Photo via DallasNews.com
DALLAS – Texas coach Charlie Strong has not given Shane Buechele the starting job.
However, Strong talked about Buechele like he was the No. 1 guy during Big 12 Media Day on Tuesday.
To the average Longhorn observer, this is really not a big deal. Strong was surrounded by reporters and simply answered questions delivered to him. Strong talked about a lot of things. Discussing one person on Texas’ roster is really not a big deal.
Strong was hesitant to praise Buechele throughout the offseason. Whenever he gave a story highlighting his quarterback’s work ethic, Strong would eventually downplay the praise by reiterating there was still a competition between Tyrone Swoopes, Jerrod Heard and the freshman. Most Longhorn observers knew Strong was just delaying the inevitable, but the coach had his reasons for playing it safe.
Strong took a totally different approach on Tuesday, and was very comfortable discussing Buechele's role as a starting quarterback this season.
“It really doesn’t bother me for a freshman to start at quarterback,” Strong said. “When I was at Louisville, Teddy (Bridgewater) started as freshman. What you have to look at is he’s surrounded by enough. He has enough around him. You’re looking at the quarterback position just saying, listen, we need you to manage the offense. Just don’t turn that ball over. Just don’t put us in a bad play. If we’re in a bad play, get us to a good play. When he’s surrounded by those two big backs (D’Onta Foreman and Chris Warren), you look at them up front.
“It’s their job, too, to protect him. It really doesn’t bother me. I just think that he’s going to have enough around him that he should feel good about what he’s doing.”
You caught that last sentence, right?
I asked Strong why he finally felt comfortable talking about Buechele leading his team, and he provided some insight.
“The thing about Shane is he just comes from an athletic family,” Strong said. “He knows how to compete. The thing about it, he’s getting the respect from his teammates, and that’s more than anything. Our players respect him. Last night, me and (Caleb) Bluiett were at dinner. Every day I walk into that game room, Bluiett and Shane are on the pool table. I say who’s up and Shane starts laughing. 'Come on coach, you know I’m up.' Then you’ll come back and him and Michael Dickson will be playing ping-pong, and he’s winning there. Everything and everywhere he goes, he’s all over the place. We have it now when our freshmen are there. Because of their class schedule, they work out at 2 o’clock, but Shane is not in that group because he came in at January, so he’s still with the upperclassmen. He comes in there at 2 o’clock, and he sees every one of those guys. Comes in, shakes their hand and says, ‘Good luck today in the workout.’ Kind of laughs about how his workout went. But he comes by there every day. They see Shane. He’s going to come by there and say something to the rest of those freshman every day.
“Some people just have that presence about them, and carry themselves a little differently. I don’t think pressure will ever affect him. He’s just one of those guys that has the presence. He just knows how to work and how train and how to go about doing things.”
Buechele has proven himself since stepping on campus. He is viewed as one of the hardest workers on the team. He organizes team workouts. He is at the facility long after the janitor leaves.
That work ethic is why Strong believes Buechele has what it takes to win the room.
“Shane can win the room because the guys have so much respect for him,” Strong said. “That’s why I call him a gym rat. You see him around all the time. Some guys have that persona about him. Some have that personality. Some guys know how to carry themselves. The good thing about Shane is he comes from a family who you have your dad who was with the Texas Rangers. You have your brother who played at Oklahoma. Shane understands it. He gets it.
“It’s so funny because you don’t see too many guys that come along like that. He’s a special young man in that he can handle himself and carry himself the right way.”
If you are looking for the final proof that Buechele might be named the starting quarterback sooner than later, Strong’s takes on Swoopes says a lot.
Strong was asked if he intended to abandon the 18-wheeler package, and he does not have an interest in giving it up. He pointed to the success Swoopes had in the package last year. Midway through Strong’s answer, it became evident Swoopes’ role will likely be similar to last season when he backed up Jerrod Heard.
“You still have a quarterback in Swoopes that played in the 18-wheeler package,” Strong said. “That package produced a lot of points for us. That was a good package for us. It’s something you just don’t eliminate from the offense. Then you've got a player like Shane who can do some exciting things.
“I always look at it like this. If I’m on defense, and I get a guy who can throw the ball like Shane, I know they are going to protect him. You know you've got to have a different scheme for him. Then all of a sudden, there comes Swoopes in the game. Now you've got to have a different scheme. At first, when you have Shane in there, everybody is up the field because they’re trying to put pressure. Now, when Swoopes get in, you've got to slow down. You all of a sudden slow down when you’ve been going vertical, vertical, vertical. Now, boom, I've got to change it up.”
Buechele is not officially the starting quarterback.
Nevertheless, he is pretty damn close to receiving the official title.
