With three full days to marinate on the news that the biggest burnt orange legacy recruits in the last quarter-century and arguably the two biggest UT football legacy recruits of all-time had committed to Alabama, I think the thing that stands out to me the most are the implications of the announcement.
If the recruitments of these two offensive line prospects were a possession in a football game, the Longhorns would have taken over with first and goal on the three-yard line.
We're talking about two kids with a father that's one of the greatest players at his position in the history of the program and a member of the school's Hall of Honor, a mom that graduated on the 40 Acres and met the future father of her children there and a brother who is already on the team.
We're talking about a father, mother and trio of children that have dreamed of one day being able to all return to the 40 Acres together in a world where all three brothers are wearing burnt orange and white on the field together, while their entire family sits in the stands with immense pride.
The dream that has existed for nearly two decades at a minimum for all five members of this discussion was there for the taking and when push came to shove in the year of 2020, the family passed on the dream.
On top of that, they are apparently so ready to move on from the old dream to a new dream that they aren't even going to let Texas attempt to win them over by putting their money where their mouth is with regards to competing for championships and developing players. The Brockermeyer brothers could have waited a little longer. They could have chilled and watched how things unfold.
They didn't.
Why?
Well, that's where the implications of the announcement come in. Actions speak louder than words every day of the week and twice on Saturdays, which means that after having as close of an inside look at the Texas program as any high level prospect in the state has likely ever had outside of perhaps someone from the Shipley family, this legacy family have had the belief stripped from them to such a degree that they have run out of benefit of the doubt.
With as up-close of a look at the program as possible, the Brockermeyers just didn't see enough with their eyes that turned the thoughts in their heads about the direction of the program into a place where they were willing to risk the futures of players with incredible ambition.
Texas might have had first and goal on the three-yard line in this recruitment, but not all first and goal situations end up in touchdowns. Sometimes you fumble the snap in the quarterback/center exchange and turn the ball over. Sometimes your quarterback throws an interception in the end zone. Sometimes a ball gets snapped over the quarterback's head and rolls 50 yards the other way until you're no longer in field goal range.
Frankly, this situation feels like a combination of those things, as if they all got together and had a disaster baby together.
Also, I'm fascinated by the timing of the announcement as much as the actual announcement itself.
Even in a world where getting Tommy and James was not going to happen, giving the appearance that hope existed is usually a key piece of the puzzle in letting the in-state home favorite down in the Recruiting Handbook For Big-Time Prospects (which is a novel I might write some day). Always let them think there's hope, even when there's not ... all in the name of respecting what the letdown will mean for the in-state program that just lost its cornbread.
Just the mere hope that the Brockermeyer twins would end up at Texas was good for 2021 recruiting with the other elite prospects that are considering the Longhorns. In announcing their decision this early, it kind of reveals how little clothing the emperor has on at the moment and everyone can see it.
Yet, this family wants this over.
Period.
It suggests that their decision wasn't even close and nothing at all could be more damning than that.
No. 2 - The most optimistic thing I can give you ...
Up until last season when Ehlinger was also named preseason first-team All-Big 12, it had been since 2009 that the Longhorns entered a season with a perceived edge on every team in the conference at the most important position on the field.
Of course, OU's Jalen Hurts was right behind Ehlinger with regards to the preseason hype entering last season, while owning an experience and quality of play edge over Ehlinger as he entered his senior season after transferring from Alabama.
That doesn't exist in 2020.
In fact, the Longhorns haven't had such an edge in returning quality of play at the quarterback position since 2005 when Vince Young was coming off of a Rose Bowl MVP in 2005 and Rhett Bomar was an unproven prospect.
When I speak of the upcoming season being so critical for the Longhorns, it's a statement made with the knowledge that these types of quarterback advantages have not grown on trees for Texas over the last two decades.
Yet, it does in 2020 and that should make you feel pretty good.
No. 3 - A quick thought on Kobe Boyce's apparent retirement from football...
https://twitter.com/KobeBoyce/status/1284522276407382016?ref_src=twsrc^tfw|twcamp^tweetembed|twterm^1284522276407382016|twgr^&ref_url=https://texas.forums.rivals.com/threads/kobe-boyce-says-he-is-stepping-away-from-football.479923/
I know it's kind of hard to view Boyce separate from Texas football because we all know of him through the prism of watching him perform on the field.
However, when I read his note this weekend about his struggles with mental health and his quest to overcome them, I couldn't help but think of a number of situations on this board over the years where Orangebloods family members have expressed the same type of difficult life challenges and always found compassion and a helping hand from so many Orangebloods family members.
There's no better place when an Orangeblood is in need because we might be a dysfunctional family, but my goodness, we're still family and when the you know what hits the fan, we're here for each other.
We should all feel that same level of compassion and empathy when we see it from these young men, even if they've struggled at times on the field.
Ironically, Boyce's words reminded me of Malik Jefferson's own battle with mental health issues while he was at Texas, especially after he had Tweeted this out a few days before Boyce's announcement.
This situation is just a reminder that these young men are like the rest of us in that not even being a college football player with all of the perks changes the fact that mental health can be a challenge.
Here's to Boyce finding the peace of mind he's looking for.
No. 4 - The stat that had to be a gut punch in the Brockermeyer's recruitment ...
Saw this in The Athletic...
"Alabama’s had 16 offensive linemen drafted in the Nick Saban era, including seven in the first round. Texas has had only one offensive lineman drafted in the past 10 years."
And then there was this from Blake Brockermeyer.
“If you go back … every blindside offensive tackle Coach Saban’s had since he’s been there has been a first-round pick except for (two),” Blake Brockermeyer said. “And one of those unfortunately slid all the way into the second round. The track record’s unbelievable, and if you’re that dude who can do that at Alabama, you’ve got a great chance to get rewarded not only in your NFL career, but also winning a ton of games. You go against the best players in the country every week, and you’re practicing against the best players in the country every day. So, I mean, if you can block the guys on your team, then you’re probably gonna have some success on Saturdays. So that’s definitely a huge reason, if not, you know, maybe the biggest reason.
No. 5 - One last thought on the Pre-season All-Big 12 team...
There were six players named to the first-team All-Big 12 team by the media this week that didn't make first-team, second-team or even honorable mentioned All-Big 12 in 2019.
* Oklahoma junior wide receiver Charleston Rambo
* Texas Tech junior offensive lineman Jack Anderson
* Iowa State senior defensive lineman JaQuan Bailey
* West Virginia senior defensive lineman Darius Stills
* Texas junior defensive back D'Shawn Jamison
* Texas junior defensive back Caden Sterns
No. 6 - Blast From The Past: Twenty Years Ago ...
I couldn't find the exact date for his commitment, but it occurred to me this weekend that it was roughly 20 years ago to the month that Texas legend Cedric Benson announced his commitment to the Longhorns.
There's a lot of conversation that can be had about that moment, but the thing that I was thinking about over the weekend was just how stacked the 2001 recruiting class was that year.
Check out this Top 10 from the 2001 LSR List...
1. Tommie Harris - DT- Killeen Ellison (Signed with Oklahoma)
A three-time All-American, a former first-round draft choice and a multiple-time Pro Bowl selection as an NFL player.
2. Derrick Johnson - LB - Waco (Signed with Texas)
A Butkus Award winner, a former first-round pick in the NFL and one of the best defensive players in the history of the Kansas City Chiefs.
3. Cedric Benson - RB - Midland Lee (Signed with Texas)
A Doak Walker Award winner, a first-round draft pick and a 1,000-yard rusher in the NFL.
4. Jonathan Scott - OT - Dallas Carter (Signed wit Texas)
A consensus first-team All-American as a senior, a starter on a national championship team and a player that lasted nearly a decade in the NFL with five different teams.
5. Jami Hightower - OL - Jacksonville (signed with Texas A&M)
Never emerged as a star in College Station, but was honorable mention All-Big 12 for the Aggies.
6. Ben Wilkerson - C - Hemphill (Signed with LSU)
A two-time All-American during his career at LSU, Wilkerson was named a co-recipient of the Rimington Trophy in 2004, as college football's top center.
7. Quan Cosby - WR - Mart (Signed with Texas)
A two-time All-Big 12 player who ranks as one of the top wide receivers in school history.
8. Donta Hickson - RB - McKinney (Signed with Oklahoma)
In four seasons, Hickson rushed for 493 yards and three touchdowns on 127 carries.
9. Thomas Derricks - DT - Dallas Jesuit (Signed with Northwestern)
Started as a true freshman, but ended up leaving the school and transferring to Austin College.
10. Cedric Griffin - CB - San Antonio Holmes (Signed with Texas)
A four-year starter and an All-Big 12 player that emerged as a very good NFL player.
Out of the top 10 players from that class ... four were All-Americans, three won major individual awards, six were named first-team all conference and seven played on Sundays.
Incredible.
No. 7 – BUY or SELL …
(Sell) I kind of feel like the benefit of the doubt goes out the window when you haven't done it yet and just fired 70 percent of your staff.
(Sell) That thought has literally never crossed my mind. I think he has a good reputation because he's a good coach with a lot of personality, which isn't the same as saying he has a great reputation with a track record that is ironclad.
(Sell) I would imagine he'll be at games in 2020 or whenever the upcoming season is played, if they let parents into the stadium. If he can't get inside the stadium, I doubt we'll see him much while his kids are playing a thousand miles away.
(Sell) I'll give them Shemar Turner at the moment.
(Buy) I say that only because I've never seen a legacy situation like this ever exist while covering recruiting at Texas. I can't think of what tops it, unless we want to talk about offer mistakes that proved to be a disaster.
(Buy) Yup, I'll buy that.
(Buy) I don't know what I'll do with myself if that happens.
(Sell) When have people on or off the Internet ever stopped freaking out over the life choices of 18 year olds?
(Sell) I think the ship has sailed.
(Buy) It's a must-win every year.
No. 8 - Scattershooting on the world of sports ...
... When the hell is this NBA re-start supposed to start up again? Ok, I just checked and it's 11 days.
... When the hell is this MLB re-start supposed to start up again? Ok, I just checked and we're only a few days away.
... This LeBron James rookie card sold for 1.8 million this weekend,
... Manchester United AND Manchester City were both knocked out of the FA Cup this weekend and I found myself tickled pink about it.
... Where the hell does David De Gea play next season if not with Manchester United? With his contract, can you really keep him in a No. 2 role?
... If the worst thing anyone ever says about your favorite NFL team is that it's not better than the 1989 49ers or the 1993 Cowboys or the 1985 Bears ... your team is really f'ing good. That's where I am as a Liverpool fan today. We might not have posted the most points in the history of a season, but we're in conversations that sound like this ... "I can't rank you ahead of The Invincibles or United's Treble winning team." I can live with that zip code.
... I was all for watching some golf this weekend, but Jon Rahm made the thing pretty anticlimactic.
... I was rooting for Joseph Benavidez this weekend in the UFC, but he's probably always going to be in the Hall of Very Good instead of the Hall of Great. There's just a hump he never seems to quite get over.
No. 9 - The List: Top 10 Texas Longhorns Legacy Recruits of the Last 25 Years ...
It kind of feels like I couldn't have chosen a more timely topic, but it also became very clear when I compiled the list just how much smaller the Texas legacy list is than what we've seen at Texas A&M over the same time frame by a wide margin.
Let's get to it.
10. Cedric Dockery
9. Collin Johnson
8. Jaxon Shipley
7. James Brockermeyer
6. Austin Sendlein
5. Kasey Studdard
4. Quandre Diggs
3. Robert Thomas
2. David Warren
1. Tommy Brockermeyer
No.10 - And finally...
I went all-in on Yellowstone in the last four days and I'm completely going into Sunday night's episode with great anticipation.
For those that have never seen it, it's as if The Godfather, Legends of the Fall and Dallas (the TV show) had a baby.
It comes highly recommended.
