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Texas Preferred Walk-Ons: Good Kids from Good Families


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5 hours ago, UncleSonny said:

Hell yeah, love it. It's semantics this first year, but he's coming in as a blue shirt guy not a pwo, correct? Either way, found money right now. I think I saw the had an actual scholarship offer from LSU. 

 

5 hours ago, Katfid54 said:

This kid sounds fucking rich as fuck.


1. Brentwood High School? (rich)
2. Moffett grandkid? (rich)
3. Improved a lot over the last year? (translation: Family paid for fitness trainer, QB coach, and WR to catch his passes... = rich)


In my opinion, NO "rich as fuck" kid should ever get a blue shirt. And the kid, and his family, should want to leave as many scholarships as possible available if he wants the team to do as well as possible. (See: NFL Comparison is Tom Brady with New England Patriots) And this is especially the case with a "rich as shit" 3 star player.

Get your PWO offer, get your locker, get your housing in the jock suites of the dorm, get to eat at the turbo deluxe training table, get to show up on campus at the end of May/start of June... but don't fucking pull a scholarship from someone who could help the team. It's fine to insist that it go to an OL, WR, TE, or RB to help you, but don't waste a scholarship.

 

 

5 hours ago, Kanly said:

Wow, that's the worst o-line I've seen in a long time. Credit to him for not getting killed.

It's Brentwood.

They play school... and focus on the Entertainment Industry and the High Holidays. (frequently both)

The Public School vs Private School dynamic in Southern California is completely flipped from the way it is in Texas (save Dallas Jesuit). I was about 5'7" to 5'8" and 125 lbs as a sophomore in high school and I think that I was bigger than some of the CBs that he was throwing against. His entire tape was filled with players on both sides of the ball that ranged from Texas JV players to intramural flag football players. That level of play was comical at times.

PS- I've been to the Brentwood Campus and used to start/end cycling workouts when a rode with a local cycling club on the west side. Also used to jog around Brentwood Country Club and am familiar with the parking meters on San Vicente... I've never lived IN Brentwood, but I'm quite familiar with the area and its residents. (Pretty good Whole Foods on San Vicente.) It's not "real" high school football.

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3 minutes ago, Napoleon said:

 


1. Brentwood High School? (rich)
2. Moffett grandkid? (rich)
3. Improved a lot over the last year? (translation: Family paid for fitness trainer, QB coach, and WR to catch his passes... = rich)


In my opinion, NO "rich as fuck" kid should ever get a blue shirt. And the kid, and his family, should want to leave as many scholarships as possible available if he wants the team to do as well as possible. (See: NFL Comparison is Tom Brady with New England Patriots) And this is especially the case with a "rich as shit" 3 star player.

Get your PWO offer, get your locker, get your housing in the jock suites of the dorm, get to eat at the turbo deluxe training table, get to show up on campus at the end of May/start of June... but don't fucking pull a scholarship from someone who could help the team. It's fine to insist that it go to an OL, WR, TE, or RB to help you, but don't waste a scholarship.

 

 

It's Brentwood.

They play school... and focus on the Entertainment Industry and the High Holidays. (frequently both)

The Public School vs Private School dynamic in Southern California is completely flipped from the way it is in Texas (save Dallas Jesuit). I was about 5'7" to 5'8" and 125 lbs as a sophomore in high school and I think that I was bigger than some of the CBs that he was throwing against. His entire tape was filled with players on both sides of the ball that ranged from Texas JV players to intramural flag football players. That level of play was comical at times.

PS- I've been to the Brentwood Campus and used to start/end cycling workouts when a rode with a local cycling club on the west side. Also used to jog around Brentwood Country Club and am familiar with the parking meters on San Vicente... I've never lived IN Brentwood, but I'm quite familiar with the area and its residents. (Pretty good Whole Foods on San Vicente.) It's not "real" high school football.

TL;DR U hate rich kids?

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5 minutes ago, Thiefery said:

TL;DR U hate rich kids?

Where did you get that?

I think that rich kids should at least pay their way.

(I grew up with rich kids and I can't recall any of them whining for a financial aid package. Many of their parents donated additional thousands to the school so that non-rich kids could go there and so that their kids' teachers would have the best tools to teach their children.)

I think that giving a financial package to a rich kid is stupid.

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5 hours ago, ztejas said:

Oh please. Like that would ever happen. 🙄

(But yeah - there's no reason we can't or shouldn't do the exact same thing with LT)

Yep. Raid Westlake, LT, Vadergrift, the once every 6 years y’all have a decent player and lock down those Rice type players. 
 

Shit back in 2010 I thought we should’ve offered Tanner Price and Bryce Hager. Same with Swope the year before then. Then again I am a Westlake homer so yeah

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7 hours ago, Getafix said:

Very positive note from Tom Loy(247/ND staff), on Cole Lourd.

 

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Just a quick note on a 2021 Quarterback

Tom Loy
 

I've known Cole Lourd since Dec. 2019 from the All-American Bowl Underclassmen Combine. He was one of the more impressive throwers at the event. Terrific mechanics, very accurate, really, really smart, and a guy I absolutely felt could land some national offers. Ended up with an offer from Ole Miss, a late one from LSU, a nice Liberty offer, in addition to many Ivy League offers.

I'm told that despite a lack of an offer right now, Lourd is leaning toward accepting a PWO opportunity at Texas over the offer from LSU. Sarkisian has been all over him and seems to have single-handidly swung this back in favor of the Longhorns. He was nearly a done deal to the Tigers, but Sarkisian has put Texas in a great spot and I expect him to end up with the Longhorns.

He'll start as a preferred walk-on, but I'd be shocked if he didn't eventually receive a scholarship. This isn't just a typical PWO, in my opinion, but a guy that will make the QB room better and push for on-field reps.

 

 

 

 

 

That's awesome - but isn't every PWO supposed to make their room better and push for reps? 

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3 hours ago, Napoleon said:

Where did you get that?

I think that rich kids should at least pay their way.

(I grew up with rich kids and I can't recall any of them whining for a financial aid package. Many of their parents donated additional thousands to the school so that non-rich kids could go there and so that their kids' teachers would have the best tools to teach their children.)

I think that giving a financial package to a rich kid is stupid.

It's not so much the financial package as it is the other rules surrounding walk ons and scholarships athletes. Walk ons are treated so much differently in terms of the access, assistance, and resources that are available to them. It goes way past financial assistance.

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33 minutes ago, Stunns38 said:

Brentwood...isn’t that where OJ used to live? I like the kid’s killer instinct.

It’s where Ron Goldman & what’s her name used to live too. 

Maybe the QB is so good at avoiding the rush because his dad paid for some “Evasive Tactics” training. 
 

My rant on rich kids taking scholarships is based on my assumption that PWOs get access to basically everything that the scholarship kids get, but have to pay for it. If that is not the case, then I understand taking the scholarship...

...but I would hope that the parents make an annual contribution to the school. (That’s the way I roll.)

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Fun family. Related to the Moffett oil family on his mom's side, and this is his dad's:
Lourd's father is Blaine Lourd, a New Iberia native who graduated from LSU in 1985 and is an investment advisor to the stars and others in Los Angeles. Lourd's brother is Hollywood talent agent Bryan Lourd.
 

Sexton’s “boss”
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Thanks for this @Hiphopopotamos

BurtonAs 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.

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Texas adds roster depth with four preferred walk-on signees in 2021 class

ByNICK HARRIS 24 hours ago

Quote

Texas wrapped up the 2021 cycle on Wednesday with 21 signees and the No. 17 class in the country. Making up the 21 signatures was one five-star prospect, nine four-stars and 11 three-stars.

The big names were not the only ones to sign with Texas on National Signing Day though as the Longhorns provided additional roster depth with four preferred walk-on signees: Austin Westlake cornerback Michael Taaffe, Austin Westlake running back Zane Minors, Flower Mound kicker Bert Auburn and Los Angeles (Calif.) Brentwood quarterback Cole Lourd.

Let's take a look at each one and what they will be able to contribute on the Forty Acres:

Cole Lourd, Quarterback, Los Angeles (Calif.) Brentwood

We'll start off with possibly the most intriguing of the four in three-star quarterback Cole Lourd.

Lourd passed up scholarship opportunities at SEC programs like LSU and Ole Miss and an early playing opportunity at Liberty to play for Steve Sarkisian in Austin. Lourd suffered from not having a senior season in California and Texas jumped on the opportunity late behind a spirited effort from Coach Sarkisian, quarterbacks coach AJ Milwee and Assistant Director of Player Personnel JM Jones, and was able to secure his commitment and signature on Thursday.

He shows off some elite mechanics and fantastic ball placement on film with the tools to be an intriguing project for the staff in Austin.

"I am absolutely fired up to be a Texas Longhorn. This has been my dream since I was a young kid, and I cannot wait to get to work," Lourd said. "I want to thank Coach Sark, Coach Milwee and John Michael Jones for this opportunity to continue the family legacy at UT."

Lourd will join a quarterback room that has Casey Thompson, Hudson Card and Charles Wright on scholarship and Ben Ballard as a walk-on.

Michael Taaffe, Cornerback, Austin Westlake

This name may sound familiar if you watched the 6A Division I state championship this past season.

Taaffe turned a lot of heads with a stellar one-handed interception of Quinn Ewers in the second half on his way to securing his second consecutive Defensive MVP award in the state championship. He's close friends with Austin High signee Charles Wright and will provide some intriguing depth at the cornerback position. He passed up offers from Ivy League schools to stay in Austin and play with the Longhorns.

Zane Minors, Running Back, Austin Westlake

The Texas personnel department obviously did some work in Westlake Hills late in the cycle as Minors and Taaffe make up half of the PWO class.

Minors runs with a purpose and was highly instrumental in Westlake's run to their second consecutive state championship this past season. In 2020, Minors rushed for 1,068 yards and 20 touchdowns while adding 37 receptions for 628 yards and 3 touchdowns in the receiving game.

Minors was initially committed to Yale but passed up the opportunity to play with the Bulldogs as well as other offers from Air Force and Lamar to stay home and play for Texas. He will be able to provide depth to a running back room that has Bijan Robinson, Roschon Johnson, Gabe Watson and Daniel Young on scholarship as well as Jarrett Smith, Skyler Bonneau and Anton Simieou on preferred walk-ons.

Bert Auburn, Kicker, Flower Mound

We have an immediate contender for best hair and best name on campus when Auburn gets to Austin in the summeBertBert Auburn excelled for Flower Mound in his three seasons as the full-time specialist. He has a leg that can hit from 50+ and has done enough to catch the attention of the special teams staff here late in the cycle.

Auburn is a real one to keep an eye on to be a starter one day. Cameron Dicker has two years of eligibility left and can give Auburn time to develop into a possible contributor. If the staff likes what they see from Auburn in his 1-2 years sitting behind Dicker, Auburn could be the man once the spot becomes open. He also provides some much-needed depth to a specialist room that could have seen disaster if Cameron Dicker had gone down after Ryan Bujcevski's season-ending injury.

 

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On 2/4/2021 at 5:06 PM, Napoleon said:

 


1. Brentwood High School? (rich)
2. Moffett grandkid? (rich)
3. Improved a lot over the last year? (translation: Family paid for fitness trainer, QB coach, and WR to catch his passes... = rich)


In my opinion, NO "rich as fuck" kid should ever get a blue shirt. And the kid, and his family, should want to leave as many scholarships as possible available if he wants the team to do as well as possible. (See: NFL Comparison is Tom Brady with New England Patriots) And this is especially the case with a "rich as shit" 3 star player.

Get your PWO offer, get your locker, get your housing in the jock suites of the dorm, get to eat at the turbo deluxe training table, get to show up on campus at the end of May/start of June... but don't fucking pull a scholarship from someone who could help the team. It's fine to insist that it go to an OL, WR, TE, or RB to help you, but don't waste a scholarship.

 

 

It's Brentwood.

They play school... and focus on the Entertainment Industry and the High Holidays. (frequently both)

The Public School vs Private School dynamic in Southern California is completely flipped from the way it is in Texas (save Dallas Jesuit). I was about 5'7" to 5'8" and 125 lbs as a sophomore in high school and I think that I was bigger than some of the CBs that he was throwing against. His entire tape was filled with players on both sides of the ball that ranged from Texas JV players to intramural flag football players. That level of play was comical at times.

PS- I've been to the Brentwood Campus and used to start/end cycling workouts when a rode with a local cycling club on the west side. Also used to jog around Brentwood Country Club and am familiar with the parking meters on San Vicente... I've never lived IN Brentwood, but I'm quite familiar with the area and its residents. (Pretty good Whole Foods on San Vicente.) It's not "real" high school football.

I read this in Eminem’s voice from when he was roasting the Cranbrook kid in the final rap battle of 8 Mile.

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Cross-posting since PWO.  Thx for this @BurntOrange&White 

 

Cole Lourd’s path to UT highlights Sarkisian’s level of involvement

Justin Wells         Feb 9, 2021 

Quote

The story of how a player talented enough to pick up an offer as a freshman from Lane Kiffin, and then again as a junior, ended up signing as a preferred walk-on at Texas.

“Basically, Coach Beck, Coach Giles, and a few other coaches followed me back in sophomore year but I didn’t hear much from them.

The first time coach I heard from was Coach Larry Fedora as he was inviting me to camp. Then, Coach Beck started hitting me up about camp, and I ended up coming to the Austin and playing well. I could’ve played better, but I got to meet Coach Herman, Beck, and Fedora, who are all great coaches. Then, I came to a game during my junior year, where I got to know Coach John Michael Jones. That spring, my recruitment started to heat up and I received offers from many D1 schools.

At that point, Texas had Jalen Milroe committed, and wasn’t looking for anyone else. Once Jalen de-committed, I immediately hit up Coach Jones and told him that I wanted to be the QB at Texas. A few days later, they took Charles Wright, but JM Jones told me that I still could be a PWO there, they just don’t have an offer. Coach Herman actually offered me the PWO over FaceTime and I was fired up. Although I had many other offers, UT always had a special place in my heart and I kept them in mind.

Then, when Coach Herman got fired, I wasn’t sure if my PWO was still there or not. During this time, I was still talking to many schools that offered me scholarships, but my plan was to wait until Signing Day.

As Signing Day crept up, LSU continued to relentlessly pursue me and eventually, two days before Signing Day, they offered me an official scholarship offer. This was a huge deal to me and I was absolutely fired up, as my dad is an alum and I’ve grown up watching LSU. I’d been in touch with them throughout my entire recruitment, and felt like that was going to be the spot. One day before Signing Day, I received a late PWO offer at UCLA, which I was excited about, but still felt like it was between LSU and Texas. So, I called all of the coaches that I had been talking to and told them that I would not be attending their school.

I was down to LSU, Texas, and UCLA the night before signing day when Coach Sark gave me a call. I had already been talking a lot with JM Jones and Coach Milwee, but had not gotten to talk to Coach Sark yet. Our call went amazing, and really made me rethink if LSU was the best spot for me. The next morning, NSD, I was so conflicted, and decided I needed more time to decide. I had great talks with the coaches at both UT and LSU, and I was very confused. I texted Coach Sark to see if he could talk again and he immediately got on the phone to talk to me and my dad.

After that talk, I started feeling like UT was the right fit for me. I took the night to keep thinking and woke up today feeling the same way, when I finally decided that UT was going to be the place for me. I had three very tough calls to make to Coach Peetz, Coach Callaway, and Coach Ponamsky at LSU, as I have built such good relationships with them. I have no doubt they will be back playing at the championship level soon, but I needed to make the best decision for myself. No love lost for LSU, but I just knew Texas was the best fit for me. After these calls, I immediately FaceTimed JM Jones to break the news to him, as we have built such a great relationship and he is the reason why Texas initially stayed in my recruitment.

Then, I FaceTimed Coach Milwee and let him know, which he was fired up to hear and have me become part of the QB room. Then after that, I FaceTimed Coach Sark and let him know the news, which he was very excited to hear. And now, I’m a Longhorn.”

Lourd was extremely thankful for JM Jones, “I wouldn’t have signed with Texas if it wasn’t for him.”

#####

Finding a PWO as talented as Lourd is an outlier, but the standard from this story, aside Jones’ doggedness on the PWO trail, is Sarkisian’s proactive accessibility.

This isn’t the first time we’ve heard of Sarkisian getting a “you up?” text and being on the phone minutes later. Not only is Sarkisian’s level of involvement in recruiting impressing people, his relatability and demeanor is winning them over.

When we say there are the hints of a UT recruiting uprising in the making, it largely stems from his personal interactions with these blue-chip recruits and the excitement he’s creating with them.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, “need some commits!” Yes, we know, the processes are in place to ensure the fan base is going to be quite happy with the results of the class.

 

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20 hours ago, Catdaddyhorn said:

Does the PWO tag help with admittance into UT if a player is out of state or falls outside of the Top 10% (6%) line?  

It helps because CDC then makes a call or maybe just has someone send an email to admissions saying, "Hey - this kid's going to be playing football for us - please let him in. Thanks"

So, yes, I would assume it functions just as it would for any scholarship recruit.

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On 2/4/2021 at 11:38 AM, ztejas said:

Who played alongside Billy Dee WILLIAMS in ESB, who played Harvey Dent in Batman (1989), a character that later reappeared in The Dark Knight (2008) alongside Commissioner Gordon played by Gary Oldman, who played Lee Harvey Oswald in the political drama JFK (1991) that also starred Kevin Bacon.

Way too complicated.... Carrie Fisher was in The Man With One Red Shoe with Lori Singer who was in Footloose with Kevin Bacon.

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  • 3 weeks later...
On 2/11/2021 at 9:59 PM, Lhorn said:

Before I get too excited about a guy who I hope will never have to take a legit snap at Texas, if Lourd could go back in a time machine and play QB at Texas, is it pretty much a given that he puts Heard, Case and Swoopes ass on the bench? Ash?

Ash was pretty damn good before concussions. A 157 pass efficiency rating as a true sophomore.

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23 hours ago, texifornia said:

 

Pat McAfee said it best... if you want to be a college kicker, no coach will care that you can hit from 60+ yards if you’re not automatic within 50. You won’t be called on to kick 60 yard FGs very often. 

Edited by Helobious
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6 minutes ago, Helobious said:

Pat McAfee said it best... if you want to be a college kicker, no coach will care that you can hit from 60+ yards if you’re not automatic within 50. You won’t be called on to kick 60 yard FGs very often. 

That is like the story of a reporter complaining that Earl was not able to finish the mile during Oilers camp and Bum saying, "Hell, if it's third and a mile, we won't give it to him."

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