THREE THINGS WE LEARNED
1. Texas will have to navigate some recruiting hurdles that come with the coaching changes
In making sweeping changes to his assistant coaching staff, particularly on the offensive side of the ball, it raises the obvious question of whether or not there will be some recruiting fallout due to the changes that Tom Herman put into place on Sunday.
My immediate reaction when I heard the news was that the overall recruiting impact would minimal, and there was even a way the changes could be viewed as positive developments. If the defensive scheme is more “user friendly,” it could help with recruiting some positions, especially along the defensive line. With the offensive changes, Herman kept key components like Tim Beck and Stan Drayton on staff, meaning there should not be a huge ripple effect from the modifications made on that side of the ball. And, like on defense, if the right offensive coordinator is brought in, it could even help inject some excitement to the recruits on that side of the ball.
I broke down the impact of each coach’s firing/reassignment in my Sunday analysis notes (offensive write-up can be found here, defensive write-up can be found here), and in my estimation, the individual impact from the coaching moves should be minimal. Most of the players Texas has committed – be it guys Drew Mehringer was recruiting at wide receiver or Orlando’s recruits defense – have given the program a pledge for much deeper reasons than just their position coach, and the prospects I checked with on Sunday night all said they’re still solid and the staff changes would not impact them. Texas did suffer a decommitment from defensive lineman Van Fillinger (more on that in a bit), but that one had been in the works for a while.
If we’re addressing the coaching changes individually, I don’t expect the overwhelming majority of UT’s commitments/targets to bat an eye. That being said, when you take more of a big-picture viewpoint, the staff may have to ease some concerns that could pop up with a few guys. Anytime there are wholesale changes to coaches, there’s a chance it could create a feeling of instability for recruits and you have to figure other colleges will try to use those changes as ammunition against the Longhorns, especially now that coaches are allowed to visit prospects at schools and in homes. Throw in the unknowns of what type of scheme Texas will employ moving forward, and you’ll probably have a few recruits who will want to have some concerns addressed and they may listen to the pitches from other coaches as back-up plans.
The good news for Texas is that any questions that do arise should be easily answered and any concerns should be manageable. Most of the recruits on the Texas commitment list still have full confidence in Tom Herman, including quarterback Hudson Card. Bijan Robinson seems to have settled back into his decision, and having Drayton on staff has only solidified his standing. Players like Vernon Broughton are still locked in, and even 2021 linebacker commitment Derrick Harris Jr., who had a strong relationship with Orlando, said the changes will have no impact on his decision.
Again, you might have a couple guys who the staff will have to talk away from the ledge a bit (including Ty Jordan, who visited Utah over the weekend, before the staff changes were announced), but Texas should be able to manage those issues if the right buttons are pushed in the next couple weeks. Expect coaches from other schools to make their best pitch over the next couple weeks, and it’s up to Texas to counteract those efforts to keep the class intact.
2. Jalen Milroe remains locked in with his pledge despite the staff shake-up
Texas 2021 quarterback commitment Jalen Milroe has a good relationship with pretty much the entire UT coaching staff, but he’s grown particularly close with Tim Beck. Upon hearing the news of Beck being reassigned, Milroe found the positive in the news, saying he was glad he’d still have a chance to potentially work with Beck while also having a new offensive mind to mold the offense.
“Honestly, I just want the best thing for the team. If that’s going to help the team out, I’m all for it,” Milroe said of the coaching moves. “That’s cool just having an actual quarterback coach (if that’s where Beck lands), and then getting an extra coach in, whoever the new offensive coordinator is.”
Milroe said he has full confidence in whoever Tom Herman hires to run the offense, and he said he’d be happy with an offense that showcases the quarterback, both by using his arm and a runner.
As for whether the staff moves give him anything to think about regarding his commitment, Milroe had a quick response.
“I’m still locked in on Texas,” he said.
Last weekend, Milroe and his Katy Tompkins teammates saw their 2019 campaign come to an end, falling to Humble Atascocita in the third round of the state playoffs. Tompkins fell behind 35-3 at the half but battled back some in the second half before falling 42-24. Milroe threw for 285 yards and 2 scores and added 43 yards on the ground in addition to 2 receptions and 1 receiving TD.
One day after his junior season had come to an end, Milroe was already ready to turn his focus towards his senior year, and then life as a Longhorn.
“Me, I’m ready for next year. I know we had a great year, but I’m looking forward to next year and the year after. It’s going to fly by. I’ll be a senior and then college,” Milroe said. “I’ll just try to get better in the offseason, try to get ready for next year and college.
“I’m back in the weight room and on the field. I’ll give it a couple days, give my body a rest and then get back to it.”
3. Derrick Harris is another who remains locked in
When 2021 linebacker Derrick Harris committed to Texas back in August, he mentioned to me that there were a few reasons that led him to pick the Longhorns, including his relationship with and trust in Todd Orlando. Those weren’t the only reasons Harris chose Texas, to be clear, but Orlando’s presence definitely played a role.
After hearing the news of Orlando being let go, Harris said his thoughts on his commitment haven’t changed, and he realizes Texas has a lot to offer beyond just who is position coach will be.
“It doesn’t really impact me. I committed to not just coach Orlando, but to the school,” Harris said. “Now that he’s gone, it doesn’t impact me much. I’m committed to the school.”
Interestingly, Harris was at UT’s game against Texas Tech on Friday and he got a chance to chat up Orlando and Corby Meekins during his visit. His conversations with both coaches didn’t give any hints that changes might be coming and both coaches were business-as-usual during the visit.
“They were just ready for me to get down there. Coach Orlando was ready for me to come down there and get started,” Harris said.
Harris finished his junior year with 81 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, 4 sacks, 23 QB hurries, 1 interception and 1 fumble recovery in 10 games. As for what kind of defensive scheme he’d like to see Texas employ when he gets to campus, the Rivals250 member said he hopes he’s able to showcase his versatility.
“I like how LSU is using their linebackers. That’s kind of like what I’m doing right now, so something like that would be good,” Harris said. “They have their outside LBs at DE sometimes, so they can pass rush or drop into coverage.”
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TWO QUESTIONS
1. What was the social media reaction to the coaching moves by Texas commitments?
A large number of the Longhorns’ 2020 and 2021 commitments posted on Twitter on Sunday night and the response was overwhelmingly positive.
2. What happened with Van Fillinger?
Shortly after the Texas coaching moves were announced as official on Sunday evening, defensive lineman Van Fillinger announced on Twitter that he was re-opening his recruitment.
On the surface, this moved looked like it was a result of the firing of Todd Orlando, but the truth in this one is that it’s been heading in this direction for a while and Sunday’s news gave Fillinger the reason he needed to rip the Band-Aid off and go public with his decommitment.
Fillinger, out of Draper (UT), had been in touch with the Utah coaching staff for a little more than a month, and I was told the early conversations were initiated by Fillinger. He had been working for a while to set up a Utah official visit and the needle continued to gradually move towards the in-state school.
This one is about Utah’s success on the field as much as it is anything that happened with Texas. Fillinger wasn’t completely enamored with Texas’ defensive scheme, he had some seeds of doubts planted by another former UT commitment and the Longhorns’ struggles on the field carried some weight as well. Add it all up and it was enough to cause him to back out of his pledge on Sunday.
The timing of the announcement and rapidness of it was a bit surprising, especially since Fillinger had told OB last week that he still wanted to take his Texas official visit on December 13 and he’d have to take some time to evaluate his options if there were any changes on the Longhorn staff. Instead, he made his move shortly after the news came out, which is a pretty good indication that he was likely going to flip his commitment regardless, and it was just a matter of when.
PREDICTION – Baylor knocks off Oklahoma to win the conference title
Going out on a limb here since OU is nearly double-digit favorites, but the Sooners haven’t exactly been world-beaters of late and Baylor seems to have hit its stride. I’m hoping for a close game just to keep it interesting, and I’ll go with Baylor in a surprise upset.
