Let's talk about Tyler Johnson, the Conroe Oak Ridge offensive lineman who committed to the Longhorns over the weekend.
I'm a big, big fan.
When I moved Johnson into the top 10 of the Lone Star Recruiting rankings earlier in the spring, the athletic dancing bear hadn't quite caught fire as a prospect from a recruiting rankings standpoint, but it was obvious to the naked eye when reviewing his film that this was a kid that would emerge as a high-level national prospect.
Four months later, he's a national top-75 prospect and committed to the Longhorns. Eventually, I believe he'll be rated as a high-four star prospect, which would match the traditional ranking that goes along with being on the cusp of the top 70. It might seem like an insignificant detail, but there's actually a stark difference between the quality of a top 75, high four-star prospect and the tier below it (mid-four-stars), which typically extends to the national top 150 or so.
The difference? Well, when it comes to projecting as an NFL drafted player, those in the top 75 (and ranked as high-four stars or higher) typically emerge as impact linemen worthy of serious attention from NFL teams at twice the rate as the next tier below them.
At the most basic level possible, it's the difference between 2:1 odds of eventually being drafted by an NFL team and 4:1 or 5:1 odds.
Therefore, while there's a lot of work to be done in the next four or five years of development for Johnson, he's a piece of clay that will arrive on the 40 Acres with an upside that's different from most.
Since the beginning of the decade, the Longhorns have signed only five such offensive line prospects: Trey Hopkins (2010 - No. 64 overall), Kennedy Estelle (2013 - No. 67 overall), Kent Perkins (2014 - No. 41 overall), Darius James (2014 - No. 65 overall) and Patrick Hudson (2016 - No. 61 overall).
Of that group, Hopkins was a solid college player, who emerged as a starter for the Cincinnati Bengals, but the other players created mixed (mostly poor) results. Perkins was merely an average college player, but has also emerged as an NFL player with the same Bengals squad as Hopkins, while Estelle and James flamed out of the program before they could make a real positive impact. Meanwhile, it's too early to properly judge Hudson, who was injured last season right at the moment when he seemed to be coming on.
I'd contend that the Longhorns are due to hit on one of these elite-level prospects, since you'd probably have to go back to Tony Hills in 2003 to find an elite offensive line prospect that truly lived up to the massive expectations that come with being such a highly-regarded prospect.
No. 2 - Some softball coaching scuttlebutt ...
There's been some discussion that the Longhorns could replace former coach Connie Clark with a hire from within, with assistant Tripp McKay listed as the primary possibility.
In asking around this weekend, I'm not sure I made any real headway in locking down the direction Chris Del Conte will go with this hire, but I will keep digging.
I have to be honest, I don't know much about the women's softball coaching market. I don't really have a smart recommendation because ... wait for it ... I'm not qualified to make one.
I just wonder how everyone might feel about making a hire from within?
No. 3 - You could see it coming a mile away ...
I think the best thing that could happen to the Texas Longhorn baseball team is that there was actually a Big 12 Baseball Tournament for it to flame out in before the start of the NCAA Tournament.
In retrospect, it was impossible to think that there wouldn't be a bit of a hangover following a pretty magical weekend, which occurred only a few days before the start of the Tournament.
A more experienced winner probably would have handled the situation better, but Texas baseball is no longer an experienced winner. That mental strength will need to be rebuilt and the events from this weekend will be part of the lesson that will be learned.
For now, this team needs to recharge its batteries, shake off the results from the Tournament and prepare itself for the true second season.
No. 4 – Buy or Sell …
BUY or SELL: The quarterback play will have more to do with the success or failure of the offense this year than Coach Beck's play calling?
(Buy) Obviously, there's some crossover between these two issues, but good quarterback play can mask poor play-calling better than great play-calling can mask poor quarterback play.
BUY or SELL: As of today 5-27-2018, you feel Texas will finish with a top-10 class in recruiting? I know this question has been worn out and the landscape continuously changes.
(Buy) Last year, Florida State was the No. 10 team in the national rankings, finishing with one five-star, 15 four-stars and an average star ranking of 3.76. Texas currently has eight commitments, with five currently rated as four stars. So, it comes down to whether you believe the coaches will finish with another 11-12 four-stars, which I believe they will. It might be close, though.
BUY or SELL: Chris Del Conte will be critiquing the offensive performance this year. If the offense still stutters by mid season he’ll force Herman to change things up.
(Sell) I don't believe that at all.
BUY or SELL: A team can have too many quarterbacks, defensive backs and wide receivers on campus and in the pipeline?
(Sell) There's not a position on the field you can have too many of. The entire purpose of elite recruiting, year-in and year-out, is so that you always have volume.
BUY or SELL: Texas beats Maryland on Sept. 1, destroys Tulsa on Sept. 8, and then beats USC convincingly in Austin on Sept. 15.
(Sell) I could see beats Maryland, beats Tulsa and gets by USC, which I would imagine would be good enough.
BUY or SELL: Despite winning its first three games of the year, Texas still hasn't settled on a starting quarterback.
(Buy) I'm not buying a lot of stock in the Texas offense right now.
BUY or SELL: The Longhorn men will play for a national championship in one of the big three sports in the next five years.
(Sell) I still can't buy that. Hope like hell I change it to a buy soon.
BUY or SELL: Longhorns win a national championship -- any sport -- before you spend $100 (your own money) at a strip club again!
(Buy) Eddie Reese will win another national title before I go back to a strip club ... I think.
BUY or SELL: It was not an accident that Chris Plonsky was not mentioned or quoted in the press release regarding the resignation of Connie Clark?
(Buy) There are no accidents.
BUY or SELL: You cheat by using the Buy or Sell questions to help you come up with a theme for your 10TFTW column, then pick from the remaining B/S questions that are okay.
(Sell) I "cheat" occasionally, but usually I take notes on what I want to write about during the week and by the time I get to the weekend, I'm pretty good with topics. It probably happens once a month or so where I'll steal an idea or concept for an entire section.
BUY or SELL: Sergio Ramos is a dirty player and accomplished what he set out to do to Mo Salah?
(Sell) Ramos is a dirty player and I think he absolutely meant to give Salah some rough treatment with his intentional efforts to hold Salah's arm as they went to the ground in the Champions League final, but I don't think anyone could have guessed that it would cause the damage that it did.
BUY or SELL: If the Eagles, the Beatles, and the Beach Boys held a winner-take-all poker game, the Eagles would win?
(Buy) As a band, the Eagles were some card-playing deviants and Glenn Fry was a card-shark among his group.
No. 5 - Appreciate the greatness in front of you...
No. 6 - For the record...
These are my top 10 all-time NBA players.
1. Michael Jordan
2. LeBron James
3. Magic Johnson
4. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
5. Wilt Chamberlin
6. Shaquille O’Neal
7. Tim Duncan
8. Kobe Bryant
9. Larry Bird
10. Hakeem Olajuwon
No. 7 - Predictions, predictions, predictions...
a. Kevin Durant plays his best game of the series in game seven of the Western Conference Finals on Monday night.
b. James Harden plays an even better game - 38 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists.
c. Eric Gordon has a bigger impact tonight than either of the Splash Brothers.
d. Rockets win 115-110.
No. 8 – Eternal Randomness of the Spotty Sports Mind …
... It goes without saying that LeBron James finding a way to win a game seven on the road with Jeff Green and J.R. Smith in the starting line-up goes down as one of the great achievements of his career. The Cavs will get smashed in the finals, but winning on the road in game seven is a rare deal.
... Jayson Tatum is going to be a bad dude for a very long time in the NBA. Imagine him in Philly right now instead of Markelle Fultz ...
... The Celtics have some interesting personnel decisions to make in the next couple of off-seasons.
... After a five-hit game two days ago, this Mike Trout stat is goofy:
... Headline on ESPN.com that kind of scared me: "There's no question Cowboys are Dak Prescott's team now"
... Josh Freeman retired from the CFL this weekend. Who knew?
... Like Texas fans following the 2010 national championship game, I'm going to forever wonder "what if" when it comes down to this weekend's Champions League final. Liverpool was the better team in the first 25 minutes of the game - creating chances and making Real Madrid uncomfortable ... and then everything changed when Mo Salah had to leave the field with injury. As it is, Real won the game on a wonder goal and two keeper mistakes. It's a bit frustrating that Liverpool didn't really make Real Madrid beat them. The Liverpool back four was outstanding, Ronaldo was rendered a non-factor and it was basically a push in the midfield. The difference was Gareth Bale, Loris Karius and the Salah injury.
No.9 - This will give you some perspective...
No. 10 – And Finally …
To every single man and woman that has ever given the ultimate sacrifice, and the families that were forced to live with that sacrifice ...
From the bottom of my heart ...
Thank you. We might be a dysfunctional family right now, but you are never ... ever ... forgotten.
Not today. Not yesterday. Not tomorrow. Not ever.
You represent the best of us.
