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(From Anwar)
The biggest storylines surrounding Tom Herman’s program right now are the recruiting wars prior to signing day.
Longhorn observers are keeping close tabs on the battle for Bru McCoy, Trey Sanders and Noah Cain. Jason Suchomel will give his analysis of each situation in this War Room, but those are the biggest recruiting tussles right now. Those are the most obvious storylines this week.
However, there have been football practices recently.
Texas vs. Georgia in the Sugar Bowl is 19 days away.
The Texas Longhorns held practice last week on Friday and Saturday, and are slated to have two practices this week. From what I can tell, everyone associated with the program is happy with the intensity level and tempo of practice.
A year ago, this was the time when the relationship between players and coaches strengthened. Everyone said the bowl preparation led to team unity, which contributed to a victory in the Texas Bowl. That unity was evident during the game, especially as players celebrated the win with Herman. It was a moment that turned into a movement, and it carried over to this season.
It is still early, but Sugar Bowl preparations by the Longhorns appear to be going well so far.
--- There are a lot of high-rep guys on the team. One person told me there are multiple players on this team who have received at least 1,000 game snaps this season. He attributed that to the number of close games Texas was involved in this season. As a result of that high number of reps, the sense of urgency to make sure starters receive a large number of practice reps to improve is nothing like this time last season. In other words, there is a better comfort level this year within the staff.
--- So far, players have practiced in shorts and shoulder pads. There has been a Thud tempo during practice.
--- Even though coaches are on the road recruiting, I am told Herman has attended every practice. This past Friday, the practice was run by Herman and his coordinators, while his assistants were on the road. That is the same plan for the first practice this week. I was told there will be a lot of thud scrimmages and ones versus twos during practice this week.
--- At the end of each practice, the third-teamers and low-rep players have participated in live scrimmages. Those guys are in full pads and allowed to tackle to the ground. This has allowed the staff to get a better look at those players during bowl practices, and help those athletes develop through more intense coaching.
--- The young players who have caught the attention of this staff so far have been freshman defensive lineman Moro Ojomo and freshman defensive lineman Keondre Coburn. I was told both guys have played well in those settings. Considering Texas will have to replace its defensive line with the impending loss of Breckyn Hager, Chris Nelson and Charles Omenihu, it should be an encouraging sign to Longhorn fans to hear Ojomo and Coburn are doing well.
Prior to this season, I was told there were high hopes Coburn would have an impact this season. Everyone in the building believes in Coburn's potential, and this is a positive step toward him meeting their expectations.
--- Speaking of young players, I heard a lot of positive things about freshmen quarterbacks Cameron Rising and Casey Thompson. I was told both quarterbacks have looked good at practice. The most impressive thing about Rising and Thompson is they have a grasp of the system, which has caught the attention of multiple people in practice.
--- This past Saturday was a big individual day during practice. The Longhorns had 40 minutes of individual drills, participated in 7-on-7, another thud scrimmage with the older guys, and then a live scrimmage with the young players. That is the plan for practice this week (Friday and Saturday).
--- The practice plan is to get into the Georgia game strategy next week. Right now, the emphasis is individual work.
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If you were looking for some good news in the War Room, this section is definitely for you.
Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger’s shoulder has looked good during practice.
Ehlinger initially injured his AC joint in the first quarter of a victory over Baylor. He left that game and recovered in time to start in Texas’ next game Oklahoma State. Nevertheless, Ehlinger aggravated his AC joint during a victory against Iowa State.
That being said, I was told Ehlinger was impressive during practice, and it appears, “he needed the time off.”
Ehlinger was never in danger of not playing against Georgia. The only question associated with Ehlinger was would he be at 100 percent during the bowl game?
The good news, for Longhorn fans, is it appears Ehlinger is trending in a positive direction.
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I have been asked by multiple people this week about the possibility of Longhorn players missing the Sugar Bowl because of poor grades.
Right now, that does not appear to be an issue.
I was told there are a few borderline players, but nobody associated with the program is worried about the possibility of players of missing Georgia.
In addition, nobody is slated to miss the game due to a suspension.
Considering things may change at any time, I will keep an eye on both situations until the bowl game.
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The target date for Texas offensive lineman Patrick Hudson to resume participating in football practice was during bowl practice this month.
Unfortunately, for Hudson, it is not going to happen.
Hudson had two heat-related incidents this year, and the last one resulted in a hospital stay for the offensive lineman. He still has not been medically cleared to participate in practice.
In fact, from what I was told, nobody is expecting Hudson to be medically cleared prior to the Sugar Bowl.
There is some optimism Hudson might be able to participate in spring football practice, but I get the feeling there might be more to this story than anybody is willing to say. To be fair, Hudson clearly has a significant problem, and nobody wants to talk about anything specific as it relates to the offensive lineman. Hudson definitely deserves to have medical privacy.
I think it is safe to assume Hudson may not play football again. If he does, it should be viewed as an unexpected surprise. If not, Hudson’s health is more important than anything else right now.
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Texas running back Toneil Carter was once viewed as a potential stud from Herman’s initial recruiting class.
However, Carter is destined to be the first player from the 2017 class to transfer.
I recently discovered Carter intends to transfer from Texas. Carter informed members of the Longhorns staff he intends to leave Austin, and his name appeared in the national transfer database on November 28, after the regular-season finale against Kansas, which was on November 23.
From those who are unfamiliar with the national transfer database, here is a brief description from the NCAA website:
“Beginning in October, DivisionI student-athletes will have the ability to transfer to a different school and receive a scholarship without asking their current school for permission.
“The Division I Council adopted a proposal this week that creates a new‘notification-of-transfer’ model. This new system allows a student to inform his or her current school of a desire to transfer, then requires that school to enter the student’s name into a national transfer database within two business days. Once the student-athlete’s name is in the database, other coaches are free to contact that individual.”
It is unclear if Carter is still with the team or has departed from Austin.
Carter’s decision to transfer should not come as a surprise to Longhorn fans.
He started in two games as a freshman (appeared in nine) and finished with 252 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns, and added six receptions for 31 yards and touchdown.
However, things went south after the regular season.
Carter was suspended prior to last year’s bowl game for violating team rules, and he was eventually found himself behind Tre Watson, Keaontay Ingram and Daniel Young on the depth chart this year. He tweeted about his frustration earlier this year. He did not see the field this season.
For what it is worth, Carter is the only Longhorn player currently in the national transfer database.
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(From Suchomel)
We have officially hit the recruiting home stretch, with only six days remaining (as I write this) before the early signing period begins next Wednesday.
Texas will host several recruits this weekend on official visits (more on that in a bit), but let’s start off by taking a look at the big three that Texas continues to chase … Noah Cain, Bru McCoy and Trey Sanders.
Let’s take a look at why you should feel good, and why you should be worried, with each guy …
Noah Cain
Pros for Texas
- Strong relationship with Stan Drayton
- Proximity to both his parents
- Open depth chart
- Wants to study business
- Likes the young depth of Texas’ OL
Cons for Texas
- Several visits after Texas that are more fresh
- Confidence by people close to the Penn State program
- Penn State’s recent history with RBs
Trey Sanders
Pros for Texas
- Wide open depth chart
- Word I received after his UT official visit was that he and his parents really enjoyed the visit (parents went home wearing UT gear)
- Early in the process, he told other recruits behind the scenes he might wind up at Texas
- Doesn’t seem to be settled on any one school out of Bama, Georgia or Florida, so Texas could be a viable solution for him and his family
Cons for Texas
- Texas official visit was a long time ago
- Georgia appears to be surging after his recent official visit
- Proximity to his family
- Likes the idea of playing in the SEC
Bru McCoy
Pros for Texas
- Family is very supportive of the idea of him at Texas
- Texas’ use of big receivers
- Environment at Texas games compared to USC
- Potential to be an early contributor
- Strong relationship with the Texas staff, including Drew Mehringer
Cons for Texas
- Lifelong USC fan
- Former and current teammates at Mater Dei recruiting him to USC
- USC has the obvious edge in proximity
- West Coast analysts feel USC has a sizeable lead
Everyone is looking for definitive answers to where each guy will wind up, but those just aren’t available. None of the three has told any school where he’s going, and these three truly could be decisions that won’t be known until next Wednesday (although Cain’s family has said his plan is to know before the early signing period begins).
The one thing I can tell you for sure is that there’s no real consensus on Texas’ chances with each. Truth be told, the confidence levels for all programs are pretty much all over the place.
--- In Sanders, there’s been growing confidence on the Georgia side and Rivals.com’s Trent Smallwood, who covers recruiting for UGASports.com, reported on Wednesday night that he was hearing good things about Georgia’s chances from multiple sources. Smallwood put in his Rivals forecast for UGA, but said he feels this one is still not fully decided and there could be movement before Sanders announces.
Alabama head coach Nick Saban was at IMG on Wednesday. Tom Herman, Stan Drayton and other members of the UT staff were at IMG on Thursday. Word is that Georgia head coach Kirby Smart wants the last visit and is expected to go in-home either on Thursday night or possibly on Friday. If it’s Friday, he may go to Sanders’ hometown in Port Saint Joe (FL) to meet with Sanders’ entire family.
Sanders does have one more official visit remaining, which he’ll take to Florida this weekend. At one point, the Gators were thought to be a major threat since Sanders’ brother is a walk-on for the Gators, but most of the talk of late has centered on Georgia, Bama and Texas.
One other note worth mentioning … Alabama hosted running back D.J. Williams on an official visit last week and Nick Saban did an in-home visit with Deondrick Glass this week. Glass, who has already taken an Alabama official visit, told me this week that he’s planning to take a January official visit to Texas after meeting with Drayton last week. But there is speculation that if Bama misses on Sanders, it could push for Glass to sign in the early window.
Lots of moving parts in this one …
--- In Bru McCoy, Texas has done an incredible job in winning over not only McCoy himself, but both of Bru’s parents as well.
Every time I’ve communicated with Horace McCoy, he’s mentioned how strong the family’s interest in Texas is and how much respect they have for the UT staff. When I had a lengthy phone conversation with Mr. McCoy fairly recently, he made it a point to tell me that the interest in UT wasn’t just lip service … he wanted to make it crystal clear that the entire family was looking at Texas very seriously.
Tom Herman and Drew Mehringer did an in-home on Wednesday and McCoy’s father told me it was another good visit, as was Mehringer’s in-home last week and as was Bru’s official visit in September.
The obvious question … Has Texas done enough?
McCoy will have an in-home visit with new USC offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury on Thursday night. That’ll be big. He’ll then take his official visit to USC this weekend … that’ll be huge. The Longhorns have put themselves in a very good position here and done about as good of a job in this one as could be expected, but will now have to sweat out what will be a critical 72-hour stretch with USC getting the last shot to win him over.
Confidence on the USC side remains high (extremely high in some cases) but the guess here is that people out West are underestimating UT’s chances a bit. Mater Dei kids usually wind up at USC and the Trojans have been the favorite program growing up, so it makes sense to predict USC, but I do feel Texas has made this one more interesting than some out West realize. It is tough to ignore the USC ties and the fact that the Trojans will get the last visits, but the vibe I’ve picked up is that this one is pretty close.
--- Not much new to report on Noah Cain from what was discussed earlier in the week. He’ll take a Tennessee visit this weekend and then should come to a decision early next week. Most of the recent buzz is focused on Penn State and I’m told that there is confidence inside the Penn State program, but Cain has not given any staff a clear indication of what he’s going to do.
--- Lastly, I’ll leave you with this as it relates to the trio of McCoy, Cain and Sanders … the opinions on all three are wildly varied, and it is all a bit of a guessing game at this point. But those of you who have completely discounted Texas’ chances with any of the three are making a mistake. Will Texas get any of them? I honestly don’t know and I do think Texas has ground to make up on all three, but the staff has done an incredible job to position itself in the lead pack as they approach the finish line, and there is some confidence on the Texas side of things. This could be a wild last week and Longhorn fans should not abandon all hope just yet.
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Some background the Peyton Powell decommitment, which unraveled pretty quickly on Thursday night ...
As I mentioned on the message board, this was definitely a mutual decision, if you will, and Texas was fine with each side moving in a different direction.
Remember, Powell took an unexpected visit to Baylor last weekend, something that probably didn’t exactly put him in the good graces of the Texas staff. We’ve seen it before this cycle (Demariyon Houston was also considering visits) … if you’re committed and going to take visits, you’re putting your spot at risk. Especially if you take visits late in the process that are a bit off the radar, like Powell did.
From what I’ve been told, Texas is very comfortable with its receiver situation in this year’s class and the situation with Powell was one that Texas feels it can comfortably absorb.
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Top Texas LB target Caleb Johnson will visit Colorado this weekend before announcing his final decision on Monday. On Monday of this week, Tom Herman and Todd Orlando paid Johnson a visit, and the Fullerton Community College product said it was good to spend some time with the UT coaches and hear how he’s a top priority for the Texas staff.
“Coach Orlando and I had talked a couple times, but this was the first time he had come to see me so it was good,” Johnson said. “They were just letting me know how much they need me, how much value I’d bring to the team, the opportunity that’s there as far as Texas. They’re on their way back, trying to make it to College Football Playoffs. Aside from football, they said it’s a great degree and great city. They were just asking me where my head is at.”
And where is Johnson’s head as he closes in on his decision?
“I just told them about the visit to Colorado this weekend. I’m just trying to see what coaches there have to say. I already went there before. I’m just pretty much seeing what they have to say, see who all is staying (after the head coaching change). I know the linebacker coach is staying.”
Colorado will swing for the fences, but I still like Texas’ position here.
******
Texas is set to host a handful of prospect on official visits this weekend, including some prospects who aren’t committed to Texas (yet). A look at some of the top guys expected to be on campus …
Commitments
Roschon Johnson – The first commitment of the UT class, Johnson is completely locked in. He’ll enroll in January.
De'Gabriel Floyd – Floyd is another guy who will enroll in January and he’ll be an active recruiter for Texas this weekend … as he always is.
Chris Adimora – There was a time not too long ago when Adimora was looking at taking another visit, but he’s locked in and will sign next week.
Jordan Whittington – Another early enrollee, Whittington will play in a playoff game on Friday before starting his official visit.
Myron Warren – Big visit here. Warren has said he’ll wait to sign until February, but the guess here is that Texas has a solid chance of getting him to sign during the early period, especially since LSU didn’t do an in-home visit during the current visit period. If the staff can convince him to do sign next week, it would be a huge development for UT’s d-line recruiting.
Uncommitted prospects
Jalen Catalon – Arkansas feels confident it’s going to land him, but Catalon has a good relationship with Craig Naivar and Texas will look to make a strong move this weekend. It won’t be easy, but not out of the question either.
Isaiah Hookfin – Hookfin looks like a good bet to be in this class, and Texas will look to seal the deal this weekend.
This staff has been known to have some tricks up its sleeve, as it did last week when IMG DT Antoine Whitner was brought in. We’ll see if there are any surprises this week as well on the last official visit weekend before the early signing period.
******
(From Alex Dunlap)
One NFL scouting contact who covers Texas as part of his area was nice enough to share his notes with me on the Texas Longhorns who are (or might be) coming out for the 2019 NFL draft. The notes have his thoughts and suggestions for draft grades. It should be noted that these are not a specific team's draft grades, only those of one scout who will turn the work in to the decision-makers. I'll have more of this info to share in the coming days regarding all the Texas players, but first, here in the War Room, I'll give an overview of a few things that really stuck out to me regarding this one scout's set of evaluations:
This scout likes Collin Johnson much more than Lil'Jordan Humphrey as a prospect. A lot more, when considering the round projections. He notes that Johnson should be thought of as highly as a fringe first-rounder, although his official projection for him is in the 2nd/3rd. Whereas, he gives Humphrey a Round 5 grade.
Here are some of the notes on Johnson:
- Johnson made major improvements in 2018 as a red zone receiver after struggling with high-pointing the football and winning contested catches against smaller defenders (got shut down by 5’9” DJ Reed/Kansas State in 2017) and his amplified his touchdown production inside the 20. Johnson is a feisty run blocker on the perimeter or out of the slot and shows great enthusiasm in engaging defenders and using leg drive to create seals.
- Johnson compares in body type and play style to Kenny Golladay and is best suited to play as an X Receiver in a West Coast Offense due to his wide catch radius and ability to turn short, high completion passes for big gains with his deceptive speed and acceleration. Johnson projects as a fringe first round player at the next level due to his elite size, athleticism, and versatility as a receiver.
Here are some of the notes on Humphrey:
- Humphrey does a good job of calculating his stride length on lofted passes to generate as much jumping power as possible to give him an advantage to pull in contested catches against taller, more physical defensive backs. Humphrey shows great body control on Corner and Out routes along the sideline and does well to keep his feet in bounds through contact. Humphrey does a good job of identifying and settling into soft spots against Zone coverage, especially in the middle of the field on Seams.
On the defensive side of the football, he has a 5th round grade on LB Gary Johnson, noting "Johnson compares in body type and play style to Joel
Iyiegbuniwe and is best suited as a JACK linebacker in a 3-4 defense due to his range and track star-caliber closing speed." As I continue to say, Johnson will get drafted and will likely play early on as a sub-package and special teams weapon.
He has a 2nd/3rd on DE Charles Omenihu, summarizing his two pages of notes by saying, "Omenihu compares in body type and play style to Arik Armstead and is best suited to play either as a pass rushing five-technique in a 3-4 scheme or as a strong side defensive end in a cover-three scheme due to his length, athleticism, and ability to impact both the run and the pass. Omenihu projects as a fringe NFL starter and his utilization and scheme fit will play a big role in his development."
Finally, he also has a 2nd/3rd projection on CB Kris Boyd, which I found somewhat shocking. It's my feeling that he'll need an unbelievable Senior Bowl to attain that status and the Senior Bowl 1v1 settings don't necessarily seem like the kinds of setting we're used to seeing Boyd win in consistently. Still, this certainly stuck out to me and thought it was worth passing along. His summary of notes on Boyd reads, "Boyd compares in body type and play style to Bashaud Breeland and is best suited to play in either a Cover 2 or 3-4 scheme where he can line up closer to the line of scrimmage with the comfort of safety help over the top and contribute in run support. Boyd projects as a fringe NFL starter at the next level based on his athleticism, enthusiasm in run support, and play recognition in Zone coverage but must focus on developing his technique to mitigate penalties in the NFL."
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(From McComas)
What we saw from Texas on offense versus Purdue - minus the 15 turnovers, of course - is what the Longhorns aim to do more of in the games ahead.
“It was a big relief. You could see it in our face, especially after the game. It was a good relief. We needed that win to get back on track, get our rhythm,” said Kerwin Roach II about the feeling following the Purdue game.
And we also saw what UT’s system looks like when it’s operating the type of way Texas wants it to.
“We didn’t let it stick… If it leads to winning, we’re going to have to do more of it,” Roach said.
Roach was a big part of the quality offensive performance after Texas settled in and began getting the ball into the paint following a slow start.
“The system is designed to do, basically, to get into the paint. Allow the guards to make plays and the right decision, ultimately, if it’s a score, assist, or hockey assist. Or get the ball moving around to work the defense. That’s really what the offense is,” said the senior.
As Shaka Smart alluded to after the Purdue game, I don’t get the sense Texas views its offensive design or scheme as an issue. I’m sure that will be accepted without debate by Texas fans. (Sarcasm, of course)
Texas did use a dribble handoff action a lot in order to get into a spread pick-and-roll situation, and it could benefit from using those types of different actions to force flow more often. But UT’s base system isn’t going to change. It believes that if it’s executed better, like it was against Purdue, the points will come.
“Purdue we were actually getting open, in rhythm shots in positions people could knock them down. You have to strike that balance – when is the right time for us to take the shot and when is the right time for the person on ball to make a play? Have to find that balance,” said Roach.
Texas had that balance against Purdue, but often hasn’t found it in other games, like Radford. Kamaka Hepa helped Texas find that balance, and also improved perhaps the most critical aspect of the UT offense – the pace the ball moves around the floor and where the ball moves. With Dylan Osetkowksi, who kept passing up open shots and tried to drive into the paint, on the bench watching, Hepa moved the ball at a much better pace around the offense, which allowed Texas to generate better, in rhythm looks.
Don’t be surprised if Hepa, as long as he plays the way he did against Purdue, continues to play more minutes if Osetkowski struggles in the half-court offense like he did against Purdue. Texas simply can’t afford for the ball not to move at a quick pace, and open shots in rhythm to be passed up when the offense is designed the way it is. Plus, I get the sense the Texas coaching staff understands it must manage players more with a hands-on approach in games, and be more aggressive in making personnel moves that are needed.
“Coach Smart tells me he’ll take me out for not shooting the ball rather than taking a bad shot because he wants me to build that confidence. I feel like the process has been difficult, especially at this level of college basketball playing at the University of Texas in the Big 12 is a pretty big stage. I’m still adjusting to that,” Hepa said, candidly. “With the help of my coaches and teammates, then continuing to tell me to shoot and myself also recognizing I can shoot and it’s something I’m good at. Continuing to work on that.”
It’s not just players like Hepa helping, though. It’s been stressed to veterans like Roach to trust teammates and make the play the defense is giving. Against Purdue in the second half, many of those plays were passes by Roach, who took his fewest amount of shots for the season but made a big impact with five assists.
“That’s when you have to rely on your teammates and trust them to step up. That’s something I did Sunday and we won,” Roach said. “We didn’t let it stick… If it leads to winning, we’re going to have to do more of it.” (McComas)
