(From Anwar)
Texas officials became very concerned their scheduled game against Kansas might be postponed after hearing the Jayhawks may not have enough players for Saturday’s game.
There were whispers inside the building on Tuesday night the game might be postponed because the Kansas football program was dealing with Covid-19. Kansas was slated to run more tests on Wednesday to determine if the game could be played. Obviously, it was postponed until December 12.
Here is a portion of Kansas' press release:
“The position group affected has a combination of injuries and contact tracing. Since Nov. 8, the KU football program has performed 825 COVID-19 tests with five returning positive on different testing days during that time span … Prior to the season, the Big 12 Conference announced its football game cancellation thresholds. The minimum number of players required to play a game was set at 53, with specific numbers established for each position group.”
That postponement suddenly gave Texas another bye week before hosting Iowa State on November 27. Texas played against West Virginia on November 7, which means the Longhorns will have a three-week break between games. My sources believe the extra week will help key Longhorn players get healthy for games down the stretch.
Let us begin with receiver Jordan Whittington. He sustained a hip flexor injury against Oklahoma, but was expected to play against Kansas. It is possible Whittington could have been on a pitch count. However, the postponement gives him another week without taking hits on the injured area.
Texas defensive tackle Keondre Coburn sustained a minor high ankle sprain against West Virginia, but returned to practice this week, too. Coburn would have traveled to Kansas and potentially have been on a pitch count to keep him healthy for Iowa State.
Nevertheless, receiver Joshua Moore could benefit from the latest bye week more than any Longhorn player.
Moore has been battling a shoulder injury and was slated to practice on Wednesday, according to my sources. I was told Moore would be evaluated at some point after Wednesday’s practice to see if he was experiencing any pain or soreness. If Moore progressed throughout this week, he was going to be a game-day decision.
Instead, everyone inside the building believes an extra week of recovery means Moore will be healthier and ready to play against Iowa State.
Of course, Texas football coach Tom Herman recently denied senior quarterback Sam Ehlinger is not healthy.
“He is healthy. He's healthy,” Herman said on Monday. “He practiced every rep of every practice. No, there isn't a difference between limited and missing practice. He was not limited. He didn't miss a practice. He feels better now than he's felt in many months. He is taking every rep and he feels really good.”
If Ehlinger is 100 percent healthy, the extra week of practice will give more reps with receivers he did have a spring practice or training camp with, plus grad transfers Tarik Black and Brennan Schooler.
Mike Yurcich was asked how adept Ehlinger was at reading defenses, and the offensive coordinator praised his quarterback this week.
“He's the best that I've had at diagnosing defenses, from being able to see something that they're in that we didn't even see as coaches,” Yurcich said. “He's been very well versed. It's a lot of reps, but it also takes some savvy to see a linebacker’s demeanor, or safety lean. He points things out on film study that is unique. He sees things in a different way, a different angle, and he brings a lot to the table as far as his ability to diagnose a defense. His progressions need to continue to improve there, and really trusting and anticipation. Trusting and anticipating and being able to just cut it loose. With him, it seems like sometimes we play more efficiently when we're down by 20 at that position. We have to cut it loose. At the same time, we have to be responsible with the ball. So, there's a lot of give and take. With that, if you put too much on the quarterback, hey man, we really need to cut it loose in this mentality. We’ve got to go go go. If we're down by 21, mentally, to start the game, your turnovers may pick up. You may turn the ball over a little bit more. He's got to feel comfortable with his decisions. He's done a really good job taking care of the ball his whole career. We don't want to screw that up, I know that. His progressions, he understands every read, he understands all the read keys. Rarely makes any mental mistakes, or missed assignments.”
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In one of the most bizarre years in college football history, Texas has finally been affected by Covid-19.
Herman was asked to provide his level of confidence the college football season would reach the finish line, and he had not given it much thought prior to his press conference on Monday.
“I know it sounds like coach-speak, and I don't mean to dismiss your question, but I don't think about those things,” Herman said. “We are so focused on Kansas right now, our team, what we need to do, and where we need to improve to put up a good showing against Kansas on the road, that there's really no space in my brain to be occupied by thoughts of things that we can't control.
“I don't have a great answer for you, other than we're focused on Kansas. We'll let those decisions be made by people that are not coaches.”
Herman has been forced to address the new reality this week.
Texas was two days away from getting on a plane to Kansas before the game was postponed. That forced the staff to develop a new plan of attack in an effort to get ready for Iowa State.
According to my sources, Texas practiced for an hour on Wednesday – a little more than two hours after learning the game was pushed back – in shorts and helmets. Nobody inside the building wanted to waste a practice day.
However, the schedule has been altered.
- Longhorn players were given Thursday off so the staff could spend all day game-planning, much like a Monday.
- Texas will have an abbreviated practice on Friday and introduce Iowa State to the players. But, I learned Iowa State prep will be minimal on that day.
- On Saturday, the Longhorns will practice for two hours, and there will be a lot of scout team work that day. The game plan will be installed, mainly first and second down.
- Players will have Sunday off.
- Monday will be a normal practice day.
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The intriguing part of the postponement is Texas will have the opportunity to watch two future opponents play on Saturday.
Iowa State will host Kansas State at 3 p.m. this weekend, and the game will be televised on Fox. After Texas hosts Iowa State next weekend, it will travel to face Kansas State on December 5. As you know, Texas needs to win its final three games to advance to the Big 12 Championship Game.
In theory, Texas could gain an advantage because the staff and players can watch this game and learn a lot of its future opponents.
However, nobody inside the building feels the same way.
According to my sources, the staff will watch that game for leisure, but they are not expecting to learn a lot about Iowa State. I was told Iowa State is very consistent and the team focuses on making opponents stop them. In addition, 90 percent of the game plan will be installed by Saturday. Lastly, the staff never watches the TV version of games when breaking down film. They will watch and see if something was missed during their previous film study, but may not learn much.
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Considering Covid-19 rates are increasing throughout the country, Herman’s team seemingly is about to get a break.
This is the last week of on-campus learning at the University of Texas before Thanksgiving break. Classes will resume on November 30, but taught remotely. Basically, athletes will have the UT campus to themselves and not have to worry about interacting with other students and being exposed to the virus.
However, campus learning is not a huge concern for those inside the building.
Longhorn players are taking online classes, which eliminates their need to constantly be around other students.
That being said, the staff is more concerned about west campus, players hanging out in downtown Austin, or visiting other parts of the city. That remains a concern, even though the team has avoided a major outbreak this season – knock on wood.
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Texas defensive lineman Ta’Quon Graham on his improvement this season
“After my junior season, I had a conversation with my mom, and kind of was a little upset I didn't play as good as I wanted to play. I might not of had a bad year, but I still was kind of disappointed in myself, and I wanted to play better. I felt like I could have put a better tape out there, and I could have definitely done more that helped the team win more. I just wasn't satisfied. Going into my senior season, and being so eager to get better, I just was hungry for so much more. I just wanted to do more for the team and do more for myself. Getting coach [Chris] Ash with a defense, I just felt like it energized all, especially the defense along going to four-down. It's something that I really took seriously. I looked at everything that I was doing last year, what I wasn't doing enough, where I could do more. Just everything, from top to bottom, I just tried to work on.”
Texas DB Chris Brown on the adrenaline boost of breaking up the final play against West Virginia
“It's all explained in the flex. That's what comes out. In a situation like that, things happen like that, you see the flex like, it's electrifying. Then I look around and I see my guys flexing. I see the guys going crazy. It's lovely.”
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(From Suchomel)
It’s been a productive week for Texas on the recruiting front, with the Longhorns adding two commitments on the defensive side of the ball.
Terrence Cooks started things off on Saturday, giving the Longhorns a pledge that many have been expecting for a while. In talking to Cooks this week, he said he’s known his decision for quite a while.
“It feels good. I was happy with where I’m going. I knew where I was going for a while, so I had to let the world know,” Cooks said. “I knew in January. When I went in January (for a visit) I knew where I wanted to go.
“Baylor came in for a bit, I lost interest in Texas. But coach Coleman (Hutzler) stayed on my tail, created a great bond with me and my family. He’s the reason I’m going to Texas.”
Cooks actually told the Texas staff about a week prior to his public announcement. As you all can imagine, Hutzler was thrilled to get the news.
“He was ecstatic. Everybody knew where I wanted to be at. Everybody knew where my home was at,” Cooks said. “My grandparents are in Austin, it’s pretty close to here.”
There was a time late in the summer when LSU seemed to be surging with Cooks after the Pearland Shadow Creek standout took an unofficial visit to the LSU campus with some other recruits. Cooks said the talk of LSU being a major threat to Texas was inaccurate. He said he respects everything that LSU has done, but it the Tigers were never really a factor. Baylor was really UT’s only competition, but Cooks said his relationship with Hutzler and a couple other factors were too much for Baylor to overcome.
“Texas was the only school to have that (relationship), and it was the only school that mentioned to me about using me at more than one position,” Cooks said. (Texas has mentioned to Cooks about him playing some hybrid safety as well.)
Now that his commitment is public, Cooks said he’s finished with the recruiting process and will now start working on recruiting other players, like RB LJ Johnson.
“I’m completely shutting things down. Texas is the place I know I wanted to go. I’m locked in,” Cooks said. “People say that a lot, but I’m really locked in.”
Cooks will graduate in December and enroll at Texas in January.
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Cooks' commitment wasn’t exactly a surprise, but Wednesday’s development that saw DeSoto defensive tackle Byron Murphy flip from Baylor to Texas did kind of come out of the blue despite Murphy having been in talks with UT for more than a month.
I caught up with a DeSoto source, who had very positive reviews to give Murphy.
“Whatever he does, he’s going to come 100 percent. I know it sounds corny, but he’s the type of kid from the weight room to the classroom to practice, he has his stuff together,” the source said. “During COVID, he’s been one of the greatest kids (DeSoto) has had. He’s told the kids, ‘Hey, we’re going to meet at the park at this time to work out. You bring the weights. You bring the jugs of water.’ I think just his senior year, he’s just grown and matured on his own.”
Murphy had concerns when Texas first started talking to him that Texas was only showing interest as a way to make progress with Shemar Turner. The coaches assured him that wasn’t the case – that his talent stood on its own merit – and that helped win over Murphy and his family.
“Everyone knows about Shemar, but coach (Hagen) really wanted him. He told him, ‘If we get (Shemar) that’s great, but we’re talking about you.’ I think that changed the whole concept at the beginning of the season,” the source said. “It was about Texas being confident in his skills, seeing what he brings to the table, how he is going to work with their defense.”
As far as Murphy playing in Shemar Turner’s shadow, people in DeSoto don’t see it that way at all. Two sources I spoke with this week feel Murphy is a clear take for a program like Texas on his own.
“He’s not just a Robin to Shemar. He’s become his own Batman,” one source said.
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Sticking in DeSoto, I checked around some on Shemar Turner …
The good news for Texas … I’m told the commitment of Byron Murphy does help the Longhorns’ chances. There have been friendly talks in DeSoto about Murphy and Turner getting a ring for the Eagles, and then heading to Austin to get a Big 12 ring.
The bad news … one source said Texas is still behind and put it at about a 70% chance that Turner signs with Texas A&M.
Turner was planning to announce at the Under Armour game in January. Now that the game is cancelled, I’m told he and his family are talking about whether or not he’ll decide and sign in the early period, or wait until February. Obviously, the longer he waits, the more it gives Texas a chance to potentially close the gap. Won’t be easy though.
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Duncanville offensive lineman Savion Byrd released a top five on Saturday, and the Longhorns continue to stay in the race. Byrd’s top five consists of Texas, OU, Auburn, LSU and SMU, and we caught up with him to get his thoughts on his finalists.
Auburn – “Mainly it’s just me being cool with the coaching staff. I enjoyed the campus when I visited there around January or something.”
LSU – “I guess you could say that day I went down there, I just pretty much was attracted to LSU. Plus it’s close to home.”
OU – “Again, went there with Caleb (Williams) and them. And it’s close to home. Also I like what they do with their offensive linemen.”
SMU – “That one is just really being with the coaching staff. It’s close to home and I have a nice chance to start as freshman.”
Texas – “I had to sit down and realize, pretty much they’ve been there from the jump. I had to just really rebuild that relationship with coach Hand and coach Herman.”
Reading those comments, it’s clear that Texas had slipped down Byrd’s list quite a bit. It’s been a bit of an on-again, off-again relationship with Texas and Byrd, and it does still feel like the Longhorns have ground to make up on most of Byrd’s other finalists. Byrd said the lull in momentum Texas suffered with the decommitments of some players was a reason Texas had dropped down his list.
“It was more just the constantly decommitting of players. I just felt something was wrong with the program,” Byrd said. “Then I talked to them, they were just saying everything has its ups and downs.”
Before he decides, Byrd said he wants to do some self-guided visits. TCU will get one, Texas is a possibility. A&M and USC are possibilities as well.”
“It’s something I’ve talked to (the Texas coaches) about. It’s pretty possible,” Byrd said.
When I spoke with Byrd about a month ago, he mentioned that he was closing in on a decision since he didn’t think he’d be able to take visits. Now he’s saying he’ll probably wait things out and sign in February.
“I can’t do anything but wait. I really wish I could have made a decision earlier, but due to COVID, I haven’t been able to,” Byrd said. “I haven’t been able to visit places like Georgia, Alabama, places like that.
“Honestly, I feel like the self-guided stuff, I’m not going to get the full experience of actually visiting with the coaches. It just has to be what it is.”
Byrd said he talked to the entire Texas coaching staff on Monday of this week. The coaches continue to tell him he’d be a key piece of their program if he commits.
“They want me to be the face of the program,” Byrd said.
This one still feels like it’s OU and LSU out in front, but the good news for Texas is that Byrd still plans to wait so the Longhorns have some time to keep chipping away.
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Defensive lineman Arden Walker is a guy that’s held a Texas offer for a while, and he’s always had the Longhorns high on his list. I caught up with Walker – teammate of UT commitment Gunnar Helm – recently, and while Texas is still a school he really likes, it’s hard not to notice that the Longhorns recently extended offers to a couple other defensive linemen out of the state of Louisiana.
As for Walker, he had been hoping to make a decision in October. Now he says he’s just taking things day by day. As he continues to sort things out, he said he’s been paying attention to what each school on his list is doing on the field, and having talks with those close to him.
“I have some family discussions with my parents. We’ve just sat down and weighed options, looked at all possibilities,” Walker said. “It’s good that I pushed it back. I got to see some schools in action. I’m still talking to coaches, but most want me to focus on my season and figure it out when we’re done.”
Walker said he hears from Oscar Giles periodically with a quick message wishing him good luck. Missouri is the program he said communicates with him the most.
If Texas pushes here, the Longhorns could be a key player, but it does sound like Texas is primarily focused elsewhere.
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(From McComas)
On the hoops front, let’s start with a recruiting nugget.
We’ve mentioned 2021 big Charles Bediako as a name to follow in the past, but some expected Bediako to end up as an Alabama commitment, and possibly a signee during the first period. While Alabama does remain the most likely pick as of now, the Longhorns are making some ground and firmly in the mix. Bediako has a top five of Alabama, Duke, Michigan, Ohio State and Texas.
From what I’ve heard, Bediako might take his decision into late December or perhaps into early 2021 and is going to be keeping a close eye on bigs playing for his final teams. What’s working in Texas’s favor is Shaka Smart and the staff’s success with putting bigs into the NBA Draft while current Alabama head coach and former Buffalo coach Nate Oats doesn’t have that same track record. While Duke is listed in the mix, it doesn’t seem it is aggressively targeting Bediako. The Blue Devils already have a commitment from two five-star forwards, including 6-9 Paolo Banchero who is the No. 2 overall recruit.
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Switching over to the team notes…
None of this is going to be a big surprise if you’ve paid attention to Shaka Smart and players’ public comments recently and read between the lines. But I was able over the last week to catch up with a couple of sources just to get a general vibe about what the team could look like its first games.
--- As we’ve mentioned in some previous stories after Smart’s comments, I wouldn’t expect a long rotation including many guys. There’s a clear group at the top – Matt Coleman, Courtney Ramey, Andrew Jones, Jericho Sims, Greg Brown III and Kai Jones.
It was telling recently when Smart mentioned the possibility of playing Kai Jones, Brown and Sims together and then later today Coleman mentioned in practice Texas has lately put all three of the main guards in the lineup.
That said, Texas is going to have to figure out what it has in the that next group. Among role players, Brock Cunningham was the first name out of Andrew Jones’s mouth today when asked about the importance of role players and if this team understands that, and chatter behind the scenes backs that up. The rest of the frontcourt has enjoyed some moments and Gerald Liddell is making progress with his consistency. If Texas truly does value aggressiveness and wants to push the tempo, you’d think Donovan Williams will get a chance.
But I don’t think Texas truly knows yet who is going to grab those remaining minutes consistently. Is that a bad thing? I don’t think so. Frankly, I think Texas could benefit from a shorter rotation and establishing roles more plainly. Remember, Smart recently admitted too often in the past he’s played too many guys and worried about the mental approach for players nine, 10, 11.
During those games when Texas should have an easy night on the floor, I think you’ll see a lot of those guys get more run to try to encourage some separation. However, the Maui/Asheville Invitational is loaded, and it would be a surprise to me if Texas plays a lot of guys those games.
--- Smart hasn’t come right out and said it because he knows Brown, like all freshmen, will encounter a significant adjustment period once the games begin. But there have been some whispers his offensive game has been better than expected. His competitiveness and attitude have been what Texas hoped and expected.
--- If you took a look at some of UT’s key statistics last season, you’d probably guess the team would want to improve in free throw rate, rebounding, offensive efficiency and tempo. And those have all been key focus areas.
Offensively, if Texas carries over what it’s worked on constantly, the ball should move up the floor at a much, much quicker pace – after makes, rebounds, steals, whatever. It’s a running joke among the college hoops community because you can set your clock to coaches saying they want to play faster. However, it’s been a very genuine point of emphasis for the Longhorns, and they know they have the personnel to do it. Little things like passing up the floor instead of overdribbling, like Coleman mentioned today, could make a difference and lead to more free throw chances.
Interestingly, Jones mentioned today he thinks people will immediately notice the increased aggressiveness on defense. I’m starting to believe Texas could extend the floor and use more full-court pressure this season. This kind of feels like the ball being yanked away from Charlie Brown at the last second, but I’ve heard recently Texas would like to extend the floor more than previous seasons. Like pushing the speed on offense, it certainly has the personnel. It doesn’t sound like Texas will have a defensive coordinator like it did last year with Luke Yaklich. But as one person noted, when has Smart, who is a defensive guy, ever had a bad defense?
--- If you’ve cried out for more off-ball movement, you could be happier with the visuals of the offense this season. That said, I’m not expecting Texas to change a ton on that end of the floor, and I’m in the “I’ll believe it when I see it” boat. But there’s definitely been an emphasis for a long time this offseason about cutting and moving away from the ball, and it’s something Smart noted months ago that caught his attention most when going through each game from last season. I’m expecting to see some small things and wrinkles to add spacing as well.
--- Along with getting to the line much more often by being aggressive, offensive rebounding could be a much bigger factor for Texas this season. Great athletics like Sims, Brown and Kai Jones and physical guys like Royce Hamm, Jr. and Brock Cunningham should be given free rein and encouraged to crash the glass. Last season, Texas was more concerned with getting back on transition defense and getting set in half-court defense. I don’t get the impression that will be the case this season, although those are obviously important things if an offensive rebound isn’t secured.
Let’s hope this season isn’t derailed by the pandemic before it even begins because if Texas improves in areas it has focused on, it has a chance to be really, really good.
