(From Anwar)
Texas football coach Steve Sarkisian and former TCU coach Gary Patterson are seemingly one in-person conversation away from determining if they will collaborate in Austin.
Sarkisian is interested in adding Patterson to his staff. Texas’ total defense was ranked 100th in the country this season and 114th against the run (there are 130 teams). Pete K defense was ranked eighth in the Big 12 and eighth against the run. In addition, Texas was ranked seventh in sacks within the Big 12 and 97th nationally.
Patterson resigned as the winningest coach in TCU history with a 181-79 record. He led TCU to a 13-0 record and Rose Bowl victory during the 2010 season. Patterson led the Horned Frogs to three double-digit win seasons in four seasons from 2014-17. In 2014, the Horned Frogs won 12 games and shared the Big 12 title.
“You know the thing with Gary, I've got obviously a great deal of respect for Gary. I think it's 24 years or something like that at TCU. He’s done a fantastic job. Really built that program into what it is and make it one of the more desirable jobs in the country. I give him a lot of credit for that. I know he's trying to figure out you know in what capacity does he want to continue this profession. We have not made any determination on if we would want him here or if he would want to be here. But the reality is there's definitely a level of respect for the job that he's done at TCU.”
Sarkisian and Patterson just need to meet in-person to determine if they would like to work together.
The two coaches were slated to meet in Austin on Thursday, but that interview was postponed due to Sarkisian’s focus on recruiting, according to multiple sources. The deadline for a recruit to sign their NLI paperwork is at 11:59 p.m. on Friday. The next available signing period begins on February 2.
Patterson does not want to join a new staff as a defensive coordinator or position coach, according to multiple sources. Instead, Patterson would rather have a role higher than an analyst. Patterson previously hired Jerry Kill to be a “special assistant to the head coach in charge of offense” in 2020 at TCU. I was told Patterson would like a similar role at Texas. However, Sarkisian and Patterson would need to agree on the title.
According to my sources, Patterson does want to join the Longhorn program. Multiple programs have contacted Patterson and are interested in adding the coach to their respective staff. Patterson wants to lead a college program as a head coach in the future and his next move will be strategic.
I was told Patterson will only join a program he believes can compete for a conference title. Patterson is not interested in wasting time. Patterson wants to help turnaround a program and parlay that success into becoming a head coach again. If Patterson joins the Longhorns, it will show how much he believes in Sarkisian.
The biggest determining factor will be how Sarkisian and Patterson mesh in-person. Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte has a good relationship with Patterson. In addition, former Texas athletic director DeLoss Dodds and Patterson are close friends. Sarkisian does not have a similar history of familiarity with Patterson. However, each coach wants to win, and considering Patterson is not interested in displacing any coach on Sarkisian’s staff, the partnership could work for both coaches.
We will keep you posted.
*****
There have been several warranted questions about Jared Wiley’s future at Texas.
As of Thursday night, everyone inside of the building is waiting to hear an answer from Wiley.
Wiley entered Texas as a freshman in 2019. Former Texas football coach Tom Herman once told Orangebloods he believed Wiley would be a future NFL player. Last season, Riley compiled nine receptions for 67 yards and two touchdowns. Wiley has 19 receptions for 248 yards and three touchdowns after three seasons.
However, Wiley graduated from Texas this month with a degree in Physical Culture & Sports with an Education track in December as a junior. Longhorn observers have pondered whether Wiley will play for Texas as a grad transfer next season. Wiley’s coaches are unsure about his future at Texas, too.
According to my sources, Wiley has not told the Longhorn staff if he intends to continue playing football at Texas or if he will enter the transfer portal. Wiley has the opportunity to replace Cade Brewer in the starting lineup next season. He will need to compete against Gunnar Helm, Juan Davis, Ja’Tavion Sanders, three tight ends who were praised by Sarkisian this season, for playing time next season.
Multiple sources told me that Wiley wants to play in a system that features tight ends as pass-catchers.
I was told Wiley is entertaining transfer options within the state. If Wiley does intend to transfer, he will need to enter the portal soon to participate in the winter conditioning program at another school.
We should know Wiley’s future within the upcoming weeks.
*****
(From Suchomel)
Before we discuss some of the remaining 2022 targets, an update on Ohio State transfer DB Ryan Watts …
A source close to Watts tells me the Longhorns are in a great spot for the former Little Elm standout, but they’re not alone. I’m told that Baylor has made a strong push of late and has made this a near 50/50 race.
Watts has been talking to Texas cornerbacks coach Cory Joseph daily and has spoken with Steve Sarkisian a couple times as well.
When Watts first entered the portal, Texas was the runaway leader but Baylor has made a surge, thanks in part to the fact that Watts already knew Baylor head coach Dave Aranda and cornerbacks coach Kevin Curtis.
Watts hopes to have a decision soon, probably sometime next week. Texas has talked to him about the opportunity for early playing time at the boundary corner position. There’s been a lot of talk about Watts and Terrance Brooks, who is at Little Elm now, wanting to play together in college but I continue to hear that those talks are overblown … those two really don’t even know each other well with Brooks transferring into Little Elm as Watts was leaving.
I still favor Texas in this one but it’s not a certainty per a person close to the situation on Thursday afternoon.
*****
Evan Stewart is finally officially off the board. Tough loss for Texas, but it’s probably nice for everyone (including yours truly) to be able to turn the page on this one. Let’s take a quick look at the remaining guys on the Longhorns’ radar for 2022, with the usual caveat that things can and probably will change in a hurry with many of these players.
WR Caleb Douglas – Missouri City Hightower – Texas put a late offer on the table for the former USC commit, and the plan has always been (since decommitting) for Douglas to take some time and decide in February. Per his coach, there have been a number of schools interested in Douglas since he hit the open market. We’ll check in with him soon to get a feel for his January visit plans and to see if Texas is pushing to be one of those trips. A comment from Hightower head coach Cornelius Anthony:
“Everything comes so easily to him because he’s so naturally gifted and talented. For him to be a guy that’s 6-4, he’s probably going to be 6-5 or 6-6 because he’s still growing. He has the fastest shuttle time on our team. Things just come very easily to him.”
OL Devon Campbell – Arlington Bowie – This one’s interesting. Campbell tweeted this week that he’s down to Texas and Oklahoma, and he won’t have a decision until NSD2 in February. I still expect that to be the case, but Texas does continue to work on trying to get him to sign in this early window so the staff can then turn its attention to some portal players. Texas has always been in a good spot here, but it’s understandable if UT fans are a bit nervous about the fact that Campbell has just been unable to pull the trigger on a final decision for some reason. Bill Bedenbaugh staying at Oklahoma keeps the Sooners alive and Campbell could take a second OU official visit if he wants because of the coaching change. We’ll see if Texas can somehow wrap this one up before the end of the week. The guess here is that it goes the distance and remains tightly-contested race until the end.
OL Earnest Greene – St. John Bosco – Texas has been playing from behind in this one for the entirety of Greene’s recruitment, but the Longhorns have done a good job of hanging around near the top of the list while other teams have slip up and down the pecking order. Heading into Wednesday, Georgia was believed to be the clear leader and that is still believed to be the case, although one West Coast source said Greene has been spending a lot of time with a trainer who is close to Sarkisian. That can’t hurt, but this one still feels like it’ll fall UGA’s way. Greene will announce his commitment at the All-American Bowl on January 8.
DE Omari Abor – Duncanville – I’d kind of pushed Abor to the very fringe of my radar after he never made a UT official visit but per his father on Wednesday, the Longhorns are still in the race. At one point this one was all Oklahoma. When the Sooners fell off, it looked like it was all Ohio State but Abor has been unable to take the plunge for the Buckeyes. He’s scheduled to announce at the Under Armour AA game. I need to get a better feel for this one but it still feels like an uphill climb for Texas if for no other reason that the Longhorns have been behind other schools for all of Abor’s recruitment and weren’t even being considered for much of it.
LB Harold Perkins – Cy Park – Texas A&M continues to be the pick here, unless he really likes what he sees and hears from the new LSU staff. Perkins is scheduled to announce at the Under-Armour All-America game on January 2. Texas will keep working here but the Longhorns appear to be a longshot.
LB TJ Dudley – Montgomery (AL) Catholic – The former Oregon commitment is back on the market and told OB he’s not signing until February, so there’s time for Texas to evaluate their numbers on this one before possibly turning up the heat. Dudley did take a Texas official visit during the summer. It feels like the staff would have to get him back on campus again but we’ll continue to monitor.
DB Denver Harris – North Shore – He’ll announce on Saturday. Per a source on Thursday, don’t make it a point to be around your computer.
S Jacoby Mathews – Ponchatoula (LA) – He’ll sign in February and told people recently he wants to take more visits in January. Texas could get one of those (it would have to be an unofficial) because he likes the opportunity UT presents for early playing time, but that would be a bit of a surprise. Alabama, LSU and Texas A&M are the main schools to watch here, depending on what their numbers look like next month.
S Larry Turner-Gooden – Mission Hills (CA) Bishop Alemany – This is one where I don’t have a great handle on things. If Texas has room and pushes (still working to confirm that), the Longhorns will have a strong chance. If not, it’ll be Colorado or Maryland. He’ll sign this week and announce at the All-American Bowl on January 8.
ATH Kendrick Law – Shreveport (LA) Captain Shreve – He’s scheduled to announce on Friday. Alabama had him locked up recently and assuming the Tide still has the available numbers, it’ll go that way on Friday afternoon. LSU has made a hard charge of late and there’s some thought that the Tigers could actually be the Tide’s biggest threat, which is interesting because it had been a Texas-Bama race. The Longhorns would have to really surge late here and would need Law to have a late change of heart to win out. Not ideal, but in this cycle, not out of the question either.
******
(From Cole Patterson)
Steve Sarkisian and the Texas Longhorns pulled off one of the biggest splashes on the first day of the early signing period by flipping Little Elm defensive back Terrance Brooks from Ohio State. Brooks had been committed to the Buckeyes since July before switching his decision when it was finally time to put pen to paper.
The Longhorns chipped away in Brooks’ recruitment for the last several months. Texas was not going wave the white flag on a blue-chip prospect in its own state – despite Brooks being a Texas A&M legacy and committed to Ohio State.
That resilience paid off for Sarkisian in a big way. Although Brooks did not announce his intentions to sign with the Longhorns until Wednesday morning at The Star in Frisco, he told Orangebloods afterwards that he knew where he was going “two weeks ago”.
“I knew it was going to be Texas about two weeks ago,” Brooks said on Wednesday.
Relationships played a big role in Brooks ultimately choosing for the burnt orange over the scarlet and gray. Longhorns secondary coach Terry Joseph deserves a ton of credit in pulling off one of NSD1’s biggest surprises.
“Just talking to coach Joseph, talking to Sark, seeing how things will be, seeing what the opportunities will be after football, it felt like a good plan,” Brooks said. “I saw a clear path with (Texas).”
The UnderArmour All-American is considered a top-50 prospect in the 2022 class. In addition to Texas and Ohio State, Brooks held offers from Alabama – where he took an official visit, Auburn, Clemson, Florida, LSU, Michigan, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, and Texas A&M, among others.
He explained that he was looking for opportunities in playing time and academics when making his final decision. The Little Elm standout pointed to Sarkisian’s genuineness and the plan that Texas has for him on and off the field as to why the Longhorns were the pick.
Brooks is aware of the success that Ohio State has had in the state of Texas in recent history. The Buckeyes have added Texas high school products Garrett Wilson, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Jeffrey Okudah, and several others of the past decade. Quinn Ewers, of course, enrolled at Ohio State a few short months ago before entering the transfer portal.
Brooks is hoping that his decision to stay home and play for Texas is the start of a new trend for players in the Lone Star State.
“I feel like (my decision) is the start of the process of building Texas up again, especially with all the recruits that are coming in, all the good players that are coming in, and with the coaching staff.
“You know the support system will be there from Texas, as well. And it will just feel like a special place when I get there.”
The Longhorns still have some work to do to keep top talent home, but Wednesday was certainly a huge step in the right direction in that regard.
Terrance Brooks is the second-highest ranked recruit in the Texas class, only behind 5-star Summer Creek offensive lineman Kelvin Banks. Brooks gives Sarkisian a massive win on the recruiting trail and a potential impact, game-changing difference maker in the secondary as soon as he steps foot on campus.
****
(Ketch)
There has been some confusion in recent weeks over the exact rules centered around the chances to the scholarship rules with regards to the Portal. I reached out to the NCAA's media office this week with a series of questions in hopes of getting some finality on some of the specifics in play.
#1 - If a school has a high enough level of attrition that they qualify for 7 new incoming players, must all seven be transfers or can they be high school prospects. Is the 25-person scholarship limit still in play, even if schools need to replace players in the Portal?
"A school that qualifies for relief under the waiver approved by the Division I Council has the discretion to decide whether the college athletes who replace the transferring students are high school prospects or transfers."
#2 - Could a school take more incoming transfers than high school prospects? For instance, could a school use 20 of its 25 incoming scholarship numbers on transfer if they wanted?
"Yes, the 25-person scholarship limit is “still in play” – the blanket waiver affords flexibility to schools who reach that annual signing limit and/or initial counter limit and have counters departing who satisfy the blanket waiver’s conditions"
#3 - Schools will only be allowed to replace players who enter the portal after either the end of the institution’s fall term or Dec. 15, 2021 per the initial release. That's a bit confusing. If a school has 10 players enter the portal before 12/15/21, but only two after that date, they can only replace two, even if they are... say... 5 under the 85-person limit?
"The waiver allows schools to replace up to seven student-athletes who both depart the institution on or after Dec. 15, 2021 or the end of the school’s fall term and would have been academically eligible to compete in the school’s next regular academic term. The date the student enters the NCAA Transfer Portal is not a consideration when a school is determining whether or not a departing student enables the school to use the blanket waiver to replace that student."
Key takeaways:
1. Sark can take any combination of high school prospects/transfers he wants in getting to 33 (1 + 25 + 7).
2. Anyone that departs the program with full academic eligibility coming out of the fall semester is allowed to be considered for the waiver process of seeking additional scholarship help. The specific date of entering the portal doesn't matter.
*****
(Womack)
Breakdown of “Keep Austin Beard” New Episode
Main points:
- Seton Hall wins the game, 64-60
- Despite playing solid defense in the second half, Texas couldn’t execute offensively down the stretch.
- They shoot 1/13 from three, which will win you approximately 0 games.
- After 37 points in the first half, and shooting 60%, they still couldn’t separate themselves from Seton Hall.
- Execution was particularly bad at the end - mismanaging the clock was a huge issue.
- Texas only forced nine turnovers, while beforehand averaging 21 TOs forced per game.
- Texas doesn’t have any big wins this year, and also haven’t been in any tight games, so it’s not surprising that they struggled at the end of the game.
- It was great to see Dylan Disu play, coming back from injury vs. Arkansas-PIne Bluff.
- Longhorns are 353rd out of 358 teams in pace of play
- Texas doesn’t really have three-point shooting. 6/19 vs Arkansas-Pine Bluff
- We’d like to see more confidence from the guards.
- The team passes up a lot of open shots.
- Baylor is the best team in the nation, and is the best defensive team - they held Villanova under 40 points.
- The Big 12 might be the best conference in college basketball.
- Oklahoma crushed no. 12 Arkansas by 22 points.
- Big 12 play makes teams ready for the NCAA tournament.
- Stanford is a P6 opponent, but Texas should be better than they are.
- Stanford has lost three games, two by 20+ points and one to Colorado.
- Harrison Ingram, five-star SF from St. Mark’s in Dallas, is the Cardinal’s best player.
- Dylan Disu was a huge addition and will change the way the team operates.
