As far as vacations go, I think I took three days off over the last two weeks.
I just don't do vacations well and my wife isn't real happy about it, but she should be used to it after living through me working on our honeymoon in Jamaica.
Oh, well. Time to stop pretending. Let's get back to it.
No. 2 – At the risk of derailing the column ...
I am not Dr. Leo Marvin. I just play him in a column occasionally.
In the aftermath of so much discussion about Malik Jefferson in the last week, I thought I would give a brief overview of his situation from my perspective.
a. In one of the ironic moments of recent Texas football history, I think Jefferson needed there to be a change in coaching staffs this off-season as much as anyone in the program. On a team with failures all over the field, Jefferson became an easy scapegoat for a coaching staff that was as quick to roll him under the bus as it was to ask for his help in recruiting (see his own defensive coordinator and head coach).
Did Jefferson play as well as he could have? Not even close. However, singling out his play while other failures on the field seemed to receive a free pass for even worse transgressions, spoke to the widespread mismanagement within the program among highly paid coaches who refused to own their own roles in the on-field disaster.
b. Given the events from 2016, I was of the opinion that Tom Herman and Co. needed only to come in and love on Jefferson a little in an effort to build his confidence back up, and I fully believed Jefferson would emerge as one of the top players in the Big 12 as a byproduct.
In my estimation, Jefferson is the kind of kid that you can coach really hard if he knows that you love him and have his back. He's already tried to knock down walls for coaches that treated him like a dog that isn't allowed to come inside, so my belief is that he's a guy you can get more out of with a few hugs.
c. Everything from the last seven months would indicate that the coaches believe Jefferson needs tough love this off-season.
It's not the approach I would have used, given the circumstances he's dealt with the last 24 months, but I understand the approach. At some point, Jefferson is going to be in the NFL and that is a league that does not do hugs. It's a rough man's game and rough people run it. Frankly, what Jefferson has experienced at Texas in his two years hasn't been fun, but nothing that has happened is remotely on the level of what he'll experience the first time he has a misstep under an NFL assistant coach.
The bottom line is that the next the next five months are the probably the most important of Jefferson's football-playing life. If he comes out and plays like a dude with a wallet that reads "Bad MF" on it, none of this off-season stuff is going to matter. If he comes out and plays like a dude that can't self-start some greatness, his Texas career will likely end in disappointment.
It's time for Malik Jefferson to ask himself ... what would Jules Winnfield do?
And do it.
No. 3 – Best wide receiver classes of the last 20 years ...
With Al'Vonte Woodard's commitment on Saturday, the Longhorns’ wide receiver class suddenly features a pair of deadly playmakers in Woodard and Louisville prep star Rondale Moore.
It's not hard to envision five-star caliber star Brennan Eagles being the next to join the group, while big-timers like Terrace Marshall Jr., Jaylen Waddle and Tommy Bush remain possibilities.
As the guy that gave the "Big Three" its nickname back in 1999 when I ranked Roy Williams, BJ Johnson and Sloan Thomas as the top three prospects in the state, it got me to thinking about the top Texas wide receiver classes of the last 20 years.
Here's my Top 5.
1. 2000 (Roy, BJ, Sloan and Tony Jeffery)
2. 2010 (Mike Davis, Darius White, Chris Jones, John Harris and Darius Terrell)
3. 2004 (Jordan Shipley, George Walker, Myron Hardy, Chris Ogbonnaya and Nathan Jones)
4. 2016 (Devin Duvernay, Collin Johnson, Reggie Hemphill-Mapps and Davion Curtis)
5. 2002 (Marquise Johnson, Robert Timmons and Dustin Miksch)
If the Longhorns end up landing Woodard, Eagles and Moore, I'd rate that threesome either No. 2 or No. 3. If they add Eagles and a fourth four-star or higher prospect, I think a No. 2 spot becomes pretty safe.
No. 4 – Finishing off the class ...
Twelve down, let's say 13 to go after Woodard's commitment this weekend.
I think the staff would feel very good if it shakes out like this when February rolls around (Note: I used Suchomel's percentages from this week's Recruiting Board in parenthesis)
WR:
Brennan Eagles (70%)
WR:
Tommy Bush (35%)
TE:
Malcolm Epps (65%)
TE:
Luke Ford (30%)
OL:
Rafiti Ghirmai (60%)
OL:
Cameron Wire (40%)
DE:
Joseph Ossai (40%)
DE:
Max Wright (N/A)
DT:
Keondre Coburn (75%)
DT:
Bobby Brown (40%)
DB:
D'Shawn Jamison (75%)
DB:
Jalen Green (65%)
That's 12. I'll leave room for another out of state wildcard with that final spot.
Yes, I'm calling my shot. After Kevin Sumlin is fired at the end of November, Max Wright will visit Texas in mid-January on an official visit and flip his commitment in the final days before National Signing Day. Ultimately, it'll come down to a decision between a program on the rise and one that is stuck forever in neutral.
No. 5 – Alignment ...
With all due respect to the recruiting news from the weekend, this was my favorite thing about Texas football from this weekend.
No. 6 – A question for each Big 12 head coach this week...
* For Baylor's Matt Rhule: Do you believe Art Briles should be in jail?
* For Iowa State's Matt Campbell: Do you believe Art Briles should be in jail?
* For Kansas' David Beaty: How many times have you referenced the win over Texas in the off-season as a recruiting tool?
* For Kansas State's Bill Snyder: Is Orangebloods.com your favorite website?
* For Oklahoma's Lincoln Riley: If you don't win more than nine games, should you still be the head coach at Oklahoma in 2018?
* For Oklahoma State's Mike Gundy: By how large of a margin do you believe you are the best college head football coach in the state of Oklahoma?
* For TCU's Gary Patterson: Do you have anyone other than Kenny Hill that you feel good about at quarterback?
* For Texas' Tom Herman: After an off-season of trying to create alignment, what remains as the area that still needs the most alignment?
* For Texas Tech's Kliff Kingsbury: Do you think your buyout is the only reason you still have a job?
* For West Virginia's Dana Holgorsen: If neither of you washed your hair for a week, who would have the greasier hair - you or Mike Gundy?
No. 7 – Buy or Sell …
BUY or SELL: Will Texas end up with some good OL and DL this year? Do we need win at least 9 for this to happen?
(Buy) Good? Yes.
Great? That I'm not so sure of. You might be using a word that will prove to be impossible to obtain in this class, especially on the offensive side of the ball.
BUY or SELL: For the third time in four years, the Big 12 misses the playoff?
(Buy) I don't believe in Oklahoma without Bob Stoops to that degree. I don't think Oklahoma State runs the table.
BUY or SELL: Will Lincoln Riley try to upstage Herman at every move? Will he try to show dominance over Herman just to try to get into his head ?
(Sell) I'm not sure upstaging Herman this week is possible. What is he going to do ... debut a mullet?
BUY or SELL: At the end of the 2017 football season, Gary Johnson has taken over Malik Jefferson's spot as the top defensive NFL prospect?
(Sell) Let's not let his unfulfilled potential cause us to casually dismiss Jefferson's abilities.
BUY or SELL: This year’s recruiting class exceeds your initial expectations when Herman was hired?
(Buy) I didn't think he'd have this much momentum before ever coaching a game. The man has sick recruiting skills.
BUY or SELL: Texas wins 9 games if:
a. Texas incurs no major injuries.
b. Buechele throws for 3,800 yards
c. Warren rushes for 1,200 yards
d. The defense is ranked 3rd in the conference
(Buy) Texas might play in the playoff if all of those things happen.
BUY or SELL: Texas upsets at least one of these teams it will more than likely be the underdog against : USC, OU, OSU?
(Buy) Herman is too good against ranked teams to think Texas drops all of those games.
BUY or SELL: This week will go down as one of the most silly in the history of OB. The backlash over nothing has to make 50 days seem like 50 years?
(Sell) This past week barely registers on the silliness scale. Hell, it wasn't long ago that people flipped out over a comment I made about George Washington, let alone speak of some of the zany things that went down in the final year under Mack Brown or the early years under Mack Brown.
Remember when I was dog-cussed because I dared to suggest that Strong's meeting with Roger Goodell wouldn't be remembered by anyone a month after it occurred?
Silliness grows on trees around here after nearly two decades.
BUY or SELL: If Anwar claims in the next Pulpit that anonymous sources are saying Vince Young is coming back to Texas for his last year of eligibility, you will stand behind said sources?
a. His sources aren't anonymous to us.
b. If his sources are as strong as they usually are, yeah, I'll stand by him. He's a world-class reporter that has earned respect across the nation, not some medium-market fan-boy chump.
c. I think you just suggested an impossible scenario as a parallel to the actual real scenario that unfolded this past week. I don't really have anything to add, I just felt the need to point that out.
BUY or SELL: Connor Williams gives up less than 5 sacks this season?
(Buy). I think you meant 0.5 sacks, but I couldn't be sure.
No. 8 – Maybe ... just maybe …
Given that the Longhorn football program has spent the last decade-plus trying to replace former star tight end David Thomas, maybe he's the next guy from the program that warrants a statue?
I'm kidding ... kind of.
No. 9 – A few thoughts on D'Onta's arrest this weekend …
a. Get a concealed gun license.
b. Tell your boys to go inside a house or apartment if they want to smoke weed.
c. Always remember that you have more to lose than anyone you hang out with.
d. From the words of the iconic Charlie Brown.
No. 10 – And finally …
47 days and change, folks. 47 days. We're going to make it.
