Will T.H. be HC at the 2022 opener?
Will Ewers stick to his commitment?
Man, I can already tell that the tone of this week’s questions isn’t going to be for the faint of heart.
I’m going to get this one out of the way in question one so I don’t have to repeat it over and over …
The loss to TCU was disappointing and Tom Herman, his staff and the players all need to be better than they were on Saturday. I promise you, they know that more than any of us. I remember Mack Brown saying once that as much as losses bother fans, and justifiably so, it eats up the coaches/players way worse.
And I’m not telling you that you shouldn’t be pissed. That’s what being a fan is all about. When a team has such high expectations and doesn’t live up to that hype (especially a program that’s had the struggles Texas has over the last decade), it’s going to cause some frustration.
All that being said, I’d caution everyone from going overboard with their reactions at this point. This week hasn’t been fun for Texas fans, but we live in a “what have you done for me lately” world when it comes to sports. Beat Oklahoma this week, clean up some of the issues and go on to play in the Big 12 Championship game and the TCU game will be a small blip on the radar. Lots of “what ifs” in that statement and the last two weeks haven’t exactly inspired confidence in the Longhorns’ chances, but it’s way too early to be thinking of the most disastrous outcomes.
To answer your questions … Yes, Tom Herman will be head coach for the 2022 opener. And yes, Quinn Ewers will stick to his commitment. Obviously, I can’t tell the future with any certainty but Ewers seems pretty happy with his decision and a player of his talent could be exactly the type of guy that could get things turned around in a big way.
Does a loss to Kansas seal the deal (Herman's departure)?
That game is a long way away and while it is in Lawrence, I just don’t see any way Texas loses that one.
Hot or mild wings?
Blonde, brunette or red headed females?
Beans or no beans in chili?
Finally, some hard-hitting questions. Thanks for a break from the doomsday stuff.
I used to be a mild guy but I’ve started getting into more spicy foods, so give me hot.
Brunette. All of the above, actually.
This is going to be a copout answer, but I actually like my chili just fine either way. It’s more about the flavor to me. If I’m making at home, I usually go about 50/50, mostly because the wife prefers it with beans (she’s from Colorado … what can I say?)
Buy or Sell: Urban is the next HC
Sell. The confidence level in Herman certainly took a h it over the last two weeks, but I think he’ll get things turned around.
How many de-commits do you expect for 2021?
Right now, I’m not expecting any. All the guys on the commitment list have repeatedly expressed how happy they are with their decisions. You always have to keep an eye on out-of-state commitments, especially in a wild year like 2020, but I’m not expecting a bunch of guys to peel off their commitments.
Do we know who called the play for Keaontay Ingram to punch it in at the one? To me it was a poor decision - Roschon Johnson or preferably Sam would have clearly been the better choices, that's just bad coaching.
I wonder what the players think of Herman’s emotionless coaching style? Suchomel what does it feel like if you think your coach isn't fighting for you?
Will this highly paid coaching staff be able to turn this season back around 8-2 wouldn't be bad and could possibly salvage our recruiting season.
Texas lets its positional coaches handle a lot of the substitutions but with the way Texas went quickly on that play, I have to assume it was Mike Yurich’s call. I believe Roschon was banged up at that point, so I don’t really think he was an option. You could have always gone power with Ehlinger, but let’s be honest … had Texas done that and TCU snuffed it out, you would have had people complaining that the call was way too predictable. I honestly don’t have a problem with the call to go with Ingram … I don’t buy that he was suddenly gassed. Texas had TCU on its heels and Ingram seemed to be rolling, so why not feed him? The fumble is way more on Ingram than the coaches in my opinion.
I’ve never heard anyone have an issue with Herman being emotionless. Herman’s usually a pretty fiery coach and if there’s one thing he players should not have an issue with, it’s him not fighting for them. But you’re right … I don’t know how he kept his cool on Saturday. I probably would have blown my top.
I wish I had a good answer to the last part of your question. I certainly think 8-2 is still possible, but I just don’t know what to expect. This feels like a season where we’re going to see Texas in a lot of close games in the fourth quarter, so it could come down to how they close out some games.
With our pass rush lacking, why haven't we seen Prince Dorbah? Is he injured or in the dog house?
Dorbah did have off-season surgery but he was back participating in fall camp, including one of the scrimmages so I believe he’s healthy again. I would be curious to see what he can do, but I don’t know how feasible that is in close games since you’d be getting him reps at the expense of Joseph Ossai. Dorbah was listed on the player participation list for UTEP … it’ll probably take a few more one-sided games for him to get a lot of action.
Does Austin High QB Charles Wright have a chance at a 4th star?
7 TDs in his first game of the year can only be positive. If he continues to put up impressive numbers like that, does he have a chance to move up significantly in the recruiting rankings?
He damn sure better move up if he keeps putting up seven touchdowns per game
.I don’t necessarily have a problem with Wright being ranked as a three-star because he doesn’t have the physical characteristics of Peyton Manning, but to have him ranked as a LOW three-star seems off in my opinion. Wright isn’t Quinn Ewers in that he’s going to blow you away with his size or his arm strength (and he’s not going to be confused with Lamar Jackson with his athleticism), but there is something I really like about his game. I’ve said for years that recruiting evaluations (and NFL scouts) often-times get too caught up in measurables. At some point, you have to take into account productivity, confidence and whether or not a guy has a natural feel for the game. I’m not sitting here telling you Wright is going to be Drew Brees, but he’s accurate, he’s smart, he makes quick decisions, he appears to be a good leader and he just has an “it” factor to him.
Tougher days are definitely ahead because Pflugerville Connally didn’t put up a ton of resistance, but considering that was Wright and Austin High’s first game of the season, I was impressed.
How will the current staff try to fight negative recruiting about the Texas fan base being fed up with CTH?
I don’t think recruits buy into that type of stuff nearly as much as fans think. Like I said above, win this weekend and all of that goes away.
Where negative recruiting can be impactful is if a recruit hears/believes that a coach could be on the hot seat, but that’s not going to be an issue.
IF there are any issues with a particular recruit having concerns about Herman’s relationship with the fans or with his team, the most simple fix is to have that recruit talk to some of the current players. Any support by team members will easily outweigh anything a recruit hears from the outside about the UT program.
Do you feel confident about Shemar Turner? Also was the goal to only sign 3 offensive lineman this cycle or are we at three just because we have done so poorly?
An actual recruiting question … thank you!
I still slightly favor Texas for Shemar Turner over Texas A&M. Alabama is still a threat there, but I ultimately think it comes down to an in-state battle between the Longhorns and the Aggies. The biggest hurdle for Texas is convincing Turner that he doesn’t need to play in the SEC to maximize his opportunities.
The goal was never to sign only three offensive linemen in this class. If you would have made that projection last summer, nobody in their right mind would have believed it. I’m not convinced Texas is done at OL recruiting though. We’ll see.
Let’s start easy.
1. Who is the next commit?
2. Will a new OL coach help this class any?
3. What is the staff and players’ biggest issue?
1. Most of the guys on the radar have indicated they’re going to wait to decide, but LB Terrence Cooks has been close to deciding a couple times so I’ll go with him.
2. I don’t think so. If they make a change in the staff (and I don’t know that they will), any recruiting impact probably won’t be felt until 2022.
3. That’s a pretty broad question. I’m assuming you’re basing that off the last two on-field performances. Last week was just sloppy mistakes that need to be cleaned up, but I do still think there’s room for improvement from the defense.
Are we done recruiting the secondary now that Mukuba picked Clemson?
I’m thinking they may look for another cornerback now that Kenyatta Watson has decided to transfer. They’re probably done at safety, but Texas could stand to add another body at the corner position.
