I’ll be the first to admit I never thought it would be this difficult.
After all those years of watching Mack Brown dominate in recruiting in Texas to such an extent that it often appeared as if he was shooting recruiting baskets from the lay-up line, I’ve come to truly appreciate what he once created on a front that earned him the nickname “Coach February.”
In those final years when the card that used to be up his sleeves turned into the seven of clubs, I assumed that once eventual change in the Texas program was made that the new coach, whomever it might be, would once again propel Texas to the top of the in-state wish lists. After all, you’re talking about one of the most successful programs in the history of college football wrapped inside one of the best universities in the world and coolest cities in the world as home.
“Heaven on earth,” former assistant coach Tim Brewster used to tell recruits when they were about an hour away from finishing the drive to Austin. “Get ready to visit heaven on earth.”
Thirty minutes later, he’d tell them the same thing. Fifteen minutes after that, he’d repeat it again.
“Get ready to visit heaven on earth,” he'd say each time.
And seemingly just like that, the kid would be a Longhorn commitment, regardless of depth charts or any other factors that can shape a recruitment.
So, when the Longhorns hired Charlie Strong 17 months ago to be the program’s head coach, there were a million reasons to think the Longhorns were about to start flipping over aces again. In addition to all of those natural advantages the school brings to the table as a birthright, the Longhorns were getting a coach with an incredible reputation for being a coach that relates to his players, a tremendous reputation for developing talent and a jump-start to what had otherwise been dead momentum for several years.
Aren’t new things supposed to be exciting?
Even Dennis Francione and Mike Sherman had a two-year honeymoons once upon a time ...
Yet, when it comes to in-state recruiting, the Longhorns still aren’t turning over a lot of aces and Strong will tell you that it’s one area of his program that must improve. Landing five-star Malik Jefferson was nice, but it needs to serve as the beginning of a surge and thus far it’s impossible to call the movement on the in-state recruiting front anything close to a surge.
For those of thus that thought you could add just about anyone of quality into the role of Texas head coach and see instant recruiting success arrive, the reality of Strong’s set of circumstances 17 months into the job have forever eliminated any future assuming.
So, what’s going on that is creating the amount of heavy lifting needed to achieve success with the elite of the elite in Texas and just how concerned should everyone in burnt orange be? It’s a set of questions with a bevy of answers that twist among each other.
No. 2 - The Basics and Breakdown at the Top
When Strong was hired in January 2014, he essentially had 30 days to save his 2014 recruiting class and 12 months to build his 2015 recruiting class from the ground up, timetables that put him behind an early eight ball against all other schools that recruit the state of Texas that had already built a ton of sweat equity in developing relationships with key recruiting targets.
So many of last year’s struggles were tied to the idea that Texas was working against a clock that did them zero favors, but this wasn’t supposed to be an issue in the third recruiting class that Charlie Strong signs as Texas coach because when the members of the 2016 recruiting class put signatures on letters of intent, Strong and his staff will have had 25 months to knock down any walls in front of them in terms of head starts in relationship building.
Two-thirds of the way into that 25-month timetable and the map to success doesn’t present a path that’s nearly as bleak as some might believe, but that does not mean that success is going to be easy.
Although we’re still a little less than eight months away from National Signing Day, 11 of the state’s top 25 prospects (according to the most recent LSR Top 100) have already made verbal pledges and at this point the Longhorns have only one of those 11.
If one looks at the current top 10, you’ll see that four of the top eight have committed, all to different schools. More concerning is the fact that there aren’t many inside the top 25 who currently have the Longhorns listed at the top of their recruiting lists.
Committed to Texas
No. 23 QB/Shane Buchele/Arlington Lamar
Committed Elsewhere
No. 1 OL/Greg Little/Allen (Committed to Texas A&M)
No. 2 OL/Patrick Hudson/Silsbee (Committed to Baylor)
No. 5 DT/Ed Oliver/Spring Westfield (Committed to Houston)
No. 8 LB/Erick Fowler/Manor (Committed to LSU)
No. 11 RB/Kam Martin/Port Arthur Memorial (Committed to Baylor)
No. 12 WR/Courtney Lark/Bellaire (Committed to TCU)
No. 15 WR/Dee Anderson/DeSoto (Committed to LSU)
No. 18 CB/Travon Fuller/Athens (Committed to Texas A&M)
No. 20 TE/Kaden Smith/Flower Mound Marcus (Committed to Stanford)
No. 21 DT/Kendall Jones/Killeen Shoemaker (Committed to Alabama)
Uncommmitted (with favorites listed)
No. 3 DB/Eric Monroe/North Shore (LSU, Texas A&M, Baylor and Texas)
No. 4 DB/Deontay Anderson/Manvel (Texas A&M, Alabama, Ole Miss, LSU and others)
No. 6 DB/Brandon Jones/Nacogdoches (Texas A&M, Texas, LSU, Alabama and others)
No. 7 WR/Devin Duvernay/Sachse (Texas, LSU, Texas A&M, Baylor, Auburn and others)
No. 9 RB/Devwah Whaley/Beaumont Central (Texas A&M, Texas, Alabama, Oklahoma and others)
No. 10 OL/Jean Delance/North Mesquite (Alabama, LSU, Michigan, Texas A&M and Texas)
No. 13 CB/Jared Mayden/Sachse (Alabama, Michigan, Ohio State, Oregon and others)
No. 14 DT/Chris Daniels/Euless Trinity (Texas A&M, TCU, Ohio State, Michigan, Oklahoma and others)
No. 16 DE/Justin Madubuike/McKinney North (Texas, Texas A&M, Baylor, TCU and others)
No. 17 LB/Marvin Terry/South Oak Cliff (Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Baylor, TCU and others)
No. 19 DE/Brandon Bowen/Trophy Club Byron Nelson (Texas, Baylor, Oklahoma State and others)
No. 22 CB/Eric Cuffee/Waco High (Texas, Baylor, Texas A&M, Alabama and others)
No. 24 WR/Tren’Davian Dixon/Navasota (Texas A&M, Baylor, USC, LSU and others)
No. 25 LB/Dontavious Jackson/Houston Elsik (Texas, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Baylor and Alabama)
[/b]No. 3 - The Magnificent Seven[/b]
While the lists for some of these kids seem to change with the wind, the Longhorns enter the summer in a pretty good to very good position with the following prospects:
No. 6 DB/Brandon Jones/Nacogdoches (Texas A&M, Texas, LSU, Alabama and others)
No. 7 WR/Devin Duvernay/Sachse (Texas, LSU, Texas A&M, Baylor, Auburn and others)
No. 9 RB/Devwah Whaley/Beaumont Central (Texas A&M, Texas, Alabama, Oklahoma and others)
No. 16 DE/Justin Madubuike/McKinney North (Texas, Texas A&M, Baylor, TCU and others)
No. 19 DE/Brandon Bowen/Trophy Club Byron Nelson (Texas, Baylor, Oklahoma State and others)
No. 22 CB/Eric Cuffee/Waco High (Texas, Baylor, Texas A&M, Alabama and others)
No. 25 LB/Dontavious Jackson/Houston Elsik (Texas, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Baylor and Alabama)
Yes, there are other top 25 players who list the Longhorns somewhere in their personal top 5-10 list, but these seven prospects all have listed the Longhorns as a favorite or co-favorite at some point or it’s believed behind the scenes that the Longhorns sit this high. Given that the Longhorns aren’t likely to set the football field on fire this season in Strong’s second year, it’s imperative that Strong and his staff close in a big way with the kids that are most receptive to playing in Austin.
A year ago, the Longhorns finished with the No. 12 overall recruiting class according to Rivals.com and they did so by securing commitments from one five-star and 14 four-star prospects. In order to reach that mark once again this season (Texas currently has three four-star commitments among its five overall 2016 commitments), Strong and his staff will probably need to sweep much of “The Magnificent Seven,” while pulling another half-dozen or so commitments of this caliber from out of state and among the rest of the in-state prospects that aren’t covered in this section.
While anything is possible in recruiting, I would argue the easiest path to a top 10-15 recruiting class is to simply sign the big-time recruits that like you the most, which means that the seven prospects highlighted above absolutely represent the pulse for this year’s entire class. If Charlie Strong can lasso at least five or six from the group, then it stands to reason that the staff will feel that momentum elsewhere. If the Strong and Co. struggle to land the seven kids that like them the most among the current LSR Top 25, it’s hard to imagine that momentum could be surging elsewhere.
The momentum in the 2016 class must come from “The Magnificent Seven" or it probably won’t come from anywhere.
No. 4 - Charlie The Flipper
One of the things we learned about Charlie Strong and his staff in his first full recruiting class is they won’t stop recruiting the kids they covet until the very bloody end and that never-say-die attitude resulted in a number of recruiting wins for the Longhorns.
Here’s a list of the players from the 2015 recruiting class that Strong was able to flip over to the Longhorns:
LB/Cecil Cherry/Lakeland, Florida (Committed to Tennessee)
LB/Breckyn Hager/Austin Westlake (Committed to Baylor)
DT/Du’Vonta Lampkin/Houston Cy Falls (Committed to Oklahoma)
DB/James Locke/Beaumont Central (Committed to Oregon)
QB/Kai Locksley/Baltimore, Maryland (Committed to Florida State)
OL/Ronnie Major/Huntsville (Committed to Baylor)
WR/Ryan Newsome/Aledo (Committed to UCLA)
OL/Tristan Nickelson/Navarro J.C. (Committed to Iowa State
DE/Quincy Vasser/Navarro J.C. (Committed to Georgia)
The sample size is so small that it’s hard to determine a lot from the data, especially when you
consider that it occurred in year one of Strong’s tenure, but there are a few potential data points worth remembering.
Total Commitments:
(5) In-state high school prospects
(2) In-state JUCO prospects
(2) Out-of-state high school prospects
With the exception of the commitment from Newsome, almost all of the in-state guys that flipped to Texas were guys the Longhorns came after a little later in the recruiting process, once it became clear the numbers game would allow for the offers. Of those five in-state high school kids that flipped, only Lampkin was regarded as a four-star prospect by Rivals.
Depending on how many kids the Longhorns will need to flip in order to complete this year’s recruiting efforts, it’s probably safe to say that at least 50 percent of the numbers will come from a player that is slightly under the radar in recruiting (high three-star prospects are the areas of the rankings a lot seem to hail from) and only received a Texas offer after committing to another school. Hager, Locke and Major are all examples of kids that were ready to jump on a Texas offer, even if it arrived at the 11th hour.
Of course, this year is slightly different because Texas has already offered more than 50 in-state 2016 prospects and that number could climb to 60 before the end of the summer, but the fact remains that there will be kids throughout the state that will jump on a Texas offer if they receive one (see recent OL commit Tope Imade) and the majority of kids that will likely be targeted will reside in the 5.7 or 5.6 sections of the in-state rankings.
Mix a possible JUCO prospect or two, along with an out of state (again probably not offered yet) and you probably have an idea of how the 2016 recruiting class will likely come together if Texas struggles to reel in its big fish.
No. 5 – Scattershooting on the Longhorns …
… After seeing very few 2016 difference-makers show up a week ago for the first one-day camp of the month, the turnout was much stronger this weekend with the appearances of Manvel defensive back Deontay Anderson (No. 4 on the LSR), North Mesquite offensive lineman Jean Delance (No. 10 on the LSR) and Waco High defensive back Eric Cuffee No. 22 on the LSR). Perhaps it’s not the turnout you’d like to see when it comes to volume, but any dramatic movement Texas can create with Anderson and Delance would represent huge developments, while solidifying its position with Cuffee could be crucial, considering some of the rumors flying around a week ago about his recruitment.
… With the offer to Elkins defensive tackle Ross Blacklock on Sunday, the Longhorns have
offered the top six defensive tackle prospects in the state. Here’s my scouting report on the listed 6-4, 305-pound defensive tackle, who ranks No. 53 overall on the LSR:
"There’s not a lot of fanciness to the skill set of the 6-5, 305-pound lineman, who I believe is one of the more underrated prospects in the entire state when you consider the size and raw ability. At his best, Blacklock’s is a hard-charger who can move his big body in a way that causes mass destruction when he’s able to get into the middle of the action. One of Blacklock’s biggest problems at the high school level is that he doesn’t always play with good pad level and against good offensive lineman, it renders him to a spectator role, but when he plays with good pad level and is able to create penetration, he has the ability to become an impact player that opposing offensive linemen really struggle with. Blacklock is incredibly raw and is going to need some time to develop, but you can’t fake his mass and raw power."
… Another player that emerged from the camp with an offer is Killeen Shoemaker defensive end Rahssan Thornton, who ranks No. 83 in the state on the Rivals Texas Top 100 and exploded this spring with offers from a number of big-time offers, including LSU, Michigan add Oklahoma. Given the need at the position and the lack of sure-fire out of state prospects at the position that are warming to the Longhorns, it’s not a surprise that Thornton would become the fifth in-state defensive end offered.
… If there’s a position on the field that the Longhorns can withstand a recruiting loss, it’s probably linebacker after the group the program signed in February, but there’s still no getting around the sting of watching Manor linebacker Erick Fowler commit to LSU this weekend. Regardless of the position he plays, Fowler ranks as one of the most dynamic prospects in the state and when a guy lives 15 minutes away from your campus, landing him is critical. That the Longhorns weren’t really notable in his recruitment before the commit doesn’t matter … the Texas staff must not stop going all-out for the play-making Fowler. Get him on campus once and then again, and then again. You have to break that wall down if you’re Charlie Strong.
No. 6 - BUY OR SELL ...
BUY or SELL: Texas ends up with a top-15 recruiting class?
(Buy) I don’t know that I can tell you how it all comes together, but Texas is going to take a pretty big class and it’s hard for me to believe they won’t eventually climb into that type of territory.
BUY or SELL: Dalton Santos' injuries allow the incoming frosh to pass him up on the MLB depth chart by mid-season?
(Buy) I’m saying week three at the latest. Youth and talent at linebacker is a real program strength.
BUY or SELL: Texas has twice as many passing TDs to interceptions this season?
(Sell) That kind of number might get the Longhorns to nine wins if the production can unfold so strongly.
BUY or SELL: Texas is in the Big XII in the year 2020?
(Buy) Yeah, probably not what you want to hear, but the Longhorns ain’t going anywhere.
BUY or SELL: Charlie flips more than 5 committed guys this year?
(Buy) The opportunities to do so will exist, as will the numbers in the class.
BUY or SELL: Shane Buchele competes for the job as a true freshman fall of 16?
(Sell) That would be a pretty horrible event for the program as it relates to everyone else.
BUY or SELL: One of Jorah, Jon Snow or Ramsay don't make it out of Season 5 alive?
(Sell) Jon is going to be near-death after being stabbed by Ollie, while Jorah lives for about five more weeks and Ramsay makes it until some point in season six.
No. 7 – Eternal Randomness of the Spotty Sports Mind …
... The Golden State Warriors are going to win the 2015 NBA Championship, but can we give LeBron James the Finals MVP, already? My goodness, what a show he's giving us. This performance for the ages might be delivered in vain, but his legacy as an all-time titan in the sport is secure.
... Steph Curry was masterful in game five when his team needed him to be. He's defended his MVP better in this series than most people realize.
... Klay Thompson is severely overrated.
… Cain Velasquez got his ass whupped by Fabricio Werdum. Did. Not. See. That. Coming.
… The rest of UFC188 was a dud. Come on, Dana!
… Deontay Wilder might want to wait a while before he takes on a Klitschko brother. I love having an American heavyweight champ, but he just doesn’t look ready for that test yet.
… Jerramy Stevens defending Hope Solo to the press … *sigh*
… Sepp Blatter changing his mind about resigning from FIFA would be the most Sepp Blatter thing ever.
… Consider me a very concerned Sixers fan after news broke this weekend that redshirt freshman center Joel Embiid had a setback in his foot rehab. I honestly can’t decide on what they should do or shouldn’t do in the draft, but if Jahlil Okaor is there, maybe you do take him.
…. Sonabitch, Andrew Wiggins should be a Sixer!
No. 8 – Youtube Video of the Week ...
R.I.P, Dusty Rhodes. There will never be another one quite like you.
Also, you have to reserve some time today to watch this out of control match from 1981 against Dory Funk Jr. Yes, Dusty bleeds.
No. 9 – Stream of Conscious Game of Thrones Thoughts - Season Five Season Finale...
******* WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD ***********
******* WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD ***********
******* WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD ***********
******* LAST CHANCE TO TURN AWAY ***********
a. I’m going to be so pissed in an hour when I’m done watching Ollie shank Jon and we all have to wait until next season or when the books come out to find out if he makes it. How in the hell are we supposed to avoid that from book readers? Imagine if there had been a book reveal when J.R. was shot on [l]Dallas[/i] back in the day? It’ll be the question that America obsesses over for months and once the answer is known, you think the rest of us will be able to avoid the spoilers? No way. I’m not even sure book readers will be able to avoid the spoilers.
b. Of course, the snow melts and the Red &^%$# gets to take credit for the stroke of good luck. Oh snap, does she get credit for half of the men leaving, too? And his wife hanging from a tree? Honestly, this is what you get, Stannis.
c. Go on, Sam, feel good about you mad skills in the art of wooing women. You earned it. Here's to your return.
d. Good God, Brienne. Why are you always on the bad side of protecting those you love?
e. Stannis is about to be slaughtered and he knows it.
f. What the hell just happened to Brienne? Where is the Red *&^%$?
g. Team Reek FTMFW!
h. Arya... wow. "You're no one." Double wow.
i. Ok, what the flying &^%$ just happened to Arya? Why can't the Starks just win one damn small little battle.
j. OMG. What the hell is going on tonight? How could Jamie finally have a beautiful moment like that with his daughters, only to have THAT happen? I can't so much as have an emotion tonight without it turning around in the worst way possible.
k. Jorah... IT'S A TRAP!
l. Dany would seem to be in some trouble.
m. Cersei's payback is about to arrive in the form of an NC-17 scene. Oh man, she's is going to be all kinds of pissed off in season six. She will have her vengeance after all of this.
n. On a lighter note, I love her short haircut.
o. Whoa, is that Robo-Mountain?
p. God, here it comes.
q. My wife is crying. The Red &^%$# better save him in episode one of season six.
******* END OF SPOILERS ***********
******* END OF SPOILERS ***********
******* END OF SPOILERS ***********
No.10 - And Finally...
It wasn’t until a couple of weeks ago when I watched him induct Stevie Ray Vaughn into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame that I even considered doing a John Mayer list, but once I listened
to him jam with Gary Clark Jr., it occurred to me that it might be possible that his music is more interesting than I’ve ever given him credit for.
Plus, after dating the likes of Jennifer Love Hewitt, Jessica Simpson, Cameron Diaz, Minka Kelly, Jennifer Aniston, Katy Perry and Taylor Swift (among others), he’s pretty much emerged as rock’s version of Derek Jeter.
So, without wasting another second, let’s get down to the list.
Last five out: Crossroads, Queen of California, Back to You, Something like Olivia and Wildfire
10. Why Georgia
9. Who Says
8. St. Patrick's Day
7. Your Body is a Wonderland
6. Waiting on the World to Change
5. Slow Dancing in a Burning Room
4. Dreaming With a Broken Heart
3. Covered in Rain
2. Daughters
1. Gravity
Archives List
Blues/Jazz: Eva Cassidy (Listen via Spotify ), John Coltrane (Listen via Spotify ), Janis Joplin (Listen via Spotify ), Norah Jones (Listen via Spotify), B.B. King (Listen Via Spotify), Leadbelly (Listen via Spotify), Amos Lee (Listen via Spotify),Toni Price (Listen via Spotify) and Stevie Ray Vaughan ( Listen via Spotify )
Classical: Johann Sebastian Bach ( Listen via Spotify) and Beethoven ( Listen via Spotify)
Country: Gary Allen (Listen via Spotify), Brooks and Dunn (Listen via Spotify), Garth Brooks, Johnny Cash(Listen via Spotify), Merle Haggard (Listen via Spotify), George Jones (Listen via Spotify), Robert Earl Keen (Listen via Spotify), Natalie Maines (Listen via Spotify), John Michael Montgomery (Listen via Spotify), Willie Nelson (Listen via Spotify), Reba (Listen via Spotify ), Kenny Rogers (Listen Via Spotify), Gary Stewart (Listen Via Spotify ), George Strait (Listen Via Spotify), (Keith Whitley (Listen via Spotify), Hank Williams Sr. ( Listen via Spotify). ) and Dwight Yoakam ( Listen via Spotify )
Electronic: Daft Punk (Listen Via Spotify)
Funk: Chuck Brown, James Brown (Listen Via Spotify) , Kool and the Gang and Prince (Listen Via Spotify (Part I), Listen Via Spotify (Part II - After Hours)) and Red Hot Chili Peppers (Listen Via Spotify (Part I)
Metal: Metallica and Pantera (Listen Via Spotify)
Punk: The Clash (Listen via Spotify) and The Ramones (Listen via Spotify)
Random: Best of 2013 (Listen via Spotify), Best of 2014 (Listen via Spotify), Cartoon themes, One-hit Wonders from the 1990's (Listen via Spotify), TV Themes and 2-Pac (Listen via Spotify), 8-Ball and MJG, Beastie Boys (Listen via Spotify), Biggie Smalls (Listen via Spotify), Drake (Listen via Spotify), Eminem (Listen to Spotify), Ice Cube (Listen via Spotify), Jay-Z(Listen via Spotify), Kool Moe Dee (Listen to Spotify), Kendrick Lamar (Listen via Spotify), NWA (Listen to Spotify), Outkast (Listen via Spotify), RUN-DMC (Listen via Spotify), Scarface (Listen via Spotify), Snoop Dogg Listen via Spotify , A Tribe Called Quest (Listen via Spotify), UGK (Listen via Spotify), Kanye West (Listen via Spotify) and Wu-Tang Clan (Listen via Spotify)
R&B: Aliyah, Aretha (Listen via Spotify), Boyz II Men (Listen via Spotify), Ray Charles (Listen via Spotify),Sam Cooke (Listen via Spotify), Al Green (Listen via Spotify), Chaka Kahn (listen Via Spotify), Whitney Houston (Janet Jackson (Listen via Spotify),Jodeci (Listen via Spotify), Mo-Town (Listen via Spotify), R. Kelly (Listen via Spotify), Gerald Levert (Listen via Spotify), Otis Redding (Listen via Spotify), Lionel Richie, Smokey Robinson (Listen via Spotify), TLC (Listen Via Spotify), Jackie Wilson (Listen via Spotify) and Bill Withers (Listen via Spotify)
Reggae: Bob Marley (Listen via Spotify)
Rock: AC/DC, Listen via Spotify), Arcade Fire (Listen via Spotify), Arctic Monkeys (Listen via Spotify), Beach Boys (Listen via Spotify), The Beatles, Bon Jovi (Listen via Spotify), David Bowie (Listen via Spotify), Jeff Buckley (Listen via Spotify), The Cars (Listen via Spotify), CCR (Listen via Spotify), Eric Clapton (Listen via Spotify), Dave Matthews Band (Listen via Spotify), Gary Clark Jr. (Listen via Spotify),Listen via Spotify), The Eagles, Joe Ely (Listen to Spotify), Genesis (Listen via Spotify), Guns N' RosesListen via Spotify), Heart (Listen via Spotify), Jimi Hendrix (Listen via Spotify), Billy Joel (Listen via Spotify), Elton John (Listen Via Spotify), Journey(Listen Via Spotify), Led Zeppelin, Little Feat(Listen Via Spotify), Stevie Nicks(Listen Via Spotify), Nirvana (Listen via Spotify), Roy Orbison (Listen via Spotify), Pearl Jam (Listen via Spotify), Tom Petty (Listen via Spotify), Pink Floyd, Elvis Pressley (Listen via Spotify), Queen (Listen via Spotify), Reckless Kelly (Listen via Spotify), Lou Reed ( Listen via Spotify ),The Rolling Stones (Listen via Spotify), Bob Seger, Bruce Springsteen (Listen via Spotify), The Strokes(Listen via Spotify), U2 (Listen via Spotify), Van Halen ( Listen via Spotify ), Velvet Underground ( Listen via Spotify ), Jack White ( Listen via Spotify ) and ZZ Top ( Listen via Spotify )
