Texas football coach Tom Herman addressed the media after Monday’s spring practice and here are the highlights of his press conference:
--- Herman said the players were a little rusty and gassed after the lack of practice during spring break, but he liked their effort level and professionalism. There are a lot of players leading my example, according to Herman.
--- Herman on Casey Thompson: “Very pleased. We got to get him some reps with the ones because sometimes the twos … especially in the spring when your numbers are limited, and you’re still waiting on most of that freshman class to come in, it can get ugly sometimes. Balls snapping over your head. Guys running through gaps because of missed assignments. We’re going to slowly start working him in with the ones, just so we can evaluate him a little bit more, but he’s been doing great so far.”
--- Some of the players who have surprised Herman have been Keaontay Ingram because he has gained between 12 and 14 pounds. Herman said Ingram is seeing the plays develop, and he has more vision. Ayodele Adeoye is moving well and has slimmed up, according to Herman.
--- Herman on Sam Ehlinger being the main guy in the quarterback room: “Obviously, as a starter last year, it was hard for Shane to lead from the position that he was in. I said to everybody that I’ve been blessed. From Kenny Guiton at Ohio State to Shane Buechele. It doesn’t get any better than that in terms of a backup quarterback. Sam has grown. You saw him last year really focus on himself while this year he’s focusing on everybody. The whole people in glass houses kind of deal, get your house in order before you start talking to other people. I think the other guys believe in his ability to play, and he can take the next step as a leader, which is mentoring guys.”
--- The one thing that really has stood out to me is how big Herman’s receivers are. Many of them are tall with long arms. I asked Herman if he specifically went after guys with height and here was his response: “You still got to run. Brennan [Eagles] is probably the best example of that. Collin and Malcolm are great jump-ball guys. There’s a definitive what we look for in those three positions. The last two years were a little different because he couldn’t keep LJ on the sidelines. He was one guy of those three best receivers who could play in the slot. We had to change a little bit The Z is going to run goes and posts and he’s going to block on perimeter runs, so he has to be a strong guy that can run really fast. The X we don’t mind if he’s a notch or two slower, but he’s going to be a big body. Anytime we get one-on-one coverage to the boundary, we’re going to take it. The H is H for hybrid. Part running back, part slot receiver. To answer your question, yes, it was intentional in terms of recruiting those body types. I think at H, we just happened to get pretty lucky that the guys who had that skillset, like Josh Moore and Jake Smith and Jordan Whittington, which was going to be his original position, those are all guys … I think Jake is the shortest at 5-10. We were just fortunate that position also had some height, but definitely with two outside positions, we want them big.”
--- Herman said he has been keeping up with the track times of safety Tyler Owens in high school. He described Owens as a ball of clay they will enjoy coaching.
--- Herman said they are pushing Malcolm Roach and Brandon Jones to become leaders this season.
--- When asked about Daniel Young, Herman said his running back is still in the mix with Jordan Whittington and Ingram. In addition, Herman is very pleased with the running back room.
--- Herman said the players were a little rusty and gassed after the lack of practice during spring break, but he liked their effort level and professionalism. There are a lot of players leading my example, according to Herman.
--- Herman on Casey Thompson: “Very pleased. We got to get him some reps with the ones because sometimes the twos … especially in the spring when your numbers are limited, and you’re still waiting on most of that freshman class to come in, it can get ugly sometimes. Balls snapping over your head. Guys running through gaps because of missed assignments. We’re going to slowly start working him in with the ones, just so we can evaluate him a little bit more, but he’s been doing great so far.”
--- Some of the players who have surprised Herman have been Keaontay Ingram because he has gained between 12 and 14 pounds. Herman said Ingram is seeing the plays develop, and he has more vision. Ayodele Adeoye is moving well and has slimmed up, according to Herman.
--- Herman on Sam Ehlinger being the main guy in the quarterback room: “Obviously, as a starter last year, it was hard for Shane to lead from the position that he was in. I said to everybody that I’ve been blessed. From Kenny Guiton at Ohio State to Shane Buechele. It doesn’t get any better than that in terms of a backup quarterback. Sam has grown. You saw him last year really focus on himself while this year he’s focusing on everybody. The whole people in glass houses kind of deal, get your house in order before you start talking to other people. I think the other guys believe in his ability to play, and he can take the next step as a leader, which is mentoring guys.”
--- The one thing that really has stood out to me is how big Herman’s receivers are. Many of them are tall with long arms. I asked Herman if he specifically went after guys with height and here was his response: “You still got to run. Brennan [Eagles] is probably the best example of that. Collin and Malcolm are great jump-ball guys. There’s a definitive what we look for in those three positions. The last two years were a little different because he couldn’t keep LJ on the sidelines. He was one guy of those three best receivers who could play in the slot. We had to change a little bit The Z is going to run goes and posts and he’s going to block on perimeter runs, so he has to be a strong guy that can run really fast. The X we don’t mind if he’s a notch or two slower, but he’s going to be a big body. Anytime we get one-on-one coverage to the boundary, we’re going to take it. The H is H for hybrid. Part running back, part slot receiver. To answer your question, yes, it was intentional in terms of recruiting those body types. I think at H, we just happened to get pretty lucky that the guys who had that skillset, like Josh Moore and Jake Smith and Jordan Whittington, which was going to be his original position, those are all guys … I think Jake is the shortest at 5-10. We were just fortunate that position also had some height, but definitely with two outside positions, we want them big.”
--- Herman said he has been keeping up with the track times of safety Tyler Owens in high school. He described Owens as a ball of clay they will enjoy coaching.
--- Herman said they are pushing Malcolm Roach and Brandon Jones to become leaders this season.
--- When asked about Daniel Young, Herman said his running back is still in the mix with Jordan Whittington and Ingram. In addition, Herman is very pleased with the running back room.
