Official Orangebloods Bullshit Meter
5 - Total and undeniable bullshit (Vince Young hurt his hand in a fight the night before Texas/OU)
4 - Probably bullshit, but we probably shouldn't be emphatic about it
3 - There's enough of a possibility of it being true, that we should file it away just in case.
2 - You think it's probably going to happen, but things can change in the blink of an eye. (It's Austin.)
1 - Total and undeniable truth
Let's get on with it.
Rumor No. 1: Ryan Wingo’s minor injury isn’t a reason for concern at all
Grade: 2
It’s never good news for any team to lose its projected number one receiver, especially when breaking in a (mostly) new quarterback, but multiple people downplayed to OB the impact of this issue for a couple of different reasons. For one, Wingo and Arch Manning have already developed a very strong connection with their timing over Wingo’s 15 months on campus, and by resting Wingo it will allow the staff to see what it has in some of the young pups on the roster. People behind the scenes don’t feel it’s a long-term concern at all.
Rumor No. 2: Aaron Butler is ready to step up
Grade: 3
Interestingly, @Alex Dunlap reported earlier this week that he had heard wide receiver Aaron Butler was able to step up in Wing’s absence. We hadn’t read his report, but other sources indicated the same thing when checking around later in the day. “You all aren’t talking enough about Butler,” one person said, before citing Butler’s speed and elusiveness as elements that are standing out. We’re not ready to stick our neck out too far for a player who has never logged minutes at Texas, but multiple people this week indicated that there’s confidence he’ll finish with a strong season.
Rumor No. 3: Arch Manning is the unquestioned leader of this team
Grade: 2
Manning is only a couple of weeks in to being the “official” starter at quarterback, but this one shouldn’t come as a surprise. In talking to a team source this weekend, that person said this is definitely Manning’s team from a player-leadership perspective. I mentioned that in my observation during the open practice window that Manning commands respect but he didn’t seem overly vocal. The response … “yeah, but you don’t want to get THAT look from Manning.”
Rumor No. 4: Don’t get too hung up on the heights and weights on the official UT roster
Grade: 1
File this one in the “duh” category, but it’s always a big talking point when the rosters are released about players’ heights and weights. Those are good for talking points or references, but they’re either outdated or exaggerated (in either direction). In talking to a team source this week, we were told that there are a few weights that were 8-10 pounds off, and we’re not talking about OL or DL that tip the scales at over 300 pounds.
Rumor No. 5: Texas leads for legacy target Jalen Lott
Grade: 5
We feel confident in saying this isn’t true, thus the rating of 5. But we’re also stressing that fans shouldn’t panic, because there’s room for movement. From what we’ve heard, the one “weakness” of the team in front is that Lott wants to be coached by someone who has a wealth of experience/knowledge at the position he’s being recruited at. Texas can offer that with Mark Orphey’s experience as a player at cornerback, or Chris Jackson’s experience playing/coaching at a high level at wide receiver. Texas may need to drive that home to get over the hump.
Rumor No. 6: Texas is a strong contender for Stanford edge transfer David Bailey
Grade: 4
Stanford transfer David Bailey visited Texas this week, following up a visit to Texas Tech. He’s at UCLA to end the week before he’s expected to make a final decision. Bailey doesn’t say much (or anything, really) but the word we’re hearing is that Texas Tech made a very competitive NIL offer, the Red Raiders offer a more attractive path to playing time and Bailey will eventually side with Texas Tech, barring a late shift.
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