Photo via HookEm.com
National signing day did not produce the results many Longhorn fans desired, but there is a conclusion many believe will solve this year’s recruiting disappointment.
“Just win and everything will be okay.”
There are several Longhorn fans who believe Tom Herman never had a fair chance because former coach Charlie Strong did not record a winning season in his three-year tenure. They do not believe Herman and his staff could overcome the losing environment they inherited, which somehow made it harder for him to sell his history of success as a head coach at Houston and Ohio State (offensive coordinator). However, just win a few more games, give the facility an upgrade – something more than Fatheads on Groupon – and in-state recruits will be begging to attend the University of Texas just like the ol’ days.
All of those conclusions might be true. However, it is also important for Herman to create a transcendent player this year who can become the face of the program and appeal to recruits.
Those who focus their recruiting argument solely on "wins" are watching too many reruns of historic games on LHN without acknowledging where the program is now, and the evolution of other teams outside of Austin. As several astute observers have noted, the last time Texas won a national championship was in 2005. That means most of this year’s recruiting class were 6-years-old when that occurred, which means the guys from 2018 were 5-years-old, or younger. As a parent of a 4-year-old, I can tell you unless my son gets a scholarship offer from the University of Paw Patrol or Peppa Pig State 13 years from now, he will not remember anything about the 2017 football season. That means most recruits are not looking at this program as “THE University of Texas," but one of the many programs that offered them a scholarship.
With that in mind – and try to be objective for one moment – ask yourself what is the difference between an eight to nine win Texas team in 2017 versus an Oklahoma team with the same record, Texas A&M, TCU, or any other team who is in direct competition with Texas for recruits. Again, the “It’s Texas” message does not guarantee success like it once did.
You know what else does not guarantee recruiting success?
The over hyped importance of having relationships with high school coaches in Texas.
So much was made of Strong allegedly not having good relationships with coaches in this state. Strong believed it was more important to take advantage of direct communication with players, connect with family members, and was arguably one of the best closers in college football in 2015 and 2016. Herman has ties to high school coaches in this state, as does most of his staff, but it did not help them acquire a top 10 in-state player on Wednesday. Heck, those relationships did not help any in-state college program, since none of the players ranked in Rivals’ Texas top 10 committed to a program in Texas.
Now, let us go back to 1998 when Mack Brown took over at Texas. The Longhorns finished 9-3 in Brown’s first season. They had a 6-2 conference record and finished second in the Big 12’s Southern Division. Those are great team accomplishments, but every Longhorn fan knows the 9-3 season did not jump-start recruiting.
Instead, there was this guy named Ricky Williams who ended up being a big thing.
As a result of Williams’ Heisman Trophy season, Mack successfully acquired quarterback Chris Simms (USA Today Offensive Player of the Year in 1998) and linebacker Cory Redding (USA Today Defensive Player of the Year in 1998). That class had four Parade All-Americans (for my 25-and-below readers, that was the ultimate national recognition back then), and many publications ranked it as the nation’s top class.
The turnaround was not just about winning, but having a true football star.
Yes, Alabama and Ohio State are offering kids a chance compete for a national title, but Ezekiel Elliott, Braxton Miller, Joey Bosa, Cardale Jones, Derrick Henry, Amari Cooper, Kenyan Drake are huge selling points to recruits who look to Twitter more than the Sports Almanac.
Texas linebacker Malik Jefferson is one guy Herman needs to put in the spotlight.
The previous regime never fully capitalized on Jefferson’s star potential. Jefferson’s verbal commitment to Strong led to an avalanche of elite commits in 2015. He was not only a star, but Jefferson had five of them by his name as the state’s top defensive player. Jefferson received his share of the spotlight, but there was always a desire to beat him down mentally.
Last year, former defensive coordinator Vance Bedford was asked why Jefferson excelled as a freshman, and that is when he took a shot at his player.
“He is like a lot of freshman last year,” Bedford said. “He flashed a lot, but if you go in there and watch the video as a football coach, he missed a lot of plays, now. But the fans see all the flash, and they get excited. It’s like all of a sudden, I have this diamond ring, and I take it to the jewelry store, they look it, ‘Man, that’s glass.’ That’s what flash is sometimes. This year, I’m looking for consistency out of Malik, and leadership out of Malik.”
Even if Bedford’s assessments were true, tearing down a team leader to the media, a young man who was arguably recruiting harder than some coaches, blows an opportunity to sell the program’s most notable player. Heck, I am sure when Herman looked at the film of quarterback Greg Ward when he was at Houston, he saw things that needed improvement, but I never heard him compare his passer to cubic zirconia.
Ironically, Bedford’s defense was fool’s gold, which led to his demotion last season.
If Jefferson does not become that star, maybe Shane Buechele can become the next Colt McCoy. Not just as a good football player, but somebody interesting enough to put a Texas player back on the cover of Sports Illustrated (it has been a while, right?).
Texas running back Chris Warren could emerge into a special player. Yes, I have been President of the “Chris Warren Fan Club” since day one, and I understand our meetings are being held in a small airport hotel conference room. After hearing running backs coach Stan Drayton speak highly of Warren this week on LHN, I sensed the guy credited for the success of Jordan Howard (Chicago Bears) and Elliott could help our fan club meetings move to The Driskill Hotel this year.
Heck, maybe we see Collin Johnson live up to that Megatron nickname in high school.
If Herman wants to achieve his goal of competing for the top recruits every year, winning games and having a nice facility are key components.
Creating on transcendent star this year should be another goal.
Best Of Austin
I am still learning a lot about Austin, and definitely can use your help during the offseason. From pizza to BBQ, everyone has passionate opinions about their favorite establishments. Each week I am going to ask you for recommendations and see if there is a general consensus.
Best sports bar in Austin?
Funniest Thing You Will See This Week
Sports On A Dime
1. I expect junior college linebacker Gary Johnson to have the biggest impact at Texas this season. Part of me wants to add Joshua Rowland to that list, but college kickers are so unpredictable. If incoming freshman tight end Reese Leitao can have an impact, Herman will have a few more weapons to work with.
2. One thing that seemingly helped recruiting in the past was player involvement. We typically saw current Longhorn players actively recruiting through group text messages with high school players, or them interacting with recruits on social media. We did not see that this year. Herman will need to get that enthusiasm – and support – from his players going forward.
3. Malcom Brown played on a six-win team as a junior at Texas and has a chance to win a Super Bowl ring two years after turning pro. Hey, at least there is one reason not to be mad if New England wins on Sunday.
4. I cannot think outside of the box on Sunday: New England 27, Atlanta 17. Hearing Pats fans boo NFL commissioner Roger Goodell throughout the game is going to be epic.
5. For those who need the help:
6. LaDainian Tomlinson, Kurt Warner, Jason Taylor, Terrell Davis and Morten Andersen were voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Sunday. I thought Davis’ limited body of work would work against him, did not. However, I would have voted for Terrell Owens instead of Davis.
7. Michael Vick officially retired this past week, and his career will serve as a cautionary tale for every athlete who does not distance themselves from friends who do not have your best interest. We will never know what kind of quarterback Vick could have been if he had not been incarcerated. Some will hate him forever for fighting and killing dogs.
8. Oklahoma running back Joe Mixon did not receive an NFL Combine invite? Shocker. There is no way the NFL wants domestic abuse headlines from one of their biggest offseason events.
9. Nolan Ryan turned 70-years-old on Tuesday. Congrats to one of the best pitchers in history. It is also an excuse for us to see one of the best moments of Ryan’s career:
10. Does anyone think this fight is really going to happen?
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