I'd engage that fan every damn day of the week.
That's the definition of "seen better on campus."
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Ketch's 10 Thoughts From the Weekend (Inspecting Tom Herman's first 100 days as UT HC)
- Thread starter Ketchum
- Start date
I'd engage that fan every damn day of the week.
That's the definition of "seen better on campus."
Ketch, great read!
Herman will always be cool with the mods on this site unless there is a string of below the belt jabs that is now all to common on OB. It is one thing to be objective with play on the field, but there is way to much digging in other areas to stir the pot.
Herman will always be cool with the mods on this site unless there is a string of below the belt jabs that is now all to common on OB. It is one thing to be objective with play on the field, but there is way to much digging in other areas to stir the pot.
He is the Defensive Coordinator as he was at UH. Thats kind of micro-ing and splitting hairs. No idea what position he coached at UH, if it matters.
I guess my point is Malik would have to get up awfully early to impress Orlando after his dealing with Oliver for a year. I wouldn't be waiting around to get a picture of his jaw dropping.
Yes, I went out of my way to use that photo. She makes me want to be in college again.
The Okl case will, to a large extent, turn on circumstances of the stop, search and questioning by police, as well as circumstances of any admissions to administrators, if any. Evidence suppression issues are always a concern for prosecutors. If arguable suppression issues exist in the case, the kid could easily end up with a misdemeanor deferred adjudication (or the Oklahoma equivalent) or even a dismissal. Agreeing with Ketch for the second time in two days! I need a drink!
- I agree with your assessment of Herman's first 100 days. As a guy who interacts with him, he has actually gone above and beyond in terms of accessibility so far. I have stalked him more than once, and he has been gracious each time.
- Tom Herman tweets so much, I've considered turning off my alerts. Always weird when I'm with my girl and the phone keeps chirping and I have to explain Herman is tweeting at 11:30 p.m. Luckily, she's been cool about it.
- Guys are buying in because they're tired of losing. That 2015 class has experienced two five-win seasons and no bowl game. They really is nothing to hold on to.
- I think Herman is the real deal. I agree with you that we'll know more by 2019, but I would not be shocked if he exceeds my eight-win expectation this year.
- Love me some Keith Thurman (I'm friends with his trainer), but you can't take off rounds. First time I questioned him as a pro. That being said, I hope he gets a PPV fight this year.
- Here is why Jones has to get rid of Romo by release or trade. Romo is slated to earn $14 million this season. Dak is going to make $540,000. Your starting QB can't make $13.5 million less than his backup. That is just asking for problems inside that locker room/meeting room, and NFL QBs have to be pacified or the team suffers.
- Tom Herman tweets so much, I've considered turning off my alerts. Always weird when I'm with my girl and the phone keeps chirping and I have to explain Herman is tweeting at 11:30 p.m. Luckily, she's been cool about it.
- Guys are buying in because they're tired of losing. That 2015 class has experienced two five-win seasons and no bowl game. They really is nothing to hold on to.
- I think Herman is the real deal. I agree with you that we'll know more by 2019, but I would not be shocked if he exceeds my eight-win expectation this year.
- Love me some Keith Thurman (I'm friends with his trainer), but you can't take off rounds. First time I questioned him as a pro. That being said, I hope he gets a PPV fight this year.
- Here is why Jones has to get rid of Romo by release or trade. Romo is slated to earn $14 million this season. Dak is going to make $540,000. Your starting QB can't make $13.5 million less than his backup. That is just asking for problems inside that locker room/meeting room, and NFL QBs have to be pacified or the team suffers.
So far as I have heard, he has never been in trouble with the law before. First offense, and a felony destroys his future. I'm betting the DA will be amenable to a misdemeanor to prevent potentially making a career criminal out of someone who has a big-time future in front of him.
Orlando switched over to a 3-4 scheme and for the last seven years or so has had to create pass rushers out of somewhat limited clay.
Yes, Oliver is the best talent he's ever had, but I was specifically thinking of linebackers/pass rushers and should have specified it that way.
Busted.
To be fair, they beat FSU and Baylor after we started talking about them on a weekly basis in the column.
I think there is a chance that you just might be right. Under they eyes and instruction of new coaches, I got a feeling this young man will blossom.
Very good point. And a good "catch" so to speak.
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Hmm interesting...does seem the infraction was not as bad as it was made out to be. Seems like a really bad one time decision.
a. I don't have Herman alerts. It would annoy me. I'm online enough that I feel like I'll see what I need to see. I never come out of the Matrix.
b. Your girl seems cool. That's never terrible.
c. I dig me some Thurman as well. Not sure he's ready for PPV.
d. I don't think that money thing matters much in the locker room... yet. They worked through that this year and they can work through it one more year IMO.
How do you get that from what Ketch reported? You appear to assume Reese is lying and Ketch is approving of that conduct. Please indicate where (1) Ketch indicated the kid was lying, or (2) he was saying tat was appropriate.
Maybe I misinterpreted the quotation but reading in between the lines leaves me the impression that there is more to that conversation between the admin and student.
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I think he'll have to jump through dozens of hoops, but he has a chance.
Agree about Romo. I had an interesting conversation last week about Strong when I was in Austin with one of the regents that looks at salaries. We were talking about how it was obvious at year 3 that Strong's approach was never going to work. Strong believed he could come in and do the things he needed to do to win and he didn't have to do all of the other small things that Brown, Saban, and now Herman are doing. When it became obvious he wasn't going to win he still tried to hang onto to his job and did some of the behind the scenes things he did do ie: Herbstreit on ESPN to keep his job. What was not reported, and no one would report this, that incident and that behavior is the reason Fenves didn't even give Strong a news conference to depart. I know it's been reported, but it's also a HUGE reason we wont play USF in the coming years.
Rome wasn’t built in 100 days and neither will the Texas Longhorns football program under Tom Herman.
When you’re arriving on the scene after what amounts to the worst three-year stretch in the history of Texas football, it stands to reason that that the task of bringing the Longhorns back among the elite of the elite has many layers - from the culture in the program to improved facilities to the off-season program to 100 other things.
While we’re not going to have a complete report of Herman and his staff’s efforts until the fall (and beyond), Monday represents Herman’s 100th day in office as the CEO of Longhorns football.
A few months ago before Herman was hired, a high-level Texas administrator told me that the things he loved the most about him was that he checked off a lot of boxes. In reviewing Herman’s first 100 days, there aren’t any wins on the field to analyze just yet, but it is impossible to ignore that he does, in fact, check off a lot of boxes.
In alphabetical order, let’s audit what’s taken place in the 100 days that have passed since November 26,
Fan Relations
Perhaps this isn’t the most important category we’ll review, but I think it’s critically important that Herman made such an effort to engage with supporters of the program, many of whom were completely disengaged with the program by the end of Strong’s tenure.
While his predecessor often looked uncomfortable in his three years in Austin as it relates to the forever demanding role of official hand-shaker/back-patter/selfie-taker of the program, Herman has jumped head-first into fray that Mack Brown once mastered so easily.
It’s not just that we’ve seen him out handing pizzas to students during fall finals or that he seems to have time for everyone that requests a piece of it or the all-out assault on social media that allows for fans to feel fully engaged with what’s happening within the program on a daily basis … it’s that Herman has managed to successfully juggle all of these things at once.
One of the things about Herman that makes him so likeable is his propensity to willingly engage in conversation, which pulls the curtains back on areas of the program that the fans have previously not witnessed. Unlike Strong, it took about five seconds before Herman started to publicly acknowledge the facility issues that have lingered for years as an unaddressed black eye for the program. Until Herman spoke up, a large majority of the fan base would have never guessed that the Jones’ of college football were closer to living day-in and day-out in a rented duplex instead of the Taj Mahal, even with revenues that the rest of the sport drools over.
For a fan base that loves to feel involved and informed about all layers of the program at all times, Herman’s force-feeding of constant interaction with those who follow the program in a variety of levels has provided a quenched thirst for many who have felt like they’ve been wandering in the desert. More times than not, Texas fans just want someone that isn’t going to feed them BS.
What the full transparency has created is a level of confidence within the program’s fan base that has mostly been missing with Texas football for most of this decade.
Media Relations
Truth be told, there’s still a bit of a feeling out stage of the relationship between Herman and the media that covers his program that is still ongoing and probably will be ongoing throughout this season, as the waltz between the two side’s relationship remains an interesting behind the scenes subplot to Herman’s first season.
For instance, while Strong ran a program with loose lips, Herman has made it clear that he doesn’t want to find himself in the same situation. As a byproduct, Herman has made himself as readily available to the media as anyone could reasonably expect, considering there haven’t been a lot of official occasions for such outside of National Signing Day.
To his credit, Herman seems to be making an effort to ensure that those who cover his program stay informed, which is more than I can say for the last two coaches in Herman’s seat.
Hell, he allowed Anwar Richardson a few minutes after the Texas Coaches Leadership Summit in San Antonio when he absolutely didn’t have to, which speaks to his willingness to have a good relationship with the media members that cover his team. A lot of coaches wouldn’t have cared that Richardson made the trip down on a hope and a prayer of getting a few minutes of Herman’s time, but Herman seemed to realize that Richardson’s presence allowed him an opportunity to promote his program in a moment that he might not have been able to otherwise.
Plus, it was the decent thing to do, all things considered. Dealing with a coach that is decent to them is considerably better than many of the alternatives.
Player development
We’re not going to see any true residuals in this area for presumably another seven months, but there are a number of indicators that we can point to that suggest things are going well in this area.
a. All reports have the team hitting off in a big way with new strength and conditioning coach Yancy McKnight. Even the players that are fiercely loyal to Strong have been able to connect with McKnight in the last six weeks, which has allowed for exactly the type of all-in commitment and atmosphere that Herman demands.
b. As described in this week’s War Room, the level of commitment/focus towards nutrition is on another level that the program has probably ever seen.
c. Science, technology and advanced-analytics are fully embraced. True story - Strong was once approached in his first year in Austin about whether it was even worth our time to ask him about his thoughts on the role of analytics in the sport and his program and he chuckled while admitting that those topics weren’t really his bag. Perhaps the biggest difference between Herman and Strong as I can see it after 100 days is Herman’s thirst to consume data in every arm of his program. The goal isn’t just to be the most-physically tough program in the country, but there’s an immense desire to be the best-planned program behind the scenes as well. You get the sense with Herman that he understands there are a lot of programs with great players or quarterbacks, but the difference in the margins might just be outplanning and outthinking the competition.
Recruiting
In an effort to keep this section from going 5,000 words, I’m going to attempt to break this down into a few snapshots of the different layers to the recruiting discussion that exist.
a. 2017 recruiting
Was it a tremendous success? No, probably not. Was it a success, even if not tremendously? Yeah, I think so. There’s a reality out there in the world of college football that everyone just needs to acknowledge the existence of, and that’s the enormous unlikely scenario that a new coach can come in and churn out a top 10-15 class if the foundation hasn’t already been established before the arrival of the new coach.
The truth about Texas recruiting last year is that Strong and his staff all but abandoned it while they focused on trying to save the Titanic from crashing after it hit the iceberg. Had Strong been retained, I can’t imagine he would have finished with a class that was anywhere close to his previous two in terms of quality and depth. By the time Texas lost to Kansas last season, there wasn’t a single uncommitted top 50 in-state prospect that you could say with certainty was going to end up in Austin.
Players that Texas landed that it 100-percent would not have come within a 10-foot pole of signing with Strong included: potential 2017 impact running back Toneil Carter, nationally elite linebacker Gary Johnson, a potential answer to the kicking game questions in Joshua Rowland, four-star linebacker Marquez Bimage and a personal favorite of mine in Daniel Young.
Whatever you think of the final 2017 results, just know with certainty that Herman salvaged what could have been a really bad situation had program change not occurred.
b. 2018 In-state Recruiting
The commitments haven’t started to roll in, but coming on the heels of one of the most star-studded junior day events in the history of the program, the Longhorns are squarely in the picture for 15 of the state’s top 20 prospects, and probably own the pole position for nearly half of those 15.
c. Out of State Recruiting
In his first two months on the job, Herman pulled players from Florida, Kansas, Oklahoma and Mississippi to help comprise his 18-man class. Meanwhile, the first commitment in the 2018 class is a national top-60 prospect from Florida and the coaches have recruited the best players in states like Oklahoma and Louisiana with zeal. I’m not sure you could expect more from this department after 100 days.
d. Multi-year focus
No problems here, as evidenced by the fact that that the Longhorns not only had several key 2019 prospects at last week’s Junior Day, but that group also included Louisiana 2019 prized offensive lineman Kardell Thomas. There’s even been a 2020 offer or two mixed in there and I would expect Texas to be fully operational in executing a three-cycle juggling act by the end of May when the staff has completed its spring evaluations.
Social Media
There’s not an area of the program where things have changed more drastically than in the sudden infusion of social media presence that the program now demands. On an hour-by-basis hour, it feels like Herman has the program being promoted in every possible fashion through every social media avenue.
If there’s a way for Herman and his staff to connect himself to any big-time recruit through a social networking channel, you can expect them to be diving head-first in that swimming pool on a daily basis.
In the last 24 hours, Herman has Tweeted about Texas Thon 2017 (miracle dance network marathon), retweeted a John Bianco tweet of a tweet he already retweeted, while also retweeting a bible verse from his new Director of Personnel.
On Monday, I fully expect a new playlist for Mix-tape Monday.
Meanwhile, I went over to Charlie Strong’s Twitter page on Sunday because I wanted to make a point about his lack of interest in Twitter and do you know what I discovered?
He deleted his Twitter account.
After spending 15 minutes trying every means I could to find his Twitter handle, it dawned on me that he must have deactivated it.
I mean … I just … uh … yeah.
Team Building
When Herman first arrived, he put his foot down in his first meetings with the players and there were rumblings that guys weren’t sure what to think and were considering exiting the program.
With every day that passes, the hours after the first team meeting feel like a long time ago, as reports of looming transfers have virtually disappeared.
Instead, from the outside looking in, this is a program that is buying into its new leadership.
In addition to McKnight in the S&C program, Herman's new assistant coaches seem to have hit it off famously with its inherited players. This newly established connection between players and staff has led to a united effort, from workouts to position meetings to last week’s Junior Day.
We won’t truly the know the score in this area until the football season creates a little bit of stress, but the optics of what’s taking place is nothing but positive heading into spring practices.
Overall
What Herman has done in his first 100 days is pretty impressive.
Obviously, what’s happened thus far will feel like a sinking stone to the bottom of the ocean if he doesn’t win games in the fall, but at this point, he’s accomplished more than I think any of us would have expected in such a short amount of time.
Honestly, outside of the hire of Casey Horny and the small amount of unrest it created, I can’t find much to nitpick in the early stages of his tenure in Austin and as most of you know, I’m kind of a world-class nitpicker.
That’s not to suggest the first 100 days have gone off without a hitch, but considering the massive nature of the job he holds, Herman has done exactly what that Texas administrator said almost four months ago.
Herman has been putting checkmarks in a lot of boxes.
No. 2 – Five questions for the spring ...
With spring drills set to begin on Tuesday and continue through the spring game on April 15, here’s a look at five questions going into the spring to which I’m fascinated to learn the answers.
1. How much distance will Shane Buechele have between himself and true freshman Sam Ehlinger, if any, by the end of spring drills?
This is a new offensive scheme for both players and the coaches seem open to the idea of the competition between the two this off-season deciding the outcome of the starting quarterback battle. Absolutely nothing has been settled at this position going into spring drills. May the best player/leader/alpha male win.
2. To which linebackers does Todd Orlando gravitate?
This is the deepest area of talent on the team and its emphasis in UT’s new defensive scheme can’t be stressed enough, but it remains to be seen which players will emerge and in what exact roles they will emerge? Is Malik Jefferson ready to assume true stardom? Is Jeffrey McCulloch the best player of them all? Where is Breckyn Hager’s best position? What roles can Edwin Freeman and Anthony Wheeler fill? There’s a lot of stuff going on inside this group and this is before Gary Johnson shows up in the fall.
3. Will the juniors-to-be that struggled in 2016 find their way back out of the wilderness in 2017?
Yes, I’m talking primarily about Holton Hill, Davante Davis, John Burt and Patrick Vahe, but there were players at every position on the field that regressed in 2016. One of Herman’s critical goals of this off-season is getting those players back on track.
4. What does Texas have to work with at running back?
Is it going to be the Chris Warren show? Can freshman Toneil Carter press for early playing time? Is Kirk Johnson going to circle back into relevance? What kind of role can Kyle Porter create for himself?
5. Is there anyone on special teams worth a damn outside of Michael Dickson?
The return game was so putrid last season that it can be argued that there isn’t anywhere to go but up. The new coaches have to find a way to get more playmaking ability in this area of the game. Meanwhile, I don’t think anyone really knows what to think of the place-kicking? Every area that doesn’t have Dickson front and center is a major question mark going into the spring.
No. 3 – One thought I had on Friday that won’t quite go away ...
If Chris Warren had stayed healthy last season, Tom Herman almost certainly would have D’Onta Foreman to work with this season as a lead running back.
It’s easy to forget all these months later, but when the season started last season, there was only one position on the entire two-deep that had an “or” next to the names at the top … and that was at starting running back. As amazing as it might seem after a 2,000-yard season, Foreman wasn’t even recognized as the definitive lead back until after Warren’s injury problems made it a necessity.
A healthy Warren almost certainly means that Foreman wouldn’t have come close to approaching 2,000 yards or 50+ carries in a game or 323 carries for the season or reason to believe that his draft stock would be anywhere near the first day of the draft.
It’s funny how things can work out. The impact of Warren’s injury not only led to Foreman producing one of the best seasons in the history of the program, but it helped put into motion a ton of corresponding moves on the chessboard.
In a weird way, the best way for Warren to assure himself of a starring role this season was to eliminate his primary competition, which could only occur with his removal from the line-up.
With Foreman dealing with a stress fracture of his own right now, which kept him from being able to run at the Combine and threatens to potentially move him into day three of the draft, it’s impossible not to think about the “could-haves” as it relates to the many different directions a different fate could have taken everyone.
No. 4 – Scattershooting on the Longhorns ...
… I can’t help but think that one of the answers to the Texas return game is sophomore Devin Duvernay. Dear Coach Herman, if you’re reading this, get this dude the ball 10 times a game by hook or crook. Trust me.
… Derek Warehime was basically a witch the last two years as the offensive line coach at Houston, so I’m eager to see what he whips up with this current Texas group, which features one elite player, a couple of good ones and then a slew of seriously talented question marks.
… I don’t think it has really clicked for most Texas fans just what they should have at left tackle in Connor Williams this season. On paper, the left side of the line should be captained by a guy who is one or two of the best tackles in all of college football. In my mind, whichever guy emerges as the best interior lineman this spring needs to be slotted next to Williams (if it can reasonably be done) in an effort to create an immediate strength/identity on which the team can lean from game one on.
… Little birdie tell me that the coaches love them Jerrod Heard. Don’t be surprised if his name is buzzing by the middle of spring workouts, if it even takes that long.
… Herman has to be frustrated with what Strong left him in the way of quality tight ends. As important as Herman has made clear the tight end position is in his offense, he’s likely going to be in a position of needing to make wine out of water.
… Speaking of tight ends, call me crazy, but I still believe there’s a better than fair shot that freshman Reese Leitao ends up on campus this fall, in spite of his arrest this week for possession of Xanax. The thing that caught my eye the most in Tom Herman’s statement on the matter was his desire to let the legal process play its way out, which would seem to indicate that if Leitao has a lawyer that can chop away at the charges to the point where legally it ends up being an issue of a couple of small misdemeanors, there is a possible pathway towards a second chance. My guess is that there are a ton of hurdles that have to be cleared, but if you’re Leitao you’d rather have Herman give you 100 hurdles to clear than a statement saying he can play football this fall anywhere he wants, just not in Austin.
p.s. - I’m not suggesting that giving Leitao a second chance is the right call, rather I’m explaining my current read of the tea leaves.
No. 5 – Buy or sell …
BUY or SELL: The more we learn about Charlie Strong's tenure at Texas, the more Longhorn nation realizes that we "bought a pig in a poke?”
(Buy) Yeah, I mean … he’s a head football coach, who no longer has an active Twitter account in 2017. I think he might have been a good hire had he came along in the 80s, but he just was not the right person for the job in 2014.
BUY or SELL: At the end of Spring football practice, you'll know for sure whether Tom Herman is the real deal?
(Sell) We might not know that answer until 2019. Might … not saying it will take that long … just a might.
BUY or SELL: Tom Herman's Longhorns will tackle better than any Texas team in the last 10 years?
(Sell) You remember that 2009 defense, right? Maybe you don’t. It has been a while.
BUY or SELL: Regardless of what a coach thinks of any particular law, when one of his players violates that law, disciplinary measures regarding participation in any team event should be enforced commensurate with the severity of the crime, in the eyes of the law, not just that of the individual coach?
(Buy) Sure.
BUY or SELL: The 2017 Longhorns will have at least one major upset win before the season is over?
(Buy) I know people hated me talking about Strong needing a signature win in his first season, but it’s exactly what Herman needs at some point in 2017 - a moment he can point to every recruit and say, “This is the example that shows we’re going to win championships in the future.”
BUY or SELL: Texas will have a new AD this time next year?
(Buy) I think business will pick up on this front in the coming months.
BUY or SELL: After being played out of position for two years in Strong's D under Todd Orlando, Malik Jefferson returns to the edge rusher he is meant to be and becomes a force in the defense? The Predator Returns!
(Buy) I’m buying all the stock I can in Orlando after all of the information I’ve acquired about his work at Utah State and Houston. He’d never been given an athlete quite like Jefferson to work with and I think he’s going to enjoy his toys.
BUY or SELL: Texas is no longer a blue-blood?
(Sell) Texas is most definitely college football royalty.
No. 6 – The Texas men’s basketball weekend in a gif …
No. 7 – With Baylor looming again on Monday night, here’s the Texas women’s basketball weekend in a gif. …
No. 8 – Still work to do on the diamond …
Baseball can be a quirky little game, but there are times when the results of the games aren’t rocket science.
At its most simple terms, baseball is a game that requires scoring more runs than the other team to win games and if you don’t score many runs, your margin of error becomes incredibly slight.
After losing three out of four games on the road at Stanford this weekend, here’s a look at the Texas record this season based on its own ability to score runs.
UT’s record when scoring two or fewer runs: 0-6
UT’s record when scoring three or more runs: 7-0
As the team nears the opening of conference play, it simply has to score more runs. Period. The pitching that’s needed to win is present, as evidenced by the 2.55 team ERA from this weekend’s series indicates.
We’ve seen this story before.
It’s just that everyone is looking for a different ending to the story.
No. 9 – Eternal Randomness of the Spotty Sports Mind …
… The UFC can’t catch a break. I was on a man-date with @McGuapo on Saturday for UFC209 and by the time it was over, I found myself as disgruntled about the product as I’ve ever been and I feel like I’ve been saying similar things for a while now. I’ve never rooted for a draw in a championship fight because I felt like neither guy deserved to win, but that’s how I felt after the Woodley/Thompson fight. I keep thinking this sport hasn’t reached its peak, but it might take a lot longer than I once hoped as a fan.
… Come on, Keith Thurman. Close the damn show. The great ones don’t coast in the championship rounds.
… Is Myles Garrett the freakiest athlete among football players that the Lone Star State has ever produced?
… John Ross is so fast that Chris Johnson didn’t even challenge him to a foot-race. He knows better.
… Dallas needs to keep Tony Romo and be selfish with regards to his future. They will be him and a king’s ransom to be the best insurance policy in football. One of the strengths of the team, along with the offensive line, is it’s strength in quality/numbers at quarterback. This ain’t friend business, it’s just business.
… EPL officiating really is quote horrendous. If you watch these clowns for a few games and then realize that they don’t have a replay system to fix the messes that they make, you’ll never complain about anything you see in the NFL, NBA or MLB ever again. It’s like watching referees from the WWE, as you almost always expect them to get knocked down and miss the most important moment of the match, only to wake up and play the role of unsuspecting dimwit, almost as if on cue.
… Poor Claudio Ranieri. If Leicester City had played with 80-percent of the effort all season that it has displayed in its last two EPL games, that team would be in the top half of the table and Ranieri would still have his job. Hell, we even had a Ryan Mahrez sighting on Saturday!
… I just don’t know how to explain Liverpool’s undefeated record against top six teams in the EPL this season vs. its record against bottom-feeders. I’m pretty sure Jurgen Klopp can’t, either … which is kind of a problem. Regardless, that 3-1 win over the Gunners was a reminder of what the Reds can be when they show up and play at least a B-level game.
… I get a feeling that this record gets broken again in the coming years.
… With or without Mauro Diaz, FC Dallas is the cream of the crop in the MLS. Buy your Kellyn Acosta stock now. The 21-year old from Dallas is emerging as a star.
... How about the Dynamo taking out the defending MLS Cup champion Seattle Sounders on Saturday night? Dare I say, Cubo Torres is back?
… Portland is going to be a ton of fun to watch all season. I’m not sure any team in the league has a better attacking front four than the Timbers.
No. 10 - And finally …
Orangebloods isn’t giving up in its quest to raise $25,000 for the Haruka Weiser fund.
Beginning at noon on Monday, we’re going to unveil five days of silent auctions, with five items being available for bidding beginning at noon on Monday.
In an effort to create interest in donating, we’ve created quite a few very creative prize packages for bidding. Stay tuned. We’re almost half-way home to our goal.
Let’s do this.
What I think Ketch said was that what Reese said is open to varying interpretations. he said he purchased the Xanax he was holding and intended for anyone to whom he supplied some to reimburse him, which could be construed as selling it or not. He was not intending to profit from the transaction is how I read it, which makes it different than dealing as I think of it.
Ketch - Regarding your thoughts on Tony Romo, I could not agree more. Romo needs to be on the team until another team blinks late in pre-season regarding their QB situation and way over pays.
Rome wasn’t built in 100 days and neither will the Texas Longhorns football program under Tom Herman.
When you’re arriving on the scene after what amounts to the worst three-year stretch in the history of Texas football, it stands to reason that that the task of bringing the Longhorns back among the elite of the elite has many layers - from the culture in the program to improved facilities to the off-season program to 100 other things.
While we’re not going to have a complete report of Herman and his staff’s efforts until the fall (and beyond), Monday represents Herman’s 100th day in office as the CEO of Longhorns football.
A few months ago before Herman was hired, a high-level Texas administrator told me that the things he loved the most about him was that he checked off a lot of boxes. In reviewing Herman’s first 100 days, there aren’t any wins on the field to analyze just yet, but it is impossible to ignore that he does, in fact, check off a lot of boxes.
In alphabetical order, let’s audit what’s taken place in the 100 days that have passed since November 26,
Fan Relations
Perhaps this isn’t the most important category we’ll review, but I think it’s critically important that Herman made such an effort to engage with supporters of the program, many of whom were completely disengaged with the program by the end of Strong’s tenure.
While his predecessor often looked uncomfortable in his three years in Austin as it relates to the forever demanding role of official hand-shaker/back-patter/selfie-taker of the program, Herman has jumped head-first into fray that Mack Brown once mastered so easily.
It’s not just that we’ve seen him out handing pizzas to students during fall finals or that he seems to have time for everyone that requests a piece of it or the all-out assault on social media that allows for fans to feel fully engaged with what’s happening within the program on a daily basis … it’s that Herman has managed to successfully juggle all of these things at once.
One of the things about Herman that makes him so likeable is his propensity to willingly engage in conversation, which pulls the curtains back on areas of the program that the fans have previously not witnessed. Unlike Strong, it took about five seconds before Herman started to publicly acknowledge the facility issues that have lingered for years as an unaddressed black eye for the program. Until Herman spoke up, a large majority of the fan base would have never guessed that the Jones’ of college football were closer to living day-in and day-out in a rented duplex instead of the Taj Mahal, even with revenues that the rest of the sport drools over.
For a fan base that loves to feel involved and informed about all layers of the program at all times, Herman’s force-feeding of constant interaction with those who follow the program in a variety of levels has provided a quenched thirst for many who have felt like they’ve been wandering in the desert. More times than not, Texas fans just want someone that isn’t going to feed them BS.
What the full transparency has created is a level of confidence within the program’s fan base that has mostly been missing with Texas football for most of this decade.
Media Relations
Truth be told, there’s still a bit of a feeling out stage of the relationship between Herman and the media that covers his program that is still ongoing and probably will be ongoing throughout this season, as the waltz between the two side’s relationship remains an interesting behind the scenes subplot to Herman’s first season.
For instance, while Strong ran a program with loose lips, Herman has made it clear that he doesn’t want to find himself in the same situation. As a byproduct, Herman has made himself as readily available to the media as anyone could reasonably expect, considering there haven’t been a lot of official occasions for such outside of National Signing Day.
To his credit, Herman seems to be making an effort to ensure that those who cover his program stay informed, which is more than I can say for the last two coaches in Herman’s seat.
Hell, he allowed Anwar Richardson a few minutes after the Texas Coaches Leadership Summit in San Antonio when he absolutely didn’t have to, which speaks to his willingness to have a good relationship with the media members that cover his team. A lot of coaches wouldn’t have cared that Richardson made the trip down on a hope and a prayer of getting a few minutes of Herman’s time, but Herman seemed to realize that Richardson’s presence allowed him an opportunity to promote his program in a moment that he might not have been able to otherwise.
Plus, it was the decent thing to do, all things considered. Dealing with a coach that is decent to them is considerably better than many of the alternatives.
Player development
We’re not going to see any true residuals in this area for presumably another seven months, but there are a number of indicators that we can point to that suggest things are going well in this area.
a. All reports have the team hitting off in a big way with new strength and conditioning coach Yancy McKnight. Even the players that are fiercely loyal to Strong have been able to connect with McKnight in the last six weeks, which has allowed for exactly the type of all-in commitment and atmosphere that Herman demands.
b. As described in this week’s War Room, the level of commitment/focus towards nutrition is on another level that the program has probably ever seen.
c. Science, technology and advanced-analytics are fully embraced. True story - Strong was once approached in his first year in Austin about whether it was even worth our time to ask him about his thoughts on the role of analytics in the sport and his program and he chuckled while admitting that those topics weren’t really his bag. Perhaps the biggest difference between Herman and Strong as I can see it after 100 days is Herman’s thirst to consume data in every arm of his program. The goal isn’t just to be the most-physically tough program in the country, but there’s an immense desire to be the best-planned program behind the scenes as well. You get the sense with Herman that he understands there are a lot of programs with great players or quarterbacks, but the difference in the margins might just be outplanning and outthinking the competition.
Recruiting
In an effort to keep this section from going 5,000 words, I’m going to attempt to break this down into a few snapshots of the different layers to the recruiting discussion that exist.
a. 2017 recruiting
Was it a tremendous success? No, probably not. Was it a success, even if not tremendously? Yeah, I think so. There’s a reality out there in the world of college football that everyone just needs to acknowledge the existence of, and that’s the enormous unlikely scenario that a new coach can come in and churn out a top 10-15 class if the foundation hasn’t already been established before the arrival of the new coach.
The truth about Texas recruiting last year is that Strong and his staff all but abandoned it while they focused on trying to save the Titanic from crashing after it hit the iceberg. Had Strong been retained, I can’t imagine he would have finished with a class that was anywhere close to his previous two in terms of quality and depth. By the time Texas lost to Kansas last season, there wasn’t a single uncommitted top 50 in-state prospect that you could say with certainty was going to end up in Austin.
Players that Texas landed that it 100-percent would not have come within a 10-foot pole of signing with Strong included: potential 2017 impact running back Toneil Carter, nationally elite linebacker Gary Johnson, a potential answer to the kicking game questions in Joshua Rowland, four-star linebacker Marquez Bimage and a personal favorite of mine in Daniel Young.
Whatever you think of the final 2017 results, just know with certainty that Herman salvaged what could have been a really bad situation had program change not occurred.
b. 2018 In-state Recruiting
The commitments haven’t started to roll in, but coming on the heels of one of the most star-studded junior day events in the history of the program, the Longhorns are squarely in the picture for 15 of the state’s top 20 prospects, and probably own the pole position for nearly half of those 15.
c. Out of State Recruiting
In his first two months on the job, Herman pulled players from Florida, Kansas, Oklahoma and Mississippi to help comprise his 18-man class. Meanwhile, the first commitment in the 2018 class is a national top-60 prospect from Florida and the coaches have recruited the best players in states like Oklahoma and Louisiana with zeal. I’m not sure you could expect more from this department after 100 days.
d. Multi-year focus
No problems here, as evidenced by the fact that that the Longhorns not only had several key 2019 prospects at last week’s Junior Day, but that group also included Louisiana 2019 prized offensive lineman Kardell Thomas. There’s even been a 2020 offer or two mixed in there and I would expect Texas to be fully operational in executing a three-cycle juggling act by the end of May when the staff has completed its spring evaluations.
Social Media
There’s not an area of the program where things have changed more drastically than in the sudden infusion of social media presence that the program now demands. On an hour-by-basis hour, it feels like Herman has the program being promoted in every possible fashion through every social media avenue.
If there’s a way for Herman and his staff to connect himself to any big-time recruit through a social networking channel, you can expect them to be diving head-first in that swimming pool on a daily basis.
In the last 24 hours, Herman has Tweeted about Texas Thon 2017 (miracle dance network marathon), retweeted a John Bianco tweet of a tweet he already retweeted, while also retweeting a bible verse from his new Director of Personnel.
On Monday, I fully expect a new playlist for Mix-tape Monday.
Meanwhile, I went over to Charlie Strong’s Twitter page on Sunday because I wanted to make a point about his lack of interest in Twitter and do you know what I discovered?
He deleted his Twitter account.
After spending 15 minutes trying every means I could to find his Twitter handle, it dawned on me that he must have deactivated it.
I mean … I just … uh … yeah.
Team Building
When Herman first arrived, he put his foot down in his first meetings with the players and there were rumblings that guys weren’t sure what to think and were considering exiting the program.
With every day that passes, the hours after the first team meeting feel like a long time ago, as reports of looming transfers have virtually disappeared.
Instead, from the outside looking in, this is a program that is buying into its new leadership.
In addition to McKnight in the S&C program, Herman's new assistant coaches seem to have hit it off famously with its inherited players. This newly established connection between players and staff has led to a united effort, from workouts to position meetings to last week’s Junior Day.
We won’t truly the know the score in this area until the football season creates a little bit of stress, but the optics of what’s taking place is nothing but positive heading into spring practices.
Overall
What Herman has done in his first 100 days is pretty impressive.
Obviously, what’s happened thus far will feel like a sinking stone to the bottom of the ocean if he doesn’t win games in the fall, but at this point, he’s accomplished more than I think any of us would have expected in such a short amount of time.
Honestly, outside of the hire of Casey Horny and the small amount of unrest it created, I can’t find much to nitpick in the early stages of his tenure in Austin and as most of you know, I’m kind of a world-class nitpicker.
That’s not to suggest the first 100 days have gone off without a hitch, but considering the massive nature of the job he holds, Herman has done exactly what that Texas administrator said almost four months ago.
Herman has been putting checkmarks in a lot of boxes.
No. 2 – Five questions for the spring ...
With spring drills set to begin on Tuesday and continue through the spring game on April 15, here’s a look at five questions going into the spring to which I’m fascinated to learn the answers.
1. How much distance will Shane Buechele have between himself and true freshman Sam Ehlinger, if any, by the end of spring drills?
This is a new offensive scheme for both players and the coaches seem open to the idea of the competition between the two this off-season deciding the outcome of the starting quarterback battle. Absolutely nothing has been settled at this position going into spring drills. May the best player/leader/alpha male win.
2. To which linebackers does Todd Orlando gravitate?
This is the deepest area of talent on the team and its emphasis in UT’s new defensive scheme can’t be stressed enough, but it remains to be seen which players will emerge and in what exact roles they will emerge? Is Malik Jefferson ready to assume true stardom? Is Jeffrey McCulloch the best player of them all? Where is Breckyn Hager’s best position? What roles can Edwin Freeman and Anthony Wheeler fill? There’s a lot of stuff going on inside this group and this is before Gary Johnson shows up in the fall.
3. Will the juniors-to-be that struggled in 2016 find their way back out of the wilderness in 2017?
Yes, I’m talking primarily about Holton Hill, Davante Davis, John Burt and Patrick Vahe, but there were players at every position on the field that regressed in 2016. One of Herman’s critical goals of this off-season is getting those players back on track.
4. What does Texas have to work with at running back?
Is it going to be the Chris Warren show? Can freshman Toneil Carter press for early playing time? Is Kirk Johnson going to circle back into relevance? What kind of role can Kyle Porter create for himself?
5. Is there anyone on special teams worth a damn outside of Michael Dickson?
The return game was so putrid last season that it can be argued that there isn’t anywhere to go but up. The new coaches have to find a way to get more playmaking ability in this area of the game. Meanwhile, I don’t think anyone really knows what to think of the place-kicking? Every area that doesn’t have Dickson front and center is a major question mark going into the spring.
No. 3 – One thought I had on Friday that won’t quite go away ...
If Chris Warren had stayed healthy last season, Tom Herman almost certainly would have D’Onta Foreman to work with this season as a lead running back.
It’s easy to forget all these months later, but when the season started last season, there was only one position on the entire two-deep that had an “or” next to the names at the top … and that was at starting running back. As amazing as it might seem after a 2,000-yard season, Foreman wasn’t even recognized as the definitive lead back until after Warren’s injury problems made it a necessity.
A healthy Warren almost certainly means that Foreman wouldn’t have come close to approaching 2,000 yards or 50+ carries in a game or 323 carries for the season or reason to believe that his draft stock would be anywhere near the first day of the draft.
It’s funny how things can work out. The impact of Warren’s injury not only led to Foreman producing one of the best seasons in the history of the program, but it helped put into motion a ton of corresponding moves on the chessboard.
In a weird way, the best way for Warren to assure himself of a starring role this season was to eliminate his primary competition, which could only occur with his removal from the line-up.
With Foreman dealing with a stress fracture of his own right now, which kept him from being able to run at the Combine and threatens to potentially move him into day three of the draft, it’s impossible not to think about the “could-haves” as it relates to the many different directions a different fate could have taken everyone.
No. 4 – Scattershooting on the Longhorns ...
… I can’t help but think that one of the answers to the Texas return game is sophomore Devin Duvernay. Dear Coach Herman, if you’re reading this, get this dude the ball 10 times a game by hook or crook. Trust me.
… Derek Warehime was basically a witch the last two years as the offensive line coach at Houston, so I’m eager to see what he whips up with this current Texas group, which features one elite player, a couple of good ones and then a slew of seriously talented question marks.
… I don’t think it has really clicked for most Texas fans just what they should have at left tackle in Connor Williams this season. On paper, the left side of the line should be captained by a guy who is one or two of the best tackles in all of college football. In my mind, whichever guy emerges as the best interior lineman this spring needs to be slotted next to Williams (if it can reasonably be done) in an effort to create an immediate strength/identity on which the team can lean from game one on.
… Little birdie tell me that the coaches love them Jerrod Heard. Don’t be surprised if his name is buzzing by the middle of spring workouts, if it even takes that long.
… Herman has to be frustrated with what Strong left him in the way of quality tight ends. As important as Herman has made clear the tight end position is in his offense, he’s likely going to be in a position of needing to make wine out of water.
… Speaking of tight ends, call me crazy, but I still believe there’s a better than fair shot that freshman Reese Leitao ends up on campus this fall, in spite of his arrest this week for possession of Xanax. The thing that caught my eye the most in Tom Herman’s statement on the matter was his desire to let the legal process play its way out, which would seem to indicate that if Leitao has a lawyer that can chop away at the charges to the point where legally it ends up being an issue of a couple of small misdemeanors, there is a possible pathway towards a second chance. My guess is that there are a ton of hurdles that have to be cleared, but if you’re Leitao you’d rather have Herman give you 100 hurdles to clear than a statement saying he can play football this fall anywhere he wants, just not in Austin.
p.s. - I’m not suggesting that giving Leitao a second chance is the right call, rather I’m explaining my current read of the tea leaves.
No. 5 – Buy or sell …
BUY or SELL: The more we learn about Charlie Strong's tenure at Texas, the more Longhorn nation realizes that we "bought a pig in a poke?”
(Buy) Yeah, I mean … he’s a head football coach, who no longer has an active Twitter account in 2017. I think he might have been a good hire had he came along in the 80s, but he just was not the right person for the job in 2014.
BUY or SELL: At the end of Spring football practice, you'll know for sure whether Tom Herman is the real deal?
(Sell) We might not know that answer until 2019. Might … not saying it will take that long … just a might.
BUY or SELL: Tom Herman's Longhorns will tackle better than any Texas team in the last 10 years?
(Sell) You remember that 2009 defense, right? Maybe you don’t. It has been a while.
BUY or SELL: Regardless of what a coach thinks of any particular law, when one of his players violates that law, disciplinary measures regarding participation in any team event should be enforced commensurate with the severity of the crime, in the eyes of the law, not just that of the individual coach?
(Buy) Sure.
BUY or SELL: The 2017 Longhorns will have at least one major upset win before the season is over?
(Buy) I know people hated me talking about Strong needing a signature win in his first season, but it’s exactly what Herman needs at some point in 2017 - a moment he can point to every recruit and say, “This is the example that shows we’re going to win championships in the future.”
BUY or SELL: Texas will have a new AD this time next year?
(Buy) I think business will pick up on this front in the coming months.
BUY or SELL: After being played out of position for two years in Strong's D under Todd Orlando, Malik Jefferson returns to the edge rusher he is meant to be and becomes a force in the defense? The Predator Returns!
(Buy) I’m buying all the stock I can in Orlando after all of the information I’ve acquired about his work at Utah State and Houston. He’d never been given an athlete quite like Jefferson to work with and I think he’s going to enjoy his toys.
BUY or SELL: Texas is no longer a blue-blood?
(Sell) Texas is most definitely college football royalty.
No. 6 – The Texas men’s basketball weekend in a gif …
No. 7 – With Baylor looming again on Monday night, here’s the Texas women’s basketball weekend in a gif. …
No. 8 – Still work to do on the diamond …
Baseball can be a quirky little game, but there are times when the results of the games aren’t rocket science.
At its most simple terms, baseball is a game that requires scoring more runs than the other team to win games and if you don’t score many runs, your margin of error becomes incredibly slight.
After losing three out of four games on the road at Stanford this weekend, here’s a look at the Texas record this season based on its own ability to score runs.
UT’s record when scoring two or fewer runs: 0-6
UT’s record when scoring three or more runs: 7-0
As the team nears the opening of conference play, it simply has to score more runs. Period. The pitching that’s needed to win is present, as evidenced by the 2.55 team ERA from this weekend’s series indicates.
We’ve seen this story before.
It’s just that everyone is looking for a different ending to the story.
No. 9 – Eternal Randomness of the Spotty Sports Mind …
… The UFC can’t catch a break. I was on a man-date with @McGuapo on Saturday for UFC209 and by the time it was over, I found myself as disgruntled about the product as I’ve ever been and I feel like I’ve been saying similar things for a while now. I’ve never rooted for a draw in a championship fight because I felt like neither guy deserved to win, but that’s how I felt after the Woodley/Thompson fight. I keep thinking this sport hasn’t reached its peak, but it might take a lot longer than I once hoped as a fan.
… Come on, Keith Thurman. Close the damn show. The great ones don’t coast in the championship rounds.
… Is Myles Garrett the freakiest athlete among football players that the Lone Star State has ever produced?
… John Ross is so fast that Chris Johnson didn’t even challenge him to a foot-race. He knows better.
… Dallas needs to keep Tony Romo and be selfish with regards to his future. They will be him and a king’s ransom to be the best insurance policy in football. One of the strengths of the team, along with the offensive line, is it’s strength in quality/numbers at quarterback. This ain’t friend business, it’s just business.
… EPL officiating really is quote horrendous. If you watch these clowns for a few games and then realize that they don’t have a replay system to fix the messes that they make, you’ll never complain about anything you see in the NFL, NBA or MLB ever again. It’s like watching referees from the WWE, as you almost always expect them to get knocked down and miss the most important moment of the match, only to wake up and play the role of unsuspecting dimwit, almost as if on cue.
… Poor Claudio Ranieri. If Leicester City had played with 80-percent of the effort all season that it has displayed in its last two EPL games, that team would be in the top half of the table and Ranieri would still have his job. Hell, we even had a Ryan Mahrez sighting on Saturday!
… I just don’t know how to explain Liverpool’s undefeated record against top six teams in the EPL this season vs. its record against bottom-feeders. I’m pretty sure Jurgen Klopp can’t, either … which is kind of a problem. Regardless, that 3-1 win over the Gunners was a reminder of what the Reds can be when they show up and play at least a B-level game.
… I get a feeling that this record gets broken again in the coming years.
… With or without Mauro Diaz, FC Dallas is the cream of the crop in the MLS. Buy your Kellyn Acosta stock now. The 21-year old from Dallas is emerging as a star.
... How about the Dynamo taking out the defending MLS Cup champion Seattle Sounders on Saturday night? Dare I say, Cubo Torres is back?
… Portland is going to be a ton of fun to watch all season. I’m not sure any team in the league has a better attacking front four than the Timbers.
No. 10 - And finally …
Orangebloods isn’t giving up in its quest to raise $25,000 for the Haruka Weiser fund.
Beginning at noon on Monday, we’re going to unveil five days of silent auctions, with five items being available for bidding beginning at noon on Monday.
In an effort to create interest in donating, we’ve created quite a few very creative prize packages for bidding. Stay tuned. We’re almost half-wKay home to our goal.
Let’s do this.
If not, he needs to be on the roster in 2017. You think Coach B. in NE would do Tony a favor and release him. No, Bill would do the absolute best for Bill. The Cowboys should do nothing less. It is a business.
It seems to me you support Herman turning Texas in to the Florida team under Meyer. I'm not.
"Meanwhile, I went over to Charlie Strong’s Twitter page on Sunday because I wanted to make a point about his lack of interest in Twitter and do you know what I discovered?
He deleted his Twitter account."
How in the world does a division 1 coach not have a Twitter account in this day in age. That is 25% of recruiting nowadays. Is he really gonna recruit without one? Did he ever have a USF twitter account?
He deleted his Twitter account."
How in the world does a division 1 coach not have a Twitter account in this day in age. That is 25% of recruiting nowadays. Is he really gonna recruit without one? Did he ever have a USF twitter account?
