Photo via HookEm.com
Incoming Texas freshman safety Tyler Owens remembers when he was unsure about a future with the Longhorns.
Prior to his senior season, Owens had some decent offers, but was a three-star prospect without a lot of buzz. Texas safeties coach Craig Naivar visited Plano East and told Owens they intended to keep tabs on him, but he did not have a scholarship offer from the Longhorns. Owens was not too concerned at the time because he was focused on track.
Owens received an invitation to attend Texas’ Stars at Night Camp in 2018. Some players would have done back-flips to receive that invite. Owens was lukewarm about it. In fact, he initially was not going to attend the event.
However, the stars aligned for Owens to become a Longhorn.
No pun intended.
The reason why Owens was hesitant is because he did not think Texas really wanted him.
“I was iffy on going to the camp,” Owens said. “My friend Killian [Carper] from Plano was planning on going. I told him they aren’t really talking to me like that. He was like just go.”
Somebody needs to hand deliver a box of Tiff’s Treats to Carper for nudging Owens to attend that camp because the safety caught this staff's attention while in Austin.
--- He won the fastest man competition.
--- Stood out during one-on-one drills.
--- He was also in the dunk contest.
Owens’ junior film was not spectacular, but he displayed enough athleticism to make coach Tom Herman and defensive coordinator Todd Orlando act immediately during the event.
“The next day they invited me back, and they offered,” Owens said.
The camp occurred in late July, and Owens verbally committed in September. He chose Texas over Nebraska, Baylor, Kansas State, Houston, Illinois and Missouri.
Here is what @Suchomel wrote after Owens committed:
“Craig Naivar did a great job with this evaluation, getting Owens on campus for a camp late in the summer when he was still very much under the radar. This wasn’t a huge head-to-head recruiting win over area rivals the way others have been, but Texas may have found a hidden gem here, and the Longhorns went into the Metroplex to secure a commitment. Owens looks like a prime candidate to compete for the Joker (or Robber) position when Texas goes to its lightning package on defense with his ability to play near the line of scrimmage or drop deep and help in coverage.”
Owens said after Texas offered him a scholarship, schools that had not interacted with him were now interested in him. He was immediately receiving more attention than he did prior to the offer.
Nevertheless, Owens is a smart young man, and was not moved by those new offers.
“I had some coaches in touch with me,” Owens said. “After Texas offered, a lot more started coming. I really was set with Texas.
“You didn’t want me until Texas wanted me. I felt like they wanted me because they didn’t want Texas to have me. Texas reached out, and I was straight.”
The staff’s evaluation was on point, too.
Owens had a breakthrough season as a senior, and everyone I spoke to said that film finally caught up to his athleticism. He recorded 67 tackles, three tackles for loss, two interceptions and eight pass breakups as a senior. Owens became an All-American and all-district honoree, plus was selected to participate in the 2019 All-American Bowl. Every recruiting service gave him a bump in its star rankings.
“I think he ran a 4.37,” Herman said at the early signing day press conference. “His senior year, really caught up to those measurables. You could tell the light switch went on. Had a phenomenal senior year. He’s an athletic freak. We’re excited to see him develop. Coach Naivar and Coach [Tim] Beck found him early. Talked to his high school coaches about his potential. We got him to camp and just absolutely fell in love with him.”
They also loved his competitiveness.
Owens committed to a program that is stacked at safety. Caden Sterns was a freshman All-American in 2018. Brandon Jones is a future NFL pick. B.J. Foster had an immediate impact as a freshman. DeMarvion Overshown contributed as a linebacker last season, but safety is his natural position.
That depth chart would have been enough to scare away some recruits, but it had the opposite effect on Owens.
“I saw that they had a lot of defensive talent,” Owens said. “I thought the DBs were certified. I saw Caden and BJ were doing big things. I saw big safeties go to other schools, but I didn’t see them do anything. I wasn’t worried about competing because competition is going to be everywhere.”
Speaking of competition, it is hard to talk about Owens and not mention track.
If it were not for Houston Jesuit’s Matthew Bolling, Owens could have been the fastest 100 meter runner in the state this year.
Owens ran a 10.53 at the Texas Relays.
Bolling ran a 10.2.
Owens ran a 10.38 at the 6A State Championships.
Bolling broke a national high school record with a 10.13.
I view it like being the Utah Jazz and getting to the finals, but having to face Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls.
“When I first heard about him, I was dang, he’s fast,” Owens said. “Then I started doubting it and was thinking there is no way he can be that fast. When I went against him in the Texas Relays, yeah, he’s certified.”
Herman also praised Owens during spring football.
“He’s really fast for a big dude like that. It’s good to see” Herman said. “He’s a ball of clay right now that we’re going to have a really fun time coaching, though, because he’s a great kid, comes from a great family, and just wants to improve daily. When you get him with that kind of tangibles, measurables, if you will, the sky’s the limit.”
The track season did not allow Owens to focus on certain aspects of strength and conditioning coach Yancy McKnight’s offseason program.
From a cardio perspective, Owens is in great shape, clearly. Since track season concluded, Owens has gained weight is up from 198 pounds to 205. He is currently working on strengthening his upper body before he hits campus on June 1.
“I’m definitely going to try to start, but I’m going to get in where they need me,” Owens said. “Obviously, there’s some real talent in front of me. I can learn from them. I’m not in
rush.
There is no need to rush.
The stars already aligned.
Funniest Things You Will See This Week
This kid was not waiting another day for the Tooth Fairy
Khris Middelton’s face …
You never know what to expect from the children’s choir
How did he say this was a straight face?
Sports On A Dime
1. This is arguably the best thing you will see this week. Derrian Brown’s recovery and future enrollment at Texas is definitely a miracle:
2. During our recent Orangebloods podcast, we discussed Herman’s biggest accomplishments. I think Herman’s ability to have his teams prepared for each game has been very impressive.
Here is a list of blowout losses during Charlie Strong’s tenure:
2014
BYU – 34
Baylor – 21
Kansas State – 23
TCU – 38
Arkansas – 24
2015
Notre Dame – 35
TCU – 43
Iowa State – 24
West Virginia – 18
2016
Oklahoma State – 18
TCU – 22
Herman’s worst losses at Texas have been 17 points against TCU and 10 against Oklahoma State in 2017. His worst defeat in 2018 was 12 points against Oklahoma in the Big 12 Championship Game. Herman’s ability to eliminate those blowout games and field a team that can win any game has been impressive.
3. In addition, I did some more research, and the average margin of defeat during the previous regime was 17 points. Texas failed to score in two games. However, the average margin of defeat under Herman in 2017 was seven points. Last season, the number was only two points. It is just another sign of progress.
4. These are the kind of stats @Alex Dunlap loves:
5. Bevo is really calm when UGA is not around
6. The group of people who thought hiring Art Briles was a good idea are going to regret their decision to put winning above morals. This will not end well.
7. A week ago, we were contemplating how Milwaukee would match up against Golden State. Milwaukee defeated Toronto by 23 points in game two, and it seemed like a formality. Then, Kawhi Leonard stepped up and slowed down Giannis Antetokounmpo, similar to how he locked down LeBron James for San Antonio in the 2014 NBA Finals. It will take one heck of an effort to defeat Golden State in the finals, but each game should be entertaining.
8. Golden State may not need Kevin Durant to defeat Toronto. However, we know if Durant can play in this series, Golden State is unstoppable.
9. I mean when Keith Thurman is right, he is right, right @Xbeehookem ?
10. No caption needed
