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Now is your chance to sponsor the column. Our previous sponsor paid for more than three months of sponsorship fees in the first two weeks of signing up. That can be you! Contact Orangebloods' new sales lead, Cody Clearman ( codyclearman@orangebloods.com ) if you want that kind of successful promotion for your business. Don't miss out on this amazing opportunity!
===========================================================================
Easter Sunday just passed and there was something said in the homily this week that has stuck with me. The pastor said that the one thing he prays for each week is to have an inspiration for that week’s sermon.
Boy, do I know what that’s like!
My inspiration actually comes from the pastor. Before you accuse me of cheating off of a preacher you should know, he got his message from someone else. So this is actually a third-hand inspiration.
His message was simply that what happens around Easter is important. The rituals that Christians do every year are important. Repeating the stories each year is important. Welcoming back the people who are dropping in for their yearly church visit is important.
His point is that these rights and rituals bind us together. The messages are heard and impact people in different ways at different times in their lives. The yearly churchgoers sometimes end up coming back for more frequent visits.
These things matter.
It should be noted here, this column is not about Easter or Christianity so please bear with me if that’s not what you want to read about.
I was reminded of the preacher’s homily while listening to Texas football head coach Steve Sarkisian’s press conference following a practice on Tuesday. It struck me that even though we are still 150 days away from the start of the season (as of Wednesday), what is happening out on the practice fields right now really does matter.
It matters that Sarkisian had one name at the tip of his tongue when Austin American-Statesman columnist Kirk Bohls asked; “which of your freshmen are not looking, acting, practicing like a freshman? Are any of them already taking a leadership role?”
You loyal Orangebloods readers probably weren’t surprised when Sarkisian named wide receiver Ryan Wingo as a standout.
You probably read some of the excellent reporting from the Orangebloods staff that Wingo was taking reps with the first team during the first scrimmage this Spring.
Or you watched the OB Live video during winter conditioning where @Ketchum said that sources were telling him that Wingo is:
(Shameless plug here, @Ketchum @Anwar Richardson @Suchomel and @Alex Dunlap are the best in the business at digging up these practice and scrimmage nuggets … but y’all already knew that. Still, just a kudos to the guys for the excellent work they do.)
But it’s one thing to read second-hand accounts about what happens in practice (because, sadly, the media is not allowed to watch most of the practices in order to give first-hand accounts). It’s quite another to have the head coach single someone out.
“I would say the one guy that has probably shown up the most in my eyes would be Ryan Wingo,” Sarkisian said Tuesday. “I feel like the last week, he’s really starting to make some plays and you’re starting to see the size and speed and athleticism. That would be the one guy, I guess, that I could point out there.”
Now it would be easy to blow this off as just a random observation from a coach during the spring. I hear the cynics out there saying, “Let me see it in the fall and then we’ll talk.”
But I think it matters – because Sarkisian said it matters.
Sark was asked about whether he would be more open to a wide receiver rotation this season than he has done in his first three years in Austin. He said he would be, but the receivers need to build trust with the coaching staff and the quarterbacks in order to see the field.
“For sure. There’s a trust factor to know what to do, they know how to do it, they know why we’re doing it,” Sarkisian said. “Now is that time. Again, we’re not making any gameday decisions today but we do log the information and then we look for improvement along the way as we go.”
There you go. Are we putting out a starting lineup for Colorado State right now? Obviously not. But you could say that instead of a starting lineup, it’s the starting line for playing time.
WIDE RECEIVER ROTATION IS GOING TO BE TOUGH:
Sarkisian didn’t rotate many receivers during his first three years because he either didn’t have enough receivers he could trust (looking back to his first season), or the guys on the field were so good that you didn’t want to take them off (like last season).
Nearly every single Texas player who went to this year’s NFL Combine singled out wide receiver Johntay Cook as a player to watch this season. They all raved about Cook and believe he is a breakout star.
Of course, Cook was a 5-star recruit who arrived in Austin with a lot of fanfare – and then barely received any playing time, finishing with eight catches for 136 yards in 2023. He’ll likely exceed those totals in one game at some point this season.
But as promising as Cook was last year, were you going to pull Xavier Worthy, Adonai Mitchell or Jordan Whittington off the field to put Cook on it? Worthy and Mitchell are about to be drafted in the first round of the NFL draft in three weeks time and Whittington will probably get selected as well.
Those guys are gone now so you can pretty much put it in ink that Johntay Cook will get a LOT of playing time this season.
The same can probably be said for Isaiah Bond who transferred in from Alabama.
Where it really starts to get tricky is with that third receiver position.
Matthew Golden transferred in from Houston where he had an incredible year for the Cougars where he caught 38 passes for 404 yards (including seven catches for 88 yards and two touchdowns against Texas). But as talented as Golden is, there hasn’t been a lot of chatter about him this spring.
DeAndre Moore is, like Cook, a true Sophomore who is making waves for himself this spring. He is big, fast and has good hands. He’ll definitely compete for snaps, especially in the slot.
Silas Bolden may be one of the more underrated receivers in the WR room. The problem is, he’s not in the wide receiver room (at least not yet). Bolden is finishing up his degree at Oregon State University and will arrive in Austin in time to start summer workouts.
For those of you, like me, for whom math is not your forte, that is six names competing for three spots.
Ryan Wingo, Johntay Cook, Isaiah Bond, Matthew Golden, Silas Bolden, DeAndre Moore.
Of course, there’s even more depth behind those six, but these are the guys for now who have staked a claim to be on the field.
Is Sark really prepared to pull an experienced player like Isaiah Bond off the field in order to give a true freshman like Wingo some meaningful playing time? Color me dubious.
But the fact that Wingo is making a name for himself now means that he will at least be in the discussion.
Again, these things – right now – matter.
GOODBYE TO A LEGEND …
Texas swimming and diving head coach Eddie Reese is leaving a legacy that will never be matched. Ever.
Reese won 15 national titles, taking teams to the White House under every presidency since Ronald Reagan. Let that sink in for a minute. Reese has been winning at UT for nearly my entire life (and I just turned 50). To do that, Reese had to be able to put aside things that had worked for him in the past and adopt new practices that were unproven. It takes a special person to be able to do that.
Of course, that’s hardly surprising after hearing Del Conte talk about Reese on Tuesday.
“The definition of a coach is believing in someone when they don’t believe in themselves,” Del Conte said in explaining Reese’s philosophy. “Coach (Eddie Reese) was never about winning championships. His whole idea was, ‘Can I get the very best out of someone? If they fulfill their potential, championships will come.’”
While it will be impossible to replace Reese, Del Conte did one hell of a job in finding his successor.
Bob Bowman is not only the coach of the newly crowned national champion Arizona State University swim team, but he also coached the most successful and most decorated Olympian of all time, Michael Phelps.
Del Conte said he relied heavily upon the women’s swimming and diving coach, Carol Capitani, to help him find the next coach for the men’s swimming and diving team. CDC said Capitani ran through the list of the top five or six coaches that UT could probably get but she didn’t think they would be the right fit for what is expected in Austin. She then added a name that would be unlikely to most – Bob Bowman.
“As we were going through (the list) she said, ‘You know, there’s a dark horse,” Del Conte recalled. “’There’s a dark horse, you’re not going to believe it. I asked him (Bob Bowman) one day on the deck, ‘Hey, what do you think about Texas?’ His response was, ‘Hmm, I’m happy where I’m at, but keep me posted.’
“So you’re telling me we have a chance, Carol? And from that moment on I was ‘Buford T. Justice’ in hot pursuit.
Del Conte Facetimed with Bowman last week.
“I said, ‘Hey, are you interested in the University of Texas,’” Del Conte asked Bowman. “He goes, ‘I’m interested in that job. I’m going to go win a national championship first.’
“I asked him, ‘Why are you interested in the University of Texas?’ He goes, ‘I was 12 years old when Eddie took that job. I’ve watched what he’s built and who he’s recruited and that job is the best job in America.’”
Bowman will never be able to replace Reese, but if he keeps talking about this being the best job in America, he will win over the fans.
TWEETS OF INTEREST:
Texas continues to climb up the rankings of the Director’s Cup standings. I may be one of the only people who enjoy tracking this, but I love it. I view it as a reflection of the overall strength of an athletic department.
###############################
I don't know whether a "super league" would work in college football or not (although I think it would). I also don't know how it would be received if it comes to this (it didn't fly when it was proposed in soccer). But I am intrigued.
###############################
This is further proof that when it comes to sports viewership … stars matter.
All of those Americans weren’t just tuning in to watch a women’s basketball game, they were tuning in to watch Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese.
###############################
As disappointing as it is that the Texas women fell in the Elite Eight, it probably saved you all a ton of money.
###############################
@Ketchum I think you need to send me to Alaska to cover this game. I’ve been watching “Northern Exposure” on Amazon so I think I’m probably the best-prepared person on the staff to go to the game.
***EDIT***
Ok, this is not real. But it'd be a lot cooler if it was.
###############################
Baseball, history and a Broadway show … all in one picture.
###############################
Did you “celebrate” April Fool’s Day?
###############################
Finally, for those of you who still aren’t 100 percent on board with the upcoming eclipse, I thought this was an excellent example of how an eclipse works.
YOU!
Now is your chance to sponsor the column. Our previous sponsor paid for more than three months of sponsorship fees in the first two weeks of signing up. That can be you! Contact Orangebloods' new sales lead, Cody Clearman ( codyclearman@orangebloods.com ) if you want that kind of successful promotion for your business. Don't miss out on this amazing opportunity!
===========================================================================
Easter Sunday just passed and there was something said in the homily this week that has stuck with me. The pastor said that the one thing he prays for each week is to have an inspiration for that week’s sermon.
Boy, do I know what that’s like!
My inspiration actually comes from the pastor. Before you accuse me of cheating off of a preacher you should know, he got his message from someone else. So this is actually a third-hand inspiration.
His message was simply that what happens around Easter is important. The rituals that Christians do every year are important. Repeating the stories each year is important. Welcoming back the people who are dropping in for their yearly church visit is important.
His point is that these rights and rituals bind us together. The messages are heard and impact people in different ways at different times in their lives. The yearly churchgoers sometimes end up coming back for more frequent visits.
These things matter.
It should be noted here, this column is not about Easter or Christianity so please bear with me if that’s not what you want to read about.
I was reminded of the preacher’s homily while listening to Texas football head coach Steve Sarkisian’s press conference following a practice on Tuesday. It struck me that even though we are still 150 days away from the start of the season (as of Wednesday), what is happening out on the practice fields right now really does matter.
It matters that Sarkisian had one name at the tip of his tongue when Austin American-Statesman columnist Kirk Bohls asked; “which of your freshmen are not looking, acting, practicing like a freshman? Are any of them already taking a leadership role?”
You loyal Orangebloods readers probably weren’t surprised when Sarkisian named wide receiver Ryan Wingo as a standout.
You probably read some of the excellent reporting from the Orangebloods staff that Wingo was taking reps with the first team during the first scrimmage this Spring.
- Ryan Wingo (X), Deandre Moore (slot) and Johntay Cook (Z) were the first three WRs in. It should be noted that Isaiah Bond was playing in front of Wingo at the X in the first practice, but Wingo handled reps with the first team for basically the entirety of team portions when the offense was in 11 personnel. Something to monitor for sure, but Wingo is making a move.
Or you watched the OB Live video during winter conditioning where @Ketchum said that sources were telling him that Wingo is:
* Off to a very good start in off-season workouts
* Impressing as you'd expect a prospect of his level to do from an athleticism standpoint.
* Source told me that he's heard the talk of him being 4th, 5th or 6th in the WR pecking order in 2024 and has no plans to be a bit part in the offense. Plans on proving in the spring that he'll be among the top WRs on the team... right now.
(Shameless plug here, @Ketchum @Anwar Richardson @Suchomel and @Alex Dunlap are the best in the business at digging up these practice and scrimmage nuggets … but y’all already knew that. Still, just a kudos to the guys for the excellent work they do.)
But it’s one thing to read second-hand accounts about what happens in practice (because, sadly, the media is not allowed to watch most of the practices in order to give first-hand accounts). It’s quite another to have the head coach single someone out.
“I would say the one guy that has probably shown up the most in my eyes would be Ryan Wingo,” Sarkisian said Tuesday. “I feel like the last week, he’s really starting to make some plays and you’re starting to see the size and speed and athleticism. That would be the one guy, I guess, that I could point out there.”
Now it would be easy to blow this off as just a random observation from a coach during the spring. I hear the cynics out there saying, “Let me see it in the fall and then we’ll talk.”
But I think it matters – because Sarkisian said it matters.
Sark was asked about whether he would be more open to a wide receiver rotation this season than he has done in his first three years in Austin. He said he would be, but the receivers need to build trust with the coaching staff and the quarterbacks in order to see the field.
“For sure. There’s a trust factor to know what to do, they know how to do it, they know why we’re doing it,” Sarkisian said. “Now is that time. Again, we’re not making any gameday decisions today but we do log the information and then we look for improvement along the way as we go.”
There you go. Are we putting out a starting lineup for Colorado State right now? Obviously not. But you could say that instead of a starting lineup, it’s the starting line for playing time.
WIDE RECEIVER ROTATION IS GOING TO BE TOUGH:
Sarkisian didn’t rotate many receivers during his first three years because he either didn’t have enough receivers he could trust (looking back to his first season), or the guys on the field were so good that you didn’t want to take them off (like last season).
Nearly every single Texas player who went to this year’s NFL Combine singled out wide receiver Johntay Cook as a player to watch this season. They all raved about Cook and believe he is a breakout star.
Of course, Cook was a 5-star recruit who arrived in Austin with a lot of fanfare – and then barely received any playing time, finishing with eight catches for 136 yards in 2023. He’ll likely exceed those totals in one game at some point this season.
But as promising as Cook was last year, were you going to pull Xavier Worthy, Adonai Mitchell or Jordan Whittington off the field to put Cook on it? Worthy and Mitchell are about to be drafted in the first round of the NFL draft in three weeks time and Whittington will probably get selected as well.
Those guys are gone now so you can pretty much put it in ink that Johntay Cook will get a LOT of playing time this season.
The same can probably be said for Isaiah Bond who transferred in from Alabama.
Where it really starts to get tricky is with that third receiver position.
Matthew Golden transferred in from Houston where he had an incredible year for the Cougars where he caught 38 passes for 404 yards (including seven catches for 88 yards and two touchdowns against Texas). But as talented as Golden is, there hasn’t been a lot of chatter about him this spring.
DeAndre Moore is, like Cook, a true Sophomore who is making waves for himself this spring. He is big, fast and has good hands. He’ll definitely compete for snaps, especially in the slot.
Silas Bolden may be one of the more underrated receivers in the WR room. The problem is, he’s not in the wide receiver room (at least not yet). Bolden is finishing up his degree at Oregon State University and will arrive in Austin in time to start summer workouts.
For those of you, like me, for whom math is not your forte, that is six names competing for three spots.
Ryan Wingo, Johntay Cook, Isaiah Bond, Matthew Golden, Silas Bolden, DeAndre Moore.
Of course, there’s even more depth behind those six, but these are the guys for now who have staked a claim to be on the field.
Is Sark really prepared to pull an experienced player like Isaiah Bond off the field in order to give a true freshman like Wingo some meaningful playing time? Color me dubious.
But the fact that Wingo is making a name for himself now means that he will at least be in the discussion.
Again, these things – right now – matter.
GOODBYE TO A LEGEND …
Texas swimming and diving head coach Eddie Reese is leaving a legacy that will never be matched. Ever.
Reese won 15 national titles, taking teams to the White House under every presidency since Ronald Reagan. Let that sink in for a minute. Reese has been winning at UT for nearly my entire life (and I just turned 50). To do that, Reese had to be able to put aside things that had worked for him in the past and adopt new practices that were unproven. It takes a special person to be able to do that.
Of course, that’s hardly surprising after hearing Del Conte talk about Reese on Tuesday.
“The definition of a coach is believing in someone when they don’t believe in themselves,” Del Conte said in explaining Reese’s philosophy. “Coach (Eddie Reese) was never about winning championships. His whole idea was, ‘Can I get the very best out of someone? If they fulfill their potential, championships will come.’”
While it will be impossible to replace Reese, Del Conte did one hell of a job in finding his successor.
Bob Bowman is not only the coach of the newly crowned national champion Arizona State University swim team, but he also coached the most successful and most decorated Olympian of all time, Michael Phelps.
Del Conte said he relied heavily upon the women’s swimming and diving coach, Carol Capitani, to help him find the next coach for the men’s swimming and diving team. CDC said Capitani ran through the list of the top five or six coaches that UT could probably get but she didn’t think they would be the right fit for what is expected in Austin. She then added a name that would be unlikely to most – Bob Bowman.
“As we were going through (the list) she said, ‘You know, there’s a dark horse,” Del Conte recalled. “’There’s a dark horse, you’re not going to believe it. I asked him (Bob Bowman) one day on the deck, ‘Hey, what do you think about Texas?’ His response was, ‘Hmm, I’m happy where I’m at, but keep me posted.’
“So you’re telling me we have a chance, Carol? And from that moment on I was ‘Buford T. Justice’ in hot pursuit.
Del Conte Facetimed with Bowman last week.
“I said, ‘Hey, are you interested in the University of Texas,’” Del Conte asked Bowman. “He goes, ‘I’m interested in that job. I’m going to go win a national championship first.’
“I asked him, ‘Why are you interested in the University of Texas?’ He goes, ‘I was 12 years old when Eddie took that job. I’ve watched what he’s built and who he’s recruited and that job is the best job in America.’”
Bowman will never be able to replace Reese, but if he keeps talking about this being the best job in America, he will win over the fans.
TWEETS OF INTEREST:
Texas continues to climb up the rankings of the Director’s Cup standings. I may be one of the only people who enjoy tracking this, but I love it. I view it as a reflection of the overall strength of an athletic department.
###############################
I don't know whether a "super league" would work in college football or not (although I think it would). I also don't know how it would be received if it comes to this (it didn't fly when it was proposed in soccer). But I am intrigued.
###############################
This is further proof that when it comes to sports viewership … stars matter.
All of those Americans weren’t just tuning in to watch a women’s basketball game, they were tuning in to watch Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese.
###############################
As disappointing as it is that the Texas women fell in the Elite Eight, it probably saved you all a ton of money.
###############################
@Ketchum I think you need to send me to Alaska to cover this game. I’ve been watching “Northern Exposure” on Amazon so I think I’m probably the best-prepared person on the staff to go to the game.
***EDIT***
Ok, this is not real. But it'd be a lot cooler if it was.
###############################
Baseball, history and a Broadway show … all in one picture.
###############################
Did you “celebrate” April Fool’s Day?
###############################
Finally, for those of you who still aren’t 100 percent on board with the upcoming eclipse, I thought this was an excellent example of how an eclipse works.
Last edited by a moderator:
