Last year there were 11 Power 5 coaches who were in year 2 at their programs. Of the 11, 4 coached their teams to a 5 or more regular season win improvement over their first year, after having a non-winning record in year 1 (Aranda, Mel Tucker, Sam Pittman and Lane Kiffin) . One other coach (Mike Leach), saw a 3 win improvement. Given that the best 5 coaches don't have anywhere near the built in advantages that Sark has at Texas and most of them are in tougher conferences than the Big 12, is it asking too much to expect Sark to show that he is better than the bottom 55 percent of that overall group hired in 2020? That's the measuring stick for me; anything less than a 3 or 4 game improvement puts him firmly in the JAG category.
Ketch's 10 Thoughts From The Weekend (Time for Sark to earn some damn respect)
- Thread starter Ketchum
- Start date
Frankly, they were too early for me to know too much about who they were as people when they were playing because of my age, but being fiery on the court didn't make them assholes.
I've never talked to anyone that has ever had a nice thing to say about Novac, and that includes multiple pros that have played with him.
He's an all-time player, but **** him.
Well I’ve never talked to anyone that has played any of the guys we’re discussing. So….🤷🏻♂️
I enjoyed reading your column and you insights this week sir.
It's time for Steve Sarkisian to earn some damn respect.
As the Texas head coach and a handful of his most trust-worthy players get set to head to Arlington this week for the Big 12 Media Days, one of the things that have become clear to any observer of Sarkisian's program is that we're not looking at only a group of players that will be looking to gain respect during the 2022 season.
Don't get me wrong, as a recruiter inside the Big 12, Sarkisian is truly without peer, having twice earned top-five recruiting classes at a pair of different schools in different conferences.
Yet, when it comes to the art of actual coaching, the general consensus around the country seems to be that Sarkisian is just a guy, which is an odd stigma when you consider the success he's enjoyed as an assistant coach in both college and NFL.
As @Anwar Richardson pointed out in this week's Sunday Pulpit, Sarkisian was named the league's 6th best head coach by CBS Sports, behind the likes of KSU's Chris Klieman and TCU's Sonny Dykes.
The unintentional insulting didn't stop there. One recent Sports Illustrated article listed him 8th, behind West Virginia's Neal Brown. Sarkisian came in 6th in a recent Yahoo Sports article. Meanwhile, everyone's favorite former Rivals recruiting analyst listed Sarkisian 9th, one spot behind OU's Brent Venables, who has coached as many games as a head coach as you and your dentist.
Of course, these lists are worthless. A year ago, Baylor head coach Dave Aranda was polling 10th in a 10-team league, and a year later, he's typically ranked first or second following one of the great coaching seasons in the history of the conference.
Yet, as former Texas head coach Mack Brown used to say about recruiting rankings if these things are going to exist at all, you might as well finish high up the list as possible. For a coach entering his ninth year as a major college head coach, Sarkisian just hasn't earned enough street cred and when you consider that he's never had a team finish higher than No.20 in any of the two major polls, it's probably fair.
You are what your record says you are. If you type in the words "Seven win Steve" into Google, this is what you'll find:
View attachment 2938
The good news is that what has happened in the past mostly doesn't matter. Just ask Aranda. All it will take to change the tune of a very fickle public is to win a bunch of games in 2022.
No other coach in this league has weaponry that includes the likes of Bijan Robinson, Xavier Worthy, Isaiah Neyor, Roschon Johnson, Jordan Whittington, Ja'Tavion Sanders, and Jahleel Billingsley. No other head coach in the Big 12 has three assistant coaches making 1,000,000+ per season. Hell, most don't have one. No other head coach has Quinn Ewers as his quarterback.
With a wide-open Big 12 there for the taking, there's no time like the present to announce yourself with authority.
Don't just beat the dead-weight teams in this conference that aren't worthy of the Big 10 or SEC, humiliate them by dropping 70 on the scoreboard.
It's not about asking for respect, it's about taking it.
No. 2 - Between a rock and a hard place...
In a conversation with @Anwar Richardson and @Suchomel on Thursday's Modcast, I posed the following question... is Sarkisian more likely to be judged by the standard set by Aranda's second season in Waco or Brent Venables' first in Norman.
The answer is likely both.
There's no way on God's green earth that you'll be able to convince a Texas fan that Sarkisian shouldn't be able to turn water into wine, as Aranda did in his second head coaching season. If he can do it, Sarkisian should be able to do it, many will say.
At the exact same time, Sarkisian can't allow Venables to best him on the field or in the standings in year one.
It feels like we've all said, "If not now, then when?" far too many times in the last decade when it comes to beating the Sooners, but given that OU is led by a rookie head coach and has seen more roster turnover than a McDonalds paying the kitchen staff minimum wage, it probably is fair to ask... if not now, then when?
Fair or not, Sarkisian's standards will be the ghosts of last season's Miracle on the Brazos 2.0 and whatever the hell happens in Norman in 2022. The former feels like a pretty tall task, while the latter feels like an absolute must.
No. 3 - Asking questions ...
If I was at Big 12 Media Days and had a chance to ask a question to each of the five Longhorns that will be taking questions at the event, here are the questions I'd probably want to ask.
Steve Sarkisian - "What constitutes success and failure in year two of your tenure? What has to happen this season for you and everyone in/around the program to feel like you're on track going into next season?"
Bijan Robinson - "Do you feel like your NIL opportunities at Texas potentially open the door for you to stay for four seasons or as a running back do you feel like starting the clock towards your second contract in the NFL as soon as possible is most realistic?"
Roschon Johnson - "Is there a scenario where you would entertain using your COVID year and sticking around for the 2023 season?"
Ovie Oghoufo - "What constitutes success and failure for the Texas defense in 2022?"
DeMarvion Overshown - "Entering your fifth season as a Texas player, how do you view what has transpired in your career in the program thus far and how does that frame your expectations coming into the 2022 season?"
No. 4 - Before anyone asks ...
I know you guys have recruiting on the brain, so before you even ask questions about the 2023 class, here are my general opinions on the key remaining targets in the 2023 recruiting class.
Projected Future commits
RB - Cedric Baxter
Suchomel has him listed at 65% for the Longhorns, but at the risk of having people shout out 85% at me, I'd list the percentage higher. From the moment Arch Manning committed to Texas, Baxter's name has been talked about like it's money in the bank. If he doesn't commit to the Longhorns in August, something completely unexpected and bad will have taken place.
WR - Mikal Harrison-Pilot
I've had an Instant Analysis article written for what I've believed is a pending commitment from MHP for a couple of weeks, but now I find myself asking the following questions... Is he the next to commit? Has he waited too long, especially with the sudden surging interest from Jalen Hale? I still think MHP is a take in this class because of his positional versatility, but it's not impossible to think that he could wait too long to make the call.
LB - Derion Gullette
I would have thought this one would be over by now. Let's just say the Instant Analysis is ready to go.
LB - Anthony Hill
If the Longhorns are going to have a second wave of momentum, it'll be the commitment of Hill that makes it possible. It's not going to be easy because the Aggies seem desperate to reel him in by any means needed, but my Futurecast is in with the Longhorns for good reasons.
CB - Malik Muhammad
I still believe it's just a matter of time and my sources still feel really good about Muhammad ending up in burnt orange. He'd be my pick for the next to commit.
The Jury is Still Out
WR - Jalen Hale
The announcement late last week that the Longhorns are in his final three, along with Alabama and Georgia, seems to be a very good sign for the Longhorns. With USC, Oklahoma, and Texas A&M all seemingly in the picture, the Longhorns suddenly have a lot going for it, including unquestioned home-field advantage vs. the other top two.
TE - Duce Robinson
The smart money is still on USC, but the presence of Arch Manning makes everything on the offensive side of the ball feel possible. Considering the Longhorns will host him on an official visit in the fall, the chances of pulling this off might even be greater than the 30% that Suchomel listed in the War Room.
DE - David Hicks Jr.
Texas needs to get him on campus two more times in my estimation to have enough momentum to be more than a bridesmaid.
DE - Hunter Osborne
The biggest advantage the Longhorns might have in his recruitment is the presence of a very happy Justice Finkley's mom. With her son enjoying his Texas experience the way he has in year one, it is setting the table for Osborne to follow, knowing that Osborne's parents will be able to sleep at night knowing that Dr. Finkley's first-hand experience has been such a good one.
DE - Colton Vasek
It's hard for me to believe that such a smart kid (and a legacy to boot) will pick a program without any long-term stability at this point over the hometown team with surging momentum.
DE - Braylan Shelby
There are some corners of the Longhorns universe that Shelby chalked up as a future commitment, which means I might have him slotted in the wrong tier.
DR - Terrance Green
My only real issue with Green might come down to numbers. It's clear that Texas has some momentum going with it, but will that momentum still exist if he's uncommitted and the Longhorns have landed the likes of Osborne, Vasek, and Shelby?
CB - Javien Toviano
A popular train of thought out on the streets is that Toviano and Muhammad won't end up at the same school, which is why Toviano to Texas A&M and Muhammad to Texas is probably where the smart money is at the moment.
DB - Jordan Matthews
My only real question with Matthews is related to numbers by the time he might end up making a decision, but the smart money has to be on UT at the moment and if we're being honest, Sarkisian seems like he couldn't give a damn about numbers.
No. 5 - Recruits riding the rocket ship...
Here's a list of recruits from the state of Texas that will be rising when the next LSR Top 100 is updated....
21. QB - Jackson Arnold - Denton Guyer )Committed to Oklahoma
Everything he's displayed in the off-season suggests that he needs to be in the top 10.
29. DE - Colton Vasek - Austin Westlake
When you consider that players with his physical profile at his position from Texas make the NFL more times than they don't, he feels about 15 spots too low... at least.
45. LB - Derion Gullette - Marlin
He's too athletic not to be at least 20 spots higher.
50. OL - Connor Stroh - Frisco Wakeland (Committed to Texas)
He's in the conversation for the best OL prospect from the state of Texas in 2022.
60. QB - Austin Novosad - Dripping Springs (Committed to Baylor)
Probably headed for a spot somewhere in the top 25.
No. 6 - Trickiest game on the Texas Schedule?
Considering that the Longhorns beat Kansas State last season in Austin to end the year and haven't lost to the Wildcats since Charlie Strong was strolling the sidelines, not many have given much consideration to the game in Manhattan on November 5th, but if Nebraska transfer quarterback Adrian Martinez is any good at all, it might prove to be very tricky.
With Big 12 preseason Defensive Player of the Year winner Felix Anudike-Uzomah, All-American running back candidate Deuce Vaughn and three other pre-season first-team All-Big selections along the offensive linemen, linebackers, and defensive backs, this is a team that has talent spread all over the field.
It really does feel like it will all come down to how good former Nebraska quarterback Adrian Martinez proves to be for the Wildcats as he enters his fifth season of play. While he was with the Huskers, Martinez was really never better than just pretty good, as his 148.9 quarterback efficiency rating from last year will show.
His ability as a rusher (525 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2021) means that when it comes to ESPN's favorite stat (QBR), he actually finished the 2021 season rated higher than Oklahoma State's Spencer Sanders, Cincinnati's Desmond Ridder, and Iowa State's Brock Purdy in 2021.
I'm not ready to pick the Wildcats to finish higher than 5th in the 2022 Big 12 standings, but I can understand why some believe they are a sneaky Big 12 contender.
No. 7 – BUY or SELL …
[/B]
(Sell) No way I'm getting cocky in July about the heat with the dog days of the summer still in front of us.
(Double Sell) If it had beaten Kansas, maybe....
(Buy) I mentioned in the 10TFTW thread last week that the word o the street was that USC wasn't coming through on its NIL claims and I've been telling you since early May that all of the talk from Cowherd and others that 2 million was on the table in L.A. was a bunch of BS. The reality is that Texas had a better NIL pitch in place and people around Addison knew it.
(Sell) Texas has too much offensive firepower to completely dismiss.
(Double sell) Maverick might never have 30+ years of nostalgia to lean on like its daddy, but it IS a better movie from start to finish. Also, the situation with Ronald Lewis probably never would have happened had the staff known that the 25-man number would go the way of the dinosaur back in November.
(Sell) Gotta walk before you can run and right now, Texas is in the crawling stage.
(Sell) I was slanging that Kool-Aid last summer. You'll forgive me if I just sit back with my fingers crossed.
(Sell) That would represent a disaster as far as I'm concerned, barring some sort of injury that forced him to miss a third of the season.
(Sell) I don't believe it's remotely possible that he can be "just another freshman". Maybe I'm off-base for thinking this way, but quarterback talents like his don't just pop up out of thin air. Generally speaking, I buy the rest of your question's premise.
(Sell) Why in the hell would they be released? No Big 12 school is going to be doing favors for those two just because it wants to be nice.
(Buy) You nailed it.
(Buy) I haven't seen it yet, but I've heard that it rates behind "The Old Man", which I am watching and absolutely love.
(Sell) 50-50?
(Buy) Yup. See section four.
(Sell) THIRTY-FIVE PERCENT?
No. 8 - Scattershooting on the sports weekend ...
... Today was the most boring Sunday of the sports year, right? Maybe not, but it sure as hell felt that way.
... Sunday's Wimbledon winner featured two guys I pretty much can do without, which means that I just ignored it as much as possible.
... Can Major League Baseball have its Draft, already? I'm tired of waiting to see which farm system Ivan Melendez is headed for.
... I'm longing for some soccer, but I just can't begin to get into the Women's Euros. I wonder if there will ever come a point where that will change? There's probably a better chance of me watching the Women's Euros than there is of me watching a race car event this summer.
... Do OU fans dislike me as much as the Cleveland Browns organization dislikes Baker Mayfield? I suppose only one side of that equation has ever paid for the right to make one of its dislikes go away.
... I kind of thought Kevin Durant would have been traded by now, but it seems like the Nets are pretty much asking for anything that isn't nailed down for every team that calls. Hell, they've reportedly even asked for all of the things that are nailed down.
... Just. Can't Care. About. NBA. Summer. League.... unless my team has a lottery pick playing in it.
... Austin FC might just be for real. Very for real.
No. 9 - The List: Top 10 James Caan movies ...
The man that wore Sonny Corleone's white tank top passed away last week at the age of 82.
For some reason, I really hadn't seen a lot of Caan's career highlights until this past week when I knocked out Misery, Thief, El Dorado, Rollerball, and A Bridge Too Far over the course of a few days.
Although I wouldn't consider myself an expert on his resume, here's how I would rank the 10 best Caan movies.
(Note: I did not consider The Godfather II for selection, despite his one flashback scene in the film.)
10. The Program
Perhaps his performance as Coach Sam Winters doesn't carry a lot of weight almost 30 years later, but when I was a senior in high school, my entire team filled the theater to watch this movie, which means it holds a special place in my heart, even if it didn't make any of the top 10 lists I've seen this week.
9. Bottle Rocket
It is Wes Anderson's debut film, so it has to make a list somewhere. I haven't seen this movie in two decades, but I might have to revisit it this week.
8. Eraser
Another movie of Caan's that has seemingly been forgotten among other performances, he's a terrific bad guy in one of my favorite Arnold movies.
7. The Gambler
In my estimation, the most underrated movie in his catalog.
6. Brian's Song
One of the best made-for-TV movies ever made and a film that has probably made 70% of this board cry at some point in their lives.
5. Thief
Michael Mann's directing debut makes Caan look like a certified bad-ass and made me wonder why Caan wasn't more like Steve McQueen in the early 80s.
4. Elf
It might be a Will Farrell highlight reel, but Caan does more than just go along for the ride in what has turned into a modern-day Christmas classic.
3. Rollerball
When I watched it on Saturday night, I was kind of at a loss for words. It's a sci-fi movie of its times in the 1970s, but it's weirdly glorious, to the point that I'm not quite sure what the hell the end of the movie was supposed to represent. Yet, Caan is a true star in this movie in ways that maximize the height of his powers.
2. Misery
It might be a Kathy Bates highlight reel, but Caan does more than go along for the ride. More than anything else, it's a reminder that one should have a typewriter in the house at all times.
1. The Godfather
It doesn't get any better than this.
No. 10 - And Finally ...
Until the passing of Caan, my plan this week was to rank the Star Wars movies/TV shows in a Top 10, mainly because I watched Phantom Menace at 3am earlier this week and came away with a newfound appreciation for it.
Therefore, prepare yourself for next week. There's a very good chance that Phantom Menace will be ranked higher than you ca stomach.
May the force be with me.
🙃
I’m not going to say he’s amazing, but I do think Hayden is misjudged a bit. What isn’t widely known is that he purposely spoke in a stilted monotone voice because he was trying to match the cadence of how James Earl Jones spoke as Vader. Once I learned this, I saw Hayden’s performance in a whole new light
Green is announcing his commitment and not planning on visiting Texas a few days beforehand... writing is on the wall, in my opinion.
I think it would come as a shock if Matthews doesn't commit to Texas.
THIS^^^^^ Football is a “wins” and “what have you done for me lately” universe. Sark went 5-7 and lost to freaking KU at home.
Win and the press will be sucking his D, lose and the the rumblings will begin.
And, before anyone says it, fairness doesn’t have a seat at this table.
While I agree that will be a goal for the coaches and players, and not making it would be a failed goal, it is ridiculous to suggest 8 regular season wins is not an improvement and a huge step forward.
Agreed. I was a John Belushi fan and recognized his brother by sight. Will be watching soon. Thanks for the recall and LOVE the site!
Sarkisian’s success as an assistant came while working with ENORMOUS advantages in college. It’s hard not to overlook that. Hell, Mike Locksley wrecked it as OC at Bama
Agree 100%, and when you look at this years B12 competition anything other than playing in the conference championship game is a fail. Thats being top 2 in a mediocre 10 team conference.
Ask Dave Aranda? Why? Aranda had all of one season as a HC prior to ‘21. Sark had 7.
It's time for Steve Sarkisian to earn some damn respect.
As the Texas head coach and a handful of his most trust-worthy players get set to head to Arlington this week for the Big 12 Media Days, one of the things that have become clear to any observer of Sarkisian's program is that we're not looking at only a group of players that will be looking to gain respect during the 2022 season.
Don't get me wrong, as a recruiter inside the Big 12, Sarkisian is truly without peer, having twice earned top-five recruiting classes at a pair of different schools in different conferences.
Yet, when it comes to the art of actual coaching, the general consensus around the country seems to be that Sarkisian is just a guy, which is an odd stigma when you consider the success he's enjoyed as an assistant coach in both college and NFL.
As @Anwar Richardson pointed out in this week's Sunday Pulpit, Sarkisian was named the league's 6th best head coach by CBS Sports, behind the likes of KSU's Chris Klieman and TCU's Sonny Dykes.
The unintentional insulting didn't stop there. One recent Sports Illustrated article listed him 8th, behind West Virginia's Neal Brown. Sarkisian came in 6th in a recent Yahoo Sports article. Meanwhile, everyone's favorite former Rivals recruiting analyst listed Sarkisian 9th, one spot behind OU's Brent Venables, who has coached as many games as a head coach as you and your dentist.
Of course, these lists are worthless. A year ago, Baylor head coach Dave Aranda was polling 10th in a 10-team league, and a year later, he's typically ranked first or second following one of the great coaching seasons in the history of the conference.
Yet, as former Texas head coach Mack Brown used to say about recruiting rankings if these things are going to exist at all, you might as well finish high up the list as possible. For a coach entering his ninth year as a major college head coach, Sarkisian just hasn't earned enough street cred and when you consider that he's never had a team finish higher than No.20 in any of the two major polls, it's probably fair.
You are what your record says you are. If you type in the words "Seven win Steve" into Google, this is what you'll find:
View attachment 2938
The good news is that what has happened in the past mostly doesn't matter. Just ask Aranda. All it will take to change the tune of a very fickle public is to win a bunch of games in 2022.
No other coach in this league has weaponry that includes the likes of Bijan Robinson, Xavier Worthy, Isaiah Neyor, Roschon Johnson, Jordan Whittington, Ja'Tavion Sanders, and Jahleel Billingsley. No other head coach in the Big 12 has three assistant coaches making 1,000,000+ per season. Hell, most don't have one. No other head coach has Quinn Ewers as his quarterback.
With a wide-open Big 12 there for the taking, there's no time like the present to announce yourself with authority.
Don't just beat the dead-weight teams in this conference that aren't worthy of the Big 10 or SEC, humiliate them by dropping 70 on the scoreboard.
It's not about asking for respect, it's about taking it.
No. 2 - Between a rock and a hard place...
In a conversation with @Anwar Richardson and @Suchomel on Thursday's Modcast, I posed the following question... is Sarkisian more likely to be judged by the standard set by Aranda's second season in Waco or Brent Venables' first in Norman.
The answer is likely both.
There's no way on God's green earth that you'll be able to convince a Texas fan that Sarkisian shouldn't be able to turn water into wine, as Aranda did in his second head coaching season. If he can do it, Sarkisian should be able to do it, many will say.
At the exact same time, Sarkisian can't allow Venables to best him on the field or in the standings in year one.
It feels like we've all said, "If not now, then when?" far too many times in the last decade when it comes to beating the Sooners, but given that OU is led by a rookie head coach and has seen more roster turnover than a McDonalds paying the kitchen staff minimum wage, it probably is fair to ask... if not now, then when?
Fair or not, Sarkisian's standards will be the ghosts of last season's Miracle on the Brazos 2.0 and whatever the hell happens in Norman in 2022. The former feels like a pretty tall task, while the latter feels like an absolute must.
No. 3 - Asking questions ...
If I was at Big 12 Media Days and had a chance to ask a question to each of the five Longhorns that will be taking questions at the event, here are the questions I'd probably want to ask.
Steve Sarkisian - "What constitutes success and failure in year two of your tenure? What has to happen this season for you and everyone in/around the program to feel like you're on track going into next season?"
Bijan Robinson - "Do you feel like your NIL opportunities at Texas potentially open the door for you to stay for four seasons or as a running back do you feel like starting the clock towards your second contract in the NFL as soon as possible is most realistic?"
Roschon Johnson - "Is there a scenario where you would entertain using your COVID year and sticking around for the 2023 season?"
Ovie Oghoufo - "What constitutes success and failure for the Texas defense in 2022?"
DeMarvion Overshown - "Entering your fifth season as a Texas player, how do you view what has transpired in your career in the program thus far and how does that frame your expectations coming into the 2022 season?"
No. 4 - Before anyone asks ...
I know you guys have recruiting on the brain, so before you even ask questions about the 2023 class, here are my general opinions on the key remaining targets in the 2023 recruiting class.
Projected Future commits
RB - Cedric Baxter
Suchomel has him listed at 65% for the Longhorns, but at the risk of having people shout out 85% at me, I'd list the percentage higher. From the moment Arch Manning committed to Texas, Baxter's name has been talked about like it's money in the bank. If he doesn't commit to the Longhorns in August, something completely unexpected and bad will have taken place.
WR - Mikal Harrison-Pilot
I've had an Instant Analysis article written for what I've believed is a pending commitment from MHP for a couple of weeks, but now I find myself asking the following questions... Is he the next to commit? Has he waited too long, especially with the sudden surging interest from Jalen Hale? I still think MHP is a take in this class because of his positional versatility, but it's not impossible to think that he could wait too long to make the call.
LB - Derion Gullette
I would have thought this one would be over by now. Let's just say the Instant Analysis is ready to go.
LB - Anthony Hill
If the Longhorns are going to have a second wave of momentum, it'll be the commitment of Hill that makes it possible. It's not going to be easy because the Aggies seem desperate to reel him in by any means needed, but my Futurecast is in with the Longhorns for good reasons.
CB - Malik Muhammad
I still believe it's just a matter of time and my sources still feel really good about Muhammad ending up in burnt orange. He'd be my pick for the next to commit.
The Jury is Still Out
WR - Jalen Hale
The announcement late last week that the Longhorns are in his final three, along with Alabama and Georgia, seems to be a very good sign for the Longhorns. With USC, Oklahoma, and Texas A&M all seemingly in the picture, the Longhorns suddenly have a lot going for it, including unquestioned home-field advantage vs. the other top two.
TE - Duce Robinson
The smart money is still on USC, but the presence of Arch Manning makes everything on the offensive side of the ball feel possible. Considering the Longhorns will host him on an official visit in the fall, the chances of pulling this off might even be greater than the 30% that Suchomel listed in the War Room.
DE - David Hicks Jr.
Texas needs to get him on campus two more times in my estimation to have enough momentum to be more than a bridesmaid.
DE - Hunter Osborne
The biggest advantage the Longhorns might have in his recruitment is the presence of a very happy Justice Finkley's mom. With her son enjoying his Texas experience the way he has in year one, it is setting the table for Osborne to follow, knowing that Osborne's parents will be able to sleep at night knowing that Dr. Finkley's first-hand experience has been such a good one.
DE - Colton Vasek
It's hard for me to believe that such a smart kid (and a legacy to boot) will pick a program without any long-term stability at this point over the hometown team with surging momentum.
DE - Braylan Shelby
There are some corners of the Longhorns universe that Shelby chalked up as a future commitment, which means I might have him slotted in the wrong tier.
DR - Terrance Green
My only real issue with Green might come down to numbers. It's clear that Texas has some momentum going with it, but will that momentum still exist if he's uncommitted and the Longhorns have landed the likes of Osborne, Vasek, and Shelby?
CB - Javien Toviano
A popular train of thought out on the streets is that Toviano and Muhammad won't end up at the same school, which is why Toviano to Texas A&M and Muhammad to Texas is probably where the smart money is at the moment.
DB - Jordan Matthews
My only real question with Matthews is related to numbers by the time he might end up making a decision, but the smart money has to be on UT at the moment and if we're being honest, Sarkisian seems like he couldn't give a damn about numbers.
No. 5 - Recruits riding the rocket ship...
Here's a list of recruits from the state of Texas that will be rising when the next LSR Top 100 is updated....
21. QB - Jackson Arnold - Denton Guyer )Committed to Oklahoma
Everything he's displayed in the off-season suggests that he needs to be in the top 10.
29. DE - Colton Vasek - Austin Westlake
When you consider that players with his physical profile at his position from Texas make the NFL more times than they don't, he feels about 15 spots too low... at least.
45. LB - Derion Gullette - Marlin
He's too athletic not to be at least 20 spots higher.
50. OL - Connor Stroh - Frisco Wakeland (Committed to Texas)
He's in the conversation for the best OL prospect from the state of Texas in 2022.
60. QB - Austin Novosad - Dripping Springs (Committed to Baylor)
Probably headed for a spot somewhere in the top 25.
No. 6 - Trickiest game on the Texas Schedule?
Considering that the Longhorns beat Kansas State last season in Austin to end the year and haven't lost to the Wildcats since Charlie Strong was strolling the sidelines, not many have given much consideration to the game in Manhattan on November 5th, but if Nebraska transfer quarterback Adrian Martinez is any good at all, it might prove to be very tricky.
With Big 12 preseason Defensive Player of the Year winner Felix Anudike-Uzomah, All-American running back candidate Deuce Vaughn and three other pre-season first-team All-Big selections along the offensive linemen, linebackers, and defensive backs, this is a team that has talent spread all over the field.
It really does feel like it will all come down to how good former Nebraska quarterback Adrian Martinez proves to be for the Wildcats as he enters his fifth season of play. While he was with the Huskers, Martinez was really never better than just pretty good, as his 148.9 quarterback efficiency rating from last year will show.
His ability as a rusher (525 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2021) means that when it comes to ESPN's favorite stat (QBR), he actually finished the 2021 season rated higher than Oklahoma State's Spencer Sanders, Cincinnati's Desmond Ridder, and Iowa State's Brock Purdy in 2021.
I'm not ready to pick the Wildcats to finish higher than 5th in the 2022 Big 12 standings, but I can understand why some believe they are a sneaky Big 12 contender.
No. 7 – BUY or SELL …
[/B]
(Sell) No way I'm getting cocky in July about the heat with the dog days of the summer still in front of us.
(Double Sell) If it had beaten Kansas, maybe....
(Buy) I mentioned in the 10TFTW thread last week that the word o the street was that USC wasn't coming through on its NIL claims and I've been telling you since early May that all of the talk from Cowherd and others that 2 million was on the table in L.A. was a bunch of BS. The reality is that Texas had a better NIL pitch in place and people around Addison knew it.
(Sell) Texas has too much offensive firepower to completely dismiss.
(Double sell) Maverick might never have 30+ years of nostalgia to lean on like its daddy, but it IS a better movie from start to finish. Also, the situation with Ronald Lewis probably never would have happened had the staff known that the 25-man number would go the way of the dinosaur back in November.
(Sell) Gotta walk before you can run and right now, Texas is in the crawling stage.
(Sell) I was slanging that Kool-Aid last summer. You'll forgive me if I just sit back with my fingers crossed.
(Sell) That would represent a disaster as far as I'm concerned, barring some sort of injury that forced him to miss a third of the season.
(Sell) I don't believe it's remotely possible that he can be "just another freshman". Maybe I'm off-base for thinking this way, but quarterback talents like his don't just pop up out of thin air. Generally speaking, I buy the rest of your question's premise.
(Sell) Why in the hell would they be released? No Big 12 school is going to be doing favors for those two just because it wants to be nice.
(Buy) You nailed it.
(Buy) I haven't seen it yet, but I've heard that it rates behind "The Old Man", which I am watching and absolutely love.
(Sell) 50-50?
(Buy) Yup. See section four.
(Sell) THIRTY-FIVE PERCENT?
No. 8 - Scattershooting on the sports weekend ...
... Today was the most boring Sunday of the sports year, right? Maybe not, but it sure as hell felt that way.
... Sunday's Wimbledon winner featured two guys I pretty much can do without, which means that I just ignored it as much as possible.
... Can Major League Baseball have its Draft, already? I'm tired of waiting to see which farm system Ivan Melendez is headed for.
... I'm longing for some soccer, but I just can't begin to get into the Women's Euros. I wonder if there will ever come a point where that will change? There's probably a better chance of me watching the Women's Euros than there is of me watching a race car event this summer.
... Do OU fans dislike me as much as the Cleveland Browns organization dislikes Baker Mayfield? I suppose only one side of that equation has ever paid for the right to make one of its dislikes go away.
... I kind of thought Kevin Durant would have been traded by now, but it seems like the Nets are pretty much asking for anything that isn't nailed down for every team that calls. Hell, they've reportedly even asked for all of the things that are nailed down.
... Just. Can't Care. About. NBA. Summer. League.... unless my team has a lottery pick playing in it.
... Austin FC might just be for real. Very for real.
No. 9 - The List: Top 10 James Caan movies ...
The man that wore Sonny Corleone's white tank top passed away last week at the age of 82.
For some reason, I really hadn't seen a lot of Caan's career highlights until this past week when I knocked out Misery, Thief, El Dorado, Rollerball, and A Bridge Too Far over the course of a few days.
Although I wouldn't consider myself an expert on his resume, here's how I would rank the 10 best Caan movies.
(Note: I did not consider The Godfather II for selection, despite his one flashback scene in the film.)
10. The Program
Perhaps his performance as Coach Sam Winters doesn't carry a lot of weight almost 30 years later, but when I was a senior in high school, my entire team filled the theater to watch this movie, which means it holds a special place in my heart, even if it didn't make any of the top 10 lists I've seen this week.
9. Bottle Rocket
It is Wes Anderson's debut film, so it has to make a list somewhere. I haven't seen this movie in two decades, but I might have to revisit it this week.
8. Eraser
Another movie of Caan's that has seemingly been forgotten among other performances, he's a terrific bad guy in one of my favorite Arnold movies.
7. The Gambler
In my estimation, the most underrated movie in his catalog.
6. Brian's Song
One of the best made-for-TV movies ever made and a film that has probably made 70% of this board cry at some point in their lives.
5. Thief
Michael Mann's directing debut makes Caan look like a certified bad-ass and made me wonder why Caan wasn't more like Steve McQueen in the early 80s.
4. Elf
It might be a Will Farrell highlight reel, but Caan does more than just go along for the ride in what has turned into a modern-day Christmas classic.
3. Rollerball
When I watched it on Saturday night, I was kind of at a loss for words. It's a sci-fi movie of its times in the 1970s, but it's weirdly glorious, to the point that I'm not quite sure what the hell the end of the movie was supposed to represent. Yet, Caan is a true star in this movie in ways that maximize the height of his powers.
2. Misery
It might be a Kathy Bates highlight reel, but Caan does more than go along for the ride. More than anything else, it's a reminder that one should have a typewriter in the house at all times.
1. The Godfather
It doesn't get any better than this.
No. 10 - And Finally ...
Until the passing of Caan, my plan this week was to rank the Star Wars movies/TV shows in a Top 10, mainly because I watched Phantom Menace at 3am earlier this week and came away with a newfound appreciation for it.
Therefore, prepare yourself for next week. There's a very good chance that Phantom Menace will be ranked higher than you ca stomach.
May the force be with me.
If you think Sunday was boring you should turn on the Tour de France in the morning. Listen to it in the background and then watch the last hour. It has been riveting and yesterday had a very exciting breakaway win.
It's been An amazing first week
again, don't get me wrong, he's an all-time great player... obviously.
Just not my kind of dude.
That doesn't really bother me. It's more about him trying to work through the various emotions.
I would contend, though, he's not a good enough actor to be worrying about stilted monotones.
It's the War Room each week that has to get to 10TFTW level... at least that's my goal.
To be fair, he wasn't hired to win 8 games in year two when the previous guy was already doing that.
You can't be so bad that the expectations bar has to drop just to be able to treat you with kid gloves.
Because he went from being perceived as the worst coach in the conference to the very best.... by being really good at his job in a pretty emphatic way.
