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Recruiting Thread 2017
- Thread starter Scholz
- Start date
@EJHolland247
Nation's top JUCO ILB Gary Johnson (@_GaryJohnson) picks up Texas offer, sets official visit #HookEm.
This would be huge.
Nation's top JUCO ILB Gary Johnson (@_GaryJohnson) picks up Texas offer, sets official visit #HookEm.
This would be huge.
JUCO LB Gary Johnson (Dodge City C.C.). Per OrangeBloods, he'll take an official to Texas on January 20th (our big recruiting weekend).
http://247sports.com/Player/Gary-Johnson-55158
http://www.hudl.com/profile/3191088/gary-Johnson
ILB Mohamed Sanogo of Plano West has de-committed from Houston.
http://247sports.com/Player/Mohamed-Sanogo-78112
– Stephan Zabie: Yesterday, I spoke with the father/guardian of 2017 offensive lineman, Stephan Zabie (Austin, TX). He tells me that in the past few weeks the new Texas staff has begun communicating with Zabie. Zabie was a target under the old regime but things never really picked up steam. It does look like that is happening now. Should an offer happen, Texas would certainly jump into the group of top schools for Zabie.
Zabie’s father tells me that they have not finalized a visit schedule but as of right now, among the schools they are considering for official visits are Oklahoma and USC. Zabie holds offers from both programs. – (Super K)
– Joshua Rogers: 2017 DT/OT, Joshua Rogers (Houston, TX) announced his top 6 earlier this week which included, Texas, OU, Baylor, Ole Miss, TAMU and Houston.
Rogers tells us that he will make his final decision on national signing day. He has a packed January visit schedule which includes trips to TAMU, Ole Miss, Houston and Texas. Rogers said the plan as of now is to visit Texas on January 26th.
Rogers is being recruited by Texas as a DT. – (Super K)
http://247sports.com/Player/Gary-Johnson-55158
http://www.hudl.com/profile/3191088/gary-Johnson
ILB Mohamed Sanogo of Plano West has de-committed from Houston.
http://247sports.com/Player/Mohamed-Sanogo-78112
– Stephan Zabie: Yesterday, I spoke with the father/guardian of 2017 offensive lineman, Stephan Zabie (Austin, TX). He tells me that in the past few weeks the new Texas staff has begun communicating with Zabie. Zabie was a target under the old regime but things never really picked up steam. It does look like that is happening now. Should an offer happen, Texas would certainly jump into the group of top schools for Zabie.
Zabie’s father tells me that they have not finalized a visit schedule but as of right now, among the schools they are considering for official visits are Oklahoma and USC. Zabie holds offers from both programs. – (Super K)
– Joshua Rogers: 2017 DT/OT, Joshua Rogers (Houston, TX) announced his top 6 earlier this week which included, Texas, OU, Baylor, Ole Miss, TAMU and Houston.
Rogers tells us that he will make his final decision on national signing day. He has a packed January visit schedule which includes trips to TAMU, Ole Miss, Houston and Texas. Rogers said the plan as of now is to visit Texas on January 26th.
Rogers is being recruited by Texas as a DT. – (Super K)
Nightly Notes.
— Juco CB Kendall Sheffield trending to tOSU. ILB Marqez Bimage maybe on board. DT Corey Bethley on radar, and so is Justin Rogers at DT.
— Sheffield’s father told Kurelic that Ohio State is trending. There still hasn’t been much movement with Texas and Sheffield.
— I feel very good about where Texas stands with Brenham outside linebacker and former Houston commit Marqez Bimage. He plans to make official visits to Baylor and Texas, but a decision could come before those trips take place.
— As of today, Katy defensive tackle Corey Bethley does not plan to make an official visit to Texas. Bethley does not have a Texas offer but is on the radar. He has trips set to Oklahoma, TCU and Texas A&M on the final three OV weekends.
— A more realistic target for Texas at defensive tackle is Houston Christian’s Joshua Rogers. The three-star prospect does not hold a UT offer just yet but an official visit to Austin is in the works. Rogers has high interest.
Scout article on Juco ILB Gary Johnson:
Linebacker Gary Johnson is the No 3 ranked JUCO football player according to Scout.com. The 6-foot-1,225-pound backer checks in from Dodge City (KS) and is a four-star player. Earlier tonight he landed a big offer from the University of Texas and talked about that and more with HornsDigest.com.
“It's pretty exciting knowing I hold an offer from the University of Texas,” Gary Johnson said. “I mean my family is all for wherever I want to go so it's great to have them supporting me and everything. I just want to see the place and see if I could call Texas home on national signing day.”
For those not fortunate enough to have watched Johnson play in person he breaks down his overall game.
“I mean my game to me is like no other,” Johnson said. “I try to do it all every game. I feel as if it's there is not another Gary Johnson out here and when I have those pads on I feel as if no one can stop me besides myself. I try to run through ball carriers constantly. Nobody wants to be hit over and over again; nobody wants to be bullied, and on the field, I feel like a bully who believes in one thing, and that's sell out for my team and hit anything moving out there.”
Texas could use more of this moving forward. These are the things you love to hear from defensive players. Johnson holds offers from Arizona Wildcats, Arizona State Sun Devils, Iowa State Cyclones, Louisville Cardinals, Maryland Terrapins, Miami (Fl) Hurricanes, TCU Horned Frogs and Texas Longhorns to name a few. He will take his official visit to Texas on January 20th.
— Juco CB Kendall Sheffield trending to tOSU. ILB Marqez Bimage maybe on board. DT Corey Bethley on radar, and so is Justin Rogers at DT.
— Sheffield’s father told Kurelic that Ohio State is trending. There still hasn’t been much movement with Texas and Sheffield.
— I feel very good about where Texas stands with Brenham outside linebacker and former Houston commit Marqez Bimage. He plans to make official visits to Baylor and Texas, but a decision could come before those trips take place.
— As of today, Katy defensive tackle Corey Bethley does not plan to make an official visit to Texas. Bethley does not have a Texas offer but is on the radar. He has trips set to Oklahoma, TCU and Texas A&M on the final three OV weekends.
— A more realistic target for Texas at defensive tackle is Houston Christian’s Joshua Rogers. The three-star prospect does not hold a UT offer just yet but an official visit to Austin is in the works. Rogers has high interest.
Scout article on Juco ILB Gary Johnson:
Linebacker Gary Johnson is the No 3 ranked JUCO football player according to Scout.com. The 6-foot-1,225-pound backer checks in from Dodge City (KS) and is a four-star player. Earlier tonight he landed a big offer from the University of Texas and talked about that and more with HornsDigest.com.
“It's pretty exciting knowing I hold an offer from the University of Texas,” Gary Johnson said. “I mean my family is all for wherever I want to go so it's great to have them supporting me and everything. I just want to see the place and see if I could call Texas home on national signing day.”
For those not fortunate enough to have watched Johnson play in person he breaks down his overall game.
“I mean my game to me is like no other,” Johnson said. “I try to do it all every game. I feel as if it's there is not another Gary Johnson out here and when I have those pads on I feel as if no one can stop me besides myself. I try to run through ball carriers constantly. Nobody wants to be hit over and over again; nobody wants to be bullied, and on the field, I feel like a bully who believes in one thing, and that's sell out for my team and hit anything moving out there.”
Texas could use more of this moving forward. These are the things you love to hear from defensive players. Johnson holds offers from Arizona Wildcats, Arizona State Sun Devils, Iowa State Cyclones, Louisville Cardinals, Maryland Terrapins, Miami (Fl) Hurricanes, TCU Horned Frogs and Texas Longhorns to name a few. He will take his official visit to Texas on January 20th.
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Not so much about recruiting but it will help!
Tom Herman on Texas facilities: "We're behind, but not by much. Nothing a multi-million dollar face lift can't fix." He's already done a walkthrough with AD Mike Perrin to start planning.
Texas coach Tom Herman is definitely serious about catching Texas up to the national elite in terms of support stuff and facilities. "If Alabama has it, if Clemson has it, if Ohio State and Michigan have it, we're gonna have it."
Tom Herman on Texas facilities: "We're behind, but not by much. Nothing a multi-million dollar face lift can't fix." He's already done a walkthrough with AD Mike Perrin to start planning.
Texas coach Tom Herman is definitely serious about catching Texas up to the national elite in terms of support stuff and facilities. "If Alabama has it, if Clemson has it, if Ohio State and Michigan have it, we're gonna have it."
War room
We're still in the dead period, but the Texas coaches have been busy this week in extending a handful of new scholarship offers, none more interesting than the one on Wednesday to top JUCO linebacker Gary Johnson.
The Dodge City Community College product is a new name but it turns out he's been on UT's radar for a little while. According to Johnson, he had been in communication with Texas "for a while" and an offer was extended through his coaches, but he just heard about it on Wednesday. When he did find out about it, he immediately set up a UT visit.
"Texas has always been a power house. Texas in itself speaks a lot," Johnson said. "They're all about football there. To have an offer from a place that is going to turn it around in a year or two, that's huge for me. I had a couple places I had that I would like to take visits to, once I heard the Houston coaches were going there, I wanted to visit there. When they offered, I set it up."
The 6-2, 225-pound Johnson will visit UT on December 20. Next weekend, he'll visit Oregon and he'll hit Southern Cal on the 27th. Johnson will take a midweek visit to Louisville, but is still working on the date for that trip.
I'll have a bit more on Johnson later in the weekend, but a couple notes worth filing away ... I do get the impression he's open to all the schools he'll visit or has visited (Arizona State), but he won't be able to enroll at the school of his choice until the summer, unless he picks Oregon. The Ducks are on a quarter system which would allow him to enroll earlier and go through spring football. We'll see if that winds up being a factor. (Suchomel)
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We mentioned him earlier in the week, but keep an eye on Thibodeaux (La.) defensive back Amik Robertson as the UT coaches try to fill out their needs in the secondary.
Robertson, a one-time Louisiana Tech commitment, will take a visit to La Tech on January 13, Texas on January 20 and Houston on January 27. He has already visited Kansas State. Those four schools make up his group of finalists.
On the interest from Texas ...
"They started talking to me, them and the University of Houston, at about the same time. Coach Tom Herman was talking to me while he was at Houston, then went to Texas and started talking to me again," Robertson said. "He said the staff really enjoyed my film and that's where they want me to end up".
Robertson said he doesn't have any favorites among his four finalists.
"Everybody is pretty much the same right now," he said. "I've only take one official so to K-State. I wanted to get a better look at the Bulldogs, Texas and the University of Houston, then try to make my final decision."
The 5-9, 172-pound Robertson admits he doesn't know a lot about Texas just yet, but says he's anxious to find out more on his visit.
"I know it's a big school, a great city, a great school with great players. I grew up in Houston when I was young," Robertson said. "I watched Vince Young in the Rose Bowl when I was young, but other than that, I wasn't that familiar with them. But I've heard great things about them."
Robertson has not been offered by Texas, but is expecting that to change before or on his visit. He said he'll cross that bridge if/when it happens.
"They didn't say it's probably going to happen, they said it may happen before the visit or it will happen there. Because they want me to commit on the spot. It's hard to say what I'd do because I've never even seen the campus." (Suchomel)
******
Los Angeles Cathedral wide receiver Jamire Calvin is planning to announce his decision during Saturday's Army All-American Bowl.
Nebraska, Notre Dame, Washington State and Alabama are his final four, but Calvin is planning to take one more official visit in January despite his upcoming commitment. Texas, Baylor and Oregon are all in the running for that final visit.
Calvin said UT is in touch with him pretty much every day. This one feels like a longshot and most feel he'll wind up at Nebraska, but if Texas can get him on campus for one last visit, the Longhorns could have a puncher's chance at the talented wide out. (Suchomel)
******
For the longest time, Mobile (AL) St. Paul’s defensive end Ryan Johnson has been pegged to stay in state to either Auburn or Alabama. While he still lists high interest in both of those programs, Johnson is still keeping others in play. Along with the two in-state powers, Johnson also plans to check out a few colleges out of state when the recruiting dead period ends in a few weeks.
“The 13th of January I will be going to Stanford, then I will take a midweek after that trip but I don’t know where yet, then on the 20th I am going to Auburn, then the next week I will do a midweek to Texas on like the 25th, and then my last visit will be to Alabama on the 27th.”
Texas extended an offer to the Rivals250 member at the start of August and has remained in contact with him since. According to Johnson, the main coach after him is defensive line coach Oscar Giles.
“Coach Giles has been stressing to me that they really want me at Texas and they need defensive lineman," Johnson said. "They have a lot of interior guys but they don’t have as many guys to hold the edge. They need to get that have been stressing me. They see me lining up on the end and maybe move down to the three technique.”
This visit to the 40 Acers will be Johnson’s first ever, so there are a lot of questions heading into that trip.
“I just want to see the coaches and get to know them on a more personal level and meet with the players and stuff. I want to get to see the campus and facilities there and just get the feel for the university overall," Johnson said. "They are a really good program and they have a lot of good history there and they are a school that isn’t going to stay down long. These last few seasons they haven’t been that good but they have a new coach Tom Herman who can make the improvements and get some top recruits each year. They have such a great football history they just need a little stability.”
When it comes to a final decision, the 6-4, 235-pounder doesn’t aim to wait all the way to signing day to announce where he is going. The plan for now is to finish up all of his visits and decide shortly after returning home.
“I just want to make sure I pick the right school for me,” said Johnson. “I have to love the environment and the schools and just feel really comfortable there.
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In case you missed it, Baylor extended an offer to UT DB commitment Josh Thompson on Thursday. No need to worry about this one.
"No interest. Solid on Texas," Thompson told OB shortly after getting the offer. (Suchomel)
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Tom Herman mentioned in his Thursday press conference that he and his staff will swing for the fences when it comes to landing top recruits, but he also noted that it's not easy to close on the top national guys when the staff has had no time to develop relationships.
Over the course of Thursday afternoon/evening, Texas did step up to the plate with several top national prospects in the 2018 class, extending offers to some of the country's top players. We'll see if these offers pay off, but you have to like the fact that the new staff is being aggressive early with some of the players who are obvious takes for just about every country in the program.
A quick recap of the newest offers (and I'd expect more of these offers in the near future) ...
2018 OLDeontrey Hill- Warner Robins, GA Houston County (Rivals100 member)
2018 DT Keondre Coburn - Houston Westfield (Rivals250 member)
2018 TE Jeremy Ruckert - Lindenhurst, NY (Rivals250 member)
2018 OL Nana Asiedu - Stafford, VA North Stafford (Rivals250 member)
2018 OL Jacksan Carman - Fairfield, OH (Rivals100 member, five-star prospect)
*****
From the moment Tom Herman officially named Tim Beck as his offensive coordinator, many Longhorn supporters questioned this hire with the same skepticism as the addition of Shawn Watson to Charlie Strong’s staff.
Herman talked about Texas’ coaching staff during the second press conference of his tenure on Thursday. He informed everybody the two most important hires are his strength and conditioning coach (Yancy McKnight) and defensive coordinator (Todd Orlando). McKnight gets to be around Herman’s team throughout the year, while the coach understands it is hard to win a national championship without a strong defense.
However, the first question Herman received on Thursday was about the negative reaction to Beck’s hiring.
“I was really surprised (about the backlash) because it’s very well known that Tim Beck didn’t call plays at Ohio State,” Herman said on Thursday. “I think the negativity was misplaced on him. I talked to two people that I love and trust, and those two people re J.T. Barrett and Cardale Jones, and they think the world of him. I talked to Urban Meyer, and Urban Meyer thinks the world of him. Tim Beck was extremely successful when he was a play-caller at the University of Nebraska. Chalk that one up to a lot of misinformation on social media. Again, I’ll never be swayed by any of that because we’re privy to a lot more information than what Joe Fan is.”
Here is another piece of information the average fan may not know.
Meyer is a difficult person to work for.
I spoke to a person who is extremely familiar with Meyer on Thursday, and was told the coach can be very difficult to get along with. Meyer has a reputation for screaming down coaches, calling them out in meetings, and to be completely honest, some view him as a hard ass.
“I wouldn’t hold Beck being demoted against him,” that person told me. “Trust me, Urban is not an easy guy to get along with.”
In fact, I was given a good example of Meyer’s erratic behavior that could explain some of the challenges Beck faced at Ohio State.
If you are looking for anybody to say a negative word about Stan Drayton, that is something that will not happen. Drayton is viewed as an ace recruiter who makes running backs into stars. Drayton has worked with Ezekiel Elliott and Carlos Hyde at Ohio State. He also worked with Jordan Howard, who set the Bears rookie rushing record this year. Basically, Drayton is an elite running backs coach.
Prior to his stint at Ohio State, Drayton spent the 2010 season as the running backs coach/recruiting coordinator at the University of Florida, his second stint at the school after serving as the Gators running backs coach from 2005-07. In 2006, Florida won the BCS National Championship as the Gators averaged 160 rushing yards per game.
Drayton is a successful coach who Herman hired to groom into a head coach at Texas. Herman praised Drayton during his press conference on Thursday, and his admiration and respect was evident. When you think of Drayton’s past, it is easy to envision to immediate impact he could have on Texas running back Chris Warren, Kyle Porter, Kirk Johnson and incoming freshman Toneil Carter. You get the feeling Drayton will identify the team’s top running back and get the most out of him, unlike the previous decision for former running back D’Onta Foreman to split time with Johnathan Gray and Warren.
However, Drayton could not avoid Meyer’s wrath at Ohio State, even though he was a great assistant coach.
“Meyer used to get into Drayton’s ass,” I was told. “There was one time when (coaches) had to pull Meyer off of him. Urban ran him off twice because he just isn’t easy to get along with.”
Basically, I was told not to judge Beck on what his time at Ohio State because his previous boss was abrasive and tough to deal with.
Obviously, we will learn more about Beck in the upcoming years, but from what I can tell, it does not take much to get on Meyer’s bad side. (Richardson).
*****
Three weeks ago, we did an in-depth look at the first five assistant coaches that Tom Herman brought with him to Texas and now that the staff has been completed this week, I thought it would be a good idea to finish the assignment with breakdowns of Tim Beck, Stan Drayton, Todd Orlando and Craig Naivar.
Here we go...
Tim Beck (Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks)
#HookEmpic.twitter.com/hXI6AJdgq3
— Coach Tom Herman (@CoachTomHerman)January 5, 2017
Strengths:For all of the discussion over the last month, it's hard to ignore the fact that for much of the last decade, Beck has been pretty damn successful at every outpost he's worked, whether we're talking Kansas, Nebraska or Ohio State. On the field, he's worked with quarterbacks, running backs and wide receivers, with high-level players under his watch at every stop. Known as a good Xs and Os guy who isn't afraid to be flexible in terms of scheme based on the skill sets of his players, Beck has a strong set of coaching chops and has been a part of incredibly successful teams in high school and college. Perhaps more than anything, his work at Kansas really stands out when you study his career, as he was chiefly responsible for the recruitment of Todd Reesing, who went on to have an incredible sophomore season with Beck serving as the passing game coordinator at Kansas in 2007.
Meanwhile, as a recruiter his specialty is in the Dallas-Ft. Worth Metroplex, as his connections in that part of the state run nearly two decades deep, beginning with his stints at both Mansfield Summit and R.L. Turner. For most of this decade, most of his recruiting focus has been on quarterbacks and prospects in Dallas.
Players developed:J.T. Barrett, Cardale Jones, Taylor Martinez, Tommy Armstrong Jr., Rex Burkhead, Ameer Abdullah, Roy Helu, Marcus Henry and Todd Reesing.
Question marks:If you talk with people close to the Ohio State program, the biggest complaint about Beck had nothing to do with play-calling and everything to do with the perception that the quarterbacks that he inherited (Barrett and Jones) never took the next step under his watch. Also, it remains to be seen what kind of play-caller he'll be in Austin because he didn't handle those duties with the Buckeyes and there were mixed results during his tenure in Lincoln. It seems like the biggest critique is that his offenses have always been very good, but perhaps not elite of the elite, which become the desired standards once you start reaching the very good stage.
Recruiting history
2018: (Ohio State)Emory Jones
2017: (Ohio State)Barron Browning,Tate MartellandJ.K. Dobbins (secondary)
2016: (Ohio State)Dwayne Haskins Jr.,
2015 (Nebraska): N/A
2014 (Nebraska):Zack Darlington
2013 (Nebraska):Johnny Stanton
2012 (Nebraska):Tommy ArmstrongandAaron Curry (secondary)
2011 (Nebraska):Jamal Turner,Ameer AbdullahandAaron Green
2010 (Nebraska):Braylon Heard,Ciante EvansandDonovan Vestal (secondary)
2009 (Nebraska):Rex Burkhead,Jesse Coffey (secondary)andDontrayevous Robinson (secondary)
Quotable:From an Ohio State source
"He really had a lot of success recruiting at Ohio State. Was involved with Baron Browning pretty heavily, also involved with Jeff Okudah, who Ohio State is getting. He had a big hand in helping them keep Shaun Wade away from Alabama down the stretch and was the primary recruiter for 5-star QB Emory Jones in the 2018 class. He also helped them land Tate Martel.
"He took a lot of criticism this year, some of it probably unwarranted. He was not the play caller for Ohio State. Ed Warinner and Urban Meyer were the two most responsible when it came to game planning and play calling. It's hard to know exactly where the drop-off with J.T. Barret’s numbers were - is it more the position coach or the general flow of the offense which could be more tied to the play callers? But he showed during his time at Ohio State, his ability through his relationships in the state of Texas, to get Ohio State in the door with a number of prospects in the state of Texas.
"This feels to me like a move to secure the borders in Texas. DFW, that’s his area with Ohio State. That was Beck’s primary territory there. I don’t think Herman would need much help in the Houston area, it would be other areas and Beck can help with that."
On the hire ...
"It does follow a similar blueprint to Urban Meyer. Everyone on Urban Meyer’s staff is expected to be an ace recruiter, from the lowest guy on the totem pole on up. Also, like Urban Meyer, it’s going to be Tom Herman’s offense, just like Ohio State’s offense is Urban Meyer's offense. His assistants are basically an extension of what he wants done."
From a Nebraska source:
"There's a tendency to look at only the things a person doesn't do and not the things he did do. I think that's probably the case with Tim because he helped turn Taylor Martinez into one of the best players in the Big 10, but he never became an All-American that led the Huskers to a championship, so people focus on that one thing, while forgetting that (Beck) got every single ounce of ability out of the kid."
"He makes his players better. He's especially good with young players. The only fair criticism of his time here is whether he runs out of ideas with players after he's reached a certain point with them. That might have just been a Martinez issue, though. As good as Tommy Armstrong ended up being in the last couple of years, I would have loved to see him under Beck for his entire career."
Stan Drayton (Running Backs)
#HookEmpic.twitter.com/HGHLUOshpl
— Coach Tom Herman (@CoachTomHerman)January 5, 2017
Strengths:For those that wanted a Tim Brewster hire, this is your Tim Brewster-level hire and probably beyond. In terms of developing players at the running back position, I don't know that I've ever seen anyone with a list of stars that tops his and you can't suggest he's only a byproduct of working for top-flight programs because his first major success story was long-time NFL star Brian Westbrook at Villanova. Meanwhile, his work in Chicago over the course of the last two years watched him take multiple mid-round picks and re-invent a Chicago running game looking to transition out of the Matt Forte Era. His work with Jordan Howard is one of the best jobs anyone in the NFL at the assistant coach level did all year when you consider he helped develop him from a fifth round pick into the NFL's second-leading rusher in less than seven months.
As far as recruiting goes, he's been a monster in that arena for more than a decade, going back to his work at Florida when he proved to be responsible for a number of vital championship pieces. You can make a strong case that Drayton is the best recruiter the Longhorns have had since Brewster left the Longhorns in 2002 for the NFL.
Players developed:Zeke Elliott (Ohio State), Jordan Howard (Chicago), Jeremy Langford (Chicago), Carlos Hyde (Ohio State), Arian Foster (Tennessee), Ahman Green (Green Bay), DeShawn Wynn (Florida), Jerious Norwood (Mississippi State) and Brian Westbrook (Villanova)
Question marks:None. He might be the best in the country at his craft.
Recruiting history
2015 (Ohio State):Jerome Baker,Mike Weber,Dre' Mont Jones,Alex Stump,Rashod BerryandDenzel Ward
2014 (Ohio State):Marshon Lattimore,Curtis Samuel,Parris Campbell,Marcelys JonesandErick Smith
2013 (Ohio State):Zeke Elliott,Donovan Munger,Tracy SprinkleandChristopher Worley
2012 (Ohio State):Ricquan Southward
2011 (Florida):Frank Epitropoulos
2010 (Syracuse): N/A
2009 (Tennessee):Toney Williams
2008 (Florida): N.A
2007 (Florida):Cam Newton,Chris Rainey,Maurkice Pouncey,Mike PounceyandPaul Wilson
2006 (Florida):Riley Cooper,Jarred Fayson,A.J. JonesandTrent Pupello
Quotable: From an Ohio State source:
"Just wind him up and turn him loose. He can recruit anywhere. You can send him to Ohio. You can send him to Michigan. You can send him to Florida. He's the guy Tom Herman is going to send out when he wants to go fishing in five-star waters."
Todd Orlando (Defensive coordinator/linebackers)
Can't wait for 2017 to get here.#PlayGreatDefense#HookEmpic.twitter.com/ba0fV3GUDJ
— Coach Tom Herman (@CoachTomHerman)December 31, 2016
Strengths:The scouting report on Orlando reads like this... attack, confuse/disrupt, create big plays and be strong in the basics of the game. According to those that have followed his entire career, Orlando is described as an excellent teacher of technique and scheme, but his growth as a defensive coordinator really expanded in the last decade, as his focus went from a strictly 4-3 scheme during most of his tenure at UConn to a multiple defense that primarily uses a 3-4 front as its base. With the transition into the 3-4 defense, which he started to emphasize at Utah State, Orlando's defense is regarded as extremely aggressive, as pressure on the quarterbacks and creating big plays are at the focal point of everything he does. Over the course of a four-year window from 2013-16, Orlando's defenses forced a total of 112 turnovers.
Players developed:Elandon Roberts (Houston), Steven Taylor (Houston), Frankie Sutera (Utah State), Nick Vigil (Utah State), Zach Vigil (Utah State), Jonathan Cyprien (FIU), Tourek Williams (FIU), Danny Lansanah (UConn), Lawrence Wilson (UConn) and Alfred Fincher (UConn)
Question marks:It's really just a matter of proving it on the biggest stage at a high power-five level. While the numbers his defenses have produced are quite eye-opening, they weren't created week-in and week-out against the type of offenses that he'll see in the Big 12. As a recruiter, he's not afraid to hit the road and get some sweat on his uniform, but he's not someone that has had any real success as a primary recruiter for elite-level recruits. He's kind of the reverse-Tim Beck in that respect. Still, he's viewed as a hard worker in that realm, just not a stone-cold killer.
Recruiting history:
2017 (Houston):Terrel BernardandDerek Parrish
2016 (Houston): N/A
2015 (Utah State): N/A
2014 (Utah State): N/A
2013 (FIU): N/A
2012 (FIU): N/A
2011 (U.Conn): N/A
2010 (U.Conn):Ty-meer BrownandB.J. McBryde
2009 (U.Conn):Steve Greene
Quotable: From a Houston source...
"He's just like Tom Herman, except he coaches on the other side of the ball. He's going to stress to his players that the details of what he's teaching them matter more than who is the fastest and the strongest. The guys that soak up what he's preaching will find themselves playing the best football of their lives. The players will love playing for him because he's full-throttle, all the time. He coaches defensive football the way Herman coaches offensive football, which is why they are always on the same page."
From a Utah State source...
"He not only instantly made the defense better upon his arrival, but he helped turn a couple of his guys into Sunday players. When (Orlando) showed up in 2013, Nick Vigil was just a guy that people had only really ever heard of because his brother was already here. He played a little running back and defensive back before Orlando turned him into probably the best player we've ever had on defense outside of Bobby (Wagner). As soon as he got his hands on the kid, Nick started to make plays. I think he led the team in sacks as a freshman, while his brother was the conference player of the year. Both of them can thank (Orlando) for transforming them into nice little players to NFL prospects, and in the case of Nick, a player good enough to leave school after his junior year and be drafted in the third round. Anyone that tells you they saw that coming is lying."
Craig Naivar (Safeties)
Strengths:Like so many on the staff, Naivar is basically a coaching lifer in the state of Texas, having spent all but a few of the last two decades applying his craft inside Lone Star State borders. Since 1998, his primary focus has been as a defensive coordinator/special teams coordinator and safeties coach, with an occasional stint coaching defensive line as well. Although it's tough to measure his success at places like Texas State and Rice, his top guys at Houston all elevated their play under his watch to emerge as all-conference level players. Along with Jason Washington, he'll have a big say in what happens on special teams and in his one season at Kentucky, the Wildcats had one of the top special teams units in the SEC.
Players developed:Garrett Davis (Houston), Khalil Williams (Houston), Trevon Stewart (Houston), Adrian McDonald (Houston), Michael Ebbitt (Texas State), Andrew Sendejo (Rice) and Travis Bradshaw (Rice)
Question marks:For as many years as he's worked in the state of Texas, he's never really landed a King Kong type recruit, which makes him a bit of a question mark in the big-time prospect arena. Still, when you look at his recruiting resume, he was a high volume performer at both Texas State and Rice before going to Houston. It'll be interesting to see what his impact in recruiting will be in the coming year and which areas of the state he'll be assigned.
Recruiting history
2017 (Houston):Parker EichenbergerandElijah Gooden
2016 (Houston):Javian SmithandPatrick Rosette
2015 (Kentucky):Kengera Daniel
2014 (Texas State):Camyron Brown,Frankie Griffin,Randy PriceandAndrew Aneke
2013 (Texas State):Jamel James,Dila Rosemond,Demetrius WoodardandGermod Williams,
2012 (Texas State):Adrian Bellard,Fred Nixon,Jerrid Jeter-Gilmon,Dallas McClarty,Stephen SmithandDamani Alexcee
2011 (Rice):Jaylon Finner,Julius White,Caleb WilliamsandMiles Lee
2010 (Rice):Mario Hull,Cameron Nwoso,James Radcliffe,Niko CarlsonandBryce Callahan
(Ketch)
We're still in the dead period, but the Texas coaches have been busy this week in extending a handful of new scholarship offers, none more interesting than the one on Wednesday to top JUCO linebacker Gary Johnson.
The Dodge City Community College product is a new name but it turns out he's been on UT's radar for a little while. According to Johnson, he had been in communication with Texas "for a while" and an offer was extended through his coaches, but he just heard about it on Wednesday. When he did find out about it, he immediately set up a UT visit.
"Texas has always been a power house. Texas in itself speaks a lot," Johnson said. "They're all about football there. To have an offer from a place that is going to turn it around in a year or two, that's huge for me. I had a couple places I had that I would like to take visits to, once I heard the Houston coaches were going there, I wanted to visit there. When they offered, I set it up."
The 6-2, 225-pound Johnson will visit UT on December 20. Next weekend, he'll visit Oregon and he'll hit Southern Cal on the 27th. Johnson will take a midweek visit to Louisville, but is still working on the date for that trip.
I'll have a bit more on Johnson later in the weekend, but a couple notes worth filing away ... I do get the impression he's open to all the schools he'll visit or has visited (Arizona State), but he won't be able to enroll at the school of his choice until the summer, unless he picks Oregon. The Ducks are on a quarter system which would allow him to enroll earlier and go through spring football. We'll see if that winds up being a factor. (Suchomel)
******
We mentioned him earlier in the week, but keep an eye on Thibodeaux (La.) defensive back Amik Robertson as the UT coaches try to fill out their needs in the secondary.
Robertson, a one-time Louisiana Tech commitment, will take a visit to La Tech on January 13, Texas on January 20 and Houston on January 27. He has already visited Kansas State. Those four schools make up his group of finalists.
On the interest from Texas ...
"They started talking to me, them and the University of Houston, at about the same time. Coach Tom Herman was talking to me while he was at Houston, then went to Texas and started talking to me again," Robertson said. "He said the staff really enjoyed my film and that's where they want me to end up".
Robertson said he doesn't have any favorites among his four finalists.
"Everybody is pretty much the same right now," he said. "I've only take one official so to K-State. I wanted to get a better look at the Bulldogs, Texas and the University of Houston, then try to make my final decision."
The 5-9, 172-pound Robertson admits he doesn't know a lot about Texas just yet, but says he's anxious to find out more on his visit.
"I know it's a big school, a great city, a great school with great players. I grew up in Houston when I was young," Robertson said. "I watched Vince Young in the Rose Bowl when I was young, but other than that, I wasn't that familiar with them. But I've heard great things about them."
Robertson has not been offered by Texas, but is expecting that to change before or on his visit. He said he'll cross that bridge if/when it happens.
"They didn't say it's probably going to happen, they said it may happen before the visit or it will happen there. Because they want me to commit on the spot. It's hard to say what I'd do because I've never even seen the campus." (Suchomel)
******
Los Angeles Cathedral wide receiver Jamire Calvin is planning to announce his decision during Saturday's Army All-American Bowl.
Nebraska, Notre Dame, Washington State and Alabama are his final four, but Calvin is planning to take one more official visit in January despite his upcoming commitment. Texas, Baylor and Oregon are all in the running for that final visit.
Calvin said UT is in touch with him pretty much every day. This one feels like a longshot and most feel he'll wind up at Nebraska, but if Texas can get him on campus for one last visit, the Longhorns could have a puncher's chance at the talented wide out. (Suchomel)
******
For the longest time, Mobile (AL) St. Paul’s defensive end Ryan Johnson has been pegged to stay in state to either Auburn or Alabama. While he still lists high interest in both of those programs, Johnson is still keeping others in play. Along with the two in-state powers, Johnson also plans to check out a few colleges out of state when the recruiting dead period ends in a few weeks.
“The 13th of January I will be going to Stanford, then I will take a midweek after that trip but I don’t know where yet, then on the 20th I am going to Auburn, then the next week I will do a midweek to Texas on like the 25th, and then my last visit will be to Alabama on the 27th.”
Texas extended an offer to the Rivals250 member at the start of August and has remained in contact with him since. According to Johnson, the main coach after him is defensive line coach Oscar Giles.
“Coach Giles has been stressing to me that they really want me at Texas and they need defensive lineman," Johnson said. "They have a lot of interior guys but they don’t have as many guys to hold the edge. They need to get that have been stressing me. They see me lining up on the end and maybe move down to the three technique.”
This visit to the 40 Acers will be Johnson’s first ever, so there are a lot of questions heading into that trip.
“I just want to see the coaches and get to know them on a more personal level and meet with the players and stuff. I want to get to see the campus and facilities there and just get the feel for the university overall," Johnson said. "They are a really good program and they have a lot of good history there and they are a school that isn’t going to stay down long. These last few seasons they haven’t been that good but they have a new coach Tom Herman who can make the improvements and get some top recruits each year. They have such a great football history they just need a little stability.”
When it comes to a final decision, the 6-4, 235-pounder doesn’t aim to wait all the way to signing day to announce where he is going. The plan for now is to finish up all of his visits and decide shortly after returning home.
“I just want to make sure I pick the right school for me,” said Johnson. “I have to love the environment and the schools and just feel really comfortable there.
******
In case you missed it, Baylor extended an offer to UT DB commitment Josh Thompson on Thursday. No need to worry about this one.
"No interest. Solid on Texas," Thompson told OB shortly after getting the offer. (Suchomel)
******
Tom Herman mentioned in his Thursday press conference that he and his staff will swing for the fences when it comes to landing top recruits, but he also noted that it's not easy to close on the top national guys when the staff has had no time to develop relationships.
Over the course of Thursday afternoon/evening, Texas did step up to the plate with several top national prospects in the 2018 class, extending offers to some of the country's top players. We'll see if these offers pay off, but you have to like the fact that the new staff is being aggressive early with some of the players who are obvious takes for just about every country in the program.
A quick recap of the newest offers (and I'd expect more of these offers in the near future) ...
2018 OLDeontrey Hill- Warner Robins, GA Houston County (Rivals100 member)
2018 DT Keondre Coburn - Houston Westfield (Rivals250 member)
2018 TE Jeremy Ruckert - Lindenhurst, NY (Rivals250 member)
2018 OL Nana Asiedu - Stafford, VA North Stafford (Rivals250 member)
2018 OL Jacksan Carman - Fairfield, OH (Rivals100 member, five-star prospect)
*****
From the moment Tom Herman officially named Tim Beck as his offensive coordinator, many Longhorn supporters questioned this hire with the same skepticism as the addition of Shawn Watson to Charlie Strong’s staff.
Herman talked about Texas’ coaching staff during the second press conference of his tenure on Thursday. He informed everybody the two most important hires are his strength and conditioning coach (Yancy McKnight) and defensive coordinator (Todd Orlando). McKnight gets to be around Herman’s team throughout the year, while the coach understands it is hard to win a national championship without a strong defense.
However, the first question Herman received on Thursday was about the negative reaction to Beck’s hiring.
“I was really surprised (about the backlash) because it’s very well known that Tim Beck didn’t call plays at Ohio State,” Herman said on Thursday. “I think the negativity was misplaced on him. I talked to two people that I love and trust, and those two people re J.T. Barrett and Cardale Jones, and they think the world of him. I talked to Urban Meyer, and Urban Meyer thinks the world of him. Tim Beck was extremely successful when he was a play-caller at the University of Nebraska. Chalk that one up to a lot of misinformation on social media. Again, I’ll never be swayed by any of that because we’re privy to a lot more information than what Joe Fan is.”
Here is another piece of information the average fan may not know.
Meyer is a difficult person to work for.
I spoke to a person who is extremely familiar with Meyer on Thursday, and was told the coach can be very difficult to get along with. Meyer has a reputation for screaming down coaches, calling them out in meetings, and to be completely honest, some view him as a hard ass.
“I wouldn’t hold Beck being demoted against him,” that person told me. “Trust me, Urban is not an easy guy to get along with.”
In fact, I was given a good example of Meyer’s erratic behavior that could explain some of the challenges Beck faced at Ohio State.
If you are looking for anybody to say a negative word about Stan Drayton, that is something that will not happen. Drayton is viewed as an ace recruiter who makes running backs into stars. Drayton has worked with Ezekiel Elliott and Carlos Hyde at Ohio State. He also worked with Jordan Howard, who set the Bears rookie rushing record this year. Basically, Drayton is an elite running backs coach.
Prior to his stint at Ohio State, Drayton spent the 2010 season as the running backs coach/recruiting coordinator at the University of Florida, his second stint at the school after serving as the Gators running backs coach from 2005-07. In 2006, Florida won the BCS National Championship as the Gators averaged 160 rushing yards per game.
Drayton is a successful coach who Herman hired to groom into a head coach at Texas. Herman praised Drayton during his press conference on Thursday, and his admiration and respect was evident. When you think of Drayton’s past, it is easy to envision to immediate impact he could have on Texas running back Chris Warren, Kyle Porter, Kirk Johnson and incoming freshman Toneil Carter. You get the feeling Drayton will identify the team’s top running back and get the most out of him, unlike the previous decision for former running back D’Onta Foreman to split time with Johnathan Gray and Warren.
However, Drayton could not avoid Meyer’s wrath at Ohio State, even though he was a great assistant coach.
“Meyer used to get into Drayton’s ass,” I was told. “There was one time when (coaches) had to pull Meyer off of him. Urban ran him off twice because he just isn’t easy to get along with.”
Basically, I was told not to judge Beck on what his time at Ohio State because his previous boss was abrasive and tough to deal with.
Obviously, we will learn more about Beck in the upcoming years, but from what I can tell, it does not take much to get on Meyer’s bad side. (Richardson).
*****
Three weeks ago, we did an in-depth look at the first five assistant coaches that Tom Herman brought with him to Texas and now that the staff has been completed this week, I thought it would be a good idea to finish the assignment with breakdowns of Tim Beck, Stan Drayton, Todd Orlando and Craig Naivar.
Here we go...
Tim Beck (Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks)
#HookEmpic.twitter.com/hXI6AJdgq3
— Coach Tom Herman (@CoachTomHerman)January 5, 2017
Strengths:For all of the discussion over the last month, it's hard to ignore the fact that for much of the last decade, Beck has been pretty damn successful at every outpost he's worked, whether we're talking Kansas, Nebraska or Ohio State. On the field, he's worked with quarterbacks, running backs and wide receivers, with high-level players under his watch at every stop. Known as a good Xs and Os guy who isn't afraid to be flexible in terms of scheme based on the skill sets of his players, Beck has a strong set of coaching chops and has been a part of incredibly successful teams in high school and college. Perhaps more than anything, his work at Kansas really stands out when you study his career, as he was chiefly responsible for the recruitment of Todd Reesing, who went on to have an incredible sophomore season with Beck serving as the passing game coordinator at Kansas in 2007.
Meanwhile, as a recruiter his specialty is in the Dallas-Ft. Worth Metroplex, as his connections in that part of the state run nearly two decades deep, beginning with his stints at both Mansfield Summit and R.L. Turner. For most of this decade, most of his recruiting focus has been on quarterbacks and prospects in Dallas.
Players developed:J.T. Barrett, Cardale Jones, Taylor Martinez, Tommy Armstrong Jr., Rex Burkhead, Ameer Abdullah, Roy Helu, Marcus Henry and Todd Reesing.
Question marks:If you talk with people close to the Ohio State program, the biggest complaint about Beck had nothing to do with play-calling and everything to do with the perception that the quarterbacks that he inherited (Barrett and Jones) never took the next step under his watch. Also, it remains to be seen what kind of play-caller he'll be in Austin because he didn't handle those duties with the Buckeyes and there were mixed results during his tenure in Lincoln. It seems like the biggest critique is that his offenses have always been very good, but perhaps not elite of the elite, which become the desired standards once you start reaching the very good stage.
Recruiting history
2018: (Ohio State)Emory Jones
2017: (Ohio State)Barron Browning,Tate MartellandJ.K. Dobbins (secondary)
2016: (Ohio State)Dwayne Haskins Jr.,
2015 (Nebraska): N/A
2014 (Nebraska):Zack Darlington
2013 (Nebraska):Johnny Stanton
2012 (Nebraska):Tommy ArmstrongandAaron Curry (secondary)
2011 (Nebraska):Jamal Turner,Ameer AbdullahandAaron Green
2010 (Nebraska):Braylon Heard,Ciante EvansandDonovan Vestal (secondary)
2009 (Nebraska):Rex Burkhead,Jesse Coffey (secondary)andDontrayevous Robinson (secondary)
Quotable:From an Ohio State source
"He really had a lot of success recruiting at Ohio State. Was involved with Baron Browning pretty heavily, also involved with Jeff Okudah, who Ohio State is getting. He had a big hand in helping them keep Shaun Wade away from Alabama down the stretch and was the primary recruiter for 5-star QB Emory Jones in the 2018 class. He also helped them land Tate Martel.
"He took a lot of criticism this year, some of it probably unwarranted. He was not the play caller for Ohio State. Ed Warinner and Urban Meyer were the two most responsible when it came to game planning and play calling. It's hard to know exactly where the drop-off with J.T. Barret’s numbers were - is it more the position coach or the general flow of the offense which could be more tied to the play callers? But he showed during his time at Ohio State, his ability through his relationships in the state of Texas, to get Ohio State in the door with a number of prospects in the state of Texas.
"This feels to me like a move to secure the borders in Texas. DFW, that’s his area with Ohio State. That was Beck’s primary territory there. I don’t think Herman would need much help in the Houston area, it would be other areas and Beck can help with that."
On the hire ...
"It does follow a similar blueprint to Urban Meyer. Everyone on Urban Meyer’s staff is expected to be an ace recruiter, from the lowest guy on the totem pole on up. Also, like Urban Meyer, it’s going to be Tom Herman’s offense, just like Ohio State’s offense is Urban Meyer's offense. His assistants are basically an extension of what he wants done."
From a Nebraska source:
"There's a tendency to look at only the things a person doesn't do and not the things he did do. I think that's probably the case with Tim because he helped turn Taylor Martinez into one of the best players in the Big 10, but he never became an All-American that led the Huskers to a championship, so people focus on that one thing, while forgetting that (Beck) got every single ounce of ability out of the kid."
"He makes his players better. He's especially good with young players. The only fair criticism of his time here is whether he runs out of ideas with players after he's reached a certain point with them. That might have just been a Martinez issue, though. As good as Tommy Armstrong ended up being in the last couple of years, I would have loved to see him under Beck for his entire career."
Stan Drayton (Running Backs)
#HookEmpic.twitter.com/HGHLUOshpl
— Coach Tom Herman (@CoachTomHerman)January 5, 2017
Strengths:For those that wanted a Tim Brewster hire, this is your Tim Brewster-level hire and probably beyond. In terms of developing players at the running back position, I don't know that I've ever seen anyone with a list of stars that tops his and you can't suggest he's only a byproduct of working for top-flight programs because his first major success story was long-time NFL star Brian Westbrook at Villanova. Meanwhile, his work in Chicago over the course of the last two years watched him take multiple mid-round picks and re-invent a Chicago running game looking to transition out of the Matt Forte Era. His work with Jordan Howard is one of the best jobs anyone in the NFL at the assistant coach level did all year when you consider he helped develop him from a fifth round pick into the NFL's second-leading rusher in less than seven months.
As far as recruiting goes, he's been a monster in that arena for more than a decade, going back to his work at Florida when he proved to be responsible for a number of vital championship pieces. You can make a strong case that Drayton is the best recruiter the Longhorns have had since Brewster left the Longhorns in 2002 for the NFL.
Players developed:Zeke Elliott (Ohio State), Jordan Howard (Chicago), Jeremy Langford (Chicago), Carlos Hyde (Ohio State), Arian Foster (Tennessee), Ahman Green (Green Bay), DeShawn Wynn (Florida), Jerious Norwood (Mississippi State) and Brian Westbrook (Villanova)
Question marks:None. He might be the best in the country at his craft.
Recruiting history
2015 (Ohio State):Jerome Baker,Mike Weber,Dre' Mont Jones,Alex Stump,Rashod BerryandDenzel Ward
2014 (Ohio State):Marshon Lattimore,Curtis Samuel,Parris Campbell,Marcelys JonesandErick Smith
2013 (Ohio State):Zeke Elliott,Donovan Munger,Tracy SprinkleandChristopher Worley
2012 (Ohio State):Ricquan Southward
2011 (Florida):Frank Epitropoulos
2010 (Syracuse): N/A
2009 (Tennessee):Toney Williams
2008 (Florida): N.A
2007 (Florida):Cam Newton,Chris Rainey,Maurkice Pouncey,Mike PounceyandPaul Wilson
2006 (Florida):Riley Cooper,Jarred Fayson,A.J. JonesandTrent Pupello
Quotable: From an Ohio State source:
"Just wind him up and turn him loose. He can recruit anywhere. You can send him to Ohio. You can send him to Michigan. You can send him to Florida. He's the guy Tom Herman is going to send out when he wants to go fishing in five-star waters."
Todd Orlando (Defensive coordinator/linebackers)
Can't wait for 2017 to get here.#PlayGreatDefense#HookEmpic.twitter.com/ba0fV3GUDJ
— Coach Tom Herman (@CoachTomHerman)December 31, 2016
Strengths:The scouting report on Orlando reads like this... attack, confuse/disrupt, create big plays and be strong in the basics of the game. According to those that have followed his entire career, Orlando is described as an excellent teacher of technique and scheme, but his growth as a defensive coordinator really expanded in the last decade, as his focus went from a strictly 4-3 scheme during most of his tenure at UConn to a multiple defense that primarily uses a 3-4 front as its base. With the transition into the 3-4 defense, which he started to emphasize at Utah State, Orlando's defense is regarded as extremely aggressive, as pressure on the quarterbacks and creating big plays are at the focal point of everything he does. Over the course of a four-year window from 2013-16, Orlando's defenses forced a total of 112 turnovers.
Players developed:Elandon Roberts (Houston), Steven Taylor (Houston), Frankie Sutera (Utah State), Nick Vigil (Utah State), Zach Vigil (Utah State), Jonathan Cyprien (FIU), Tourek Williams (FIU), Danny Lansanah (UConn), Lawrence Wilson (UConn) and Alfred Fincher (UConn)
Question marks:It's really just a matter of proving it on the biggest stage at a high power-five level. While the numbers his defenses have produced are quite eye-opening, they weren't created week-in and week-out against the type of offenses that he'll see in the Big 12. As a recruiter, he's not afraid to hit the road and get some sweat on his uniform, but he's not someone that has had any real success as a primary recruiter for elite-level recruits. He's kind of the reverse-Tim Beck in that respect. Still, he's viewed as a hard worker in that realm, just not a stone-cold killer.
Recruiting history:
2017 (Houston):Terrel BernardandDerek Parrish
2016 (Houston): N/A
2015 (Utah State): N/A
2014 (Utah State): N/A
2013 (FIU): N/A
2012 (FIU): N/A
2011 (U.Conn): N/A
2010 (U.Conn):Ty-meer BrownandB.J. McBryde
2009 (U.Conn):Steve Greene
Quotable: From a Houston source...
"He's just like Tom Herman, except he coaches on the other side of the ball. He's going to stress to his players that the details of what he's teaching them matter more than who is the fastest and the strongest. The guys that soak up what he's preaching will find themselves playing the best football of their lives. The players will love playing for him because he's full-throttle, all the time. He coaches defensive football the way Herman coaches offensive football, which is why they are always on the same page."
From a Utah State source...
"He not only instantly made the defense better upon his arrival, but he helped turn a couple of his guys into Sunday players. When (Orlando) showed up in 2013, Nick Vigil was just a guy that people had only really ever heard of because his brother was already here. He played a little running back and defensive back before Orlando turned him into probably the best player we've ever had on defense outside of Bobby (Wagner). As soon as he got his hands on the kid, Nick started to make plays. I think he led the team in sacks as a freshman, while his brother was the conference player of the year. Both of them can thank (Orlando) for transforming them into nice little players to NFL prospects, and in the case of Nick, a player good enough to leave school after his junior year and be drafted in the third round. Anyone that tells you they saw that coming is lying."
Craig Naivar (Safeties)
Strengths:Like so many on the staff, Naivar is basically a coaching lifer in the state of Texas, having spent all but a few of the last two decades applying his craft inside Lone Star State borders. Since 1998, his primary focus has been as a defensive coordinator/special teams coordinator and safeties coach, with an occasional stint coaching defensive line as well. Although it's tough to measure his success at places like Texas State and Rice, his top guys at Houston all elevated their play under his watch to emerge as all-conference level players. Along with Jason Washington, he'll have a big say in what happens on special teams and in his one season at Kentucky, the Wildcats had one of the top special teams units in the SEC.
Players developed:Garrett Davis (Houston), Khalil Williams (Houston), Trevon Stewart (Houston), Adrian McDonald (Houston), Michael Ebbitt (Texas State), Andrew Sendejo (Rice) and Travis Bradshaw (Rice)
Question marks:For as many years as he's worked in the state of Texas, he's never really landed a King Kong type recruit, which makes him a bit of a question mark in the big-time prospect arena. Still, when you look at his recruiting resume, he was a high volume performer at both Texas State and Rice before going to Houston. It'll be interesting to see what his impact in recruiting will be in the coming year and which areas of the state he'll be assigned.
Recruiting history
2017 (Houston):Parker EichenbergerandElijah Gooden
2016 (Houston):Javian SmithandPatrick Rosette
2015 (Kentucky):Kengera Daniel
2014 (Texas State):Camyron Brown,Frankie Griffin,Randy PriceandAndrew Aneke
2013 (Texas State):Jamel James,Dila Rosemond,Demetrius WoodardandGermod Williams,
2012 (Texas State):Adrian Bellard,Fred Nixon,Jerrid Jeter-Gilmon,Dallas McClarty,Stephen SmithandDamani Alexcee
2011 (Rice):Jaylon Finner,Julius White,Caleb WilliamsandMiles Lee
2010 (Rice):Mario Hull,Cameron Nwoso,James Radcliffe,Niko CarlsonandBryce Callahan
(Ketch)
But it is great that Chaisson's tweet makes it seem like he is a silent to Texas.
3 years and 2 days ago Strong was hired and was working on assembling a staff at this point. Herman was hired 6 weeks ago, has a complete staff, and has added 6 guys in that time.
PK
2 RBs
2 TEs
1 OL
1 LB/DE
PK
2 RBs
2 TEs
1 OL
1 LB/DE
Yup, before Herman was hired the class was hanging around 70th composite, during the dead period, it has climbed to 28th with 13 total commits.
We're headed for 20 signees.
The public will hear about more attrition as everyone gets back on campus.
We were sitting at 70 due to the fact that the kids didn't know what was going to happen to Strong. I'm glad we have Herman but I'm too trill with these UH players committed. Not trying to be Debbie downer but tell me if Mack, Strong, Saban or any top coach would offer some of these guys. If a kid has only a UH and UTSA, why would we offer. I would like to see him go after the big dogs not just fill a need position. We may never know, some of these might be the next Ricky, look at D'Onta but i bet a check that over half will be them kids that can say, Im glad I'm on the team instead of saying"I help the team win". I'm a die hard longhorn, my kids are die hard, my wife is all UT as well. We want to just see us win not just football but all UT sports
It was interesting in his presser yesterday, that he said this 1st class is the class that has the most attrition and the least amount of productivity. He referenced the first class at tOSU which was the #5 ranked class in the country that year, that only 3 players played significant roles on that team. He said it was all about relationships.
Except Herman is going to bring in over half the class do to Strong's policy, for many recruits, of look around and make sure you want to be with us we and we will take you commitment in the 6-7 weeks before LOI day. This is not a keep the present class together coaching change.
Have watched any of Young or Bimage's film?
Would film of Bimage against the #1 OT in Texas and national overall top 20 help you?
Young is the big back needed to run inside veer from the diamond formation.
Your attitude reminds of all the national criticism of the Texas job and our fan base. We've been a bad football team since this year's recruits were 9-10 years old but our fan base still expects to pick and chose from the blue chips.
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Lol, Bimage holds an LSU offer and Aranda knows D, Young holds a Nebraska offer and they always have RB's, Brewer holds offers from OU, KSU and Aggy. They're not DII duds.
It takes time for the new coaches to build relationships with recruits and six weeks is very short and also Herman like Patterson of TCU because of his program should be able to take the 3 star players and build and coach them to a higher level.This is something Texas has needed for years and years.
I saw that too. Rumor is he was up visiting when winter hit and had second thoughts about leaving the state.
