Photo via HookEm.com
Appearing in the Big 12 title game every year has to become the new at Texas.
It needs to happen this season.
Not "competing" to get into the game. Every year there are multiple teams "competing" to play against Oklahoma. This game must become an annual event for the Longhorns. It needs to become a surprise when Texas does not appear in this game in contrast to shock when the Longhorns are playing in early December.
Yep, we are diving straight in on Sunday.
Orangebloods members expressed their disappointment about losing the Brockermeyer brothers for three straight days. It was a loss. Some have called it the biggest Texas recruiting loss ever. Blake Brockermeyer was an All-American at UT. Kristy Brockermeyer graduated from Texas. Blake’s father, Kay, was an offensive tackle at Texas in 1959. Luke Brockermeyer is currently a sophomore linebacker at Texas. Three generations of Brockermeyers wore burnt orange. This should have been a layup on an eight-foot basketball goal.
However, family history was not enough for Tommy and James Brockermeyer.
Texas' recent history was the issue.
Here is the toughest question Longhorn fans have to ask right now.
Why would a recruit want to play for Texas?
Do not skip down to the comments and provide a quick answer. Instead, think about it for a moment.
A chance to earn a diploma from a great university?
That might work for a few guys, but most players are not focused on life after football at 18-years-old.
A chance to play in DKR?
That might impress some kids, but not the majority.
A chance to live in Austin?
This is a fantastic city, but there are fun hangout spots in every college town.
Instead, think about the elite players Texas wants in burnt orange. Not the guys who are simply happy to have a major college football offer. I am talking about the players who have real options.
Here is what they want to know.
Can I compete for a national title at Texas?
That has not happened since the 2009 season.
Will I play in the conference title game at Texas?
That has happened once since 2009.
This is the issue Herman must fix.
Let us think about a 18-year-old high school recruit in 2020. That person was likely born in 2002. Texas offered him a scholarship. He is also being heavily pursued by other programs across the country. What does he really know about Texas?
We know a lot because many of us had black and white televisions in our home - you have been raised on radio shows. Many of you were there when Texas defeated USC for a national title. You remember when a 10-win season was viewed as a disappointment at Texas. Everyone on Orangebloods is a diehard fan who can easily rattle off their top Longhorn memories throughout several decades.
Back to that teenager considering Texas.
--- He was six or seven-years-old when Texas last played for a national title. That means there is a good chance he does not remember the 2009 season.
--- He has seen only one 10-win season since 2009, which occurred after in 2018. He also saw Texas finish with seven regular season wins last year, followed by an 8-5 season.
--- He witnessed Oklahoma win seven conference titles in the past decade. Since 2002, Oklahoma has won 12 conference titles. Texas has won two conference titles during that time span, the same amount as Baylor.
--- He watched Texas lose at least four games during each of the past 10 seasons.
--- He knows TCU’s Gary Patterson defeated Texas in six of the last eight meetings, while Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy is 7-3 against Texas in the last 10 meetings.
You remember the glory years.
He only knows the mediocre years.
Photo via AP
Longhorn fans, you are not alone.
Michigan fans remember Desmond Howard and Charles Woodson for what they did as players in Ann Arbor. These teenagers know them mostly as football analysts on TV.
We remember Tommie Frazier as one of the greatest option quarterbacks in Nebraska’s history. He led Nebraska to national titles in 1994 and 1995. The Cornhuskers won a championship in 1997 with Scott Frost at quarterback, and been pretty average over for the past 20 years.
Miami dominated college football in the 1980s and early 1990s. Michael Irvin was drafted in 1988.
The Big 12 has to become Texas, Oklahoma, and those eight other teams. It cannot be a conference when Oklahoma State is voted No.2 in a preseason media poll based on the Texas’ recent history in the league.
This has to be a breakthrough year.
That does not mean Herman’s job is in jeopardy if it does not happen. Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte is a great fundraiser, but firing coaches is not his thing. The Longhorns will likely have a decrease in revenue with the reduction of ticket sales. Del Conte will lean on donors for more money later to year for the end zone expansion. Herman’s contract is guaranteed through 2023, which means he has no less than two more years at Texas. Herman received an extension after the 2018 season, and Del Conte would give him another one if Texas advanced to the Big 12 title game and posted 10 wins within the next two seasons.
There are several reasons for Longhorn fans to be optimistic.
Herman has senior Sam Ehlinger, who is arguably better than every quarterback on this year’s schedule. This might be the first season of Herman’s tenure he is not facing a future first-round quarterback. Unless Iowa State’s Brock Purdy has an out-of-body experience this year, Ehlinger is the top dog every week. That should mean something.
Ehlinger will become the fourth four-starter at quarterback in Longhorn history (minimum of six starts each year). The other three players are Bobby Layne (1944-1947), Peter Gardere (1988-1992), and Colt McCoy (2006-2009). Each won a conference tittle during their tenure at Texas. Layne led Texas to the Southwest Conference Championship in 1945, Gardere won it in 1990, and McCoy claimed a Big 12 title in 2009. Herman and Ehlinger have to win a championship and avoid being on the wrong side of history.
Losing the Brockermeyers hurts, but Herman hired seven coaches he believed were great talent developers. Herman won a championship with defensive coordinator Chris Ash at Ohio State. Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy praised offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich during a conversation with Herman. Longhorn receivers loved working with Andre Coleman prior to the Alamo Bowl last season and wanted him to move from interim to permanent, which did occur. Herman’s current group of coaches is seemingly better than his initial hires.
In theory, this is the year Texas has the advantage against Oklahoma. I consistently say Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley is quarterback wizard until proven otherwise. Technically, redshirt freshman quarterback Spencer Rattler should endure a year of learning and not emerge into a Heisman Trophy contender. If Spencer is pretty good instead of the next Baker Mayfield – minus being a jerk – Texas could win its first conference title since 2009. Again, in theory.
That might be good enough to turn Texas into a consistent landing spot for elite recruits.
The key word is consistent.
Most of these players only know of Texas’ recent football history.
Appearing in the Big 12 title game every year has to become the new at Texas.
It needs to happen this season.
Funniest Things You Will See This Week
A blow to the ego
We need this pill when things on the board get crazy
One day this baby and my youngest son will have a dance off
Somebody let him borrow the car and jokingly said fill it up, right?
Sports On A Dime
1. Big 12 Media Days were slated to begin on Monday, but was pushed back to August 3.
“As everyone is aware, our head coaches and student-athletes have not been able to collectively engage in organized team functions since athletics activities were suspended in March. We felt it was prudent to give coaches a chance to re-acclimate with their teams prior to participating in our annual season preview event,” said Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby.
2. Herman and Hand have to go all chips in on Saivon Byrd to salvage offensive line recruiting. The staff cannot afford another miss.
3. I respect Kobe Boyce’s courage to share his mental health challenges. In addition, it takes a strong person to seek help. I hope he finds the happiness in life he deserves.
4. It is clear there needs to be someone similar to Roger Goodell running college football. Every conference should be in unison, but this is total chaos. The Big Ten and Pac-12 put the remaining Power Five conferences in a bad situation by eliminating non-conference games. If the Big 12 wants to play 12 games, each program will fight the perception from outsiders that they are putting players in jeopardy for money. If there was one person making the rules, we could have a normal season with uniform safety guidelines. I doubt conference leaders would give up their power and have a football commissioner, but wish they would.
5. According SI.com, the Big 12 and ACC are waiting on the SEC to announce its decision about the upcoming football season before figuring out their plan. The good news is most SEC leaders are against a spring season, which means they will likely try to find a way to play football this year:
“The more preferred plans are a nine- or 10-game schedule with one or two non-conference games, respectively. But there are issues with that, too. Testing protocols may vary from conference to conference. Because of limited resources and availability, Group of 5 and FCS programs may not follow the same procedures as those on the Power 5 level. However, the NCAA and Power 5 conferences are working on a minimum testing standard that is expected to be released in the next week, officials told SI.
“A schedule with non-conference games also poses logistical challenges, especially those early in the season. Excluding the four traditional late-season rivalries with the ACC, eight of the SEC’s nine Power 5 matchups are scheduled for September. Any season delays or game interruptions in September could mean rescheduling games such as LSU-Texas and Tennessee-Oklahoma for later in the year, which may not be so easy. The NCAA Football Oversight Committee is working to create more flexibility for these situations by extending the regular season by as much as two weeks, chair Shane Lyons told SI for a story that published on Tuesday.
“But the most important wrinkle in this entire situation is for the ACC, Big 12 and SEC to remain in lockstep. A conference-only decision from one of those leagues could have an adverse impact on the other two. In the SEC, a conference-only option “is certainly higher in the mix from the tone in the room,” says one high-ranking SEC official. “You can control your environment a lot more.”
6. It is going to take some programs years to recover from this mess
7. The NFL’s decision to start training camp on time could be a positive sign for college football. Here is a portion of ProFootballTalk.com article:
“NFL Executive V.P. of Football Operations Troy Vincent sent a memo to all 32 GMs and head coaches today, telling them that the schedule remains in place: Rookies are to report on July 21, quarterbacks and injured players are to report on July 23 and all other players are to report on July 28.
“The Chiefs and Texans will start earlier because they’re kicking off the regular season with the traditional Thursday night opener on September 10. Rookies for both the Chiefs and Texans will get to work on Monday.”
8. This is for my old-school NBA fans
9. I am all chips in on the Hungarian Grand Prix on Sunday (watching it as I type). As a newbie to the sport, I have a lot to learn. However, I am enjoying it so far, and appreciate the recommendation to watch Formula 1 Drive To Survive on Netflix. I am almost down with season one, and it has been great so far.
10. Bernard Hopkins echoes what I’ve said consistently about Mike Tyson’s potential comeback:
“I have friends who say to me, ‘Hey, man, Tyson looked good on the video!’ Well, that’s the video! I can take you to any gym, forget styles, find a guy to hit the mitts for a one-rounder and someone out there who don’t know or thinks they know will think the guy is pretty good. I’m 55 and if you saw me hitting the mitts I would look like I’m getting ready for a Tito Trinidad rematch in 2021. If I hit the mitts you’d say I could fight tomorrow. That because they’re mitts! Don’t get fooled (about) Mike Tyson and Holyfield.”
ONE MORE GETAWAY
My goal is to getaway before the start of football season, and I am going to keep my routine and hope we have our sport this year.
As I continue to explore this beautiful state, you can find me at Lake LBJ next weekend. If you have any recommendations, please pass it along.
The pulpit will resume on in two weeks.
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