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Texas recruiting notes 2019


bigup2dahorns

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E.J. After Dark

— Brayden Liebrock is the best offensive prospect I’ve seen during my spring tour, which has included 28 stops so far. While the practice wasn’t in pads, Liebrock was by far the best player on the field as he dominated his defensive teammates in 1-on-1 reps and 7-on-7. Liebrock had no drops throughout the course of the practice and was the go-to guy on Chandler’s offense. The offense basically ran through him as he lined up out wide, in the slot and in-line.

— What stood out to me the most about Liebrock was how fluid he looked. He moves extremely well for his size and has tremendous straight-line speed. Liebrock also runs excellent routes and displayed great releases. And as mentioned, Liebrock didn’t drop anything — he has some of the softest hands around. The crazy thing is he still has so much upside. Liebrock devoted a lot of time to baseball early on in his high school career and actually spent his sophomore season on junior varsity. His ceiling is limitless.

— One thing I didn’t get to see from Liebrock was blocking. Again, this was not a padded practice, so there was no opportunity for Liebrock to show off that part of his game. That’s basically my only concern with him. Right now, he’s about 225 but should be closer to 235 when he gets to Austin. In my opinion, he’ll put on the necessary weight in UT’s strength and conditioning program to help him become an adequate blocker. As a pure receiving tight end, he’s a dream recruit.

— Texas safeties coach Craig Naivar made his way to Arizona to see four-star defensive back Noa Pola-Gates, who is starting to like Texas more and more. The Longhorns are a legitimate player in his recruitment and will likely receive a visit this summer. Pola-Gates is also strongly considering schools like Alabama and Penn State. He has no decision timeframe at this time.

— Texas cornerbacks coach Jason Washington was also in Arizona today and saw five-star 2020 cornerback Kelee Ringo. Texas recently put an offer on the table for Ringo and is making an early push in his recruitment. With the Longhorns having success in the state, this recruitment is certainly one to keep an eye on moving forward.

— Texas defensive coordinator Todd Orlando hit the road and attended the Katy Cinco Ranch spring game as he saw four-star inside linebacker David Gbenda. Texas was thought to be the frontrunner for Gbenda, but he is taking his time with the process and is also really high on Texas A&M. Gbenda plans to use all of his official visits before making a decision.

— Texas inside wide receivers coach Corby Meekins made the rounds in South Houston today as he continues to help the Longhorns strengthen their relationships with Texas high school coaches. The aforementioned Washington will actually take part in a conference with high school coaches in San Antonio tomorrow. Winning over Texas high school coaches remains a top priority for this staff.

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1 hour ago, satyanash said:

E.J. After Dark

 

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— Brayden Liebrock is the best offensive prospect I’ve seen during my spring tour, which has included 28 stops so far. While the practice wasn’t in pads, Liebrock was by far the best player on the field as he dominated his defensive teammates in 1-on-1 reps and 7-on-7. Liebrock had no drops throughout the course of the practice and was the go-to guy on Chandler’s offense. The offense basically ran through him as he lined up out wide, in the slot and in-line.

— What stood out to me the most about Liebrock was how fluid he looked. He moves extremely well for his size and has tremendous straight-line speed. Liebrock also runs excellent routes and displayed great releases. And as mentioned, Liebrock didn’t drop anything — he has some of the softest hands around. The crazy thing is he still has so much upside. Liebrock devoted a lot of time to baseball early on in his high school career and actually spent his sophomore season on junior varsity. His ceiling is limitless.

— One thing I didn’t get to see from Liebrock was blocking. Again, this was not a padded practice, so there was no opportunity for Liebrock to show off that part of his game. That’s basically my only concern with him. Right now, he’s about 225 but should be closer to 235 when he gets to Austin. In my opinion, he’ll put on the necessary weight in UT’s strength and conditioning program to help him become an adequate blocker. As a pure receiving tight end, he’s a dream recruit.

— Texas safeties coach Craig Naivar made his way to Arizona to see four-star defensive back Noa Pola-Gates, who is starting to like Texas more and more. The Longhorns are a legitimate player in his recruitment and will likely receive a visit this summer. Pola-Gates is also strongly considering schools like Alabama and Penn State. He has no decision timeframe at this time.

— Texas cornerbacks coach Jason Washington was also in Arizona today and saw five-star 2020 cornerback Kelee Ringo. Texas recently put an offer on the table for Ringo and is making an early push in his recruitment. With the Longhorns having success in the state, this recruitment is certainly one to keep an eye on moving forward.

— Texas defensive coordinator Todd Orlando hit the road and attended the Katy Cinco Ranch spring game as he saw four-star inside linebacker David Gbenda. Texas was thought to be the frontrunner for Gbenda, but he is taking his time with the process and is also really high on Texas A&M. Gbenda plans to use all of his official visits before making a decision.

— Texas inside wide receivers coach Corby Meekins made the rounds in South Houston today as he continues to help the Longhorns strengthen their relationships with Texas high school coaches. The aforementioned Washington will actually take part in a conference with high school coaches in San Antonio tomorrow. Winning over Texas high school coaches remains a top priority for this staff.

 

Reading this reminds me of that Fake Ken Tremendous who used to edit the shit out of those Bill Little essays over on Barking Carnival.  Fake Ken, I wish you would come over here and edit some 9.95

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IT Recruiting Notebook  - 5/15/18

Bryce Young, QB - Santa Ana, CA (2020)
How he fits at Texas: Young seems to be playing in an Air Raid in sophomore film and he has a lethal combination of skills for it in his dazzling quicks and ability to throw the ball downfield on the move. He should find the Texas passing game friendly to his skill set but he could also become pretty deadly in Herman’s QB run game after bulking up closer to 200 to handle the hits. It’s very difficult to tackle Young when he has any space to work in because of his start/stop moves but while he’s effective on the scramble or designed runs he’s primarily a passer. If he ended up behind center at Texas I’d expect to see more QB run/pass options like Herman used with Greg Ward. Young’s ease moving and throwing would translate nicely to that scheme. - Ian Boyd

Coach Says: Strengths - An agile and elusive runner. Excellent acceleration. Sets up with a strong base. Overhand delivery with good follow through. Strong arm with impressive touch to the short zones and the deep middle. Throws a catchable ball. Anticipates the open receiver well. Senses the rush very well. Still throws a reasonably good ball when off balance. Doesn't lose much touch when passing on the run. Tends to reset feet when flushed from the pocket. Sells fake pretty well. Extremely productive player (3431 pass ads, 41 TD, 300 rush yds, 8 TD). This is a high ceiling player. Only 3 INT all last year. Areas for Improvement or Concern - Transferring for junior year to a local powerhouse (“Frontrunner Need”). Would like to see him add some weight as durability would be a concern. Tends to drop the ball to his hips when on the move therefore ball security may be a question. Release is fairly fast but can fall off either backwards or to the side. I’d like to see more RPM on some of the intermediate throws. Not much film showing him going through multiple receivers in progression. This may be a function of his (lack of an) OL. Play-caller frequently giving him half-field reads. Height is a concern although other QBs have been successful as dual threat at this height (e.g., Greg Ward, that agro-dude we wanted to play safety). Several throws look like they might have been the incorrect read. Open receivers are missed at times but he seems under frequent pressure. As with many young QBs will trust his arm to throw into traffic. If he can be kept in the pocket by defenses, he may struggle as many highlights are of him on the move. There is a lot of “sandlot” in his highlights and that’s a concern to some degree (“boom or bust”). Opponent film shows him taking chances that seem a bit careless (e.g., laterals while being tackled).

How this affects Texas: UT will take at least one, possibly two quarterbacks in 2020. Bryce Young would be a hell of a start. He brings the same dimensions that Greg Ward and Roschon Johnson give you. He fits in the Herman Power Spread quite well. The key here is getting the nation's top dual-threat to move cross country to play his collegiate ball. USC is the lead horse here, but Young continuously shows up to Austin on his own dime. Herman and Beck will continue to pursue the 5-star, as long as he keeps coming back to Austin. And that whole optimizing the western advantage thing. - Justin Wells

Chris Adimora - S - Lakewood, CA: (2019)
How he fits at Texas: Adimora is explosive downhill and a very willing hitter who’s going to end up at 6-foot-2, 205 or better in college. He reminds of DeShon Elliott with his sticky fingers in coverage and willingness to hit and hit high. In base D he’d be a boundary safety but he’s the kind of guy that projects into a big, skilled athlete that can play around the line of scrimmage in a dime package. - IB

Coach Says: Strengths - Good height for position with long arms and thick through the lower body. Looking to hurt someone or score on every play. Shows very good ability to track the ball in the air and catches the ball with soft hands. He immediately turns into an instinctive runner looking for pay dirt after the turnover. Fights through tackles to the degree that you wonder if he could play RB. Great straight line speed and accelerates quickly. Above average change of direction. Instinctive to the ball carrier and fights through traffic well keeping blockers off his body. Some big time hits. Good form in tackling. Some ability in punt return. Areas for Improvement - Own highlights show him guessing and overcommitting based on the QB.

How this affects Texas: Texas took three safeties in 2018, two if you count Overshown as a hybrid. With Mansfield Legacy's Jalen Catalon at the top of the board, UT found the hard-hitting Adimora while California Dreamin' and now can't stop thinking about him. He really the Longhorns, the idea of leaving the state, and joining DBU. Texas will take two in 2019, and Adimora will probably be one. - JW

Jake Smith - WR - Phoenix, AZ: (2019)

How he fits at Texas: Smith has unreal acceleration, he reminds of Christian McCaffrey except he’s a bit taller and leaner and projects to WR for Texas. He ran and received for 1k yards last season and is both a blur in space and also capable of snagging throws down the field. He’s probably an H-back at Texas but may also fit outside at the Z. Texas would probably want to feature him and get him the ball regularly but he also may grow into a traditional outside receiver and stay there. - IB

Coach Says: Strengths - In a word — ridiculous. Seems perfectly suited to slot receiver. Evenly built. Looks to have elite speed with great acceleration and change of direction. Explodes out of his cuts. Destroys the cushion on corners and simply runs right by people. Runs very precise routes. Has tremendous concentration catching the ball and has sure, soft hands. Adjusts remarkably well to poor throws. Reads blocks well and finds the daylight. Fights for yards. Good boundary awareness. Tough and not afraid of traffic or contact. Plays kick / punt returns as well. Super productive (28 TDs junior year, 1K yards rushing AND receiving). I don’t like comparing recruits to former players but can’t help but be reminded of Jordan Shipley (think “OU Kickoff Return TD”). Over 16 minutes of highlights. Weaknesses - Hard to find any. Slighter frame probably limits his position options. Feels like the kind of recruit I’d worry we can’t get the ball to. I need to copyright the hashtag “FreeJakeSmith”. On opponents’ film does not always find work when he’s not the primary focus.

How this affects Texas: When you lose out on a prospect, you just find another. That's easier said than done, but in this case, nabbing Jake Smith should make Texas fans ecstatic post-Garrett Wilson. UT likes four wide receivers in 2019, with Smith near the very top of the want list. He'll take an official visit to USC this weekend (5/18-5/20), then back to Austin on June 1st. I anticipate his decision will come quickly after his Austin official. I also anticipate he'll wind up in burnt orange. Like I said, ecstatic. - JW

Brayden Liebrock - TE - Chandler, AZ: (2019) (TEXAS)

How he fits at Texas: Liebrock is a no brainer as a receiving TE prospect. He’s fluid in and out of his cuts and already pretty advanced as a route runner. He can catch the ball in traffic, has terrific hands in general, and of course he’s big and thus a matchup problem for defenders. If Texas used their TEs solely for receiving he could see the field early but he does show promise at attacking defenders as a blocker and his frame is going to easily carry 240+ of helpful weight towards that aim. - IB

Coach Says: Strengths - Great height for the position. Large wingspan. Could see him add a good 20-30 lbs in college. Plays in-line and flexed. Fluid off the line showing a variety of well-run pass routes that he seems very comfortable in. Good speed (but not great) for the position. Very good short area quickness with good change of direction. Catches ball naturally with soft hands. Best asset may be his adjustment to the poorly thrown ball. Willing blocker with very good stalk technique. Good hand placement and will finish nearly everything. Dishes out some punishment as a ball carrier. Finds open space easily. Takes a lot of pride in his blocking with nearly half of his HUDL devoted to it. Some effectiveness in the inline blocking which is promising. An excellent self-reported GPA. Areas for Improvement - Hand placement while blocking seems inconsistent at times. Would like to see more upper body strength (e.g., effective stiff arm). Body proportion seems a bit top heavy. Not particularly elusive.

How this affects Texas: The Horns finally grabbed one of the nation's top tight ends. They just had to go to Arizona to find him. With the in-state crop loaded with average-to-above average, this was a savvy move by Herman and staff. This gives UT a nice luxury; not having to worry about the position in the 2019 class. They'll take one more of Jared Wiley, Logan Compton, or Thomas Gordon. Then the TE room resembles peak Mack Brown era. I'll take it. - JW

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10 hours ago, Napoleon said:

Fuck the business angle.

In the Catholic community all over the country, it is a much bigger deal to have gone to Notre Dame than ANYWHERE else, with the possible exception of the Big 3 Ivy schools and probably not even Stanford. (Some Boston College families will disagree.)

I don't understand why people keep trying to compare Wall Street/ Investment Banking/ Engineering...

Pull heads out of asses and realize that for these Catholics who have come to the U.S., Notre Dame carries a cache that magazine rankings can't compete with.

Get The Fuck Over It!

is NaNa actually Catholic? (I assume so based on your comment but have no idea)

 

Edited by NoName
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1 hour ago, ClubWhatever said:

Reading this reminds me of that Fake Ken Tremendous who used to edit the shit out of those Bill Little essays over on Barking Carnival.  Fake Ken, I wish you would come over here and edit some 9.95

BrickHorn wrote under the FKT handle. He's posting over here. I'm sorry you're one of the 20 people who thought FKT was funny. 

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11 hours ago, b_p said:

Man I work day to day with a ND PhD Chem Eng. Also with a bunch of aggys, unfortunately. I’ll never take a back seat to any of them, or all of them combined. Anyone who wants to argue merits of the ND vs UT education is baseless. 

Agreed. Just saying ND and UT are both valuable degrees to have.  It's a win win for him.

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4 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

USC often acts late, because they can. Remember that. 

Fair. I didn't know if they have that kind of power outside California, but when there isn't much for competition in the West, I suppose USC can get away with it.

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19 minutes ago, NoName said:

is NaNa actually Catholic? (I assume so based on your comment but have no idea)

 

I don't know for sure but I would assume so since he went to St. Andrews and then Nolan.  I can't think of anyone I've ever known who sent their kid to St. Andrews who wasn't Catholic.  Same for Nolan with maybe one exception and that kid lived in the neighborhood right next to Nolan where you probably wouldn't send your kid to public school unless you had to.

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19 hours ago, Elmer_Fudd said:

Holy shit that's right at the top with them BJ Fostet edits last year.  Come on down Mr. Bragg.

“With their nonexistent history of engineering and tougher majors for football players, I don't see that boy going to UT.”   This was a comment made after the family meeting with the coaching staff.

  • Fuck You 16
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4 minutes ago, Train wreck said:

“With their nonexistent history of engineering and tougher majors for football players, I don't see that boy going to UT.”   This was a comment made after the family meeting with the coaching staff.

Comment made by whom?

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8 minutes ago, Train wreck said:

“With their nonexistent history of engineering and tougher majors for football players, I don't see that boy going to UT.”   This was a comment made after the family meeting with the coaching staff.

Da fuq?   This requires elaboration.

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27 minutes ago, Train wreck said:

“With their nonexistent history of engineering and tougher majors for football players, I don't see that boy going to UT.”   This was a comment made after the family meeting with the coaching staff.

Username checks out

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29 minutes ago, Train wreck said:

“With their nonexistent history of engineering and tougher majors for football players, I don't see that boy going to UT.”   This was a comment made after the family meeting with the coaching staff.

must be nice living a life full of delusion and believing everything you choose to believe. 

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34 minutes ago, Train wreck said:

“With their nonexistent history of engineering and tougher majors for football players, I don't see that boy going to UT.”   This was a comment made after the family meeting with the coaching staff.

Based on the syntax, Train wreck must be an Aggy troll. Stanford grads are well known for their literacy. 

Edited by billfromlaketravis
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40 minutes ago, Train wreck said:

“With their nonexistent history of engineering and tougher majors for football players, I don't see that boy going to UT.”   This was a comment made after the family meeting with the coaching staff.

Username checks out.

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8 minutes ago, SydneyCarton said:

I thought "nonexistent history of engineering" was a nice touch of delusion myself. 

 

https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/engineering-doctorate

 

Spoiler Alert it's #11 Texas, #14 ewe molesters. 

I think he means no history of football players being engineering or similarly rigorous majors. 

But it’s not like there’s piles of engineers on other football teams, either. 

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