Full transparency - the 2020 Texas Longhorns appear on paper to be a much bigger threat to Oklahoma's dynasty in the Big 12 than the 2019 Texas Longhorns.
Assuming they both return for the 2020 season, Texas would have a four-year starter at quarterback for the first time since 2009 and it's possible that the offensive line would be led by the best tackle in the entire league.
The skill positions will be loaded, all of those freshmen defensive backs from 2018 will be third-year studs preparing themselves for NFL futures and the recruiting from the last few classes has left most positions stocked very well for the foreseeable future.
On top of all of that, the Sooners currently don't have a quarterback on their roster that has so much as played a few downs of important snaps at the collegiate level, which would create a strong contrast to what the return of Ehlinger would give the Longhorns at the most important position in the sport. Plus, Ceedee Lamb will almost certainly be gone as well and if you didn't know ... he's really, really good.
All of the above 184 words being said, the moment to strike for the Texas football program is now, not in a year from now.
After mud-stomping Georgia in the Sugar Bowl a year ago, we need to stop living in Pretend-Land as it relates to the expectations of the Texas fan base. Fair or not, Texas fans really don't want to hear about any perceived holes that need addressing on either side of the ball.
Is Sam back ... or not?
Is Sam the best quarterback in the Big 12 ... or not?
Is Sam the pre-season Offensive Player in the Year in the Big 12 ... or not?
With basically seven weeks to go until the start of the season, two thoughts emerged from my brain from the Big 12 media days as definitive talking points.
a. No matter how much Tom Herman might not want to outright declare that it's Big 12 title or bust this season from an expectations standpoint, it’s Big 12 title or bust right now. Going into year three, this is the expectation for every head coach that has ever been hired by the University of Texas in my lifetime.
b. Ehlinger has more pressure on him this season to perform at an elite level, whether he feels, see or hears about it or not, than any Texas player since Colt McCoy in 2009. Oklahoma has proven that it barely needs a breathing defense to win championships when it has an elite-level offense, which puts Texas in a position to worry less about how the defensive front evolves and more about whether the offense can take the next step with Ehlinger in complete control.
Whether any of that is fair or not to Herman or Ehlinger really doesn't matter because we don't live in a world where fair or not matters.
This is where we are.
With the expectations being what they are going to be, regardless of how Herman attempts to frame the discussion of them, I'd contend that Herman embrace the bravado is the move everyone is begging for him to take. We've long joked among the Orangebloods staff that when Herman closes his eyes at night and envisions what he would look like as a college quarterback if he'd ever had that kind of ability, it would be Ehlinger. He sees himself in Sam, which means that he sees some Sam in himself.
So, I say let it all hang out.
Declare that Oklahoma is a hell of a foe and there are no assurances of anything in August, but Texas is coming for the Big 12 title and anything less than that will represent failure.
It's the kind of thing Bob Stoops used to declare and Mack Brown would run from. It's the kind of attitude that Lincoln Riley has welcomed with open arms.
Even if Texas comes up short, Longhorns fans everywhere will always respect a head coach that tells the truth and establishes a high bar. Falling short is a big sin around these parts, but perhaps not as much as pretending that falling short isn't much of a sin at all.
Texas won't truly be back until its seasons are defined by whether it won or lost the Big 12 title and since Herman sees himself in Sam and Sam already said Texas was back, there's no turning back as far as I'm concerned. The mark has been established.
Embrace it, Coach. Let it flow through your veins.
I know I can't wait to see Twitter when it happens.
No. 2 - Tim Beck ... Texas super-recruiter!
When Tim Beck was hired back in January of 2017, there were both shouts of joy and concern upon his arrival.
While the concern centered on whether he was truly an elite play-calling offensive coordinator, genuine excitement existed over his abilities as a recruiter, especially in the Metroplex, which was an area in which most of his staff had very little success prior to arriving at Texas.
Unfairly, when the Longhorns didn't produce in Dallas at elite levels in recruiting in 2018 and 2019, a lot of fingers were pointed at Beck because of his experience in that area, both as a recruiter and as a head coach back in the day.
The truth of the matter is two-fold.
a. It was never Beck's job to be the guy that kept Texas at the forefront of the elite prospects in the Metroplex, no matter what experience he brought with him from that area when he arrived.
b. Overall, he's done a kick-ass job recruiting quarterbacks since he arrived, starting with holding on to Sam Ehlingher in 2017, landing national out of state prospects Cameron Rising and Casey Thompson in 2018, Roschon Johnson in 2019, in-state wonderkids Hudson Card and Ja'Quinden Jackson in 2020 and now national Top 100 prospect Jalen Milroe for the 2021 class.
If every position on the roster was being filled with the level of talent that Beck has had a huge hand in securing since he arrived (some, but not all are), there wouldn't be a single assistant coach on the Longhorns Fans Unofficial Hot Seat List, a list that exists into eternity.
No. 3 - Jalen Milroe vs. Preston Stone ...
With the commitment of Milroe to Texas on Sunday, the conversation about the top two quarterback prospects in the state of Texas will continue to take place as Texas fans ask whether or not this impacts the recruitment of Stone, the Dallas Parish Episcopal star, who ranks as the No. 20 overall prospect in the nation in 2021.
It shouldn't, but it most certainly will it appears.
Of course, with the Longhorns having already secured two quarterbacks in the 2020 class, the numbers don't suggest that taking two in 2021 is likely.
It's strange to compare the two because I feel like they are 180-degree exact opposites, as Milroe has elite run skills to contrast with Stone's elite arm skills, while both players are working with similar-level secondary talents (ie ... Milroe can throw and Stone is no stiff as a runner).
Both have the talent to thrive in a Herman-led offense. One reminds me more of Kyle Allen, while the other reminds me more of a J.T. Barrett/Greg Ward mash-up.
It looks like if all things are equal, Herman would prefer the Barrett/Ward option than the Allen option.
No. 4 - On the subject of Parker Braun...
Look, I get it. The former two-time first-team All-ACC lineman hasn't even practiced a single time with the Longhorns and he has to be loyal to guys like Derek Kerstetter and Denzel Okafor, two players that Herman cited as Braun's chief competition for playing time.
However, I'd contend that the fact that he's competing with Kerstetter and Okafor for playing time is the exact reason he will be an impact player.
If we can keep it real for a long moment, the Longhorns haven't had a player earn consecutive first-team All-conference honors since 2006 when Justin Blalock pulled it off. Something will have gone really wrong if one of the linemen in the country in 2018 can't come in and beat two players that have never completely proven themselves to be more than solid players at this level.
Barring him being unable to grasp the playbook, I'm not even going to allow my brain to live in a place where he's not a major part of the 2019 offense.
No. 5 – BUY or SELL …
(Buy) I don't know how to stress this enough, other than to put it in all caps: PARKER BRAUN HAS PERFORMED AT A HIGHER LEVEL FOR MULTIPLE SEASONS IN THE ACC THAN PROBABLY 97-PERCENT OF THE LINEMEN THAT HAVE PLAYED AT TEXAS SINCE 2006. That is an unofficial number.
(Sell) The upside just isn't worth the downside. Ask "Air Coyell".
(Sell) I'll buy 1,500 yards, but I can't go nearly that high.
(Sell) Not unless we're just going to give Fedora any and all credit for any differences we see, which seems unfair.
(Buy) If you're asking the question, you already know the answer and just don't want to own it just yet. You won't be alone. That might very well be the best tailgate scene in the history of Texas football.
(Sell) Does he sound angry or serious? I find him to sound more serious than angry.
(Sell) I need to know how many Big 12 title rings he has on his fingers through seven years.
(Buy) There are currently 17 prospects in the state of Texas listed in the current 2021 Rivals100. That's a rather staggering number at this stage of the game. The state if loaded.
(Sell)
@Suchomel and I concurred that the answer is 100-percent no, mostly because our Intel on all of the most important prospects has been really good, regardless of direct access to the prospects across the board. Personally, the 2015 class jumps out in my mind as a first thought with frustrating classes.
(Buy) Gif reaction of the week
(Sell) It could very well happen, but I'll take the field in July.
(Buy) If by elite, you mean national top 25-30 good, I'm really on the fence, but I'll stick with a buy for now. It's not a call made with much confidence.
(Sell) In all seriousness, the Top Four aviation movies of all-time has to include Top Gun, The Battle for Britain, Hell's Angels and The Aviator.
Respectfully submit nominations for best Aviation Movies; Midway, Pearl Harbor, 12 O'clock High, Command Decision, Airport and The Blue Max.
All of which should rank ahead of "Battle of Britian". Hell's Angels was from 1930. If you want to go that far back, Why not "Wings from 1929, the first "Best Picture" winner?
No. 6 - Dear Big 12 ...
I don't mean to speak to for everyone on the board, but if you could spend more or as much time improving your officiating as you've spent focusing on the "Horns down" issue, that would be great.
I can assure you that in far more games than I can count, Texas fans have been driven insane by poor game officiating than they have been at "Horns down" no-calls.
Get your act together.
Thanks.
No. 7 - What do we make of Jordan Spieth after the final major of 2019?
It feels like a case of good news and bad news when I take a gander at the year that Spieth has put together at the age of 25.
On one hand, he hasn't really looked anything like the guy that took over golf in 2015 and for a moment was the world's best player.
On the other hand, he finished 3rd at the PGA and was solid in picking up 20th- and 21st-place at The Masters and The British Open, respectively.
It's an interesting place we as fans find ourselves in as we try to process what our expectations of Spieth should be moving forward, considering he's no longer ranked as a top-10 player in the world. Or top 20. Or top 30. Or top 40 ... ok, ok, ok ... he's officially No. 38 as of Sunday. He's not even ranked among the top 10 American players as things currently stand, which is pretty heavy territory when you consider that 10 of the top 14 players in the world rankings are American.
So, what do we make of it all?
From my perspective, we probably need to stop thinking of him as an all-time great, but the four top-10 finishes in majors that he's racked up over the course of the last four "disappointing" seasons suggests he’s still quite capable of winning a few more majors over the course of the next 15 years.
We all probably just need to chill out with the expectations that every single year is defined by majors alone. If he wins two more in the next 15 years, he'll have the same number as Phil Mickelson, which would represent a hell of a career.
Now if he can just get back ahead of a 49-year of Mickelson, who ranks ahead of him in the current world rankings, even if he's giving up 25 years in the process.
No. 8 – Eternal Randomness of the Spotty Sports Mind …
... I always root for great golfers to win in majors more than I cheer for the underdog stories, but give Shane Lowry his due because he outclassed the field over four days. Consider that a win for overweight men all over the world.
... It never really felt like Brooks Koepka had it going this weekend and he still finished fourth. Hell, there were times when he seemed to be hitting it all over the course, yet he still finished fourth. Tip of the cap.
... Man, I missed Roy Halladay on Sunday. I couldn't watch any of the MLB Hall of Fame ceremony. That wound hasn't closed yet.
... The NFL is trash is far as I'm concerned for its handling of the Tyreek Hill situation. The level of trust that it has earned is slightly less than the trust the NCAA has earned.
... As someone who considers himself a fan of Keith Thurman, consider me very disappointed by his effort on Saturday night against a 40-year-old Manny Pacquiao. With all due respect to his wins over Danny Garcia and Shawn Porter, this is the fight for which we're going to remember him.
... All hail, Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The man is a national treasure. He's not our national treasure, but he's still a national treasure.
... I have a buddy of mine from Singapore that was in the stands for this goal on Sunday and even though it was a pre-season friendly, I'm guessing he lost his mind.
No. 9 - The List: Top 10 Robin Williams Watches ...
The incomparable Robin Williams should have turned 68 on Sunday. Sixty-eight. Even though he passed away at the age of 63, it's hard for me to close my eyes and imagine him being so old.
I'm going to have to go on a binge this week. It's been a while.
10.
The Birdcage
I feel guilty for having this so low on the list, while at the same time ranking it above The Fisher King.
9.
The Best of Times
One of my personal favorite sports comedies. I've probably watched this movie 200 times over the years and I still laugh at all the same parts (see the clip vs. Dr. Death).
8.
Patch Adams
It gets me every time.
7.
Comic Relief
Pick him on stage at any of the Comic Relief events that he was involved in. It was must-see TV for me as a young kid.
6. Aladdin
Maybe the greatest voice performances of all-time.
5.
Mrs. Doubtfire
One of the most underrated comedic performances of all-time.
4.
Good Will Hunting
The park bench scene has become an iconic piece of film.
3.
Live at The Met
One of my favorite stand-up concerts of all-time.
2.
Dead Poets Society
O' Captain, my captain. Your voice is so missed.
1.
Good Morning Vietnam
Adrian Cronauer was the role of his lifetime. He should have won the Oscar for Best Actor in 1988 over Michael Douglas, with all due respect to his role in Wall Street. I'd argue 25 guys could have pulled off Gordon Gecko, while I'm not sure anyone else could have done Cronauer with the same force.
No. 10 – And Finally ...
One last thought on Milroe. I'm not sure I've ever seen anything Tweeted by a junior-to-be in high school that I liked as much as I liked this Tweet by the young playmaker.
