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2021 Texas Offseason: Sark Attacks Austin


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21 hours ago, Jack Wilson said:

In a perfect world, Sark would have done everything he could to keep BC. (He may have; who knows?) Dress it up any way you want, Carrington's going to SC  to recruit. We're going to miss him a hell of a lot. You can point to all the rainmaking coaches we hired, but why not couple them with a proven off-the-field guy like BC? Hate to lose him.

He's taking the spot of someone at USC who was able to transition from a recruiting role to an actual on-field coaching position:  

https://usctrojans.com/news/2021/1/29/usc-trojans-football-seth-doege-promoted-tight-ends-coach-clay-helton.aspx

Maybe he just really wants to be a football coach.  That would never have happened at Texas with his pedigree.  Four years ago this guy was working at UH part-time while still working as a home health aid.  Check out his LinkedIn, it's enlightening: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryan-carrington-aa0159107/.  The dude pulled himself up from nothing, so I don't blame him for taking a step up at USC when Helton has shown he's willing to launch a coaching career for a former recruiter.  We couldn't offer him an opportunity like this on this staff.  

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Cross-posting... Thanks for this @Hiphopopotamos 

From Bobby this morning:

Quote

Lots of movement in the Longhorns’ player personnel department this week on the heels of national signing day.

- IT learned that Drew Hughes would not be the team’s next player personnel director as had been expected.

- Bryan Carrington, after making what could only be described as an “official visit” to USC over the weekend is now expected to take the Trojans up on their offer. I’m told Steve Sarkisian wasn’t exactly beat up about Carrington’s departure given Carrington’s outright overtures to another program just days before signing day.

- As IT expected, John Michael Jones and Jake Langi have been retained by Sarkisian. Jones has headed up the Longhorns’ resurgent walk-on program the last several years. Texas got several preferred walk-ons in this class, including two from state champion Westlake. But the real coup was landing QB Cole Lourd. Lourd had other D-I scholarship offers, but the UT legacy (the grandson of Jim Bob Moffett) opted for Texas.

- With Bob Shipley taking a step back from full-time work, the Horns attracted Lancaster head coach Chris Gilbert as the team’s new director of high school relations. Gilbert is a well-respected member of the Texas High School Coaches Association and a well-known figure in South Dallas.

**

Where will Texas go for a replacement for Hughes?

A name to watch is Cooper Pategna. Pategna is the former director of player personnel at Oregon.

However, he is just one of several possible candidates.

Whoever the hire ultimately is will likely be tied in some way to Ed Marynowitz, Nick Saban’s first personnel director who now works alongside Jimmy Sexton and helps college coaches fill out their personnel staffs.

**

I’m told Texas coaches have been reviewing practice film from last year, not just game film, to get an idea of the players who return to the team this season.

Sark is said to be pleasantly surprised with the talent on campus. “Better than expected,” he told an athletic department official

 

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2 hours ago, bejezuz said:

He's taking the spot of someone at USC who was able to transition from a recruiting role to an actual on-field coaching position:  

https://usctrojans.com/news/2021/1/29/usc-trojans-football-seth-doege-promoted-tight-ends-coach-clay-helton.aspx

Maybe he just really wants to be a football coach.  That would never have happened at Texas with his pedigree.  Four years ago this guy was working at UH part-time while still working as a home health aid.  Check out his LinkedIn, it's enlightening: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryan-carrington-aa0159107/.  The dude pulled himself up from nothing, so I don't blame him for taking a step up at USC when Helton has shown he's willing to launch a coaching career for a former recruiter.  We couldn't offer him an opportunity like this on this staff.  

not saying it doesn't happen, it's just that it's pretty rare to be successful for those who haven't played college ball like Seth and Rashaad have. I know Mike Leach did it but I'm not sure that many others have.

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(Scipio Tex) Sarkisian's RB History: Get Ready For The Bijan Bell Cow
A few things strike an analyst when one evaluates Sarkisian's use of running backs.
1. Sark is not shy about having a #1 bell cow. He seems to prefer it.
2. He wants to throw the ball to receiving capable running backs. A lot. That desire is limited by the ability of his running backs (or his QB). If his best pure runner can't catch, other guys will earn snaps. The RB passing game is central to his beliefs.
3. When he has rotated backs in a true job share (rather than just spelling a guy for a series or two), it's because a single starter didn't take the job, because they offer complementary skill sets (the best pure runner can't catch), or the #1 runner suffered injuries.
I'll confine my analysis to the schools where he was either the head coach or offensive coordinator. There's no question that his upbringing at BYU influenced his perception of RBs in the passing game and he got to see the lethal Bush/White combo first hand early in his career at USC, but he wasn't determining snaps, playing time, or offensive direction. Sark's college RB track record:
image.png
In 2007/2008 at USC, Sarkisian had three man rotations at RB featuring a mix of Chauncey Washington, Joe McKnight, and Stafon Johnson. Necessity more than preference. In 2007, Sark threw the ball 66 times to running backs despite lead back Chauncey Washington only catching 7 balls. In 2008, Sark threw the ball 62 times to USC running backs despite lead back Stafon Johnson being a similarly negligible pass catcher. Over those two years, nifty tough guy fullback Stanley Havili caught an impressive 58 passes. Texas won't play much true fullback, but Sark likes dependable sure-handed guys on play action and in the red zone.
At Washington, Sark had two bell cows over 5 years: Chris Polk and Bishop Sankey. They combined for five consecutive 1,000+ yard seasons in Seattle. Why did Chris Polk trend up as a pass catcher in the last of his three years? Because heady Keith Price replaced Jake Locker at QB. Locker had the short passing game feel of a Highland Games competitor. Sarkisian worked Bishop Sankey like a draft horse in Central Park: in 2013, Sankey had 8 games with 25+ carries, including 40, 35, and 34 carry efforts. He had more than 20 carries in 11 of 13 contests, logging only 4 carries against Idaho State.
USC's Javorius Allen continued the bell cow tradition, amassing over 1400+ yards rushing while catching another 40+ balls out of the backfield. When Sark has an effective runner and pass catcher, those are the kinds of numbers one can expect. In 2015, Sarkisian coached only half of the season, but it's worth noting that Justin Davis also provided 900+ rushing yards in a 1-2 punch with Ronald Jones.  USC came very close to having two 1,000 yard rushers.
Jones wasn't utilized as a pass catcher due to a condition called "skillet hands." Davis job shared in part because he was a better asset as a pass catcher. Najee Harris' impressive two year run at Alabama demonstrates what happens when Sark gets his hands on a talented multipurpose back. Despite sitting out a lot of 4th quarters in Alabama blowouts, Harris caught 70 balls over two years and had 11 receiving touchdowns in addition to scoring 39 rushing touchdowns. That's 50 total touchdowns in two years.
The Texas Takeaways
Keaontay Ingram was wise to transfer. Sark is going to tighten up the rotation and create a feature spotlight.
Bijan Robinson is a dream running back for the Sarkisian offense. While I expect Bijan's overall workload to more resemble Najee Harris than Bishop Sankey, Sark will want Robinson to catch 35-45 balls and touch the ball 20 total times a game against top tier Texas opponents. Like a cross between Reggie Bush and Najee Harris, Robinson has the ability to split out, excel in the screen game, or hunt linebacker match ups releasing from the backfield. Unlike Reggie Bush, Robinson does that with a 220 pound frame and top tier tackle breaking ability.
Sark will also like the skill set of Roschon Johnson, who has always demonstrated pass catching ability, never-say-die tackle breaking, as well as a willingness to block. RoJo can not only spell Bijan and act as a late game volume finisher, but he might also offer some Stanley Havili-like attributes. Bottom line: Sark likes bell cows. Get ready to hear some ringing.
 
 
MACKovic is BACK!
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2 hours ago, satyanash said:

(Chip Brown) The Insider: Texas football has 'a totally different vibe'

 

I'm bullish on Sark but articles like this make me nervous. There was (reportedly) a different vibe from Mack to Charlie. There was (reportedly) a different vibe from Charlie to Herman. Now there's (reportedly) a different vibe... again. It's like Chip is saying "No no we promise it's different this time!"

I really hope it is.

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6 minutes ago, ztejas said:

I'm bullish on Sark but articles like this make me nervous. There was (reportedly) a different vibe from Mack to Charlie. There was (reportedly) a different vibe from Charlie to Herman. Now there's (reportedly) a different vibe... again. It's like Chip is saying "No no we promise it's different this time!"

I really hope it is.

The most telling piece of that article was when players didn't "come to Herman’s defense. Not one.”  They certainly did for Charlie.  I'm sure they did for Mack as well, but social media wasn't as prevalent and I don't remember.   

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3 minutes ago, Hmmm said:

The most telling piece of that article was when players didn't "come to Herman’s defense. Not one.”  They certainly did for Charlie.  I'm sure they did for Mack as well, but social media wasn't as prevalent and I don't remember.   

Which is in line with my feelings. We were worse on the field under Charlie.

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8 hours ago, LTtxfan said:

Cross-posting... Thanks for this @Hiphopopotamos 

From Bobby this morning:

 

"Sark is said to be pleasantly surprised with the talent on campus. 'Better than expected,' he told an athletic department official."

This means "wow, that last guy was a really fucking bad coach."

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19 minutes ago, ztejas said:

Which is in line with my feelings. We were worse on the field under Charlie.

Herman is a competent head coach.  He has the cognitive ability to handle a massive job like Texas.  Problem is he’s a very flawed human being and the players saw right through that.  Charley was liked by the players but just out of his depth trying to manage the Texas job.  Herman took the route of I’m going to be an asshole but that only works if you win big and he didn't.   

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10 minutes ago, stork642 said:

Herman is a competent head coach.  He has the cognitive ability to handle a massive job like Texas.  Problem is he’s a very flawed human being and the players saw right through that.  Charley was liked by the players but just out of his depth trying to manage the Texas job.  Herman took the route of I’m going to be an asshole but that only works if you win big and he didn't.   

Well put.

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Herman is a competent head coach.  He has the cognitive ability to handle a massive job like Texas.  Problem is he’s a very flawed human being and the players saw right through that.  Charley was liked by the players but just out of his depth trying to manage the Texas job.  Herman took the route of I’m going to be an asshole but that only works if you win big and he didn't.   
The players wanted to play for charlie but weren't coached well enough to play well.

The players were better coached under Herman, but didn't give two shits about playing for him.
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42 minutes ago, Liquor and Poker said:

"Sark is said to be pleasantly surprised with the talent on campus. 'Better than expected,' he told an athletic department official."

This means "wow, that last guy was a really fucking bad coach."

Yeah usually when a coach is fired, the roster and current recruiting class (2021) is much worse than what SARK is walking into.

If the o-line can stay healthy, and PK can somehow generate a decent rush, the 2021 Longhorns might challenge blOU/Iowa State for the B12 Championship...

SARK has to be happy walking in to the current TEXAS QB room...  🤘😁

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24 minutes ago, stork642 said:

Herman is a competent head coach.  He has the cognitive ability to handle a massive job like Texas.  Problem is he’s a very flawed human being and the players saw right through that.  Charley was liked by the players but just out of his depth trying to manage the Texas job.  Herman took the route of I’m going to be an asshole but that only works if you win big and he didn't.   

Herman is better suited to sit in a dark room and analyze football -- sucks at interacting with people...

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15 minutes ago, LTtxfan said:

Yeah usually when a coach is fired, the roster and current recruiting class (2021) is much worse than what SARK is walking into.

If the o-line can stay healthy, and PK can somehow generate a decent rush, the 2021 Longhorns might challenge blOU/Iowa State for the B12 Championship...

SARK has to be happy walking in to the current TEXAS QB room...  🤘😁

think Sarks approach to the game in terms of playcalling can help a young OL finding it's way early in the season.. or I hope he does.

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4 hours ago, Bill Lumbergh said:

The players wanted to play for charlie but weren't coached well enough to play well.

The players were better coached under Herman, but didn't give two shits about playing for him.

Name me a player Tom Herman coached up beyond the expectations anyone had for him, at either UH or UT. 

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4 minutes ago, MaybeACoordinator said:

IDGAF. Who did Tom Herman ever coach up? I won't mention any other coaches in UT history. 

Unless you actually are Charlie I have no idea why you get all hot and bothered when someone suggests that the objectively worst coach in Texas history was a bad coach. 

Nobody here wants to defend Tom Herman,  but what you are saying is just dumb. Cosmi was a low 3 star, he’ll be drafted in the first two days in a few months. 

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9 minutes ago, UncleSonny said:

Unless you actually are Charlie I have no idea why you get all hot and bothered when someone suggests that the objectively worst coach in Texas history was a bad coach. 

Nobody here wants to defend Tom Herman,  but what you are saying is just dumb. Cosmi was a low 3 star, he’ll be drafted in the first two days in a few months. 

Poona, and I'll shut up. 

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I don’t have the slightest clue what point you are making. 
I think his point is that poona ford is a tremendously talented football player who has been productive at every stop of his career but also underestimated at every stop of his career due to not fitting the expected measurables mold for his position.

The facts that 1) he was underrated out of highschool based on dumb emphasis on measurables and outperformed that ranking at UT and 2) he had his best season at UT under Todd Orlando and Tom Herman combine to prove that anything bad we've ever said about charlie Strong is wrong, and we should feel bad about it.

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I enjoyed the article about Sark. I'm a fan, been pulling for him to get his life on track and seems to have done it. I doubt Saban would have put his trust in him if he wasn't getting it together. He seems like a genuine, likeable person and I hope he does well. The Sooners need some real competition in the Conference.

Do y'all think Herman would have been fired as late as he was in the season/year if his recruiting hadn't went so badly?

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23 minutes ago, bornbama1 said:

I enjoyed the article about Sark. I'm a fan, been pulling for him to get his life on track and seems to have done it. I doubt Saban would have put his trust in him if he wasn't getting it together. He seems like a genuine, likeable person and I hope he does well. The Sooners need some real competition in the Conference.

Do y'all think Herman would have been fired as late as he was in the season/year if his recruiting hadn't went so badly?

I don’t.  I honestly think if he had found a way to hold onto Ewers, that would’ve been close to enough to keep him. 
 

With that being said, I’m glad he’s out.   It kinda blows my mind that the last decade of Texas football coaches have used about 10% of the resources Texas has and Sark has come in and in a month, used as much of it as he can with staff selection.  Maybe he came at the right moment and caught the boosters in the right mood, but the staff he’s assembled already surpasses any staff the last two have put together, and it ain’t close. 

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9 minutes ago, BurntOrangeBlooded15 said:

I don’t.  I honestly think if he had found a way to hold onto Ewers, that would’ve been close to enough to keep him. 
 

With that being said, I’m glad he’s out.   It kinda blows my mind that the last decade of Texas football coaches have used about 10% of the resources Texas has and Sark has come in and in a month, used as much of it as he can with staff selection.  Maybe he came at the right moment and caught the boosters in the right mood, but the staff he’s assembled already surpasses any staff the last two have put together, and it ain’t close. 

Well Charlie didn't get the same resources because Steve Patterson was a moron. It's unlikely he would've pulled a staff like this anyway but he was handcuffed. 

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