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(From Anwar)
Texas guard Tyler Johnson was in the mix to start at right guard prior to this season.
Johnson was battling against Isaiah Hookfin and Denzel Okafor for that position. Willie Tyler was in the mix, but opted out of this season due to Covid-19 concerns. Johnson missed a few days of practice during training camp due to a non-Covid illness, and I was told his absence led to Okafor and Christian Jones receiving meaningful reps on the right side. The staff eventually decided Okafor would play right guard and Jones would be a good fit at right tackle.
Many Longhorn observers have wanted to know what happened to Johnson since training camp. Texas does not normally substitute offensive linemen, meaning backups play only if there is an emergency. However, a red flag went up when multiple Longhorn observers noticed Johnson did not travel with the team to Texas Tech. I checked with my sources this week and discovered the issue.
Johnson has not participated in practice over the past few weeks due to a non-Covid-19 health issue that is being addressed. My sources did not want the details of Johnson’s medical condition communicated to the public. Nevertheless, I can safely say Johnson is dealing with hereditary medical challenges, and his return to football is not as simplistic as an ankle or knee injury.
Nobody inside the building told me Johnson will not play again this season, but I sense everyone is more focused on addressing his medical condition.
According to my sources, Johnson was medically cleared for a 50 percent weight room workload this week. I was told his workouts went well.
I do not have a timetable for his idealistic weight room progression. However, logic says if Johnson is only cleared for a 50 percent workload in late September, it could be several weeks before he is fully cleared. Even if Johnson gets the green light by November 1, it will take multiple weeks to get into football shape. It seems as if a lot of things need to go right for Johnson to play in a game anytime soon.
In addition, one source told me they are working “very slowly” to get Johnson healthy. That is another reason why Johnson may not be rushed back to the practice field in the near future.
Johnson’s absence is a blow to the lack of depth on the right side of the line. Tope Imade is the backup right guard, while Hookfin is behind Jones. My sources have said Imade needs to improve to see playing time. Meanwhile, I previously reported the main apprehension about playing Hookfin was his lack of first-team reps prior to this year. He did not practice against second-teamers last year. Covid-19 ruined Hookfin’s opportunity to receive meaningful reps in spring practice this year. Hookfin received first-team reps in training camp, and played well when given the opportunity, but the sample size has been small.
Last year, Texas offensive lineman Patrick Hudson retired from football due to medical challenges. I do not believe Johnson is trending in that direction. Instead, it appears the staff is taking a cautious approach with Johnson.
I will keep you updated.
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Longhorn players and coaches were very disappointed with the missed tackles that occurred on defense against Texas Tech.
According to Alex Dunlap, Texas missed 20 tackles this past Saturday, and he said DeMarvion Overshown led the team with five.
“It was a rough day,” Texas defensive coordinator Chris Ash said. “You know, I never would have seen that coming, to be honest with you. From the work that we put in training camp, the way we tackled in our four or five scrimmage opportunities in training camp and then the way we would tackle in game one. I didn't see that coming. Texas Tech has some good players. They're really good out in space, the running backs, the wide outs, but I didn't see that. There's never been a game where you’ve made every single tackle. We're going to have to improve. If we're going to play good defense and achieve the goals that we want as a football team, it's going to start with being better tacklers.”
The team has spent this week working to improve tackling prior to TCU.
However, I learned the Longhorns are not overreacting to the Texas Tech game.
Texas did not add any extra periods to focus on tackling this week. Instead, I was told the staff spent this week reemphasizing tackling techniques that were taught prior to the season. The Longhorns typically performed one or two tackling drills in practice, but that number was between three and four this week.
The drills Texas focused on tracking the hip and cutbacks, according to my sources. None of the drills involved contact. The staff emphasized taking the right angles and body position during practice.
In addition, everyone inside the building remains confident in Ash’s rugby tackling style, and they believe Texas will improve in that area.
“Well, just tackling in general,” Ash said on what they need to improve on. “You didn't have the offseason. It's about reps. It's like anything else. If you haven't done something for a while, you get rusty. How do you fix it and cleaned it up? It takes a lot of reps. I look back and evaluate a little bit about what could have happened, what could we have done differently, what can we do better? We had a great training camp. We had plenty of scrimmage opportunities, live tackling opportunities in training camp. But as typical teams do, right, about two weeks out from your opening game, which was UTEP, you stop doing live contact. We still did tackling drills, but we didn't go good-on-good tackling up until the UTEP game. That’s just kind of standard. We went into that game and then we hit the bye week. We did some tackling drills, but we didn't do live tackling because we can't get anybody hurt in practice. Over the course of four weeks, outside of the UTEP game, that was really the only opportunity to do live tackling.
“Just so you guys know, I'll never make an excuse for the product that we have on the field. I've got to do a better job of being more creative. I thought we were in a pretty good spot from a tackling standpoint coming out of the first game, and the speed of the game got us. The skill players at Texas Tech had on the field and that we had to try to tackle out in space were tough to handle. We've got to go back and refocus and re-teach some things and basically start from ground zero again. That’s what we did on Sunday right away when we got back.”
I learned Ash previously showed the team an eight-minute rugby tackling video to teach his style of tackling. In addition, Texas is teaching the tackling techniques of Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll and New England coach Bill Belichick.
Here is a Seahawks tackling video if you are interested:
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Speaking of the defense, some Longhorn observers wanted to know why B.J. Foster played more than Chris Brown against Texas Tech.
According to Alex, Foster appeared in 64.94 percent of defensive snaps in the previous game, while Brown’s number was 61.04. Meanwhile, Caden Sterns led the safeties with 74.03 percent.
I asked for an explanation and received a simple answer.
Foster is the backup safety for Brown and Sterns. Whenever one safety is resting on the sidelines, Foster enters the game. I was told that is why Foster’s reps are so high.
Nothing crazy, but there it is.
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Texas sophomore receiver Jake Smith is expected to make his season debut against TCU on Saturday.
Smith has been recovering from a hamstring injury and did not play against UTEP or Texas Tech. He has fully participated in practice this week and is expected to start this weekend, barring any unexpected setbacks.
Prior to this season, Smith received reps as an outside receiver and was expected to play multiple positions in the season opener.
However, it looks like Smith will remain in the slot on Saturday.
According to my sources, Smith will start against TCU. Brenden Schooler is the backup slot receiver, followed by Kai Money.
Even though Smith can play multiple positions, nobody inside the building wants him on the field for 80 plays, especially after recovering from a hamstring injury. In addition, I was told Texas has enough outside receivers and they want Smith to focus on the H-position. Everyone is confident in Joshua Moore, Marcus Washington, Al’Vonte Woodard, Brennan Eagles and Tarik Black.
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Sam Ehlinger on what it takes for a receiver to gain his trust
“I think the biggest thing with trust between a quarterback and receiver is being on the same page all the time. Knowing the playbook and understanding the different variations or adjustments that can happen with different coverages, and that's a way to build trust. On game day, just making plays. When the ball is in the air, going and getting it. Making plays after the catch and things like that. I'm very proud of the way that our receivers have handled that. I think that we have a lot of room for improvement. We have a ton of talent in that room, and I'm looking forward to continuing to get better with them.”
Josh Thompson on his ear injury
“I think I made a tackle, I came up, and I really didn't even feel anything I guess because my adrenaline was rushing. I took off my helmet and I felt like something going down my neck and I just touched my neck and was a bunch of blood. So, I asked my teammate Keondre Coburn ‘Is there something wrong with my ear?’ He was like, ‘Oh my gosh, your ear is off.’ And immediately I just started thinking about anything bad. I went to the sideline that went and got it checked out … my ear wasn’t off so I don’t know why he said that.”
Ta’Quon Graham on Chris Ash’s message about tackling
“He did ensure that this is something that is fixable. This is a technique thing. This is something that we have to apply to the game. To help us apply this to the game, we’re going to do drill work. We're going to get better at it and we're going to do it day in and day out.”
Center Derek Kerstetter of the offensive line needing more time to gel
“Offensive line is different than any position. There is a little bit of a gel [that needs to take place], but we’ve also got to take better ownership. Start to slow down during the week and make sure we're better working together, getting ready for practice, and just getting ready. When we are at practice, just focus on the things that we need to focus on, control what we control, and we'll be more successful.”
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(From Suchomel)
Rivals100 wide receiver Dont’e Thornton Jr. earlier this month, well after Thornton had released a top six way back in May. On the surface, that one might look like a bit of a throwaway offer but in talking to Thornton this week, that’s definitely not the case. In fact, the Texas offer has shaken up Thornton’s list of favorites, although he’s not quite sure how everyone would stack up at this point.
“It does mix things up,” Thornton said of the UT offer. “I feel like they’re late to the party, but I still feel like they would be a great opportunity to go play, especially since they throw the throw ball a lot.”
The good news … there’s plenty of time for Texas to climb Thornton’s list. The former Penn State commitment doesn’t plan to announce a decision until the All-American Bowl in January. Before that, Thornton said he’ll do as much virtual research as possible.
“I’ll do a lot of virtual stuff, get on phone with coaches, offensive staffs,” Thornton said. “It’s going to be hard, because I haven’t been able to see the campuses of the schools.”
With the dead period extended to January 1, it could put Texas at a bit of a disadvantage. The Longhorns won’t be able to host Thornton, while he’s spent time on campuses like Penn State, Virginia, Oregon, Tennessee, West Virginia, Notre Dame and Michigan. I did as Thornton if there was any chance he might get to Austin for a self-guided tour.
“It could be a possibility,” he said.
So what would Texas have to do to close the gap on the other schools on his list?
“Just keep trying. Constantly throw the ball and do well with it,” Thornton said.
Earlier this week, Thornton talked to Texas wide receivers coach Andre Coleman and head coach Tom Herman. The 6-5, 205-pounder out of Baltimore Mount St. Joseph said the coaches likened him to Collin Johnson.
“Basically they said they need wide receivers like me, they lost a wide receiver with my size,” Thornton said. “They said it’s a good opportunity for me to come in and play a lot.”
With his size, one would expect Thornton to be an outside receiver but he said he feels his ability to line up all over the field is what makes him so valuable.
“I’m very versatile, can play in the slot our outside,” Thornton said. “And then I’m a matchup problem with DBs and linebackers, wherever they put me at.”
Oregon has been listed by Thornton as a childhood favorite and the Ducks hold a clean sweep of the Rivals FutureCast picks, but the Texas offer at least has the Longhorns in the mix.
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It’s been nearly two months since Michael Myslinski committed (or since we’ve talked to him) so we decided to check with the future Longhorn center this week for an update.
Myslinski and his Jacksonville Bishop Kenny teammates are three games into the season, picking up their first win last week. The 6-3 Myslinski has put on quite a bit of “good weight” since his junior campaign, and said he feels good about how his body is progressing.
“I definitely think I just look a lot bigger than I was last year. And I think I was pretty big last year. I’m at 290 now. I probably played around 260 last year,” Myslinski said. “And then just showing that I can still move in space and block linebackers, pull, trap pull, move in space and still run block well. I'm just working on all the aspects of my game in the game. It's all very important.
When Texas first started recruiting Myslinski, there was some talk of him being undersized and needing time to develop. Being at 290 seems like a pretty good starting point for a guy just beginning his senior year in high school, and Myslinski said he’s willing to transform his body however the Texas coaches see fit once he gets to Austin.
“I think I look good now at 290, but wherever they need me to go, I’ll go and I’ll make it possible,” Myslinski said. “If they tell me 310, I’ll go 310. If they tell me 300, I’ll go 300. Whatever they tell me, I'll do. I’ll be on the plan there and I know they really take care of their athletes so I'm not too worried about it. I know they'll take care of me.”
Myslinski is actually playing left guard for his high school team this year, though he projects as a likely center at the next level. He’s also playing spot duty along the defensive line when his coaches need his help.
“I love it. You get to fly around and hit someone. See ball, hit ball,” Myslinski said. “When I’m on defense, I just try to run block the guard or the tight end when I’m at end or at tackle. Just run block them, hope I mess up the play because on offense, I know when they do that and they make pressure in the backfield, that messes up the play for us. So that’s what I try to do to them, and then when you see the ball, you hit it.”
It was early August when Myslinski chose Texas over a group of finalists that included Michigan State and Iowa. Looking back at his decision, he said he’s still thrilled with his choice.
“I still think back to it. It was a great day, a very cool day. Over the past, I think it's been almost two months now, it's been awesome getting to know all the committed players and talking to them,” Myslinski said.
Iowa, Michigan State and Maryland still check in from time to time, but Myslinski said he’s solid with his decision.
“They just kind of check on me, ask how you're doing, how’s football going – just small talk,” Myslinski said. “They’re just catching up with me. It’s nice of them to reach out to say what’s up. It’s nothing crazy. I’m committed to Texas.”
Herb Hand and Myslinski catch up once or twice a week, usually on Saturday mornings or Thursday nights. Myslinski said he’s also struck up a friendship with Texas’ other offensive line commitments and there’s been some talk on a group chat among all the UT commitments about finding a time to meet in Austin to get to know each other.
“I’m really building a great relationship with them. It's been cool. Obviously we haven’t really met each other yet. I think we might be planning something out to go see each other, just the committed players, just to meet each other before we’re on campus,” Myslinski said. “I just know it was brought up brought up last week by one of the players. So we'll see, but I'm sure something like that will happen just because we want to meet each other in person. I'm sure that will happen.”
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A lot of you have asked about the possibility of Texas adding some bodies to the offensive line for next year through either graduate transfers or JUCO transfers.
While that still seems like a strong possibility on the surface, it’s a bit of a tough situation to predict right now. Graduate transfers won’t hit the market until next year. This is normally a time when JUCO recruiting begins picking up, but with no official visits and no JUCO football season in 2020 (the NJCAA has plans to have a shortened season in the spring), the opportunities to evaluate and recruit those players are extremely limited. Traditionally, JUCO players sign in December so they can enroll in January. That might change this year for most players, as DI coaches are probably going to want to see those players in action before making a decision on potentially offering a scholarship.
did cross-reference the Rivals.com database of JUCO offensive linemen with offers with a couple other lists I was able to find online and I reached out to a few JUCO products. To this point, none of the ones I communicated with had heard from Texas, but again, that’s somewhat expected with the JUCO recruiting timeline being significantly altered. Several of the guys I reached out to did have members of the Texas football staff following them on Twitter, so that at least tells you Texas is interested. And a couple of them, including Anthony Belton and Caleb Etienne expressed an interest if Texas was to come calling.
We’ll keep you all updated as things develop further.
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(From McComas)
If you’ve long asked Texas to add more of an Xs and Os coaching presence to its basketball coaching staff, you received your wish earlier this week when the Longhorns announced their new additions Monday.
Cody San Miguel arrives as the Coordinator of Video and Operations; basically, he slides into a similar role to the one Cody Hatt filled for years before recently being elevated to assistant coach. Nevada Smith quenches your X’s and O’s thirst on the hoops side by filling the newly created Director of Program Development.
Smith spent five seasons as a head coach in the NBA’s G-League. His first stop came when he took over the Rio Grande Valley Vipers to replace Nick Nurse, who left to become an assistant with the Toronto Raptors and last year won the NBA Finals as a head coach.
During Smith’s first year with the Vipers, the Houston Rockets’ affiliate, they set a then league-record with 2,246 three-pointers attempted during the season, and barely any of their shots came from the mid-range. Smith was helped my former VCU standout Troy Daniels, who set a record with 240 three-pointers made.
That doesn’t mean Texas will suddenly start shooting even more threes. Rather, Smith was brought in to help execute a particular style of offense Houston wanted to run top-to-bottom in the organization, and Smith spent years in the Miami Heat organization helping out as well. And when he was the head coach of the Sioux Falls Skyforce, Smith helped with the development and experimentation of how to create space without bombing a ton of threes. This from NBAmath.com:
“How far can the Heat take their stylistic tendencies? Look to Sioux Falls and their G-League affiliate: the Skyforce.
Head coach Nevada Smith—a former Division III coach plucked out of obscurity by the Houston Rockets for his fast-paced, shooting-and-analytics approach—is pushing the limits for what their offense can do. Smith is the perfect lab experiment for franchises wondering how they might be able to innovate and create more space, more speed and more points on the offensive end.”
Obviously, given where the Longhorns finished last season offensively, they could certainly use some help becoming a better offense. It sounds like Smith’s role will focus almost entirely on X’s and O’s before the game, during the game on the bench, and scouting as well. An addition of a purely X’s and O’s basketball mind should help create more opportunities for the rest of the staff, like new assistants K.T. Turner and Cody Hatt, to provide a needed boost in player development, which is one of the main reasons, along with his experience, Shaka Smart aggressively went after Turner. But above all else, it should help Texas where it matters the most – wins and losses.
