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(From Anwar)
On the surface, there really was not a lot to learn about Texas’ football team after the spring game.
The windy conditions made it nearly impossible for quarterbacks to throw passes. The offense was really one-dimensional, which aided the defense. Even when Sam Ehlinger or Casey Thompson could have completed passes, those balls were dropped by receivers. It just was not pretty.
Basically, the spring game forced us to rely on the information we gained from those within the program throughout the 15 spring practices. Everyone close to the situation was happy with Texas’ offense. They were pleased with how the defense progressed. From what I can tell, this was the most productive spring of Tom Herman’s tenure at Texas.
I spent this week trying to determine the biggest takeaway from folks inside the building. Other than being reminded that it was just one practice, there were a couple of interesting tidbits worth sharing.
From what I was told, the spring game is viewed as a learning lesson for both sides of the ball. It goes beyond the weather, or any other factor.
This past Saturday was the first time Texas’ offense faced adversity this offseason and did not handle it well, according to sources. Texas’ offense dominated the first two scrimmages. In fact, the second scrimmage was described as brutal for the defense by multiple people in attendance. The offense dominated most practices due to the explosiveness of running backs Keaontay Ingram and Jordan Whittington, along with standout receivers, such as Malcolm Epps, Brennan Eagles, Joshua Moore, Jordan Pouncey, Al’Vonte Woodard, and tight end Cade Brewer.
However, I was told the teaching moment for this offense was learning they could be humbled.
And they were.
Meanwhile, I was informed this defense received much-needed life. They capitalized on an opportunity to shine, and as a result, gained confidence after the spring game.
“It’s a really good thing that our defense stopped getting crapped on,” I was told. “They realized they could be really good.”
After my conversations, it appeared everyone was extremely satisfied with the development of this year’s team during spring practice.
As a reminder, phase one was winter conditioning, while phase two was spring practice. Texas is about to enter phase three, which is fall/summer conditioning, before training camp begins the final phase.
“We’ve got roughly a month of workouts here before guys are done with finals, so we’ll train, we’ll lift, a little bit of running,” Herman said after Saturday’s game. “Most of the work will be in the weight room this month. A lot of focus on academics and finishing the semester strong. They’ll get a couple of weeks off after finals, and then they’ll come back for summer school. The months of June and July are really, really important in the development of your team because you’ve also got these incoming freshmen who were not early enrollees.”
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There is good news and bad news as relates to the secondary.
I will get the bad news out of the way first.
Texas cornerback Anthony Cook performed well this spring, but my sources said he has a really bad hamstring injury and is expected to miss the next six weeks of workouts. Obviously, the main goal is to have Cook ready for training camp, but he will be sidelined for a while.
The good news is the cornerback situation is starting to become a lot clearer.
Jalen Green stood out to Longhorn observers in the spring game because he was very active, and he rocked Malcolm Epps and Whittington on separate plays. However, Green also caught the attention of others during practice, and now would be a great time to see if there is any space left on his bandwagon.
From what I was told, it would be a shock if Green was not a starter heading into week one. Green performed so well during winter conditioning and spring practice, he will likely enter training camp as the man to beat.
In addition, D’Shawn Jamison has the inside track at the other cornerback position.
Kobe Boyce and Cook are still in the mix for playing time, but Green and Jamison have established themselves this spring.
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Speaking of the secondary, Texas has a good problem at safety.
Caden Sterns and Brandon Jones missed most of this spring due to injuries, which created opportunities for B.J. Foster and DeMarvion Overshown. Both players performed well in practice, which means Texas will have multiple players at safety with the ability to start, but there will be guys who do not see the field.
I inquired about what the heck Texas will do with some many talented players who may not see significant playing time this season because of talent at the safety position.
The response was very interesting.
I was told Texas will have three defensive lineman and two cornerbacks on the field most of the time. Right now, they are figuring out how to put the other six best players out there.
That could mean putting Jeffrey McCullouch, Joseph Ossai and multiple safeties on the field. You may not see a traditional defense since the Big 12 is such a pass-happy conference.
There is a long time between now and the regular season, but that is one thought that is being tossed around inside the building.
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(From Suchomel)
The Longhorns hosted a large number of top targets for Saturday’s Orange-White game – both uncommitted and committed. One of the most high profile visitors was offensive lineman Chad Lindberg.
The Rivals100 member from Clear Creek is no stranger to the Texas campus and in checking with his mother, Emily Lindberg, it sounds like it was another very productive visit for both the Longhorns and for Lindberg.
Prior to the spring game visit, Lindberg and his mother spent some time with the families of other Texas commitments at Hudson Card’s place. The friendships Lindberg has formed with guys like Card, Logan Parr and Jake Majors could be elements that will weigh in Texas’ favor as Lindberg’s recruitment goes on.
“The Cards, Parrs and Majors families were all there and it was great to talk outside of a recruiting situation. The boys all really seem to get along, and it was fun to hang out with people that know our situation. Chad is the only person at his school that’s really even being recruited, so most people truly have no idea what it’s like. I think this has a huge impact on Chad,” Mrs. Lindberg said. “He wants to play with smart players and all of those kids are intelligent, well-spoken and good football players. He told me on the way home that he can see spending the next 4-5 years with them. They already Snapchat (or whatever) all the time, so there is a definite bond growing.”
Lindberg was a little late getting to campus so was sent straight to the field, where he got to rub elbows with other recruits, former Longhorn players and Matthe McConaughey.
“I think the highlights for Chad were taking a pic with Matthew McConaughey and Jamaal Charles and hanging out with Hudson, Jake, Logan, Jaylan and Vernon Broughton,” Mrs. Lindberg said.
Texas will got another chance to make an impression in a few weeks. Lindberg will be back in Austin for his official visit the weekend of May 3. He’s also planning to take visits this spring to Georgia and LSU. Stanford, a team some consider to be UT’s biggest threat, could also get a visit but the timing of the way the Cardinal program handles visits could impact things.
“Our first OV will be … at Texas. Some may see this as a bad thing as they will not get the last impression, but I think it gives UT a chance to set the bar,” Mrs. Lindberg said. “It will be the first time my husband will be on a visit, so I’m excited to see what he thinks. My UT son will hopefully be able to hang out with us on the OV as well. We already have a date for his Georgia visit set and I think the other one is LSU. It really makes it hard that Stanford doesn’t do their OVs until after early signing day. Chad will either have to save a visit or decide against Stanford.”
All in all, the Longhorns continue to sit in a good position in this one but the upcoming official visits will play a big role in Lindberg’s ultimate decision.
“The UT staff has done a great job recruiting. Every visit we have been on has been really well-executed and I feel like they have really made Chad feel like a priority,” Mrs. Lindberg said. “They have made us feel really welcome and I feel like it’s not forced. I know they just want him to commit so he can help the recruiting process, but he’s simply not ready.”
In my previous conversations with Lindberg, he’s mentioned the possibility of a summer commitment, but also said he won’t force the issue if he’s not ready. Regardless of the when, Texas will be a school that will figure heavily into Lindberg's decision.
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Tucson Salpointe Rivals100 RB Bijan Robinson and 2021 OL teammate Jonah Miller were other top prospects that were in Austin last weekend. Robinson has been a top UT target for a while and Miller, who had visited UT previously, picked up a UT offer while in town last week.
I caught up with Salpointe head coach Dennis Bene, who brought the two players to Austin, to get his thoughts. Before I get to those, a few notes …
--- It sounds like the visit for Robinson could not have gone much better. Bene said Robinson really hit it off with Stan Drayton, Tim Beck and the rest of the staff. “Those guys (Robinson and Drayton) had a good connection.”
--- Prior to the spring game, Robinson sat in on the running backs meetings, which he really liked. He got a good feel for how Drayton coaches and I was told it was “a really good experience.”
--- Ohio State, Texas, UCLA, Washington, Oklahoma and Arizona are the schools Bene told me are standing out for Robinson.
--- Robinson and Kelee Ringo are friends. In fact, the two were talking on FaceTime before Robinson visited Texas. He also met Jake Smith and his family while in Austin and Bene said he liked what he heard from them.
“I think they (the Longhorns) have a real shot at the end of the day,” Bene said.
On Bene's impressions on the visit:
“I thought the weekend was outstanding. Coach Herman and his entire staff were first class. It was a really neat experience for my players to interact with the Texas players. The Texas players are very welcoming to these high school kids. It really made them feel at ease and feel at home. I thought the kids left there very impressed with the class at which the Texas staff and players conducted themselves and carry themselves.”
On what Texas stressed to Robinson:
“There’s a need (at running back) and there’s a fit. I think their scheme fits Bijan’s skill set. They do a lot of one-back, some two-back stuff, some no-back stuff so they have a lot of created ways to get their athletes out in space. I think that was one of the main messages, not only is there a need but there’s a great fit. And Bijan was really impressed by the talent and the youth of their linemen. They have a lot of young linemen, so the future at that position is very bright, and that’s an important position for Bijan to pay attention to.”
On the possibility of Robinson returning to UT for an official visit:
I thought Bijan came away very impressed with the entire staff. The facilities are really, really nice and they talked about the $200 million addition to the facilities and those types of things. But I want Bijan to focus on the people and I thought the people were fantastic. The weight room, the strength staff and the facilities were outstanding. Coach Hand as an O-line coach, and obviously coach Beck and coach Drayton – coach Drayton was really impressive, spent a lot of time with Bijan. I’m very confident Bijan will take an official to Texas.
“Nothing is set up at this point. I do know the Texas coaches (Drayton and Craig Naivar) are going to come by next Wednesday. They’ll come to Salpointe … and just keep working on the relationship. And then hopefully at that time, Bijan can solidify some kind of date to take a trip.”
On Jonah Miller and it being his second time on the UT camps:
“Yes, it was. I set up (the first) trip for him and his dad to stop by because they were going to be in Austin. So I told the coaches ‘This kid is legit and if there’s any time you guys would have for him to stop by and say hi.’ So it was a really good trip for him. We were going back and he enjoyed it so much (the first time), I said ‘Hey do you want to come back?’ Obviously the trip was important for Bijan because he’s a 2020, but then Jonah was able to spend a lot of time with coach Hand and around the O-linemen, really get a better feel for the culture and the environment with all the kids around. It was outstanding. They ended up extending an offer to him, so it was obviously a huge, huge weekend for that young man. Jonah really, really likes Texas.”
On Bene's biggest takeaway from the weekend:
“I think the neatest thing was to see my players interact with the Texas players. I have to say, the Texas players were fantastic. I mean really engaged with my kids, very welcoming. It was really neat to see. My kids just walked away from there with an outstanding feeling with the type of culture, the type of environment, the type of young people that are at Texas. It was pretty cool.”
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Arlington athlete Jahari Rogers was another top prospect who was in town and like his previous visits, Rogers said the Texas staff made him feel at home and gave him a lot to think about.
“Really it’s just the comfortablity with the coaches. The conversations I had with them were really the highlight,” Rogers said. “They made me feel so comfortable and at home. We just talk about regular every-day stuff. Some coaches just want to talk about the play (on the field), we really talked about more than just football, at home stuff. That’s what kind of set them apart when I was talking to them.”
Rogers said he had a private conversation with Tom Herman before the game and he also spent a lot of time talking to Jason Washington. The 6-0, 170-pounder has official visits set up for Arkansas and Florida in May and said he’ll probably take one to Texas in June.
Earlier this month, Rogers posted a top eight of Georgia Tech, Oklahoma, Florida, Texas, LSU, Arkansas, Miami and TCU. His upcoming visits could shake things up, but Texas, OU and Florida are the three teams to beat in this one right now. Wherever he winds up, Rogers said his decision won’t necessarily be based on an easy path to playing time. Instead, he said he wants to pick a school that will allow him to compete for championships.
“Wherever I go I’m going to have to play to the best of my ability to get on the field. So that’s not a problem. I’ve been working my butt off to play,” Rogers said. “It’s really how I feel with the coaches. And how the team looks in the future. I want to go somewhere where we can win a national championship or conference championships.”
Early on, a lot of people were predicting Rogers to be all but locked in to Oklahoma because his grandfather played there in the Barry Switzer years. In my conversations with Rogers, I’ve never got the impression that he was an OU lock (he’s literally told me his Texas visit was his best), and he said this week that anyone thinking he’s automatically going to Oklahoma is making a mistake.
“A lot of people have been saying that. But their eyes will be opened in a couple months. We’ll see how that goes,” Rogers said.
Another element that’s been discussed at length is Rogers and 7-on-7 teammate Ryan Watts wanting to play together in college. Could happen, but Rogers said the two are in no way a package deal.
“It’s a possibility, but it’s not locked in. He has his likes and differences, I have my likes and differences,” Rogers said. “We’ll just have to talk, see how that goes. Wherever he goes, I’ll be 100 percent behind him because he’s like family. It is a possibility but it’s not locked in.”
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Joshua Eaton is another top DB target for Texas, and he too was at Saturday’s spring game. Getting Eaton on campus again was big for the Longhorns chances because when I spoke with him early last week, it was LSU that seemed to be surging in his recruitment. Now, after the UT visit, it feels like Texas is back in the driver’s seat.
“It was phenomenal. From the moment I got here to the moment I left,” Eaton said. “The energy, the game. It was incredible. The atmosphere. Little kids were coming up to me, telling me they liked my tweet (about the visit). That just made my day.”
Along with Texas, Eaton said LSU, OU, Florida and Oregon are schools that are standing out. He’s not planning to make an early decision and said he wants to take his official visits in the fall so he can see game atmospheres.
Texas coaches Craig Naivar and Washington have made a strong impression on the Aldine MacArthur standout.
“I love both of them. They’re funny guys. They keep it real every time, show me love when I’m with them,” Eaton said. “When I’m not with them, they’re texting me and touching base every day.”
Before we hung up, I told Eaton I have my Rivals FutureCast pick for him in for Texas. I asked him if that was a smart or not-so-smart move on my part.
“That’s smart,” he said.
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A quick update on Frisco Reedy offensive lineman Nate Anderson …
Texas coach Herb Hand stopped by his school on Thursday to get a look. No offer yet, but Anderson said Hand told him he needs to get to Austin soon for a visit. Anderson is planning to make that happen. If Texas does enter this race with an offer, the Longhorns might immediately move to the top of his list.
