of eligibility remaining: Muhammad, Barber and Walker.
Two seasons of eligibility remaining: Thomas and Allen.
Three seasons of eligibility remaining: Tease.
Four seasons of eligibility remaining: Williams, Campbell and Bethel-Roman.
Arriving in June: Campbell and Bethel-Roman.
Analysis: Following last season, A&M brought back only four scholarship receivers: Muhammad, Walker, Thomas and Tease. Because the Aggies were thin on numbers, they made the receiver position a priority in the portal. A&M picked up two transfers: Barber and Allen. The Aggies landed three freshmen as well: Williams, Campbell and Bethel-Roman.
With Muhammad, Barber and Walker all expiring their eligibility after the 2024 season, A&M will likely need to restock its receiver unit again next offseason. It also remains to be seen whether the Aggies have a true No. 1 receiver. No player from their receiver group has produced a 1,000-yard season in college. None of their four returnees have reached 700 receiving yards in a season.
TIGHT END
Position inventory: Sixth-year senior Garrett Miller, senior Tre Watson, redshirt sophomores Donovan Green and Theo Melin Öhrström, redshirt freshman Jaden Platt and true freshman Eric Karner.
One season of eligibility remaining: Miller and Watson.
Two seasons of eligibility remaining: None.
Three seasons of eligibility remaining: Green and Melin Öhrström.
Four seasons of eligibility remaining: Platt and Karner.
Arriving in June: Karner.
Analysis: Three of the six scholarship tight ends for the Aggies in 2023 departed after last season: Max Wright (expired eligibility), Jake Johnson (outgoing transfer) and Fernando Garza III (outgoing transfer). A&M helped replace them with two transfers: Miller and Watson.
Miller and Watson both have only one season of eligibility remaining, so the Aggies might need to replenish their tight end room again next offseason. If any of its four returning tight ends produce at a high level in 2024, though, A&M will probably not have to make any major additions to the group.
INTERIOR OFFENSIVE LINE
Position inventory: Sixth-year senior Dorian Hinton, fifth-year seniors Aki Ogunbiyi and Ar'maj Reed-Adams, redshirt junior Bryce Foster, junior Kam Dewberry, redshirt sophomore Mark Nabou Jr., sophomore Chase Bisontis, redshirt freshman TJ Shanahan and true freshman Isendre Ahfua.
One season of eligibility remaining: Hinton and Ogunbiyi.
Two seasons of eligibility remaining: Foster, Dewberry and Reed-Adams.
Three seasons of eligibility remaining: Nabou and Bisontis.
Four seasons of eligibility remaining: Shanahan and Ahfua.
Arriving in June: Ahfua.
Analysis: On their interior offensive line, the Aggies are loaded with depth and have a nice balance between experienced veterans and promising young players. Of the nine players listed, seven of them have started multiple games in college. The two exceptions, Shanahan and Ahfua, were both four-star recruits and have four seasons of eligibility remaining.
Whether Bisontis will be an offensive guard remains unclear, but he seems like a better fit on the inside. He spent his true freshman season as the starting right tackle and struggled. He slid to guard for the TaxAct Texas Bowl.
OFFENSIVE TACKLE
Position inventory: Fifth-year senior Derrick Graham, redshirt juniors Trey Zuhn III, Reuben Fatheree II and Dametrious Crownover, redshirt sophomore Hunter Erb, redshirt freshman Colton Thomasson, and true freshman Blake Ivy, Ashton Funk and Robert Bourdon.
One season of eligibility remaining: None.
Two seasons of eligibility remaining: Zuhn, Fatheree, Crownover and Graham.
Three seasons of eligibility remaining: Erb.
Four seasons of eligibility remaining: Thomasson, Ivy, Funk and Bourdon.
Arriving in June: Bourdon.
Analysis: Since having one of the best offensive lines in the country in 2020, the Aggies have not been able to replicate that success. They might have their best offensive tackle unit though, since their 2020 group. Additionally, none of their offensive tackles will exhaust their eligibility following this season.
Zuhn is coming off his best career season and seems like a lock to start at left tackle. A&M still needs to figure out who will be its top right tackle, but Fatheree, Crownover, Graham and Bisontis all have starting experience at the position. Regardless of how it plays out, the Aggies should have impressive offensive tackle depth.
Now, I am not saying that Weigman isn't a potentially decent QB. He's extremely overrated for the hype he gets, but we haven't seen enough to believe much of anything about the guy. That considered, I'd take him over Trey Owens as the 3rd string guy. I wouldn't touch any of their other QBs.
At TB, I would take Owens over Red at 6th string. That's it, and that's stretchy.
I would take Muhammad over Niblett in the 8 hole at WR.
Give me Donovan Green over Juan Davis at 3rd string TE if he's recovered well from ACL surgery.
Give me Zuhn or Dewberry over Max Merrill at OL. That's it.
I legitimately do not think there are more than 5-6 on the offensive roster at ATM that would crack the 3 deep at Texas right now. They are dogshit on that side of the ball in both talent and depth.
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22 minutes ago, ousux said:2 hours ago, Bill Lumbergh said:Everyone here has PTSD from Gideons dropped easy pick likely costing us a shot at the NCG in 08, and the Dylan Haines human hurdle experience. Michael Taafe has proven he doesn't drop the easy picks and is somehow more physical than Haines. Taafe will most likely still be in the rotation, but safety will be fine if Mukuba is as advertised and some of our young studs make their expected leaps.
It's not "most likely" that Taafe is in the rotation if he is healthy. I just tried to put this discussion to bed but some of you motherfuckers are more obtuse than Warden Norton. Taafe is going to make really good money this cycle to be on the field, in the rotation, making plays. That is Level One information for you. Fuck.
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1 minute ago, Vermin said:
Recruiting is all about location, location, location. Some recruits are adventurous, but most are going to pick the blue blood program within a decently quick drive.
That's reductive. This isn't the 1950's.
Items 1a and 1b in recruiting in this era are:
1a) NIL
1b) Can you put me into the league?
Tradition, location, coaching staff, style of play, conference, all of that stuff matters if items 1a and 1b are checked off clearly. USC is now under pressure to show that they can live up to 1a and then that they can make a dent in getting back to level, on defense, with 1b.
If USC is on another bullet train to mediocrity as the 2024 season unfolds and Riley is letting NFL teams flirt with him, his roster and his recruiting class fall apart on him.
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Just now, texifornia said:Flipside: They're going to have to submit to Lincoln's "the offense always comes first" style of practice and roster management.
That's how I see it. They brought in the DB coach from UH, the HC from SDSU, the DC from UCLA and the Rams DL coach. Maybe those guys kill it, but maybe Riley continues to be Riley and tells them to make it work however they need to do so. Lynn was at UCLA for one season and he had some mature players to work with on the roster. Maybe he's really good, there's no way to really know until we see their season under way.
Riley seems to want to become an NFL guy, so I'm not sure any of this shit even matters.
Another thing going on with USC is their schedule. They open in Vegas against LSU. Both of those teams have issues on offense. USC has a genius in Riley and LSU lost their acclaimed OC. Advantage Riley, but this could be an ugly game offensively.
They then play Utah State, a bowl team for 6 of the last 7 seasons (corona did them in in 2020). Should be a gimme, but it isn't Portland State or UC Davis.
Off week, then they go @Michigan, Wisconsin, @Minnesota, PSU, @Maryland in consecutive weeks. Woof. That is some asswhipping in travel.
They also have to play Rutgers, @UW, Nebraska, UCLA, and close with ND. Rutgers is tough and well-coached and the same will be said for Nebraska, if I had to guess. ND is allegedly a top 10 team.
There are likely a number of losses packed into that shitpile of a schedule.
Finally, beyond all of that, it looks like they will be starting 11 transfers on defense, the majority of whom will be new to the program. Mercenaries can come in handy, we know a little bit about that, but in this case, you have an entire group of them coming together with an entirely new defensive coaching staff, with that schedule, and an offense that wants to score really quickly.
Holy shit. Mercenaries, NFL distractions, weak offensive skill replacements for QB and TB, new potpourri of coaching talent and a nasty schedule. A lot will have to tip in USC's favor for them to be any better than 8-5.
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3 minutes ago, Fud said:
There's several draft twitter accounts talking about Jermaine Burton today. I like him in the 3rd or 4th round for Houston if they don't draft a WR earlier and if he's still on the board
Kind of Amon-Ra St. Brown type where he was a very highly regarded recruit who was pretty productive, but seems to be a bit down the board in the draft presumably due to mediocre height/weight while not blowing out testing, but being a very skilled inside/outside WR
Jagger McJaggerson.
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16 hours ago, Rickylovesweed said:
For a program that's never advanced past the Sweet 16, next year seems like our best opportunity.
Just a shame we have to rely on Kelly with a loaded roster.
Maybe we can kidnap her the way we kidnapped Kevin Mar and keep her holed up in a hotel room for 4 months during the women's soccer team run to the title?
One thing I view as certain with "Angie" is that the only way she's getting fired is if Plonsky retires. No matter how stacked next year's team is, a simple round of 32 visit keeps the seat from being hot.
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Regarding S, they didn't bring Mukuba in for free. Williams and Filsaime aren't solely at Texas because, gee whiz, they just fell in love with the darned place. Taafe is held in the same regard, which is a bit eye opening. I don't think it will matter who is starting (other than to the four players) because they're all going to be rotating heavily. If anyone else works their way into the rotation, unrelated to injury, kudos to that player and to the program for finding that value.
Taafe is a good instinctual player who also happens to be slower than preferred. While he's not Gideon or Adimora mediocre, I'd like to think that the other 3 guys are getting 90% of the snaps in 2024.
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2024 Spring Practice to Fall Camp Thread - Who’s a JAG now?
in Football
Posted
Lights go on for younger players. It's weird how, you know, guys develop into better ballplayers as they gain reps and experience. Umeozulu has outclassed Conner in practices for the second half of 2023 and all of the spring practices in 2024. This is from people at the practice and from people conversing with the staff who know the game. I know you will have a hard time believing any of that until he's looked good for the first 6 games of 2024, but that works for me and others.
As to Conner, just generally, the guy was abysmal in the running game last year. He was abysmal late in the year there. He's now deep into his tenure at Texas. He shouldn't be outright whiffing on players constantly.
This has now been discussed ad nauseum, but yeah, culture, STs, and short yardage/goal line. He was extremely inexpensive. He's a one year guy. The idea that he's being discussed this much tells me that Texas is fucking loaded.