(From Anwar)
This is the closest Tom Herman’s squad has been to something resembling “normal” this offseason.
Texas began its six-week preparation for the upcoming season on Monday (yep, I am still holding out hope). Players participated in running and lifting on Monday and Wednesday. They also participated in on-the-field activities on Tuesday and Thursday. Players will run and lift on Friday, take a few days off, and then resume the same schedule on Monday. Players are allowed to participate in up to eight hours of weight training, conditioning and film review per week, beginning on Monday (two hours on the field). From July 24 to Aug. 6, that number will increase to 20 hours per week.
Tuesday and Thursday did not resemble spring practice or training camp. There were restrictions. Players were not allowed to go full speed. In fact, footballs were not used during the workouts. If you are looking for a practice report, hold off on that request until August when preparations for the upcoming season begin.
Nowadays, something is better than nothing, and this week is exactly what a football deprived team needed.
Let me explain the format of those on-field-drills to everyone so you fully understand what occurred this week.
Players participated in football conditioning drills for an hour on Tuesday and another hour on Thursday. Longhorn coaches were allowed to conduct those drills, and my sources indicated everyone inside the building was pumped to finally have an opportunity to instruct their guys.
Herman’s coaches worked with their players during winter conditioning. They were allowed to conduct walk-throughs during that time frame, and Herman previously said the majority of the playbook was installed before spring practice was canceled.
However, that was four months ago.
This week marked the first time in four months coaches could teach their players in something other than a Zoom meeting. When you consider Herman has seven new assistant coaches, every moment they are able to spend on the field prior to this season with their players – yes, I am not giving up hope – is important.
In fact, think about this for a moment.
These players have not been coached with a football since the Thursday before the Alamo Bowl in late December. That means most players have been going through walk-throughs for the past seven months.
According to my sources, there was a high energy level during on-the-field drills on Tuesday and Thursday. I was told players were enthusiastic about being back on the practice field, even if it was in a limited capacity. Meanwhile, Herman’s staff was hands-on during the practice sessions which flew by quickly each day, according to those who witnessed those workouts. I was told each coach was eager and excited to work with his guys this week.
With safety as the top priority this offseason, there were three different workout groups.
When people inside the building contemplated how to split up the groups, they discussed splitting up starters and backups. However, that idea was shot down because they wanted veterans to guide young players. Nobody liked the idea of unproven players missing the opportunity to learn from experienced players.
As a result, there were three separate groups that worked out on Tuesday and Thursday this week.
7 a.m. – skill group
9 a.m. – skill group with offensive linemen
11 a.m. – more offensive linemen and defensive linemen
According to my sources, each group warmed up for 10 minutes before participating in football specific drills.
There was a catch.
They were not allowed to use drills that normally occur during spring practice or training camp. Each drill had to focus on football condition. For instance, the Longhorns could not use a blocking sled, but were allowed to utilize a conditioning sled. Coaches and players could not use a football or tennis ball. However, they could use a tennis ball for reaction drills.
My sources determined two things after witnessing on-the-field workouts this week.
The most encouraging sign is players are seemingly willing to put in extra work to get ready for the upcoming season.
I learned after the first two sessions monitored by Longhorn coaches, players conducted 7-on-7 workouts without the staff. As of this moment, I do not have specific details about those workouts. I just know each 7-on-7 session occurred after the 7 and 9 a.m. workouts. Considering linemen were involved in the final session this week, that makes sense.
In addition, punt returners and kickoff returners fielded kicks from Ryan Bujcevski and Cameron Dicker, respectively.
It is safe to say Longhorn receivers need reps with senior quarterback Sam Ehlinger.
The top two receiving targets last season were Devin Duvernay and Collin Johnson. Brennan Eagles finished with 522 receiving yards and six touchdowns last season, followed by Jake Smith’s 274 receiving yards and six touchdowns. Ehlinger needs as many reps with his top receiving targets as possible.
Everyone I contacted this week was happy to hear about the players’ initiative.
However, there was a dose of reality during the on-field sessions attended by the staff.
According to my sources, multiple players appeared to be out-of-shape during on-the-field workouts this week. Throughout the past few months, my sources were happy with how in-shape Longhorn players were when they showed up for voluntary workouts recently. Nevertheless, after seeing players go through football drills this week, the staff determined their guys have a lot of catching up to do.
Before you hit the panic button, remember what I reported several weeks ago.
Everyone inside the building previously believed players needed the last two weeks in July to get in shape. When players arrived on campus in June, my sources believed most players kept up with their workouts while away from campus. However, there is a huge difference between working out on your own being pushed by a position coach.
I learned strength and conditioning coach Yancy McKnight anticipated multiple players might need to catch up and he has adjusted workouts accordingly. McKnight’s goal is to have a gradual buildup to the upcoming season. Players typically begin preparing for training camp prior to July, but are currently behind because of COVID-19.
That being said, my sources are optimistic Longhorn players will be ready for the season opener. Training camps is slated to begin on August 7.
I will keep you posted.
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(From Suchomel)
Well, it’s not going to be rainbows and butterflies, but there’s nowhere else to start this week’s War Room other than to offer up some thoughts/commentary on offensive line and wide receiver recruiting.
In case you missed our note on Wednesday afternoon, we started hearing midday that things weren’t progressing as you fans would have hoped for brothers James and Tommy Brockermeyer. By the end of the afternoon, the twins had each tweeted that they’d be announcing their decisions on Friday. My suggestions … don’t sit around your computers waiting for those announcements unless you’re just a glutton for punishment.
Assuming the brothers pick Alabama, as I expect, there’s just no way to spin it other than a huge punch for Texas to the gut, face, groin and anywhere else on the body you can think of. You all know the story … their father, Blake, was an all-American for Texas, their grandfather played for Texas and their brother is a linebacker for UT presently. These are recruitments the Longhorns absolutely needed and while Texas will still finish with a solid recruiting class, this 2021 group is going to feel like it missed on a huge opportunity regardless of who else joins the class.
Texas has some extremely talented players in this class already – with guys like Jalen Milroe, Billy Bowman and Ja’Tavion Sanders leading the way – but in Tommy Brockermeyer, the Longhorns are expected to miss out on a the nation’s No. 2-ranked tackle and a five-star prospect. In James Brockermeyer, Texas is expected to miss on a Rivals250 member and the nation’s No. 3-ranked center prospect. Guys are always “replaceable,” but those types of talents are hard to find, especially those types who have the history with one particular school the way the Brockermeyers and Texas have.
The developments of likely Alabama commitments shouldn’t come as a complete surprise to anyone paying attention. We’ve had the Tide pegged as the team to beat going back to our first release of the 2021 recruiting board in April (actually before that), and we’ve felt UT’s best chances were if the brothers waited to commit until the fall so Texas could impress them with a good season. Obviously the cards aren’t going to fall that way. The other scenario people have presented is that if the brothers committed elsewhere, Texas could flip them with a good season in the fall. Possibly, but I’d put that as highly unlikely, if there even is a 2020 season.
The concern now, from Texas’ perspective, is what Friday’s news could do from the angle of UT’s recruiting momentum. If the Brockermeyers go elsewhere, other recruits are going to take notice. It’s not going to help Texas’ cause with a guy like Bryce Foster and it sure as hell isn’t going to help with someone like Camar Wheaton. Is it a deal-breaker in those two recruitments? Absolutely not. But it would be a hell of a lot easier to sell Wheaton on coming to Texas if he knew he was going to have elite OL prospects blocking for him. On the flipside, Texas can sell Savion Byrd on the opportunity to come in and compete for early playing time at tackle, so that’s one silver lining.
Where does Texas go from here? If you look at our Recruiting Board update from Thursday morning, the options are pretty slim. Byrd and Foster are still in play, but Texas has ground to make up with both of those targets. Erick Cade has Texas in his top five (more on that in a second) and center Michael Myslinski is very high on the Longhorns. Beyond that, Texas may have to find some new players to target, and with the 2020 season in jeopardy, it may be tough to recruit out-of-state players who are going to have little (if any) time allowed for in-person visits.
Looking at wide receiver position is similar to that of the O-line. Texas has only one commitment from Casey Cain, a player who appears to have some physical upside but didn’t exactly have the elite programs in the region beating down his door. Teddy Knox recently came off the board. Adonai Mitchell, one week after telling us Texas was a school he wanted to visit, committed to Georgia this week. There’s always been some hope UT could flip a guy like JoJo Earle, but that feels like a longshot right now, especially without being able to get him on campus.
Ketron Jackson is starting to feel like a near must-get for Texas to salvage the 2021 wide receiver class. The good news is that the Longhorns can certainly win out there if Jackson sticks to his plan to hold off on his decision. The bad news is that Arkansas is probably the team to beat right now, and Texas’ best chance with Jackson is to get him on campus for an in-person visit and there’s no telling if that will even be allowed before he’s able to decide. There is some confidence in UT’s chances with Florida speedster Jaden Alexis, but Miami and a few others are making that one close. Grab Jackson and Alexis and maybe round things out with someone like JJ Henry and things look good. Miss out on Jackson and/or Alexis and this wide receiver class won’t be what it could have been or should have been.
It’s officially critical times at these two positions, and Texas’ hands are somewhat tied in getting momentum to shift. If you’re a Texas fan, you need to hope some of these chips start falling UT’s way to add talent to the roster for obvious reasons, but also because other recruits/commits are watching as well. Friday, if it goes as expected, will be a tough pill to swallow and the staff has to find a way to get things turned around at a couple key positions.
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When I spoke to Erick Cade on Tuesday and I mentioned to the OB staff that it felt like he wasn’t receiving enough attention from media/fans, I had no clue about the Brockermeyer twins deciding on Friday. With that knowledge in my pocket, Cade feels like he could be a guy of added importance for Texas.
In talking to Cade, he spoke with Alabama and Arizona State on Monday. He was scheduled to set up an zoom meeting with LSU head coach Ed Orgeron and the Tigers’ O-line coach on Wednesday. He expected to hear from Texas soon as well.
“I should be hearing from them in a couple days on a zoom meeting. It’s usually coach (Herb) Hand,” Cade said.
This one’s interesting to me because Cade said he’s done virtual visits with all five schools he’s considering – Texas, Bama, Arizona State, LSU and Ohio State. He speaks pretty regularly with Nick Saban Herm Edwards and was scheduled to talk to Orgeron this week. Sounds like he’s being made a pretty big priority by the schools recruiting him, yet he’s received minimal buzz.
In talking to Cade, I get the impression Alabama may be his favorite, but he does want to wait and I’m not sure the numbers there will work out, if that’s where he did decide he wanted to go. Bama has one O-line commit and is expected to pick up three more this weekend. I’m told Alabama does want to take five linemen in this class and would still have room for one more tackle, but it’s unclear right now if Cade would be prioritized or if the staff would focus on other targets. Some moving parts in this one.
Cade on his timeline …
“I’m going to wait as long as I can. If spots start filing up and I need to make a decision sooner, then I’ll have to. But as of right now, schools are pretty open and they’re willing to wait so I’m going to wait as long as I can.”
Of his virtual visits, Cade said Alabama stood out the most.
“They have a lot of areas where players can be by themselves and study, get classwork done. They have a lot of space and room to do stuff,” he said.
On Texas and the new facilities …
“I saw those last year in December. When they first posted it I watched it. The virtual visit, it showed that it’s going to be really nice when it’s done. The locker rooms, equipment room are going to be really nice.”
A couple things of note … Cade seemed intrigued by LSU and Bama telling him their players can graduate in three years. That’s something Texas could talk to him about as well since he likes the idea of getting his degree quickly and then (hopefully) preparing for the NFL. He wants to study business marketing … another area Texas can push with the McCombs School of Business.,
I asked Cade if proximity might help a program like Texas or even LSU over the others …
“It might, but then again I have family everywhere,” he said.
Cade’s thoughts on what stands out about his five favorites …
Alabama – “Their academics, along with their football program. They seem really connected with their players. They seem really hands-on when it comes to school along with football.”
Arizona State – “They seem like a family. When I talk to them, they seem really connected like a family.”
LSU – “They’re ready to play players who want to come in and play, no matter if you’re a freshman or a sophomore. If you can play you’re going to play. And they’re a pretty good program as well.”
Ohio State- “They’re really good at developing offensive linemen. They usually win the offensive lineman of the award.”
Texas – “I really like coach Hand. He really seems like a coach I could end up playing for. He’s a lot like my O-line coach, actually. His intensity, his hands-on, his everything, really reminds me of my O-line coach.”
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2022 OL Kelvin Banks made news this week when he decommitted from Oklahoma State. We caught up with the Houston Summer Creek standout to get an update on where things stand.
“Really it’s just me trying to make sure that was the best decision for me as a football player and as a student going to the school,” Banks said of his decommitment. “Making sure that’s the place I want to be for three or four years, making sure I’m not rushing into a decision too early.”
Now that he’s uncommitted, Banks said he’s focused on Auburn, Baylor, Colorado, Houston, LSU, Florida State, Oklahoma State, Oregon, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech and USC. No Bama … holla! He doesn’t want to make a quick decision and said he’ll take some time sorting through his options.
“I want to slow it down just for now. I don’t think I will commit anytime until my senior year,” Banks said. “I just want to see my options, make sure I’m looking as hard as I can, look at each school’s details so I can make the right decision.”
Prior to posting his tweet about opening up his recruitment, Banks actually talked to Hand and gave him a heads up.
“I had called him right before I announced it just to let him k now I was going to decommit. Before I was thinking about decommitting, I was thinking about calling him anyway, so I just told him,” Banks said. “He said he was excited that I’m actually opening my recruitment more and they’re going to continue to recruit me as hard as they can.”
As for what Banks likes about Texas …
“I just like their enthusiasm, the energy. I went there when they played LSU. Even though the lost the game, it was always high energy,” he said. “(Hand) was bringing his guys together, trying to get them to play to 100 percent. I just like their energy. It’s a good place.”
I asked Banks what factors will be important to him as he sorts through things. He’s strong academically, but feels he can get a good degree anywhere if he puts in the work. Proximity is something he’ll consider.
“I feel every school is going to have a good academic program, just based off how hard you want to work. Nobody should fail classes as a football player, since they give you all the materials you need,” Banks said. “Staying close to home is a thing. I don’t want to go too far, but if I need to go somewhere to succeed in life, that’s what I’ll do.”
Long way to go in this one, but Texas is obviously in the mix.
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Arizona linebacker Tony Fields, a three-year starter who tallied 287 tackles (17 for loss), 8.5 sacks and a pair of interceptions over that span, announced on Wednesday that he was entering the transfer portal as a grad transfer.
Texas is intrigued and interested, we’re told. If Field reciprocates that interest, look for Texas to be involved in this recruitment.
I actually caught up with Fields for a brief update, but since he officially won’t be in the portal until Friday morning, things are pretty quiet.
“I’m keeping options open everywhere, every big-time school that follows me. I’m keeping my options open since I don’t know where I want to go,” Field said.
A 6-1, 220-pounder originally out of Las Vegas, Fields said he doesn’t know a ton about the UT program just yet, but has heard good things about the city of Austin. I asked him what factors will be important to him in making a decision, and what he brings to the table.
“Depth chart obviously. Wherever I can go in and make an immediate impact, and my impact be able to stand out much more,” Fields said. “I bring a lot of playing time, 37 games worth of playing time. Then I bring energy, leadership. I just want to go out and help the team compete for a national championship.”
The plan is for Fields to commit to a school this summer and then enroll in the fall.
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(From McComas)
After checking around on the assistant coach vacancy for basketball, I'm not expecting anything to move towards a hire in the immediate future. From what I understand, the uncertainty surrounding the college football season, and collegiate athletics in general, has caused that process to slow down before it reaches the final stages.
With everything a bit up in the air currently and subject to change, I think athletic departments are waiting to see how the next few weeks play out to get a better feel for what the future could look like.
