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(From Anwar)
It is very rare when a support staff employee becomes one of the most popular staff members at a university.
When you think about it, how many assistant director of player personnel employees outside of Texas can you name? How many have a recruiting impact? Heck, how many people really know the job description? The majority of college football fans know they exist, but knowing names and job descriptions seems more like the answer to a trivia question than anything else.
That is what makes the rise of Bryan Carrington such an intriguing offseason story.
It is very rare – borderline impossible – to see a support staff employee have the recruiting impact Carrington had with the 2018 recruiting class. College football fans are used to seeing head coaches close the deal. High school athletes often attribute the visit from a head coach as what sealed the deal for them. Others talk about the special bond they formed with an assistant coach. Some always dreamed of attending the university. It would take one hell of a Google search to find a number of players who credited their relationship with the assistant director of player personnel for committing to a university.
However, that is exactly what happened this year.
Carrington was the first point of contact for recruits who stepped foot on campus. He is the guy parents and players met when they hit Austin. If we are keeping it real, Carrington was one of the staff members who babysat players until Texas football coach Tom Herman was available. Herman could not give each player individual attention with they hit campus. Instead, it was up to Carrington and others to keep players entertained until they could meet Herman. He showed them around campus. Introduced them to professors. He was relatable. Carrington also went above and beyond.
Texas finished with the fourth ranked recruiting class in 2018, according to Rivals. Carrington helped recruit the majority of players in this year’s class. He was not the lead recruiter on paper. However, when Joseph Ossai made a commitment video and gave Carrington a shout-out, it was clear this support staff member was more than just a pencil pusher.
In fact, Herman knows that.
Herman made Carrington his interim 10th assistant coach before hiring Herb Hand because he knew the young man was having a recruiting impact. Carrington kept tabs on players throughout the season when staff members focused on practice and game day. He kept up with players who were verbally committed. His impact was so undeniable, Herman allowed Carrington to hit the road instead of any other member of his support staff.
As a result, Texas landed a top five class.
“Bryan does a fantastic job of connecting with players,” Herman said on signing day. “He's young. He shares similar backgrounds to a lot of them. Grew up in Houston. He is passionate about the University of Texas. I think where Bryan comes into play is because of that connection, I think it adds a lot of validity to the things that we're saying to the full-time recruiters. We're saying it and we're presenting information, then Bryan is saying, Yeah, man, that's the real deal, that's really how it is here. Oh, I trust this guy. I relate to him. I connect with him.
“It's just an added piece. He's the best in the country. Again, to find the loophole for the 10th coach, we kind of held off on the hiring of our 10th coach. To get him out on the road, I thought was really good, too. I mean, he made a difference. Again, there's nobody in this program that's ever going to get singled out for being more important in recruiting or on the field than any other. Like I said, it's a 500-piece puzzle, and they all got to fit. They're all roughly the same size. The puzzle doesn't work if even just one is missing. Bryan does a phenomenal job. I hope he sticks around for a long, long time.”
The fascinating part about Carrington’s rise at Texas is he appeared of the blue at Houston.
From what I was told, Carrington randomly showed up at the University of Houston as junior and offered to help as recruiter for free. Nobody knew who he was at the time. Carrington was just a sports administration major who wanted to work in the football office. He was impressive enough for Houston to hire him for free.
His job at Houston was to evaluate tape, cut up film and be a campus liaison. Think about your internship and responsibilities. That was Carrington in the college office at Houston.
Instead of viewing the job as an internship, I was told Carrington treated it as an opportunity.
He started to have a recruiting impact. Carrington had a natural gift of connecting with high school players and parents. The young man put in extra hours at the office while working on his college degree. It was clear Carrington was destined to be a part of Houston’s staff.
That is why when Herman was hired at Texas, he gave Carrington a job. There was no way Herman was going to leave Carrington behind. Sure, Carrington never recruited for a power five school, but to Herman’s credit, he believed the young man could be special. From what I have heard, and you can see, Herman was not wrong.
The only question remaining is when will Herman give Carrington a bump in pay and job title.
Carrington earns $47,500 in his current position, but clearly deserves more. Herman does not want Carrington to leave, and a pay bump is a good way to prevent it. Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte previously said he would not lose a staff member because of money when asked about defensive coordinator Todd Orlando’s extension, and rewarding Carrington does not seem to be an issue, according to people associated with the program.
It is rare when a support staff employee gains Carrington’s popularity.
That being said, Carrington is destined to be rewarded for his unexpected recruiting impact.
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Texas receiver Reggie Hemphill-Mapps' decision to transfer did not come as a huge surprise to anyone this week.
However, Longhorn fans would like to know why he decided to leave.
The main reason Hemphill-Mapps left is because he was not connected to the members of this staff. Hemphill-Mapps was recruited by former coach Charlie Strong, with whom he has a strong relationship. He decommitted from Texas before eventually signing a scholarship because of the close relationship he developed with Strong. In fact, Hemphill-Mapps was one of the players who voiced their displeasure after Strong was fired.
Hemphill-Mapps was among the players who resisted buying in with the new staff prior to last season. Through time, Hemphill-Mapps became compliant and did what it took to get on the field, but was never 100-percent happy with the staff, his sporadic playing time, and he was eventually suspended for non-football reasons and missed parts of multiple games. Prior to the bowl game, I heard Hemphill-Mapps was one of the players who might transfer after this season.
A few weeks ago, I was told Hemphill-Mapps might want to remain at Texas this year, but his attitude quickly changed back to unhappiness.
From what I was told, Texas did not let Hemphill-Mapps leave without a fight. Several members of the football staff tried convincing Hemphill-Mapps to stay on several occasions. Not only did the staff attempt to convince Hemphill-Mapps to stay on the phone, but there were home visits, too. As hard as the staff tried, Hemphill-Mapps was unwilling to remain at Texas.
That being said, I get the feeling everyone associated with the program is ready to move on.
One person told me, “Everyone is needed, but nobody is necessary” when asked about Hemphill-Mapps' decision to leave.
While we are on the subject, it does not appear Devin and Donovan Duvernay are preparing to leave Texas anytime soon.
Both players are currently participating in winter conditioning and expected to participate in spring practice. Obviously, anything can happen this offseason, and there will be attrition throughout the offseason because players leave every year. That being said, if they decided to leave anytime soon, it would be a surprise to everyone associated with the program.
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(From Suchomel)
Wednesday was a big day for the Longhorns in filling out the rest of their 2018 recruiting class, but that didn’t stop fans from being focused on graduate transfer offensive lineman Calvin Anderson.
We touched base with Anderson on Thursday to get an update on his situation. The Rice transfer will visit Auburn this weekend – his third official visit after Texas and Michigan – and Texas A&M offered on Wednesday. Aside from those two developments, things are in a bit of a holding pattern.
“Nothing has changed from the last time we talked other than A&M reaching out. As of now, I’ve only spoken to them. They told me about the offer, and we’re going to speak again after the Auburn visit.
“I am evaluating all my options. This is a seven-month decision.”
As for where things stand, Texas is still in a very good position. Anderson again listed Texas and Michigan in his top tier. Auburn is in a tier behind those two, with Oklahoma behind Auburn. TCU, right now, is in the fifth spot, but Anderson said Texas A&M could move into that slot after he talks to them next week.
Anderson speaks with Texas offensive line coach Herb Hand regularly (they spoke earlier this week) and Texas defensive end Breckyn Hager is recruiting Anderson daily.
“(Hand) is a great guy. I’ve said this before, but he’s going to be great for Texas football years after I’m potentially there. I still feel great about Texas. I talk to Breckyn Hager every day. That’s my boy. I feel great about Texas. Nothing’s changed there.”
Hand and Anderson have really hit it off and Anderson said he likes everything he’s heard from UT’s new assistant both in terms of football conversation and life in general.
“The cliché, don’t judge a book by its cover. He’s a big guy, looks like a football coach, but behind that, he’s a very intelligent, wise, experienced man,” Anderson said. “I’ve really enjoyed my time getting to talk to him, not just about family, about life, his family experiences, some things he’s been a part of. It’s incredible. I think the way he views life is going to help Texas.”
Anderson took in the Texas-OU basketball game on Saturday on what he said was a bit of a spur of the moment trip that didn’t involve a lot of recruitment by the football staff.
The Texas A&M offer is interesting, and while the Aggies are down the list, Anderson said he feels he owes it to himself to at least hear out A&M’s sales pitch.
“They play in SEC, the biggest conference, and the pedigree of the coach (stand out),” Anderson said. “Their O-line coach has coached the most first-round tackles (over the past four years). That’s a huge plus. Those are probably the two biggest (reasons he’ll look at A&M).”
Anderson still plans to decide on or before March 25, his birthday.
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New signee Keondre Coburn didn’t waste any time on Wednesday in getting his letter of intent in to Texas. Coburn sent it in before 7:30 a.m., eliminating any speculation about him considering Miami.
Remember, Coburn took an official visit to Miami a couple weeks ago and the Hurricanes sent several coaches, including head coach Mark Richt, to do an in-home visit after that.
I spoke with Coburn on Thursday, and he said the race between Texas and Miami was much closer than some realize.
“It was close. I wanted to go to Miami. But I was keeping loyal to the class I was going to, so I had to say with the class we had,” Coburn said.
Was there a time when Coburn actually thought he was going to flip?
“Yeah, there was a time. I don’t remember when, but it really was that close,” he said.
Along with Miami, Coburn said he strongly considered taking official visits to TCU, A&M, Alabama and Oregon. Those schools were on him “non-stop” down the stretch, he said.
So how does it feel to have his recruitment behind him and be signed with Texas?
“It feels great. I’m finally stress free,” Coburn said. “Nobody is calling my phone anymore.”
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Fellow defensive tackle signee Moro Ojomo didn’t do many interviews at all during the recruiting process. In fact, I’m not sure if he ever did one.
On Thursday, I was finally able to track Ojomo down to talk about his decision to sign with Texas.
“It feels god. I’m finally happy to get to work, workout and get better, get ready to compete for possibly a starting position, become a better player,” Ojomo said. “I always pride myself on improving every single year I play football, always want to improve my play.”
Ojomo, who goes 6-3, 280, doesn’t even turn 17 until August 15. He’s originally from Nigeria before moving to the U.S. at age 8. He said in Nigeria, they go by the British school system and he started schools two years earlier than kids do in America. Needless to say, he has room for growth and tremendous upside.
As for his decision to commit to Texas on Tuesday, there seemed to be signs pointing in that direction for a while, but Ojomo said he really didn’t decide until this week.
“I didn’t really know until the end. To be frankly honest with you, it was between OU, Oregon and Texas,” Ojomo said. “I really loved all three places, really saw a future at all three. They were great places, great coaches, amazing facilities. It was a heart-breaking decision because they were all great places.
“I actually decided on Monday.”
So what led Ojomo to choose the Longhorns over OU and Oregon?
“I just felt a feeling from God,” Ojomo said. “It just felt like the right place to go. My family is really religious, and it just felt like the best fit.”
Texas told Ojomo to come in “ready” to play as he’ll have a chance to compete for early playing time. Interestingly, Ojomo flew under the radar for most of the year until Texas offered in December, setting off a windfall of other offers.
“I didn’t have that crazy of a junior year. That’s number one. I had a good junior year, but became a more consistent player (as a senior),” Ojomo said. “My senior year tape came out kind of late. Also, I feel people feel connected to people they’ve known for a long time. I feel my tape speaks for myself. I was playing at 275 so it’s not much different than what I am now.”
Alabama presented an offer the week before National Signing Day and Nick Saban was in Katy trying to get Ojomo to visit. He nearly did, which might have made things interesting, but thankfully for Texas, Ojomo is a man of his word.
“I thought about visiting Alabama,” Ojomo said. “But I had given my word to Oregon and I’m big on keeping my word.”
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Fort Worth All Saints Episcopal linebacker Luke Brockermeyer took an unofficial visit to Texas two weekends ago. He announced on Tuesday night that he would be attending Texas as a preferred walk-on over taking a scholarship at Rice.
It turns out it was a pretty easy decision for Brockermeyer.
“To be honest, I’ve known probably since I took my unofficial visit a couple weeks ago that I’d end up at Texas,” Brockermeyer said. “It was just kind of a waiting game on admissions. I got official word (on Tuesday) that I was in. knew today that I was ready to make the call.”
Brockermeyer, who will enroll in June, said he discussed his options with his parents after Texas invited him to walk on. Once he got their full approval, his decision was made.
“I wanted to make sure with my parents that they would be okay with me going to Texas on our own dime. Once they were okay with it and supported me, I was on board,” Brockermeyer said. “I kind of look back at Baker Mayfield, his recruitment, I kind of see some similarities that we both have some small offers, but both want to pay big-time football.”
With his decision now behind him, Brockermeyer said it’s a weight lifted off his shoulders and he’s excited about what the future will hold as part of the Texas football team.
“When I got the news, I was so relieved, just thankful. It’s just truly a blessing from God,” he said. “I’m just glad the process is over with. I think at end of the day, I’m in the right spot. I’m just excited for the opportunity.
“I just got the vibe that Texas is on its way back. I honestly believe we’ll be able to compete for a national championship during my four years there. That’s something I wanted to be a part of.”
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(From McComas)
If you haven’t noticed, sophomore guard Andrew Jones has become active on Twitter again. What began as a “thank you” to everyone that’s supported him and a message to his team to beat Oklahoma has turned into awesome and encouraging updates about his progress. Heck, he’s even getting some shots up.
Here’s what I can pass along: last week was a big step forward for Jones. Getting Jones down to MD Anderson Cancer Center sparked the young man to feel, well, to start to feel like himself again as much as someone undergoing treatment for leukemia can. Jones is tackling this battle with a terrific mindset right now, and the outpouring of support and visits are helping.
He still has a long, unpredictable road ahead, but Jones is in a good place right now after a positive week.
