Colin Cowherd and others nationally picked up on a column written by Daily Oklahoman columnist Berry Tramel quoting a Texas source saying Mack Brown might be encouraged to retire if Georgia opens up and the Bulldogs make a run at Will Muschamp.
Let me say that I respect Tramel. I've known him for years, and I think he's seen as credible across the Big 12. So that's why it was even given a shred of credibility as a newspaper in Oklahoma quoting a Texas source about Mack Brown being pressured to do anything. Within minutes of reading the article, I went to my top sources on the 40 Acres, and was told, "We are all in behind Mack."
So stop and think about all of this for a moment because this could become a volatile story in the minds of fans. And it shouldn't. Mack Brown has remade the Texas program, taken it from a broken-down shell of a program that existed back in 1997 after years of mediocrity and turned it into a monster. It's gone from being an underachiever to the top achiever. Texas is the top revenue producing athletic department in the country thanks to Mack Brown.
DeLoss Dodds and William Powers are not about to tell Mack, "Hey, thanks, big boy, but it's time to see what the coach-in-waiting can do." As I was told during the Tennessee job search last year when Muschamp's name was front and center, "We don't do bonkers." Texas doesn't react to pressure - from anyone.
Mack just received a raise - from $3 million to $5 million annually - in December of last year because he is the Rainmaker in college athletics. When the Austin newspaper reported back in 2003 that Mack was "under pressure" to fire Greg Davis, nothing could have been further from the truth. The San Antonio paper said back in 2003 that Greg Davis could be fired in a matter of hours and that Mack's whole staff was on the verge of coming apart. Ultimately, Carl Reese stepped down. That was it. No one pressured Mack to do anything. It was relayed to me if anyone tried to tell Mack how to manage his staff, he'd tell them to stick it.
Mack isn't going to be pressured by anyone to do anything. As he would say, he's "earned the right" to run this program as he sees fit. He did just play for a national title last season and won one in 2005.
If you want to get into a debate about how Mack's program would run without Muschamp, that's another subject entirely. But no one is going to tell Mack who he's going to hire and fire - not under the regime of DeLoss Dodds and Bill Powers.
I've said I don't think Mack will serve through his contract, which runs through 2016. I used to think he'd take over as athletic director for Dodds. But now that Dodds' contract has been extended indefinitely, I think Mack would probably want to see the Garrett Gilbert Era through and then possibly explore television while serving as a special ambassador to the Texas program the way Darrell Royal and Earl Campbell have over the years. That's my own hunch based on the things I've picked up along the way. But rest assured the top brass at Texas "are all in behind Mack."
Muschamp will have some hard decisions to make if Georgia does indeed open and his alma mater does indeed come after him. Does he follow his heart (Georgia) or his head (the best positioned college football program in the country at Texas)? How long is he willing to wait? How long is he willing to make $900,000 as a DC? How much would Georgia offer? Texas is promising him around $2 million when he takes over as head coach (if he ever takes over as head coach).
Those are all questions for another day. But Mack is not going to be pressured to do anything. By anyone. Period. (Brown)
******
Texas has circled the wagons this week and there’s not much breaking news with the team or with recruiting as the staff focuses on getting things back on track for the remainder of the season.
With the 2011 class all but nailed down, the majority of the focus for the UT coaches is developing relationships with players in the 2012 class. A handful of guys that we’ve talked to have mentioned that they’ve received regular written communication from the UT staff. One player that we’ve heard through the grapevine is very high on UT’s recruiting radar, Oklahoma City Heritage Hall RB Barry Sanders, has yet to hear from the Texas coaches but he’s hoping that will change in the near future.
The 5-11, 190-pound Sanders is holding close to 15 scholarship offers from the nation’s top programs, and his interest in UT seems genuine at this stage. That’s not to say Texas is in any sort of leadership position, because Sanders is keeping his options open, but the Longhorns are consistently listed as one of the schools that have caught Sanders’ attention.
If Texas invites Sanders in for a game this fall, he said there’s a good chance he’ll make his way to Austin to see what UT has to offer. Sanders said neither he nor his family is set on Sanders playing his ball close to home (some people have him pegged to follow his father’s footsteps and go to Oklahoma State).
“I would love to make it down there (to Texas) at some point. I have been wanting to go down there without them even saying anything to me. So I would love to go visit,” Sanders said. “I would have to look and see what I would be able to do.
“(My family) doesn’t care. They would love to have a good vacation here and there to go and watch me play. But they’d also like being able to come watch the majority of my games if I stay. So they’re going to be happy with any decision I make.”
One of the big issues in regards to Texas is whether or not Sanders would be willing to come in and play with a back like Malcolm Brown. According to Sanders, splitting carries is not an issue at all.
“A lot of colleges are going to two-back offenses. Alabama has probably perfected it right now with two different backs, two guys that can make plays,” Sanders said. “I think Malcolm’s a great back, and being able to play with him would be something special.”
As for cutting himself away from Oklahoma State, Sanders said he’ll always have a soft spot in his heart for the Cowboys’ program but he, his family and the Ok State coaches understand that he needs to find the situation that’s best for his academic, social and athletic career.
“From purely a fan perspective, it would be very hard to pull away because I’ve been around that program for a while. But the coaches have told me do what’s best for me, go where feel like home,” Sanders said. “I’ll take their advice and see where it leads me.”
One thing worth considering … is UT’s lack of contact with Sanders a sign of how things look with other top RBs for 2012? Something to think about. (Suchomel)
******
Fort Bend Dulles defensive back Sheroid Evans was one of the top defensive back sought by the Texas staff and committed to the Longhorns shortly after receiving his offer in February.
His speed has been the topic of much discussion. He can flat out fly, and by flat out fly I mean he has Olympic speed. He has great athleticism and there has been a lot of talk of him playing both cornerback and safety.
He has been talked about as a high end potential prospect, and was one Longhorn fans were anxious to watch in 2010. Fans had to wait though as Evans fought through a hamstring injury that kept him out of the first five games. Last week he finally made his 2010 debut.
“We just got him back last Monday and he didn’t do a lot (in practice) and was really kind of a game time decision,” Dulles head coach Jim Creech said. “We wanted to make sure he was ready before we put him out there, but once he was out there in full pads there was no keeping him off the field unless you took his helmet from him and you would have to catch him to do that.
“Just having him on the field going through warm-ups was a huge pick up for our football team. He’s getting back not 100-percent. He’s not there yet but he’s working on it. He was sore the next day, but it was the good kind of sore. He has some scar tissue but he’s going to continue to give his stretching due diligence and when he’s not in he will be on the bike.”
Once Evans got on the field the Dulles coaches were not going to be able to keep him off, and while Creech admits Evans still is not at full speed, Evans wasted little time mixing it up in his return.
“It went well,” Creech said. “He played just about every down on defense and when he was off the field he was on the bike. He played some receiver and played some running back in our two-back offense and scored a touchdown late. He was on the kickoff return team. He was involved in quite a bit considering he didn’t really do a whole lot throughout the week.”
On the night Evans finished with nine tackles and two PBUs on defense, three carries for 30 yards and a touchdown, and a couple of receptions.
Not bad for someone who hasn’t played all year, not bad at all. This week Dulles has a bye. (Howell)
******************************
In his short time on the 40 Acres receiver Garrett Gilbert and leads all receivers with two touchdowns. So when he went down with a knee injury against UCLA and missed the Red River Rivalry it was definitely a hit.
The question now is how long will he be out?
The bad news is we do not have an official report, but the good news is Davis is we are hearing Davis is hoping to be back for the Nebraska game. At least, that was the word Davis told people at Skyline last week when he stopped by for a visit while in Dallas for the OU game. Texas will issue a formal injury report next week, and we'll relay official word on Davis' availability as soon as it comes out. (Howell)
**********************************
Athens, Texas athlete Kendall Sanders makes no doubt about what he brings to the table, he brings speed. If you need it he has it and he is already receiving attention from Oklahoma St., Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Purdue, and Minnesota to name a few.
He has received a few letters from the longhorns and says if they show more interest they will be his team to beat. Right now it appears Oklahoma St., Texas A&M, Texas Tech, and Oklahoma are his top four, and the coach he keeps in touch with the most is Oklahoma St. coach Wickline.
He has yet to make any visits and has been busy with his high school season so far and is playing all over the field.
“A little bit of receiver, mostly running back, and a little bit of cornerback, and all the return games,“ he said.
With that said he does have a couple of positions he likes the most.
“I want the college coaches to look at me as an athlete. I like cornerback or receiver or athlete. I think I bring more to the table at those positions. I have the speed and I think I have a high chance of success. I feel my instincts are better at those positions.” (Howell)
************************************
Lewisville (Texas) Hebron wide receiver Kiante Griffin is regarded as one of the top 2012s in the state, and Texas A&M and Oklahoma have been showing a lot of attention.
As for Texas, he says he really hasn’t heard much from the Longhorns.
“Honestly I haven’t heard anything from them. I have heard from A&M and Oklahoma,” Griffin said.
The attention from the Aggies and Sooners has caught his attention.
“Honestly I’m starting to like A&M more than I did and I like OU,” he said. “I had Texas as my first school on my top five but right now they’re probably three because I haven’t heard anything.”
He has not had a chance to take any unofficial visits this year, but plans to check out Texas A&M when they play Arkansas at Cowboys Stadium.
His junior season has gone well but he will be out for a few weeks with a high ankle sprain. (Howell)
********************************
A Glimpse of the Future
This post was edited on 10/8 8:45 AM by Suchomel
Let me say that I respect Tramel. I've known him for years, and I think he's seen as credible across the Big 12. So that's why it was even given a shred of credibility as a newspaper in Oklahoma quoting a Texas source about Mack Brown being pressured to do anything. Within minutes of reading the article, I went to my top sources on the 40 Acres, and was told, "We are all in behind Mack."
So stop and think about all of this for a moment because this could become a volatile story in the minds of fans. And it shouldn't. Mack Brown has remade the Texas program, taken it from a broken-down shell of a program that existed back in 1997 after years of mediocrity and turned it into a monster. It's gone from being an underachiever to the top achiever. Texas is the top revenue producing athletic department in the country thanks to Mack Brown.
DeLoss Dodds and William Powers are not about to tell Mack, "Hey, thanks, big boy, but it's time to see what the coach-in-waiting can do." As I was told during the Tennessee job search last year when Muschamp's name was front and center, "We don't do bonkers." Texas doesn't react to pressure - from anyone.
Mack just received a raise - from $3 million to $5 million annually - in December of last year because he is the Rainmaker in college athletics. When the Austin newspaper reported back in 2003 that Mack was "under pressure" to fire Greg Davis, nothing could have been further from the truth. The San Antonio paper said back in 2003 that Greg Davis could be fired in a matter of hours and that Mack's whole staff was on the verge of coming apart. Ultimately, Carl Reese stepped down. That was it. No one pressured Mack to do anything. It was relayed to me if anyone tried to tell Mack how to manage his staff, he'd tell them to stick it.
Mack isn't going to be pressured by anyone to do anything. As he would say, he's "earned the right" to run this program as he sees fit. He did just play for a national title last season and won one in 2005.
If you want to get into a debate about how Mack's program would run without Muschamp, that's another subject entirely. But no one is going to tell Mack who he's going to hire and fire - not under the regime of DeLoss Dodds and Bill Powers.
I've said I don't think Mack will serve through his contract, which runs through 2016. I used to think he'd take over as athletic director for Dodds. But now that Dodds' contract has been extended indefinitely, I think Mack would probably want to see the Garrett Gilbert Era through and then possibly explore television while serving as a special ambassador to the Texas program the way Darrell Royal and Earl Campbell have over the years. That's my own hunch based on the things I've picked up along the way. But rest assured the top brass at Texas "are all in behind Mack."
Muschamp will have some hard decisions to make if Georgia does indeed open and his alma mater does indeed come after him. Does he follow his heart (Georgia) or his head (the best positioned college football program in the country at Texas)? How long is he willing to wait? How long is he willing to make $900,000 as a DC? How much would Georgia offer? Texas is promising him around $2 million when he takes over as head coach (if he ever takes over as head coach).
Those are all questions for another day. But Mack is not going to be pressured to do anything. By anyone. Period. (Brown)
******
Texas has circled the wagons this week and there’s not much breaking news with the team or with recruiting as the staff focuses on getting things back on track for the remainder of the season.
With the 2011 class all but nailed down, the majority of the focus for the UT coaches is developing relationships with players in the 2012 class. A handful of guys that we’ve talked to have mentioned that they’ve received regular written communication from the UT staff. One player that we’ve heard through the grapevine is very high on UT’s recruiting radar, Oklahoma City Heritage Hall RB Barry Sanders, has yet to hear from the Texas coaches but he’s hoping that will change in the near future.
The 5-11, 190-pound Sanders is holding close to 15 scholarship offers from the nation’s top programs, and his interest in UT seems genuine at this stage. That’s not to say Texas is in any sort of leadership position, because Sanders is keeping his options open, but the Longhorns are consistently listed as one of the schools that have caught Sanders’ attention.
If Texas invites Sanders in for a game this fall, he said there’s a good chance he’ll make his way to Austin to see what UT has to offer. Sanders said neither he nor his family is set on Sanders playing his ball close to home (some people have him pegged to follow his father’s footsteps and go to Oklahoma State).
“I would love to make it down there (to Texas) at some point. I have been wanting to go down there without them even saying anything to me. So I would love to go visit,” Sanders said. “I would have to look and see what I would be able to do.
“(My family) doesn’t care. They would love to have a good vacation here and there to go and watch me play. But they’d also like being able to come watch the majority of my games if I stay. So they’re going to be happy with any decision I make.”
One of the big issues in regards to Texas is whether or not Sanders would be willing to come in and play with a back like Malcolm Brown. According to Sanders, splitting carries is not an issue at all.
“A lot of colleges are going to two-back offenses. Alabama has probably perfected it right now with two different backs, two guys that can make plays,” Sanders said. “I think Malcolm’s a great back, and being able to play with him would be something special.”
As for cutting himself away from Oklahoma State, Sanders said he’ll always have a soft spot in his heart for the Cowboys’ program but he, his family and the Ok State coaches understand that he needs to find the situation that’s best for his academic, social and athletic career.
“From purely a fan perspective, it would be very hard to pull away because I’ve been around that program for a while. But the coaches have told me do what’s best for me, go where feel like home,” Sanders said. “I’ll take their advice and see where it leads me.”
One thing worth considering … is UT’s lack of contact with Sanders a sign of how things look with other top RBs for 2012? Something to think about. (Suchomel)
******
Fort Bend Dulles defensive back Sheroid Evans was one of the top defensive back sought by the Texas staff and committed to the Longhorns shortly after receiving his offer in February.
His speed has been the topic of much discussion. He can flat out fly, and by flat out fly I mean he has Olympic speed. He has great athleticism and there has been a lot of talk of him playing both cornerback and safety.
He has been talked about as a high end potential prospect, and was one Longhorn fans were anxious to watch in 2010. Fans had to wait though as Evans fought through a hamstring injury that kept him out of the first five games. Last week he finally made his 2010 debut.
“We just got him back last Monday and he didn’t do a lot (in practice) and was really kind of a game time decision,” Dulles head coach Jim Creech said. “We wanted to make sure he was ready before we put him out there, but once he was out there in full pads there was no keeping him off the field unless you took his helmet from him and you would have to catch him to do that.
“Just having him on the field going through warm-ups was a huge pick up for our football team. He’s getting back not 100-percent. He’s not there yet but he’s working on it. He was sore the next day, but it was the good kind of sore. He has some scar tissue but he’s going to continue to give his stretching due diligence and when he’s not in he will be on the bike.”
Once Evans got on the field the Dulles coaches were not going to be able to keep him off, and while Creech admits Evans still is not at full speed, Evans wasted little time mixing it up in his return.
“It went well,” Creech said. “He played just about every down on defense and when he was off the field he was on the bike. He played some receiver and played some running back in our two-back offense and scored a touchdown late. He was on the kickoff return team. He was involved in quite a bit considering he didn’t really do a whole lot throughout the week.”
On the night Evans finished with nine tackles and two PBUs on defense, three carries for 30 yards and a touchdown, and a couple of receptions.
Not bad for someone who hasn’t played all year, not bad at all. This week Dulles has a bye. (Howell)
******************************
In his short time on the 40 Acres receiver Garrett Gilbert and leads all receivers with two touchdowns. So when he went down with a knee injury against UCLA and missed the Red River Rivalry it was definitely a hit.
The question now is how long will he be out?
The bad news is we do not have an official report, but the good news is Davis is we are hearing Davis is hoping to be back for the Nebraska game. At least, that was the word Davis told people at Skyline last week when he stopped by for a visit while in Dallas for the OU game. Texas will issue a formal injury report next week, and we'll relay official word on Davis' availability as soon as it comes out. (Howell)
**********************************
Athens, Texas athlete Kendall Sanders makes no doubt about what he brings to the table, he brings speed. If you need it he has it and he is already receiving attention from Oklahoma St., Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Purdue, and Minnesota to name a few.
He has received a few letters from the longhorns and says if they show more interest they will be his team to beat. Right now it appears Oklahoma St., Texas A&M, Texas Tech, and Oklahoma are his top four, and the coach he keeps in touch with the most is Oklahoma St. coach Wickline.
He has yet to make any visits and has been busy with his high school season so far and is playing all over the field.
“A little bit of receiver, mostly running back, and a little bit of cornerback, and all the return games,“ he said.
With that said he does have a couple of positions he likes the most.
“I want the college coaches to look at me as an athlete. I like cornerback or receiver or athlete. I think I bring more to the table at those positions. I have the speed and I think I have a high chance of success. I feel my instincts are better at those positions.” (Howell)
************************************
Lewisville (Texas) Hebron wide receiver Kiante Griffin is regarded as one of the top 2012s in the state, and Texas A&M and Oklahoma have been showing a lot of attention.
As for Texas, he says he really hasn’t heard much from the Longhorns.
“Honestly I haven’t heard anything from them. I have heard from A&M and Oklahoma,” Griffin said.
The attention from the Aggies and Sooners has caught his attention.
“Honestly I’m starting to like A&M more than I did and I like OU,” he said. “I had Texas as my first school on my top five but right now they’re probably three because I haven’t heard anything.”
He has not had a chance to take any unofficial visits this year, but plans to check out Texas A&M when they play Arkansas at Cowboys Stadium.
His junior season has gone well but he will be out for a few weeks with a high ankle sprain. (Howell)
********************************
A Glimpse of the Future
This post was edited on 10/8 8:45 AM by Suchomel
