Ketch's 10 Thoughts From the Weekend (Players I'd stand on a small mound of dirt for...)

[Ketchum]

I wonder if Epps regrets taking the photo?

 

[Big Stoop]

Just like @Anwar Richardson, I found myself somewhat inspired by our TicketCity Podcasts this week with regards to it helping create additional content for a weekend column.

We chose from different episodes and angles to draw inspiration from.

Personally, I've been fascinated by the discussion that we had on Thursday, which asked everyone on the podcast to choose an unproven Texas player that they would die on a hill defending going into the season. From my perspective, there were probably only five players that I would personally take to the bank as sure-thing proven plus-players from 2019 - Sam Ehlinger, Sam Cosmi, Derek Kerstetter, Joseph Ossai and Brennan Eagles.

Outside of those five, everyone else was fair game for selection.

The three players that were selected in order (and thus taken away as an option by the next person to choose from) were Bijan Robinson (Dustin McComas), Caden Sterns (Anwar) and Jake Smith (Alex Dunlap).

Where I wanted to come into the discussion was picking up the conversation from this moment on. If the discussion of the talent was to change from "hills you'd die on" to "mounds of dirt you'd take a verbal lashing on,” what might it look like? Well, I decided to break it into two categories - overall roster and young players for the future (second-year sophomores and freshmen).

Weirdly, I think this topic might have made an already good podcast even better, just because it's a conversation that takes the obvious names out of play and will likely bring the least amount of consensus.

So, here goes!

Players On The Roster For The 2020 season

5. Chris Brown (S)

It's easy to forget because he was injured for part of the season, and the secondary as a whole was a big mess for much of the season, but Brown was the guy that felt like was the most consistent player among all defensive backs a season ago when he was actually healthy. On top of that, new defensive coordinator Chris Ash has been singing his praises since taking the job. I sometimes think he remains an underrated member of the secondary in the eyes of many because he didn't arrive with shiny recruiting credentials like so many of his fellow defensive backs. We are talking about the team's third leading returning tackle from a season ago.

4. Keaontay Ingram (RB)

Did you know that Cedric Benson never averaged as many yards per carry in any season as Ingram did a season ago or that Earl Campbell failed to hit that mark in three out of four seasons on the 40 Acres? It's sometimes easier to focus on what Ingram didn't do in 2019 over what he did do, but what he did so was finish third in the Big 12 in YPC, seventh in the Big 12 in touchdowns and first in the Big 12 in lost fumbles (none). Oh, and he had four 100-yard games as well.

3. Jordan Whittington (WR)

He reminds of Jordan Shipley in 2004 and 2005. Everyone inside the program knows how good this dude is, we just haven't seen it in a game yet. Well, the cream eventually rises to the top and this kid is a lot of cream.

2. Jalen Green (CB)

Proving that at the end of the day I just love players oozing talent and upside more than a somewhat proven body of work, I'm taking Green in this spot. The kid just oozes future Sunday talent, and I'll buy as much stock as possible of kids with Sunday upside.

1. The Healthy B.J. Foster (S)

I have to preface this set of remarks with the acknowledgment that I'm wondering whether we'll ever see Foster at 100-percent fully healthy again (some guys just can't stay healthy), but if he can get a full slate of games in without the injury bug biting him, there's not a better pound-for-pound football player on the entire roster. I just don't know if his body can hold up.

Young Players For The Future

5. Chris Adimora (DB)

Coming off of an impressive bowl performance, Adimora already looked like a player headed for a starting position in 2020, but it's possible that what he's really headed for is a breakout season.

4. Tyler Johnson (OL)

Perhaps this kid is still a year away, but I think we're eventually talking about a three-year starter and a future NFL offensive lineman.

3. Alfred Collins (DL)

Even though this kid hasn't participated in a single practice, his profile screams future pro player. Buy his stock while you can.

2. Tyler Owens (DB)

As someone that ranked him as a five-star prospect coming out of high school, I'm not backing down now.

1. Hudson Card (QB)

Yes, I believe that Card has the best arm talent of any quarterback prospect that Texas has signed in the modern era of the program.

No. 2 - About that Hudson Card comment

Yup, I'm serious. I think Card has the best pure arm talent of any quarterback I've ever seen Texas sign.

View embedded media

No. 3 - Almost impossible to believe ...

Every time I see these numbers posted by Caden Sterns in 2019, I can't help but do a double take.

Interceptions: 0
Pass break-ups: 1
Forced Fumbles: 0
Recovered Fumbles: 0
Quarterback Hits: 0

Texas really needs the five-star inside of him to come out this season.

No. 4 - THIS dude...

I'm guessing that every Texas running back on campus is aware of the fact that Bijan Robinson is officially in town.

View embedded media

No. 5 - One of the all-time "What Could Have Beens" ...

View embedded media

Don't ask me why, but I was thinking of former five-star defensive end prospect Bryan Pickryl this weekend and wondering if he might be the biggest talent loss to injury for the Longhorns over the course of the last 20 years.

For those that forget how good this kid was coming out of Jenks, Oklahoma, all I can tell you is that he still might rank as the best high school defensive end prospect that I've ever seen the Longhorns sign. I don't care who you want to hold up against Pickryl because he was that damn good coming out of high school. He was a beast against the run and a serious pass rush threat. On a stacked 2002 team as a true freshman, Pickryl finished with 4.5 sacks and 8 tackles for loss.

Those numbers were better than the numbers posted by Kalen Thornton and Larry Dibbles combined. He actually started a couple of games as a true freshman. In his second career game on the road at North Carolina, he recorded 1.5 sacks and three quarterback hits.

I'm telling you this dude was an absolute beast.

And he only played in three more games in his entire Texas career. It says a lot about how loaded those teams in the mid 2000s were that a player of Pickryl's ability could be so easily forgotten over the years.

No. 6 - Stats of the Weekend...

When was the last time you looked at Vince Young's passing numbers from the 2004 season?

Touchdowns: 12
Interceptions: 11
Completion percentage: 59.2
Efficiency Rating: 128.37

That was in a 12-game season in which he started every single game. The team as a whole only had 12 touchdown passes all season.

What might be even crazier than that is the fact that the Longhorns defense only allowed 12 touchdown passes all season as well, which means that both offenses averaged a mere two combined passing touchdowns combined per game all season. For context, that's still two fewer combined touchdown passes for/against the 1989 Longhorns, which might as well have been the damn Stone Age.

What's even crazier than THAT is the fact that Young led the nation in passing efficiency the very next season.

No. 7 – BUY or SELL …

(Buy) I think a lot of this might have to do with the fact that the returning quarterbacks in college football this year is mostly a bunch of meh.


(Buy) Yes, there will be games, but perhaps not everywhere. Same with crowds.


(Sell) It might be the other way around. Of course, I just described Milroe as a young Donovan McNabb, so maybe it could be that way. It'll be fascinating to watch unfold.


(Buy) I'll take Texas over Oklahoma at the moment.


(Sell) If there's ever a year where we might see some goofy things happen across the sport, it might be in a year when season preparations have been turned completely upside down.


(Buy) I can't see anything more aggressive than that.


(Buy) This could be a season where we see more of Ehlinger used as a sledgehammer and not less.


(Sell) I can sense your sarcasm. I would think Eagles is in a place to potentially catch 80 passes for 1,200 yards and a dozen touchdowns. It'll be a very disappointing season if he's not in the 1,000-yards/double-digit touchdowns range considering that he represents 61% of the returning receiving yards by receivers on the current roster.


(Buy) Yup. It's one of the scary things about asking this group of coaches to capture lightning in a bottle when they essentially have one hand tied behind their backs.


(Buy) I'll go a step further. Vader doesn't belong in the same sentence as the Taker. Full confession... Vader never really did it for me.


(Buy) Yeah, I can totally see that.

No. 8 - Scattershooting on the world of sports ...

... I never thought I'd have a chance to relive what it was like to be a Cowboys fan in the 1990s again, but I have to say that the Jurgen Klopp era of Liverpool sits right beside it now as my favorite window of time as a sports fan of any team. From eighth in the league to Champions League Finalists to Champions League winners to Premier League winners in the span of four years has created one hell of a joy ride. I wish Klopp was my dad. That's how much I love that dude. I love this entire team. It's been awesome to have a love affair with a sports team again.

... One day, Klopp isn't going to be the manager of my favorite soccer team and life as I know it will never be the same. For those that know nothing of him, imagine Jimmy Johnson with even more charisma but mixed with Darrell Royal charm and class. I never thought anyone could ever surpass Johnson as my favorite pro coach of all-time, but Klopp is in a stratosphere by himself at this point. I flat out love the man.

View embedded media

... Did Dustin Poirier's five-round win over Dan Hooker get more mainstream media love than any win in Jon Jones’ career? It felt like EVERYONE was talking about that fight on Sunday morning. The UFC has been one of the few winners of the pandemic.

... I wonder if Tom Brady would have ever guessed a decade ago that Byron Leftwich would one day be his offensive coordinator.

... I was really hoping for some Lefty magic this weekend in the PGA, but he just didn't have four days of great golf in him.

... How are we going to treat a champion at the end of this NBA season? Does it come with an asterisk or not?

... Just how big of a fall from grace has Antoine Griezmann taken this year? Is he going to get run out of town after a single season? Certainly not. Right?

... The FA Cup semifinals are loaded with big boy teams and with Liverpool having locked up the league so early, I wonder if we're going to see as much focus on the end of this Cup run than any other domestic cup run in a long time. I don't even have a dog in the hunt and I'm looking forward to it.

... Once Norwich goes down to the Championship next year, someone is almost certainly going to get a very nice young player in Todd Cantrell on the cheap. I wouldn't mind Liverpool taking a flyer on him.

... I'm kind of looking forward to the return of the MLS in the next two weeks.

... I haven't really thought a lot about it, but I would think a year away from the sport because of the pandemic would have to register as a disaster for most minor league baseball players.

No. 9 - The List: Top 10 coolest dudes of my lifetime ...

Inspired by this post from the board this weekend, I give you my Top 10 coolest men/dudes/guys post-1976.

10. Patrick Swayze (Dirty Dancing/Road House)
9. Ken Griffey Jr. (early 90s)
8. Keanu Reeves (present day)
7. Matthew McConaughey
6. Andre 3000 (last 25 years)
5. George Clooney (circa-Ocean's 11)
4. Harrison Ford (early to mid 80s)
3. Eddie Murphy (1980s)
2. Michael Jackson (Thriller album)
1. Prince

No.10 - And finally...

I want to adopt Watson.

I see what you did there @Ketchum . With the title if your post .... Yes I do ️️

 

[J Tull]

Nice write up, Ketch.
Agree with you on Card. I've been really surprised more posters have not appreciated his arm strength and throwing ability, but wow, that was some fun film. Kid can really sling it around the field.

Big time competitor who will be very difficult to keep off the field if he stays healthy. Looked a little thicker and stronger in that film, which is a good thing

I remember Pickryl as well. His first few games he was so explosive and fast running down QBs. Then he hurt his shoulder, had surgery and it was over. He had Sunday talent. Injuries have ruined many a career.