Feb Recruiting and Portal movements

[outhereincali]

Sark is focusing on the walk on program heavily, where diamonds in the rough do appear. Clay Matthew was a walk on at USC and then became a first round pick. If anyone watched the State Championship of the Dodge bowl and remember the players from the Westlake side such as the running back that broke for 75 yards and the DB that went up and did the one handed Odell grab. Michael Taaffe and Zane Minors will be walking on. Michael Taaffe was committed to Rice and Zane Minors was committed to Yale.

Other walk on's Flower Mound's Bert Auburn is arriving as a walk-on kicker. Quarterback Cole Lourd, a three-star recruit from California, will walk on as well.

Yale and Rice huh? Well at least the team gpa will improve. And you know for a guy who's a member of Mensa Tom Herman sure did recruit a lot of physical leisure majors.

A walk-on kicker huh? I was wondering if Erwin Von Archer that European boy from Mexico was any good. I saw that he's like 6'2" 165. Man the s&c team needs to get with that boy 24/7 and see if he's got anything. I hope we find out something about him this spring. I mean there's nothing on his bio. Did he even play fb? He has to be an interesting story.

And one last walk on question is that kid Jett Bush a grandson of George HW Bush?

 

[StrangerHorn]

From what I have seen the last weeks, my thoughts are Sark is modeling us after Bana, its the same set if I am correct, which is not a bad idea, sooner later we gonna be playing like them I hope...always winning, I am getting tire of losing....

 

[Son of Wasatch]

From what I have seen the last weeks, my thoughts are Sark is modeling us after Bana, its the same set if I am correct, which is not a bad idea, sooner later we gonna be playing like them I hope...always winning, I am getting tire of losing....

One of the thing that Bama does that I hope we adapt is the 2 practice system. As many of you know, the NCAA has strict guidelines on the number of hours a team can practice. So how Saban gets around this rule is he holds two practices a day one for the starters and one for the 2's and 3's. Thus he maximizes the amount of coaching time he can give the non-starters. He works the assistants to death but as anyone can see when a starter goes down their backup is ready to step in.

The other thing I'm hoping we do is the 1's vs 1's and 2's vs 2's system. The only way we are going to get better all around is if we can start forcing the weak links of the team to perform at a higher level.

 

[outhereincali]

I saw it differently. Lj had a decision to make.

Would he rather certainly ride the pine for 2 yrs behind Bijan, or possibly 1 yr of riding pine behind Spiller (with a better O line).

Either way he's riding the pine.

 

[outhereincali]

Looks like aggy got LJ Johnson

Well we might not have signed LJ Johnson but we did sign Jonathan Brooks. I'm anxious to see this kid. With LJJ deciding to go somewhere else and Keaontay Ingram opting to transfer he just might play this year. In a playoff game this year JB carried the ball 27x gained 501 yards and scored 9tds. In one game.

He gained 3,849 yards in 16 games this year. He scored 65 tds this year. People that's a lot of fng yards and tds. He got his team to the title game. He played defense and punted. Basically be played the whole game.

People will say he only played class 3A competition. I say so what? When I was school Billy Sims played in what is now 4A competition and a few years later came Eric Dickerson. Both guys were AA 1 guy won the Heisman and the other guy is in the HoF. Small school guys. A few years later came LaDainian Tomlinson and he ended up in HoF as well. LT came from the same classification as Jonathan Brooks so I'm not worried about him being from a small school. I hope he comes in with a chip on his shoulder and shows Texas fans hes better than LJ Johnson.

 

[Hornmonte]

Watched Brooks play and he does have that wow factor.

 

[JoeAg]

Brooks is not as good as LJ Johnson. He is a very good back but there is a reason he is ranked like he is. He could surprise people of course, but he is not on that level. He is not on Jordan Whittington's level either. We played against them both. The Big 12 IS better suited for him however.

 

[Son of Wasatch]

Brooks is not as good as LJ Johnson. He is a very good back but there is a reason he is ranked like he is. He could surprise people of course, but he is not on that level. He is not on Jordan Whittington's level either. We played against them both. The Big 12 IS better suited for him however.

Sometimes a RB is able to play well above what his ability says he can play. Priest Holmes was a good player coming out of high school, and a good player in college, and he turns out to be a great NFL player. Priest wasn't the biggest or fastest guy but he was a great mixture of power and speed.

I see Brooks in much the same way, honestly we don't know what we have in Brooks because he played against some very bad competition. This also is the same thing they said about Bijan Robinson. It could go either way.

 

[horn wild]

Opinions are like aholes....Haven’t seen LJ but did see Brooks in the State Championship game. Brooks has good balance kinda like Bijan. Things did come easier for him at the lower level.....we will see what kind of drive he has.

 

[Drtxhorn]

Brooks is not as good as LJ Johnson. He is a very good back but there is a reason he is ranked like he is. He could surprise people of course, but he is not on that level. He is not on Jordan Whittington's level either. We played against them both. The Big 12 IS better suited for him however.

They’re both 4 star recruits. LJ is typical of most recruits these days. They seek the path of least resistance. LJ was clearly intimidated by the idea of competing with Bijan and Brooks for playing time. Aggie can have him. I prefer players who aren’t afraid to compete.

 

[JoeAg]

They’re both 4 star recruits. LJ is typical of most recruits these days. They seek the path of least resistance. LJ was clearly intimidated by the idea of competing with Bijan and Brooks for playing time. Aggie can have him. I prefer players who aren’t afraid to compete.

Interesting take.

 

[JoeAg]

They’re both 4 star recruits. LJ is typical of most recruits these days. They seek the path of least resistance. LJ was clearly intimidated by the idea of competing with Bijan and Brooks for playing time. Aggie can have him. I prefer players who aren’t afraid to compete.

Also, Brooks was recently elevated to 4 stars like 8 points behind LJ. Brooks could turn out awesomely but calling them close to equal right now is misleading. Rivals considered LJ the 2nd best back in the nation...not that that matters.

 

[DHHorn]

Interesting take.

Do you think sitting between Bijan and Blue with Brooks in his same class didn't cross his mind? I have no clue how much it mattered but I bet it was something he thought about. The guy skipped enrolling early because he could not decide where he wanted to go. That tells me he was truly torn and was weighing every aspect of his decision. On one hand you have a team that just fired their head coach and has a crowded depth chart with a stud both in front and behind him. On the other hand there is a team who just finished 4th and has a pretty clear path to playing time. He took the safer option, good for him.

 

[DrinkToIt]

We can't have everyone even though Bama seems to get them. If LJ doesn't want to redshirt and wants to get drafted after his third year, I get it.

 

[weevilcatch]

Also, Brooks was recently elevated to 4 stars like 8 points behind LJ. Brooks could turn out awesomely but calling them close to equal right now is misleading. Rivals considered LJ the 2nd best back in the nation...not that that matters.

I don't follow closely enough, but what makes LJ a better recruit than Brooks? Why is he higher ranked?

 

[JoeAg]

I don't follow closely enough, but what makes LJ a better recruit than Brooks? Why is he higher ranked?

Look, Brooks may prove to be better. I know recruiting rankings are far from perfect, but on paper, based on size, speed, explosion, physicality, not to mention playing in an extremely talented district, there is no comparison right now. Also, maybe he's scared of the competition. Who knows? But it might be because of recent issues there and uncertainty in the coaching staff. I think A&M IS the safer pick. Great OLine pipeline right now and a commitment to running the ball. It might be the wrong choice ultimately, but I don't see how you can second guess it right now.

 

[EWNHorn]

Here's my take on judging recruits decisions..................I seriously &^%$* up my choice of first wife at 23......so I can't say anything about an 18 y/o decision on where to play football.............

 

[Son of Wasatch]

Do you think sitting between Bijan and Blue with Brooks in his same class didn't cross his mind? I have no clue how much it mattered but I bet it was something he thought about. The guy skipped enrolling early because he could not decide where he wanted to go. That tells me he was truly torn and was weighing every aspect of his decision. On one hand you have a team that just fired their head coach and has a crowded depth chart with a stud both in front and behind him. On the other hand there is a team who just finished 4th and has a pretty clear path to playing time. He took the safer option, good for him.

I think Johnson had no issues with the talent at either school. As I understand it. Texas had two things that drew him it was Austin city and Coach D. The ags had a great season, a great oline class, and coaches he also liked.

In the end it Oline class was better and much more proven with the ags. End of story.

Hopefully I'll never have to say that again about our oline recruiting.

 

[weevilcatch]

Look, Brooks may prove to be better. I know recruiting rankings are far from perfect, but on paper, based on size, speed, explosion, physicality, not to mention playing in an extremely talented district, there is no comparison right now. Also, maybe he's scared of the competition. Who knows? But it might be because of recent issues there and uncertainty in the coaching staff. I think A&M IS the safer pick. Great OLine pipeline right now and a commitment to running the ball. It might be the wrong choice ultimately, but I don't see how you can second guess it right now.

I wasn't disagreeing with you, but you seem to follow them more closely so I was looking for some measureables to point to. More talented district I knew. As far as size, speed, explosion, physicality are there numbers?

I honestly think RB is the most volatile position to rank, but I have nothing to back that up with other than half paying attention to recruiting and the draft

 

[oldhorn2]

Bijan was the # 2 rated back behind Zack Evans....neither started the season as the starter.

 

[LonghornMM]

Bijan was the # 2 rated back behind Zack Evans....neither started the season as the starter.

Actually at the end of the 2019 season, Robinson was rated higher than Evans by Rivals. There is no comparison between the two backs, IMO. Evans has some baggage and ethical issues that Robinson does not have.

 

[ElDiabloTejano]

we definitely got the right one, thank the Lord

 

[JDCPAgolferHorn]

Actually at the end of the 2019 season, Robinson was rated higher than Evans by Rivals. There is no comparison between the two backs, IMO. Evans has some baggage and ethical issues that Robinson does not have.

I know some folks in AZ and they had some reservations about how successful Bijan would be at the next level despite his ranking. Their thinking was the high school video game stats were at least attributable to the lower level competition in AZ. Glad they were wrong.
He’s a well spoken young man. His high school - Salpointe Catholic - is one of the most academically challenging high schools in AZ.
So glad we avoided the Evans drama.

 

[JoeAg]

Actually at the end of the 2019 season, Robinson was rated higher than Evans by Rivals. There is no comparison between the two backs, IMO. Evans has some baggage and ethical issues that Robinson does not have.

I agree. Robinson looks like a really good one.

 

[Son of Wasatch]

I know some folks in AZ and they had some reservations about how successful Bijan would be at the next level despite his ranking. Their thinking was the high school video game stats were at least attributable to the lower level competition in AZ. Glad they were wrong.
He’s a well spoken young man. His high school - Salpointe Catholic - is one of the most academically challenging high schools in AZ.
So glad we avoided the Evans drama.

I had my own reservations about Bijan, but he proved in the camps that going against 5'star talent he was making them just look silly.

Brooks didn't have the opportunity to do the camps so he is still an unknown. I'm not concerned, by all accounts, Emmitt Smith shouldn't have been as good as he was on the college or pro level. He was never the biggest or fastest guy, but he was a Junk Yard Dog.

 

[oldhorn2]

Actually at the end of the 2019 season, Robinson was rated higher than Evans by Rivals. There is no comparison between the two backs, IMO. Evans has some baggage and ethical issues that Robinson does not have.

Amen brother!....No question we came out on the long end of that deal!....what I was saying( damned poorly apparently) was that who cares how these guys are rated coming out of HS.?

 

[horn wild]

What I can’t figure out....why is little d_ _ _ syndrome over here trying to convince us LJ is better. Time will tell.

 

[JoeAg]

Yes. Time will tell

 

[LonghornMM]

One thing for sure is, aggy is getting an upgrade at the QB position going forward. Mond held them back.

 

[CAHorn47]

One thing for sure is, aggy is getting an upgrade at the QB position going forward. Mond held them back.

Haynes King?! Zach Calzada? Have you lost your damn mind? Or did you forget the sarcasm font?

 

[LonghornMM]

Haynes King is not a D1 QB. Not sure who else they have on their roster, but it wouldn't take much to upgrade over Mond, lol.

 

[outhereincali]

I could be wrong but I felt all along that because last season was dominated by the pandemic that some teams would underachieve (LSU and TX) and that some teams would overachieve (BYU and NC).

The cow college goes from 8/5 to 11/1, an OB victory, and finish ranked 4th. But assuming we will have a full season in 2021 schools like them and ISU have to prove that last season was for real.

Time will tell

 

[JDCPAgolferHorn]

I could be wrong but I felt all along that because last season was dominated by the pandemic that some teams would underachieve (LSU and TX) and that some teams would overachieve (BYU and NC).

The cow college goes from 8/5 to 11/1, an OB victory, and finish ranked 4th. But assuming we will have a full season in 2021 schools like them and ISU have to prove that last season was for real.

Time will tell

The scamdemic was just another distraction - e.g., injuries, coaching changes, star WR getting a DUI, etc.
Disciplined, focused programs can overcome distractions or adversity. Maybe we had better talent than 7-3. But, as a program, we were no better than 7-3 ... scamdemic or no scamdemic.

 

[ElDiabloTejano]

i coached against brooks the last two years (not his senior yr). for what it's worth, he's taller than he looks-- i know because i coached against him in hoops too. he kinda glides-- covers more ground than it looks like he's covering. the other thing is he has excellent hands-- can catch the ball in heavy traffic. just a perspective from a high school coach-- no idea how it translates to college. as far as the 3a vs 5a-- i don't know much about the district the other kid was in, but i've seen 5a districts that schools like blanco, hallettsville, yoakum, columbus, edna (those 3 years when they had real coaches), and shiner would win or come close to. i don't think brooks played blanco, but he played the rest. for whatever that is all worth.

 

[Oldmanastro]

5* QB Maleek Murphy out of CA visiting next week. Class of 2022. Texas is high on his list, if not the favorite. Crystal balls being given to us.
Sark not waiting around for a Ewers flip.