I was in Austin this past week and got to spend a lot of time talking texas football and the state of the program with a few key folks connected to the university. I arrived back home on kaua'i feeling about as good about the football program as I have in a long time. Perhaps even better than I did before the 2007 season from a program perspective. Here are a few takeaways from my conversations and experience on campus
First off, the facilities just look amazing. This looks like a world class athletic department now. From the weight room and locker room to the film rooms and training areas. This was my first tour of the stadium and facilities in a few years and the difference is stark. I came away with a buzz that hasn't quite left me yet. When you add a state of the art indoor practice facility to this place in two years it's going to be ridiculous.
I can't stop thinking about the talent in the program right now. Sark and his staff have done an unbelievable job adding elite blue chip talent at just about every position group.
I think this program is starting to see the benefits of having staff continuity for the first time since the middle of the mack brown era. This staff is very business like and has the right balance of strong recruiters and great coaches. The highest of praises for chris Jackson so far.
I can't say enough about the job Kyle flood has done. Texas having a strong two deep on the online for the first time I can remember is an amazing turn around over the shit sandwich we've seen on the oline since....forever. Texas went from not having a legitimate potential draftable player on the oline to a two deep that fits that criteria.
This Texas offense will be quite different this year. I don't see them running much 12 personnel, if at all. That's just not the strength of the team and quite frankly something sark doesn't want to do unless he has to. This is going to be a more wide open offense with weapons everywhere. Gone are the days of being able to lean on two power backs while you allow your quarterback to learn and grow. This is a very different running back room that lacks a true workhorse running through the lanes for yards after contact. Or guys that are plus blockers in pass protection. This is an offense that's going to have to live and die by it's quarterback play.
Absolutely everything surrounding Ewers is top notch. He has a very good oline, elite playmakers at wide receiver, an elite TE and a talented stable of young backs. He doesn't have to make a quantum leap coming out of spring, but he does need to become a plus player. I believe we saw some of that progress in the bowl game and I believe the presence of a young superstar behind him will give him the motivation to work harder than he ever has before. And early rumblings are that the staff have seen a different level of preparation and off the field work from ewers since the bowl workouts started. This is a damn good football team if ewers makes just incremental progress this off-season. But to get where he wants to be this time next year (getting ready for the NFL draft), he's going to have to realize his potential and work harder than he ever has. All signs are pointing in that direction in terms of his maturity and work ethic per several people i have spoken with. People discount how not playing (or developing) as a quarterback two years ago hurt him. For ewers to ball out early on in the season like he did just shows how much talent has.
I was a freshman at Texas when chris Simms arrived and there was an energy on campus that was palpable. But it's nothing like what we're seeing from Arch Manning being at Texas.
"I've never seen anything close to this in terms of a true freshman being on campus. You see it in the coaches, players, support staff and recruits. Sark has had more requests from high school coaches wanting to visit for spring ball than he has ever received at Texas or anywhere else and it's because of the energy surrounding the program partly due to Arch. The recruiting impact that kid is going to have is going to be unlike anything Texas has experienced before, especially given the fact that this staff aren't afraid to recruit in areas of the country previous staffs haven't put much energy into. Add the fact that Texas will be in the SEC next year and it's a buzz I haven't seen around here ever, even after Texas won the national championship. "
More to come.
First off, the facilities just look amazing. This looks like a world class athletic department now. From the weight room and locker room to the film rooms and training areas. This was my first tour of the stadium and facilities in a few years and the difference is stark. I came away with a buzz that hasn't quite left me yet. When you add a state of the art indoor practice facility to this place in two years it's going to be ridiculous.
I can't stop thinking about the talent in the program right now. Sark and his staff have done an unbelievable job adding elite blue chip talent at just about every position group.
I think this program is starting to see the benefits of having staff continuity for the first time since the middle of the mack brown era. This staff is very business like and has the right balance of strong recruiters and great coaches. The highest of praises for chris Jackson so far.
I can't say enough about the job Kyle flood has done. Texas having a strong two deep on the online for the first time I can remember is an amazing turn around over the shit sandwich we've seen on the oline since....forever. Texas went from not having a legitimate potential draftable player on the oline to a two deep that fits that criteria.
This Texas offense will be quite different this year. I don't see them running much 12 personnel, if at all. That's just not the strength of the team and quite frankly something sark doesn't want to do unless he has to. This is going to be a more wide open offense with weapons everywhere. Gone are the days of being able to lean on two power backs while you allow your quarterback to learn and grow. This is a very different running back room that lacks a true workhorse running through the lanes for yards after contact. Or guys that are plus blockers in pass protection. This is an offense that's going to have to live and die by it's quarterback play.
Absolutely everything surrounding Ewers is top notch. He has a very good oline, elite playmakers at wide receiver, an elite TE and a talented stable of young backs. He doesn't have to make a quantum leap coming out of spring, but he does need to become a plus player. I believe we saw some of that progress in the bowl game and I believe the presence of a young superstar behind him will give him the motivation to work harder than he ever has before. And early rumblings are that the staff have seen a different level of preparation and off the field work from ewers since the bowl workouts started. This is a damn good football team if ewers makes just incremental progress this off-season. But to get where he wants to be this time next year (getting ready for the NFL draft), he's going to have to realize his potential and work harder than he ever has. All signs are pointing in that direction in terms of his maturity and work ethic per several people i have spoken with. People discount how not playing (or developing) as a quarterback two years ago hurt him. For ewers to ball out early on in the season like he did just shows how much talent has.
I was a freshman at Texas when chris Simms arrived and there was an energy on campus that was palpable. But it's nothing like what we're seeing from Arch Manning being at Texas.
"I've never seen anything close to this in terms of a true freshman being on campus. You see it in the coaches, players, support staff and recruits. Sark has had more requests from high school coaches wanting to visit for spring ball than he has ever received at Texas or anywhere else and it's because of the energy surrounding the program partly due to Arch. The recruiting impact that kid is going to have is going to be unlike anything Texas has experienced before, especially given the fact that this staff aren't afraid to recruit in areas of the country previous staffs haven't put much energy into. Add the fact that Texas will be in the SEC next year and it's a buzz I haven't seen around here ever, even after Texas won the national championship. "
More to come.
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