Some immediate takeaways from Charlie Strong's open session at Big 12 Media Days (Anwar Richardson will have much more from Strong later today).
1. Strong wasn't directly asked who his starting quarterback would be, but it was asked what would need to happen for Shane Buechele to be the guy for the season opener. As he's done all along, Strong stayed away from naming Buechele as the starter (worst kept secret in the Big 12?) and talked as though it's still an ongoing battle.
"All those quarterbacks. They're going to get better because they're willing to work," Strong said.
2. Though he's not technically the starter (yet), there was plenty of Shane Buechele talk.
Strong continued to praise Buchele's work ethic, which we've heard from day one.
"Nothing has changed with Shane from the day he stepped foot on campus," Strong said.
He went on to describe Buechele as a "gym rat" and said he went into the field house on Sunday and there was Buechele and Collin Johnson in there shooting pool. Strong asked Buechele if he ever goes home.
"When you have a guy like Shane working the way he works, it rubs off on the whole team," Strong said. "Some guys just have that ability about them and he's a special young man ... you just love his overall attitude."
3. On Buechele's strengths, Strong said it's his ability to put the ball in the right place and understand the offense. He said Buechele is always studying the game but can always get better. Buechele is working on getting bigger and stronger because he knows he'll take some hits in the fall.
4. Overall, Strong seemed pretty relaxed and confident. He admitted right off the bat they have to elevate the program and move it forward. He added that the team has come together some in the off-season, has lots of energy, guys are believing in each other.
"It's time to start believing in ourselves," Strong said.
5. Definsively, Texas has to be a "major, major improvement," Strong said.
The Big 12 is a throwing league so you have to have pass rushers, but Strong said when teams are able to run the ball they're "imposing their will" and Texas wasn't able to make teams one-dimensional last year. That has to be a top priority in 2016.
6. I thought Strong's answer (or non-answer) to the question of how quickly he expects to see progress under Sterlin Gilbert's offense was interesting. He kind of danced around the question and didn't really give any specifics of what he'd like to see, or when he'd like to see it.
Instead, he said the main thing he wants to see is progress. They have to be balanced on offense, Strong said, because a good running game will make it easier on the quarterbacks.
7. Strong said in 2015, they signed two 300-pounders. Last year, they signed nine.
It's nothing he hasn't stressed before, but he mentioned again that they have to start winning up front.
8. "Expectations here are always high, which they should be. There's no reason for us to go 6-7 and 5-7," Strong said.
Hard to argue with either of those statements.
Strong was asked if he was comfortable knowing people would basically be tallying his wins in an attempt to determine if he should remain as UT's coach. He didn't address any specific numbers, which one would expect, and said the obvious goal is to win every game. That may be a bit of a stretch, but Strong said people expect to see progress and they should.
9. Overall, coming into this season, Strong said he feels pretty good about where the program is. They've signed two great recruiting classes in consecutive years plus have a mixture of some key older players. The players on campus have done a great job of establishing the program and want to get it back to where it is.
He feels the upperclassmen leadership is better than what it has been in the two previous seasons. He cited a few players - Tyrone Swoopes doesn't say much but works hard. Bryce Cottrell doing well. Though he's a back-up to Malik Jefferson, Tim Cole is one of the best leaders on the team because of how he works and carries himself.
10. His stance on recruiting ... Strong tells players to take visits, commit to whoever they want to. He views early commitments as nothing more than reservations and he wants to close late. He tells guys no matter what they do or who they commit to, he's going to come back in on them late to see where their interest level is.
11. On the four Baylor players Texas signed (J.P. Urquidez, Devin Duvernay, Donovan Duvernay, Patrick Hudson) ...
It's hard to tell if the those players will play this year since they haven't practiced.
"Not only are they good players, but they're unbelievable young men," Strong said.
He mentioned a couple times that he has told the other players in the program to embrace them and treat them like they're fully part of the program. They're Longhorns now and that's all that matters.
1. Strong wasn't directly asked who his starting quarterback would be, but it was asked what would need to happen for Shane Buechele to be the guy for the season opener. As he's done all along, Strong stayed away from naming Buechele as the starter (worst kept secret in the Big 12?) and talked as though it's still an ongoing battle.
"All those quarterbacks. They're going to get better because they're willing to work," Strong said.
2. Though he's not technically the starter (yet), there was plenty of Shane Buechele talk.
Strong continued to praise Buchele's work ethic, which we've heard from day one.
"Nothing has changed with Shane from the day he stepped foot on campus," Strong said.
He went on to describe Buechele as a "gym rat" and said he went into the field house on Sunday and there was Buechele and Collin Johnson in there shooting pool. Strong asked Buechele if he ever goes home.
"When you have a guy like Shane working the way he works, it rubs off on the whole team," Strong said. "Some guys just have that ability about them and he's a special young man ... you just love his overall attitude."
3. On Buechele's strengths, Strong said it's his ability to put the ball in the right place and understand the offense. He said Buechele is always studying the game but can always get better. Buechele is working on getting bigger and stronger because he knows he'll take some hits in the fall.
4. Overall, Strong seemed pretty relaxed and confident. He admitted right off the bat they have to elevate the program and move it forward. He added that the team has come together some in the off-season, has lots of energy, guys are believing in each other.
"It's time to start believing in ourselves," Strong said.
5. Definsively, Texas has to be a "major, major improvement," Strong said.
The Big 12 is a throwing league so you have to have pass rushers, but Strong said when teams are able to run the ball they're "imposing their will" and Texas wasn't able to make teams one-dimensional last year. That has to be a top priority in 2016.
6. I thought Strong's answer (or non-answer) to the question of how quickly he expects to see progress under Sterlin Gilbert's offense was interesting. He kind of danced around the question and didn't really give any specifics of what he'd like to see, or when he'd like to see it.
Instead, he said the main thing he wants to see is progress. They have to be balanced on offense, Strong said, because a good running game will make it easier on the quarterbacks.
7. Strong said in 2015, they signed two 300-pounders. Last year, they signed nine.
It's nothing he hasn't stressed before, but he mentioned again that they have to start winning up front.
8. "Expectations here are always high, which they should be. There's no reason for us to go 6-7 and 5-7," Strong said.
Hard to argue with either of those statements.
Strong was asked if he was comfortable knowing people would basically be tallying his wins in an attempt to determine if he should remain as UT's coach. He didn't address any specific numbers, which one would expect, and said the obvious goal is to win every game. That may be a bit of a stretch, but Strong said people expect to see progress and they should.
9. Overall, coming into this season, Strong said he feels pretty good about where the program is. They've signed two great recruiting classes in consecutive years plus have a mixture of some key older players. The players on campus have done a great job of establishing the program and want to get it back to where it is.
He feels the upperclassmen leadership is better than what it has been in the two previous seasons. He cited a few players - Tyrone Swoopes doesn't say much but works hard. Bryce Cottrell doing well. Though he's a back-up to Malik Jefferson, Tim Cole is one of the best leaders on the team because of how he works and carries himself.
10. His stance on recruiting ... Strong tells players to take visits, commit to whoever they want to. He views early commitments as nothing more than reservations and he wants to close late. He tells guys no matter what they do or who they commit to, he's going to come back in on them late to see where their interest level is.
11. On the four Baylor players Texas signed (J.P. Urquidez, Devin Duvernay, Donovan Duvernay, Patrick Hudson) ...
It's hard to tell if the those players will play this year since they haven't practiced.
"Not only are they good players, but they're unbelievable young men," Strong said.
He mentioned a couple times that he has told the other players in the program to embrace them and treat them like they're fully part of the program. They're Longhorns now and that's all that matters.
