It's the 4th of July weekend.
Almost everyone is in a proper good mood.
I'm not going to ruin it with an ounce of negativity in this week's column. Just positivity. In fact, I'm opening up this week's column with a look at the Top 10 things I'm looking forward to seeing this season with the Longhorns.
10. Maalik and Arch
None of us knows how much playing time the backup quarterbacks are going to see, but every single rep each of them takes will be a fascinating glimpse into the 2024 season. Will Arch even get to cut it loose inside of four games? How much will Maalik be able to showcase his development? Will there be an injury? If so, what happens? I've got my popcorn ready.
9. 2022 OL Class (non-Kelvin Banks)
It's a big year for this group. How many of these guys are going to truly establish themselves this season? Who is the No. 1 guy in this group besides Kelvin Banks? Who is No. 3? Who isn't progressing as hoped? Just how much can Kyle Flood get out of the best OL class in school history after a full year in the weight room and system?
8. Barryn Sorrell
Of all the players from Louisiana that Texas has signed since 2000, the best of the bunch is probably Malcolm Roach, Maybe Shiro Davis after that? Well, the answer to "the best" question is probably going to be Sorrell when the dust settles after this season. Just how high can he climb this season? All-Big 12? Higher? The answer to that question will tell us a lot about what kind of defense the Longhorns have this season because he's carrying a very heavy load at defensive end for this team.
7. CJ Baxter and Anthony Hill
You guys know I love me some five-stars. These are dudes that should be future NFL players and I can't wait to see what they look like as babies. I can still vividly remember the first time the likes of Vince Young, Cedric Benson and Derrick Johnson took the field for the first time. The early portion of the careers of Baxter and Hill really intrigues me.
6. Ja'Tavion Sanders
Let's enjoy this dude while we have him because I'm not sure how long it's going to be before we see another tight end on campus that's in his class of player/athlete. Statistically, he had one of the top two tight end seasons in school history last year. How much more can he add to those numbers? Is he going to finish his career by matching/surpassing David Thomas' career numbers in half the number of games?
5. Kelvin Banks
He has a chance to be the best tackle in the history of the program. He'll be here for two more years. We might not see his level of player for a while after he leaves. Keep your eyes on him as much as possible.
4. Jaylan Ford
If he finishes the 2023 season with a season similar to 2022, we're talking about the second-best linebacker in the modern history of the Texas football program behind Derrick Johnson. Those are the historical stakes for Ford this season. Quite a few linebackers in the history of the program have had a great season, but only a very few elite of the elite have done it in multiple seasons. Can Ford be that guy again? It's a fantastic story in the making.
3. Quinn Ewers
It doesn't get much better on paper from a storytelling standpoint than to have a player with Quinn Ewers' hype and high school pedigree attempting to touch greatness in what might be his second and final season in burnt orange. It's possible that we're watching only the second Texas quarterback in the last 75 years to emerge as a first-round NFL talent.
2. The Texas wide receivers room
From Xavier Worthy trying to leave school in the discussion of Roy and Shipley to AD Mitchell trying to prove he's a first-round level wide receiver in the NFL Draft to Johntay Cook potentially flashing as one of the best young receivers in the sport to Jordan Whittington being my favorite player on this team, there's just a lot to be excited about.
1. Steve Sarkisian
Can Steve do it? Can he shake that "Seven-Win-Steve" label? Can he get the best out of Ewers? Can he shut up the naysayers who question his game-day chops? Can he do the thing that hasn't been done around these parts since 2009? He has all of our attention.
No. 2 - About the Texas quarterbacks ...
Ok, let's have a quick talk about this...
a. Yes, if the A&M quarterbacks had put out a photo like this one, we'd all be having a field day with this. Some of the responses have scared me.
b. These dudes are pretty freaking ripped. Maalik looks like Kevin Nash, while everyone else kind of looks like X-Pac. Seriously, he looks like a damn giant. I'm not going to lie, part of me can't help but think of the Dan Kendra story when Maalik looks like he's bigger than Justice Finkley.
c. Quinn Ewers' body is so transformed that it's hard to know where to begin. I thought he played with a little bit of a Matt Stafford body a year and now he looks like a UFC middleweight.
d. Arch looks about as big in the upper body as he ever needs to be.
e. Each of the position groups needs to release similar photos, so that we can do each position like this one by one.
Discuss.
No. 3 - Putting a FutureCast in for ...
This probably could have been done about five days ago, but I thought I would save it for a section in this week's column, while also adding some commentary to his recruitment.
So, here's the FutureCast ...
A few more thoughts...
a. I'm kind of surprised by how weak LSU's position has been in Simmons' recruitment. After being the presumed leader for much of the last six months, there seems to be an acknowledgement by those that cover LSU that the Tigers coaching staff knows it's fighting a losing battle, mainly because it's clear that being close to home (specifically, his mom and little brother) matters more to Simmons than perhaps he has let on to the general public.
b. Sarkisian, the coaching staff and the current Texas players who hosted him really slayed the official visit with Simmons. It might have been easy to assume that Texas would come out of the visit with a lead, especially with LSU not having Simmons in for an official visit yet, but there's been so much separation that only one school could possibly get his commitment if he commits in July ... that being Texas.
c. Simmons seems pretty locked in to 2024 Texas recruiting in ways that are different before the visit. He was counting the commitments on Twitter yesterday. It's not impossible to think he could do something with a commitment that is connected to a looming commitment from CB Kobe Black.
d. Texas has got a little something cooking at Duncanville. First, the Longhorns grabbed Cameron Williams in the 2022 class. Then it grabbed Alex January this weekend. It has a big lead with Simmons. It definitely has the attention of 2025 five-star wide receiver Dakorien Moore, who showed up to view Jordan Johnson-Rubell's commitment to Texas in person, and has to be viewed as a heavy betting favorite to be a central member of the 2025 recruiting class.
No. 4 - The 2024 recruiting class (11 commits in) ...
* The Longhorns currently have 5 mid-four stars, 3 low-four stars, 2 high three-stars and one two-star among their 11 commits.
* Of the 5 mid-four stars, Jordon Johnson-Rubell (No. 53) and Jerrick Gibson (No. 60) rank as the two highest-rated commits in the class and the only members of the Rivals100. The other mid-four stars all rank nationally between No. 155-171.
* The most likely to move up from the six players ranked below mid-four star status is Scottsdale, Arizona cornerback Santana Wilson.
No. 5 - A 30,000-foot view of the class ...
I thought it would be interesting to take a look at the current recruiting grades of all 11 commitments.
Rivals: Low 4 star, NR nationally, No.53 in Texas
ESPN: High 3 stars, NR nationally, No.73 in Texas
247: High 3 stars, NR nationally, No.74 in Texas
On3: High 3 stars, NR nationally, No.91 in Texas
Rivals: Mid 4 star, No.60 nationally, No.11 in Florida
ESPN: High 4 stars, No.31 nationally, No.5 in Florida
247: Low 4 stars, No.84 nationally, No.16 in Florida
On3: Mid 4 stars, No.43 nationally, No.6 in Florida
Rivals: Mid 4 star, No.155 nationally, No.2 in Arizona
ESPN: Low 4 stars, NR nationally, No.3 in Arizona
247: High 3 stars, NR nationally, No.6 in Arizona
On3: Low 4 stars, NR nationally, No.6 in Arizona
Rivals: Low 4 star, NR nationally, No.50 in Texas
ESPN: Low 4 stars, No.182 nationally, No.31 in Texas
247: Low 4 stars, No.215 nationally, No.39 in Texas
On3: Low 4 stars, No.170 nationally, No.36 in Texas
Rivals: Mid 4 star, No.160 nationally, No.27 in Texas
ESPN: Low 4 stars, No.198 nationally, No.32 in Texas
247: High 3 stars, NR nationally, No.85 in Texas
On3: High 3 stars, NR nationally, No.137 in Texas
Rivals: Mid 4 star, No.171 nationally, No.29 in Texas
ESPN: Low 4 stars, NR nationally, No.55 in Texas
247: High 3 stars, NR nationally, No.64 in Texas
On3: Low 4 stars, No.150 nationally, No.33 in Texas
Rivals: High 3 star, NR nationally, No.92 in Texas
ESPN: Low 4 stars, No.234 nationally, No.43 in Texas
247: High 3 stars, NR nationally, No.130 in Texas
On3: High 3 stars, NR nationally, No.80 in Texas
Rivals: (5.7) High 3 star, NR overall nationally, No.71 in Texas
ESPN: (78) High 3 star, NR overall nationally, No.105 in Texas
On3: (91) Low 4 star No.217 overall nationally, No.44 in Texas
247: (87) High 3-stars, NR overall nationally, No.98 in Texas
Rivals: (5.9) Mid 4 star, No.53 overall nationally, No.10 in Florida
ESPN: (84) Mid 4 star, No.97 overall nationally, No.17 in Florida
On3: (89) High 3-star, NR overall nationally, No.70 in Florida
247: (91) Low 4-stars, No.175 overall nationally, No.29 in Florida
Rivals: (5.8) Low 4 star, NR overall nationally, No. 11 in Arizona
ESPN: (79) High 3 star, NR overall nationally, No. 10 in Arizona
On3: (93) Low 4 star, No. 90 nationally, No.2 in Arizona
247: (89) High 3 star, NR overall nationally, No. 7 in Arizona
Rivals: (5.4) High 2 star, NR in Florida
ESPN: (NR) Not ranked
On3: (80) Low 3-star, No.239 in Florida
247: (80) Low 3-star, No.237 in Florida
Big Picture Thoughts
* Jerrick Gibson is the crowned jewel of the class at this point from a rankings standpoint. He's the only player to be ranked in the national top 100 by each major recruiting service.
* Jordan Johnson-Rubell is the only other player that is ranked as a national top 100 prospect by two of the four major recruiting services.
* Santana Wilson is the only other player to be ranked in the national top 100 by a single service.
* Rivals has the highest recruiting grade on 5 of the 11 Texas commits. ESPN and ON3 both have the highest grade on 2 of the 11 Texas commits.
No. 6 - Running Backs numbers from the state of Texas ...
The good news in this section is that I summed up the most important pieces of the section into two graphics.
If the subject matter greatly interests you, keep reading this section. If you're good with just peeking at the graphics, feel free to move on to the next section.
Ok, if you're still with me following the graphics, here's a full breakdown of each recruiting tier.
Texas Five-Stars
Adrian Peterson (2005/Oklahoma), Jermie Calhoun (2008/Oklahoma), Christine Michael (2009/Texas A&M), Lache Seastrunk (2010/Oregon), Malcolm Brown (2011/Texas), Brandon Williams (2011/Oklahoma), Trey Williams (2012/Texas A&M), Jonathan Gray (2012/Texas), Soso Jamabo (2015/UCLA) and Zach Evans (2020/TCU)
Breakdown
* 50.0% were drafted by NFL teams: Adrian Peterson (1st round), Christine Michael (2nd round), Lache Seastrunk (6th round), Brandon Williams (third round) and Zach Evans (6th round).
* 70.0% were drafted and/or played in the NFL.
Active 5-star running backs include: 2021's Camar Wheaton (Alabama/SMU)
Now let's look at the Texas high four stars:
Jamaal Charles (2005/Texas), Michael Goodson (2006/Texas A&M), Emmanuel Moody (2006/USC), Vondrell McGee (2006/Texas), Lennon Creer (2007/Tennessee), Cyrus Gray (2008/Texas A&M), Desean Hales (2008/Texas), Keith Ford (2013/Oklahoma), Ronald Jones (2015/USC) and J.K. Dobbins (2017/Ohio State)
Breakdown
* 50.0% were drafted by NFL teams: Charles (3rd round), Goodson (4th round), Gray (6th round), Jones (2nd round) and Dobbins (2nd round). 60% of players in this group have played in the NFL.
* Of the other four backs that didn't have NFL careers, Creer was a 1,000-yard back at La. Tech, while Moody, McGee and Hales never proved to be consistent starters
* Active high 4-star running backs include: 2020's Jase McClellan (Alabama), 2021's LJ Johnson (SMU/Texas A&M) and 2023 Rueben Owens.
Texas Mid Four Stars
Webster Patrick (2004/Iowa State), Russell Ball 205/(Florida State), Mon Williams (2006/Florida), Cody Johnson (2007/Texas), Bradley Stephens (2007/Texas A&M), Knile Davis (2009/Arkansas), Waymon James (2009/Arkansas), Herschel Sims (2011/Oklahoma State), Aaron Green (2011/Nebraska), Dontre Wilson (2013/Ohio State), Chris Warren (2015/Texas), Eno Benjamin (2017/Arizona State) and Isaiah Spiller (2019/Texas A&M)
Breakdown
* 23% (3 of 13) were drafted by NFL teams: Knile Davis (3rd round), Benjamin (7th round) and Spiller (4th round). No other players made the NFL as undrafted free agents.
* Active mid 4-star running backs include: 2020's E.J. Smith (Stanford), 2022's Ollie Gordon (Oklahoma State), Jamarion Miller (Alabama), Tavorus Jones, and 2023's Kedrick Reescano (Ole Miss) and Quinten Joyner (USC).
Texas Low Four Stars
Here is the list of low 4-star running backs from the state of Texas since 2006:
Jamaal Evans (2006/Georgia Tech), Fozzy Whittaker (2006/Texas), Quentin Castille (2007/Nebraska), Jeremy Hills (2008/Texas), Aundre Dean (2008/UCLA), LaMichael James (2008/Oregon), Sam McGuffie (2008/Michigan), Terrence Robinson (2008/Michigan), Stepfan Taylor (2009/Stanford), Eric Stephens (2009/Texas Tech), Toben Opurun (2009/Kansas), Hasan Lipscomb (2009/Minnesota), Rex Burkhead (2009/Nebraska), Jonathon Miller (2009/Oklahoma), Traylon Shead (2010/Texas), Dontae Williams (2010/Oregon), Ben Malena (2010/Texas A&M), DJ Jones (2010, Texas A&M), Josh Huff (2010/Oregon), Kenny Williams (2011/Texas Tech), Jonathan Williams (2012/Arkansas), Kyle Hicks (2013/TCU), Adam Taylor (2013/Nebraska), Varshaun Nixon (2014/TCU), Donald Catalon (2014/Texas), Samaje Perine (2014/Oklahoma), Jamycal Hasty (2015/Baylor), Rodney Anderson (2015/Oklahoma), Aca'Cedric Ware (2015/USC), Jordan Stevenson (2015/Nebraska), D'Vaughn Pennamon (2016/Ole Miss), Devwah Whaley (2016/Arkansas), Rakeem Boyd (2016/Texas A&M), Kameron Martin (2016/Auburn), Kyle Porter (2016/Texas), Trayveon Williams (2016/Texas A&M), Kennedy Brooks (2017/Oklahoma), Dominic Williams (2017/Kansas), Toneil Carter (2017/Texas), Keaontay Ingram (2017/Texas) and Stanley Hackett (2018/Unsigned)
* 20% (8 of 40) were drafted by NFL teams, while 25% played in the NFL.
* 5% (2 of 40) were taken in the first three rounds of the NFL Draft. No one was selected in the first round of the NFL Draft.
No. 7 - A quick pat on the back ...
It turns out my running back numbers, at least with 5-stars, is better than Rivals.
5 stars
Dominic Rhodes (1997/Texas Tech), Ben Gay (1998/Baylor), 2001 Cedric Benson (2001/Texas), Adrian Peterson (2004/Oklahoma), Jamaal Charles (2005/Texas), Christine Michael (2009/Texas A&M), Malcolm Brown (2011/Texas), Brandon Williams (2011/Oklahoma), Johnathan Gray (2012/Texas) and Trey Williams (2012/Texas A&M)
High 4 stars
Hodges Mitchell. (1997/Texas), Ivan Williams (1999/Texas), Tyson Thompson (2000/SMU), Donta Hickson (2001/Oklahoma), Michael Goodson (2006/Texas A&M), Vondrell McGee (2006/Texas), Cyrus Gray (2007/Texas A&M), Jermie Calhoun (2008/Oklahoma), Soso Jamabo (2015/UCLA), JK Dobbins (2017/Ohio State) and Zach Evans (2020/TCU)
* 90% of the five-star running backs that I've rated from the state of Texas in my LSR rankings have played on Sundays, while 50% were drafted in the first three rounds of the NFL Draft.
* 45.5% of all high 4-star running backs have played in the NFL, while only 9.1% were drafted in the first three rounds.
No. 8 – BUY or SELL …
(Sell) Based on the current rankings, I'm going to take the under, while fully acknowledging I might be underestimating Sarkisian.
(Buy) Considering the talent that could depart for the NFL following this season, that could very well be the way things unfold.
(Buy) Yes sir. Maybe more.
(Sell) I think the difference is having truly plus-quarterback play. I would have done an Arkin list, but I haven't seen enough of his best movies to do a qualified list.
(Sell) Yeah, I don't really agree with this. Do they seem similar at quarterback?
(Sell) I think Arch Manning will be the starter in 2024.
(Buy) Yes and yes.
(Buy) I think these coaches are going to struggle to get Cook off the field as the season goes along.
(Buy) Potato salad = throw it in the trash.
(Sell) #TeamSwoopes
(Sell) I wish I could say "Buy," but winning a national title is really, really hard. There's a reason why it hasn't been done around here in 18 years.
(Buy) Yes, the 2024 team will likely have a first-year quarterback and decreased skill talent on offense and a defense that will need to replace a half-dozen NFL-level players.
No. 9 - Scattershooting on anything and everything ...
... How high are willing to rank CeeDee Lamb on the list of all-time great Dallas Cowboys receivers? How high can he climb on the list? It feels like No. 2 or No. 3 could be in play before his career is over.
... The Heat with Damian Lillard wins the NBA title last month.
... We've reached the point in Russell Westbrook's career when he's making $3.9 million per year just to be able to play in Los Angeles.
... I'm completely stumped about how I am supposed to react to the Sixers signing Patrick Beverley. I kind of want to throw up.
... 493 feet, man. Holy, moly.
... With 20 games in the books, the three MLS teams in Texas are all separated by three points and competing for playoff spots. It should be a fun mad dash down the stretch.
... Christian Pulisic seems to be on his way to playing for AC Milan in the Italian League. In the next three years, who will be the biggest American star?
... I have to say that a signing by Liverpool feels so much better than when any of my other favorite teams sign a player. It just hits differently.
No. 10 - The List: Clint Eastwood movies ...
I did the impossible.
I took all of the Westerns, all of the war movies, all of the movies with orangutans, and I squeezed them all together into one Top 10 list.
You guys said that Clint couldn't be done. I say ... enjoy!
Honorable mention: Where Eagles Dare, For a Few Dollars More, A Perfect World, Million Dollar Baby, A Fist Full of Dollars, Thunderbolt and Lightfoot, Play Misty For Me, The Beguiled and Kelly's Heroes
10. Gran Torino
Watched it this weekend for the first time and decided that it needed to make the list.
9. In the Line of Fire
Eastwood vs. John Malkovich ... yes, please.
8. The Outlaw Josey Wales
You can't have an Eastwood Top 10 without this one making the list somewhere.
7. Heartbreak Ridge
It's quite possible that I have seen this movie more than 500 times and can quote it more than any other movie on this list. Don't @ me about its realism.
6. Any Which Way You Can
I don't care what any of you say, this was the movie that made me love Eastwood as a kid. The great Philo Beddoe (a former OPB alias of yours truly) vs. Jack Wilson.
5. The Bridges of Madison County
I don't care what any of you say, Clint created an absolute tender-hearted masterpiece, creating more on-screen chemistry with Meryl Streep than he ever thought was possible with Sondra Locke.
4. Escape From Alcatraz
Per Wikipedia, Quentin Tarantino called it "both fascinating and exhilarating... cinematically speaking." Yours truly, agrees with QT.
3. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
The film that truly made Eastwood a star.
2. Dirty Harry
The world was introduced to Harry Callahan and police thrillers were never the same.
1. Unforgiven
Quite simply, for my money it's the best Western ever made. There really wasn't a strong inner-debate for the No. 1 spot.
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