Does coin flip mean "we're close to being really good or really bad... it's hard to tell" ???
Spring ball is finally here
- Thread starter outhereincali
- Start date
4- Cook - CB
7- Sterns - S
25- Foster- S
All 3 are alleged to be getting 2nd team rep all already.
Last edited:
True Post, the days of Bear Bryant practice plan of just beating the dog out of his players to see who was left standing are long over.My guess more freshman backups this year because it will be Herman"s and present coaches recruits.I do know the OL and DL are the key to me in Texas being back at the top and we really will not know until the Maryland game.Texas, I feel has the skill kids at Wr,Db's and the QB's and RB's while not at the top level yet should be good enough to win.
Last edited:
Speaking of hard practices, aggy had an Olineman almost die the other day from heat stroke, and he had to be hospitalized for a few days. I'm glad he's going to be ok but it seems pretty bad when it's not even hot outside yet. It seems like aggys were trying to keep it under wraps because no one reported it until the kids family tweeted that he was going to be ok several days after it happened. Not a good look for Jimbo.
Over working the players will hurt ya at some level. That's worse than having no backup QB or RB and that will lead to losing
Hook'em
Hook'em
turns out the kid was not properly hydrated....yet another recruiting advantage for Herman...that kind of word gets around.
Put pads on for first time today since September ACL tear. That alone is great news. Hopefully can get in football shape and provide depth this season. Any more than that is icing.
This screen grab makes him look like a crazy person. Its probably true!
From the Tom presser above:
Q: "coach, who has left you really impressed the last few weeks?"
Tom: (immediate reaction) "Malcolm Roach" ...(long pause)..."the three young DB's" (Cook, Foster, Sterns)...(long pause) "the two QB's, Patrick Vahe, Zack Shackleford" (long pause) "LJ Humphrey.....uhhh Devin Duvernay" (looooong pause) "Brandon Jones"
Q: "coach, who has left you really impressed the last few weeks?"
Tom: (immediate reaction) "Malcolm Roach" ...(long pause)..."the three young DB's" (Cook, Foster, Sterns)...(long pause) "the two QB's, Patrick Vahe, Zack Shackleford" (long pause) "LJ Humphrey.....uhhh Devin Duvernay" (looooong pause) "Brandon Jones"
The follow up question was along the lines of was the improvement in the team what you would have hoped and Tom singled out the 2nd team OL and "some" of the tailbacks as those that did not. Did not regress, but didn't improve as much he would like.
Sounds like Texas' starting five O-linemen are good. Beyond that, it gets back to the level of last year. The main thing though this year is that we have depth and everyone is healthy. Let's hope that it stays that way.
Anderson is coming in, Grandy and Hudson has been injured. I don’t know if he was counting them when he made his statements.
OB War Room:
(From Alex)
A few notes from a very abbreviated portion of Thursday's final practice of spring football:
- Thanks to the Texas Media Relations staff for giving us at least a small amount of access to every practice this spring outside of the first two scrimmages.
- With this said, the availability today was not a very enlightening one based on the periods that were opened for us. It was a lightly attended shorts and shoulder pads walk-through type practice. Some former Longhorns on hand that I noticed (from recent years) were Michael Dickson and, somewhat randomly, former WR Billy Pittman.
- There were a number of dropped balls from the receivers today. Brennan Eagles among others had to do a fair amount of push ups. If Herman says it was a crisp practice, the crispness occurred after they shooed us out of there for the most part.
- On the receivers: I love that Lil'Jordan Humphrey has seemingly assumed starting slot duties. Jordan Pouncey is now back and has been bumped to outside receiver where he works with both the X and Z guys. Pouncey has been a standout of spring and a guy I'll bet makes a big play in the spring game working with the twos.
- One of the prettiest catches of the day was a deep bomb from Shane Buechele to Davion Curtis who appears to be Devin Duvernay's primary backup at this time. Curtis can move.
- During a team period, Sam Ehlinger led an impressive drive featuring two big-time throws: 1 rope to Collin Johnson on an out pattern to the field side and a deep bomb to Devin Duvernay who went up to get it and won a battle on the 50/50 ball with Kobe Boyce.
- Speaking of Boyce, he continues to work with the ones opposite Kris Boyd while Anthony Cook is with the twos, having supplanted Eric Cuffee for now. The CB depth chart will be a fluid one through summer and into fall camp. It looks like Boyce will start the spring game though.
- Chris Nelson is still limited but doing all the lighter contact work with the ones. I doubt he plays in the spring game but he's clearly a huge part of the fall plans.
- Maybe it's fitting that I end my reporting of spring practice talking about a player I haven't mentioned through all of practices: "the punter." Ryan Bujcevski. I hadn't mentioned or really watched him before because I was always scurrying to more important drills where better information could be gleaned to report on later. However, today, one of our open periods featured punt team. Bujcevski is good. How easy it is to forget that when Michael Dickson got here, he wasn't an all-world-type of player -- and that there were numerous times where his punts would sail out onto Red River in the middle of afternoon traffic. Bujcevski already has some terrific placement and touch skills with his punts and is good with hitting his targets to pin guys deep. I'm no expert on punting technique and don't pretend to play one on the internet, but I do know that Dickson's punting form is unorthodox due to its genesis in Aussie Rules Rugby. It's a bended-knee punt whereas most NFL punters have a straight leg that goes through a motion that ends with their kicking foot being higher up in the air than their helmets. Bujcevski's form is not as natural and loose as Dickson (his cousins)'s was as a Ray Guy-winning junior but it's an eerily familiar motion taking form. The Aussie punting dynasty at Texas looks like it's in good shape for the near-future.
******
(From Anwar)
When Texas football coach Tom Herman watches film from Thursday’s practice, he may not be a happy guy at all.
Herman hates turnovers and unforced errors. If a player turns the ball over too much, that is the best way to land of Herman’s bench. As much as Herman loves Sam Ehlinger, he did not start his quarterback in the Texas Bowl last year because he was tired of seeing the turnovers. Herman hates unforced errors because he is huge on discipline and focus. He does not want to play anybody who is a liability.
Unfortunately for Herman, he cannot be pleased with what he saw from his running backs.
Toneil Carter and Daniel Young struggled to catch the ball during practice. Young dropped at least two passes, and bobbled another catch, during our media window, which is at least 15 minutes. Young dropped a screen pass from Ehlinger, one from Cameron Rising, and bobbled another. Carter had multiple drops, and after letting a pass from Casey Thompson hit his hands and then the ground, running backs coach Stan Drayton made them run that play again. It is important to note that these drops were against air and not defenders.
The running back room is an area of concern for Herman, who recently discussed it after a recent spring practice. Carter and Young are still learning, while Kyle Porter, Tristian Houston, Cameron Townsend and Kirk Johnson have battled injuries this spring.
In fact, Texas is hosting Cal grad transfer running back Tre Watson this weekend. Herman addressed his need at left tackle by signing Rice grad transfer Calvin Anderson this year, and the addition of Watson could instantly improve a room that needs some help.
In addition, the receivers had an uncharacteristically bad day.
There were multiple drops by that position group on Thursday. John Burt, Brennan Eagles and Lil’ Jordan Humphrey struggled during individual drills against air. In fact, Humphrey did two pushups after two consecutive drops. Again, things may have improved with this group later in practice. Things just were not as crisp as Herman typically wants.
However, there were a few positive observations:
- One thing I have failed to mention during spring practice is a little thing between periods. Players and coaches run toward different areas of the practice field between periods. It is not a slow jog at all. The players are not sprinting. I say it is somewhere in between. This is a little detail Herman focused on when he first arrived. While it may not be brand new information, you can tell players and coaches are dialed in and try not to waste any time during practice.
- Even though there were a few drops, receiver Devin Duvernay continues to be impressive. Through 14 spring practices, he continues to stand out because of his speed and ability to get open.
- Texas offensive line coach Herb Hand emphasized the need for his guys to keep moving their feet in order to shed a defender and get downfield. One offensive lineman played the roll of a defender and battled against his teammate. Overall, most players did well during this drill. Denzel Okafor is not the fastest player, but got the job done. Patrick Hudson and Elijah Rodriguez stood out during this portion of practice.
- Speaking of Rodriguez, Hand worked with him on lowering his shoulder to finish off a defender. Hand emphasized it as his guys lined up 10-yards away from a roll tackle ring, and then had to accelerate and take down the ring. Overall, it appears Hand was pleased with his guys.
- Tim Yoder is currently the third-string running back, ahead of Porter. It could be because Porter has missed most of spring practice, but he has not moved up the depth chart yet. Yoder looks solid when he is out there. It is hard to say if he would be a game-changer. However, it is safe to say his has been very solid.
- Ehlinger and Buechele threw very crisp passes in practice. There really was not a difference in the accuracy of either guy. Herman has praised Rising and Thompson, but they definitely need to work on improving their accuracy and timing with receivers. At this point, this year’s competition boils down to Ehlinger and Buechele.
******
Texas offensive coordinator Tim Beck addressed the media on Thursday. Here are the highlights of his interview session:
- Beck said the offensive goal for Saturday’s spring game is to line up correctly, play hard and fast, eliminate mistakes, plus protect the football.
- Beck said the biggest improvement as a unit this spring has been confidence. In addition, he likes how the quarterbacks and offensive line are playing. He is also pleased with the other position groups. Beck said they are teaching guys “how to do'” things instead “what to do.”
- Shane Buechele and Sam Ehlinger have enjoyed good springs, and Beck wants them to play with confidence and let it rip on Saturday.
View image on Twitter
Anwar Richardson@AnwarRichardson
Texas offensive coordinator Tim Beck addressing the media after Thursday’s practice.
6:49 PM - Apr 19, 2018
· 15
· See Anwar Richardson's other Tweets
Twitter Ads info and privacy
- Beck on running more inside zone this season: “First of all, it’s a big part of most team’s offenses, but here, it can go against every defense. It can go against pressure. Front side pressure, backside pressure, inside pressure, odd-front, three-down. It doesn’t matter. Four-down. It’s an offensive play that regardless of what you do, we have a chance to gain yards. We coach our guys really hard on it. We’ve gotten better at it. Great tight end presence. Changed a few things up front technique wise, and in the backfield as well. The combination of those things has allowed us to have more success with it.” Beck also said the emergence of their tight ends this spring helps Texas to better execute inside zone.
- Beck on why he thinks Ehlinger can bounce back after critical turnovers late in games last season: “I think it’s one of the biggest areas he’s improved on right now. He’s playing with a lot of confidence. We did some things to help him fundamentally. He understands the defenses better. He’s making really good decisions. At Austin Westlake, he probably got away with doing those things. You can’t get away with that in college football. You can’t just throw the ball up and things are going to happen. He’s been really good at taking care of the football this spring.”
- When asked if he may have to wait until the fall to name a starting quarterback, Beck said, “Probably. You asked me what group I thought [made the most improvements], the first group that came to mind was quarterbacks. Not because I coach them. I see different guys back there. They’re not as panicky. They’re much more calm. They understand. They’ve made really good decisions. They’re protecting the football. They see the defense. They know when to check out of plays. It’s been really good by those guys. They’ve both had good springs, as have the young guys. They’ve surprised me. I never thought they would handle our defense the way they have been to handle our defense.”
- Beck said Zach Shackelford and Patrick Vahe are playing their best football since he arrived on campus. In addition, Elijah Rodriguez is not far behind those players, according to Beck.
- Beck believes running back Toneil Carter has a chance to be a special player, and said Daniel Young had a good spring.
- Reese Leitao is not that far behind Andrew Beck when it comes to setting an edge, according to Beck.
- Beck said Devin Duvernay is making plays this spring because the receiver has more confidence.
- Beck on being a better running team at this point of spring practice: “We kind of set out they’re a couple of plays we want to make sure we’re really good at, that we can hang our hat on, that we know we can call and be pretty good at. We’re close. I wouldn’t say we’ve arrived. There’s certain things we need to continue to work on, but we’re a lot further ahead than we were last year.”
- When asked about the dropped balls in Thursday’s practice, Beck said, “Today was not a really focused day by our guys. I think we had a pretty extensive scrimmage on Thursday where we won. They turn around, and we have practice tomorrow and then the spring game. I think there’s a lot going on. Some kids in school, and parents are coming in. Sometimes you forget they are 18, 19-year-old kids still, and they’re excited to see mom and dad. Sometimes they’re not all there. I told them when I called them up that the focus was not really good today.”
******
Texas defensive coordinator Todd Orlando addressed the media after spring practice on Thursday. Here are the highlights:
- Orlando wants to the execution of fundamentals during Saturday’s spring game, especially from the young players. He also wants his guys to execute, play on a high level and display techniques.
- In addition to linebacker Ayodele Adeoye, Orlando said he wants to get all the freshmen on campus ready for the season opener against Maryland. He said his freshmen have proven to their teammates they are not soft, but willing to run and hit. Orlando also said those guys have done a really good job of learning the playbook this spring.
- Here is why Orlando praised the spring of safety Brandon Jones: “To me, Brandon has been exceptional. I don’t usually bring that word out. You guys hear me talk. I’ll probably do that a handful of times, but he’s had an unbelievable spring. Fundamentally, just his speed. He’s playing like what he was advertised as an athlete. I think last year there was some hesitation, some things that he wasn’t really sure about himself. Now he’s doing it. You can see his big speed, and he’s doing a great job tackling, too. That’s the one thing I’ve been unbelievably impressed with. He’s been that.”
- Orlando said there are between five to six defensive linemen he can win with right now before the incoming freshmen hit campus. He mentioned Breckyn Hager, Charles Omenihu, Ta’Quon Graham and Chris Nelson, and said that is a good start.
View image on Twitter
Anwar Richardson@AnwarRichardson
Texas defensive coordinator Todd Orlando addressing the media after Thursday’s practice.
6:38 PM - Apr 19, 2018
· 22
· See Anwar Richardson's other Tweets
Twitter Ads info and privacy
- The goal of spring practice was to teach fundamentals and technique, according to Orlando. The first two weeks of fall camp will be spent on the same thing before his unit switches into game planning.
- When asked about leadership, Orlando pointed out P.J. Locke III, Gary Johnson, Malcolm Roach, Breckyn Hager and Chris Nelson.
-Orlando said he cross-trains his linebackers to play different positions. If a middle linebacker gets hurts, Orlando is not playing the backup. Instead, they are playing the fourth-best linebacker.
- Orlando said defensive end Charles Omenihu has improved as a run-stopper. He described Omenihu as a dominant pass rusher who needs to get better at using his length.
- Chris Brown, John Bonney and Jarmarquis Durst have rotated at nickleback this spring. Orlando is preparing different guys in case there is an injury at that position during the regular season.
- Orlando intends to run a base defense on Saturday. There will be a few blitzes, but Olrando’s main focus is to make sure his unit is organized.
(From Alex)
A few notes from a very abbreviated portion of Thursday's final practice of spring football:
- Thanks to the Texas Media Relations staff for giving us at least a small amount of access to every practice this spring outside of the first two scrimmages.
- With this said, the availability today was not a very enlightening one based on the periods that were opened for us. It was a lightly attended shorts and shoulder pads walk-through type practice. Some former Longhorns on hand that I noticed (from recent years) were Michael Dickson and, somewhat randomly, former WR Billy Pittman.
- There were a number of dropped balls from the receivers today. Brennan Eagles among others had to do a fair amount of push ups. If Herman says it was a crisp practice, the crispness occurred after they shooed us out of there for the most part.
- On the receivers: I love that Lil'Jordan Humphrey has seemingly assumed starting slot duties. Jordan Pouncey is now back and has been bumped to outside receiver where he works with both the X and Z guys. Pouncey has been a standout of spring and a guy I'll bet makes a big play in the spring game working with the twos.
- One of the prettiest catches of the day was a deep bomb from Shane Buechele to Davion Curtis who appears to be Devin Duvernay's primary backup at this time. Curtis can move.
- During a team period, Sam Ehlinger led an impressive drive featuring two big-time throws: 1 rope to Collin Johnson on an out pattern to the field side and a deep bomb to Devin Duvernay who went up to get it and won a battle on the 50/50 ball with Kobe Boyce.
- Speaking of Boyce, he continues to work with the ones opposite Kris Boyd while Anthony Cook is with the twos, having supplanted Eric Cuffee for now. The CB depth chart will be a fluid one through summer and into fall camp. It looks like Boyce will start the spring game though.
- Chris Nelson is still limited but doing all the lighter contact work with the ones. I doubt he plays in the spring game but he's clearly a huge part of the fall plans.
- Maybe it's fitting that I end my reporting of spring practice talking about a player I haven't mentioned through all of practices: "the punter." Ryan Bujcevski. I hadn't mentioned or really watched him before because I was always scurrying to more important drills where better information could be gleaned to report on later. However, today, one of our open periods featured punt team. Bujcevski is good. How easy it is to forget that when Michael Dickson got here, he wasn't an all-world-type of player -- and that there were numerous times where his punts would sail out onto Red River in the middle of afternoon traffic. Bujcevski already has some terrific placement and touch skills with his punts and is good with hitting his targets to pin guys deep. I'm no expert on punting technique and don't pretend to play one on the internet, but I do know that Dickson's punting form is unorthodox due to its genesis in Aussie Rules Rugby. It's a bended-knee punt whereas most NFL punters have a straight leg that goes through a motion that ends with their kicking foot being higher up in the air than their helmets. Bujcevski's form is not as natural and loose as Dickson (his cousins)'s was as a Ray Guy-winning junior but it's an eerily familiar motion taking form. The Aussie punting dynasty at Texas looks like it's in good shape for the near-future.
******
(From Anwar)
When Texas football coach Tom Herman watches film from Thursday’s practice, he may not be a happy guy at all.
Herman hates turnovers and unforced errors. If a player turns the ball over too much, that is the best way to land of Herman’s bench. As much as Herman loves Sam Ehlinger, he did not start his quarterback in the Texas Bowl last year because he was tired of seeing the turnovers. Herman hates unforced errors because he is huge on discipline and focus. He does not want to play anybody who is a liability.
Unfortunately for Herman, he cannot be pleased with what he saw from his running backs.
Toneil Carter and Daniel Young struggled to catch the ball during practice. Young dropped at least two passes, and bobbled another catch, during our media window, which is at least 15 minutes. Young dropped a screen pass from Ehlinger, one from Cameron Rising, and bobbled another. Carter had multiple drops, and after letting a pass from Casey Thompson hit his hands and then the ground, running backs coach Stan Drayton made them run that play again. It is important to note that these drops were against air and not defenders.
The running back room is an area of concern for Herman, who recently discussed it after a recent spring practice. Carter and Young are still learning, while Kyle Porter, Tristian Houston, Cameron Townsend and Kirk Johnson have battled injuries this spring.
In fact, Texas is hosting Cal grad transfer running back Tre Watson this weekend. Herman addressed his need at left tackle by signing Rice grad transfer Calvin Anderson this year, and the addition of Watson could instantly improve a room that needs some help.
In addition, the receivers had an uncharacteristically bad day.
There were multiple drops by that position group on Thursday. John Burt, Brennan Eagles and Lil’ Jordan Humphrey struggled during individual drills against air. In fact, Humphrey did two pushups after two consecutive drops. Again, things may have improved with this group later in practice. Things just were not as crisp as Herman typically wants.
However, there were a few positive observations:
- One thing I have failed to mention during spring practice is a little thing between periods. Players and coaches run toward different areas of the practice field between periods. It is not a slow jog at all. The players are not sprinting. I say it is somewhere in between. This is a little detail Herman focused on when he first arrived. While it may not be brand new information, you can tell players and coaches are dialed in and try not to waste any time during practice.
- Even though there were a few drops, receiver Devin Duvernay continues to be impressive. Through 14 spring practices, he continues to stand out because of his speed and ability to get open.
- Texas offensive line coach Herb Hand emphasized the need for his guys to keep moving their feet in order to shed a defender and get downfield. One offensive lineman played the roll of a defender and battled against his teammate. Overall, most players did well during this drill. Denzel Okafor is not the fastest player, but got the job done. Patrick Hudson and Elijah Rodriguez stood out during this portion of practice.
- Speaking of Rodriguez, Hand worked with him on lowering his shoulder to finish off a defender. Hand emphasized it as his guys lined up 10-yards away from a roll tackle ring, and then had to accelerate and take down the ring. Overall, it appears Hand was pleased with his guys.
- Tim Yoder is currently the third-string running back, ahead of Porter. It could be because Porter has missed most of spring practice, but he has not moved up the depth chart yet. Yoder looks solid when he is out there. It is hard to say if he would be a game-changer. However, it is safe to say his has been very solid.
- Ehlinger and Buechele threw very crisp passes in practice. There really was not a difference in the accuracy of either guy. Herman has praised Rising and Thompson, but they definitely need to work on improving their accuracy and timing with receivers. At this point, this year’s competition boils down to Ehlinger and Buechele.
******
Texas offensive coordinator Tim Beck addressed the media on Thursday. Here are the highlights of his interview session:
- Beck said the offensive goal for Saturday’s spring game is to line up correctly, play hard and fast, eliminate mistakes, plus protect the football.
- Beck said the biggest improvement as a unit this spring has been confidence. In addition, he likes how the quarterbacks and offensive line are playing. He is also pleased with the other position groups. Beck said they are teaching guys “how to do'” things instead “what to do.”
- Shane Buechele and Sam Ehlinger have enjoyed good springs, and Beck wants them to play with confidence and let it rip on Saturday.
View image on Twitter
Anwar Richardson@AnwarRichardson
Texas offensive coordinator Tim Beck addressing the media after Thursday’s practice.
6:49 PM - Apr 19, 2018
· 15
· See Anwar Richardson's other Tweets
Twitter Ads info and privacy
- Beck on running more inside zone this season: “First of all, it’s a big part of most team’s offenses, but here, it can go against every defense. It can go against pressure. Front side pressure, backside pressure, inside pressure, odd-front, three-down. It doesn’t matter. Four-down. It’s an offensive play that regardless of what you do, we have a chance to gain yards. We coach our guys really hard on it. We’ve gotten better at it. Great tight end presence. Changed a few things up front technique wise, and in the backfield as well. The combination of those things has allowed us to have more success with it.” Beck also said the emergence of their tight ends this spring helps Texas to better execute inside zone.
- Beck on why he thinks Ehlinger can bounce back after critical turnovers late in games last season: “I think it’s one of the biggest areas he’s improved on right now. He’s playing with a lot of confidence. We did some things to help him fundamentally. He understands the defenses better. He’s making really good decisions. At Austin Westlake, he probably got away with doing those things. You can’t get away with that in college football. You can’t just throw the ball up and things are going to happen. He’s been really good at taking care of the football this spring.”
- When asked if he may have to wait until the fall to name a starting quarterback, Beck said, “Probably. You asked me what group I thought [made the most improvements], the first group that came to mind was quarterbacks. Not because I coach them. I see different guys back there. They’re not as panicky. They’re much more calm. They understand. They’ve made really good decisions. They’re protecting the football. They see the defense. They know when to check out of plays. It’s been really good by those guys. They’ve both had good springs, as have the young guys. They’ve surprised me. I never thought they would handle our defense the way they have been to handle our defense.”
- Beck said Zach Shackelford and Patrick Vahe are playing their best football since he arrived on campus. In addition, Elijah Rodriguez is not far behind those players, according to Beck.
- Beck believes running back Toneil Carter has a chance to be a special player, and said Daniel Young had a good spring.
- Reese Leitao is not that far behind Andrew Beck when it comes to setting an edge, according to Beck.
- Beck said Devin Duvernay is making plays this spring because the receiver has more confidence.
- Beck on being a better running team at this point of spring practice: “We kind of set out they’re a couple of plays we want to make sure we’re really good at, that we can hang our hat on, that we know we can call and be pretty good at. We’re close. I wouldn’t say we’ve arrived. There’s certain things we need to continue to work on, but we’re a lot further ahead than we were last year.”
- When asked about the dropped balls in Thursday’s practice, Beck said, “Today was not a really focused day by our guys. I think we had a pretty extensive scrimmage on Thursday where we won. They turn around, and we have practice tomorrow and then the spring game. I think there’s a lot going on. Some kids in school, and parents are coming in. Sometimes you forget they are 18, 19-year-old kids still, and they’re excited to see mom and dad. Sometimes they’re not all there. I told them when I called them up that the focus was not really good today.”
******
Texas defensive coordinator Todd Orlando addressed the media after spring practice on Thursday. Here are the highlights:
- Orlando wants to the execution of fundamentals during Saturday’s spring game, especially from the young players. He also wants his guys to execute, play on a high level and display techniques.
- In addition to linebacker Ayodele Adeoye, Orlando said he wants to get all the freshmen on campus ready for the season opener against Maryland. He said his freshmen have proven to their teammates they are not soft, but willing to run and hit. Orlando also said those guys have done a really good job of learning the playbook this spring.
- Here is why Orlando praised the spring of safety Brandon Jones: “To me, Brandon has been exceptional. I don’t usually bring that word out. You guys hear me talk. I’ll probably do that a handful of times, but he’s had an unbelievable spring. Fundamentally, just his speed. He’s playing like what he was advertised as an athlete. I think last year there was some hesitation, some things that he wasn’t really sure about himself. Now he’s doing it. You can see his big speed, and he’s doing a great job tackling, too. That’s the one thing I’ve been unbelievably impressed with. He’s been that.”
- Orlando said there are between five to six defensive linemen he can win with right now before the incoming freshmen hit campus. He mentioned Breckyn Hager, Charles Omenihu, Ta’Quon Graham and Chris Nelson, and said that is a good start.
View image on Twitter
Anwar Richardson@AnwarRichardson
Texas defensive coordinator Todd Orlando addressing the media after Thursday’s practice.
6:38 PM - Apr 19, 2018
· 22
· See Anwar Richardson's other Tweets
Twitter Ads info and privacy
- The goal of spring practice was to teach fundamentals and technique, according to Orlando. The first two weeks of fall camp will be spent on the same thing before his unit switches into game planning.
- When asked about leadership, Orlando pointed out P.J. Locke III, Gary Johnson, Malcolm Roach, Breckyn Hager and Chris Nelson.
-Orlando said he cross-trains his linebackers to play different positions. If a middle linebacker gets hurts, Orlando is not playing the backup. Instead, they are playing the fourth-best linebacker.
- Orlando said defensive end Charles Omenihu has improved as a run-stopper. He described Omenihu as a dominant pass rusher who needs to get better at using his length.
- Chris Brown, John Bonney and Jarmarquis Durst have rotated at nickleback this spring. Orlando is preparing different guys in case there is an injury at that position during the regular season.
- Orlando intends to run a base defense on Saturday. There will be a few blitzes, but Olrando’s main focus is to make sure his unit is organized.
Couple of questions for y'all -- and pardon me if I'm asking for old news, but I haven't been following things all that closely this offseason.
Has Junior Angilau made a decision on the mission trip? And is the general consensus still that Chris Nelson is more likely to transfer than not? Any other important players that are considered significant transfer risks at this time?
Has Junior Angilau made a decision on the mission trip? And is the general consensus still that Chris Nelson is more likely to transfer than not? Any other important players that are considered significant transfer risks at this time?
- I don't think Junior has announced but must be soon as school is out in a month
-Nelson...my guess is the delay in surgery and running him out first team was an attempt to hold on to him but I haven't heard anything
-The Duverney's have had heavy transfer talk to an unnamed SEC school but maybe Devin's good spring could hold on to him?
So what do y'all think, now that spring football is in the books. Do you see improvement? Did the spring game look more impressive than it did last year?
WR's-Our WR's looked great in the spring game, which points to positive steps. However, our WR's looked great last year. They were the one unit that was locked n' loaded going into 2017, and they severely underperformed. So although I want to be optimistic about this WR group and definitely feel they have potential to be amazing, I hesitate to say they will excel this year because of how last year's WR numbers ended up.
RB's-I think Daniel Young is pretty good, and I liked him in the spring game. I think grad transfers will help a lot and the OLine will be playing with more experience/consistency, and our new RB will help here. I can't see it go any way other than up.
QB's-I wasn't that impressed in the spring game. Didn't see anything that blew me away. But with more maturity, practice, and experience under his belt, I can't see Sam Ehlinger getting worse. I'm assuming he will be (at least marginally) better.
Defense-We lost several key and great players. BUT after seeing the 'backups' play so tremendously in the bowl game, I have no reason to expect our defense to not play remotely in the same ballpark this year as they did last year.
Overall, I don't see enough improvement and excitement to get me from 2017's 7-6 record up to a 10-3 record. If there ever was a year to make a stand, this is it. Herman still has momentum, energy, excitement, and the Big XII is poised to be taken over, but I just didn't see enough reasons on the field to see that happen. It looked to me like marginal improvement to 8-5 or 9-4.
WR's-Our WR's looked great in the spring game, which points to positive steps. However, our WR's looked great last year. They were the one unit that was locked n' loaded going into 2017, and they severely underperformed. So although I want to be optimistic about this WR group and definitely feel they have potential to be amazing, I hesitate to say they will excel this year because of how last year's WR numbers ended up.
RB's-I think Daniel Young is pretty good, and I liked him in the spring game. I think grad transfers will help a lot and the OLine will be playing with more experience/consistency, and our new RB will help here. I can't see it go any way other than up.
QB's-I wasn't that impressed in the spring game. Didn't see anything that blew me away. But with more maturity, practice, and experience under his belt, I can't see Sam Ehlinger getting worse. I'm assuming he will be (at least marginally) better.
Defense-We lost several key and great players. BUT after seeing the 'backups' play so tremendously in the bowl game, I have no reason to expect our defense to not play remotely in the same ballpark this year as they did last year.
Overall, I don't see enough improvement and excitement to get me from 2017's 7-6 record up to a 10-3 record. If there ever was a year to make a stand, this is it. Herman still has momentum, energy, excitement, and the Big XII is poised to be taken over, but I just didn't see enough reasons on the field to see that happen. It looked to me like marginal improvement to 8-5 or 9-4.
