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2022 Summer Season: Flavor-Aid (Strength: Prison Wine)


BurntOrange&White

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1 hour ago, closetojumping said:

It’s more about two things regarding upcoming transfers:

1) Guys that will cause the coaches heartburn - there are players being recruited elsewhere who have a present or future here that the team doesn’t want to lose. The simplest prospects for this group of players are … the prospects, the guys that have someone good in front of them who will still get plenty of PT and are future starters if they stay on campus.

2) Guys this board and fans are befuddled by, albeit it not necessarily you or whomever else posting here - this isn’t a group to cheer out the door as much it just probably has to happen. There will be multiple players from the 2021 class if the rumors are true. Dead weight on the DL with bigger names too, sure. 

A lot of the NIL bullshit being touted by the other programs right now is just “look at me too!” nonsense. Parents hearing all of the pitches actually can see action at Texas, Oregon and a few other places and then everyone else is just talking. 

OU and its alumni base have been openly talking about major money problems. They’re getting trucked in the NIL discussions. So they announce this thing, a replica of the starting point from us, as their big deal, led by one of the biggest hucksters in college sports history.

From the UT fan perspective, and I know everybody NEEDS to know everything right now, there is a fuckton going on with multiple groups. We’re going to see waves of announcements with teeth over the next 5 months and probably the next 12-24 that will continue to show some of these historically cheating motherfuckers what a payroll to meet looks like. 

One of the rumors I have no involvement with but is out there with multiple folks I view as credible is that in addition to the grassroots activity from groups like HWH, CFC, and Occupy, is that several independent billionaire types are verging on their own big things as a rebuttal to the decades of ongoing opponent cheating. So things may be a little messy for awhile, but probably not for most of the athletes getting paid. We’ll see. Buckle up. 

I have a feeling this wild west era of early NIL isn't going to last long. It'll become an embarrassing arms race for college football and the universities and NCAA have to be seeing it's in their best interest to put regulations on this thing. 

Edited by Hermanator
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8 hours ago, longhornmatt said:

Yeah, my reaction to that post was to lament how far we’ve fallen to get to the point where people list Juan Davis, Hudson Card and Charles Wright as examples of guys we really can’t afford to lose as transfers.  Our lightly recruited 4th string tweener TE, the QB who lost his job to Casey Thompson, and a QB that will never play?   We used to fret about losing Ramonce Taylor in the good old days.  

This little exercise has caused me to reevaluate my expectations for the upcoming season. "Oh no! Excluding the incoming class and transfers, and Bijan and Worthy, that could mean.... um...."

I can think of about five players in that group that would cause concern. 

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10 minutes ago, RaysBoomBoomRoom said:

As far as DL is concerned the only player who would cause serious pain for me is Byron Murphy. That dude could be a bonafide superstar 

Texas needs all the depth on the interior they can get. No needs to figure out a way to fill Coburn’s, Collin’s, and Sweat’s gas tank, so they can get to 10 plays without standing up on the snap. 

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36 minutes ago, Hermanator said:

I have a feeling this wild west era of early NIL isn't going to last long. It'll become an embarrassing arms race for college football and the universities and NCAA have to be seeing it's in their best interest to put regulations on this thing. 

They’re powerless va that. It will be seen as them setting market prices instead of free and open market. SCOTUS already has favorable rulings for free market. 

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29 minutes ago, Codaxx said:

Texas needs all the depth on the interior they can get. No needs to figure out a way to fill Coburn’s, Collin’s, and Sweat’s gas tank, so they can get to 10 plays without standing up on the snap. 

The should have been “Bo needs”

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20 minutes ago, BurntOrange&White said:

They’re powerless va that. It will be seen as them setting market prices instead of free and open market. SCOTUS already has favorable rulings for free market. 

Never underestimate billionaires' abilities to skirt around regulation and law. I have a feeling their high priced lawyers will find a way to tamp down on this before long. Especially since the athletes are still bound by NCAA regulation and aren't being paid by the universities or the NCAA itself so still are not classified as employees. I have no doubt as non employee student athletes the NCAA can still set its own eligibility requirement somehow to cut down on this. 

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12 minutes ago, Hermanator said:

Never underestimate billionaires' abilities to skirt around regulation and law. I have a feeling their high priced lawyers will find a way to tamp down on this before long. Especially since the athletes are still bound by NCAA regulation and aren't being paid by the universities or the NCAA itself so still are not classified as employees. I have no doubt as non employee student athletes the NCAA can still set its own eligibility requirement somehow to cut down on this. 

This is a lot of words to say something with no point at all. 

The Supreme Court told the NCAA and universities that they were not allowed to prevent college athletes from profiting from their Name Image and Likeness. 

Different state legislatures have put laws in place that include some restrictions, mostly in an attempt to prevent recruiting high school kids with NIL money. Those attempts were largely toothless and ineffective, so states like Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana have started rewriting the laws to try to make NIL more advantageous to schools in their states than in other places (Texas, California, Ohio). 

The NCAA and the universities are powerless here, as the Supreme Court has told them they aren't allowed to interfere. 

Eventually, the NCAA will probably try to either get some national legislation passed or get all of the state legislatures to come to an agreement that moves away from the Wild Wild West we see today. But that's going to take some time and who knows how effective that will be. 

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46 minutes ago, Hornlover said:

This is a lot of words to say something with no point at all. 

The Supreme Court told the NCAA and universities that they were not allowed to prevent college athletes from profiting from their Name Image and Likeness. 

Different state legislatures have put laws in place that include some restrictions, mostly in an attempt to prevent recruiting high school kids with NIL money. Those attempts were largely toothless and ineffective, so states like Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana have started rewriting the laws to try to make NIL more advantageous to schools in their states than in other places (Texas, California, Ohio). 

The NCAA and the universities are powerless here, as the Supreme Court has told them they aren't allowed to interfere. 

Eventually, the NCAA will probably try to either get some national legislation passed or get all of the state legislatures to come to an agreement that moves away from the Wild Wild West we see today. But that's going to take some time and who knows how effective that will be. 

prevent and regulate are 2 different things, especially if there is a players union and a league for CFB (which seem the logical next steps).

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Only players that could transfer that would cause the fans to have “heartburn” would be Ewers, Bijan, Worthy, Sanders on offense.  I don’t think any of those guys will transfer.  On defense… Collins, Terrence Brooks,Overshown, Murphy, maybe Finkley.  Of those Collins seems most likely.  He’s an elite talent that is better suited for 4 man front and went fro best player into be team at the bowl game to back up under PK with increased playing time last half of the year. I wouldn’t be shocked to see Collins leave but he’s pencilled in to start this year.  I don’t think any of the other candidates would transfer to a better situation.  If it anyone else outside of those names…. Who gives a fuck.  Even half the guys in the names I’ve mentioned haven’t proven shit.  Anyone outside of those names is completely either unproven or have proven to be mediocre to borderline terrible at playing football.  They can fuck odd and transfer to UH and Sam Houston State like the other guys.  Most of them will be pushed out the door.  We need to rid ourselves of the damn loser mentality and players on this team that are here to be Texas football players and get more guys that want to play for Texas if that makes sense.

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3 hours ago, Hornlover said:

This is a lot of words to say something with no point at all. 

The Supreme Court told the NCAA and universities that they were not allowed to prevent college athletes from profiting from their Name Image and Likeness. 

Different state legislatures have put laws in place that include some restrictions, mostly in an attempt to prevent recruiting high school kids with NIL money. Those attempts were largely toothless and ineffective, so states like Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana have started rewriting the laws to try to make NIL more advantageous to schools in their states than in other places (Texas, California, Ohio). 

The NCAA and the universities are powerless here, as the Supreme Court has told them they aren't allowed to interfere. 

Eventually, the NCAA will probably try to either get some national legislation passed or get all of the state legislatures to come to an agreement that moves away from the Wild Wild West we see today. But that's going to take some time and who knows how effective that will be. 

We'll see, but you're being way too dismissive of the rich having the ability to get their way with legislature and even courts when it comes to finances. The court ruling was very broad so it would appear there's wiggle room to maneuver inside it. 

We do agree it'll take some time. Right now it appears they're letting it play out and when the cluster fuck commences they'll have ammo to use to find a way to regulate most likely through legislation. 

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Sweat leaving will cause some heads to explode, but might be the best for all parties. Frees up some space and he can go somewhere where he plays every down and can maybe play himself into shape and a draft pick. Collins would be a blow because potential is always tantalizing. Coburn is a name and a good guy, but if he feels it's best, that's cool. One is no big deal, but I'd certainly hate to lose two or more of those three. A better player or two in the secondary would also be tough but there might be some who fancy themselves CBs but are pulling Safety reps. LBs who aren't starting, well, eh, but I guess you need those types on special teams though. I'm OK with any O-lineman leaving who is not getting first team reps this Spring. If we come out of fall with two centers, three guards, three tackles, and one utility guy who can all play at a basic level, I'll be ecstatic. Might have to be happy with seven instead of nine, at least for the first half of the season. The WR room could still be thinned some. It'd be disappointing to lose any of our RBs, but it is a crowded room and those RB types are not known for patience. Sounds like we have 2 1/2 TEs, but I'd like to see one more blocking specialist step up.

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5 hours ago, LTtxfan said:
  • No Bijan or Worthy today.
  • Karic out
  • Rojo will be limited.

Hope Whittington is limited...  🙄

100 play practice

 

 

 

I hope this isn’t true,  Unless it’s due to injury 

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6 hours ago, LTtxfan said:
  • No Bijan or Worthy today.
  • Karic out
  • Rojo will be limited.

 

12 minutes ago, D3zii said:

I hope this isn’t true,  Unless it’s due to injury 

 

Bijan nursing ankle injury.  Worthy may just be dinged up.  The report sounded like RoJo limited because they know what he can do.  

(Info was from Bobby Burton video this morning)

 

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3 minutes ago, LTtxfan said:

 

 

Bijan nursing ankle injury.  Worthy may just be dinged up.  The report sounded like RoJo limited because they know what he can do.  

(Info was from Bobby Burton video this morning)

 

Gotcha thanks!!! 

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Bunch of crap in here...

What level of confidence should there be in each position at Texas right now?

By  FUCK CHIP BROWN       96 minutes ago

At times like this, fresh out of spring practice and three months from fall camp, it’s easy to see the positive, the upside for any team without 11 angry, game-planned players on the other side of the ball trying to disrupt everything.

The bottom line is while Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian has turned over 40 percent of his roster (and counting) from last season by signing a top-five recruiting class that includes 28 high school signees and five FBS transfers (so far), there is still a LOT that is unknown about the 2022 Longhorns.

So, after talking to team sources, this week’s edition of The Insider will go position by position and examine how much confidence should be placed in each position group (based on talent, experience, production and leadership) on a scale of 1 to 10.

Remember, these ratings are based on right now, coming out of spring ball. They are NOT based on a projection of where the rating will be when the season starts. These ratings are expected to go up based on work put in over the summer and in fall camp.

We’ll go from highest to lowest:

RUNNING BACK: 9

It’s not just Bijan Robinson, although he’s the star of the show. It’s the depth of talent with Roschon Johnson, Keilan Robinson, Jonathon Brooks and Jaydon Blue.

There’s versatility, excellent pass-catching ability and solid team leadership anchored by Robinson and Johnson.

INTERIOR DEFENSIVE LINE: 8

This position group has NFL talent. It just needs to be coached up. Byron Murphy, T'Vondre Sweat and Alfred Collins are all names NFL scouts have an eye on already, even though none of those players have had a notably productive season.

That has to change. Moro Ojomo and Keondre Coburn are fifth-year seniors who have a ton of experience, but need to be better against the run and more disruptive in the passing game.

This position group gets a confidence level of 8 for the sheer fact Texas is three-deep at nose tackle (Murphy, Sweat and Keondre Coburn) and three-deep at the three-technique (Collins, Ojomo and Vernon Broughton) with players who should now be moving past the “I just want to play” mindset into one of  “I just want to win."

The defensive tackle group should make one of the biggest leaps of all UT’s position groups in terms of improved impact in 2022.

WIDE RECEIVER: 7.5

The receiver group comes in at a 7.5 because this position group has three proven producers as its top three in Xavier Worthy, Jordan Whittington and Isaiah Neyor. Then there are a whole bunch of question marks after that.

Is Alabama transfer Agiye Hall ready to get down to business as a player and teammate?

Is Troy Omeire going to be the explosive receiver everyone saw in fall camp two years ago after back-to-back ACL tears?

Are Marcus Washington, Kelvontay Dixon and Casey Cain going to reach the level of consistency coaches are looking for? Can freshmen Brenen Thompson and Savion Red come in and grasp the offense the way Worthy did last year?

As of right now, Worthy, Whittington and Neyor are among the players — among all positions — Texas can least afford to lose.

QUARTERBACK: 7

The upside of Quinn Ewers — and even the upside of Hudson Card — is considerable. But we’re assessing where Ewers and Card are right now in their ability to run Sarkisian’s offense while minimizing mistakes and how quickly Ewers and Card can start reaching that upside in 2022.

10992477.jpg?fit=bounds&crop=620:320,off

Right now, the quarterback room is a work in progress and incomplete. We’ll know about two weeks into fall camp if the positive flashes we saw from Ewers and Card in the spring are becoming the norm or if the quarterback position — and thus, the offense -— are in for a bunch of growing pains in 2022. I'm told Ewers led Card in spring ball interceptions "by a lot."

The lack of depth at quarterback right now with freshman Maalik Murphy (ankle) unable to go through spring football is also a factor. Murphy will be ready for fall camp.

LINEBACKER: 6.5

The word following spring football is that junior middle linebacker Jaylan Ford, junior weakside linebacker David Gbenda and super senior weakside linebacker DeMarvion Overshown are all playing much more physical than a year ago because of their increased confidence and familiarity with the defense and a good off-season in the weight room.

In 2021, the position didn’t play nearly as physical as it needed to and contributed greatly to Texas giving up 202 yards per game on the ground (5.2 yards per carry) and 31.1 points per game.

11062365.jpg?fit=bounds&crop=620:320,off

(Photo: Aaron E. Martinez/American-Statesman, USA TODAY Sports)

If Pete Kwiatkowski wants to get anywhere near his annual goal of limiting opponents to less than 20 points per game, his linebackers will have to be ready to take on blocks from O-linemen and shed those blocks all season long, not just in the first half of games, or until they get tired or until the score gets out of hand.

Devin Richardson and Jett Bush have been backing up Ford, and last year’s starter at middle linebacker, senior Luke Brockermeyer, will be recovered from a torn ACL and ready for fall camp after missing the spring.

Texas signed only one linebacker in its 2022 class — three-star Trevell Johnson — and they signed Johnson (6-1, 200) because of how physical he plays.

“The kid loves contact,” one team source said of Johnson.

SAFETY: 6.5

Even though players moved from other positions to safety — Anthony Cook from Star (nickel), Kitan Crawford from cornerback and Morice Blackwell from linebacker — there’s a sense from team sources those three players, as well as Jerrin Thompson, have what it takes to give safety the upgrade it desperately needs from last season.

The biggest thing holding the rating down on this group is the lack of proven experience, making it difficult to project exactly how smooth the transition and growth will be for this new cast.

Sophomore JD Coffey and early enrollee freshmen Bryan Allen Jr. and Larry Turner-Gooden got important reps in the spring (Coffey suffered a knee injury and missed the final week of spring practice).

CORNERBACK: 6.5

D'Shawn Jamison needs to play the field corner position with the urgency of a super senior (which he is), and 6-foot-3-inch Ohio State transfer Ryan Watts needs to hold down the boundary corner like there’s a new sheriff in town.

Jamier Johnson’s improved play at the boundary corner allowed Crawford to move to safety and Jahdae Barron to move inside to the Star position. (Barron has a chance to make sure there’s no drop-off from what Cook produced in the nickel in 2021).

As long as suspended freshman Jaylon Guilbeau works his way back into the coaches’ good graces for fall camp, this position has a chance to have a solid two-deep. Guilbeau was off to a fast start in the spring, rotating with Jamison with the first team at field corner before getting suspended seven practices (of 15) into the spring.

Freshman Terrance Brooks was backing up Watts at the boundary corner in the spring.

PUNTER: 6.5

According to team sources, UT’s latest Pro-Kick Australia import punter, redshirt freshman Isaac Pearson, had a good enough spring that coaches aren’t worried about Pearson taking over for 2021 first-team All-Big 12 punter Cameron Dicker (46.7 yards per punt last season).

But Pearson has never started a college game. So, we have to wait and see what happens when the season starts.

EDGE: 6

This number would change to a 7 if Texas could secure a commitment from TCU transfer Ochaun Mathis, who plans to announce his decision between the Longhorns and Nebraska on Saturday (April 30).

Senior Ovie Oghoufo and sophomore Barryn Sorrell ran with the first team most of the spring at Buck (Oghoufo) and Jack (Sorrell) respectively. They were backed up by early enrollee freshman Justice Finkley (Jack) and Prince Dorbah (Buck) with David Abiara (Jack) and D.J. Harris (Buck) behind them.

What’s currently on the roster amounts to a whole lot of unrealized potential. And, of course, that changes if Mathis — a Manor product with 15.5 career sacks and 31 tackles for loss — relocates to Austin.

TIGHT END: 6

11062374.jpg?fit=bounds&crop=620:320,off

Another position loaded with upside, including a former five-star recruit in sophomore Ja'Tavion Sanders (6-4, 253). But there’s almost no game experience for UT’s leading blocking-tight end candidates — Sanders and sophomore Gunnar Helm (6-5, 254).

Alabama transfer Jahleel Billingsley (6-4, 216) is more of a pass-catching tight end who needs to become more of a willing blocker.

Fellow stretch-the-field tight end Juan Davis missed most of the spring ball with muscle strains. Brayden Liebrock (6-4, 234) is working his way back from an injury-plagued start at Texas.

 

OFFENSIVE LINE: 5

Team sources still aren’t seeing enough fire, physicality and cohesiveness on a consistent basis from this group. Coaches have guard Junior Angilau (6-6, 316), center Jake Majors (6-3, 313) and most likely sophomore Hayden Conner (6-5, 320) penciled into the starting lineup right now.

But after that, it’s up to veterans like senior right tackle Christian Jones (6-6, 313) and third-year sophomore Andrej Karic (6-4, 297) to hold off a talented group of six freshmen arriving in June, led by five-stars Devon Campbell (6-3, 310) and Kelvin Banks (6-5, 300).

Early enrollee freshman Cole Hutson (6-5, 309) was already turning heads and started with the first-team offensive line in UT’s final spring scrimmage.

There are just a lot of unknowns about who will end up starting and the chemistry and cohesion that needs to develop among whoever starts.

KICKER: 5

As of right now, neither Bert Auburn nor Gabriel Lozano instilled team sources with enough confidence to make them feel like either one of UT’s walk-on kickers could handle a game-winning situation.

So come on down Will Stone, who arrives in June.

 

Also from FCB...

CULTURE: ONLY THE PLAYERS KNOW

11054127.jpg?fit=bounds&crop=620:320,off

Sarkisian says he’s hearing from players that the Longhorns are becoming a brotherhood that doesn’t want to let each other down. We won't be able to see that until this year's team faces some adversity once the 2022 season starts.

Far too often last year as the Longhorns fell from 4-1 into a six-game losing streak in Sarkisian’s first year, we saw a team that tended to start off well and then stopped communicating when adversity struck in the second half.

“We’re a team,” Sarkisian said. “We’re just so much further along in the way we conduct things. A player said to me, ‘None of us want to let each other down.’ That was one of the coolest things I’ve heard a player say to me since I’ve been here.

“They’re doing the things necessary. Yes, they want to do it for themselves, but they want to do it because they don’t want to let their brother down next to ‘em.”

There’s undoubtedly been some addition by subtraction in that regard.

“That’s a huge stride we’ve made since January. That’s gonna get us a long way. That’s gonna find a way to win us a game or two in the fourth quarter when we’ve got to make those plays.

“If we can continue to build on that brotherhood, that mentality. We’ve got an influx of new players coming in here in a month. We’ve got to get them fully immersed in what we’re doing. That’s a great sign for us going forward.”

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Bunch of crap in here...
What level of confidence should there be in each position at Texas right now?
By  FUCK CHIP BROWN       96 minutes ago
At times like this, fresh out of spring practice and three months from fall camp, it’s easy to see the positive, the upside for any team without 11 angry, game-planned players on the other side of the ball trying to disrupt everything.
The bottom line is while Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian has turned over 40 percent of his roster (and counting) from last season by signing a top-five recruiting class that includes 28 high school signees and five FBS transfers (so far), there is still a LOT that is unknown about the 2022 Longhorns.
So, after talking to team sources, this week’s edition of The Insider will go position by position and examine how much confidence should be placed in each position group (based on talent, experience, production and leadership) on a scale of 1 to 10.
Remember, these ratings are based on right now, coming out of spring ball. They are NOT based on a projection of where the rating will be when the season starts. These ratings are expected to go up based on work put in over the summer and in fall camp.
We’ll go from highest to lowest:
RUNNING BACK: 9
It’s not just Bijan Robinson, although he’s the star of the show. It’s the depth of talent with Roschon Johnson, Keilan Robinson, Jonathon Brooks and Jaydon Blue.
There’s versatility, excellent pass-catching ability and solid team leadership anchored by Robinson and Johnson.
INTERIOR DEFENSIVE LINE: 8
This position group has NFL talent. It just needs to be coached up. Byron Murphy, T'Vondre Sweat and Alfred Collins are all names NFL scouts have an eye on already, even though none of those players have had a notably productive season.
That has to change. Moro Ojomo and Keondre Coburn are fifth-year seniors who have a ton of experience, but need to be better against the run and more disruptive in the passing game.
This position group gets a confidence level of 8 for the sheer fact Texas is three-deep at nose tackle (Murphy, Sweat and Keondre Coburn) and three-deep at the three-technique (Collins, Ojomo and Vernon Broughton) with players who should now be moving past the “I just want to play” mindset into one of  “I just want to win."
The defensive tackle group should make one of the biggest leaps of all UT’s position groups in terms of improved impact in 2022.
WIDE RECEIVER: 7.5
The receiver group comes in at a 7.5 because this position group has three proven producers as its top three in Xavier Worthy, Jordan Whittington and Isaiah Neyor. Then there are a whole bunch of question marks after that.
Is Alabama transfer Agiye Hall ready to get down to business as a player and teammate?
Is Troy Omeire going to be the explosive receiver everyone saw in fall camp two years ago after back-to-back ACL tears?
Are Marcus Washington, Kelvontay Dixon and Casey Cain going to reach the level of consistency coaches are looking for? Can freshmen Brenen Thompson and Savion Red come in and grasp the offense the way Worthy did last year?
As of right now, Worthy, Whittington and Neyor are among the players — among all positions — Texas can least afford to lose.
QUARTERBACK: 7
The upside of Quinn Ewers — and even the upside of Hudson Card — is considerable. But we’re assessing where Ewers and Card are right now in their ability to run Sarkisian’s offense while minimizing mistakes and how quickly Ewers and Card can start reaching that upside in 2022.
10992477.jpg?fit=bounds&crop=620:320,offset-y0.50&width=620&height=320
Right now, the quarterback room is a work in progress and incomplete. We’ll know about two weeks into fall camp if the positive flashes we saw from Ewers and Card in the spring are becoming the norm or if the quarterback position — and thus, the offense -— are in for a bunch of growing pains in 2022. I'm told Ewers led Card in spring ball interceptions "by a lot."
The lack of depth at quarterback right now with freshman Maalik Murphy (ankle) unable to go through spring football is also a factor. Murphy will be ready for fall camp.
LINEBACKER: 6.5
The word following spring football is that junior middle linebacker Jaylan Ford, junior weakside linebacker David Gbenda and super senior weakside linebacker DeMarvion Overshown are all playing much more physical than a year ago because of their increased confidence and familiarity with the defense and a good off-season in the weight room.
In 2021, the position didn’t play nearly as physical as it needed to and contributed greatly to Texas giving up 202 yards per game on the ground (5.2 yards per carry) and 31.1 points per game.
11062365.jpg?fit=bounds&crop=620:320,offset-y0.50&width=620&height=320
(Photo: Aaron E. Martinez/American-Statesman, USA TODAY Sports)
If Pete Kwiatkowski wants to get anywhere near his annual goal of limiting opponents to less than 20 points per game, his linebackers will have to be ready to take on blocks from O-linemen and shed those blocks all season long, not just in the first half of games, or until they get tired or until the score gets out of hand.
Devin Richardson and Jett Bush have been backing up Ford, and last year’s starter at middle linebacker, senior Luke Brockermeyer, will be recovered from a torn ACL and ready for fall camp after missing the spring.
Texas signed only one linebacker in its 2022 class — three-star Trevell Johnson — and they signed Johnson (6-1, 200) because of how physical he plays.
“The kid loves contact,” one team source said of Johnson.
SAFETY: 6.5
Even though players moved from other positions to safety — Anthony Cook from Star (nickel), Kitan Crawford from cornerback and Morice Blackwell from linebacker — there’s a sense from team sources those three players, as well as Jerrin Thompson, have what it takes to give safety the upgrade it desperately needs from last season.
The biggest thing holding the rating down on this group is the lack of proven experience, making it difficult to project exactly how smooth the transition and growth will be for this new cast.
Sophomore JD Coffey and early enrollee freshmen Bryan Allen Jr. and Larry Turner-Gooden got important reps in the spring (Coffey suffered a knee injury and missed the final week of spring practice).
CORNERBACK: 6.5
D'Shawn Jamison needs to play the field corner position with the urgency of a super senior (which he is), and 6-foot-3-inch Ohio State transfer Ryan Watts needs to hold down the boundary corner like there’s a new sheriff in town.
Jamier Johnson’s improved play at the boundary corner allowed Crawford to move to safety and Jahdae Barron to move inside to the Star position. (Barron has a chance to make sure there’s no drop-off from what Cook produced in the nickel in 2021).
As long as suspended freshman Jaylon Guilbeau works his way back into the coaches’ good graces for fall camp, this position has a chance to have a solid two-deep. Guilbeau was off to a fast start in the spring, rotating with Jamison with the first team at field corner before getting suspended seven practices (of 15) into the spring.
Freshman Terrance Brooks was backing up Watts at the boundary corner in the spring.
PUNTER: 6.5
According to team sources, UT’s latest Pro-Kick Australia import punter, redshirt freshman Isaac Pearson, had a good enough spring that coaches aren’t worried about Pearson taking over for 2021 first-team All-Big 12 punter Cameron Dicker (46.7 yards per punt last season).
But Pearson has never started a college game. So, we have to wait and see what happens when the season starts.
EDGE: 6
This number would change to a 7 if Texas could secure a commitment from TCU transfer Ochaun Mathis, who plans to announce his decision between the Longhorns and Nebraska on Saturday (April 30).
Senior Ovie Oghoufo and sophomore Barryn Sorrell ran with the first team most of the spring at Buck (Oghoufo) and Jack (Sorrell) respectively. They were backed up by early enrollee freshman Justice Finkley (Jack) and Prince Dorbah (Buck) with David Abiara (Jack) and D.J. Harris (Buck) behind them.
What’s currently on the roster amounts to a whole lot of unrealized potential. And, of course, that changes if Mathis — a Manor product with 15.5 career sacks and 31 tackles for loss — relocates to Austin.
TIGHT END: 6
11062374.jpg?fit=bounds&crop=620:320,offset-y0.50&width=620&height=320
Another position loaded with upside, including a former five-star recruit in sophomore Ja'Tavion Sanders (6-4, 253). But there’s almost no game experience for UT’s leading blocking-tight end candidates — Sanders and sophomore Gunnar Helm (6-5, 254).
Alabama transfer Jahleel Billingsley (6-4, 216) is more of a pass-catching tight end who needs to become more of a willing blocker.
Fellow stretch-the-field tight end Juan Davis missed most of the spring ball with muscle strains. Brayden Liebrock (6-4, 234) is working his way back from an injury-plagued start at Texas.
 
OFFENSIVE LINE: 5
Team sources still aren’t seeing enough fire, physicality and cohesiveness on a consistent basis from this group. Coaches have guard Junior Angilau (6-6, 316), center Jake Majors (6-3, 313) and most likely sophomore Hayden Conner (6-5, 320) penciled into the starting lineup right now.
But after that, it’s up to veterans like senior right tackle Christian Jones (6-6, 313) and third-year sophomore Andrej Karic (6-4, 297) to hold off a talented group of six freshmen arriving in June, led by five-stars Devon Campbell (6-3, 310) and Kelvin Banks (6-5, 300).
Early enrollee freshman Cole Hutson (6-5, 309) was already turning heads and started with the first-team offensive line in UT’s final spring scrimmage.
There are just a lot of unknowns about who will end up starting and the chemistry and cohesion that needs to develop among whoever starts.
KICKER: 5
As of right now, neither Bert Auburn nor Gabriel Lozano instilled team sources with enough confidence to make them feel like either one of UT’s walk-on kickers could handle a game-winning situation.
So come on down Will Stone, who arrives in June.
 
Also from FCB...
CULTURE: ONLY THE PLAYERS KNOW
11054127.jpg?fit=bounds&crop=620:320,offset-y0.50&width=620&height=320
Sarkisian says he’s hearing from players that the Longhorns are becoming a brotherhood that doesn’t want to let each other down. We won't be able to see that until this year's team faces some adversity once the 2022 season starts.
Far too often last year as the Longhorns fell from 4-1 into a six-game losing streak in Sarkisian’s first year, we saw a team that tended to start off well and then stopped communicating when adversity struck in the second half.
“We’re a team,” Sarkisian said. “We’re just so much further along in the way we conduct things. A player said to me, ‘None of us want to let each other down.’ That was one of the coolest things I’ve heard a player say to me since I’ve been here.
“They’re doing the things necessary. Yes, they want to do it for themselves, but they want to do it because they don’t want to let their brother down next to ‘em.”
There’s undoubtedly been some addition by subtraction in that regard.
“That’s a huge stride we’ve made since January. That’s gonna get us a long way. That’s gonna find a way to win us a game or two in the fourth quarter when we’ve got to make those plays.
“If we can continue to build on that brotherhood, that mentality. We’ve got an influx of new players coming in here in a month. We’ve got to get them fully immersed in what we’re doing. That’s a great sign for us going forward.”

I got tight end well above edge. Interior D line also rates too high.
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On 4/28/2022 at 10:10 AM, LTtxfan said:

Bunch of crap in here...

What level of confidence should there be in each position at Texas right now?

By  FUCK CHIP BROWN       96 minutes ago

At times like this, fresh out of spring practice and three months from fall camp, it’s easy to see the positive, the upside for any team without 11 angry, game-planned players on the other side of the ball trying to disrupt everything.

The bottom line is while Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian has turned over 40 percent of his roster (and counting) from last season by signing a top-five recruiting class that includes 28 high school signees and five FBS transfers (so far), there is still a LOT that is unknown about the 2022 Longhorns.

So, after talking to team sources, this week’s edition of The Insider will go position by position and examine how much confidence should be placed in each position group (based on talent, experience, production and leadership) on a scale of 1 to 10.

Remember, these ratings are based on right now, coming out of spring ball. They are NOT based on a projection of where the rating will be when the season starts. These ratings are expected to go up based on work put in over the summer and in fall camp.

We’ll go from highest to lowest:

RUNNING BACK: 9

It’s not just Bijan Robinson, although he’s the star of the show. It’s the depth of talent with Roschon Johnson, Keilan Robinson, Jonathon Brooks and Jaydon Blue.

There’s versatility, excellent pass-catching ability and solid team leadership anchored by Robinson and Johnson.

INTERIOR DEFENSIVE LINE: 8

This position group has NFL talent. It just needs to be coached up. Byron Murphy, T'Vondre Sweat and Alfred Collins are all names NFL scouts have an eye on already, even though none of those players have had a notably productive season.

That has to change. Moro Ojomo and Keondre Coburn are fifth-year seniors who have a ton of experience, but need to be better against the run and more disruptive in the passing game.

This position group gets a confidence level of 8 for the sheer fact Texas is three-deep at nose tackle (Murphy, Sweat and Keondre Coburn) and three-deep at the three-technique (Collins, Ojomo and Vernon Broughton) with players who should now be moving past the “I just want to play” mindset into one of  “I just want to win."

The defensive tackle group should make one of the biggest leaps of all UT’s position groups in terms of improved impact in 2022.

WIDE RECEIVER: 7.5

The receiver group comes in at a 7.5 because this position group has three proven producers as its top three in Xavier Worthy, Jordan Whittington and Isaiah Neyor. Then there are a whole bunch of question marks after that.

Is Alabama transfer Agiye Hall ready to get down to business as a player and teammate?

Is Troy Omeire going to be the explosive receiver everyone saw in fall camp two years ago after back-to-back ACL tears?

Are Marcus Washington, Kelvontay Dixon and Casey Cain going to reach the level of consistency coaches are looking for? Can freshmen Brenen Thompson and Savion Red come in and grasp the offense the way Worthy did last year?

As of right now, Worthy, Whittington and Neyor are among the players — among all positions — Texas can least afford to lose.

QUARTERBACK: 7

The upside of Quinn Ewers — and even the upside of Hudson Card — is considerable. But we’re assessing where Ewers and Card are right now in their ability to run Sarkisian’s offense while minimizing mistakes and how quickly Ewers and Card can start reaching that upside in 2022.

10992477.jpg?fit=bounds&crop=620:320,off

Right now, the quarterback room is a work in progress and incomplete. We’ll know about two weeks into fall camp if the positive flashes we saw from Ewers and Card in the spring are becoming the norm or if the quarterback position — and thus, the offense -— are in for a bunch of growing pains in 2022. I'm told Ewers led Card in spring ball interceptions "by a lot."

The lack of depth at quarterback right now with freshman Maalik Murphy (ankle) unable to go through spring football is also a factor. Murphy will be ready for fall camp.

LINEBACKER: 6.5

The word following spring football is that junior middle linebacker Jaylan Ford, junior weakside linebacker David Gbenda and super senior weakside linebacker DeMarvion Overshown are all playing much more physical than a year ago because of their increased confidence and familiarity with the defense and a good off-season in the weight room.

In 2021, the position didn’t play nearly as physical as it needed to and contributed greatly to Texas giving up 202 yards per game on the ground (5.2 yards per carry) and 31.1 points per game.

11062365.jpg?fit=bounds&crop=620:320,off

(Photo: Aaron E. Martinez/American-Statesman, USA TODAY Sports)

If Pete Kwiatkowski wants to get anywhere near his annual goal of limiting opponents to less than 20 points per game, his linebackers will have to be ready to take on blocks from O-linemen and shed those blocks all season long, not just in the first half of games, or until they get tired or until the score gets out of hand.

Devin Richardson and Jett Bush have been backing up Ford, and last year’s starter at middle linebacker, senior Luke Brockermeyer, will be recovered from a torn ACL and ready for fall camp after missing the spring.

Texas signed only one linebacker in its 2022 class — three-star Trevell Johnson — and they signed Johnson (6-1, 200) because of how physical he plays.

“The kid loves contact,” one team source said of Johnson.

SAFETY: 6.5

Even though players moved from other positions to safety — Anthony Cook from Star (nickel), Kitan Crawford from cornerback and Morice Blackwell from linebacker — there’s a sense from team sources those three players, as well as Jerrin Thompson, have what it takes to give safety the upgrade it desperately needs from last season.

The biggest thing holding the rating down on this group is the lack of proven experience, making it difficult to project exactly how smooth the transition and growth will be for this new cast.

Sophomore JD Coffey and early enrollee freshmen Bryan Allen Jr. and Larry Turner-Gooden got important reps in the spring (Coffey suffered a knee injury and missed the final week of spring practice).

CORNERBACK: 6.5

D'Shawn Jamison needs to play the field corner position with the urgency of a super senior (which he is), and 6-foot-3-inch Ohio State transfer Ryan Watts needs to hold down the boundary corner like there’s a new sheriff in town.

Jamier Johnson’s improved play at the boundary corner allowed Crawford to move to safety and Jahdae Barron to move inside to the Star position. (Barron has a chance to make sure there’s no drop-off from what Cook produced in the nickel in 2021).

As long as suspended freshman Jaylon Guilbeau works his way back into the coaches’ good graces for fall camp, this position has a chance to have a solid two-deep. Guilbeau was off to a fast start in the spring, rotating with Jamison with the first team at field corner before getting suspended seven practices (of 15) into the spring.

Freshman Terrance Brooks was backing up Watts at the boundary corner in the spring.

PUNTER: 6.5

According to team sources, UT’s latest Pro-Kick Australia import punter, redshirt freshman Isaac Pearson, had a good enough spring that coaches aren’t worried about Pearson taking over for 2021 first-team All-Big 12 punter Cameron Dicker (46.7 yards per punt last season).

But Pearson has never started a college game. So, we have to wait and see what happens when the season starts.

EDGE: 6

This number would change to a 7 if Texas could secure a commitment from TCU transfer Ochaun Mathis, who plans to announce his decision between the Longhorns and Nebraska on Saturday (April 30).

Senior Ovie Oghoufo and sophomore Barryn Sorrell ran with the first team most of the spring at Buck (Oghoufo) and Jack (Sorrell) respectively. They were backed up by early enrollee freshman Justice Finkley (Jack) and Prince Dorbah (Buck) with David Abiara (Jack) and D.J. Harris (Buck) behind them.

What’s currently on the roster amounts to a whole lot of unrealized potential. And, of course, that changes if Mathis — a Manor product with 15.5 career sacks and 31 tackles for loss — relocates to Austin.

TIGHT END: 6

11062374.jpg?fit=bounds&crop=620:320,off

Another position loaded with upside, including a former five-star recruit in sophomore Ja'Tavion Sanders (6-4, 253). But there’s almost no game experience for UT’s leading blocking-tight end candidates — Sanders and sophomore Gunnar Helm (6-5, 254).

Alabama transfer Jahleel Billingsley (6-4, 216) is more of a pass-catching tight end who needs to become more of a willing blocker.

Fellow stretch-the-field tight end Juan Davis missed most of the spring ball with muscle strains. Brayden Liebrock (6-4, 234) is working his way back from an injury-plagued start at Texas.

 

OFFENSIVE LINE: 5

Team sources still aren’t seeing enough fire, physicality and cohesiveness on a consistent basis from this group. Coaches have guard Junior Angilau (6-6, 316), center Jake Majors (6-3, 313) and most likely sophomore Hayden Conner (6-5, 320) penciled into the starting lineup right now.

But after that, it’s up to veterans like senior right tackle Christian Jones (6-6, 313) and third-year sophomore Andrej Karic (6-4, 297) to hold off a talented group of six freshmen arriving in June, led by five-stars Devon Campbell (6-3, 310) and Kelvin Banks (6-5, 300).

Early enrollee freshman Cole Hutson (6-5, 309) was already turning heads and started with the first-team offensive line in UT’s final spring scrimmage.

There are just a lot of unknowns about who will end up starting and the chemistry and cohesion that needs to develop among whoever starts.

KICKER: 5

As of right now, neither Bert Auburn nor Gabriel Lozano instilled team sources with enough confidence to make them feel like either one of UT’s walk-on kickers could handle a game-winning situation.

So come on down Will Stone, who arrives in June.

 

Also from FCB...

CULTURE: ONLY THE PLAYERS KNOW

11054127.jpg?fit=bounds&crop=620:320,off

Sarkisian says he’s hearing from players that the Longhorns are becoming a brotherhood that doesn’t want to let each other down. We won't be able to see that until this year's team faces some adversity once the 2022 season starts.

Far too often last year as the Longhorns fell from 4-1 into a six-game losing streak in Sarkisian’s first year, we saw a team that tended to start off well and then stopped communicating when adversity struck in the second half.

“We’re a team,” Sarkisian said. “We’re just so much further along in the way we conduct things. A player said to me, ‘None of us want to let each other down.’ That was one of the coolest things I’ve heard a player say to me since I’ve been here.

“They’re doing the things necessary. Yes, they want to do it for themselves, but they want to do it because they don’t want to let their brother down next to ‘em.”

There’s undoubtedly been some addition by subtraction in that regard.

“That’s a huge stride we’ve made since January. That’s gonna get us a long way. That’s gonna find a way to win us a game or two in the fourth quarter when we’ve got to make those plays.

“If we can continue to build on that brotherhood, that mentality. We’ve got an influx of new players coming in here in a month. We’ve got to get them fully immersed in what we’re doing. That’s a great sign for us going forward.”

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3 hours ago, South Austin said:

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You have Bijan and a whole stable of badasses, and chippy (fuck him) still gives only a 9/10 at RB.

Oh and LBs with higher rankings than many other position groups?

Fuck is this dipshit drinking? Shitwater indeed.

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Just got back from Vegas. PSA for degenerates and kool aid chuggers: Boyd’s Heisman odds for Bijan are currently 50/1. This appears to be a big market inefficiency when  comparing it to the Caesars/Williams Hill app which currently has him at 18/1. 
 

After literally losing every draft bet, this is what I did with the $55 left in my obliterated bank roll.

This is how I win it all back.

 

54724F30-7367-4B66-A8B7-481FA6004054.jpeg

Edited by CurlyDumps
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Just got back from Vegas. PSA for degenerates and kool aid chuggers: Boyd’s Heisman odds for Bijan are currently 50/1. This appears to be a big market inefficiency when  comparing it to the Caesars/Williams Hill app which currently has him at 18/1. 
 
After literally losing every draft bet, this is what I did with the $55 left in my obliterated bank roll.
This is how I win it all back.
 
54724F30-7367-4B66-A8B7-481FA6004054.jpeg.ebae4e282e543897e4a9dafbdb8c41bc.jpeg

Casino cam spotted you:
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On 4/9/2022 at 9:46 PM, Bevo said:

We have the guys to man one of the edge positions. We only need one starter (Mathis).

Linebacker doesn't have a great starter and has no depth. We need help with one at lb as well.

I have us at 8 wins. I think 1 edge and 1 lb will get us 2 more. We still need a left offensive tackle.

...so, 8 wins it is then?

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On 4/23/2022 at 10:11 AM, Codaxx said:

Texas needs all the depth on the interior they can get. No needs to figure out a way to fill Coburn’s, Collin’s, and Sweat’s gas tank, so they can get to 10 plays without standing up on the snap. 

The Horns upperclassmen DL group has been such a disappointment that a true Sophomore is currently our best D-lineman...

Let that sink in

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