April 15th, 2024
- Inside the 40 Acres
- 26 Replies
I find this DATE...
very TAXING!
@NativeTex @drunk randoke @PaulieD @danhorn @mirvin @mln59 @HuffTex @OBJuan @BattleshipTexas @pdhitt @Smootus @venivedivici @BevoVII @meeotch @trayzg @smileartisan @T-Sipper 1972
The Sunday Pulpit (via Loewy Law Firm): Jaydon Blue's time to shine
- Inside the 40 Acres
- 50 Replies
Adam Loewy is one of the top personal injury lawyers in Austin. Adam is a proud graduate of the University of Texas School of Law and started his law firm in 2005. Adam helps people who have been injured in car crashes, slip and falls, dog bites, and other assorted ways. He is actively involved in every case he handles and is always available to talk or text. If you or a loved one has been injured, call the Loewy Law Firm today at (512) 280-0800.
Nobody would have blamed Texas running back Jaydon Blue for entering the transfer portal. Heck, it is safe to say that some people believed Blue’s departure from the 40 Acres was inevitable.
In fact, one publication reported Blue and Kitan Crawford were going to enter the transfer portal in January 2023. Clearly, it never happened. But speculation about Blue's future remained throughout most of last season.
Blue found himself buried in the Longhorn depth chart abyss. CJ Baxter established himself as the number one running back long after arriving on campus. Jonathon Brooks was the veteran behind Baxter. Then there was Keilan Robinson. The staff loved Savion Red enough to create a package for him. Blue was just a guy.
A year later, Blue is poised for a breakout season.
“I was always taught to trust the process,” Blue said. “With me being the young guy, and I think having B-Ro (Bijan Robinson), Keilan (Robinson), and JB (Jonathon Brooks) in front of me helped me a lot. If I use JB as an example, in his first two years, he didn't really play much. He played last year and he was probably the best running back in the country and it changed his whole life. I think the thing for me seeing that was staying patient, and whenever it was my time, I was going to show up … There was always a plan for me. I think it was never really hard knowing that there were guys in front of me that I could learn from.”
To be clear, Blue is optimistic he will enter the NFL draft after this season.
“The plan is to be gone after this year,” Blue said. “However the year goes, we’ll see. But hopefully, I'll gone after this year.”
It has been one heck of a journey for Blue.
He received a scholarship offer from Texas as a sophomore before the Longhorns played LSU in September 2019. He verbally committed to Texas in February 2021.
According to Blue’s UT bio, he “rushed for 2,155 yards and 30 touchdowns on 227 carries (9.5 ypc), while catching 14 passes for 88 yards as a junior … ran for over 150 yards in every game but one, while going over 200 yards in six games … scored at least two rushing touchdowns in every game with six games of three or more.”
A funny thing happened on the way to Blue’s senior season.
He did not have one.
Blue decided not to play football in his final year at Klein Cain. He opted out. Blue did not skip his final year to enroll early, like Quinn Ewers. Instead, he decided not to play football.
Some college football observers criticized him for that decision. Some people label him as a diva. Others said Blue was going to start a dangerous trend. The line of people who criticized Blue was longer than the Austin Bergstrom International Airport's check-in line, which stretches out the door during any minor inconvenience.
However, Blue's decision was less about vanity and more about trying to get healthy.
Blue said he dislocated the same kneecap twice in middle school, and that is why he decided to play it safe as a senior.
“The main thing, one of the reasons was, I wanted to prepare mentally and get better physically,” Blue said. “I knew that I had two knee injuries that took away both of my years in middle school. I wanted that extra year to get better mentally and physically and I think it helped a lot. I think that's part of the reason where I'm at now.
“A lot of negatives ... I knew that a lot of things were going to come with it (skipping his senior football season). But I knew that it wasn't what other people thought. I knew that was the best thing for me and I knew that it was going to pay off.”
Blue appeared in nine games as a freshman at Texas in 2022. He rushed 15 times for 33 yards.
Last season, Blue rushed 10 times for 55 yards in the season opener against Rice. He did not receive more than five carries in the ensuing nine games. Blue has seven carries for 18 yards against Iowa State.
However, Blue’s breakout performance occurred when he compiled 121 rushing yards and one touchdown on 10 carries against Texas Tech.
Login to view embedded media
In addition, Blue had nine carries for 59 yards and a touchdown in the Sugar Bowl against Washington.
“Before the game Coach [Tashard] Choice was telling us that we will be able to run the ball on them,” Blue said. “If we took the preparation that we had in practice weeks before and used it in the game, we were going to have a big day running the ball. I think we ran the ball well as a team. It just didn’t go our way in the second half.”
Everything is going Blue’s way this spring.
He is currently behind Baxter on the depth chart but has been a standout throughout the offseason. Blue’s name has been mentioned more than any running back this spring. He has been explosive during practice.
Blue has a strong case to be the No.1 running back but is not concerned about his spot on the depth chart.
“I don't really care much about touches,” Blue said. “I think at the running back position, you don't really want to get ran into the ground anyway, with it being one of the positions that's devalued compared to the others. I think the touches that I get, I'll make them count the most. I don't really care much about touches because I know the touches that I do get, I'll make the most of them.”
Baxter shared a similar sentiment.
“If you’re a running back, you should want to split carries,” Baxter said. “You should want to play with at least two other good running backs because you don't want that wear and tear on your body.”
Nobody would have blamed Texas running back Jaydon Blue for entering the transfer portal.
Every Longhorn fan is glad he stayed.
Funniest Things You Will See This Week
He is still Mom’s protector
Login to view embedded media
Carter needs better friends (bad language alert)
Login to view embedded media
Who sanctioned this fight?
Login to view embedded media
And you thought pigs' feet were bad
Login to view embedded media
Sports On A Dime
1. Texas football coach Steve Sarkisian and other Longhorn head coaches appeared throughout the state during the Texas Fight Tour last year. The Texas Exes held this event in Austin, San Antonio, Dallas, Fort Worth, and Houston. However, I was told this event will not occur in 2024 because, “With all the excitement around SEC, we are going to regroup and make new plans for the future.” It appears Sarkisian’s only offseason public appearance will occur at the Touchdown Club of Houston on May 1. Here is the link to order tickets if you are interested:
2. Texas tight end Gunnar Helm on what the room looks like with Ja’Tavion Sanders: “We got a lot of dudes that are hungry and ready to work. Jordan Washington is going to be a beast. Spencer Shannon is getting better every day. Will Randle is getting better every day. Juan [Davis] has been a very pleasant surprise. Him and I already got that chemistry. We're getting the younger guys and newer guys to adapt more with our chemistry and we're building every day … Well, he [Jordan Washington] already has the body for it (to be a beast). He's growing and getting better every day, whether that's routes, whether that's blocking. He should still be in high school. I remember when I was in his position, blocking grad transfers and guys that are four years, five years older than me so. He’s learning every day and is getting better every day.”
3. Helm on Davis’ improvement: “Well, Juan and I came in together. I'm really proud of him, obviously. We've grinded out these last four years together. To see him kind of come on and run these really sharp routes and catch everything you throw at him, I'm really proud of him.”
4. Texas center Jake Major's response when asked to name which young defensive linemen have stood out this spring: “Aaron Bryant. He's done a really good job of holding down that nose spot. I think he's gotten better with his hands and getting off the ball. He just continues to get better … I think he can be a disruptive nose. He’s done a great job of giving me looks.”
5. Majors on the development of Neto Umeozulu and Cam Williams: “I think Neto has done a good job of really honing on to the fundamental part with his technique. I think he's done a great job of really taking in the coaching points from Coach [Kyle] Flood and applying it to the field. Same goes for Cam. I think Cam has done a really good job stepping up after Christian [Jones] declared for the draft. I personally have seen no drop-off because I know how good Cam is. I know how smart he is. I know how good of a player is. It's just been fun to watch all of it come together.”
6. ICYMI
Login to view embedded media
7. Yahoo’s Ross Dellenger recently wrote about the differences between Nick Saban and current Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer. One thing that stood out is DeBoer consistently makes his assistant coaches available to the media. Hopefully,@Alex Dunlap will check in with us occasionally after moving to Tuscaloosa to cover Alabama.
“Saban, fiery, severe and ruthlessly demanding, is no longer in charge of Alabama football. A few days before the team’s spring game, a very different leader walks these halls: DeBoer, gentle, friendly and apologetically welcoming.
“The two are, perhaps, polar opposites. A hardened 72-year-old with a defensive background who is regimented and abrasive vs. a 49-year-old South Dakotan and offensive guru who is talkative and approachable.
“Things are more relaxed here, one might say. Calmer. Folks seem less on edge. There is music at practice, fewer staff meetings and assistant coaches are even regularly speaking to the media (gasp!).
“DeBoer describes it as a “vibe” originating from himself: laid-back, comfortable, easygoing. That doesn’t mean he is not intense at times. He can be all of these things — fiery and demanding. But that’s not who he is all of the time. And maybe that’s OK.
“Your experiences shape who you are. I’ve heard multiple people say they don’t know what way is better,” DeBoer says, peering over that coffee table. “In the end, the foundation of what it takes to win football games is more similar than it is different. You got to be physical, disciplined, got to have an attitude and create a swagger and have confidence.
“That comes a lot through hard work and building a team mindset. I think a lot of those things Coach Saban would say.”
Login to view embedded media
8. Okay, BBQ fans. It is your time to agree or tear apart this list …
Login to view embedded media
9. For those who have been following Rashaad Samples since his days at Texas, one thing is clear - it is just a matter of time before he becomes a head coach.
Login to view embedded media
10. Here is your weekly Mike Tyson update
Login to view embedded media
UT taking out the DEI trash
- The Longhorn Corral
- 63 Replies
Texas university clears DEI offices, fires employees in light of new state law: report
The University of Texas at Austin reportedly fired 60 employees who worked in their diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, in compliance with state law.
DEI and its destructive practices have no place in the GREAT state of Texas. In Texas we support merit.
Texas with 3 of the top 15 players in the nation?
- By TheAssquatch
- Inside the 40 Acres
- 7 Replies
Banks 10
Bond 14
Quinn 15
www.cbssports.com
Bond 14
Quinn 15
College Football Top 100 Players of 2024: SEC crowds top 10, Colorado star at No. 1 in spring rankings
Former All-American and first-round NFL Draft pick Blake Brockermeyer evaluates and ranks the top 100 players entering this season
www.cbssports.com
Where is Our Resident WNBA Insider..??
- By Sark Astic
- Inside the 40 Acres
- 14 Replies
@Califashorn .......the board is shocked you haven't started a thread in regard to the WNBA Draft tonight.
You keep promoting the WNBA and how it is about to explode but you haven't started a thread with your mock draft or any pre-draft analysis...??
Where you at...??
You keep promoting the WNBA and how it is about to explode but you haven't started a thread with your mock draft or any pre-draft analysis...??
Where you at...??
Great Read: Rori Harmon's recovery update (AAS article)
- By SWTHORN123
- Inside the 40 Acres
- 7 Replies
Greet read. Gooooo Rori!! 💕
LONGHORNS WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
SHE’LL BE BACK
While coaching in present, Harmon eyes playing in future
Danny Davis
Austin American-Statesman USA TODAY NETWORK
Rori Harmon recently got a new notebook.
It was a thoughtful gift from Texas women’s basketball graduate assistants Ryan Yablonsky and Mason Wright. They even had the notebook customized with the words “Coach Harmon” on it.
The life of a coach, though, is not for Harmon. At least not right now. Texas’ junior guard has settled into a role as an unofficial assistant on Vic Schaefer’s coaching staff since a right knee injury ended her season in December, but the All-American candidate is diligently working toward her return to the court.
“I feel honored to be called (Coach Harmon), that’s nice. But I would like to be called Rori and to be called the point guard that is on the court,” Harmon said this week.
Just a few months ago, Harmon was establishing herself as a household name in college basketball. After watching Harmon score 27 points and distribute 13 assists against his team in UT’s 80-68 win on Dec. 3, UConn coach Geno Auriemma called Harmon “the best player we’ve played against.” When speaking about her rival’s point guard in October, Oklahoma’s Jennie Baranczyk said, “I don’t know if there is anybody better in the country, and I don’t just mean in our league.”
Through the first 12 games of the season, Harmon was averaging 14.1 points and 7.8 assists per game. Her 6.64 assists-to-turnover ratio led the nation by a healthy margin. She also was the Big 12’s reigning defensive player of the year.
But on Dec. 27, everything changed for both Harmon and the Longhorns.
During the team shootaround before the Jackson State game, Harmon was participating in a press break drill. While doing an in-and-out move, she cut to her left. But when she went back right, she heard a pop.
Harmon had to wait a day to take a MRI, but she knew what the results would be. After Schaefer called her and associate head coach Elena Lovato into his office to share the diagnosis of a torn ACL, injured meniscus and sprained MCL, Harmon said she cried for nearly 45 minutes.
Harmon allowed herself a few days to be selfish. But then she began to evaluate how she could best help the team.
“I feel like I can be a heartbeat,” Harmon said. “I still have that point guard leadership role of not the motor on the court, but the motor off the court.”
Believe it or not, Harmon does not profess to be a vocal leader. She prefers to quietly address her teammates. That would have to change, though. Instead of intimate asides, she would now try to energize her team through clapping and cheering.
One of Harmon’s new tasks has been mentoring Texas’ young point guards. Madison Booker is a true freshman. Gisella Maul joined the Longhorns halfway through the 2022-23 season, but she belongs to Booker’s recruiting class.
Booker started this season as a dynamic option on the wing, but has blossomed as Harmon’s understudy. Averaging 15.9 points and 4.8 assists per game this season, Booker has been a three-time winner of the Big 12 freshman of the week award and two-time Big 12 player of the week pick since Harmon’s injury. “It’s almost like there’s not much for me to tell her right now,” Harmon said.
“Each and every day I’m learning. I’m learning from one of the best PGs in the nation,” Booker said last month. “She’s in my ear always, just helping me out.”
On game day, Harmon can be seen scribbling in her notebook. Like she does during practices, she’s tracking kills.
What’s a kill, you ask? Lovato defined it as using either a defensive rebound or turnover to get three defensive stops in a row. For example, Texas recorded three kills in the fourth quarter of an 8160 win over Iowa State at Moody Center this past Saturday.
So that’s why Harmon is jotting down checks and dashes in her notebook during games. She keeps track of kills in UT practices as well, but she’ll just call out the results to her teammates in that setting.
The concept of a kill isn’t revolutionary. Kansas State uses a “Gap Goat” stuffed animal that has its own Instagram account to celebrate three defensive stops in a row. Harmon likes Kansas State’s idea, but Texas doesn’t award any prizes for a kill and Harmon argues that the incentive of getting one “should be enough.” Besides, the point guard is more concerned with changing the definition of a kill, anyways.
“I want to consider a stop where you get to stop and then you score,” she suggested. “If you get a stop and you don’t score, it doesn’t count. That’s the challenge. We’re just going to stick with what we’ve got right now.”
Before she had her surgery on Jan. 17, Harmon was allowed to sit in her normal spot on the bench between Lovato and director of player development Sydney Carter. Harmon’s doctor moved her behind the team bench after her surgery, but she plans on returning now that she has ditched her crutches.
“I think obviously it continues to help her keep a voice with our team,” Schaefer said of Harmon’s new role. “I encourage that because she has instant credibility with our players.”
Schaefer doesn’t believe that Harmon’s injury has led her to a new appreciation for the game of basketball. He said she already respected the sport too much for that. The time on the bench, however, has given her a new perspective.
The Iowa State game was a good example of that. During the 21-point win, Harmon said she realized that Iowa State had started to use a “triangle and two” defense, so she kept yelling at Schaefer from her spot behind the team bench. Schaefer countered that Iowa State was using a “box and one” scheme.
“They were in triangle two,” Harmon maintained.
Harmon doesn’t know if she would have made the same observation if she was playing. But from her vantage point behind the bench, “I saw two people following two people and then three people were just being still. It’s like I’m watching film constantly.”
Harmon spoke with the American-Statesman on Monday just after she finished a physical therapy session. A normal day for her now includes class, observing practice and film and private weight training with sports performance coach Zack Zillner since she’s not yet allowed to lift around her teammates. She has recently started shooting free throws.
Off the court, Harmon has taken comfort in Carter telling her that God has a specific plan for her. She has leaned emotionally on her family and senior guard Shaylee Gonzales, who missed her 2019-20 season at BYU because of an ACL tear. Maul, Aaliyah Moore and Jordana Codio, all of whom were sidelined by knee injuries last season, have offered plenty of support.
“I’ve never been through surgery. I’ve never had to sit out for this long,” Harmon said. “Being able to talk to A-Mo, G, Jordana, Shaylee, they’re trying to keep up with my recovery and saying like, ‘Oh, you look good,’ my scar looks good or my scar looks better than theirs.”
Harmon is documenting her rehab on social media, and that has allowed her to interact with fans as well as others who are also dealing with knee injuries. She recently felt comfortable enough to talk with students at Travis High School about her last few months.
Harmon is additionally looking forward to the future, but both she and Schaefer have declined to set a timetable for her return. After all, she points out that she is still talking about her rehab in terms of weeks, not months. “Saying I’m four weeks post-op sounds lame,” she joked.
But at some point, Harmon will be back on the court. A career in coaching can wait a little while longer.
HARMON
from page C1 to page C3
Wednesday’s game
Texas Tech (16-11, 5-9) at No. 5 Texas (24-3, 11-3), 7 p.m., Moody Center, LHN, 103.1
Follow the link below to view the article.
SHE’LL BE BACK
LONGHORNS WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
SHE’LL BE BACK
While coaching in present, Harmon eyes playing in future
Danny Davis
Austin American-Statesman USA TODAY NETWORK
Rori Harmon recently got a new notebook.
It was a thoughtful gift from Texas women’s basketball graduate assistants Ryan Yablonsky and Mason Wright. They even had the notebook customized with the words “Coach Harmon” on it.
The life of a coach, though, is not for Harmon. At least not right now. Texas’ junior guard has settled into a role as an unofficial assistant on Vic Schaefer’s coaching staff since a right knee injury ended her season in December, but the All-American candidate is diligently working toward her return to the court.
“I feel honored to be called (Coach Harmon), that’s nice. But I would like to be called Rori and to be called the point guard that is on the court,” Harmon said this week.
Just a few months ago, Harmon was establishing herself as a household name in college basketball. After watching Harmon score 27 points and distribute 13 assists against his team in UT’s 80-68 win on Dec. 3, UConn coach Geno Auriemma called Harmon “the best player we’ve played against.” When speaking about her rival’s point guard in October, Oklahoma’s Jennie Baranczyk said, “I don’t know if there is anybody better in the country, and I don’t just mean in our league.”
Through the first 12 games of the season, Harmon was averaging 14.1 points and 7.8 assists per game. Her 6.64 assists-to-turnover ratio led the nation by a healthy margin. She also was the Big 12’s reigning defensive player of the year.
But on Dec. 27, everything changed for both Harmon and the Longhorns.
During the team shootaround before the Jackson State game, Harmon was participating in a press break drill. While doing an in-and-out move, she cut to her left. But when she went back right, she heard a pop.
Harmon had to wait a day to take a MRI, but she knew what the results would be. After Schaefer called her and associate head coach Elena Lovato into his office to share the diagnosis of a torn ACL, injured meniscus and sprained MCL, Harmon said she cried for nearly 45 minutes.
Harmon allowed herself a few days to be selfish. But then she began to evaluate how she could best help the team.
“I feel like I can be a heartbeat,” Harmon said. “I still have that point guard leadership role of not the motor on the court, but the motor off the court.”
Believe it or not, Harmon does not profess to be a vocal leader. She prefers to quietly address her teammates. That would have to change, though. Instead of intimate asides, she would now try to energize her team through clapping and cheering.
One of Harmon’s new tasks has been mentoring Texas’ young point guards. Madison Booker is a true freshman. Gisella Maul joined the Longhorns halfway through the 2022-23 season, but she belongs to Booker’s recruiting class.
Booker started this season as a dynamic option on the wing, but has blossomed as Harmon’s understudy. Averaging 15.9 points and 4.8 assists per game this season, Booker has been a three-time winner of the Big 12 freshman of the week award and two-time Big 12 player of the week pick since Harmon’s injury. “It’s almost like there’s not much for me to tell her right now,” Harmon said.
“Each and every day I’m learning. I’m learning from one of the best PGs in the nation,” Booker said last month. “She’s in my ear always, just helping me out.”
On game day, Harmon can be seen scribbling in her notebook. Like she does during practices, she’s tracking kills.
What’s a kill, you ask? Lovato defined it as using either a defensive rebound or turnover to get three defensive stops in a row. For example, Texas recorded three kills in the fourth quarter of an 8160 win over Iowa State at Moody Center this past Saturday.
So that’s why Harmon is jotting down checks and dashes in her notebook during games. She keeps track of kills in UT practices as well, but she’ll just call out the results to her teammates in that setting.
The concept of a kill isn’t revolutionary. Kansas State uses a “Gap Goat” stuffed animal that has its own Instagram account to celebrate three defensive stops in a row. Harmon likes Kansas State’s idea, but Texas doesn’t award any prizes for a kill and Harmon argues that the incentive of getting one “should be enough.” Besides, the point guard is more concerned with changing the definition of a kill, anyways.
“I want to consider a stop where you get to stop and then you score,” she suggested. “If you get a stop and you don’t score, it doesn’t count. That’s the challenge. We’re just going to stick with what we’ve got right now.”
Before she had her surgery on Jan. 17, Harmon was allowed to sit in her normal spot on the bench between Lovato and director of player development Sydney Carter. Harmon’s doctor moved her behind the team bench after her surgery, but she plans on returning now that she has ditched her crutches.
“I think obviously it continues to help her keep a voice with our team,” Schaefer said of Harmon’s new role. “I encourage that because she has instant credibility with our players.”
Schaefer doesn’t believe that Harmon’s injury has led her to a new appreciation for the game of basketball. He said she already respected the sport too much for that. The time on the bench, however, has given her a new perspective.
The Iowa State game was a good example of that. During the 21-point win, Harmon said she realized that Iowa State had started to use a “triangle and two” defense, so she kept yelling at Schaefer from her spot behind the team bench. Schaefer countered that Iowa State was using a “box and one” scheme.
“They were in triangle two,” Harmon maintained.
Harmon doesn’t know if she would have made the same observation if she was playing. But from her vantage point behind the bench, “I saw two people following two people and then three people were just being still. It’s like I’m watching film constantly.”
Harmon spoke with the American-Statesman on Monday just after she finished a physical therapy session. A normal day for her now includes class, observing practice and film and private weight training with sports performance coach Zack Zillner since she’s not yet allowed to lift around her teammates. She has recently started shooting free throws.
Off the court, Harmon has taken comfort in Carter telling her that God has a specific plan for her. She has leaned emotionally on her family and senior guard Shaylee Gonzales, who missed her 2019-20 season at BYU because of an ACL tear. Maul, Aaliyah Moore and Jordana Codio, all of whom were sidelined by knee injuries last season, have offered plenty of support.
“I’ve never been through surgery. I’ve never had to sit out for this long,” Harmon said. “Being able to talk to A-Mo, G, Jordana, Shaylee, they’re trying to keep up with my recovery and saying like, ‘Oh, you look good,’ my scar looks good or my scar looks better than theirs.”
Harmon is documenting her rehab on social media, and that has allowed her to interact with fans as well as others who are also dealing with knee injuries. She recently felt comfortable enough to talk with students at Travis High School about her last few months.
Harmon is additionally looking forward to the future, but both she and Schaefer have declined to set a timetable for her return. After all, she points out that she is still talking about her rehab in terms of weeks, not months. “Saying I’m four weeks post-op sounds lame,” she joked.
But at some point, Harmon will be back on the court. A career in coaching can wait a little while longer.
HARMON
from page C1 to page C3
Wednesday’s game
Texas Tech (16-11, 5-9) at No. 5 Texas (24-3, 11-3), 7 p.m., Moody Center, LHN, 103.1
Follow the link below to view the article.
SHE’LL BE BACK
SHE’LL BE BACK
LONGHORNS WOMEN’S BASKETBALL Rori Harmon recently got a new notebook
statesman-tx.newsmemory.com