1) Thursday February 27th @ 6PM- $1/3 NLH on TCH LiVE!
(More info HERE)
2) Sunday March 1st @ 6PM- Ladies ONLY $1/3 Cash Game- Buy in $500/$1,000 Max- on TCH LiVE!
(More info HERE)
3) Monday March 2nd @ 6PM- $5/5 NLH on TCH LiVE!
(More info HERE)
(From Anwar)
There is absolutely no denying this season is going to be about Sam Ehlinger.
He will become the fourth four-year starter at quarterback in school history. The other quarterbacks were Bobby Layne (1944-47), Peter Gardere (1988-92), and Colt McCoy (2006-09). Ehlinger has led Texas to three consecutive bowl victories. Last season, Ehlinger compiled 3,663 passing yards and 32 touchdowns, while rushing for 663 yards and seven touchdowns. He was a semifinalist for the Maxwell Award, Davey O’Brien Award, Wuerffel Trophy and Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award.
Ehlinger is expected to lead the Longhorns again this season. He is arguably the Big 12’s best quarterback entering his final year at Texas. Texas will have new starters at receiver and the offensive line, but Ehlinger is the guy coaches will expect to make everyone better. If there was ever a year when Ehlinger is supposed to carry the Longhorns on his back, this is it.
However, Casey Thompson’s development remains a high on the priority list.
Thompson was Ehlinger’s backup last season, and will remain in that role this year. His only competition for the backup role this year is freshman quarterback Hudson Card. Ja’Quiden Jackson could be in the mix for playing time next year. However, Jackson is currently recovering from an ACL injury, and he will not enroll at Texas until the summer. Logically, Jackson will redshirt this season and try to bounce back in 2021.
As a freshman, Thompson was a fourth-stringer who redshirted. After the departures of Shane Buechele and Cameron Rising, Thompson became Ehlinger’s backup by default. Thompson appeared in four games last season, completing 8-of-12 passes for 84 yards, and adding a rushing touchdown. When you look at the upcoming schedule, Thompson will likely have a chance to play against USF and UTEP this year. If all goes well for Texas, Thompson will have the opportunity to play in the fourth quarter of other games this season.
Nevertheless, I was curious about the expectations on Alex Dunlap’s favorite player this season.
Here is what I learned this week.
Longhorn fans should not be concerned about Thompson forming a relationship with offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich.
When Yurcich was the offensive coordinator at Oklahoma State, he offered Thompson a scholarship. In fact, Oklahoma State was Thompson’s first offer. Clearly, Thompson verbally committed to Texas in April of 2017 while Yurcich was still the offensive coordinator at Oklahoma State. The duo reunited in Texas, and the good relationship they formed during the recruiting process remains intact.
After Yurcich evaluated Thompson’s film, the consensus within the building is he has to continue improving in order for the game to slow down.
Everyone I spoke to believes Thompson is skilled enough to win games at Texas. He is a smart player who catches on quickly. I heard nothing but positive things about Thompson.
Of course, Thompson may need to wait until training camp to have significant reps.
Texas is not installing a new offense during the offseason, but there will be tweaks by Yurcich. As a result, Thompson may not receive a lot of reps with the starters this spring.
So far, it seems like the biggest priority is making sure Ehlinger is comfortable with the tweaks. That means Ehlinger will receive the bulk of the first-team reps this spring. Thompson will receive occasional reps. It is safe to say Thompson’s first-team reps will probably not increase until training camp.
In the meantime, Thompson will have to make the most of his backup reps in the spring.
Thompson will guide the second-string offense against Texas’ starting defense. Even though he will not receive first-string reps, those practice reps will be the best way for him to develop during the offseason.
In reality, Thompson’s best opportunity to receive significant playing time will occur after Ehlinger leaves. Next year, Thompson will compete against Hudson Card and Jackson for playing time. It should be the most competitive quarterback contest in years.
For now, Thompson must make the most of his reps when practice begins on March 24.
I will keep you posted.
******
Texas was actively pursuing former Georgia Tech grad transfer Parker Braun a year ago.
Braun had started in Georgia Tech’s triple-option offense and was ready for a change. He put his name out there on the grad transfer market. Texas eventually entered the sweepstakes and convinced Braun to become a Longhorn. He started in 13 games last season.
It appears Texas is a few months away from landing a grad transfer.
As I previously reported, “Grad transfers who want to attend Texas typically cannot participate in spring practice because the program does not begin until later in the year. As a result, players who graduate in December and want to immediately enroll at Texas are forced to look elsewhere.
“For instance, the Longhorns actively pursued Temple grad transfer defensive end Quincy Roche this offseason. However, by enrolling in Miami, that allowed Roche the opportunity to take classes this spring, and participate in football practice.
“Here are a few dates to remember:
--- Moore announced he was transferring to Texas in April of 2017
--- Anderson announced in March of 2018
--- Watson announced in May of 2018
--- Braun announced in March of 2019”
From what I was told, the Longhorns may not actively pursue a grad transfer until after the spring game. The two biggest areas of need are linebacker and receiver, according to my sources.
The Longhorns have kicked the tires on a few grad transfers, but Texas is a few months from adding help.
******
(From Suchomel)
Texas offensive line commitment Hayden Conner has always performed well on the camp circuit, including a strong showing at last year’s Rivals Five-Star Challenge. Last weekend, Conner did it again at the Houston Rivals camp, dominating the competition and punching his ticket to the Five-Star Challenge for the second year in a row.
Conner came into the event on a mission after taking a significant tumble in the national rankings. He had no issues in handling the defensive linemen he faced, and Conner should have helped his standing when the rankings are updated.
More importantly ,the Katy Taylor standout said he’s completely locked in with his Texas commitment and he’s looking forward to playing a part in the Longhorns returning to national prominence.
“I'm 100-percent locked in. I'm not going to decommit because I fully believe that Texas will be back and I want to be a part of that,” Conner said. “The whole motto of the whole 2021 class right now is ‘We're going to bring Texas back to what it used to be.’ And I feel like we can really do that.”
Conner checked in at 6-6 and 316 pounds at the camp, which is actually a down a bit from what he had been weighing. He feels he’s right in the sweet spot of where he wants to be (310-320 range).
There are several factors that led Conner to choose Texas, but a big part of his decision was the presence of offensive line coach Herb Hand.
“I like that he's a real laid back kind of guy. Every time that I go to campus and I spend time with him, we always end up talking about food. That's what I really like to see. He knows every restaurant in Austin and it's fantastic,” Conner said. “That's what I always look forward to when I see him but he’s also one of the smartest coaches I've ever met. He's a really intelligent guy.”
Conner committed in July of last year, two days after Texas secured a pledge from quarterback Jalen Milroe. Those two had developed a friendship after having played youth football together, and Conner said he’d seen enough of the recruiting process to know that he wanted to be a Longhorn.
“I've been doing this for a while. And I was kind of like, I need to make a decision because I've been in this process for a long time, and I need to help start recruiting my own class,” Conner said. “So Jalen (Milroe) committed to UT, I think on Saturday or Sunday in July. I don't remember when he did it, exactly. But I was like, ‘I think I know where I'm going to go.’ And so I made that choice because I knew that me and him together, recruiting a class is going to be pretty cool. And crazy.”
When he decided, Conner had an official list of about four or five schools he was considering but he said it really came down to Texas and Michigan. Once his decision was made, he’s never looked back. Now, his focus is on bringing other players with him to Austin, including OL teammate Bryce Foster.
“Definitely Bryce. There's a strong safety Taylor, Trevor Woods, who is a stud. He's been getting looked at, getting some Ivy League offers is a really smart kid. I'm recruiting him and I'm telling the UT coaches about him because he’s a stud,” Conner said.
Of note, Conner will graduate early. He said he and Jalen Milroe are planning to take their Texas official visits together around May.
******
Magnolia offensive lineman Matthew Wykoff is a fairly recent Texas offer. He visited UT for a junior day in late January and followed that up with stops at TCU and A&M. Wykoff checked in at 6-5 and 301 pounds at last week’s Rivals camp, and said Texas is very high on his list.
“I just think the coaches are great people and they know what they're doing,” Wykoff said of the Longhorns. “They’re building it up and turning it around and they're going to be great this year.”
Wykoff is looking at taking a USC official visit in mid-June. He’s hoping to see a few different out-of-state schools before deciding this summer.
At this point, Wykoff said he does not yet have an official list of schools that he’s considering. He plans to sit down soon to come up with a list and narrow his focus to about five schools. It sounds like the Longhorns have a good shot of making the cut.
“I'd say they'd probably make my top list of schools or they will be in my top list schools. I really like Texas,” Wykoff said. “I like the coaches. The fan base is insane. It is close to home, which is ideal but I mean, that doesn't really matter too much to me. So I love all those things and the culture of the program.”
******
Texas was the first school to put an offer on the table for running back Jonathon Brooks. It was an interesting development because you usually see players garner some smaller offers before a big fish like the Longhorns jumps in, but the Longhorns were the first to extend an offer back in November. Since then, Texas Tech and Texas State have also put offers on the table.
Brooks, who showed up to the Rivals Camp wearing a Texas sweatshirt, said he keeps in regular contact with UT running backs coach Stan Drayton.
“I talk to him all the time, at least once or twice a week,” Brooks said. “He's a he's a great guy. He stays true to himself. He tells you things straightforward.”
As for the UT offer, Brooks said he was blown away and he didn’t expect such a big school to be his first scholarship offer.
“That was huge,” he said. “I didn't believe it at first. I was on the field during a visit and (coach Herman) told me.”
Brooks said Texas and Texas Tech are his top two. This one’s pretty interesting, because based on him getting the offer from Herman himself on the field, and his regular communication with Drayton, it does seem like Texas is making him a priority. Brooks does like Texas Tech’s depth chart, but this one feels like it’s a recruitment people should be paying more attention to and it seems like Texas is in a really good spot if the Longhorns continue to push. Brooks did say he would like to wait to decide until after his senior season, so there’s plenty of time for the UT staff to see what happens with other running backs options. Brooks said he’s most likely going to the OU spring game in April. A return visit to UT is a possibility as well.
******
Atascocita tight end Landen King is a recent Texas offer and while he’s playing things pretty close to the vest, this is another that just feels like the Longhorns are in a terrific spot.
On the UT offer in late January …
“I went up there not even knowing I was about to get the offer. Out of nowhere they told me to go to coach Herman’s office,” King said. “He took me and my family up there. We talked and the first thing he said was, ‘I want to get this out the way right now. You’ve got a scholarship to the University of Texas.’ And I'll probably never forget that moment. That was big. I just wanted to savor the moment.”
King up to 15 offers and he said everyone is on equal footing.
“Right now, I think everybody has an equal amount of chance. Washington offered me and I'm going to go up there and take an unofficial visit because I want to see. So distance doesn’t really matter, just whatever fits for me,” King said.
And what factors will be important when he decides to trim his list?
“How many tight ends the school produces, the education and if I just have a good relation with all the coaches and a good feel,” King said.
King checked in at 6-4 ½ and 206.5 at last week’s camp. He doesn’t have any official visits set up yet but said he’d like to make a commitment sometime this summer. He said he knows for sure he wants to take official visits to Texas, Texas Tech and Washington.
Texas obviously has a lot to offer, but the Longhorns could have a pretty big ace up their sleeve in that King’s sister is a UT student.
“I love it, just Austin itself. And my sister goes to Texas. It’ just real nice,” King said. “I mean, we're always out there. It's not that far of a drive. It’s right there, they have new coaches, and it’s just Texas.
“At the end of the day it’s going to be my decision where I want to go. But I mean, if I do choose to go to there, that will be a very big advantage (with his sister being there). She says I need to go there, every single day. That’s what she texts me.”
King did say his family isn’t pressuring him to go to Texas and they want him to make his own decision, but you have to know those close to him would love nothing more than to see him and his sister at the same college.
******
A name to file away at defensive back … safety Mark Wilson.
The Clear Lake product took an unofficial visit to UT before the dead period began after Texas assistant Oscar Giles paid him a visit at his school.
“Coach Giles had come to the school. He talked to me a little and told my head coach how he wanted me on campus and he only wanted like a select few,” Wilson said. “So I went and visited the campus and the football facilities and I liked it a lot. It was nice. It’s somewhere I would definitely want to come back to. They really made me feel like I was at home.”
Wilson has eight offers from schools like Baylor, SMU, Vanderbilt, Houston and Kansas. Schools like Texas, Texas A&M and LSU have been in touch. Of his offers, Wilson said SMU and Kansas are standing out. He’d like to make a decision this summer, depending on which offers come in, and he plans to graduate in December.
What if Texas was to offer?
“It would mean a lot. That's always been a dream school for me,” Wilson said. “They recruited both of my brothers really heavily. And they were recruit so at a young age I was walking already walking on campus, up there almost every weekend watching games. So it's always been in the family like Texas blood, Texas A&M blood. If Texas offered me, they'll have a higher advantage just because I do like the Big 12 and I like the coaching staff. And the Texas network in general - if you graduate from Texas you’re just pretty much set for the rest of your life.”
******
A couple comments from five-star offensive lineman Bryce Foster from my time talking to him at the Rivals camp on Sunday.
On what has Texas in his top five …
“They're starting to change the culture over there. I can really tell coach Herman and his staff is trying to push the culture of Texas football in a good direction. I can really tell that they're trying to push it to be a national championship-type program. That's what I like. I like all the blood, sweat and everything that goes into something like that. All the hard work and sweat that they put in.”
On if a school like LSU or Oklahoma’s recent success gives them an edge …
“That doesn't matter to me at all, honestly. I think it's great to be a part of a championship culture, but I think I think it's just as good and maybe even better being a part of that championship culture that you built it upon while you were there. You didn't just like walk in on and just continue building it. You built it upon yourself, your team, y'all built upon your own shoulders.”
******
(From McComas)
The Longhorns are on a three-game win streak. That's the good. The bad is it doesn't sound like anything has changed as it relates to the status of Jericho Sims, Gerald Liddell, and Jase Febres.
"Nothing has changed there," said a source in reference to the "out indefinitely" status for all three players.
Even worse for Texas is Matt Coleman trying to play through a heel injury. It sounds like, per a source, Coleman is closer to 50% than he is 100%. A tough kid that hasn't spoken much to people in the program about how much pain he's in, Coleman is doing his best to give his team whatever he can on the floor.
A player that's giving his absolute most right now is Courtney Ramey. Want to find the main driving force of UT's last three wins? Look towards Ramey, who is playing with the tenacity, confidence, and clarity Texas wants him to take the floor with. It sounds like Ramey has become a different guy and elevated his play since all the injury news. This is a guy Shaka Smart said placed at the top as arguably the most important player this season, and Ramey is suddenly making up for lost games earlier this season.
