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Texas Recruiting Notes 2021


Reese Bennett

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16 minutes ago, Bevo said:

Was this a crystal ball forecast or tarot cards? 

"Futurecast"

22 minutes ago, RGBIII said:

Good that’s the LSU guy, should have been our only cause for concern after his LSU visit

His official territory is Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. His picks tend to come in when an announcement is imminent. Not much further than 2 weeks out in most cases, some same day. 

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1 hour ago, Elmer_Fudd said:

Sam Spiegelman forecasted Cooks to Texas on Rivals.

 

52 minutes ago, RGBIII said:

Good that’s the LSU guy, should have been our only cause for concern after his LSU visit

Yeah. I'm not going to lie, I've been overly nervous about that one since LSU threw their hat in the ring. 

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2 hours ago, Ricky's one-hitter said:

"Futurecast"

His official territory is Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. His picks tend to come in when an announcement is imminent. Not much further than 2 weeks out in most cases, some same day. 

Thats good. Cus we need about 10 to 15 commits this weekend. All our top guys and a few suprise 5* to make the weekend go down smooth

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Eric Nahlin: The promising 2020 season is upon us

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The 2020 season has set up well for Texas ever since we witnessed encouraging glimpses amidst disappointing results early in Tom Herman’s tenure. Given the roller coaster nature of that tenure, it’s worth noting Herman has done well to restore justifiable optimism in the 2020 season. If you’re feeling optimistic, it’s most warranted in:

Quarterback. Sam Ehlinger should remain in the whittled down Heisman Trophy conversation all season long. Whether or not he wins it will depend on UT’s record more so than his own individual production, but we can rest assured he’ll do his part to spearhead a conference championship run. Herman and Mike Yurcich have a legitimate Heisman contender with more experience in the spread than Annie Savoy.

Defensive line. The D-line is a very good composite of early round draft picks, future NFL journeymen, experience, motor, depth, and elite younger talent. The parts are complementary and can be configured to stuff the run, get after the quarterback, or both. They should make life much easier for the rest of the defense.

Skill talent. What good is an all-time Texas quarterback (which is what Ehlinger will become) without athletes to dish the ball to? Texas should be efficient at both running and passing the ball, with more big play ability than we’ve seen in the past with an accomplished coordinator scheming to get speed in space.

Schemes that fit, fits to scheme. Based on the personnel of the defense, it’s my opinion Chris Ash will turn out to be a great hire. The strength of this defense would have once again been neutered by aligning in a three-man front and not utilizing Joseph Ossai on the line of scrimmage. By simple alignment and sound tackling this defense will be much improved. On offense, Mike Yurcich entertains 11 personnel, “playing big,” and inside zone enough to earn Herman’s trust. Once those bully ball 14-play drive traits are established well enough, he’ll be allowed to mash the gas and light up the scoreboard. Tom Herman should be made to live with blowout wins and shelve the “winning is really, really hard” nonsense.

Depth. Overall team depth is the best it has been in a long time. Even a position like tight end that doesn’t have a single world beater has four options the staff can credibly play. That isn’t to say depth is perfect, but it’s better than most programs in the country.

While there are numerous reasons for optimism, I’m definitely in wait-and-see mode when it comes to some important facets of the program.

Offensive line. Ideally Herb Hand would have 7-8 guys he felt comfortable playing versus a team with a pulse. Right now there are maybe five, or six if Isaiah Hookfin is the real deal. The right side of the offensive line was the biggest question going into August camp and it’s still the biggest question two days out from the season. Reason for optimism: Denzel Okafor is in his ideal position and Christian Jones fits the specs of a right tackle. I expect Jones to show tremendous improvement throughout the season. Like lifting weights, you’re going to make your greatest improvements the further you are from full maturity. If Jones plays well, even just league average, it will bode well for Hand’s ability to teach. This is a big year for the third year O-line coach and Jones, along with Okafor, will serve as a good case study.

Defensive backs still susceptible deep? We know they’re playing the short passing game aggressively. I think that will open up double moves if eyes and technique break down. Last year the defensive backs had trouble locating the ball in the air. That is still a concern. I will say, the amount of experience in the secondary is a major plus. The unit is not without athleticism either and it should benefit from a more consistent pass rush.

Team psyche. The Texas of the last few years has been more physically tough than mentally tough. To win at a high level, or to overcome adversity, you need both. You also need focus, and we’re in a climate where it could be lost rather quickly due to external factors. How will this team respond to adversity, both on and off the field? Can Herman keep the team together after some misfortune? That’s a huge question of mine. That brings us to the man himself.

Tom Herman. Recently a source outside of the immediate UT circle but who knows Herman well said, “you know Herman, you can’t tell him anything.” It was said in good nature, but it reminded me of this passage from last October.

Herman clearly has a lot of self-belief in his ability to navigate difficult situations through his own intellect. I'm reminded of a comparison between Ludwig Von Mises and his pupil Friedrich Hayek. The apolitical story goes, if tasked with placing a walking path on a college campus for students to walk to class, Von Mises would rely on his own intelligence to place the path on the optimal route. He was not known to be humble; he had all the answers, after all. Hayek on the other hand, who was known for humility, would place the path where the students were already walking.

Whether it's stubbornly playing a poor option at tight end in 2017 rather than going to 10 personnel (Garrett Gray over Lil'Jordan Humphrey), having an indefensible imbalance with offensive/defensive coaches, or his refusal to kick field goals (sometimes warranted, sometimes not), Herman is telling the world he knows exactly where the path should go. There's a chance Herman puts that path right down the middle of the Big 12, but some changes are almost certainly needed to do so. Based on what I'm hearing, those changes may take place whether he wants to make them or not.

To his credit, Herman knew changes needed to be made and didn’t need his hand forced to make them. Also to his credit, he made what appear to be a number of strong hires. From what we’ve heard, he and his new hires have restored meritocracy within the program. He’s navigated a very difficult offseason admirably. He has the program poised to fulfill the promise many noticed long ago. But how he handles the pressure of the season and the myriad adverse situations each season presents remains to be seen.

His job is to prepare the team for success to the best of his abilities. To that end, he’s done a lot of work, not only in the preceding years by increasing roster talent and depth, but also over this past offseason by upgrading coaching, restoring trust between players and coaches, and building team cohesion during a turbulent time. It’s time to win a conference championship.

 

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12 minutes ago, satyanash said:

Herman clearly has a lot of self-belief in his ability to navigate difficult situations through his own intellect. I'm reminded of a comparison between Ludwig Von Mises and his pupil Friedrich Hayek. The apolitical story goes, if tasked with placing a walking path on a college campus for students to walk to class, Von Mises would rely on his own intelligence to place the path on the optimal route. He was not known to be humble; he had all the answers, after all. Hayek on the other hand, who was known for humility, would place the path where the students were already walking.

Surely he means apocryphal, right?

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