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2019 Texas Longhorns fall practice thread


Machinator

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1 minute ago, ztejas said:

Returner is an interesting one - wonder who we are going with at PR and KR - has it been mentioned yet or does anyone have inside info? 

They said Jamison got work today at returner.  Probably the best of the bunch in my opinion.  As much shifting as Herman will do this year (5 wide to maybe 21 personnel with motion out of the backfield with Whittington), I'm thinking Jake Smith may be behind Josh Moore for true slot position.  I can't see Duverney playing slot with the speed he possesses on the outside.

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IT - a glimpse at practice #1

 

By: Justin (on location) and Eric

The first thing you should know is this will be the most useless practice report of the month. The next one will probably be the second most useless and so on and so forth until they start becoming the least most useful to most useful. That will be when the pads come on and we can see who really wants it. I'll never forget talking with Cody Johnson -- the ultimate Iverson (won't practice but goes harder than anybody in games) -- and he said he'd sit back and watch guys in their shorts and shirts and "everyone belongs, they're all athletic, but it's entirely different when you put the pads on. Sometimes guys you think are great are terrible." I knew it, but hearing a physical player talk about it made it resonate more.

All right, first practice: don't be the person who will over-analyze what's written to embarrassing levels. Justin had but 20 minutes.

QB 11, 8, 2 

Some of you golf pricks will understand the valley in between the peaks of re-tooling your swing. Roschon has been working with a well known trainer of late and they're re-doing his mechanics. He's struggling at this point.

RB 26, 32, 21, 28 (all these RBs look ready, sheesh)

Texas has Keays coming from overseas (Carthage) backed up by Danny Young who I hope finds a role as a hammer in search of a nail. Whittington will be RB2 and they're going to bubble wrap Kirk J. and let him have the real moments he deserves.

WR X- Collin, Epps, Burt 

Burt at X adds a dynamic the other two don't have. Interesting.

Y- 14, 16

Moore and Jake Smith. A quietly loaded position. Moore brings vertical elements and will be on the same page with Sam when it comes to reading defenses. Smith is Lisa to Herman's Gary and Beck's Wyatt. 

Z - Devin Duvernay, Brennan Eagles (new number is 13) 

We think Devin the Duve is in for a breakout but we hear so many positives about Eagles (when he's healthy) that they'll both have to play. 

TE- 80, 81, 18

Brewer, Leitao, and Wiley. 

OL - 52, 75, 56, 68, 78 (1st)

Cosmi, Junior A, Shack, Kerstetter, Okafor. Hand clearly sees upside in Okafor. To his credit, his pass protection improved over the spring.

76 - 67 - 74 - 73 (parker Braun) - 70 (2nd) 

Reese Moore, Tope Imade, Rafiti Ghirmai, Parker Braun, Christian Jones. 

Notes -- Christian Jones looks fantastic. Brennan Eagles was catching everything, Jake Smith is a blur. Marcus Washington wasn't in attendance, back at school with fever/sick. Javonne Shepherd lost a ton of bad weight. Parker Braun isn't as big as I imagined. 

We've heard Al'vonte Woodard won't be cleared until the 19th. 

Another note: Devin Duvernay played a little slot too.

DEFENSE
left 4i - 49.... 91

Graham and Chisholm. Sounds right. Chisholm could be a valuable rotation guy.

DT - 99... 94

Coburn. They love him and think he'll be fine within the rotation (six plays on, six off dependent on the drive, etc). Wilbon is steady Eddy. 

4i - 32... 55

Roach and X-mas Gile. That's kind of wild but telling. What that means is Christmas-Giles' quickness is starting to show. We've heard it in the past about the light coming on a bit but this is mildly interesting because it would probably easier to rotate him at d-tackle.

B-back - 46...23

Of course Ossai but Vaughns *should* be #2. We'll ask about it, probably nothing.

Mac - 30, 40, 6 (Juwan Mitchell) 

Caleb Johnson. I've been mentioning he has a chance to break out this month. If he does then nickel becomes as formidable as dime as an option for Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Bevo St. We know the deal with Dele. Mitchell, like every single Juco LB I've ever covered, is still learning the ropes and adjusting to the big time. He's one we'll want to hear about when the pads come on. I think he could translate but he's way behind on the playbook.

Rover - 23, 13, 31 (think Overshown was at rover, need to check)

Obviously this is McCulloch's. Next week we'll begin to hear about what happens during dime. That's really the most important story-line at the position. Tillman has promise but is probably a year away. I don't know how McCulloch will translate but Tillman will be better for learning behind Shark1. Begrudgingly we'll add Overshown was part of these drills but we still think he's Joker.

CB - 3, 5 (1st)...4, 38 (2nd)...2 (KW2), 27 

Well...probably a message is being sent to Cook. Green, my former #1 player in the state, is still green but has tons of upside. The first person that bemoans him making a mental mistake should be banished to UT facebook groups where he belongs. Jamison has worked his ass off and is a favorite of the coaches because he bites like he barks. If I know D'shawn, he's working even harder to beat out Cook. Then you have Cook and Boyce and Kenyatta and Don Duve. They absolutely love Kenyatta's mindset. Could he be a nickel...probably in a year when BJ goes to safety.

Nickel - BJ Foster, Josh Thompson 

One of the more spirited competitions will be at nickel. Thompson knows it better and has better coverage traits but Foster's footballerness is a 99. It's tough to keep guys like him off the field because they can go off script and make up for bad calls or their own mistakes. Oh, PJ doesn't know the call and lets someone run right past him for 6 (coaches fault, btw)? BJ will either blow the dude up and take the flag or run with him.

S - Brandon Jones, Caden Sterns (1st)… 31, 15 (2nd) 

Brandon Jones is one of the least talked about stars at Texas of the century. He'll take a bad angle, botch an interception, and we tend to hang on to that. I feel his biggest impact is made in the hard-to-register area of individual defensive YPC or some such. A running back hits the lane and a run that normally goes for 12 yards goes for 6. I'm sure there's a metric for it as nerds are intent on ruining sports like they did economics but that's where Jones makes his impact. That and leadershipping the secondary which is a real thing.

Notes -- D'Floyd is still working out with the team, just not drills. Tyler Owens got chewed for not being vocal in pass-defense drills. 

Special Teams - The Punter looked great (four consecutive corner kicks). KR/PR - 5, 21, 16, 84 (Kennedy Lewis)

Bujckcwer1sie getting his grip would be a huge value add for a defense that might have sea legs early. I think they should take all the Aussie punters....and red-shirt them.

Walk-Ons - These don't look like normal walk-ons. Myles Mass (Db), Jake Ehlinger (mac), Luke Brockermeyer could see the field this year. 

Couldn't believe Mass weighed 195. Even if it's 185 he's a freaking steal. Light on his feet. You know Ehlinger will find contact. Brockermeyer should find a scholarship. I've checked in on him a lot since he committed and he was a different player starting in the spring.

Edited by Machinator
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1 minute ago, pearlandhorn said:

They said Jamison got work today at returner.  Probably the best of the bunch in my opinion.  As much shifting as Herman will do this year (5 wide to maybe 21 personnel with motion out of the backfield with Whittington), I'm thinking Jake Smith may be behind Josh Moore for true slot position.  I can't see Duverney playing slot with the speed he possesses on the outside.

Thanks. I missed the other TFB note on Smith and was curious why he was listed so far back and not mentioned on that most recent report. Doesn't sound like Sam will be running out of targets anytime soon. Makes you think a bit more about Bru's transfer. 

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Moore and Jake Smith. A quietly loaded position. Moore brings vertical elements and will be on the same page with Sam when it comes to reading defenses. Smith is Lisa to Herman's Gary and Beck's Wyatt.  
What on earth does that mean

He was created in a lab. Not literally.
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27 minutes ago, ztejas said:

Returner is an interesting one - wonder who we are going with at PR and KR - has it been mentioned yet or does anyone have inside info? 

@Machinator yes I'm aware on Whittington - was angling that Smith flexed in HS and probably won't get any carries from the backfield judging by our depth there. 

We don’t actually have much depth there. If either Ingram or Whittington get hurt, we’ll need all hands on deck at RB. 

9 minutes ago, Ricky Butler said:

@Burt Macklin Where does Jake Smith play? How do you work in a young guy like that while protecting yourself against his youthful inconsistencies?

He’s definitely slot receiver long term, but playing AZ ball and not being an EE means it’ll probably take him awhile to start there, especially if Duvernay is actually playing slot, which I’m skeptical about.

id like to see Smith at KR and also PR, if he can earn the coaches trust there. I’d bet we’ll have a package for him where he can get some jet sweeps, bubble screens, drags, and some other easy touches this year. 

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Defense notes from Jeff Howe and 247:

(I don't know how to spoiler shit on mobile)

AUSTIN, Texas — Football is back on the Forty Acres as Texas hit the field at the Wright Whitaker Sports Complex for the first preseason practice of 2019. As Tom Hermanput his squad through the paces in helmets, jersey tops and shorts on Friday morning, media outlets (including Horns247) were on hand to watch roughly an hour of the Longhorns go through stretching, special teams, one team period and individual work.

 

The following is a roundup of notes from the defensive end of the practice field:

 

— When the No. 1 defense lined up for pursuit drill (the one period the media gets to see where the entire defense is on the field together) the starting cornerbacks were Jalen Green and D'Shawn Jamison. It’s been widely throughout the offseason that Green and Anthony Cook would open camp as the starters replacing Kris Boyd and Davante Davis, but as Horns247 has been reporting Jamison shouldn’t be sold short in the competition.

 

— Cook was on the No. 2 defense opposite of Kobe Boyce with Kenyatta Watson II and Donovan Duvernay running with the third team.

 

— You’ll probably hear or read reports about DeMarvion Overshown lining up at either B-backer or Rover. Indeed, when the second group on defense took the field for pursuit drill Overshown was lined up where typically the B-backer would be. However, there were three linebackers on the field (Caleb JohnsonJuwan Mitchell and Marcus Tillman Jr.) along with Overshown, Josh Thompson in the nickel spot and Chris Brown and Montrell Estell were back deep at the safety positions. Include the No. 2 defensive line of Marqez Bimage and Jamari Chisholm at the end positions with Gerald Wilbon at nose and with Boyce and Cook at cornerback and that’s 12 defenders. Overshown was working with the safeties in individual, so this wasn’t a position change as much as it might suggest he’s got the inside track on the Joker role when the Longhorns start installing the dime package (the Joker replaces the B-backer in those situations).

 

— The base nickel look in pursuit drill featured Caden Sterns and Brandon Jones back deep at safety with B.J. Foster on the field as the nickel defender. As long as health isn’t an issue, it’s hard to envision anything but that group being on the field together in 29 days for the Louisiana Tech game.

 

— As for what the safeties did in individual, Craig Naivar always has his guys working on ball skills and finishing the play. Naivar’s group does go through drills that mimic movements and techniques for playing over the top or in deep coverage, but they also work a lot on man coverage, perhaps because the nickels and safeties work together.

 

— Cornerbacks were on the opposite side of the field from the safeties and linebackers, but Jason Washington was putting his guys through work on the chutes. Those drills are all about keeping a low pad level while making good transitions in and out of breaks.

 

— Todd Orlando had his group work on bags for foot quickness and speed and leading the way in drills were the three linebackers who lined up with the No. 1 defense: Ayodele Adeoye at Mac, Jeffrey McCulloch at Rover and Joseph Ossai at B-backer. Johnson, Mitchell and Tillman were working behind them, but a guy to watch in camp might be Byron Vaughns. Based on how he carried himself through drills and how he attacked his work, it feels like he could be getting ready to make a push for playing time (even though he lined up with the No. 3 group today).

 

— After watching guys go through bag drills a couple of times, you can tell why the three starters have separated themselves from the pack. They were the only guys not stepping on or kicking bags as took their turn, which was impressive for a guy like Adeoye, who spent his summer working on and improving his lateral quickness and athleticism.

 

— There were no surprises along the defensive line. Working in front of the aforementioned second group was a No. 1 line of Keondre Coburn at nose guard with Ta’Quon Graham and Malcolm Roach lined up as the ends.

 

— Oscar Giles had his group working a lot on ball get-off, along with engaging and separating from a one-man sled. With it being a non-contact setting, that’s pretty much the extent of what the defensive linemen can do.

 

— Among the notable names not already mentioned on the No. 3 defense were Daniel Carson and Jacoby Jones at the end positions, David Gbenda at linebacker and Tyler Owens at safety. Walk-ons Hank Coutomanos at safety, Luke Brockermeyerand Cort Jaquess at linebacker, and Troy Torres at nose guard were lined up with the third group.

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1 hour ago, Machinator said:

IT - a glimpse at practice #1

  Hide contents

By: Justin (on location) and Eric

The first thing you should know is this will be the most useless practice report of the month. The next one will probably be the second most useless and so on and so forth until they start becoming the least most useful to most useful. That will be when the pads come on and we can see who really wants it. I'll never forget talking with Cody Johnson -- the ultimate Iverson (won't practice but goes harder than anybody in games) -- and he said he'd sit back and watch guys in their shorts and shirts and "everyone belongs, they're all athletic, but it's entirely different when you put the pads on. Sometimes guys you think are great are terrible." I knew it, but hearing a physical player talk about it made it resonate more.

All right, first practice: don't be the person who will over-analyze what's written to embarrassing levels. Justin had but 20 minutes.

QB 11, 8, 2 

Some of you golf pricks will understand the valley in between the peaks of re-tooling your swing. Roschon has been working with a well known trainer of late and they're re-doing his mechanics. He's struggling at this point.

RB 26, 32, 21, 28 (all these RBs look ready, sheesh)

Texas has Keays coming from overseas (Carthage) backed up by Danny Young who I hope finds a role as a hammer in search of a nail. Whittington will be RB2 and they're going to bubble wrap Kirk J. and let him have the real moments he deserves.

WR X- Collin, Epps, Burt 

Burt at X adds a dynamic the other two don't have. Interesting.

Y- 14, 16

Moore and Jake Smith. A quietly loaded position. Moore brings vertical elements and will be on the same page with Sam when it comes to reading defenses. Smith is Lisa to Herman's Gary and Beck's Wyatt. 

Z - Devin Duvernay, Brennan Eagles (new number is 13) 

We think Devin the Duve is in for a breakout but we hear so many positives about Eagles (when he's healthy) that they'll both have to play. 

TE- 80, 81, 18

Brewer, Leitao, and Wiley. 

OL - 52, 75, 56, 68, 78 (1st)

Cosmi, Junior A, Shack, Kerstetter, Okafor. Hand clearly sees upside in Okafor. To his credit, his pass protection improved over the spring.

76 - 67 - 74 - 73 (parker Braun) - 70 (2nd) 

Reese Moore, Tope Imade, Rafiti Ghirmai, Parker Braun, Christian Jones. 

Notes -- Christian Jones looks fantastic. Brennan Eagles was catching everything, Jake Smith is a blur. Marcus Washington wasn't in attendance, back at school with fever/sick. Javonne Shepherd lost a ton of bad weight. Parker Braun isn't as big as I imagined. 

We've heard Al'vonte Woodard won't be cleared until the 19th. 

DEFENSE
left 4i - 49.... 91

Graham and Chisholm. Sounds right. Chisholm could be a valuable rotation guy.

DT - 99... 94

Coburn. They love him and think he'll be fine within the rotation (six plays on, six off dependent on the drive, etc). Wilbon is steady Eddy. 

4i - 32... 55

Roach and X-mas Gile. That's kind of wild but telling. What that means is Christmas-Giles' quickness is starting to show. We've heard it in the past about the light coming on a bit but this is mildly interesting because it would probably easier to rotate him at d-tackle.

B-back - 46...23

Of course Ossai but Vaughns *should* be #2. We'll ask about it, probably nothing.

Mac - 30, 40, 6 (Juwan Mitchell) 

Caleb Johnson. I've been mentioning he has a chance to break out this month. If he does then nickel becomes as formidable as dime as an option for Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Bevo St. We know the deal with Dele. Mitchell, like every single Juco LB I've ever covered, is still learning the ropes and adjusting to the big time. He's one we'll want to hear about when the pads come on. I think he could translate but he's way behind on the playbook.

Rover - 23, 13, 31 (think Overshown was at rover, need to check)

Obviously this is McCulloch's. Next week we'll begin to hear about what happens during dime. That's really the most important story-line at the position. Tillman has promise but is probably a year away. I don't know how McCulloch will translate but Tillman will be better for learning behind Shark1. Begrudgingly we'll add Overshown was part of these drills but we still think he's Joker.

CB - 3, 5 (1st)...4, 38 (2nd)...2 (KW2), 27 

Well...probably a message is being sent to Cook. Green, my former #1 player in the state, is still green but has tons of upside. The first person that bemoans him making a mental mistake should be banished to UT facebook groups where he belongs. Jamison has worked his ass off and is a favorite of the coaches because he bites like he barks. If I know D'shawn, he's working even harder to beat out Cook. Then you have Cook and Boyce and Kenyatta and Don Duve. They absolutely love Kenyatta's mindset. Could he be a nickel...probably in a year when BJ goes to safety.

Nickel - BJ Foster, Josh Thompson 

One of the more spirited competitions will be at nickel. Thompson knows it better and has better coverage traits but Foster's footballerness is a 99. It's tough to keep guys like him off the field because they can go off script and make up for bad calls or their own mistakes. Oh, PJ doesn't know the call and lets someone run right past him for 6 (coaches fault, btw)? BJ will either blow the dude up and take the flag or run with him.

S - Brandon Jones, Caden Sterns (1st)… 31, 15 (2nd) 

Brandon Jones is one of the least talked about stars at Texas of the century. He'll take a bad angle, botch an interception, and we tend to hang on to that. I feel his biggest impact is made in the hard-to-register area of individual defensive YPC or some such. A running back hits the lane and a run that normally goes for 12 yards goes for 6. I'm sure there's a metric for it as nerds are intent on ruining sports like they did economics but that's where Jones makes his impact. That and leadershipping the secondary which is a real thing.

Notes -- D'Floyd is still working out with the team, just not drills. Tyler Owens got chewed for not being vocal in pass-defense drills. 

Special Teams - The Punter looked great (four consecutive corner kicks). KR/PR - 5, 21, 16, 84 (Kennedy Lewis)

Bujckcwer1sie getting his grip would be a huge value add for a defense that might have sea legs early. I think they should take all the Aussie punters....and red-shirt them.

Walk-Ons - These don't look like normal walk-ons. Myles Mass (Db), Jake Ehlinger (mac), Luke Brockermeyer could see the field this year. 

Couldn't believe Mass weighed 195. Even if it's 185 he's a freaking steal. Light on his feet. You know Ehlinger will find contact. Brockermeyer should find a scholarship. I've checked in on him a lot since he committed and he was a different player starting in the spring.

IT is really committed to making it sound like there’s a position battle at Nickel. Every other piece of information out there indicates BJ has locked up that spot already.

6 minutes ago, Valmy77 said:

The Koolaid seems sweeter and more refreshing than usual. 

Coming off a 10 win season for the first time in a decade will do that.

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