There were plenty of positive stories for Texas football fans to read during the first week of spring practice.
Longhorn followers learned freshman receiver Collin Johnson has a chance to be a special player this year. Center Zach Shackelford will be a major contributor as a freshman. There is plenty of excitement within the building about running backs Chris Warren and D’Onta Foreman. The young defensive backs on this team have a chance to become impact performers. None of the players are struggling to learn Sterlin Gilbert’s new offense. It was the kind of week that creates a lot of confidence and optimism from Longhorn supporters.
Texas is slated to hold practice on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday this week. Charlie Strong’s squad will attempt to recreate the positive momentum they enjoyed before spring break interrupted their schedule. The Longhorns are nearly a month away from their annual spring game, and there is a lot of optimism within the football program.
That being said, there are still players who need to step up when practice resumes.
I spent last week reaching out to people within the building to hear their opinions of week one. Everyone I spoke to was pleased with practice and the progress this year’s team is making. There is a long time between now and the season opener, but they believe Texas will be ready for Notre Dame in week one.
However, here is a list of players they want to step up when practice reopens on Tuesday:
Jerrod Heard, QB – He is a likable young man with a lot of charisma. Heard was a tremendous player in high school, and showed flashes of brilliance last season. He seemingly has all the pieces of the puzzle laying on the table. Nevertheless, Heard has struggled to be the total package.
“He needs to grow up and step up,” one source told me.
That means Heard must become a consistent quarterback if he wants to take the job away from Tyrone Swoopes. Heard will be given a lot of opportunities to become a starter when practice resumes this week. If he wants to beat Swoopes, his decision-making ability, passing accuracy and film study must improve. Everyone knows Heard has a higher ceiling than Swoopes, but the decision-makers are not looking for one home run and bunch of strikeouts. They want a quarterback who is consistent and dependable.
Dylan Haines and Jason Hall, S – Both players are fighting for their jobs right now. If they want to start this season, they have to step up and fight off the young defensive backs who are right behind them.
“When you look at the big plays that we give up, it’s usually Dylan Haines or Jason Hall getting beat," one source told me.
If the veterans are unable to distance themselves pretty soon, there is a good chance sophomores P.J. Locke and DeShon Elliott will become starters. Locke is stronger than he was as freshman, and made several plays during the first week of spring practice. Many in the building believe Elliott should start this season. This will definitely be a competition worth watching during the offseason.
Paul Boyette, DT – Hassan Ridgeway is gone. Desmond Jackson is gone. Somebody has to be a strong anchor in the middle of Texas’ defensive line. Boyette must prove he is the guy who can do it.
Boyette is a fifth-year defensive lineman who played with Malcom Brown, Jackson and Ridgeway. He has six 'starts' in 30 games, but he must become the defensive-line leader this unit desperately needs. Last year, Texas’ defensive line was arguably the weakest group on the team. The defensive line struggled to stop the run or create a consistent pass rush. Now, this unit must step up and play better.
Texas' incoming freshman defensive linemen are expected to have an immediate collective impact, which should help this group. However, Boyette needs to carry the load this spring until those reinforcements hit campus.
Veteran receivers – Jacorey “Petey” Warrick, Armanti Foreman and Lorenzo Joe are on the hot seat.
Warrick has frustrated many within the building because he is tremendously talented, and was viewed as the top receiver during last year’s spring practices. Then Warrick faded and never had the impact he was expected to have. Foreman is projected to be a slot receiver this season, but still needs to prove he can carry the workload. Meanwhile, Joe was a tremendous athlete in high school. However, some people inside the building are questioning if he can play on this level.
John Burt and Collin Johnson are viewed as starters. DeAndre McNeal is another young player who will likely be in the rotation this season. That means Warrick, Foreman and Joe must get the attention of everyone in the building – quickly – or risk being on the outside in the race for playing time this season.
Ryan Newsome, WR – As weird as it may sound, this sophomore needs do a lot more.
From what I was told, Newsome does not appear to be happy right now. He was very disappointed with the departure of running backs coach Tommie Robinson, a person he has known for years. Newsome would like to be used more in the offense, too. He is actually viewed as a potential transfer candidate if things don’t go well over the next few weeks.
Newsome is expected to take Daje Johnson's role on special teams, and must prove he can handle the workload. He was a playmaker in high school, but everybody is waiting to see if that translates on this level. Newsome must show this staff he is talented enough to handle punt and kickoff returns. More importantly, Newsome needs everyone to know he wants to be at Texas.
Brandon Hodges, OG – When a team signs a junior college player, that guy is supposed to have an immediate impact. A coach should have to tell a guy where to line up and not much else. That did not happen with Hodges last year, yet, he's viewed as the one player who will determine Texas’ success on the offensive line this season.
Hodges must become a solid guard who can protect the starting quarterback and create space for his team’s running backs. To put this into perspective, there are more concerns about Hodges than Zach Shackelford right now. Hodges must prove he is ready to be a starter between now and the spring game.
Malik Jefferson, LB – Overall, there are few concerns about Jefferson’s ability as a player. Everyone knows he is a “baller” in every sense of the word. The talk surrounding Jefferson does not compare to the conversations about the safety group. In fact, Anthony Wheeler, Breckyn Hager, Tim Cole (as a role player), Erick Fowler (incoming freshman) and Jefferson will lead the strongest unit on this year’s team.
Jefferson just has to prove he can handle being the leader of Texas’ defense. Jefferson must show he can anchor the defense, stop the run and be reliable. Obviously, Jefferson is not in any danger of losing his job. Jefferson simply needs to show he is ready to play on another level this season.
Jon Coppens and Evan Moore – Who?
These are the kickers who are competing to play this season. Neither guy currently has a football scholarship. One kicker has the chance to earn a scholarship if he plays well. Basically, neither guy better miss a kick during the spring game when people are actually paying attention.
Bryce Cottrell, Naashon Hughes and Quincy Vasser – This is the classic case of upperclassmen who need to live up to their signing day hype.
Cottrell is viewed as a nice player, but has not done enough. One source asked me to name the last time Hughes made an impact play. Vasser has to be known as more than just a guy. All of them need to do more in March and April.
In addition, throw sophomore defensive tackle Chris Nelson on the list of defensive lineman who must step up.
Funniest Thing You Will See This Week
Sports On A Dime
1. After a bracket-busting weekend, at least Kansas is looking like the title contender most of us thought would play well in the tournament. It is hard for me to believe anybody will beat this team.
2. Despite the heartbreaking loss against Northern Iowa, Shaka Smart will probably have plenty of scholarships available to bring in "his" players next season. Smart adjusted to his personnel and guided Texas to this year’s tournament. It is easy to believe Smart will have Texas competing for a national title in two years.
3. Thanks for nothing, Michigan State. Nobody wanted to win their office pool, huh?
4. However, thank you Taurean Price for your postgame interview. His team failed to produce a tournament win this past week, but he recorded an impressive victory against a reporter who asked a dumb question after Baylor’s loss against Yale.
5. This is why the internet was invented:
6. Jim Irsay announced he would retire Peyton Manning’s number and construct a statue of his former quarterback outside the stadium. I hope the statue will display Irsay shoving Manning out a door for historical accuracy. (Editor's note: Irsay, a lunatic, said at the PC that It would be an attraction like 'Jim Morrison's grave where fans could leave Peyton cans of Budweiser.')
7. Former Cleveland quarterback Johnny Manziel may have hired Drew Rosenhaus as his agent, but that does not mean an NFL team will sign him anytime soon. Rosenhaus’ first job should be getting his client into a rehab program to deal with his off-the-field issues. Football should be second on their to-do list.
8. Speaking of the Browns, Cleveland kicked the tires on Robert Griffin III and flew him in for a visit this weekend. It sounds like Cleveland is keeping its options open. At this point, RGIII will be fortunate to land a backup job this season.
9. This was the worst story I read this week. I cannot imagine how his family and friends are dealing this tragic loss.
10. Initially, I was not sure how to feel about the welterweight rematch between Victor Ortiz and Andre Berto on April 30. Both guys are not what they used to be. However, there is a lot of unfinished business between them. Even if they are B or C-level fighters right now, this promises to be an exciting fight that will not go past eight rounds.
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