For years, those of us that obsess over recruiting have screamed until we were blue in the face that the team's recent iffy success with its defensive line recruiting would eventually catch up with the team.
Of course, depth at the position a year ago was a major question mark, but the presence of Charles Omenihu, Chris Nelson and Breckyn Hager ensured that those depth concerns weren't a season derailing issue, in part because all three stayed on the field for much of the season, thus easing the significance of mediocre options behind them.
The production of 2018 along the defensive line with the three starters featured a combined 115 tackles, 31 tackles for loss and 12 sacks, which came on the heels of that trio recording a combined 69 tackles, 19 tackles for loss and nine sacks as juniors.
With the departure of that senior trio goes a ton of production and never was the impact of their departures more profound than on the opening week of spring practice when their spots in the line-up were filled with the likes of junior Taquan Graham, senior Gerald Wilbon and senior Malcolm Roach - a trio that combined for a mere 3.5 tackles for loss and two sacks in 2018.
Outside of those three, the presence of a healthy Keondre Coburn represents a massive boost to this group's ceiling, but beyond that there isn't a lot of certified bad ass help on the way. Marquez Bimage or Jamari Chisolm making a massive step forward would represent a surprise. Redshirt freshman Moro Ojomo might still be a year away. It's pretty much impossible to know what incoming JUCO transfer Jacoby Jones will prove capable of in his first major season of major college football because most JUCO transfers need a year to fully adjust.
A year ago when this team needed someone on the defensive line to make a play, it leaned on Omenihu time and time again, but he's not walking through that door in 2019. If this defense is going to be a championship caliber unit, it needs Graham to develop into a much more consistent pass rushing threat, Wilbon must be a better than serviceable answer inside and Roach has to stop looking like a fish out of Todd Orlando's water.
It can't just be one of those guys or even two. All of them, including Coburn, have to take steps that were barely flashed at all in 2018. For instance, for a defense that was screaming for added help in the pass rush a year ago, Roach recorded the same amount of sacks as you and I did in far less playing time.
With so much in the program going right, this defensive line issue is the one glaring question mark in my mind in a quest to win a Big 12 championship. It might represent the most important season of Oscar Giles' career as an assistant coach. Even when he coached at Texas under Mack Brown for nearly a decade, there was always a general feeling that he was solid, but unspectacular at his craft, both on the field and in recruiting. Two seasons back with Tom Herman, I think the feeling about his skills are roughly the same ... mostly rock solid, but without so much of a smidge of hyperbole.
Yet, I'll go on the record right now and say that if Giles gets this group of non-producers to suddenly produce at levels that can spearhead a title run, he'll deserve all the accolades in the world that we can heap upon him, so let's make a point to not move the finish line on him in 2019. If Roach, Graham and Co. emerge into a playmaking, ass-kicking force, Giles will deserve a ton of credit. Period.
No take-backs.
However, if this group struggles to replace the production of the departed seniors and proves to be a bit of an Achilles heel, it's also going to be fair to question whether Giles is elite enough at this level in the way that his counterpart Herb Hand is along the offensive line on the other side of the ball.
“What excites me is we’re talented," Herman said of his defensive linemen on Friday. "I think we’ve got guys, that if they take to coaching really well, guys that can perform at a very high level. The concern is always experience and just the amount of reps, but Malcolm [Roach] has played a lot of football in his life, TQ [Ta’Quon Graham] has played a lot of football here. Gerald [Wilbon] has played a lot of football here. Behind him, Moro, Daniel Carson and some of those guys. This is going to be an important spring for them.”
The expectations from within are that this group will swim when thrown into the water instead of sinking to the bottom.
If so, to the victors go the spoils. If not ... well ... let's not worry about going there at the moment.
As Herman said on Friday, it's an important spring ... for all of them.
No. 2 - Holy Batman!
Fellas, this what a six-star college football prospect looks like.
Everyone will quibble over whether he ran a 4.51 or something closer to a 4.4, but let's not bury the damn lede. This dude just popped off 3.84 short-shuttle, which ranks so high in the 99th percentile of all kids in his age group that they might as well round that damn number up to 100.
Goodness gracious, when you add in the 4.51 (trust me, that's plenty fast enough) and a 37.5-inch vertical leap, you're talking about something pretty damn special.
Even the 2004 version of Adrian Peterson might blush at those numbers.
No. 3 - A hoops season defined by three early losses ...
At the end of the day, Texas just couldn't run away from those three home losses in three weeks to the likes of Radford, VCU and Providence. It finished with some solid wins. The team certainly didn't embarrass itself in Big 12 play. Still, when you look back at a season that finished 16-16, those three home losses proved to mean pretty much everything.
Reverse the outcomes of those three game and the Longhorns are sitting at 19-13 and probably a top-seven seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Hell, if they could reverse only two of those games, you're looking at an 18-14 team that is still in the Tournament.
Of course, they can't reverse any of those losses and because of that truth, the team proved to be an absolute failure this season. If we're keeping it 100-percent real, the following statements are all true:
a. Shaka Smart didn't coach well enough.
b. Kerwin Roach let this team down in tragic fashion.
c. Matt Coleman didn't develop from freshman season to sophomore season the way this team needed him to.
d. Jericho Sims wasn't anything close to the player many thought he'd become after his own freshman season.
The truth of the matter is that I don't need to see the team's final record to know whether this team was a failure or not, just knowing those four key truths is enough to know there wasn't enough left to save this group.
For those keeping score at home, it's now been 11 seasons and counting since the Longhorns last made it to the second week of the NCAA Tournament, otherwise known as the Sweet 16. Honestly, we all look like a bunch of jackasses at this point even discussing the program in the same context as true national programs.
Once upon a time, this was a program that seemed to be shooting into the stratosphere, but it's nothing but a JAG of an outfit and it's been that way for an incoming recruit like Will Baker since he was in the second or third grade.
This is what Texas basketball is. Nothing more, nothing less.
No. 4 - Quick question ...
If the Longhorns win the NIT, a banner is going to go up in the Erwin center, right?
How exactly would everyone feel about that?
The 1978 NIT Championship banner has hung from the rafters with pride for more than 40 years because back then, the tournament still carried a lot of weight, mostly because the NCAA Tournament was limited to 32 teams.
I get the feeling that it would represent the most ironic banner in UT's athletics history, no?
No. 5 - Texas baseball strikes first ...
It wasn't always the prettiest baseball any of us have ever watched, especially if you happened to catch Saturday's hapless offensive performance, but the Texas baseball team not only went toe-to-toe with another national championship contender over the weekend, but it took two out of three from No. 9 Texas Tech and firmly solidified itself as a legitimate title contender.
If there's one thing you can take to the bank about this team it’s that it has guts. Guts for days. Like the closing affair against LSU a couple of weekends ago, game one was won by sheer willpower and want to. The team simply refused to accept losing. When it happened the next day whether they wanted it to or not, the team came back out on Sunday and handled its business.
More will be needed in the coming week, as games against nationally-ranked Arkansas and TCU loom, but at the moment the early marker statement within the conference was made by the Longhorns.
The conference season start with everyone chasing them.
No. 6 - Story-time with Uncle Ketch ...
With the recent news that former Texas great Nathan Vasher is back working with the program as a volunteer assistant, I thought it was a good time to remind everyone just how close Vasher ended up to not being a Longhorn player.
Let's start at the beginning.
Back before Barry Norton ever took over the Texarkana High program, it was truly a disaster, as evidenced by the fact that the coach who departed Texas High before Norton took over didn't rate Vasher as a college prospect.
I'll never forget watching Vasher's junior film and being blown away, only to see how his former coach rated him to college scouts. I called to find out what the hell was up with Vasher's rating when a receptionist at the school informed me that the football coach had been fired.
"I can see why," I told myself.
With or without a high school coach with a working brain, I immediately put Vasher into my state top 10 and his stock soared in the following months once Norton arrived. It started with a performance against Copperas Cove in the State 7 on 7 Tournament against its star player Vontez Duff and it continued throughout his junior season when he won all-state honors in helping lead Texas High to a deep playoff run.
In the final months of the recruiting process, Texas A&M appeared to be the leader for Vasher because the Longhorns hadn't offered and didn't appear to be on the verge of offering him. If I'm not mistaken, Mack Brown relented and made the offer because Darryl Drake stood on the table and demanded that he do so. Given that Brown always loved to kick A&M in the recruiting gonads whenever he could, Drake probably didn't need to twist his arm much. All it took was a Texas offer and the official visit to go down for Vasher to be all-in on the Longhorns.
Nearly 20 years after he first joined the program, Vasher is back. It's funny how life has a way of unfolding.
No. 7 – BUY or SELL …
BUY or SELL: Shaka will actually be held accountable if the basketball team doesn't show dramatic improvement next season? Say 20 wins and more than 1 NCAA tournament win?
(Buy) It either gets much better next season or there will be change.
BUY or SELL: Kelee Ringo pulls a surprise and commits by the end of the summer?
(Sell) I'd put my money on Texas at the moment, but it's going to take some time for this recruitment to fully unfold.
BUY or SELL: The term “soft landing spot” has become the most annoying phrase of the 2019 sports season?
(Buy) It certainly is around these parts.
BUY or SELL: Hiding behind "integrity" is weak sauce by CDC?
(Buy) To be fair, I'm not sure hiding behind "Have you seen his contract!?!?!" makes the situation any better.
BUY or SELL: Kirk Johnson - Phrase the question as you wish. I know I ask about him often.
(Sell) It'll be the story of the season if he can find a way to make a significant impact this season, but I think he's going to be down in the pecking order when September rolls around.
BUY or SELL: Five or more losses this season will result in Herman’s termination?
(Sell) Whoa, that came out of nowhere, but Herman is safe, even if the season is disaster on that level.
BUY or SELL: This years wide receiver group could push for the most talented group of receivers in the country?
(Buy) I'm all-in with the talent in that group.
BUY or SELL: Jordan Whittington has the greatest impact on the field this year among all incoming freshman?
(Buy) The game reps are going to be available to him in abundance.
BUY or SELL: Bryce Harper’s recruiting pays off and Mike Trout signs with Philly?
(Buy) Mike Trout wants to come home.
BUY or SELL: Orlando wins the AAF and GG is named league MVP finally vindicating you?
(Sell) I'll never be vindicated with Gilbert, but it would be really cool to see him enjoy some pro success, even if it's just in the AAF.
BUY or SELL: Mozzarella sticks are the best appetizers.
(Sell) Chips and queso.
No. 8 – Eternal Randomness of the Spotty Sports Mind …
... I'm not even sure I'm going to fill out an NCAA bracket in the coming weeks. I mean... I'm sure it could happen, but my thirst to watch the tournament is fairly low right now.
... The Browns are going to be a hell of a lot of fun in 2019. Baker Mayfield has completely transformed that franchise.
... What in the hell is the NFL going to do with Tyreek Hill if it turns out he broke his three-year old's arm? A year's suspension, right? More?
... The Giannis Antetokounmpo/Joel Embiid showdown is the Eastern Conference Finals we all deserve. Those two both went off for 40+ points and 15+ rebounds in the same game on Sunday, marking the first time in 35 years such a thing had happened in the same game. More of that, please.
... Golden State is still pretty good.
... Keep grinding, Reds! Keep grinding!
... The sexiest thing you'll see all weekend on the sports front.
No. 9 - The List: Top 10 Game of Thrones moments ...
I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm literally counting down the days until the final season premier.
We're down to 28 days and I can't get enough GOT in the lead-up. I'm re-watching the entire series (currently on season three, episode two) and the first thing I read each morning is the daily article dedicated to the show on TheRinger.com.
Therefore, I thought I would reward my anticipation with a list of my own person Top 10 moments of the show thus far.
Note: No spoilers, just the names of the episodes.
10. The Winds of Winter (Season 6, Episode 10)
9. The Laws of Gods And Men (Season 4, Episode 6)
8. The Door (season six, episode 5)
7. The Children (season four, episode 10)
6. Blackwater (season 2, episode 9)
5. The Mountain and the Viper (season four, episode eight)
4. Hardhome (season 5, episode 9)
3. The Rains of Castamere (season 3, episode 9)
2. The Lion and the Rose (season four, episode two)
1. Battle of the Bastards (season 6, episode 9)
No. 10 – And Finally ...
In all of the years I've covered Texas football, I don't know that I've ever met a kinder, more gentle soul than Johnny "Lam" Jones.
For those that aren't completely aware of his exploits from 40+ years ago, Jones was not only a former first-round draft pick, but he was an Olympic Gold Medal sprinter at 18 years old. That he went on to become the second overall pick of the 1980 NFL Draft was just a small detail in a life that had so many.
When I featured him in a chapter of my book "The Die-Hard Fan's Guide to Longhorns Football" back in 2008, he invited me into his home and allowed me to become a part of his life for a small period of time. Of all the chapters in the book, my favorite by a country mile was the one dedicated to Jones.
Lam Jones passed away this week at the age of 60. He had battled cancer once and won, only to battle it again and lose.
Hearing the news of his passing on Friday was heartbreaking.
I thought I would end this week's column with a piece of his chapter, which I first published on the site back on August 19, 2008.
Rest in peace, Johnny.
*****
The rest of the world might have known him as Johnny Jones, but it didn't take long before the entire Longhorn Nation began to know him as something else.
He was no longer Johnny Jones. Instead, he became Lam Jones.
There might not have been another athlete in the world that possessed the combination of world-class speed and abilities on the football field that Jones enjoyed. He might have been an American original in every other town, but in an ironic twist of fate, he was just one of several Johnny Jones' on the Texas football roster.
Literally.
On the same roster as Jones were fellow running backs Johnny Jones of Hamlin, Texas and Johnny Jones of Youngstown, Ohio. With three players sharing the same name and the same position, nicknames were a necessity.
Jones of Lampasas became "Lam" Jones. Jones of Hamlin became "Ham" Jones. And Jones of Ohio became "Jam" Jones, mostly because it rhymed with the other two.
With a new moniker in the game program, Jones began the journey of creating a legacy in football that would match the one that he had created on the track.
Of course, when you consider that he had grown up a fan of Barry Switzer's Sooners, it's amazing to think that he would end up with their arch-rival.
Perhaps it wasn't divine intervention, but an unlikely sequence of events led to his arrival in Austin.
"Coming out in recruiting, I was leaning a little more towards The University of Oklahoma and that was simply because back in those days they had the wishbone," Jones said. "At Lampasas High we ran the wishbone, and they also ran the wishbone at Texas, but Oklahoma had some wishbone halfbacks that were just a little more flashier than the Texas running backs. Texas had Roosevelt Leaks and Earl Campbell. That's two of the best right there. If you were a wishbone halfback, you'd lean a little more towards the Joe Washington and Greg Pruitt-type of running back. That's the type of back I was. I was considered more of the fast, quick and shifty type of back. Those were the type of backs that had been going to The University of Oklahoma, so I was leaning heavily towards Oklahoma."
The Sooners might have had the offense that Jones had coveted, but the in-state Longhorns had something that Switzer and Co. couldn't retaliate against.
Texas was family, even if Jones just didn't know it yet.
"While Coach (Darrell) Royal and Coach (Ken) Dabbs were over visiting me at our house, we were able to find out that there was a closer bond than we even realized. Coach Dabbs grew up in a little town called Freer, Texas and his family owned a restaurant down there. Their cook's name was Lonnie MacPhall. At first, coach Dabbs didn't know my grandmother's maiden name when he first started talking to her over at the house.
"After finding out my grandmother's maiden name, he asked her if she knew a Lonnie MacPhall and when he asked her that, she said, 'Ken, is that you?'"
"I guess her brother had been talking about this Ken Dabbs for all of these years. All of these years he had been talking about him. It turned out that my grandmother's older brother was the cook in Coach Dabbs' family's café. When Coach Dabbs was growing up, my grandmother's brother taught him how to drive and all kinds of stuff. Once they found out that that connection was there, had I gone anywhere else they would have hung me. That's how I ended up at Texas.
"Her older brother took care of Coach Dabbs when he was young and he was going to take care of me when I got to Texas, and he did. Everything turned out fine."
Jones also joked that Royal's celebrity power in Lampasas didn't hurt Texas' chances of landing him.
"It also doesn't hurt when Coach Royal comes to your house and has dinner with your grandparents," Jones said with a smile. "Your grandmother and grandfather are like rock stars in Lampasas to have Coach Royal sit in your home and have some of your homemade bread or homemade jelly. Not a lot of grandmothers could say that and my grandmother was on top of the world for a long time after that."
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