A LOT of people have a soft spot for Sam. With good reason obviously. Again, I doubt seriously anyone knocks VY from the my personal top spot but I can see where some others might look at it differently.
Ketch's 10 Thoughts From the Weekend (30 things rolling around in my head about Texas...)
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A LOT of people have a soft spot for Sam. With good reason obviously. Again, I doubt seriously anyone knocks VY from the my personal top spot but I can see where some others might look at it differently.
Doesn't change the dynamics involved much. On some level, the position coach has to be the ace in the sleeve.
Huff was the best defensive player on arguably the best team ]in the history of college football.
I'd have to think long and hard about it, but roll call for the discussion wouldn't take long.
Three-time ALL_SWC player, an All-American and a key player on the 1990 team.
If you think Diggs gets dinged for playing on bad teams, the same has to be true of Gunn, who is one of a very few small group of players to ever be three-times All-Conference at the position.
VY is the greatest college player I have ever seen. Doubt Sam can top that.
Signed,
The first person on earth that rated Ehlinger as an elite college prospect.
Wish I could find video of that hit he makes, flying through the air backwards to make a tackle on the back running wide left. Sigh....
In terms of games I've seen, only Earl Thomas against OU in '09 and Ross against OU '06 even come close. Westbrook against aggy in '95 was one for the ages. Sheer domination from a DB against a very good opponent that you don't see often.
King wouldn't have gotten a real shot at a lot of places. Timing and fit matter a lot.
Again, I don't disagree with you. But those are your eyes and mine. If he wins a national title then more than a few folks are going to put Sam ahead. To me it won't matter since it means a national title. But to some it will.
Your Top 10 DBU list should have Raymond Clayborn.
With nearly a week to chew on the aftermath of the Sugar Bowl win over Georgia, here are 30 things rolling around in my head.
1. Did Sam Ehlinger just have the third best quarterback season (using statistics as the measuring tool) of any quarterback in the history of the program? Outside of Vince Young in 2005 and Colt McCoy in 2008, who gets selected over Ehlinger after he just became "the sixth Power 5 quarterback in the last 20 years to have 25+ pass touchdowns and 15+ rushing touchdowns in a season, joining Heisman Trophy winners Tim Tebow, Cam Newton, Johnny Manziel, Marcus Mariota and Lamar Jackson"?
2. It's kind of crazy to think about, but considering that Ehlinger tied the record for rushing touchdowns by a quarterback in the game, he's pretty much a lock to one day be named to the Sugar Bowl Hall of Fame, right?
3. It probably needs to be said ... Tim Beck did a really good job this year, that is if helping contribute to developing one of the best quarterbacks in the country means anything. If there was a plank to walk, he sure wouldn't be the first one you'd put on it.
4. Penny for Shane Buechele's thoughts ...
5. When I look back at Keaontay Ingram's freshman season, I found myself thinking that the coaches might have been right all along in commenting all season that he needs to eat more Wheaties. Take a look at his average per carry by game:
First seven games: 6.2, 6.4, 4.8, 6.8, 6.6, 5.8 and 4.7
Last six games: 2.3, 5.9, 4.8, 3.9, 1.8 and 2.8
6. Ingram ended his season averaging 5.0 yards per carry and 6.3 yards per catch, numbers that suggest getting a big-time running back prospect in this class was a bigger priority than it might have looked like in October. It's hard to know right now just how much of a workload Ingram can handle at this level.
7. Outside of Daniel Young (3.6 yards per carry), there's not much on the roster to boost next year's running back rotation, which means incoming freshman Derrian Brown might be the sneakiest strong candidate to be next year's biggest sudden impact player. It also might mean that there will be a real urgency to bring in Deondrick Glass or someone else to supplement Brown in this class. It's kind of a big deal, actually.
8. If there's a grad transfer candidate out there similar to Tre Watson, the Longhorns need to be all over him. USE THAT PORTAL!!!!!!
9. What should Tom Herman do at the running back coach spot? Well, if Zach Evans is the first, second and third most-important prospect in the 2020 class for the Longhorns, can you trust Stan Drayton to lead the recruitment? Understand that Evans actually likes Drayton a lot, but also understand that Evans liking Drayton isn't enough. Being a bridesmaid isn't good enough. I'm just not sure Drayton is the kind of guy that can lead a recruitment for a top-5 national prospect, and if your running backs coach can't lead a recruitment for an ace prospect at his position, then what are we all talking about?
10. I kind of found it interesting that Collin Johnson and Malcolm Roach both announced they were staying with social media mentioning that was almost identical, suggesting some sort of orchestration, yet we haven't heard back from Lil'Jordan Humphrey or Brandon Jones. Maybe it will mean absolutely nothing, but we might look back in a week and also say that was a huge sign.
11. My official stance on both Humphrey and Jones is that they'd both likely do well to return for a senior season, but if they decide they simply want to start getting paid for their trade, hey man, I get it. We often think about a player returning through the prism of simply playing another 12-15 games, but it's a near 350-65-day grind and that includes continuing going to class. Some dudes just want to be done with pretend amateurism.
12. The biggest winner in a Humphrey decision to go pro would have to be soon-to-be-senior Devin Duvernay, who had a sneaky good season in catching 39 passes for 524 yards and four touchdowns. Second-biggest winner? According to the depth chart, D'Shawn Jamison would be first up to replace Humphrey at the HWR position. I get the feeling that Jamison might be Kwame Cavil 2.0, a player recruited to play defense but too dangerous as a player on offense to ever take the ball out of his hands. Meanwhile, the biggest loser in the Johnson decision is probably Brennan Eagles, who will probably have a hard time getting into the starting line-up until 2020. Considering how highly everyone in the program feels about Eagles, I wonder if we might see him compete for playing time at the ZWR spot, should they feel like Duvernay is a player that can move around to both spots.
13. Man, I wrote all of that and completely forgot about Joshua Moore, who actually has the most receptions among returning receivers (after Johnson, [potentially] Humphrey and Duvernay). Man, the receiver position is loaded moving forward.
14. I'm going to be rooting for John Burt, just so you know.
15. If Humphrey does declare, I think Johnson would be poised for a monster senior season, like Shipley 2009-type season from a numbers standpoint. I'd feel the same way if Johnson declared and Humphrey returned.
16. 2019 is a time when the program really will need Cade Brewer and Reese Leitao to step up/grow up heading into their third seasons in Austin. The return of Andrew Beck turned the tight end position into a strength this season, especially considering his two-way play. I have a feeling he's going to be really missed.
17. So, if there was a game tomorrow, the starting offensive line would look like this:
LT: Sam Cosmi
LG: Tope Imade
C: Zach Shackelford
RG: Derek Kerstetter
RT: Denzel Okafor
I'm not sure how I feel about that group. It would have been nice if Imade, Kerstetter or Okafor had pushed for additional game reps as the season went on and that never really happened.
18. In Herb Hand, I trust.
19. Who was better - Jackson Jeffcoat in 2013 or Charles Omenihu in 2018? I'm going to go Jeffcoat, but it's close. That being said, Omenihu is going to have a better pro career.
20. Malcolm Roach is one of the most important players in the program in 2019. It's time for the promise he showed as a freshman and in rare spots in each of the last two years to turn into something substantial. Considering he had the same number of sacks as you and only 1.5 tackles for loss more than me, I'm really not sure what Friday's announcement was about.
21. The return of Brandon Jones in 2019 would mean the Longhorns will return only three of the top 10 tacklers on the defense. Obviously, his not returning would leave only two – B.J. Foster and Caden Sterns.
22. I think Gerald Wilbon has a chance to be Chris Nelson-light next year, which is a compliment.
23. I wonder if Todd Orlando could go back in time to September/October, would he play Jospeh Ossai more? He only led the team in tackles against UGA.
24. For all of the negative talk that was sometimes directed at Kris Boyd, he actually cranked out a really nice senior season. I know Jake Fromm and the Georgia offense wanted no part of him.
25. Buy all of the Anthony Cook stock you can get your hands on.
26. It has to be a nice feeling for Herman not to have to worry about place-kicker or punter going into next season. That's living right.
27. Keondre Coburn and Moro Ojomo playing on Tuesday night with a smidge of success was quietly one of the best under-the-radar developments of the bowl game. Fellas, come on down!
28. Unsung Hero of Tuesday night: Ryan Bujcevski had a 41.4 average, with four of his five punts being downed inside the 20-yard line.
29. This needs to be said ... I thought the refs were ok in the Sugar Bowl. They mostly let the two teams play. Not once did I ever think the officiating crew was making it about them.
30. Early 2019 prediction: 11-2 and a Big 12 Championship.
No. 2 - Fact of the Weekend ...
This one comes courtesy of my good friend Chad Hastings.
Did you know that in the history of Texas and Texas A&M football that there has never been a single occasion where both programs won 9+ games in consecutive seasons?
I didn't believe it when he told me, but it has never happened.
It's an interesting subplot to next season, as it's likely that both schools will enter next season ranked inside or near the top 10 and are coming off of 9+ win seasons. The dirty little secret about the rivalry between the two schools is that there's zero history of both programs being close to being close to elite for more than a single season ... ever.
Are we about to enter a new era of college football in the state of Texas, one that has never occurred before?
No. 3 – BUY or SELL …
BUY or SELL: Texas TAKES the torch from OU next year? Reason being they are becoming a complete team in all three phases?
(Buy) I'll go out on a limb and say for the first time that Texas will win the 2019 Big 12 Championship.
BUY or SELL: 2020 recruiting class finishes ranked higher than 2019?
(Buy) The Longhorns will have the best non-SEC finish in recruiting next year of any school in the country.
BUY or SELL: David Beaty is a Longhorn coach next season?
(Buy) He hasn't been hired by anyone else at this point and I don't believe in accidents.
BUY or SELL: Texas should not be ranked higher than 7 in preseason rankings?
(Sell) Why not? Texas is a 10-win team returning its quarterback and coming off a year in which it beat two top-five teams.
BUY or SELL: Roschon Johnson is Jerrod Heard 2.0 and not a college level QB?
(Sell) I'm not saying that it's not a possibility because he is a bit of a project, but I refuse to believe he isn't a college level quarterback at this point. The D'eriq King comparison I heard this week is a good one.
BUY or SELL: If both true Freshmen QBs leave the program it will set back the program several years after Sam leaves?
(Sell) It'll potentially be 2021 before the Longhorns need a replacement for Ehlinger, which means Texas has plenty of time to work things out if those two both leave. Hell, neither of those players has proven anything.
BUY or SELL: The Big 12 members successfully apply pressure on the Conference to overhaul/improve its football officiating?
(Sell) I don't believe they really care enough to raise a stink.
BUY or SELL: Winning the Sugar Bowl against a quality opponent helps with recruiting on the offensive and defensive lines more than other positions?
(Sell) Why would that help with the lines more than other positions?
BUY or SELL: By October 2019, the Longhorn defensive line/linebacker corps will be stronger than the 2018 unit?
(Sell) That's a big leap of faith, one I'm nowhere near ready to make.
BUY or SELL: We play A&M in football within the next 10 years?
(Buy) I think it's going to happen in a bowl game in the next five years.
No. 4 - A little late last year ...
If I were to write about the job that Shaka Smart was doing this season without any context from the last few years, I might just be inclined to give him a bit of a pat on the back. After all, his team is ...
a. Is 10-4
b. Undefeated (2-0) in the Big 12)
c. Has an RPI of 26
d. Beat UNC earlier in the year.
While we're in the infancy stage of the Big 12 gauntlet, the real-time bottom line for the season is fairly positive. Yet, the apathy I see towards the program on a daily basis, as well as the fact that I found myself saying the same things at this time last year, has me wondering what I'm supposed to make out of what's happening.
I guess the No. 1 thought I have is that if Shaka and Co. keep it up, the drama from December will likely remain just that, drama in December. Of course, the script could flip in the next week. Or the week after. Or perhaps it'll flip, flip again, flip again and flip again. How many flips is that?
I just don't know what to make of it all.
No. 5 - National Title Game Prediction ...
Alabama 35, Clemson 31 (OT)
The dynasty adds another.
No. 6 - The time is now in Big D ...
I'll be honest, it was hard to jump for joy over Dallas' dispatching of Seattle in the wildcard round of the playoffs this weekend.
Don't get me wrong, it was a hell of a lot better than a loss. Given the meek playoff history of this team over the last near-century, Dak Prescott's fourth quarter rush that put the Cowboys within a foot of clinching the win, you'd be crazy if you didn't enjoy perhaps the best Cowboys playoff moment in two-plus decades.
Yet, let's keep it real ... Dallas hasn't advanced beyond the Divisional Round of the playoffs since 1996. Twenty-three years. Saturday didn't change that.
If we keep it 100, it's also possible that the window for this team's aspirations might be narrower than anyone is prepared to acknowledge. Once big contracts go out to Prescott, Zeke Elliott and Amari Cooper, it's hard to know exactly what it all will mean to the long-term viability of the franchise. More than anything else, it's the defensive side of the ball that is leading this team to success and it will eventually be that side of the ball that is forced to accept concessions when the average amount of payouts to the Big 3 goes from representing about 4.5-percent of the team's salary cap to 30 percent.
2018 Cap numbers
Amari Cooper: $411,765
Dak Prescott: $725,848
Zeke Elliott: $6,806,274
In a league that rewards teams that can find a way to win with quarterbacks under rookie deals and unintentionally punishes those that have the best of the best, it behooves you to win big before big money goes to your quarterback (let alone a running back that will want the highest contract of any player at his position).
So, the time to strike if you're Dallas is right now. Before the Big 3 gets paid. Before Kris Richard is with another team. Before anything else can change the dynamics.
It makes this weekend's game against the Rams a monster. That knowledge makes it hard to get too carried away with Saturday's win because only a baby step has been taken. If bigger steps aren't taken, have any steps actually been made?
That being said, I like Dallas' chances in Los Angeles.
No. 7 - About the Texans ...
Man, the Texans were just never in that game. Never.
My impressions while watching the game was that the Texans don't really need to panic because this game could serve as a bit of a hard lesson learned for a football team trying to take the next step. However, you can make a case that the Texans aren't much different than the Cowboys in that it would behoove them to make a run at a Super Bowl before they have to give out a big contract to their quarterback.
It would also behoove them to make a run during a time when J.J. Watt and Jadaveon Clowney are both not only in their primes, but also healthy at the same time.
When you look at what happened in that context, Saturday was a wasted opportunity and one that might feel really regrettable if some of those same steps Dallas needs to take aren't taken as well.
No. 8 – Eternal Randomness of the Spotty Sports Mind …
... The playoffs are pretty freaking stacked next weekend in the NFL, especially on the AFC side of things.
... Nick Foles must have a fairy godmother that only sobers up in the month of January. Or he's Frosty the Snowman and the magic hat can only be found in the NFL playoffs. It's absolutely crazy.
... Do it, New Orleans. Do it. Take out Frosty.
... Mitch Trubisky deserved better than to have Cody Parkey kicking for him.
... Adrian Phillips is a hell of a football player.
... Leighton Vander Esch is so good than his presence limited a healthy Sean Lee to four snaps on Saturday. Man, that's hard to believe.
... To the victor, go the spoils. It's as simple as that.
... I don't know if you've heard of him, but this Messi guy is pretty good.
No. 9 - The List: Top 10 Texas Defensive Backs ...
No way this one is going to be easy, not when you're ranking defensive backs at a school that likes to think of itself as DBU.
I'm sure the opinions on this will be fierce, so let's just get to it.
10. Cedric Griffin
9. Rod Babers
8. Nathan Vasher
7. Quentin Jammer
6. Bryant Westbrook
5. Aaron Ross
4. Johnnie Johnson
3. Michael Huff
2. Jerry Gray
1. Earl Thomas
No. 10 – And Finally ...
By the end of the fifth chapter of Surviving R. Kelly this weekend, I found myself emotionally wiped. How on earth could we let this happen? Here's hoping that a reckoning is headed his way soon.
AA
1rst Round(16th pick)
Clayborn was so good that teams wouldn’t throw to his side of the field(ask Marino)
14 years in the league
3 x All Pro
36 INTs, Patriots all time INT leader
Rookie year he lead the NFL in KR for TDs(31 yard avg. per return, 3 TDs)
Patriots Hall of Fame
Chris Carter, Lance Gunn, Stanley Richard, Bill Bradley, Vacarro, Clayborn, Cade, Hatchett, Bradley, Crain, Hagy, Peavy, etc.
There are a lot to choose from if you are looking at total careers at Texas. I know Babers made All-American 1 year but so did Deshon Elliot. However, I wouldn’t put him in the top 10 either.
Easily could have made the list. I bumped him out to make room for Ced Griffin.
Elliott wasn't the player that Babers was.
Truly, a lot of names could be flip-flopped with others that didn't make the list in those final three spots.
Agree! I guess the point is we have a large # of players to choose from and we can actually debate it.
Nice recap, thanks. You predicted 2-3 years ago that 2018 would be the year UT made some noise, so kudos for that, too.
On the OL, I would guess: Cosmi, Okafor, Shackleford, Imade, and Kerstetter.
Also, I think Imade only went to the DL for about two weeks, not a whole season as stated by someone above. He needs a bright lightbulb to come on to be a plus-player in 2019.
On the OL, I would guess: Cosmi, Okafor, Shackleford, Imade, and Kerstetter.
Also, I think Imade only went to the DL for about two weeks, not a whole season as stated by someone above. He needs a bright lightbulb to come on to be a plus-player in 2019.
Let’s not bog down the argument with semantics. From the mid-70s through 1980 as a kid watching the college game of the week on ABC, I definitely heard the commentators (the great Keith Jackson being one) state how Texas produced great DBs.
Your list favors post-2000 players. Maybe rightfully so given how the game has changed.
I would still argue you’ve ranked someone like Babers higher than he deserves.
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Not better than Jerry Gray's best, and Gray did it at that level for 4 seasons, not one.
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Sam has two seasons of eligibility at Texas remaining. Winning two National Championships would make Sam arguably the best QB to play at Texas.
However unlikely that may seem, it is conceivable. It's in the future, so I'm not ruling it out. Hence my statement. Sam could become the best QB in Texas football history.
