War Room:
(Anwar)
I recently had a conversation with someone associated with the program and wanted to talk about the team’s lack of explosive plays this past season. That is when I informed that person about the focus on my recent Sunday column, which was about this team’s need for playmakers.
The person I spoke to pointed out the Longhorns did not have an offensive play over 50 yards this past season. Texas receiver Devin Duvernay had a 48-yard reception, followed by Lil’Jordan Humphrey (47 yards) and Collin Johnson (45 yards).
However, when it came to the run game, the lack of explosive plays was hard to miss.
Former Texas running back Tre Watson led the team with a 39-yard carry, followed by Keaontay Ingram (31 yards) and Daniel Young (30 yards).
In 2017, Chris Warren’s 41-yard carry was the team’s longest run that season. Toneil Carter registered a 38-yard carry, while Young had a 36-yard run.
Yes, in the past two seasons, the longest carry by a Longhorn running back was 41 yards.
That is when incoming freshman Jordan Whittington’s name came up.
There are high hopes for Whittington, who will enroll at Texas in a few weeks.
The plan is to use Whittington as a hybrid offensive player, meaning he will play running back/slot receiver at Texas. The hope is by spreading Whittington all over the field, he will add an explosive dimension to Texas’ offense everyone within the building desperately desires.
Basically, they intend to use Whittington similar to New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara and Carolina running back Christian McCaffrey.
In fact, one person told me he would not be surprised if Whittington received 100 touches out of the backfield and 40 to 50 receiving targets. The hope is Whittington will make guys miss and compile more yards after contact than what previous running backs have produced the past two seasons.
Clearly, Whittington has to prove himself this offseason.
However, if Whittington lives up to expectations of the staff, he will see a lot of playing time in 2019.
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--- The biggest area of concern entering the offseason is linebacker. Junior college linebacker Caleb Johnson will be given an opportunity to compete for a starting spot this season.
--- Obtaining JUCO linebacker Lakia Henry is a priority. The linebacker position is a real concern. Keep an eye on his recruitment.
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(Suchomel)
I talked about Virginia offensive line graduate transfer R.J. Proctor in this week’s 3-2-1, noting that he and Herb Hand had a conversation last weekend. Proctor doesn’t have a Texas offer yet and we’ll see how hard UT pushes to eventually get him on campus, but in talking to Proctor, there’s no doubt that his interest in the Longhorns is legitimate.
“To get an offer from there would be huge for me,” Proctor said. “I would definitely take a visit there, check out the campus, talk to the coaches. That would be a blessing.”
Along with Texas, schools like Florida State, Penn State, Oklahoma, North Carolina and Florida touched base with Proctor in the couple days after he put his name in the transfer portal. Florida State has already offered, while several others have indicated they’ll be visiting Proctor in the spring and will likely offer once they sit down with him face to face.
As a grad transfer, Proctor will be looking for immediate playing time and said depth charts will be a huge factor in his decision. He likes that Texas has two guard spots that will be open for competition and he said he liked that Herb Hand didn’t beat around the bush about UT’s offensive line needs.
“That’s always the big question, who exactly do you have? Who is going to the draft, what’s their need? That’s big, when a coach calls me doesn’t dance around it. Coach Hand went straight to that, so that was good,” Proctor said.
Proctor won’t graduate until May so there’s plenty of time for this race to take shape. If Texas wants to make him a priority, it does sound like the Longhorns will be a major factor in this one.
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Sticking with offensive linemen, I was able to catch up with Arizona Western offensive lineman Desmond Bland this week for a quick update. The 6-4, 300-pound Bland is committed to Nebraska but is still evaluating options and said he’s hoping to take a Texas visit before he signs in February.
“I would like to visit Nebraska, Florida State and Texas as of now,” Bland said.
Bland has been in contact with Herb Hand. The talks haven’t been too aggressive, but Bland said there has been talk about getting him on campus.
“We have not had that much communication but he said he wants me to come in and start and lead the younger guys,” Bland said. “And yes, he said he is going to come talk to me in Arizona about visiting.”
If Texas picks up its interest, it sounds like Bland would have a legitimate interest but he’s been committed to Nebraska since June and said it won’t be easy for any school to get him to flip his commitment.
“I’m still with Nebraska. I’m not sure what would get me to change from Nebraska. It would take a lot,” Bland said.
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I mentioned earlier in the week that it doesn’t look like Deondrick Glass will be brought in for an official visit this weekend. Glass had previously mentioned that it was a possibility, but look for Texas to stand pat with its running back recruiting unless a back pops up that’s just too good to pass up.
The running back room isn’t exactly loaded since Toneil Carter is expected to transfer, but this one does make sense when you consider that the Longhorns do have Derrian Brown signed, and as we reported last week, the staff has talked to Jordan Whittington about him playing some running back as well to utilize his versatility.
Kyle Porter was a player who was discussed as a possible transfer candidate early in the fall but we’ve heard talk this week that he’s likely to be a part of the team this spring.
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I didn’t connect with Texas commitment Javonne Shepherd directly this week, but another reporter I spoke with was told that Shepherd will in fact be taking his Texas A&M official visit this weekend.
Shepherd also talked about taking visits to Alabama and Georgia, but we’ll see if those visits come to fruition. I just don’t see him going that far from home, and in talking to one Alabama source this week, I was told Bama is unsure at this point if they’ll have room for another OL in this class. Georgia, on the other hand, does have a legit interest from what I was told this week.
Texas still has its official visit left so getting Shepherd on campus for the last visit could certainly work in UT’s favor. I still like Texas’ chance to hold onto Shepherd’s commitment in the long run but this weekend could certainly make things interesting for the Houston North Forest standout.
******
Dodge City Community College linebacker Lakia Henry opened his recruitment this week when he decommitted from Tennessee, and Texas is one of the schools Henry has said he plans to visit.
Henry is currently on an official visit to Arkansas. He’s scheduled to visit Ole Miss on January 25. There was talk on Thursday that Henry is set to visit Texas next weekend (January 18) but I’m told that visit isn’t fully locked in just yet. Assuming everything checks out with Henry’s grades, I’d be a little surprised if Texas didn’t work to get that visit set up. I’ll let you know as soon as I have anything confirmed.
******
A couple quick-hitter OL recruiting notes on some names to file away …
Texas has made contact with Iowa Western Community College offensive lineman Willie Tyler, but things are in the very preliminary stages here. Tyler has been told that UT may stop by in the spring to get an in-person look. If Texas was to pick up its interest, Tyler told me the Longhorns would be one of his top schools.
Arizona Western Community College offensive lineman Dontae Powell was committed to Washington State but the two parted ways this week. Powell told me this week he hasn’t heard from UT yet, but Herb Hand did give him a follow on Twitter and Powell sent in his film to Hand to evaluate. He also told me he’s “highly interested” if Texas does start to pursue him.
Interestingly, there’s a report that Washington State moved on from Powell to pursue another JUCO OL, Tyler J.C. product Jimmy Price. Price hasn’t heard from Texas yet but said he hopes they do and his interest would be high. Price doesn’t graduate until May so like Willie Tyler, he could be a guy the staff continues to evaluate this spring.
******
A wildcard name to file away …
Gray (GA) Jones County defensive end Ja’Darien Boykin tells me has had some recent contact from Texas, and the Longhorns are a school he’s very much interested in.
“They’ve been talking to me since last week or the week before,” Boykin said. “They’ve been saying they’re going to come down after the dead period, think about offering me.
“They would fit well (if they did offer). I just know about diff players that came from Texas.”
Boykin’s stock has been on the rise of late, with schools like Maryland, Louisville and Miami extending scholarship offers this week. He’s scheduled to visit Miami on January 18 and Louisville on January 25. If Texas wants to bring him in, Boykin said the Longhorns would get a visit.
******
In one of the most interesting recruitments in the 2019 class, Duesseldorff, Germany defensive tackle Joseph Darkwa tells me has been in contact with Texas. Darkwa told me Texas has talked to him about the possibility of a visit but nothing is set up yet.
The 6-5, 260-pound Darkwa has seen his stock surge this week, with offers coming in from Penn State and Colorado. Darkwa is scheduled to visit UCLA this weekend, Virginia on January 18 and Penn State January 25. He does have one visit remaining (also visited Rutgers in November). We’ll see if Texas picks up its interest but he’s certainly an intriguing option.
******
Not much new to report with DB McKel Broussard, who competed in the All-American Bowl last weekend. He’s still waiting to see if Texas will reach out. If they do, he said he’d quickly schedule a visit and get to Austin for a visit.
(Anwar)
I recently had a conversation with someone associated with the program and wanted to talk about the team’s lack of explosive plays this past season. That is when I informed that person about the focus on my recent Sunday column, which was about this team’s need for playmakers.
The person I spoke to pointed out the Longhorns did not have an offensive play over 50 yards this past season. Texas receiver Devin Duvernay had a 48-yard reception, followed by Lil’Jordan Humphrey (47 yards) and Collin Johnson (45 yards).
However, when it came to the run game, the lack of explosive plays was hard to miss.
Former Texas running back Tre Watson led the team with a 39-yard carry, followed by Keaontay Ingram (31 yards) and Daniel Young (30 yards).
In 2017, Chris Warren’s 41-yard carry was the team’s longest run that season. Toneil Carter registered a 38-yard carry, while Young had a 36-yard run.
Yes, in the past two seasons, the longest carry by a Longhorn running back was 41 yards.
That is when incoming freshman Jordan Whittington’s name came up.
There are high hopes for Whittington, who will enroll at Texas in a few weeks.
The plan is to use Whittington as a hybrid offensive player, meaning he will play running back/slot receiver at Texas. The hope is by spreading Whittington all over the field, he will add an explosive dimension to Texas’ offense everyone within the building desperately desires.
Basically, they intend to use Whittington similar to New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara and Carolina running back Christian McCaffrey.
In fact, one person told me he would not be surprised if Whittington received 100 touches out of the backfield and 40 to 50 receiving targets. The hope is Whittington will make guys miss and compile more yards after contact than what previous running backs have produced the past two seasons.
Clearly, Whittington has to prove himself this offseason.
However, if Whittington lives up to expectations of the staff, he will see a lot of playing time in 2019.
******
--- The biggest area of concern entering the offseason is linebacker. Junior college linebacker Caleb Johnson will be given an opportunity to compete for a starting spot this season.
--- Obtaining JUCO linebacker Lakia Henry is a priority. The linebacker position is a real concern. Keep an eye on his recruitment.
******
(Suchomel)
I talked about Virginia offensive line graduate transfer R.J. Proctor in this week’s 3-2-1, noting that he and Herb Hand had a conversation last weekend. Proctor doesn’t have a Texas offer yet and we’ll see how hard UT pushes to eventually get him on campus, but in talking to Proctor, there’s no doubt that his interest in the Longhorns is legitimate.
“To get an offer from there would be huge for me,” Proctor said. “I would definitely take a visit there, check out the campus, talk to the coaches. That would be a blessing.”
Along with Texas, schools like Florida State, Penn State, Oklahoma, North Carolina and Florida touched base with Proctor in the couple days after he put his name in the transfer portal. Florida State has already offered, while several others have indicated they’ll be visiting Proctor in the spring and will likely offer once they sit down with him face to face.
As a grad transfer, Proctor will be looking for immediate playing time and said depth charts will be a huge factor in his decision. He likes that Texas has two guard spots that will be open for competition and he said he liked that Herb Hand didn’t beat around the bush about UT’s offensive line needs.
“That’s always the big question, who exactly do you have? Who is going to the draft, what’s their need? That’s big, when a coach calls me doesn’t dance around it. Coach Hand went straight to that, so that was good,” Proctor said.
Proctor won’t graduate until May so there’s plenty of time for this race to take shape. If Texas wants to make him a priority, it does sound like the Longhorns will be a major factor in this one.
******
Sticking with offensive linemen, I was able to catch up with Arizona Western offensive lineman Desmond Bland this week for a quick update. The 6-4, 300-pound Bland is committed to Nebraska but is still evaluating options and said he’s hoping to take a Texas visit before he signs in February.
“I would like to visit Nebraska, Florida State and Texas as of now,” Bland said.
Bland has been in contact with Herb Hand. The talks haven’t been too aggressive, but Bland said there has been talk about getting him on campus.
“We have not had that much communication but he said he wants me to come in and start and lead the younger guys,” Bland said. “And yes, he said he is going to come talk to me in Arizona about visiting.”
If Texas picks up its interest, it sounds like Bland would have a legitimate interest but he’s been committed to Nebraska since June and said it won’t be easy for any school to get him to flip his commitment.
“I’m still with Nebraska. I’m not sure what would get me to change from Nebraska. It would take a lot,” Bland said.
******
I mentioned earlier in the week that it doesn’t look like Deondrick Glass will be brought in for an official visit this weekend. Glass had previously mentioned that it was a possibility, but look for Texas to stand pat with its running back recruiting unless a back pops up that’s just too good to pass up.
The running back room isn’t exactly loaded since Toneil Carter is expected to transfer, but this one does make sense when you consider that the Longhorns do have Derrian Brown signed, and as we reported last week, the staff has talked to Jordan Whittington about him playing some running back as well to utilize his versatility.
Kyle Porter was a player who was discussed as a possible transfer candidate early in the fall but we’ve heard talk this week that he’s likely to be a part of the team this spring.
******
I didn’t connect with Texas commitment Javonne Shepherd directly this week, but another reporter I spoke with was told that Shepherd will in fact be taking his Texas A&M official visit this weekend.
Shepherd also talked about taking visits to Alabama and Georgia, but we’ll see if those visits come to fruition. I just don’t see him going that far from home, and in talking to one Alabama source this week, I was told Bama is unsure at this point if they’ll have room for another OL in this class. Georgia, on the other hand, does have a legit interest from what I was told this week.
Texas still has its official visit left so getting Shepherd on campus for the last visit could certainly work in UT’s favor. I still like Texas’ chance to hold onto Shepherd’s commitment in the long run but this weekend could certainly make things interesting for the Houston North Forest standout.
******
Dodge City Community College linebacker Lakia Henry opened his recruitment this week when he decommitted from Tennessee, and Texas is one of the schools Henry has said he plans to visit.
Henry is currently on an official visit to Arkansas. He’s scheduled to visit Ole Miss on January 25. There was talk on Thursday that Henry is set to visit Texas next weekend (January 18) but I’m told that visit isn’t fully locked in just yet. Assuming everything checks out with Henry’s grades, I’d be a little surprised if Texas didn’t work to get that visit set up. I’ll let you know as soon as I have anything confirmed.
******
A couple quick-hitter OL recruiting notes on some names to file away …
Texas has made contact with Iowa Western Community College offensive lineman Willie Tyler, but things are in the very preliminary stages here. Tyler has been told that UT may stop by in the spring to get an in-person look. If Texas was to pick up its interest, Tyler told me the Longhorns would be one of his top schools.
Arizona Western Community College offensive lineman Dontae Powell was committed to Washington State but the two parted ways this week. Powell told me this week he hasn’t heard from UT yet, but Herb Hand did give him a follow on Twitter and Powell sent in his film to Hand to evaluate. He also told me he’s “highly interested” if Texas does start to pursue him.
Interestingly, there’s a report that Washington State moved on from Powell to pursue another JUCO OL, Tyler J.C. product Jimmy Price. Price hasn’t heard from Texas yet but said he hopes they do and his interest would be high. Price doesn’t graduate until May so like Willie Tyler, he could be a guy the staff continues to evaluate this spring.
******
A wildcard name to file away …
Gray (GA) Jones County defensive end Ja’Darien Boykin tells me has had some recent contact from Texas, and the Longhorns are a school he’s very much interested in.
“They’ve been talking to me since last week or the week before,” Boykin said. “They’ve been saying they’re going to come down after the dead period, think about offering me.
“They would fit well (if they did offer). I just know about diff players that came from Texas.”
Boykin’s stock has been on the rise of late, with schools like Maryland, Louisville and Miami extending scholarship offers this week. He’s scheduled to visit Miami on January 18 and Louisville on January 25. If Texas wants to bring him in, Boykin said the Longhorns would get a visit.
******
In one of the most interesting recruitments in the 2019 class, Duesseldorff, Germany defensive tackle Joseph Darkwa tells me has been in contact with Texas. Darkwa told me Texas has talked to him about the possibility of a visit but nothing is set up yet.
The 6-5, 260-pound Darkwa has seen his stock surge this week, with offers coming in from Penn State and Colorado. Darkwa is scheduled to visit UCLA this weekend, Virginia on January 18 and Penn State January 25. He does have one visit remaining (also visited Rutgers in November). We’ll see if Texas picks up its interest but he’s certainly an intriguing option.
******
Not much new to report with DB McKel Broussard, who competed in the All-American Bowl last weekend. He’s still waiting to see if Texas will reach out. If they do, he said he’d quickly schedule a visit and get to Austin for a visit.
