Full confession - as Anwar Richardson clued us in time after time this month on the names that would soon become the newest members of the Texas assistant coaching staff, I found myself pretty unimpressed.
One guy barely has any real coaching experience. Another was best known for what he once did in the Super Bowl when I was a freshman in college. Then, there was the guy who seemed to have the chops to make for a good special teams background, only to find out he was going to be the co-defensive coordinator. Even stealing an assistant away from Oklahoma didn't come without some questions.
Not a single one arrives with a reputation for being a mist-maker in recruiting, let alone a rain-maker.
For the deluded out there, it was impossible not to commit to an eyeroll or 20. Of course, I include myself among the deluded.
While the Texas Longhorns have been in the midst of the worst 10-year stretch of football in a long and storied history, I've continued to assume that as the caretaker of the program, Herman would be able to play by the rules of those that operated in the glory days that proceeded him.
Money-whip the best. Tempt them with the lure of living in one of the best cities in the world. Let them know that if they succeed at Texas, a head coaching job at a place that matters can be right around the corner.
When Mack Brown replaced a huge chunk of his coaching staff following the 2010 season, he took his new defensive line coach (Bo Davis) away from Nick Saban, his new offensive line coach (Stacy Searles) away from Georgia and his new wide receivers coach (Darrell Wyatt) away from a conference foe, despite the fact that he was a coordinator at his previous school and a mere wide receivers coach upon his arrival in Austin.
Yet, that was nearly a decade ago, back when Texas was two years removed from playing for a national championship. The truth of the matter is that the Texas of 2020 isn't the same as the Texas of 2011, mostly because the brand is weaker than it used to be, a byproduct of so many disappointing seasons.
The mistake that we deluded folks made is that we went into this coaching search looking to judge Herman by the standards of Texas football when Texas football was a true national power instead of pretending to be.
Humpty Dumpty is broken and has been broken for a long time, still needing to be put together again.
It's time for the deluded to wake up and realize that Texas football might have been a behemoth in the past and it might become that again one day in the future, but in the present, Texas football isn't quite close to that, which means that it is unrealistic to think that it can walk around acting like it is bigger than it really is.
Again, I include myself among those that have been deluded, establishing expectations that were appropriate during the behemoth days and not in 2020.
I hope my eyes are open enough that I don't make that mistake again.
No. 2 - The 2021 Recruiting Rub ...
Here's the thing that all Texas football fans need to understand.
The best prospects from the state of Texas in the class of 2021 are taking a wait and see approach to Herman's program after the season that just took place.
Oh, they'll show up for visits in Austin. They'll say lots of nice things. Texas will be seriously considered.
Yet, they'll be waiting to see if the sales hype from the Texas staff is a mirage or the beginning of something they believe can turn into something elite.
See the Brockermeyer brothers.
This reality means that Herman could have landed a staff full of guys regarded as nationally elite recruiters and the program would still be in a position of needing to prove itself with the elite uncommitted prospects before the commitments would start to come in. There's likely going to be a lot of anxiety among Texas fans about 2021 recruiting for the next seven months, but the thing that Texas needs to do to convince some of these elite prospects that Texas is the place for them can't be done in the off-season.
Understanding this truth makes understanding Herman's all-in stance on development with his new staff easier to understand.
No. 3 - About the development discussion ...
The most exciting thing Texas football has going for itself at the moment is this truth ... Herman has a much-improved coaching staff.
* Mike Yurich >>> Tim Beck
* Chris Ash >>> Todd Orlando
* Jay Boulware >>> anything Texas cobbled together on special teams in 2019
We can quibble about a few of the other position coaches, but the fact that the Longhorns have made significant improvements in all three phases at the coordinator positions is a very important event that Herman needed if his tenure as head coach is truly ever going to take off.
No. 4 - One final thought ...
The all-in movement towards development with the new staff without a ton of regard towards recruiting means the Longhorns are actually learning to walk in year four under Herman, rather than running.
What Herman is doing right now is about winning in the playoff, it's about beating the likes of Iowa State, Baylor, TCU and Oklahoma with an eye on a Big 12 Championship.
Once that mission can be accomplished, Herman is betting that recruiting will take care of itself and if he's right that it will, the Longhorns can potentially start to add the type of dynamic, national top 50-60 type prospects that will lead you to success beyond the conference level.
Texas will never win a national championship without an elite-level roster, but it can win the Big 12 without Alabama, Clemson or LSU-level talent.
Just look at Oklahoma.
This is a two-tier process and while they've dominated the first tier for almost a decade, the second-tier of growth has never quite occurred, which is why they haven't cleared anything better than the national semi-finals since 2008. The Longhorns are currently trying to clear the first tier and it's what the 2020 season is all about. Once that is accomplished, you can move onto trying to tackle the second tier, which is going to take more time than clearing the first tier.
Trust the process.
No. 5 – BUY or SELL …
(Sell) Until I know that he can stay on the field and be better than Jake Smith, I'll lean with Smith in the slot. That being said, if Whittington is healthy, I expect him to be starting somewhere because Texas has to get its best athletes/players on the field at the same time. Period.
(Buy) Yes, I like the direction of these recruitments for the Longhorns.
(Sell) I wouldn't have a problem with Okam as a hire, but there's not enough of a body of work there in my mind to place him in the must-have category. However, I'm willing to admit that I might be wrong about this.
(Sell) There are players at wide receiver, offensive line and defensive line that I'm not sure Texas replaces with better players. It's not outside of the realm of possibilities, but it's no sure thing to say the least.
(Buy) Yup, I think so.
(Sell) Not at this point.
(Buy) It's hard to believe he'd have had so many losing or borderline losing seasons.
(Sell) He believed he had an elite staff going into last season.
(Sell) I love both movies, but Parasite is the best film I've seen this year at this point.
No. 6 - About Texas basketball ...
I'm not sure that I have much to say about the loss to a Kansas squad that's significantly better than the Longhorns other than this ...
Making the NCAA Tournament in year five under Shaka Smart and suggesting that's somehow a success is misguided. Texas is paying Smart too much money for the lowest possible bar to represent a smidge of success.
This lowering of the bar is exactly how you end up in a situation on Saturday where the Longhorns were within distance of upsetting Kansas and the mood inside the Erwin Center mostly represented a golf crowd at an event that Tiger Woods isn't attending.
No. 7 - The No. 1 player in the final LSR Top 100 for 2020 has been decided ...
The final set of rankings will arrive later this week, but I've decided on a No. 1 player in the state and in the end it feels quite obvious.
Hint: I do not view Zach Evans as a five-star prospect. Not anymore. At some point, the chaos has to be considered as a ding against his recruiting grade and that will be reflected in the final LSR rankings.
No. 8 - Eternal Randomness of the Spotty Sports Mind ...
... Patrick Mahomes is some kind of football player. I have to admit I never thought he'd be this kind of player. He's elite of the elite and has a chance to be elite in terms of eventual all-time status. Unreal.
... At his peak, Aaron Rodgers is the best quarterback these eyes have ever seen, but his lack of post-season success will always be held against him in all-time conversations. But, I ask myself, how many rings would he had if he had quarterbacked for the Patriots since 2006?
... When did Raheem Mostert become Derrick Henry?
... Kyle Shamahan is fulfilling his destiny. He knew this is where he was headed two decades ago.
... Early Prediction: Kansas City 27 San Francisco 24
... Am I crazy or did Boyz II Men sell out the city of Philadelphia on Sunday?
... He's still got it.
... I really thought D'Eriq King would do better than Miami. That feels like a pretty monster gamble on his part.
... Yes, Conor McGregor was impressive in beating Cowboy Cerrone, but it's hard to take much from when you consider that Cerrone is currently the equivalent of a jobber in professional wrestling at this point and I say that as someone who considers himself a fan of Cerrone, who has now lost three straight fights (including two in a row in first-round TKOs).
... Ouch...
... Going back to last season, Liverpool has taken 91 of the last 93 points it has played for in the Premier League. As I told you guys months ago, we're looking at one of the truly great teams in the history of the sport. I feel so very lucky as a fan to be able to watch this team.
... Please, Timo Werner, come to Liverpool.
... Some weekend for Manchester United, as they lose at Liverpool, lose Marcus Rashford for a few months and had to sit through Eric Haaland netting a hat trick in his first game with Dortmund after stiffing them in the transfer window. More of that, please.
No. 9 - Top 10 Texas assistant coach hires of the last quarter-century ...
I'm convinced you guys are going to argue like hell with me on this one because it's even more subjective than the normally subjective lists I put out each week. Obviously, recent hires still have a chance to climb the list over time.
This isn't based on what was actually accomplished by the coaches involved. Rather it's a list based on the juice each coach arrived with based on previous accomplishments.
Let's do this.
1. Greg Robinson
2. Will Muschamp
3. Bryan Harsin
4. Gene Chizik
5. Chris Ash
6. Dick Tomey
7. Mike Yurcich
8. Manny Diaz
9. Todd Orlando
10. Major Applewhite
No.10 - And finally...
I think I'll let Chris Del Conte have the final word this week.
