1. Talked a few people around the program on Thursday night for some info on the team as they head into Columbia on Saturday and I’ve got some good news and bad news on the injury front. The good news is that Malcolm Brown is expected to play on Saturday and after being limited earlier in the week in practice, he was a full participant by the end of the week, which is obviously a strong sign for him. On the other hand, two sources reported on Thursday night that Jaxon Shipley is unlikely to play. In fact, both sources suggested that the decision has been made and that he will not play.
2. A few other guys that have been banged up a little this week are David Ash and Jeremy Hills, although both will play this week.
3. There’s been a lot of discussion about Darius White in the last couple of weeks, but there’s definitely a feeling that he’s making progress and Saturday’s touchdown might have been just the kind of springboard he needed to take the next step. I was told that this week’s workouts represented continued progress and his role could expand a little more this week. There’s definitely an air of optimism with the discussion that I haven’t heard in a while.
4. The coaches have not been feeding the cheese to Josh Cochran. “They are pushing him to not be satisfied with where he is. Coach Searels gets after him pretty good, but he can take it. That’s one of the reasons everyone likes him. He just plays football.”
5. I spoke with a couple of people in the program this week about Ash’s recent progress in his development and the consensus seemed to be that much of what we’ve seen in the last two weeks stems from him dealing from a larger comfort zone. “It’s happening for him now and everyone can see it,” one person said. “He’s only going to get better and he’s starting to believe in himself a little more. It shows up in practice more and it’s translating to the games. This weekend should be fun to see how much more improvement we see.”
6. Fun is a word I’ve heard from several people this week. The day-in and day-out atmosphere is a complete 180-degree flip from where this team was a year ago.
7. Thought I would pass along a conversation with a non-Big 12 college coach I had this week about Texas commitment Johnathan Gray. This particular coach has seen Gray in person twice this season and believes that everything the Longhorns are doing right now in the running game is going to be magnified when Gray arrives in 2012. “He’s going to change their offense with his speed and explosiveness. He’s a threat to score every time he touches the ball and he’s going to improve the yards per carry of the rest of their backs by a full yard because those linebackers will be acutely aware of where (Gray) is at all times.” (Ketchum)
******
--I talked to a couple people in the know, and it doesn't appear the Manny Diaz speculation surrounding Ole Miss has much traction. The leading candidate for that gig appears to be Hugh Freeze at Arkansas State. So I wouldn't lose much sleep over the speculation about Diaz to Ole Miss. Not right now, anyway. (Brown)
--There was a report that Texas A&M might be looking to do a Thanksgiving Day game with Oklahoma. My sources at Texas A&M say the Aggies are indeed looking at doing a Thanksgiving Day game, but not with any team from the Big 12. (Brown)
--Hearing Darius White is having a good week of practice. We'll see if it translates to the field this weekend. Texas could use it. The coaches feel like White just needs to grasp the consistent effort it's going to take in practice to get on the field after playing at a down-and-out high school program. It's simply taking longer than anyone expected. White made some big plays in summer workouts and can make the spectacular play. But he hasn't shown he's a grinder yet. Maybe his TD catch last week was the boost he needed. (Brown)
******
An update on some of the Horns' remaining targets, particularly for a possible spot at wide receiver ... guys like Kendall Sanders.
In doing some checking around this week, there is a growing possibility that the staff will go after at least one of the above players in an effort to bolster a receiving corps that's thin with experienced talent, and one that took a hit last week with the departure of Chris Jones.
Daje Johnson has told us for a couple weeks that he's been given word from the UT coaches that a decision on an offer likely would not happen until December. Something could go down sooner with Johnson or any of the other prospects, but the bottom line is that the UT staff wants to make sure it makes the correct decision in whichever prospect it targets, assuming an offer is extended at some point. In short, if Texas takes someone who can help at the WR position, it cannot afford to miss. (Suchomel)
******
Kendall Sanders told us this week that he had not heard from Texas, but he believed the UT coaches had made contact with the Athens coaching staff (he didn't know the context of the conversation). I checked with the Athens coaches and while they did say there had been a brief conversation, Sanders is still committed to Oklahoma State and as of now, any talks with Texas are still in their infancy.
I did ask Sanders if he'd have an interest should Texas pick up its communication. He'd certainly be willing to listen but he said it's a moot point until he hears if Texas' interest is legitimate. (Suchomel)
******
Clear Springs wide receiver Marcus Johnson remains in contact with the UT coaches through his high school coaches.
Johnson is in the same boat as the prospects mentioned earlier in this report in that the Texas coaches continue to go through thorough evaluations. Johnson and Clear Springs could very well be playing next Saturday, but he's going to try to make it up to UT's game against K-State, even if he has to miss part of the contest. (Suchomel)
******
Corey Coleman told us last week that he'd been given indication that an offer could come his way at some point, but things have been quiet this week. Coleman told us on Thursday night that he hadn't heard from UT since his conversation with Darrell Wyatt last week.
"He just told me not to give up on them, that they might offer me soon," Coleman said of his conversation with Texas last week. "He said he likes me at wide receiver and if the DB coach doesn't offer me, he might offer me at wide receiver."
Coleman is committed to Baylor. I asked him if an offer from Texas would cause him to change his stance or if he'd remain committed to the Bears?
"I don't really know as of right now," Coleman said. "I like Baylor a lot. And they (Texas) haven't offered so it's hard to say."
At this point, Coleman plans to take official visits to Oklahoma, Baylor and Cal. (Suchomel)
******
Mineral Wells safety Adrian Colbert, a soft Baylor commitment, will be at UT's game against Kansas Sate next week. Could Colbert switch his commitment during that visit if/when an offer is officially extended?
"If I get blown away on that visit, that could be a possibility," Colbert said.
We're not ready to say Colbert will flip from Baylor to Texas, but how often does a recruit visit Texas and not get "blown away?" Should be exciting to follow. (Suchomel)
******
Mesquite Horn tight end Vincent Hobbs continues to stay in contact with Texas assistant coach Bruce Chambers.
Mesquite Horn plays on Saturday afternoon so Chambers won't be able to attend Hobbs' game, but Chambers told Hobbs this week that he'll make it to a game if Horn is able to advance.
Hobbs is also planning to make a return trip to Austin for the Kansas State game
"We talked earlier this week," Hobbs said on Thursday night. "He was asking me how I liked the visit, were talking about recruiting and he was going to come see me play. Then we talked about my transcripts and all that stuff. He told me to stay on my grades and I told him I will."
Hobbs is planning to take an official visit to Colorado sometime in December. (Suchomel)
******
This week I caught up with Texas commitment Alex Norman. It has been awhile since we talked to the now 6-4, 270-pound defensive tackle. Norman along with his Bishop Dunne teammates take on Beaumont Kelly in the playoffs on Saturday and right now Norman is feeling pretty good but he knows there is work to be done.
Norman has played a number of positions for Bishop Dunne. He has lined up at nose, defensive end, left tackle, right and left guard, and even center. He takes on multiple blockers just about every time he touches the field on defense and has enjoyed the attention from opposing offenses.
“Honestly they can’t just put one man on me. It would be a bad decision on their part,” Norman said. “So every play I’m usually head up on the center and they have the center on me and a guard come and get me and a lot of plays they’ll have the center and two guards come get me and a running back helping them. That’s just how it goes. It’s not going to slow me down.
“I go in thinking I’m going to beat them and I will beat them. That’s how they have to slow me down and that’s just what they have to do. They have to respect me and I respect the game plan because it’s smart. I’m thinking if you put three guys on me I’m better than all three guys. That’s just how I feel.”
Norman was one of the first commitments to the Longhorns’ 2012 recruiting class and this season he wanted to show everyone he was the real deal.
“I wanted to prove that I deserve this scholarship that it wasn’t just a fluke. I wanted to prove that I’m a good player. I just wanted to prove that I deserved the scholarship and I’m happy with what I’ve done but there’s still a lot more hard work to come.”
Norman and the entire Texas 2012 recruiting class have already grown close, but he kept in touch with Alex De La Torre and Curtis Riser the most. Riser and Norman share a little trash talk every now and then but it’s always good natured. Along with developing relationships with the fellow commitments he has also developed a strong bond with the Texas coaching staff.
“UT, they’re wonderful coaches,” he said. “I feel like it’s a family down there. They treat you like their son and I already feel a connection with them especially coach Davis and coach Chambers. I’ve gotten to really know them and it’s really comfortable.”
Norman plans to take his official visit for banquet weekend in December. He will not be graduating early but after his season is over he plans to focus on preparing for his days at Texas. (Howell)
******
Keep an eye on Bishop Dunne because 2014 CB Nick Watkins (6-0, 165) is already drawing attention. He has been an interception machine this year as a starter and already has a number of schools looking. His father Bobby Watkins played for the Lions following a career at Texas St. and his brother is currently at Air Force.
Growing up Watkins did have a couple of schools he liked to cheer for.
“I watched Texas and Michigan,” he said. “I just now started liking Oregon. I’m just trying to get a scholarship.” (Howell)
This post was edited on 11/11 8:23 AM by Suchomel
This post was edited on 11/11 8:24 AM by Suchomel
2. A few other guys that have been banged up a little this week are David Ash and Jeremy Hills, although both will play this week.
3. There’s been a lot of discussion about Darius White in the last couple of weeks, but there’s definitely a feeling that he’s making progress and Saturday’s touchdown might have been just the kind of springboard he needed to take the next step. I was told that this week’s workouts represented continued progress and his role could expand a little more this week. There’s definitely an air of optimism with the discussion that I haven’t heard in a while.
4. The coaches have not been feeding the cheese to Josh Cochran. “They are pushing him to not be satisfied with where he is. Coach Searels gets after him pretty good, but he can take it. That’s one of the reasons everyone likes him. He just plays football.”
5. I spoke with a couple of people in the program this week about Ash’s recent progress in his development and the consensus seemed to be that much of what we’ve seen in the last two weeks stems from him dealing from a larger comfort zone. “It’s happening for him now and everyone can see it,” one person said. “He’s only going to get better and he’s starting to believe in himself a little more. It shows up in practice more and it’s translating to the games. This weekend should be fun to see how much more improvement we see.”
6. Fun is a word I’ve heard from several people this week. The day-in and day-out atmosphere is a complete 180-degree flip from where this team was a year ago.
7. Thought I would pass along a conversation with a non-Big 12 college coach I had this week about Texas commitment Johnathan Gray. This particular coach has seen Gray in person twice this season and believes that everything the Longhorns are doing right now in the running game is going to be magnified when Gray arrives in 2012. “He’s going to change their offense with his speed and explosiveness. He’s a threat to score every time he touches the ball and he’s going to improve the yards per carry of the rest of their backs by a full yard because those linebackers will be acutely aware of where (Gray) is at all times.” (Ketchum)
******
--I talked to a couple people in the know, and it doesn't appear the Manny Diaz speculation surrounding Ole Miss has much traction. The leading candidate for that gig appears to be Hugh Freeze at Arkansas State. So I wouldn't lose much sleep over the speculation about Diaz to Ole Miss. Not right now, anyway. (Brown)
--There was a report that Texas A&M might be looking to do a Thanksgiving Day game with Oklahoma. My sources at Texas A&M say the Aggies are indeed looking at doing a Thanksgiving Day game, but not with any team from the Big 12. (Brown)
--Hearing Darius White is having a good week of practice. We'll see if it translates to the field this weekend. Texas could use it. The coaches feel like White just needs to grasp the consistent effort it's going to take in practice to get on the field after playing at a down-and-out high school program. It's simply taking longer than anyone expected. White made some big plays in summer workouts and can make the spectacular play. But he hasn't shown he's a grinder yet. Maybe his TD catch last week was the boost he needed. (Brown)
******
An update on some of the Horns' remaining targets, particularly for a possible spot at wide receiver ... guys like Kendall Sanders.
In doing some checking around this week, there is a growing possibility that the staff will go after at least one of the above players in an effort to bolster a receiving corps that's thin with experienced talent, and one that took a hit last week with the departure of Chris Jones.
Daje Johnson has told us for a couple weeks that he's been given word from the UT coaches that a decision on an offer likely would not happen until December. Something could go down sooner with Johnson or any of the other prospects, but the bottom line is that the UT staff wants to make sure it makes the correct decision in whichever prospect it targets, assuming an offer is extended at some point. In short, if Texas takes someone who can help at the WR position, it cannot afford to miss. (Suchomel)
******
Kendall Sanders told us this week that he had not heard from Texas, but he believed the UT coaches had made contact with the Athens coaching staff (he didn't know the context of the conversation). I checked with the Athens coaches and while they did say there had been a brief conversation, Sanders is still committed to Oklahoma State and as of now, any talks with Texas are still in their infancy.
I did ask Sanders if he'd have an interest should Texas pick up its communication. He'd certainly be willing to listen but he said it's a moot point until he hears if Texas' interest is legitimate. (Suchomel)
******
Clear Springs wide receiver Marcus Johnson remains in contact with the UT coaches through his high school coaches.
Johnson is in the same boat as the prospects mentioned earlier in this report in that the Texas coaches continue to go through thorough evaluations. Johnson and Clear Springs could very well be playing next Saturday, but he's going to try to make it up to UT's game against K-State, even if he has to miss part of the contest. (Suchomel)
******
Corey Coleman told us last week that he'd been given indication that an offer could come his way at some point, but things have been quiet this week. Coleman told us on Thursday night that he hadn't heard from UT since his conversation with Darrell Wyatt last week.
"He just told me not to give up on them, that they might offer me soon," Coleman said of his conversation with Texas last week. "He said he likes me at wide receiver and if the DB coach doesn't offer me, he might offer me at wide receiver."
Coleman is committed to Baylor. I asked him if an offer from Texas would cause him to change his stance or if he'd remain committed to the Bears?
"I don't really know as of right now," Coleman said. "I like Baylor a lot. And they (Texas) haven't offered so it's hard to say."
At this point, Coleman plans to take official visits to Oklahoma, Baylor and Cal. (Suchomel)
******
Mineral Wells safety Adrian Colbert, a soft Baylor commitment, will be at UT's game against Kansas Sate next week. Could Colbert switch his commitment during that visit if/when an offer is officially extended?
"If I get blown away on that visit, that could be a possibility," Colbert said.
We're not ready to say Colbert will flip from Baylor to Texas, but how often does a recruit visit Texas and not get "blown away?" Should be exciting to follow. (Suchomel)
******
Mesquite Horn tight end Vincent Hobbs continues to stay in contact with Texas assistant coach Bruce Chambers.
Mesquite Horn plays on Saturday afternoon so Chambers won't be able to attend Hobbs' game, but Chambers told Hobbs this week that he'll make it to a game if Horn is able to advance.
Hobbs is also planning to make a return trip to Austin for the Kansas State game
"We talked earlier this week," Hobbs said on Thursday night. "He was asking me how I liked the visit, were talking about recruiting and he was going to come see me play. Then we talked about my transcripts and all that stuff. He told me to stay on my grades and I told him I will."
Hobbs is planning to take an official visit to Colorado sometime in December. (Suchomel)
******
This week I caught up with Texas commitment Alex Norman. It has been awhile since we talked to the now 6-4, 270-pound defensive tackle. Norman along with his Bishop Dunne teammates take on Beaumont Kelly in the playoffs on Saturday and right now Norman is feeling pretty good but he knows there is work to be done.
Norman has played a number of positions for Bishop Dunne. He has lined up at nose, defensive end, left tackle, right and left guard, and even center. He takes on multiple blockers just about every time he touches the field on defense and has enjoyed the attention from opposing offenses.
“Honestly they can’t just put one man on me. It would be a bad decision on their part,” Norman said. “So every play I’m usually head up on the center and they have the center on me and a guard come and get me and a lot of plays they’ll have the center and two guards come get me and a running back helping them. That’s just how it goes. It’s not going to slow me down.
“I go in thinking I’m going to beat them and I will beat them. That’s how they have to slow me down and that’s just what they have to do. They have to respect me and I respect the game plan because it’s smart. I’m thinking if you put three guys on me I’m better than all three guys. That’s just how I feel.”
Norman was one of the first commitments to the Longhorns’ 2012 recruiting class and this season he wanted to show everyone he was the real deal.
“I wanted to prove that I deserve this scholarship that it wasn’t just a fluke. I wanted to prove that I’m a good player. I just wanted to prove that I deserved the scholarship and I’m happy with what I’ve done but there’s still a lot more hard work to come.”
Norman and the entire Texas 2012 recruiting class have already grown close, but he kept in touch with Alex De La Torre and Curtis Riser the most. Riser and Norman share a little trash talk every now and then but it’s always good natured. Along with developing relationships with the fellow commitments he has also developed a strong bond with the Texas coaching staff.
“UT, they’re wonderful coaches,” he said. “I feel like it’s a family down there. They treat you like their son and I already feel a connection with them especially coach Davis and coach Chambers. I’ve gotten to really know them and it’s really comfortable.”
Norman plans to take his official visit for banquet weekend in December. He will not be graduating early but after his season is over he plans to focus on preparing for his days at Texas. (Howell)
******
Keep an eye on Bishop Dunne because 2014 CB Nick Watkins (6-0, 165) is already drawing attention. He has been an interception machine this year as a starter and already has a number of schools looking. His father Bobby Watkins played for the Lions following a career at Texas St. and his brother is currently at Air Force.
Growing up Watkins did have a couple of schools he liked to cheer for.
“I watched Texas and Michigan,” he said. “I just now started liking Oregon. I’m just trying to get a scholarship.” (Howell)
This post was edited on 11/11 8:23 AM by Suchomel
This post was edited on 11/11 8:24 AM by Suchomel
