Texas football coach Charlie Strong is usually the first person to admit his tenure in Austin has not lived up to anybody’s expectations. Strong has expressed disappointment with his 11-14 record after two seasons. Longhorn fans – especially Strong's critics – have experienced two very rough years.
Orangebloods publisher Geoff Ketchum put everything in perspective for me during a recent conversation. Ketchum pulled up the win-loss total for the Texas football program, and highlighted Mack Brown’s stretch of 10-or-more wins during a nine-year period. Ketchum said there would be years Brown attempted to boast about reaching the 10-win mark and receive eye rolls from Longhorn fans who believed their team should have won more games. It is the same lack of appreciation Nick Saban receives from Alabama fans when his team does not win a national championship.
Strong knows his team needs a breakthrough season this year. He will not quantify the amount of wins necessary for this season to be a success. Every Longhorn observer has a magic number in his or her head. Eight wins with a freshman quarterback is probably a realistic measure of success. Anything above eight victories would mean the past two years were not wasted, but instead, necessary building blocks to regain the dominance Texas previously enjoyed.
Has anything gone right in the past two years?
Yes.
There is a lot of cautious optimism within the athletic facility as fall practice begins on Saturday. Many people within the building believe this team could potentially shock a lot of college fans with a successful season, but nobody is willing to say that in public. They prefer to work without any outside pressure because of a prediction made to the media. We will quickly discover if that quiet confidence is warranted.
That being said, here are a few positives from Strong’s stint:
Recruiting success: Strong’s recruiting method is unconventional. The staff does not overreact to verbal commitments before signing day. Texas typically has a handful of commitments after the regular season. Longhorn fans pound the panic button.
Then the avalanche of commitments occurs in January and February.
Strong sent a clear recruiting message two years ago when he snatched five-star linebacker Malik Jefferson away from Texas A&M. Jefferson’s commitment to Texas eventually contributed to the Longhorns finishing with a 12th-ranked recruiting class, according to Rivals.com. The majority of players from that class are expected to start or contribute this season.
Texas had only five wins in 2015, but finished seventh in Rivals’ ranking this year. Not only did Strong out-recruit every school in Texas, he finished with a better class than any Big 12 school for the second consecutive year. When the former Baylor commits ran to Texas this summer, Strong had to turn away Parrish Cobb, who eventually signed with Oklahoma, because he did not have enough scholarships - at the time.
Strong was a great recruiter as defensive coordinator at Florida, head coach at Louisville, and his success has continued at Texas.
Photo via HookEm.com
Cut ties: Sometimes a person’s biggest strength is his or her biggest weakness. When Strong was hired, he employed several familiar faces from Louisville. Strong retained Bruce Chambers because the former tight ends coach said he was well connected with high school coaches in the state of Texas.
Three years later, only linebackers coach Brian Jean-Mary and defensive coordinator Vance Bedford remain from Strong’s initial staff.
Strong has been unafraid to cut ties with coaches who do not meet his expectations. The constant turnover may have resulted in Strong assembling a solid staff this year. There are high hopes for offensive coordinator Sterlin Gilbert and offensive line coach Matt Mattox. Defensive line coach Brick Haley has successfully recruited in Louisiana. Special teams coordinator and tight ends coach Jeff Traylor has been a solid addition. Receivers coach Charlie Williams has received a lot of praise from former NFL players, current Longhorn players and coaches.
Some of these coaches may not have been Strong’s first choice, but they could be his best hires.
Established in-state connections: Depending on who you believe, there was once a time when Strong did not have the greatest relationships with the high school coaches in Texas. ESPN’s Travis Haney wrote an article quoting coaches who criticized Strong during a speech at a San Angelo coaching clinic. That article was later disputed by others who attended the clinic.
Regardless, Strong ignored the criticism and has used his in-state connections to score those top recruiting classes. Actually, Jean-Mary does most of the heavy-lifting, and Mike Giglio (director of player personnel) helps behind the scenes, too. The additions of Traylor and Gilbert, two former high school coaches in Texas, gives UT more recognition from high school coaches.
In reality, a college coach can successfully recruit a player without any help from a high school coach. The popularity of seven-on-seven leagues, plus on-campus visits and camps, make it easier to bypass high school coaches. However, Strong and his staff have worked hard to develop and maintain those relationships.
Culture change: It is safe to say Strong’s five core values received a lot of criticism after his arrival. Strong was constantly dismissing players for failing multiple drug tests, and he was compared to principal Joe Clark from the movie Lean on Me. I was constantly asked about “What is going on in Austin?” by television and radio hosts. After seeing the issues many schools have faced, such as Baylor, having core values is no longer about some out-of-touch coach not allowing his players to smoke a little weed. In fact, "core values" was a phrase many coaches used at this year's Big 12 Media Days.
Strong’s beliefs have reduced the off-the-field incidents involving Texas players. If a player breaks a team rule, there is a good chance he will get kicked off the squad. However, Strong gave former receiver Daje Johnson more than one chance for failing drug tests. Johnson eventually credited Strong for saving him because of the tough love. Losing is bad, but you can never erase the memories of an off-the-field scandal (just ask Penn State and Baylor).
Found a quarterback: The David Ash era ended before it started with Strong. A transfer quarterback never emerged. Tyrone Swoopes struggled under the lights. Jerrod Heard progressed before regressing. The quarterback situation was a mess.
Hello, Shane Buechele.
Strong signed the state’s top quarterback in this recent class, and Buechele is poised to start at some point this season. Buechele gave Longhorn fans a lot of hope during the spring game, and the stories of his late-night workouts excited every supporter. Nobody is ready to anoint Buechele as the next … (insert player here), but he might be good enough to provide a spark for the program.
By the way, Texas has a verbal commitment from quarterback Sam Ehlinger, and some people inside the building believe he will eventually push Buechele for playing time.
Houston and the Big 12
The University of Houston has received plenty of public support from Longhorn stakeholders and administrators who believe the Cougars belong in the Big 12.
Houston is optimistic it will have a fair chance to pitch its program to the Big 12, especially with a recent report stating the league hopes to finalize its new teams before this season.
I spoke with a high-ranking administrator at Houston this past week, and like most programs seeking to join the Big 12, the Cougars are cautiously optimistic. Houston also believes it has a major advantage over its competitors.
Houston has the 10th-ranked U.S. media market, which is higher than any other team hoping to join the Big 12 (University of South Florida’s Tampa Bay market is ranked 11th).
Meanwhile, there is a belief the Longhorns own the TV market in Houston, but SEC games dominated that area last season:
“We believe adding Houston will help this area become a Big 12 market instead of an SEC market,” the source told me.
That being said, Houston understands the concerns of many skeptics.
If Houston becomes a Big 12 addition, the school finally joins a Power Five conference and is no longer viewed as “Cougar High." The recruiting impact for Houston would be immediate. In fact, it may make recruiting in Houston harder for other schools.
Even though it is a valid concern, the school believes there is another way to view the situation.
“People have said if we get in a Power Five conference, we might end up being a Top 15 or Top 20 program in five years. What’s the benefit for everybody else?,” the source said. “Well, there is no benefit in adding teams that may not be ranked, or competitive, after joining the Big 12. The quality of competition will be beneficial for every team in the league.”
The other concern is Houston’s attendance numbers.
Last year, Houston’s average attendance was 33,980. However, I was told 23,000 season tickets have been sold for the upcoming season, which is an increase from the 15,000 sold in 2015. In addition, the school has the steel beams necessary to expand its stadium up to 60,000 seats in the future. For the sake of comparison, TCU’s current stadium capacity is 45,000.
If necessary, Houston could move a home game to Reliant Stadium. When Houston’s stadium was being constructed in 2013, the Cougars played five games in the Texans’ facility.
Two more things:
Houston was elevated to a Tier One status in 2011, which was reconfirmed this year. The Phi Beta Kappa Society was installed at Houston earlier this year. Those academic accolades could help the Cougars during the selection process.
Many believe Texas is outwardly supporting the University of Houston in order to gain approval for a campus the Longhorns intend to build in that city, but I was told, "Nobody from Texas has approached us about that yet. I get the feeling Texas would be more up front with us if that is what they wanted. They would say you’ll have our Big 12 vote if you don’t fight us on getting the land. Maybe they will approach us about that at some point, but it hasn’t happened yet.”
Funniest Thing You Will See This Week
Sports On A Dime
1. I have no issue with Houston receiver DeAndre Hopkins not showing up for training camp because he wants a new contract. Hopkins has witnessed the team reward J.J. Watt, Brock Osweiler and Lamar Miller. Hopkins is one of the NFL’s best receivers, and playing two more years on his rookie contract is risky for him. Hopkins needs to get paid while he can.
2. Rolando McClain did not show up for Cowboys camp. Randy Gregory did not show up (as expected). This is not the start to training camp any team wants.
3. If the Cowboys are not interested in Nick Foles, I think that decision is more about developing rookie Zak Prescott than coach Jason Garrett’s faith in Kellen Moore. There is no need to sign Foles to take away snaps from Prescott. NFL teams usually do not part ways with young quarterbacks unless the player is not good.
4. Josh Gordon may have been reinstated by the NFL, but considering he still hangs out with Johnny Manziel, it is hard to believe the Browns receiver will not land in trouble again sometime this year. Hopefully, for Gordon, he proves every skeptic – including me – wrong.
5. As college football and NFL practices begin, remember one important thing: do not believe anything you read. Every player and coach is going to say they learned a lot from last year, they all worked hard in the offseason and the team unity is better than ever. Well, none of those clichés will prevent some teams from finishing below .500. Believe it when you see it.
6. Some people believe Texas A&M did not hand down enough discipline after the football team’s recent Chalk Talk debacle, but I think the administration's immediate reaction beats the lack of action we typically see at most schools. Even if Kevin Sumlin was forced to go along with the decision, the people above him did not waste any time delivering punishment once the pictures were publicized. It beats the lack of response we saw from Baylor.
7. I hope Ryan Newsome finds a home at Arizona State. Most of us still remember Newsome sitting on stage for several painful moments because he could not decide between UCLA or Texas. Immediately after verbally committing to UCLA, Newsome said he was still interested in Texas. After a year at UT, Newsome decided to transfer. At some point, Newsome has to stick with a commitment.
8. Tyrone Swoopes may enter training camp as the No.1 quarterback this week, but Shane Buechele should receive the nod after Texas’ first fall practice. I have said this before, but Florida athletic director Jeremey Foley once said, “Whatever you’re going to do inevitably should be done immediately.” Buechele needs every first-team rep to get ready for Notre Dame.
9. I cannot decide if this is one of the few wins for Will Muschamp or another loss:
10. Carl Frampton majority decision win against Leo Santa Cruz on Saturday night has fight of the year potential. If you did not watch the fight, check out the replay on Showtime.
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