Photo via HookEm.com
One thing Tom Herman promised his team new after taking over the job at Texas last year was everybody would have a clean slate. He was not going to factor in the past – good or bad – when making personnel decisions. Herman even pledged not to watch last year’s film in an effort to give each player a fair shot.
When a team is coming off two consecutive five win seasons, and we witnessed guys being benched or buried in the doghouse, a fresh start is exactly what many players needed.
After Herman was hired, The Sunday Pulpit on January 24 was titled “Players who need to take advantage of Tom Herman giving them a second chance.” The players I identified in that article were receiver Jerrod Heard, guard Patrick Vahe, receiver John Burt, running back Kirk Johnson, cornerback Holton Hill, cornerback Davante Davis and defensive end Charles Omenihu. Overall, most of those players took advantage of their opportunity during the spring.
Herman places a huge emphasis on winter conditioning and spring football. Prior to the spring game, Herman made it pretty clear he did not expect much depth chart movement when fall practice begins: “When we leave practice, you’ll have a definite pecking order of guys that we trust, guys that are on the cusp, guys that are probably a year away, and probably guys that will never be there. You have 15 practices to prove to us what kind of football player you are. ‘Well coach, get me to training camp.’ You had 15 practices. What did you do? If you’re not there yet, and you’re at least making strides to get there, that’s a good thing. If you’re not, we got to move on.” By now, we have a pretty good idea who is going to receive significant playing time this season.
Here are the guys who took advantage of their second chance with a new staff:
Holton Hill, CB
Before: He was not buried in Charlie Strong’s doghouse. Hill was buried underneath it. After starting a freshman, Hill rarely saw playing time last season, despite how bad this defense played. Hill’s issues with the previous staff were off-the-field related, and there was no telling if he would get another chance, or pushed out the door and encouraged to transfer.
After: Hill has emerged into a starter – again – and looks better than the player we saw during his freshman season. He arguably has the best footwork of any defensive back, and that 6-foot-2 frame was very impressive during spring football practice. In addition, everyone in the building has been happy with Hill away from the facility. If Hill stays on course, he could have a major impact this season.
Patrick Vahe, G
Before: Here is what I previously wrote: "He was kicking ass and taking names a freshman. Vahe started the first 10 games at left guard before missing the last two due to injury. He was an honorable mention All-Big 12 by the league’s coaches, plus named to the ESPN.com True Freshman All-America Team and its All-Big 12 squad Underclassmen Team … The honeymoon ended abruptly when Vahe was suddenly benched against Baylor last season. Vahe seemingly did not play that bad prior to being benched, but not well enough to avoid standing on the sidelines. He finished with nine starts last season.”
After: Guess who’s back? Yep, Vahe has returned to the starting lineup, and seemingly has not missed a step. He looks like the mauler we saw glimpses of during his freshman season. Honestly, the only question remaining on the offensive line is right tackle. This could be Denzel Okafor’s job if he does enough to overtake Bradon Hodges or Tristian Nickelson prior to the season. If not, do not be surprised if Elijah Rodriguez gets a look at right tackle.
Josh Covey, QB
Before: You had to be a die-hard fan to know Covey was on the roster. He is a former walk-on receiver who was not offered a scholarship by Texas. In all likelihood, Covey would have been a part of the team for a few years, had some great pictures, but never touch the football field. If he did play in a game, it would be one of those rare "against all odds" stories.
After: Herman actually knows his name. In fact, Herman, a quarterback guy, praised Covey on more than one occasion during the spring. Herman even said Covey was a better option at quarterback than Heard: “I tell you what. The (Josh) Covey kid actually might be a better option right now at third quarterback than Jerrod. He went out there and didn’t get a whole lot of reps in team, kind of routes on air segment. The kid can run a little bit, and he threw the ball pretty well.” Heck, even if Covey never sees the field at Texas, he has accomplished more than most people ever imagined.
DeShon Elliott, S
Before: Here is what former defensive coordinator Vance Bedford recently told me about Elliott: "Deshon Elliott has been playing behind guys. He never worked hard enough to say I want to be a starter in the classroom." That could explain why Elliott was known as a hard hitter, but just did not see the field enough. He played in 12 games last season, but had only one start (Kansas). In addition, it was hard to tell if Elliott would embrace Herman because of his loyalty to Strong.
After: He has become a leader on defense and expected to start this season. Herman described Elliott as an effort guy. He likes Elliott’s speed and ability to process what he sees on the field. In addition, Elliott believes he is more than just a hard hitter, but a complete player. There have been no complaints about his classroom work with the new staff. Elliott looks like a two-year starter.
Lil’ Jordan Humphrey, WR
Before: He was a true freshman last season who played in 10 games. He has two catches for 15 yards and played on special teams. Definitely was not a guy left for dead. However, he was not a player everybody projected to be compete for significant playing time this season.
After: It did not take him long to win over the staff. Herman previously described his receiver as a big guy who loves football. Humphrey performed so well during the spring, many in the building believed he could easily be the third receiver in Tim Beck’s offense. No, I was not told it would happen, but Humphrey was definitely in the conversation.
Meanwhile, Heard has emerged into an offensive leader, Burt is catching passes again, not much has changed with Omenihu, and Davis just needs to develop some consistency. None of these players have hurt themselves during Herman’s tenure.
That being said, there are a few guys who saw their stock slip. I will make this section shorter because I still feel uncomfortable heavily criticizing guys who are not getting paid to play football:
Breckyn Hager, LB – He was a key contributor last season, but expected to be a situational player this year. Hager runs the risk of staying there on the depth chart if he does not find a way to step up.
Jason Hall, S – Great, guy family, but he has bad luck when it comes to injuries. Hall’s latest injury (hamstring) is forcing him to play catch up.
Kirk Johnson, RB – Speaking of injuries, sometimes it is not about ability, but availability. Johnson has struggled to stay healthy, and may never be at 100 percent.
Zach Shackelford, C – He was named to the Rimingtom Trophy watch list, but could be viewing this season from the bench. This is Jake McMillon’s job to lose.
Funniest Things You Will See This Week
I have to give a h/t to @Txfan512 for this hilarious video
Happy Father’s Day to the real dads
Last one
Sports On A Dime
1. LSU football coach Ed Orgeron is doing way too much right now. First, he spends every spare moment with the folks in Louisiana doing everything with their power to block satellite camps in the state. Not to be outdone, Orgeron blocked offensive lineman Willie Allen from transferring to TCU because he believed the school had illegal contact with his former player. Coach O, relax, bro. First, if Herman did not turn down LSU, Orgeron would be a coordinator right now. Second, stop blocking the opportunities for young men who just want an opportunity outside of Louisiana. Orgeron is starting to look like the king of petty right now.
2. I was pretty disappointed to see some people taking shots at former Texas commit Ron Tatum this past week. Everybody loved Tatum when he committed to Texas, but he suddenly became a player an overrated player after flipping to Oklahoma. I have no issues with taking shots at coaches, but high school players should always be off limits.
3. The party in Texas City on Saturday night was probably lit after this news:
4. When you are 34-years-old and have not played in an NFL game since 2011, a hamstring injury is probably going to occur. Hopefully, for Vince Young, the team does not release him.
5. No matter what any of Kevin Durant’s think, nobody will be able to take away this championship parade moment from him:
6. Aqib Talib seems to forget he signed with Denver after spending time in New England. If this is the average intelligence of a KD hater, Durant has nothing to worry about.
7. Yahoo Sports fantasy football writer Brad Evans was my guest on Orangebloods radio when I filled in for Geoff Ketchum on Friday, and he is not a fan of drafting Indianapolis quarterback Andrew Luck on Carolina’s Cam Newton this season because of their injuries. However, he is really high on Kirk Cousins because Washington added receiver Terrell Pryor during the offseason. Considering I own Cousins in a keeper league, I am starting to wonder how I should spend my championship money.
8. Andre Ward is the best pound-for-pound fighter in the business. That being said, he threw a low blow to Sergey Kovalev. The refs were pretty sketchy all night long (how did Guillermo Rigondeaux’s shot after the bell go from disqualification to no contest to a legal punch?). I do not want to see this fight again. Time for everybody to move on.
9. Fine, I will watch Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor, but not be happy about wasting my money. The only reason I will watch is to see if Mayweather knocks out McGregor within three rounds, toys with his opponent for a while, or watches NetFlix on his cellphone during the fight. No matter what, Mayweather will be laughing to the bank, and I will be ticked off when that cable eventually arrives.
10. Only diehard basketball fans remember Run TMC:
