Instant Analysis: Longhorns get the offensive weapon they craved
- By Ketchum
- Instant Analysis Archive
- 75 Replies
Cliffs Notes: The Longhorns picked up the biggest off-season addition from the Portal yet with the commitment of Alabama star wide receiver Isaiah Bond.
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Resume: Led all Alabama receivers in receptions (48), while finishing second in receiving yards (668) and receiving touchdowns (4) during the 2023 season. Emerged as a starter this season after making one start as a true freshman in 2022. Combined for 14 receptions for 201 yards and a touchdown in his final three games this year against Michigan, Georgia and Auburn). Won the Georgia 6A 100-meter (10.51) and 200-meter (21.19) state titles as a junior with personal bests of 10.48 (100 meters) and 21.05 (200 meters)
Evaluation: The 5-11, 192-pound Bond is basically the prototype receiver that Steve Sarkisian loves to work with because of the speed, playmaking and versatility that he plays with. Equally comfortable in the slot (58.6% of snaps in 2023) or on the outside (40.9% of snaps in 2023), while possessing excellent hands (3.9% drop rate, only 2 drops in 14 games), can flat out take the top of a defense and is probably at his best when challenging defenses down the field. That being said, he's not just a deep flyer, as he'll fight for the football all over the field and can be deployed in every way a receiver can be deployed. This is a young man that has a chance to be an All-American in the right offense/playing with the right quarterback and he almost certainly be a high-level NFL target after this season.
2023 Receiving Depths (Via PFF)
Why it matters: The Longhorns have a lot of weapons on paper for the 2024 season, but it lacked an obvious, proven, no-doubt-about-it WR1 to lead the passing game and now it has that in Bond. He's going to be Quinn Ewers' new best friend.
Expectations: 70 receptions for 1,200 yards and 10 touchdowns. I think he's going to be an All-SEC/All-American level producer.
2023 Highlights: Enjoy.
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Resume: Led all Alabama receivers in receptions (48), while finishing second in receiving yards (668) and receiving touchdowns (4) during the 2023 season. Emerged as a starter this season after making one start as a true freshman in 2022. Combined for 14 receptions for 201 yards and a touchdown in his final three games this year against Michigan, Georgia and Auburn). Won the Georgia 6A 100-meter (10.51) and 200-meter (21.19) state titles as a junior with personal bests of 10.48 (100 meters) and 21.05 (200 meters)
Evaluation: The 5-11, 192-pound Bond is basically the prototype receiver that Steve Sarkisian loves to work with because of the speed, playmaking and versatility that he plays with. Equally comfortable in the slot (58.6% of snaps in 2023) or on the outside (40.9% of snaps in 2023), while possessing excellent hands (3.9% drop rate, only 2 drops in 14 games), can flat out take the top of a defense and is probably at his best when challenging defenses down the field. That being said, he's not just a deep flyer, as he'll fight for the football all over the field and can be deployed in every way a receiver can be deployed. This is a young man that has a chance to be an All-American in the right offense/playing with the right quarterback and he almost certainly be a high-level NFL target after this season.
2023 Receiving Depths (Via PFF)
Why it matters: The Longhorns have a lot of weapons on paper for the 2024 season, but it lacked an obvious, proven, no-doubt-about-it WR1 to lead the passing game and now it has that in Bond. He's going to be Quinn Ewers' new best friend.
Expectations: 70 receptions for 1,200 yards and 10 touchdowns. I think he's going to be an All-SEC/All-American level producer.
2023 Highlights: Enjoy.
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Dems for Haley…
- The Longhorn Corral
- 19 Replies
for those apoplectic over Trump destroying democracy, rally together and flip the script to Haley in open and mixed primaries.
Joe’s a party lock. Not to mention KJP plus other White House staffers can not keep up with this vibrant, energized, brilliantly articulate statesman.
You can impact 817 of the available 1166 republican delegates through Super Tuesday - 70%. Rid us all of Trump.
www.newsweek.com
Joe’s a party lock. Not to mention KJP plus other White House staffers can not keep up with this vibrant, energized, brilliantly articulate statesman.
You can impact 817 of the available 1166 republican delegates through Super Tuesday - 70%. Rid us all of Trump.
Democrats' bold strategy could upend GOP primaries
Some Democrats are registering as Republicans to vote in the party's upcoming primaries.
www.newsweek.com
Instant Analysis: Two steps forward, three steps back for UT Hoops
- By Ketchum
- Inside the 40 Acres
- 56 Replies
Cliffs Notes: In a game against the worst team in the Big 12 and the only team in the league with a losing record, the Longhorns suffered a resume-hurting 76-73 loss on the road in Morgantown.
The Participants: No. 25/NR Texas (12-4, 1-2 Big 12) and NR/NR West Virginia (6-10, 1-2 Big 12)
Pre-Game KenPom Rankings: Texas (No. 34) and West Virginia (No. 143)
Game MVP: Max Abmas carried the Longhorns in the final minutes of the game, finishing with 32 points on 9 of 17 points, including 17 points in the final 2:29 of the game
Key Moment: With the lead cut to 68-65 with less than a minute to go, Texas allowed Noah Farrakhan to dribble penetrate into the lane where he dished it off to Akok Akok for a dunk to extend the lead back to 70-65 with 45 seconds left in the game. The Longhorns never got closer than 3 the rest of the game.
Key Stretch: Disu made a lay-up with 8:37 left in the game to cut West Virginia's lead to 52-49 and the Longhorns didn't score again until Disu made a three-point shot with 5:29 left in the game, but the Mountaineers had gone on a 7-0 run during that stretch. The lack of any offense for more than 3 minutes in the final 10 minutes of the game proved to be a very big deal.
Big 12 Screw-job?: Since the start of Big 12 play last weekend, the Longhorns have been called for 65 fouls, while its opponents have been called for 38.
An Hour of Our Lives We'll Never Get Back: Forgive me, but I have zero desire to really discuss the first half. Somehow, the Mountaineers came away leading 30-28 at halftime and I'm still dismayed that both teams combined to score 58 points because they combined to shoot 38.9% from the floor (which feels about 10% too high) and 27% from 3-point land, while committing 22 turnovers. At one point when neither team scored a field goal for 4:01 on actual game-time, it basically felt like the score stayed 15-14 for a week. Disu scored 2 points on 1 of 2 shooting. Let's never discuss it again.
Thing You Need to Know: The Longhorns committed a season-high 22 turnovers on Saturday night. Every starter other than Brock Cunningham committed multiple turnovers, with Tyrese Hunter and Dylan Disu each turning it over 4 times and Abmas turning over 5 times.
Tracking down History: After moving into 4th place on the NCAA' all-time 3-point shots made list last week, Abmas knocked down 7 of 13 shots from downtown tonight to move within 34 of third-place Travis Bader (Purdue 2010-14).
Half-time team triple splits: Texas (38.5/30.0/83.3), West Virginia (39.3/25.0/62.5)
Full-time team triple splits: Texas (45.3/40.9/76.2), West Virginia (44.7/41.2/65.9)
ESPN Bracketology: In the updated Bracket from this morning, the Longhorns are still on the outside looking in.
Box Score: Read it and weep.
The Participants: No. 25/NR Texas (12-4, 1-2 Big 12) and NR/NR West Virginia (6-10, 1-2 Big 12)
Pre-Game KenPom Rankings: Texas (No. 34) and West Virginia (No. 143)
Game MVP: Max Abmas carried the Longhorns in the final minutes of the game, finishing with 32 points on 9 of 17 points, including 17 points in the final 2:29 of the game
Key Moment: With the lead cut to 68-65 with less than a minute to go, Texas allowed Noah Farrakhan to dribble penetrate into the lane where he dished it off to Akok Akok for a dunk to extend the lead back to 70-65 with 45 seconds left in the game. The Longhorns never got closer than 3 the rest of the game.
Key Stretch: Disu made a lay-up with 8:37 left in the game to cut West Virginia's lead to 52-49 and the Longhorns didn't score again until Disu made a three-point shot with 5:29 left in the game, but the Mountaineers had gone on a 7-0 run during that stretch. The lack of any offense for more than 3 minutes in the final 10 minutes of the game proved to be a very big deal.
Big 12 Screw-job?: Since the start of Big 12 play last weekend, the Longhorns have been called for 65 fouls, while its opponents have been called for 38.
An Hour of Our Lives We'll Never Get Back: Forgive me, but I have zero desire to really discuss the first half. Somehow, the Mountaineers came away leading 30-28 at halftime and I'm still dismayed that both teams combined to score 58 points because they combined to shoot 38.9% from the floor (which feels about 10% too high) and 27% from 3-point land, while committing 22 turnovers. At one point when neither team scored a field goal for 4:01 on actual game-time, it basically felt like the score stayed 15-14 for a week. Disu scored 2 points on 1 of 2 shooting. Let's never discuss it again.
Thing You Need to Know: The Longhorns committed a season-high 22 turnovers on Saturday night. Every starter other than Brock Cunningham committed multiple turnovers, with Tyrese Hunter and Dylan Disu each turning it over 4 times and Abmas turning over 5 times.
Tracking down History: After moving into 4th place on the NCAA' all-time 3-point shots made list last week, Abmas knocked down 7 of 13 shots from downtown tonight to move within 34 of third-place Travis Bader (Purdue 2010-14).
Half-time team triple splits: Texas (38.5/30.0/83.3), West Virginia (39.3/25.0/62.5)
Full-time team triple splits: Texas (45.3/40.9/76.2), West Virginia (44.7/41.2/65.9)
ESPN Bracketology: In the updated Bracket from this morning, the Longhorns are still on the outside looking in.
Box Score: Read it and weep.
Breaking: Isaiah Bond commits to Texas
- By Suchomel
- Inside the 40 Acres
- 90 Replies
The Longhorn receiver room is going to look a lot different in 2024 than it did in 2023, and the Texas coaching staff has added a huge piece to the UT passing attack with a commitment from Alabama transfer Isaiah Bond.
The electric Bond, who entered the transfer portal on January 12, would have been one of the most highly sought-after prospects in all of college football had things not moved so quickly. Instead, all the momentum immediately shifted to Texas once Bond entered the portal, including a visit to Texas getting set up shortly after his transfer intentions were official, and the Longhorns were able to wrap this one up pretty quickly.
The 5-11, 182-pound Bond became the first Alabama player to enter the transfer portal following Nick Saban’s retirement. Because of the coaching change, Alabama players are given a 30-day extension to enter the portal and Bond made a quick decision to find a new home.
In his second season with the Crimson Tide, Bond had a breakout campaign, becoming a starter and leading the team in receptions (48) and finishing second in receiving yards (668).
Out of Buford (GA), Bond was a member of the 2021 recruiting class and he had an interest in Texas as a prep player before eventually committing to Alabama. In fact, Bond was set to take a Texas official visit in June of his senior year, about five months after Steve Sarkisian was hired in Austin. He would wind up cancelling that visit a few days after taking an Alabama visit, but he did have some level of UT interest as a high school prospect. That interest has now come full circle, and Texas will welcome the talented pass catcher with open arms.
A four-star prospect and Rivals100 member coming out of high school, Bond immediately bolsters a Texas passing attack that will have to replace top weapons Xavier Worthy, Adonai Mitchell and Jordan Whittington, in addition to tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders, who all decided to enter the NFL Draft. Texas also brought in Houston transfer receiver Matthew Golden, who should be a valuable contributor. Young talents like Johntay Cook, Deandre Moore and Ryan Niblett will also have opportunities to expand their roles, and Texas signed and impressive group of high school seniors that will work to carve out a role in the Longhorns’ offense.
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