Ketch's 10 Thoughts From The Weekend (Jonah Williams.... the most important 5 star?)
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I’m far from an alarmist, but we could certainly use it. Minus Sanchez who was always a no go, I would have rated Jonah as the least likely to commit to us a month ago. Pleasant change!
Did you feel the same about Mack heading into Year 4? Just curious how your thought/opinion stacks up against Mack going into Year 4. Mack’s overall record was better (I think he had better talent when he arrived) and played for a big 12 championship in Year 2 (lost in a poorly played game) and then didn’t make the game in Year 3 before going 11-2 in Year 4 and losing again in the championship game and lost a shot for playing against Miami in the NC. I wasn’t sure Mack had it in him to win a NC - I wasn’t sure he would win a Big 12 Championship! I’m not trying to be an apologist for Sark but he won a Big 12 Championship in Year 3 and was crazy close ton playing for a NC. How do you think he stacks against Mack at this point whether you believed Mack could get it done.
Hey Ketch,
On the injury front, you highlight the last 30 years but included Leaks in ‘74 so I have to add. His injury enabled Earl Campbell to move to fullback. In the ‘77 OU Game, we lost two quarterbacks in the first quarter; Mark McBath and John Aune for the season. Randy McEachern took over at QB and Earl led us to an undefeated regular season before losing to Notre Dame in the Cotton Bowl. There are many great as well as painful stories when thinking about injuries. Appreciate your taking on the current issue and making us really think about it. Well done.
On the injury front, you highlight the last 30 years but included Leaks in ‘74 so I have to add. His injury enabled Earl Campbell to move to fullback. In the ‘77 OU Game, we lost two quarterbacks in the first quarter; Mark McBath and John Aune for the season. Randy McEachern took over at QB and Earl led us to an undefeated regular season before losing to Notre Dame in the Cotton Bowl. There are many great as well as painful stories when thinking about injuries. Appreciate your taking on the current issue and making us really think about it. Well done.
I guess it wasn't preseason. Just a significant loss that many don't realize because of Benson and later Charles.
Both of the quarterback injuries were after the season, right? Just trying to remember correctly.
Good stuff, enjoyed it!
Can’t wait for the season to start!!
Was glad to see Mr. Pitiful on the revised list. I thought it was off it was not on the first list but when I engaged in discussion about it, it was obvious you had more much more passion about Otis than I did (and I thought I really liked him) that I decided I must have just been wrong.
Can’t wait for the season to start!!
Was glad to see Mr. Pitiful on the revised list. I thought it was off it was not on the first list but when I engaged in discussion about it, it was obvious you had more much more passion about Otis than I did (and I thought I really liked him) that I decided I must have just been wrong.
There are 13 songs I wanted in the ten spots. I listened all weekend until I finally settled on the 10.
Great song. Listening to it right now. Just outside the top of the top for me.
I agree and I can't believe I agree.
I vividly remember thinking "HA! What morons...that guy is wayyyy overrated" when KC drafted Mahomie.
He (and Andy Reid) have several more Super Bowls in them because they simply ride to the occasion almost every time. It has taken a truly all-time performance to beat them in the playoffs.
SMH.
Don't sleep on Delbert McClinton's version of that awesome song. It ain't quite Otis (nobody is) but he does a fantastic job of it.
Bo is showing out (again) tonight! We might be ok big man!
Full disclosure: I'm guilty of reacting to a headline.
Question: Isn't suggesting that Jonah Williams is the most important 5 star (even in interrogative form) moving the goalposts?
It wasn't long ago that the same was said about Fasusi, that Fasusi was "the most important 5 star."
Question: Isn't suggesting that Jonah Williams is the most important 5 star (even in interrogative form) moving the goalposts?
It wasn't long ago that the same was said about Fasusi, that Fasusi was "the most important 5 star."
He's earned all the respect tat's built up by being freaking incredible. No accidents.
With less than two weeks to go before the season-opener against Colorado State, I found myself thinking about three weeks ago a lot this weekend.
The twins weren't in school yet and The Olympics were just revving up. Perhaps most important to the conversation we're about to engage in, the 2024 Texas Longhorns hadn't yet suited up for a single practice.
In thinking about those Stone Age days from July, I found myself wondering about what we were pondering before training camp began and what the best hopes of the Orangebloods universe might have sounded like.
"No big injuries."
Yikes. We're just not going to focus on this subject too much, but I'd contend the injury universe could look much worse. Just knock on wood and say your prayers that the injury gods take it easy on Steve Sarkisian's team moving forward.
"I hope to hear the defense is better and that the secondary isn't going to be ranked in the 100s this season."
Let's talk about this one. Through the first two major scrimmages of training camp, the Texas defense has generally been the side of the ball that has walked away being viewed as an unofficial victor. That's not to say that the defense has dominated the proceedings in a way that you would need to worry about the offense, but it has been the better side of the ball in each of the last two Saturdays.
We know this offense is going to be somewhere between good to very good this season at a minimum. The quarterback play is talented and proven enough that it has a WWE championship belt on a wall somewhere right now after last season's Big 12 Championship game. Meanwhile the skill players ooze talent and the offensive line is expected to be one of the best in the country.
Yet, it's the defense that has had the advantage in early head to heads.
The edge play goes five or six exciting players deep. Anthony Hill looks primed for a fantastic season. Perhaps more significant is the fact that a defensive backfield that couldn't stop a running faucet of water at times last season is more than holding its own as the season nears. That group's play on Saturday was so high that some observers believed it was the unit's best day of practice this year. Full stop.
You're not going to see me overreact to what's happened, but if I had asked each of you what you'd hope to be reading on August 18th in this column, reports that the defense isn't getting punked all over the field (especially in the passing game) would have been high on a lot of wish lists.
Well, here we are. Malik Muhammad has settled into one outside corner spot in his second season. Jaylon Guilbeau has seemingly improved the level of play at the Star position to such an extent that Jahdae Barron is getting the chance to explore the outside. Meanwhile, his competition for that starting job (Gavin Holmes) just had the best week of his entire Texas career. The safety play has seen four players mix in and out with the first-team defense, with two of those players being second-year (former) super blue-chip prospects and the other being a former three-year starter for Clemson.
The coaches believe that the talent/play in the secondary was the problem with the pass defense last season, not the scheme or coaching. The roster has been turned over in a way that suggests that the personnel should be much, much better this season.
So far, the play on the field is backing that up in a resounding way.
As far as zero-sum games are concerned, the one that has the biggest problem area from last season's national semifinalist operating a level that might just have it at camp MVP-levels through the first two-plus weeks can't be a bad central talking point at the time of this column.
If you're asking me, it's a development that has me more bullish on this season than I was a mere three weeks ago.
No. 2 - Scattershooting on the first two full weeks of practice ...
... We're almost three weeks in and there hasn't been a single Arch Manning freak-out day after any single practice? Color me shocked.
... The more I think about it, the more I like Jaydon Blue as a first-team all-SEC player this season.
... If I had told you a year ago that Juan Davis might have a very serious role to play on a national title-contending team, what would your response have been?
... I have a sneaking suspicion that sophomore Jelani McDonald might be the best young player on the team that very few are talking about. That kid is huffing and puffing on the doors for serious playing time at safety.
... Attaboy to senior cornerback Gavin Holmes for turning in his best week of practice in a Texas uniform at a moment when it kind of looks like fellow senior Jahdae Barron might just box him out of a job. If Barron beats out Holmes, it won't be because Holmes didn't put up a serious fight. By all accounts, Holmes has risen to the challenge.
... No one behind the scenes seems to be screaming bloody murder over any punt game issues. I guess everything is ok there.
No. 3 - Most Important 5-stars???
With a pair of 5-stars in Michael Fasusi and Jonah Williams set to announce their college decisions (with three-plus months to go) in the coming week, I found myself thinking about the very deep set of 5-stars inside the state of Texas this year and which players would rank the highest based on immediate projected needs in the Texas program for the 2025 football season.
Given that some prospects would hit the field more quickly than others and each of those prospects has a different long-term historical value when it comes to producing elite players, I thought it might give us an idea of which five-star is absolutely the most valuable to the Texas football program.
Let's count out the 5-stars:
QB - Keelon Russell (Rivals/247)
WR - Dakorien Moore (Rivals/On3/247/ESPN)
WR - Kaliq Lockett (247)
OL - Michael Fasusi (Rivals/247/ESPN)
OL - Ty Haywood (On3/247)
LB - Riley Pettijohn (Rivals)
DB/LB - Jonah Williams (Rivals/247/ESPN)
CB - Devin Sanchez (Rivals/On3/247/ESPN)
Ath - Michael Terry (On3/247)
Here are the historical draft rates of in-state 5-stars
QB: 83.3%
WR: 40%
OL: 33.3%
LB: 60%
DB: 50%
Let's quickly give a thumbnail of the immediate playing time outlook for each player.
QB - Keelon Russell (Rivals/247) - Three-year wait because of the presence of Arch Manning.
WR - Dakorien Moore (Rivals/On3/247/ESPN) - Possible true freshman starter, but would need to climb over older, possibly very proven, established starters.
WR - Kaliq Lockett (247) - Probable back-up on the outside for the Longhorns next year IF you believe that Ryan Wingo and Johntay Cook will have positions strongly secured. If either falters, a possible pathway opens up.
OL - Michael Fasusi (Rivals/247/ESPN) - Second-year tackle Trevor Goosby is viewed as a future star at left tackle, which means that starting in year one at his natural position feels unlikely. Could Fasusi come in and push possible returning starter Cam Williams, third-year returnee Andre Cojoe or second-year fellow five-star Brandon Baker? No, if Williams returns, but a slight maybe if he departs? He would really need to beef up over the next 12 months and probably need Cojoe/Baker to stall out.
OL - Ty Haywood (On3/247) - See Fasusi. Not really worthy of a big breakdown because the Longhorns were not a factor in his recruitment.
LB - Riley Pettijohn (Rivals) - The Longhorns are scheduled to return only four scholarship linebackers from the current roster in 2025 and only Anthony Hill feels like a sure-fire starter. If he can beat out Deiron Gullette and Tyanthony Smith, the starting weakside linebacker job could be his.
CB - Devin Sanchez (Rivals/On3/247/ESPN) - Texas wasn't a factor in his recruitment.
DB/LB - Jonah Williams (Rivals/247/ESPN) - It probably comes down to where the Longhorns project him. As previously mentioned, he would need to beat out only Gullette and Smith to possibly win the WILL linebacker job. The depth at safety next year is a little steeper with the likes of Derek Williams, Michael Taaffe, Jelani McDonald and Xavier Filsaime set to return in 2025.
Ath - Michael Terry (On3/247) - Maybe he wouldn't start in 2025 (at least not right away), but he feels like a guy that could help the team right now in 2024 because of his skill at running back and as an H-back type of receiving option.
Of the group of players listed above, Pettijohn, Williams, Terry and Moore feel like the four from the group that would have the greatest chance to become immediate impact players in year one, with Pettijohn and Williams probably standing out from that mini-pack.
Considering the historical values between the two positions (linebacker and defensive backfield) are pretty close, it might come down to which of the two you simply prefer more than the other. Only Rivals has Pettijohn ranked as a 5-star, while three different services have Williams as a 5-star.
Feels like Williams might be the call and he announces this week ...
No. 5 - You might not want me to say this ...
As I was thinking about the injuries at running back in the last two weeks, I started thinking about some of the biggest and most important injuries over the course of the last 30 years that occurred in the preseason.
You know what? Outside of a bunch of wide receivers and a few running backs, it was really hard to remember many.
Here's what I came up with when trying to make an all-time Pre-season Injury Team
QB - Shea Morenz (Right ankle 1992)
RB - Roosevelt Leaks (Knee 1974)
RB - Priest Holmes (Knee 1995)
WR - Jordan Shipley (Knee/Hamstring 2004/2005)
WR - Isaiah Neyor (Knee 2022)
WR - Troy Omeire (Knee 2020/2021)
TE - Bo Scaife (Knee 2000)
OL - Patrick Hudson (External Heat Issues 2018)
OL - Junior Angilau (Knee 2022)
OL - Russell Gaskamp (Back 1997)
DE - O.J. McClintock (Arm and hand 2001)
LB - Matt Jones (Knee 1995)
LB - DeGabriel Floyd (spinal stenosis 2019)
CB - Willie Mack Garza (Knee 1989)
S - Ishie Oduegwu (Shoulder 2008)
Dare I say that Texas has historically been pretty .... nah ... I'm not going to say it.
No. 5 - Updated Texas Scholarship Board ...
Here's how things look following the decommitment from Kade Phillips on Sunday afternoon.
No. 6 - Question I've been wanting us to ask Sark ...
Have the Longhorns already started to recruit with an eye on a 105-man scholarship limit for the 2025 recruiting class.
Hopefully, we can get an answer to that this week.
No. 7 – Longhorns rookies in pre-season week two ...
Here's a quick rundown of how each rookie Longhorn in an NFL training camp did this weekend in pre-season games:
RB - Jonathon Brooks - Is expected to be activated off of the PUP list sometime this month.
RB - Keilan Robinson - Didn't receive any action in Jacksonville's loss to Tampa Bay.
WR - Jordan Whittington - Well on his way to making the final roster after catching another team-best five passes for 52 yards.
WR - Xavier Worthy - Caught three passes for 62 yards and a touchdown in first-half action against the Lions.
WR - Adonai Mitchell - Didn't catch any passes on Saturday, but is already being talked about as one of the steals in the class by local media types.
TE - Ja'Tavion Sanders - Took advantage of a couple of injuries at the position and impressed with two catches (on two targets) for 22 yards.
OL - Christian Jones - Has had a pretty decent camp thus far, but had an awful sequence in the first half of the second pre-season game when he committed four holding penalties in the first half.
DT - Byron Murphy - Continues to earn rave reviews in Seattle.
DT - T'Vondre Sweat - Didn't really see anything reported on him from camp this weekend.
LB - Jaylan Ford - Plays Sunday night against the 49ers.
CB - Ryan Watts - Led the team in tackles against the Bills and appears to have a very good chance of making the squad.
No. 8 – BUY or SELL …
(Buy) Yeah, I think so. Not by much, but just a little.
(Sell) I reserve the right to change my mind, but I think the challenge will be tougher now than ever before and I'd be lying if I said I still didn't have some questions about just how good he really is. I'm more of a believer now than I used to be, but I give that type of benefit of the doubt very carefully.
(Buy) It's about to come apart at the seams with the Cowboys. I can feel it in my bones.
(Sell/Sell/Sell) I think there will be four this year instead of three and Bolden is in that group for certain, but he's not going to lead the SEC in all-purpose yards because that's going to be Jaydon Blue.
(Buy) Yes, and a little luck.
(Sell) The A&M game is going to be a bear, man. It's naive to think otherwise in my estimation.
(Buy) I prefer a combination of Blue and anyone over any combination without Blue.
(Buy) Who is saying OU will have an elite defense? What do they mean by elite? They have two combined players on the 1st and 2nd-place All-SEC pre-season list.
(Sell) Anwar is our lead team reporter. It's HIS job. There are no drawing straws.
(Buy) Whatever incompetence the SEC brings, it won't be able to match the Big 12's level of incompetency.
No. 9 – Scattershooting all over the place …
... I kind of enjoy watching Trey Lance play football. I don't know what it means or what I'm even saying, but he's fun.
... It feels next to impossible to believe that any team in the NFL could have a worse quarterback situation than the Raiders. Gardner Minshew? Aidan O'Connell? Yikes.
... How unimportant is pre-season football in the NFL? The Falcons didn't suit approximately 40 players for their game against the Ravens. FORTY.
... For some reason, Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce played in the pre-season ... so Mahomes did this.
... And then Kelce tried to explain it by doing his best Mahomes impersonation.
... Sleep won out over watching UFC 305, but it sounds like Dricus Du Plessis did the damn thing in the main event.
... Premier League Opening Weekend Musings: Thought Man City, Liverpool and Arsenal looked like the class of the opening set of games, with Aston Villa right behind them. Mo Salah and Bukayo Saka were the class players from the first weekend of games. Everton looking like a steaming pile of waste was pleasing. Overall, I put in 10+ hours of viewing on the first weekend, so I guess I was ready.
... You gotta believe there's at least one more Inside Out left in the franchise after Inside Out 2 became the top-grossing animated film of all time, including domestic, international and combined at $1.626 billion. Amy Poehler should be able to buy Rhode Island when it's all said and done after her next contract.
No. 10 – The List: The Incomparable Otis Redding
This one comes from a request via the Otis Redding thread from this weekend.
It doesn't matter that I did a Redding Top 10 a little more than 26 months ago. Anything that gives me a reason to soak in a few days of Redding is a good thing in my book. Plus, I've felt like making a few tweaks since the last time I took on this particular list.
Two things that I don't think I've shared before ...
a. I first fell in love with Otis when I was 11 years old and I heard "These Arms of Mine" in the movie Dirty Dancing. It's probably my favorite song of all-time. My only complaint is that it's only 2 1/2 minutes long.
b. I own nine different original paintings by Robert Hurst, but the very first one that I purchased from him was this commissioned piece.
Ok, let's get down to the list ...
Last Five Out: That's What My Heart Needs, Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa (Sad Song), Respect, Love Man and Hard to Handle
10. Mr. Pitiful
Didn't make my list 26 months ago and that needed to be fixed.
9. For Your Precious Love
Otis wrote a lot of great songs, but some of his best work occurred when he covered someone else's work.
8. That's How Strong My Love Is
Another song that didn't crack my Top 10 once upon a time and that has been corrected.
7. Pain in My Heart
You give Otis a girl that he can't find and he's going to turn into a song here he the agony of his need for her love is going to pour out.
6. Change is Gonna Come
There's only one person on the entire planet that I allow with permission to sing this song outside of Sam Cooke and its Otis. The two things that both men had in common was the ability to dig into a deeper place to find the music and never is that more apparent than in what both men give to this song. It's a haunting performance.
5. Satisfaction
It's a hell of a thing to suggest that someone can out-Stones the Stones, but Otis is at his out-of-his-mind-with-the-music best with one of the most iconic songs ever written. Man, what I wouldn't give to have seen Otis do a show with the Stones.
4. Try a Little Tenderness
The song starts so controlled and so tender, as Otis paints a picture that would make Michael Angelo blush. Then, as if motivated by a moment in life once lost, he takes us to church, imploring all of us to take the leap. It's an entire generation's blueprint for what to do in the backseat of a car. P.S.: Make sure and watch the video clip of this life performance because he literally drops the mic and leaves the stage.
3. (Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay
For all of the flair he could give any song, his music was often most beautiful when controlled by its amazing simplicity. A few days before he died in a plane accident, he finished recording a song that began with him relaxing on a boat near the San Francisco Bay, writing/singing about life. Little known fact: everyone knows that the song ends with Redding whistling, but had he lived he planned on returning to the studio and finishing the song with words.
2. I've Been Loving You Too Long
Whatever a human can give of himself into a song, that's where Otis sends himself in this all-time classic. It is one thing to say the words and it's quite a different thing to live and breathe them until your mind is at its end, which is what this song is all about … all-out exasperation. Legend has it that his performance of this song at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival (see above) left Jimi Hendrix in awe.
1. These Arms of Mine
I consider this song music perfection. It's probably my favorite song of all-time and whatever my musical soul is created with, it's at the epicenter. There's just so much powerful emotion packed into such a simple song, as if he's able to channel the souls of desperate, broken men. My all-time top five song list will change from mood to mood, but this song is never removed from the No. 1 spot.
If Jaydon Blue finishes the season as first team SEC this year, that means Texas is playing in the SEC Title game. I'll take it.
Mack is a great comparison. Until VY arrived, Texas was a great team, loaded with talent, that under achieved. Queue the Greg Davis hate.
Sark is a better football mind, I dare say, but he needs to get over the hump. Who will be his VY? This will be the question.
This is literally your worst take ever. And I'm also clean shaven bald, full disclosure.
Bring back the mane. Hell, bring back Mane while we are at it.
I don’t understand what people are expecting to hear…practices are basically closed. The media sees next to nothing that can be used to properly critique the QBs. I know y’all talk to “sauces”, but I take their thoughts with a grain a salt. They are not going to share any of the really bad or good stuff, especially on the QBs. And I believe that is on purpose.
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You can take whatever you want with a grain of salt, but you don't have any idea of who we talk to and what they will or won't tel us.
For me, for an injury to be a “significant loss”, it has to show on the field. If the position room is deep with other talented players stepping up and probably being as good or better than the injured player then it’s unfortunate for the injured player but not a “significant loss” for the team.
