Almost from the moment Charlie Strong fired Shawn Watson as offensive play caller and the season started to turn onto its head, the feeling among the decision-makers inside the Texas athletic department is that Strong needs only an elite hired gun offensive coordinator to help get the program headed in the upwards trajectory it desires.
If it takes a million dollars per year, so be it.
If it takes a guaranteed three-year deal to close the deal, so be it.
If takes a little more, hey, Charlie will likely get all of the support that he needs.
However, with only a week to go before Strong and the UT athletic department are on the clock to fill this wide gulf of a void, it’s hard not to ask one very important question.
Is there really an elite of the elite, slam-dunk hire out there to be had?
Consider the following candidates ...
Sonny Cumbie (TCU): The name most mentioned for the job, he’s been incredibly important to the development of Trevone Boykin, but he’s hasn’t been running the show alone or calling plays as the TCU offensive coordinator. Plus, with Doug Meacham potentially set to take the North Texas gig or likely a more high-profile offensive coordinator job, it’s possible TCU would pay whatever it takes to keep Cumbie in house. Even if the Longhorns get through all of that, there’s no getting around the fact that Cumbie arrives with a few question marks, although his work with Boykin and skill as a recruiter would fill big voids.
Kendall Briles (Baylor): First, we know Art Briles is the true mastermind behind the Baylor offense and would his son really leave a spot that might eventually lead to a head coaching position for the chance to coach for one of his dad’s No. 1 rivals?
Gunter Brewer (North Carolina): As Larry Fedora’s right-hand man, Brewer has produced one of the nation’s top and most efficient offenses in the country this season, but as a virtual lifer for Fedora, how much of the offense is really Brewer’s to claim? With success coaching quarterbacks and wide receivers at both UNC and Oklahoma State, he fits the profile of what the Longhorns should be looking for, but his hire wouldn’t move the needle in this state and considering few things in the program are moving the needle, this hire ideally needs to give the program a boost on and off the field (recruiting).
Sterlin Gilbert (Tulsa): A former Texas high school coach (Temple and San Angelo Lake View and Abilene Cooper) that has had success at Eastern Illinois before taking over the Tulsa offense, Gilbert has a lot of the same strengths as Cumbie and a few of the same negatives. As an offensive coordinator who has never coached a game for a Power 5 school, would Charlie Strong really put all of his marbles into the lap of a coordinator of a 6-6 team?
Tony Franklin (California): Texas fans got a good look at the Cal offense this season and his work with Jared Goff has his pupil in position to get drafted in the top 5 of the upcoming NFL Draft, but he’s a little like Brewer in that his arrival likely wouldn’t move the needle at all for the Longhorns, although his chops as a coordinator are more than solid after stops at Berkley and Louisiana Tech.
The bottom line is that none of these names represent the kind of monster coordinator hire the Longhorns made on the defensive side of the ball in 2008 with Will Muschamp. You get the sense that the Longhorns want to make that that kind of hire, but as I look around the country at the top offensive minds, I’m just not sure where Strong can turn that would give the program what it desires.
So, what does Strong do? Go to the NFL? Would a successful NFL offensive coordinator make the move down to college under the current circumstances? Is a position coach from the NFL the kind of hire Strong should be making in such a critical juncture?
Somewhere out there is a guy who Strong is going to hire and he’s going to put into that person’s hands his entire fate in Austin. It’s not that there won’t be a quality coach available for Strong to land, it’s just that it might be the idea that the Longhorns can land an elite-level difference maker is unlikely.
The money is there.
The want-to is there.
It’s just that the perfect candidate probably isn’t.
No. 2 – Scattershooting on the Longhorns …
… If you’re looking for an outside the box hire for the offensive coordinator position, how about making a run at Western Kentucky head coach Jeff Brohm. Perhaps he’d never take the gig, but he currently makes $600,000 per year and might be intrigued by a platform that could lead him to a much bigger head coaching job than his next one might be if he stays with the Hilltoppers. With his success at Western Kentucky the last couple of seasons, his experience as an NFL quarterback and thirst to climb the college coaching ladder, it might be worth the phone call. Offer the guy 5 million over three years and make him turn you down. I mean … what can it hurt?
... From the Department of File This Away: If Joe Wickline doesn't return to the Longhorns next season, and there's a very good chance that he won't, keep an eye on North Carolina as a possible landing spot.
… As a Tyrone Swoopes supporter, consider this a piece of genuine honesty when I say his performance against Texas Tech is proof the Longhorns need to make sure that Swoopes is the third-string quarterback heading into 2016, with his primary focus being placed on the 18-wheeler package in which he excels. There’s nothing wrong with being a very good situation player, something I think everyone would have to concede that Swoopes has become. For the fourth year in a row, I’m going to stress that the Longhorns sign a JUCO quarterback to compete with the current top two next season.
… Go get Trinity Valley JUCO quarterback Jerod Evans and quit pussyfooting around with the idea. If Shane Buechele is worried about a guy who might help the Longhorns in 2016, a season in which he should be redshirting, then the Longhorns need to soothe any concerns and continue to move forward. Charlie Strong doesn’t have time to worry about the long-term future, at the expense of the immediate one.
… Strong won’t get a third year at Texas if he can’t considerably improve his 6-7 home record.
… Perhaps it's easy to ignore defensive highlights on a night when you give up 48 points, but junior Naashon Hughes was a standout on a night with few of them after recording a team-best 10 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss.
… It’s about time everyone gives Dylan Haines some damn respect! In recording his fifth interception of the season on Saturday night, he moved into second place all-time in interception return yards and trails only Chris Carter by 61 yards for the record.
… FYI, here’s a look at the key dates in recruiting as we hit the homestretch for the 2016 class:
No. 3 – 65 Days Until National Signing Day...
As I prepare to go into my Cedar Park dungeon this week in an effort to update the current 2016 and 2017 LSR Top 100 lists, it’s probably a good time to take a look at where things stand in the 2016 class in the Lone Star State with National Signing day a little more than nine weeks away.
Here’s a look at how things stand going into the final two updates (one in December and one in January) of a list that has already been revised numerous times in the last two years.
Number of committed Top 50 prospects: 35
Number of uncommitted Top 50 prospects: 15
Number of Top 50 commitments by school: Baylor (5), LSU (4), Texas A&M (4), Texas (3), Stanford (3), Alabama (3), TCU (2), Houston (2), Missouri (2), Georgia (1), Oregon (1), Oregon State (1), Ohio State (1), Arizona State (1), Michigan (1) and Texas Tech (1)
Names of remaining uncommitted Top 50 prospects:
(1) Allen offensive lineman Greg Little (Ole Miss, Alabama, LSU and Georgia)
(2) Trophy Club Byron Nelson defensive end Brandon Bowen (Baylor, USC and Oregon)
(5) Manvel defensive back Deontay Anderson (Texas, Texas A&M, Ole Miss and LSU)
(9) Nacogdoches defensive back Brandon Jones (Texas A&M, Texas, Alabama, Auburn, Baylor and Oregon)
(10) North Mesquite offensive lineman Jean Delance (Texas, Texas A&M, Alabama, Michigan and Ohio State)
(12) Aldine Davis linebacker Jeffrey McCulloch (Texas A&M, Texas, Stanford, Michigan and Notre Dame)
(16) Houston Westfield wide receiver Tyrie Cleveland (Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Houston and TCU)
(20) Houston Davis linebacker Dontavious Jackson (Michigan, Florida, Florida State, LSU, Alabama, Texas, and UCLA)
(21) Humble Summer Creek tight end Zarrian Holcombe (Houston)
(25) Duncanville defensive tackle Marcel Southall (Oklahoma, Nebraska and Baylor)
(28) Katy running back Kyle Porter (Texas, TCU and Oregon)
(29) Euless Trinity defensive tackle Chris Daniels (Oklahoma, Alabama, Michigan and Ohio State)
(36) Oak Cliff linebacker Marvin Terry (Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Miami and TCU)
(38) Waco defensive back Eric Cuffee (TCU, Texas, Texas A&M, Baylor and Ole MIss)
(40) Southlake Carroll athlete Lil’Jordan Humphrey (Texas and Cal)
Good news and bad news: It remains to be seen how the Longhorns will finish off their 2016 class, but if Signing Day was today, you’d probably have to project Delance (No. 10), Porter (No. 28) and Humphrey (No. 40) to Charlie Strong and Co. That would leave the Longhorns with potentially six or seven names off the top 50, which is double the amount the number of commitments that it currently owns.
The bad news is that it remains to be seen whether the Longhorns will close the deal with any of the kids in the top half of the list outside of Delance. It’ll register as a very large disappointment if Texas can’t land one of Anderson/Jones at defensive back and Jackson/McCulloch at linebacker.
No. 5 – Buy or sell …
(As always, these are questions submitted by Orangebloods subscribers)
BUY or SELL: Texas gets embarrassed badly next weekend in Waco?
(Sell) I’m willing to acknowledge that I might be waaaaay wrong about this, but I don’t know enough about third-string quarterback turned starter Chris Johnson to give him the Bears the benefit of the doubt of an embarrassing win over the Longhorns. Assuming Briles can get his team mentally ready to play, the Bears should probably win by double digits, but the Longhorns are catching Baylor at a perfect time.
BUY or SELL: Top 20 recruiting class?
(Buy) This is the area I’ve had in which I've had them slotted for about a month or so. Based on last year's Rivals Team numbers, another four four-stars and seven or eight three-stars should get them in this range.
BUY or SELL: 12 months from today the OB board will be much happier about the direction of the football program that we are today?
(Buy) Either there’s a new coach or the program took a big step forward in Strong’s third year. The atmosphere this off-season will be such that I’m not convinced a season without a few signature moments will open the door to a fourth season.
BUY or SELL: John Harbaugh or Tom Herman will be the next coach at Texas?
(Sell) Harbaugh is my pipe-dream candidate that I’m not sure the Texas administration would ever be so bold as to go for what would be an even more expensive hire than Strong. Meanwhile, I just struggle with the idea that the Longhorns would hire someone with an even smaller resume than Strong’s when he arrived from Louisville, even if he is an offensive and recruiting force. The Cougars would need a huge 2016 season to make that possible and sellable.
BUY or SELL: Miami would take Strong if optics and dollars worked out just right?
(Buy) If Strong had an 8-4 record, I think he would look very attractive right now to the Hurricanes. Of course, if he was 8-4, Strong would be in a better position and might never consider such a move.
BUY or SELL: The records of Chad Morris at SMU (2-10) and Tom Herman at Houston (11-1) are more indicative of the situations they walked into versus a sole determinant of the future success of their careers as Division 1 head coaches?
(Buy) At least to a certain degree, this is absolutely true, but I’ll give Herman a lot of credit for his development of Greg Ward Jr.
BUY or SELL: Has Belmont ever asked you to sell your readers a story when you knew the exact opposite was true?
(Sell) We don’t roll like that. Simple as that.
BUY or SELL: Will the major news outlets actually acknowledge that the SEC is not the best conference in college football in 2015?
(Sell) Expect nine SEC teams in the pre-season top-10 again next year, despite the evidence of a lot of average football being played in that conference.
BUY or SELL: All coaching changes for Texas, HC or OC or whatever, will be done and announced by December 21st?
(Buy) It won’t take nearly that long based on what I’ve heard.
BUY or SELL: Charlie will go with an established thick resumed OC, Pep Hamilton/Tim Beck type, instead of a new up and comer, Cumbie/Gilbert, he may think he can trust?
(Sell)This hire will be a lot more Bryan Harsin than Greg Davis.
No. 6 – Week 13 CFB Randomness ...
… If I had a vote that mattered …
1. Alabama
2. Oklahoma
3. Clemson
4. Michigan State
5. Iowa
6. Ohio State
7. Stanford
8. North Carolina
9. Notre Dame
10. Florida State
… Oklahoma is playing so well right now that I gave serious consideration to slotting them in at the No. 1 spot. It doesn’t get much more emphatic than a five-touchdown win in what amounted to the Big 12 championship game on the road. Bob Stoops deserves to be this year’s Big 12 Coach of the Year by a country mile and you have to wonder how long he’ll have new OC Lincoln Riley to run his offense because that guy is going to be a head coach soon. Man, you have to wonder what would have happened for the Longhorns had Charlie Strong hired Riley like so many people on Orangebloods wanted him to do two years ago…
… It took 11 weeks into the season before it played out, but Oklahoma State is exactly the team many of us thought it to be, getting outscored by a combined 45 points in its final two games of the season, both of which were in Stillwater. The good news for Mike Gundy is that almost his entire team returns next season, but the bad news is that he’ll likely never have a better look at the playoff than he did this season. Next season will see the Cowboys travel to Fort Worth, Waco and Norman … gulp.
… Did LSU decide to keep Les Miles because of public/media pressure or because Jimbo Fisher told his school president he wasn’t going anywhere? Regardless, that was an awesome scene at the end of LSU’s win over A&M on Saturday night, as his Tigers players gave Miles the Rudy treatment.
… For those keeping track at home, Texas A&M finished tied for 5th in the SEC West. It’s only a matter of time before some media member will lie to us all and tell us that Sumlin is under consideration for an NFL job, but he’s going to turn it down ...
… Penn State head coach James Franklin might be in over his head in State College and I would suspect he’ll be on a bit of a hot seat coming into next year when you consider he is 0-6 against ranked teams in the last two years (1-13 in his career) and five of those losses have been by more than 24 points. Considering Franklin was a guy who Steve Patterson looked closely at when the Longhorns were in a hiring mode two years ago, you really have to question the pool of candidates that Patterson considered when he was in charge. Even Jim Mora will finish the regular season with four losses and unranked heading into the bowl season.
… Just go ahead and give Alabama’s Derrick Henry the Heisman Trophy because there really isn’t a close second at this point, especially after his epic 43-carry performance against Auburn in the Iron Bowl has him closing in on a 2,000-yard season. If it had taken 63 carries for Nick Saban to get that win, Henry was going to do it come hell or high water. With Henry set to be in the NFL next year, Saban used his back like DeMarco Murray was used in Dallas a year ago.
… If you haven’t seen this yet, I give you the Play of the Year in college football:
No. 7 – With the 5th pick of the NFL Draft … the Dallas Cowboys select ...
I don’t expect the Dallas Cowboys to win another game this season and even if they win one out of the last five, which seems optimistic at this point considering the team is 0-7 without Tony Romo, there’s every reason to believe the Cowboys will have one of the top five picks in the draft.
Frankly, with absolutely nothing to play for (save me that thing about the team needing to show heart in these final five games), I’m in full tank-mode at this point. Judge me all you want, but I value top five picks in the first, second, third and fourth rounds more than I value winning any of the last five games of the season.
If the season ended today, the Cowboys would own the fifth overall pick and here’s a look at my five favorite players for that slot.
1. DT - Robert Nkemdiche (Ole Miss)
There’s a good chance he won’t make it to five, but the Dallas defense needs a monster in the middle of its defensive line and Nkemdiche certainly qualifies as such.
2. WR - Laquan Treadwell (Ole Miss)
The best wide receiver in the draft would provide a serious upgrade over Terrence Williams, take pressure off of Dez Bryant and would help open up the running game.
3. CB - Jalen Ramsey (Florida State)
If the Cowboys don’t resign Morris Claiborne, a replacement at cornerback will be a major priority and it probably still will be, even if they do re-sign Claiborne.
4. QB - Jared Goff (California)
I’m not that I love Goff, but he would certainly provide the Cowboys with perhaps their best chance at an eventual replacement for Romo that fate will eventually provide.
5. DT - Andrew Billings (Baylor)
Call me crazy, but I think Billings is going to be the second-coming of St. Louis defensive tackle Aaron Donald. Maybe the Cowboys collect a future first-round pick, drop down in the draft five or six spots and select a guy who could be their anchor on defense for the next half-decade or longer.
No. 8 – For the first time all season, the Texans were really watchable...
The Houston Texans are division leaders that haven’t looked the part of division leaders all season.
That changed on Sunday.
With J.J. Watt leading the charge on defense, the Texans battered Drew Brees and Co. on way to a 24-6 win that felt more like 44-6, which is somewhat astonishing when you consider that for most of 60 minutes, Deandre Hopkins was mortal. Yes, the Saints represent the below average teams of the NFL universe, but dominating is dominating and the Texans choked out the Saints every time the home team started to feel frisky.
There was no soup for Drew Brees, Mark Ingram or Brandin Cooks all day.
Look, the Texans have quarterback limitations that eventually have to be solved, but for one day they looked like a team that could be fun to watch down the stretch and given that I’m all for the other NFL team from Texas losing out, it’s probably good that there’s some professional football sunshine inside the state borders.
No. 9 – Eternal Randomness of the Spotty Sports Mind …
… Ladies and gentlemen, the new heavyweight champion of the world (YOU MUST WATCH!!!!!!!)
… Scattershooting on week 11 of the NFL season.
a. Good grief, the NFC East is so bad that Kirk Cousins quarterbacks the division-leader.
b. Arizona didn’t look like a Super Bowl team this week and I’m starting to think Carolina is the heavy favorite to win the NFC.
c. Russell Wilson has been pretty average this season, but you have to give him props for a monster performance against the Steelers, a team that will be haunted by Doug Baldwin in its dreams the rest of the season.
d. I did not envision Tavon Austin out-rushing Todd Gurley by 44 yards going into the day.
e. If the Vikings win the NFC North, I think I might just be fine with Mike Zimmer as NFL Coach of the Year. I wish he was the coach in Big D.
f. The Jimmy Graham injury was tough to watch. Legs aren’t mean to do what his right leg did.
g. Matt Hasselbeck>>>>Andrew Luck?
h. San Diego beating Jacksonville was good for Dallas’ Top 5 draft pick hopes. Yeah! It’s like being a fan of the Sixers.
… Kobe Bryant in a rocking chair? Yup, it’s time for the Kobe Retirement Tour to commence.
… Jahlil Okafor and Johnny Manziel are not allowed to hang out with each other.
… Scattershooting on week 14 of the English Premier League
a. Jamie. F’ing. Vardy. The MVP of the EPL through 14 weeks, Vardy scored in a record 11 straight matches against Man U. on Saturday to send Leicester to the top of the table through the weekend and you have to start wondering which of the big clubs is going to take a nibble on the $30 million-pound transfer price has put on the UK native. With the teams at the top of the table bunched so close together, you have to think that some team will take the bait, especially when you consider he makes less than 5,000 pounds per week in salary. How can Man U. or Chelsea not take the chance?
b. If I told you three months ago that Vardy might take Wayne Rooney’s position at both Man U. and the English national team, my God, you’d have called me worse than crazy.
c. The final 15 minutes of the Bournemouth/Everton match was as entertaining as any match in the EPL season, especially the final 5 minutes. Both teams went back and forth, flip-flopping the agony of defeat with the joy of victory/tie. That Bournemouth tied it up in the 98th minute after giving up a goal in the 95th minute, which led some Everton fans to storm the visiting field, was soccer-drama at its best. I’m quite positive my wife will never understand my reactions to the end of that game.
d. Sergio Aguero is likely peer-less in the EPL when it comes to goal-scoring, but every time I watch Man City, I’m fearful he’s going to crack or flat out break in half. When was the last time he finished a match without a limp?
e. Don’t look now, but Liverpool has moved up to sixth on the table, trails Tottenham for fifth by two points and is only four points behind Arsenal for fourth. With a very favorable road schedule (Newcastle, Watford, Sunderland, West Ham, Norwich, Leicester, Aston Villa, Crystal Palace, Southampton, Bournemouth, Swansea and West Brom) all the way through May, the future is now for the Reds. In Jurgen Klopp, we trust.
f. If we’re ranking favorite players in the EPL, Mesuit Ozil has to rank in my top five and after posing in this holiday monstrosity, he’s soaring like a bullet to the top of the list.
No. 10 – 90 Days Until Oscar Night
With the calendar soon turning to December and a slew of Oscars-bait films soon to be released, the countdown to the Academy Awards is officially on.
Below is a look at my updated Oscars selections based on the movies that I have already seen this year and a look at the movies I still need to find a way to see in the next three months.
Movies I still need to see: Anomalisa, Black Mass, Brooklyn, Carol, Concussion, Creed, The Danish Girl, The Hateful Eight, Inside Out, Joy, The Martian, The Revenant, Son of Saul, Spotlight, Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Youth
Clearly, I have a lot of work to do. Here’s a look at the current leaderboard.
Best Picture (based on movies that I have actually seen)
1. Sicario
2. Room
3. Mad Max: Fury Road
4. Bridge of Spies
5. Steve Jobs
Best Actor (based on the movies that I have actually seen)
1. Michael Fassbender (Steve Jobs)
2. Tom Hanks (Bridge of Spies)
3. Antonio Banderas (The 33)
Best Actress (based on the movies that I have actually seen)
1. Brie Larson (Room)
2. Emily Blount (Sicario)
3. Charlize Theron (Mad Max: Fury Road)
Best Supporting Actor (based on the movies that I have actually seen)
1. Mark Rylance (Bridge of Spies)
2. Jacob Tremblay (Room)
3. Benicio del Toro (Sicario)
4. Oscar Isaaac (Ex Machina)
5. Josh Brolin (Sicario)
Best Supporting Actress (based on the movies that I have actually seen)
1. Joan Allen (Room)
2. Alicia Vikander (Ex Machina)
3. Kate Winslet (Steve Jobs)
Best Director
1. Lenny Abrahamson (Room)
2. George Miller (Mad Max: Fury Road)
3. Denis Villeneuve (Sicario)
4. Danny Boyle (Steve Jobs)
5. Steven Spielberg (Bridge of Spies)
If it takes a million dollars per year, so be it.
If it takes a guaranteed three-year deal to close the deal, so be it.
If takes a little more, hey, Charlie will likely get all of the support that he needs.
However, with only a week to go before Strong and the UT athletic department are on the clock to fill this wide gulf of a void, it’s hard not to ask one very important question.
Is there really an elite of the elite, slam-dunk hire out there to be had?
Consider the following candidates ...
Sonny Cumbie (TCU): The name most mentioned for the job, he’s been incredibly important to the development of Trevone Boykin, but he’s hasn’t been running the show alone or calling plays as the TCU offensive coordinator. Plus, with Doug Meacham potentially set to take the North Texas gig or likely a more high-profile offensive coordinator job, it’s possible TCU would pay whatever it takes to keep Cumbie in house. Even if the Longhorns get through all of that, there’s no getting around the fact that Cumbie arrives with a few question marks, although his work with Boykin and skill as a recruiter would fill big voids.
Kendall Briles (Baylor): First, we know Art Briles is the true mastermind behind the Baylor offense and would his son really leave a spot that might eventually lead to a head coaching position for the chance to coach for one of his dad’s No. 1 rivals?
Gunter Brewer (North Carolina): As Larry Fedora’s right-hand man, Brewer has produced one of the nation’s top and most efficient offenses in the country this season, but as a virtual lifer for Fedora, how much of the offense is really Brewer’s to claim? With success coaching quarterbacks and wide receivers at both UNC and Oklahoma State, he fits the profile of what the Longhorns should be looking for, but his hire wouldn’t move the needle in this state and considering few things in the program are moving the needle, this hire ideally needs to give the program a boost on and off the field (recruiting).
Sterlin Gilbert (Tulsa): A former Texas high school coach (Temple and San Angelo Lake View and Abilene Cooper) that has had success at Eastern Illinois before taking over the Tulsa offense, Gilbert has a lot of the same strengths as Cumbie and a few of the same negatives. As an offensive coordinator who has never coached a game for a Power 5 school, would Charlie Strong really put all of his marbles into the lap of a coordinator of a 6-6 team?
Tony Franklin (California): Texas fans got a good look at the Cal offense this season and his work with Jared Goff has his pupil in position to get drafted in the top 5 of the upcoming NFL Draft, but he’s a little like Brewer in that his arrival likely wouldn’t move the needle at all for the Longhorns, although his chops as a coordinator are more than solid after stops at Berkley and Louisiana Tech.
The bottom line is that none of these names represent the kind of monster coordinator hire the Longhorns made on the defensive side of the ball in 2008 with Will Muschamp. You get the sense that the Longhorns want to make that that kind of hire, but as I look around the country at the top offensive minds, I’m just not sure where Strong can turn that would give the program what it desires.
So, what does Strong do? Go to the NFL? Would a successful NFL offensive coordinator make the move down to college under the current circumstances? Is a position coach from the NFL the kind of hire Strong should be making in such a critical juncture?
Somewhere out there is a guy who Strong is going to hire and he’s going to put into that person’s hands his entire fate in Austin. It’s not that there won’t be a quality coach available for Strong to land, it’s just that it might be the idea that the Longhorns can land an elite-level difference maker is unlikely.
The money is there.
The want-to is there.
It’s just that the perfect candidate probably isn’t.
No. 2 – Scattershooting on the Longhorns …
… If you’re looking for an outside the box hire for the offensive coordinator position, how about making a run at Western Kentucky head coach Jeff Brohm. Perhaps he’d never take the gig, but he currently makes $600,000 per year and might be intrigued by a platform that could lead him to a much bigger head coaching job than his next one might be if he stays with the Hilltoppers. With his success at Western Kentucky the last couple of seasons, his experience as an NFL quarterback and thirst to climb the college coaching ladder, it might be worth the phone call. Offer the guy 5 million over three years and make him turn you down. I mean … what can it hurt?
... From the Department of File This Away: If Joe Wickline doesn't return to the Longhorns next season, and there's a very good chance that he won't, keep an eye on North Carolina as a possible landing spot.
… As a Tyrone Swoopes supporter, consider this a piece of genuine honesty when I say his performance against Texas Tech is proof the Longhorns need to make sure that Swoopes is the third-string quarterback heading into 2016, with his primary focus being placed on the 18-wheeler package in which he excels. There’s nothing wrong with being a very good situation player, something I think everyone would have to concede that Swoopes has become. For the fourth year in a row, I’m going to stress that the Longhorns sign a JUCO quarterback to compete with the current top two next season.
… Go get Trinity Valley JUCO quarterback Jerod Evans and quit pussyfooting around with the idea. If Shane Buechele is worried about a guy who might help the Longhorns in 2016, a season in which he should be redshirting, then the Longhorns need to soothe any concerns and continue to move forward. Charlie Strong doesn’t have time to worry about the long-term future, at the expense of the immediate one.
… Strong won’t get a third year at Texas if he can’t considerably improve his 6-7 home record.
… Perhaps it's easy to ignore defensive highlights on a night when you give up 48 points, but junior Naashon Hughes was a standout on a night with few of them after recording a team-best 10 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss.
… It’s about time everyone gives Dylan Haines some damn respect! In recording his fifth interception of the season on Saturday night, he moved into second place all-time in interception return yards and trails only Chris Carter by 61 yards for the record.
… FYI, here’s a look at the key dates in recruiting as we hit the homestretch for the 2016 class:
No. 3 – 65 Days Until National Signing Day...
As I prepare to go into my Cedar Park dungeon this week in an effort to update the current 2016 and 2017 LSR Top 100 lists, it’s probably a good time to take a look at where things stand in the 2016 class in the Lone Star State with National Signing day a little more than nine weeks away.
Here’s a look at how things stand going into the final two updates (one in December and one in January) of a list that has already been revised numerous times in the last two years.
Number of committed Top 50 prospects: 35
Number of uncommitted Top 50 prospects: 15
Number of Top 50 commitments by school: Baylor (5), LSU (4), Texas A&M (4), Texas (3), Stanford (3), Alabama (3), TCU (2), Houston (2), Missouri (2), Georgia (1), Oregon (1), Oregon State (1), Ohio State (1), Arizona State (1), Michigan (1) and Texas Tech (1)
Names of remaining uncommitted Top 50 prospects:
(1) Allen offensive lineman Greg Little (Ole Miss, Alabama, LSU and Georgia)
(2) Trophy Club Byron Nelson defensive end Brandon Bowen (Baylor, USC and Oregon)
(5) Manvel defensive back Deontay Anderson (Texas, Texas A&M, Ole Miss and LSU)
(9) Nacogdoches defensive back Brandon Jones (Texas A&M, Texas, Alabama, Auburn, Baylor and Oregon)
(10) North Mesquite offensive lineman Jean Delance (Texas, Texas A&M, Alabama, Michigan and Ohio State)
(12) Aldine Davis linebacker Jeffrey McCulloch (Texas A&M, Texas, Stanford, Michigan and Notre Dame)
(16) Houston Westfield wide receiver Tyrie Cleveland (Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Houston and TCU)
(20) Houston Davis linebacker Dontavious Jackson (Michigan, Florida, Florida State, LSU, Alabama, Texas, and UCLA)
(21) Humble Summer Creek tight end Zarrian Holcombe (Houston)
(25) Duncanville defensive tackle Marcel Southall (Oklahoma, Nebraska and Baylor)
(28) Katy running back Kyle Porter (Texas, TCU and Oregon)
(29) Euless Trinity defensive tackle Chris Daniels (Oklahoma, Alabama, Michigan and Ohio State)
(36) Oak Cliff linebacker Marvin Terry (Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Miami and TCU)
(38) Waco defensive back Eric Cuffee (TCU, Texas, Texas A&M, Baylor and Ole MIss)
(40) Southlake Carroll athlete Lil’Jordan Humphrey (Texas and Cal)
Good news and bad news: It remains to be seen how the Longhorns will finish off their 2016 class, but if Signing Day was today, you’d probably have to project Delance (No. 10), Porter (No. 28) and Humphrey (No. 40) to Charlie Strong and Co. That would leave the Longhorns with potentially six or seven names off the top 50, which is double the amount the number of commitments that it currently owns.
The bad news is that it remains to be seen whether the Longhorns will close the deal with any of the kids in the top half of the list outside of Delance. It’ll register as a very large disappointment if Texas can’t land one of Anderson/Jones at defensive back and Jackson/McCulloch at linebacker.
No. 5 – Buy or sell …
(As always, these are questions submitted by Orangebloods subscribers)
BUY or SELL: Texas gets embarrassed badly next weekend in Waco?
(Sell) I’m willing to acknowledge that I might be waaaaay wrong about this, but I don’t know enough about third-string quarterback turned starter Chris Johnson to give him the Bears the benefit of the doubt of an embarrassing win over the Longhorns. Assuming Briles can get his team mentally ready to play, the Bears should probably win by double digits, but the Longhorns are catching Baylor at a perfect time.
BUY or SELL: Top 20 recruiting class?
(Buy) This is the area I’ve had in which I've had them slotted for about a month or so. Based on last year's Rivals Team numbers, another four four-stars and seven or eight three-stars should get them in this range.
BUY or SELL: 12 months from today the OB board will be much happier about the direction of the football program that we are today?
(Buy) Either there’s a new coach or the program took a big step forward in Strong’s third year. The atmosphere this off-season will be such that I’m not convinced a season without a few signature moments will open the door to a fourth season.
BUY or SELL: John Harbaugh or Tom Herman will be the next coach at Texas?
(Sell) Harbaugh is my pipe-dream candidate that I’m not sure the Texas administration would ever be so bold as to go for what would be an even more expensive hire than Strong. Meanwhile, I just struggle with the idea that the Longhorns would hire someone with an even smaller resume than Strong’s when he arrived from Louisville, even if he is an offensive and recruiting force. The Cougars would need a huge 2016 season to make that possible and sellable.
BUY or SELL: Miami would take Strong if optics and dollars worked out just right?
(Buy) If Strong had an 8-4 record, I think he would look very attractive right now to the Hurricanes. Of course, if he was 8-4, Strong would be in a better position and might never consider such a move.
BUY or SELL: The records of Chad Morris at SMU (2-10) and Tom Herman at Houston (11-1) are more indicative of the situations they walked into versus a sole determinant of the future success of their careers as Division 1 head coaches?
(Buy) At least to a certain degree, this is absolutely true, but I’ll give Herman a lot of credit for his development of Greg Ward Jr.
BUY or SELL: Has Belmont ever asked you to sell your readers a story when you knew the exact opposite was true?
(Sell) We don’t roll like that. Simple as that.
BUY or SELL: Will the major news outlets actually acknowledge that the SEC is not the best conference in college football in 2015?
(Sell) Expect nine SEC teams in the pre-season top-10 again next year, despite the evidence of a lot of average football being played in that conference.
BUY or SELL: All coaching changes for Texas, HC or OC or whatever, will be done and announced by December 21st?
(Buy) It won’t take nearly that long based on what I’ve heard.
BUY or SELL: Charlie will go with an established thick resumed OC, Pep Hamilton/Tim Beck type, instead of a new up and comer, Cumbie/Gilbert, he may think he can trust?
(Sell)This hire will be a lot more Bryan Harsin than Greg Davis.
No. 6 – Week 13 CFB Randomness ...
… If I had a vote that mattered …
1. Alabama
2. Oklahoma
3. Clemson
4. Michigan State
5. Iowa
6. Ohio State
7. Stanford
8. North Carolina
9. Notre Dame
10. Florida State
… Oklahoma is playing so well right now that I gave serious consideration to slotting them in at the No. 1 spot. It doesn’t get much more emphatic than a five-touchdown win in what amounted to the Big 12 championship game on the road. Bob Stoops deserves to be this year’s Big 12 Coach of the Year by a country mile and you have to wonder how long he’ll have new OC Lincoln Riley to run his offense because that guy is going to be a head coach soon. Man, you have to wonder what would have happened for the Longhorns had Charlie Strong hired Riley like so many people on Orangebloods wanted him to do two years ago…
… It took 11 weeks into the season before it played out, but Oklahoma State is exactly the team many of us thought it to be, getting outscored by a combined 45 points in its final two games of the season, both of which were in Stillwater. The good news for Mike Gundy is that almost his entire team returns next season, but the bad news is that he’ll likely never have a better look at the playoff than he did this season. Next season will see the Cowboys travel to Fort Worth, Waco and Norman … gulp.
… Did LSU decide to keep Les Miles because of public/media pressure or because Jimbo Fisher told his school president he wasn’t going anywhere? Regardless, that was an awesome scene at the end of LSU’s win over A&M on Saturday night, as his Tigers players gave Miles the Rudy treatment.
… For those keeping track at home, Texas A&M finished tied for 5th in the SEC West. It’s only a matter of time before some media member will lie to us all and tell us that Sumlin is under consideration for an NFL job, but he’s going to turn it down ...
… Penn State head coach James Franklin might be in over his head in State College and I would suspect he’ll be on a bit of a hot seat coming into next year when you consider he is 0-6 against ranked teams in the last two years (1-13 in his career) and five of those losses have been by more than 24 points. Considering Franklin was a guy who Steve Patterson looked closely at when the Longhorns were in a hiring mode two years ago, you really have to question the pool of candidates that Patterson considered when he was in charge. Even Jim Mora will finish the regular season with four losses and unranked heading into the bowl season.
… Just go ahead and give Alabama’s Derrick Henry the Heisman Trophy because there really isn’t a close second at this point, especially after his epic 43-carry performance against Auburn in the Iron Bowl has him closing in on a 2,000-yard season. If it had taken 63 carries for Nick Saban to get that win, Henry was going to do it come hell or high water. With Henry set to be in the NFL next year, Saban used his back like DeMarco Murray was used in Dallas a year ago.
… If you haven’t seen this yet, I give you the Play of the Year in college football:
No. 7 – With the 5th pick of the NFL Draft … the Dallas Cowboys select ...
I don’t expect the Dallas Cowboys to win another game this season and even if they win one out of the last five, which seems optimistic at this point considering the team is 0-7 without Tony Romo, there’s every reason to believe the Cowboys will have one of the top five picks in the draft.
Frankly, with absolutely nothing to play for (save me that thing about the team needing to show heart in these final five games), I’m in full tank-mode at this point. Judge me all you want, but I value top five picks in the first, second, third and fourth rounds more than I value winning any of the last five games of the season.
If the season ended today, the Cowboys would own the fifth overall pick and here’s a look at my five favorite players for that slot.
1. DT - Robert Nkemdiche (Ole Miss)
There’s a good chance he won’t make it to five, but the Dallas defense needs a monster in the middle of its defensive line and Nkemdiche certainly qualifies as such.
2. WR - Laquan Treadwell (Ole Miss)
The best wide receiver in the draft would provide a serious upgrade over Terrence Williams, take pressure off of Dez Bryant and would help open up the running game.
3. CB - Jalen Ramsey (Florida State)
If the Cowboys don’t resign Morris Claiborne, a replacement at cornerback will be a major priority and it probably still will be, even if they do re-sign Claiborne.
4. QB - Jared Goff (California)
I’m not that I love Goff, but he would certainly provide the Cowboys with perhaps their best chance at an eventual replacement for Romo that fate will eventually provide.
5. DT - Andrew Billings (Baylor)
Call me crazy, but I think Billings is going to be the second-coming of St. Louis defensive tackle Aaron Donald. Maybe the Cowboys collect a future first-round pick, drop down in the draft five or six spots and select a guy who could be their anchor on defense for the next half-decade or longer.
No. 8 – For the first time all season, the Texans were really watchable...
The Houston Texans are division leaders that haven’t looked the part of division leaders all season.
That changed on Sunday.
With J.J. Watt leading the charge on defense, the Texans battered Drew Brees and Co. on way to a 24-6 win that felt more like 44-6, which is somewhat astonishing when you consider that for most of 60 minutes, Deandre Hopkins was mortal. Yes, the Saints represent the below average teams of the NFL universe, but dominating is dominating and the Texans choked out the Saints every time the home team started to feel frisky.
There was no soup for Drew Brees, Mark Ingram or Brandin Cooks all day.
Look, the Texans have quarterback limitations that eventually have to be solved, but for one day they looked like a team that could be fun to watch down the stretch and given that I’m all for the other NFL team from Texas losing out, it’s probably good that there’s some professional football sunshine inside the state borders.
No. 9 – Eternal Randomness of the Spotty Sports Mind …
… Ladies and gentlemen, the new heavyweight champion of the world (YOU MUST WATCH!!!!!!!)
… Scattershooting on week 11 of the NFL season.
a. Good grief, the NFC East is so bad that Kirk Cousins quarterbacks the division-leader.
b. Arizona didn’t look like a Super Bowl team this week and I’m starting to think Carolina is the heavy favorite to win the NFC.
c. Russell Wilson has been pretty average this season, but you have to give him props for a monster performance against the Steelers, a team that will be haunted by Doug Baldwin in its dreams the rest of the season.
d. I did not envision Tavon Austin out-rushing Todd Gurley by 44 yards going into the day.
e. If the Vikings win the NFC North, I think I might just be fine with Mike Zimmer as NFL Coach of the Year. I wish he was the coach in Big D.
f. The Jimmy Graham injury was tough to watch. Legs aren’t mean to do what his right leg did.
g. Matt Hasselbeck>>>>Andrew Luck?
h. San Diego beating Jacksonville was good for Dallas’ Top 5 draft pick hopes. Yeah! It’s like being a fan of the Sixers.
… Kobe Bryant in a rocking chair? Yup, it’s time for the Kobe Retirement Tour to commence.
… Jahlil Okafor and Johnny Manziel are not allowed to hang out with each other.
… Scattershooting on week 14 of the English Premier League
a. Jamie. F’ing. Vardy. The MVP of the EPL through 14 weeks, Vardy scored in a record 11 straight matches against Man U. on Saturday to send Leicester to the top of the table through the weekend and you have to start wondering which of the big clubs is going to take a nibble on the $30 million-pound transfer price has put on the UK native. With the teams at the top of the table bunched so close together, you have to think that some team will take the bait, especially when you consider he makes less than 5,000 pounds per week in salary. How can Man U. or Chelsea not take the chance?
b. If I told you three months ago that Vardy might take Wayne Rooney’s position at both Man U. and the English national team, my God, you’d have called me worse than crazy.
c. The final 15 minutes of the Bournemouth/Everton match was as entertaining as any match in the EPL season, especially the final 5 minutes. Both teams went back and forth, flip-flopping the agony of defeat with the joy of victory/tie. That Bournemouth tied it up in the 98th minute after giving up a goal in the 95th minute, which led some Everton fans to storm the visiting field, was soccer-drama at its best. I’m quite positive my wife will never understand my reactions to the end of that game.
d. Sergio Aguero is likely peer-less in the EPL when it comes to goal-scoring, but every time I watch Man City, I’m fearful he’s going to crack or flat out break in half. When was the last time he finished a match without a limp?
e. Don’t look now, but Liverpool has moved up to sixth on the table, trails Tottenham for fifth by two points and is only four points behind Arsenal for fourth. With a very favorable road schedule (Newcastle, Watford, Sunderland, West Ham, Norwich, Leicester, Aston Villa, Crystal Palace, Southampton, Bournemouth, Swansea and West Brom) all the way through May, the future is now for the Reds. In Jurgen Klopp, we trust.
f. If we’re ranking favorite players in the EPL, Mesuit Ozil has to rank in my top five and after posing in this holiday monstrosity, he’s soaring like a bullet to the top of the list.
No. 10 – 90 Days Until Oscar Night
With the calendar soon turning to December and a slew of Oscars-bait films soon to be released, the countdown to the Academy Awards is officially on.
Below is a look at my updated Oscars selections based on the movies that I have already seen this year and a look at the movies I still need to find a way to see in the next three months.
Movies I still need to see: Anomalisa, Black Mass, Brooklyn, Carol, Concussion, Creed, The Danish Girl, The Hateful Eight, Inside Out, Joy, The Martian, The Revenant, Son of Saul, Spotlight, Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Youth
Clearly, I have a lot of work to do. Here’s a look at the current leaderboard.
Best Picture (based on movies that I have actually seen)
1. Sicario
2. Room
3. Mad Max: Fury Road
4. Bridge of Spies
5. Steve Jobs
Best Actor (based on the movies that I have actually seen)
1. Michael Fassbender (Steve Jobs)
2. Tom Hanks (Bridge of Spies)
3. Antonio Banderas (The 33)
Best Actress (based on the movies that I have actually seen)
1. Brie Larson (Room)
2. Emily Blount (Sicario)
3. Charlize Theron (Mad Max: Fury Road)
Best Supporting Actor (based on the movies that I have actually seen)
1. Mark Rylance (Bridge of Spies)
2. Jacob Tremblay (Room)
3. Benicio del Toro (Sicario)
4. Oscar Isaaac (Ex Machina)
5. Josh Brolin (Sicario)
Best Supporting Actress (based on the movies that I have actually seen)
1. Joan Allen (Room)
2. Alicia Vikander (Ex Machina)
3. Kate Winslet (Steve Jobs)
Best Director
1. Lenny Abrahamson (Room)
2. George Miller (Mad Max: Fury Road)
3. Denis Villeneuve (Sicario)
4. Danny Boyle (Steve Jobs)
5. Steven Spielberg (Bridge of Spies)
