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Goo Punch

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2 hours ago, closetojumping said:

What the fuck is with all of this “Tyler Johnson might be a guard” bullshit? Is it coming from anywhere other than $9.95ers over-thinking their own evaluation skills?

He's taking reps there and given that Hand likes to cross-train, it wouldn't surprise me to see him play there for now. I'm not speaking to his long term future.

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TFB practice notes from Wednesday: https://texas.thefootballbrainiacs.com/2019/03/open-post-weekend-march-15th-17th/

Talking to a few sources about closed practice period, I heard the following…

***Remember last year when we kept hearing from our sources that Keaontay Ingram would be climbing the depth chart, very quickly? This year we are hearing similar things about Jordan Whittington. Was told he is already impressing. One source said he’s so explosive and he is physically there that it shouldn’t surprise anyone if by the time the season rolls around, Whittington is the clear second team back (Ingram being the starter of course).

***Was told that during team period, Bru McCoy housed one for 60 or 70 yards.

Crazy thing was, I heard it was a slant that in ran that distance for a TD!

Taking a slant to the house is old Art Briles’ WR speed. But Bru is a big boy moving like that.

***Because, as CJ indicated, Collin and Duvernay are currently out, Bru, I’m told, took a lot of reps with the 1st team.

***As CJ indicated, D’Shawn Jamison is taking reps with cornerbacks although I am told that he got a little time at nickel, as well.

***Right now your starters at cornerback are Cook and Boyce with Jalen Green being the guy some believe could threaten for a starting spot. It depends on who you to talk to though. I’ve heard some expect for Green, at some point before the season, to seize one of those spots and not let it go. Others have indicated that it will remain Boyce and Cook. I get the sense that the competition is between Boyce and Green as Cook seems to have earned the trust of the staff last year and through this past offseason.

This is obviously a battle we will watch closely. Although Texas lost two starters at the position, they certainly don’t lack talent. Given the upside of both Green and Boyce, it’s a luxury to have guys of that caliber duking it out.

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IT Friday practice notes

OFFENSE (Joe Cook)

No real change from the first day as far as the depth chart goes on offense. 

1st team -- 
QB: Sam Ehlinger
RB: Keaontay Ingram and Daniel Young
XWR: Malcolm Epps
HWR: Josh Moore
ZWR: Brennan Eagles
YTE: Cade Brewer 
OL: Sam Cosmi - Tope Imade - Zach Shackelford - Derek Kerstetter - Denzel Okafor 

2nd team -- 
QB: Casey Thompson
RB: Kirk Johnson and Jordan Whittington
XWR: Bru McCoy
ZWR: Al’vonte Woodard
HWR: Jordan Pouncey
YTE: Reese Leitao and Jared Wiley
OL: Reese Moore - Junior Angilau - Rafiti Ghirmai - JP Urquidez - Christian Jones

I took a look at WR today, and while there is some talent out there, the numbers are slim. Lots of reps to go around for everyone this spring, including a few walk-one. Not a pecking order, but a list:

XWR: Epps, McCoy, walk-on Kartik Akkihal
ZWR: Eagles, Woodard, walk-on Kai Jarmon
HWR: Moore, Jordan Pouncey, 89 (not listed on the roster, but I’m guessing it’s Travis West - his dad was there today) 

In watching the WRs, I got to see the QBs. Roschon is listed as having 25 pounds on Casey Thompson, and you can see that weight in his legs. Both threw one or two ducks today, but I never saw Tim Beck or Tom Herman really get on their case in our brief window.

The OL worked on proper footwork for tackles and guards for pulling blocks. The depth chart remained the same for the drills. 

DEFENSE (Justin Wells)

1st team -- 
DL: TQ Graham-Gerald Wilbon-Malcolm Roach 
Rover: McCulloch
Mac: Delly
B-backer: Joseph Ossai
CB: Kobe Boyce
CB: Jalen Green 
Nickel: BJ Foster
Field safety: Caden Sterns
Boundary safety: Chris Brown

2nd team -- 
DL: Bimage-Ojomo-Chisholm (Coburn rotated in at 3-tech)
Rover: Caleb Johnson 
Mac: Cort Jaquess (walk-on) (DGF in green jersey)
B-backer: Byron Vaughns
CB: Donovan Duvernay
CB: D'Shawn Jamison 
Nickel: Josh Thompson 
Field safety: Montrell Estell
Boundary safety: DeMarvion Overshown

Notes:

- PROSPECTS! Kelee Ringo, Kitan Crawford, Chris Thompson, Jake Majors, and Team Brockermeyer were in attendance. Ringo is walking around, decked out in burnt orange. Duncanville HC Reggie Samples and Austin Westlake HC Todd Dodge were here as well. 

- Former UH Cougar and Baltimore Ravens LB Tyus Bowser was also at practice. He told me he's been in Austin a couple months now, working with Yancy McKnight during his offseason. He has a great relationship with Herman, Giles, and McKnight. 

- Malcolm Epps is a grown man. He looks more comfortable in the 'X' spot, hearing he's picking up the nuances of the position. Running better routes, reading the DBs. 

- Keondre Coburn was at practice, rotating with the 2nd team defensive line. He's noticeably quick and was firing off during sled drills. 

- DeGabriel Floyd, Caleb Johnson, and Marqez Bimage were in green, non-contact jerseys. 

- Anthony Cook is out (hamstring), so the corner department is a little thin. D'Shawn Jamison running with 2's at corner looks the part. Jamison was also chewed out in a drill by coach Washington for lack of fluidity in his back pedal.

- SPECIAL TEAMS (KR/PR): Jamison, Josh Moore, Thompson, Whittington

- Former OL Patrick Hudson was here watching practtice. Good to see him still involved with UT Football. 

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1 hour ago, Machinator said:

 Taking a slant to the house is old Art Briles’ WR speed

Minor (and insignificant) point of contention here. Wasn't slants a no go in his offense because it violates his principles of spacing? 

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25 minutes ago, Snacks said:
On 3/11/2019 at 7:18 PM, BigHorn said:
Tried to warn y'all about them conniving skinny bitches...

Yeah, man... But they can handle the length

Skinny bitches? Maybe but they've got strict low speed limits and can't be driven hard. That's been my experience though. 

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9 hours ago, ShaggyBevo RIP said:

Didn’t Strong have a big recruiting event to coincide with The Urban Music Festival back in ‘15 or ‘16?

I dont remember that but TH definitely did that with JMBLYA last year and will probably do it again this year.

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3 minutes ago, Machinator said:

 

Oops, forgot this is paywalled:

AUSTIN, Texas — Tom Herman watched his Texas team run around during their first spring football practice Monday morning and couldn’t help but notice who wasn’t there.

Gone from the 2018 team are 14 starters, most of whom will get a shot at playing in the NFL. Eight of their leaders on defense have graduated. Subtract all those key pieces from a team that overachieved in Herman’s view by winning 10 games and, well, you’ve got work to do.

“It is a little discouraging, not seeing a lot of those faces,” Herman said, “because I miss ’em.”

But the solution is just as obvious. If Texas plays up to all the preseason top-10 hype heading its way for 2019, it will be because a promising sophomore class took a massive leap forward. Although it’s still so early to make those kinds of proclamations, it was plain to see as the Longhorns embarked on their first practices since the Sugar Bowl triumph against Georgia.

That sophomore class has already done a lot in a short period of time. It arrived as the nation’s No. 3 recruiting class according to the 247Sports Composite and made an immediate impression with 16 signees playing as true freshmen and nine of them earning starts. Safety Caden Sterns led the way as the Big 12’s Defensive Freshman of the Year, and his peers contributed in ways big and small.

And now so many members of that class find themselves in far more prominent roles this spring, whether they played much last season or not.

“There’s a lot of guys — a lot of young guys, redshirt freshmen and sophomores — that are now running with the No. 1s and No. 2s,” Herman said, “and they’re used to kinda standing on the sideline for most of practice.”

Sterns and fellow safety B.J. Foster combined for five interceptions and seven pass breakups in 2018. Now the Longhorns need Anthony Cook and Jalen Green to rise up as starting cornerbacks. They need Ayodele Adeoye to be a playmaker at linebacker. They need to unleash DeMarvion Overshown. They need Keondre Coburn (who’s out with a kidney issue), Moro Ojomo and Daniel Carson to shore up the defensive line. Coburn and Ojomo did take advantage of the new four-game redshirt rule, as did Ayodele, and still have four years to play.

And they could use a breakout season from Joseph Ossai, who looks poised for one after a strong finish to 2018. The long, physically gifted pass-rusher who’s ideally built for setting the edge as their B-backer earned two starts late in the season. He led the team in stops against Georgia and showed glimpses of the kind of disruptor he can be on passing downs in Big 12 play.

“A lot of those guys are gonna have to play for us,” Herman said, “especially on that side of the ball.”

Texas’ offense has plenty of those guys who need to level up in year two as well. With Collin Johnson and Devin Duvernay healing up to start spring ball and John Burt focusing on track, the door is wide open for their young wideouts to stand out. Quarterback Sam Ehlinger says he loves what sophomore receiver Brennan Eagles is showing this offseason. He also likes the change of pace that a healthy Joshua Moore is bringing in replacing Lil’Jordan Humphrey as the Longhorns’ top slot receiver.

“He’s not as tall or as big, but he’s an extremely fast guy,” Ehlinger said. “He runs really, really good routes. He has great hands. He just doesn’t get tired and he’s really fast and a lot of times he’s matched up on nickels and safeties, which is a great matchup. But it’s different than what L.J. was, because L.J. was the throw-it-up-to-him, give-it-to-him back shoulder. And now Josh is gonna run by the dude.”

But the sophomore skill player who has the potential to take Texas’ offense to another level is Keontay Ingram. His 708 rushing yards as a freshman rank No. 6 among returning Big 12 running backs. He only had one 100-yard performance last season but did churn out six games of 80 or more total yards. Ingram did so while playing through a slew of injuries — MCL strain, bone bruise, hip pointer — and only got 13 carries in Texas’ two postseason games. But he’s ready to roll now, and Ehlinger is eager to see what a deeper understanding of the offense can do for Ingram in his second year.

Texas’ run game ranked 104th in the FBS in yards per carry last season and was among the nation’s least explosive, finishing 120th in rushes of 20-plus yards with nine. Ingram contributed five of those gains with a career long of 31. He averaged slightly less than 11 carries per game. It’s time to see what he can do with a larger workload.

On the offensive line, where Herb Hand has three starters to replace, Texas has all four of its 2018 signees — Junior Angilau, Christian Jones, Reese Moore and Rafiti Ghirmai — working as second-team linemen to begin spring ball. And they’re protecting Casey Thompson, who’s now the No. 2 option at quarterback after redshirting.

And do not forget the sophomore specialists. Cameron Dicker made 18 of his 25 field goal attempts and won the first meeting with Oklahoma. Australian import Ryan Bujcevski ranked sixth in the Big 12 in punting average. He’ll try to match the gains his cousin Michael Dickson made in his second year of college punting. Add it all up and that’s more than 20 second-year players who might need to take on important roles in 2019.

Another reason for optimism with all that youth: Herman can tell the Yancy McKnight effect is starting to kick in. Angilau, Jones, Moore and Carson are more than 300 pounds now and still moving around well. Cook and Green have bulked up nicely. Herman praised Ossai for continuing to “gain really good weight.” And that’s just in one year of physical development guided by Texas’ strength coach.

“I’m gonna toot his horn for a minute, but we’ve got the best strength coach in America,” Herman said, “and I would expect that to be pretty normal around here, for each year those guys look better and better.”

Herman won’t bring this up nor would he invite the comparison, but he has witnessed how far a team can go when a sophomore class takes the big leap. Just look at the 2014 Ohio State team he helped coach. So many players who fueled that national title run were true sophomores (Ezekiel Elliott, Joey Bosa, Vonn Bell), redshirt freshmen (J.T. Barrett, Darron Lee, Billy Price, Eli Apple, Gareon Conley) and redshirt sophomores (Michael Thomas, Cardale Jones, Pat Elflein, Tyvis Powell).

Texas doesn’t have that same level of championship-caliber talent stockpiled right now. But it is recruiting at that level after back-to-back No. 3 recruiting classes. Ehlinger pulled off a second-year jump in 2018, overcoming his freshman struggles and becoming the Longhorns’ true tone-setter. So he knows it when he sees it, and he says he’s excited to see who else can get there and how quickly.

Last spring, Herman was telling reporters he wanted a lot more guys like Sterns and Foster. He’s about to find out just how many he has in this sophomore class. They’re a curious blend of proven, untested and unknown commodities. And their head coach clearly sees potential.

“They’re what we thought they’d be,” Herman said.

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On 3/14/2019 at 12:34 PM, Foosters said:

 

Hmm, I must've missed this. How is Overshown going to see the field in the next few years?

Texas plays a shit load of dime, and Foster is moving to the nickel. Overshown would have been the starting Joker last year had he stayed healthy.

I'd imagine that Orlando hopes his best 6 will be Sterns, Jones, Foster, Overshown, Cook, and Boyce/Green.

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10 concerns from early spring:

1. Biggest Concern - Mac. Not only are they not deep, AA may not be good enough or fast enough. Floyd as a freshman will make mistakes at a critical position where knowledge is critical.

2. Second Biggest Concern - Rover. McCullough isn’t fast enough. Shocked that Overshown turned down the role. Would not be surprised to see Overshown transfer, which would also be shocking.

3. Biggest Dropoff in Concern - WR. We are
loaded with talent, elite talent.

4. The Usual Concern But Slightly Less - Tackle. Okafor at tackle not good. Cosmi really good but slightly undersized at tackle.

5. The New Concern - QB. With Shane and Rising gone, we would be significantly less successful if Sam gets hurt. Pray for his wellness.

7. The Continuing Concern - TE. Had hoped Leitao would have made a move by now. Disappointed.

8. Not Too Concerned - B Backer. Ossai will play at all conference level and we can find a few guys behind him if necessary.

9. Not Too Concerned II - CB. We have enough elite talent that we will be fine.

10. Very Concerned- RB. Whittington helps a lot, but Ingram did not look great late in the season and there’s very little other exciting depth.

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1 hour ago, Dbeasy said:

10 concerns from early spring:

1. Biggest Concern - Mac. Not only are they not deep, AA may not be good enough or fast enough. Floyd as a freshman will make mistakes at a critical position where knowledge is critical.

2. Second Biggest Concern - Rover. McCullough isn’t fast enough. Shocked that Overshown turned down the role. Would not be surprised to see Overshown transfer, which would also be shocking.

3. Biggest Dropoff in Concern - WR. We are
loaded with talent, elite talent.

4. The Usual Concern But Slightly Less - Tackle. Okafor at tackle not good. Cosmi really good but slightly undersized at tackle.

5. The New Concern - QB. With Shane and Rising gone, we would be significantly less successful if Sam gets hurt. Pray for his wellness.

7. The Continuing Concern - TE. Had hoped Leitao would have made a move by now. Disappointed.

8. Not Too Concerned - B Backer. Ossai will play at all conference level and we can find a few guys behind him if necessary.

9. Not Too Concerned II - CB. We have enough elite talent that we will be fine.

10. Very Concerned- RB. Whittington helps a lot, but Ingram did not look great late in the season and there’s very little other exciting depth.
 

Do you simply choose to stay in bed most mornings?

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10 concerns from early spring:

1. Biggest Concern - Mac. Not only are they not deep, AA may not be good enough or fast enough. Floyd as a freshman will make mistakes at a critical position where knowledge is critical.

2. Second Biggest Concern - Rover. McCullough isn’t fast enough. Shocked that Overshown turned down the role. Would not be surprised to see Overshown transfer, which would also be shocking.

3. Biggest Dropoff in Concern - WR. We are
loaded with talent, elite talent.

4. The Usual Concern But Slightly Less - Tackle. Okafor at tackle not good. Cosmi really good but slightly undersized at tackle.

5. The New Concern - QB. With Shane and Rising gone, we would be significantly less successful if Sam gets hurt. Pray for his wellness.

7. The Continuing Concern - TE. Had hoped Leitao would have made a move by now. Disappointed.

8. Not Too Concerned - B Backer. Ossai will play at all conference level and we can find a few guys behind him if necessary.

9. Not Too Concerned II - CB. We have enough elite talent that we will be fine.

10. Very Concerned- RB. Whittington helps a lot, but Ingram did not look great late in the season and there’s very little other exciting depth.



FaroffEnergeticAdmiralbutterfly-small.gif
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19 minutes ago, Sleepygrad said:

I have a hard time believing that Overshown would turn down a role that would get him on the field. That don't make no kinda sense.

The report about him turning down the position came from Chip Brown so...

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4 hours ago, Dbeasy said:

10 concerns from early spring:

1. Biggest Concern - Mac. Not only are they not deep, AA may not be good enough or fast enough. Floyd as a freshman will make mistakes at a critical position where knowledge is critical.

2. Second Biggest Concern - Rover. McCullough isn’t fast enough. Shocked that Overshown turned down the role. Would not be surprised to see Overshown transfer, which would also be shocking.

3. Biggest Dropoff in Concern - WR. We are
loaded with talent, elite talent.

4. The Usual Concern But Slightly Less - Tackle. Okafor at tackle not good. Cosmi really good but slightly undersized at tackle.

5. The New Concern - QB. With Shane and Rising gone, we would be significantly less successful if Sam gets hurt. Pray for his wellness.

7. The Continuing Concern - TE. Had hoped Leitao would have made a move by now. Disappointed.

8. Not Too Concerned - B Backer. Ossai will play at all conference level and we can find a few guys behind him if necessary.

9. Not Too Concerned II - CB. We have enough elite talent that we will be fine.

10. Very Concerned- RB. Whittington helps a lot, but Ingram did not look great late in the season and there’s very little other exciting depth.
 

This is hilarious. Wait are you serious?

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4 hours ago, Dbeasy said:

10 concerns from early spring:

1. Biggest Concern - Mac. Not only are they not deep, AA may not be good enough or fast enough. Floyd as a freshman will make mistakes at a critical position where knowledge is critical.

2. Second Biggest Concern - Rover. McCullough isn’t fast enough. Shocked that Overshown turned down the role. Would not be surprised to see Overshown transfer, which would also be shocking.

3. Biggest Dropoff in Concern - WR. We are
loaded with talent, elite talent.

4. The Usual Concern But Slightly Less - Tackle. Okafor at tackle not good. Cosmi really good but slightly undersized at tackle.

5. The New Concern - QB. With Shane and Rising gone, we would be significantly less successful if Sam gets hurt. Pray for his wellness.

7. The Continuing Concern - TE. Had hoped Leitao would have made a move by now. Disappointed.

8. Not Too Concerned - B Backer. Ossai will play at all conference level and we can find a few guys behind him if necessary.

9. Not Too Concerned II - CB. We have enough elite talent that we will be fine.

10. Very Concerned- RB. Whittington helps a lot, but Ingram did not look great late in the season and there’s very little other exciting depth.
 

5-7 season incoming 

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