From a post I made during last December during Tom Herman's first week on the job as the new Texas head coach:
"In updating the 2017 LSR this week, I've been watching a lot of video of Herman and Co.'s commits/offers at Houston and I find myself really liking the eye for talent that his staff has.
Considering that Houston mostly lives in the world of three-stars, like Charlie Strong at Louisville, you have to be better than the bigger schools at evaluations because the elite of the three stars don't just find themselves.
Evaluations are one of Strong's top skills and I think Herman brings aces in that category as well.
If you see them offer and target someone you don't know about, I'd suggest going to HUDL or wherever you can because Herman and his staff have great eyes for talent from what I can tell.
Daniel Young is another guy I like a lot. Maybe the most violent runner in the state, but he's smooth in the passing game as well. Physical dude."
*****
As Daniel Young put the finishing touches on his best day of a very young career on Saturday with a touchdown in the fourth quarter, I thought back to this thread from last December.
Not so much about the Young part, but more about the fact that Tom Herman and Co. had such a good evaluation on a guy who didn't carry a huge recruiting profile and wasn't one of these guys that could wallpaper his room with scholarship offers.
It became real clear to me that Herman's staff had a good eye for talent, which is probably more valuable than simply being able to recruit, but if you can add both together, you can create real magic.
If you think about the freshman contributors on this team, most have been on the offensive side of the ball and outside of Sam Ehlinger, all of them have something in common ... they are Herman guys.
Young? Poached from UH after Herman arrived in Austin as a guy that wasn't heavily recruited by power five schools.
Derek Kerstetter? Poached from Oklahoma State after Herman arrived in Austin and wasn't heavily recruited by power five schools.
Cade Brewer? Poached from SMU and didn’t become a viable target until Herman showed up and made the mid-three star prospect a priority.
Toneil Carter? Another guy that wasn't giving Texas the time of day until Herman arrived and made him a critical target, but he doesn't really fall into the category of the other three.
As far as I'm concerned, getting it right with Young, Kerstetter and Brewer, especially this early in their careers, is the stuff I've seen from Gary Patterson in the last decade from this state and very few others.
It makes me inclined to trust them moving forward when it comes to player selection in recruiting.
I'm also inclined to suggest that those three players represent one of this staff's biggest early coups.
No. 2 – The elephant in the room ...
I wrote about this a few weeks ago and I'm going to say it again ...
It would greatly benefit the 2018 version of the Texas Longhorns if this coaching staff begins a low-key, but aggressive pursuit of a junior college quarterback who can provide just enough depth next season that the coaches don't have to play a true freshman next season out of desperation.
He doesn't have to be great. He just needs to be able to be playable ... if needed.
It would be dangerously naive to not be prepared for a possible transfer at the position in the off-season. Tom Herman comes across like someone who views life like a good boy scout would, which means he believes in being prepared.
This situation warrants that kind of boy scout-level detail in planning.
No. 3 – Speaking of the quarterback position ...
Relax with Sam.
There's no question that Sam Ehlinger has to learn when to be Superman and when to channel his inner-Clark Kent, but that's just part of the growing pains that come with playing a true freshman that juggles believing he has to be the chief play-maker on the offense, while also believing he has the ability to make any play that can be made on a football field.
You don't have to tell Ehlinger to go for it. He's got that part down. It's the knowing when to go for it and when not to that will come with time.
Recall that in Colt McCoy's sophomore season in 2007, he was such a turnover machine (22 of them) that a lot of people wondered if he could truly lead Texas to greatness, even if his high-end upside was obvious to the naked eye. All it took was added maturation to Colt's own gun-slinging nature and the Longhorns had the guy they needed for 2008 and 2009 championship runs.
Sam's not dumb. He's 19. The two are often confused for each other, which is understandable, but trust me on this one.
Just relax.
No. 4 - Good decision, Connor ...
If the all-American wanted to put some junior game-film together for NFL scouts that matched the type of play witnessed in 2016, well ... mission accomplished.
Watching Williams pistol-whip everything that crossed his path on Saturday was a reminder of just what Texas has been missing for so much of this season.
It wasn't an accident that the coaches kept running behind his backside in the second half when they needed to lock the game down.
The Longhorns might not get the most out of Williams this season because of the injury, but if this team closes the show with two more wins this season to reach 8-5 with a bowl win to boot, his role will be immense in getting there.
No. 5- One thought about Friday ...
It's pretty fascinating how quickly the game between Texas and Texas Tech went from being a total dud of a match-up to being a pretty critical game.
Winning four out of five to finish the regular season would be quite a statement and it's there for the taking.
No. 6- This dunk deserves its own thread ...
JERICHO!!!!!!!!!!
No. 7 – Buy or Sell …
BUY or SELL: Connor, Malik, Elliott and Hill all declare for the draft?
(Sell) I don't think Texas goes 0-fer on all four. I think Hill has the most to gain by getting his act together and returning for one more season.
BUY or SELL: If the coaches listened to fans earlier in the year, and played
Daniel Young
Toneil Carter
Gary Johnson
Malcolm Roach
Breckyn Hager
Texas would have a better record than it does today?
(Buy) Roach started the season injured, so I don't really count him, but the other four? Yeah, the coaches were wrong in some of their personnel decisions, which many hard-core fans could see coming a mile away.
BUY or SELL: Happiest man on OB after a win is Suchomel?
(Sell) While he might be the ban-master, which creates its own sort of outrage, the general masses tend to aim their collective pitchfork more towards me than anyone else on the staff, which means I win.
BUY or SELL: Texas plays A&M in Texas Bowl?
(Sell) That game needs to mean something when these two teams play. That would not be the case this season.
BUY or SELL: Texas names a new AD before 2018?
(Sell) I keep being told it'll be in the back-end of the first quarter of 2018.
BUY or SELL: With a healthy Connor Williams for the full season, Texas is 8-3 right now?
(Sell) I'll give them the USC game with a healthy Connor. You could argue Oklahoma State, but I think we would all be wise to try not to re-write history after one game against an average team that ended up losing its quarterback early in the game.
BUY or SELL: Daniel Young goes for over a 100 against Tech?
(Buy) Oh yeah.
BUY or SELL: Your pick of Texas to beat WVU was based more on your astute evaluation of the two teams than on pure contrarianism?
(Buy) I just thought Texas had been the better team against better competition than the Mountaineers and that it has beaten a better team on the road earlier in the season in Ames.
BUY or SELL: Shane transfers after the season?
(Buy) He's losing the job at the end of the season and he has three years to play two with a transfer, which means a year off and a fresh start might be the best possible thing for him. Not the team ... HIM. Texas will do everything it can to keep him, and I'm sure the staff will tell him that a battle will take place, which means that he'll stay through the spring. All in all, it's an unfair topic of discussion for him, but it's a big ol' elephant in the room.
BUY or SELL: Playing a bowl game in Houston is a big deal because it will help with recruiting there and in Louisiana?
(Buy) Houston is this school's most important recruiting region at the moment, so any and all extra exposure the Longhorns can get in that area is worth its weight in gold.
BUY or SELL: Tim Beck calling plays this time next year?
(Buy) *Ducking*
BUY or SELL: Texas put together a convincing conference road win when it had to, making this the signature win of the season. We can finally say the team has turned the corner under TH and it doesn't matter who declares for the draft, we're in good shape and on the way back.
Tell us Ketchy-Wan Kenobi. You're our only hope.
(Buy) It depends on what corner we're talking about. If it's the corner of respectability, yes, absolutely. If it's the corner towards big-time football, no, a bigger dragon has to go down than West Virginia to make such a claim. I would still argue Texas has won every game it was supposed to win and lost every game it was supposed to lose, even if most picking the game favored the Mountaineers.
No. 8 – If I had a vote that mattered ...
1. Alabama
2. Miami
3. Oklahoma
4. Clemson
5. Wisconsin
6. Georgia
7. Auburn
8. Ohio State
9. Notre Dame
10. USC
No. 9 – Eternal Randomness of the Spotty Sports Mind …
... Baker Mayfield is the Scott Hall of college football. All that's missing is the tooth-pick.
... Biggest takeaway from the teams in the top 10 this week? Zzzzzzzzzzz.
... Actually, I do give Miami credit for overcoming the natural hangover following the Notre Dame win and responding with a win that was impressive with regards to the team's response when faced with some adversity.
... Jim Mora Jr. is just a guy.
... I'm just sick for D'Onta Foreman. The young man was having a true breakout performance and right as he scores a game-clinching touchdown, his Achilles tendon gives way. Hang in there, D'Onta.
... Sean McDermott is only a first-year coach, but man, the decision to go from Tyrod Taylor to Nate Peterman is a firing offense. My goodness, what a disaster.
... The Patriots are the best team in football and getting better by the week.
... Imagine Minnesota with really good quarterback play. Watch out, NFC.
... Mo Salah is the early EPL Player of the Year. He's producing goals and assists at a Messi-like level through the first 1/3 of the EPL season.
... Big 12 officials called the Arsenal/Tottenham game.
... Get ready for Tuesday, soccer fans. No, I'm not talking Champions League, I'm talking about the first-leg of the MLS Conference Finals. Holla!
No. 10 – And Finally…
#AISDPROUD
Last edited:
