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*****
Nothing compares to the time that Anwar left on vacation for one week and then came back home to see Austin snowed-over in a recruiting avalanche led by Arch Manning, but it does appear that the week of the 4th of July was a productive one for Texas while I was away.
For my part, I took the time off to take my kids to Kalahari (I fear that this is going to become an annual tradition until they become teenagers and tire of the overpriced money-trap). Mainly, I freed up time to work on transitioning my fantasy football cheat sheets from being based in relatively-niche best-ball average draft position to true, good-old-fashioned, season-long, managed-league sheets for home, office and more casual, traditional formats. It's one of the bigger chores of my yearly calendar to run all of those updated simulations, so the time off was helpful with that. Almost as importantly, I had some backyard pool and yard games time where I of course was listening to audiobooks, one of which I will give a review of here at the end of this column -- so stay tuned for that.
And as much as you probably like cornhole, ladder toss and Molkky, I think you're more interested in the last week or so that Texas had.
I pre-wrote a few columns for last week that the OB crew sort of tag-teamed, giving evaluations on Colin Simmons and Kobe Black, but the last stand-alone article I wrote on the site prior to those was on Tuesday June 27th, since my Thursday content that week was integrated into the War Room. Since that most recent article, there is a lot to catch up on.
Today, I'll talk about the players Texas picked up on the offensive side of the football over the last week or two, and then on Thursday, I'll write about the defensive additions:
6/28 -- OL Daniel Cruz Commits
- This one felt like a matter of time from the first moment I heard about Cruz; since what I heard about the young man is that he was one of (if not THE biggest) target on Kyle Flood's radar for this cycle in Texas (at least in the OL's interior). In fact, one recruiting director at a major Texas university recently told me that Cruz should have been one of any team's first offers out the door because he looks like such a sure-thing as far as interior-line prospects go.
In my initial evaluation of Cruz, I said:
Daniel Cruz is good. Nice feet and balance, explosive thru hips, brings them thru engagement. A little balky in space moving to second level but nasty finisher when he gets his hands on you. Will be fine in zone scheme at guard or center I would think, really good play strength in highlights. Not a college tackle. He's a player we hear Kyle Flood is extremely high on, and it makes sense given that he is likely dying to see some explosion and finishing power out of the center position, where Cruz probably projects best.
Given the backdrop of the center position at Texas, this pickup is all the more meaningful. Anwar has reported Hayden Conner will receive an opportunity to take the reins at the center position over Jake Majors coming into both players' junior seasons. Neither Conner nor Majors projects to be in position to go pro after 2023, so we're probably looking at Cruz having a year in Austin to acclimate to the Texas program behind these players. After that, it is not difficult to imagine that Cruz and Conner Robertson fight it out for starting center responsibilities (should DJ Campbell not be bumped inside).
7/1 -- WR Parker Livingston Commits
I hadn't watched a lick of Livingstone prior to getting word that it was looking like he was going to commit, but once I did, I was very impressed. Furthermore, once he committed with this video, he basically became my new favorite player on the team. How awesome is this?
Livingstone is big and he is fast. He's physical and menacing while also being able to run by defenders and contort his body to frame the football like a true athlete. Great after-catch. If anyone says he needs to move to tight end, I will jump off a bridge.
Livingstone has all the looks of a pure, outside WR with tremendous gifts and uber-athletic natural genetics. Soft hands, great first and second-level acceleration to get to very good -- really, borderline exceptional -- top speed; all coupled with size, hands, framing ability, body awareness and toughness. Just a ball-player. Great agility and lateral quickness. You could also see him, with his size and ability to high-point the ball, working the seam as a big slot option where he'd be a real problem for opposing coverage LBs and nickel corners.
His HUDL reel claims he's a December grad, and it would not be at all surprising to see him come in and get into the mix early than people would expect should he look anywhere near as naturally promising among college athletes in practice as he does among high schoolers in games.
7/4 -- TE Jordan Washington Commits
Ja'Tavion Sanders is as good as gone after 2023, barring dramatically unforeseen circumstances. He's going off in the first round of 2024 NFL Mock Draft after Mock Draft and, coming into the start of the 2023 season, is thought of by many as TE2 in the class behind Georgia's Brock Bowers.
Outside of Gunnar Helm, and Texas has no tight end on the roster with a lick of experience outside of Sanders. Juan Davis has flashed nice things, but hasn't stayed healthy. Spencer Shannon and Will Randle are both in the pipe for the 2023 class, but Washington appears to be a better prospect than either of them.
Here is what I originally wrote when watching Washington:
Slim and long, Washington looks more of the Sanders/Davis mold than the Gunnar Helm "traditional" inline-mold, as he's used a ton in high school as both an H-back and a slot receiver. He makes his job look simple much of the time, and that job is to stretch the seam and get vertical separation on 9-routes, deep posts and wheels. They really do just let him go get it. As a receiver, he lacks game-breaking speed, but it is adequate and fine for what he's asked to do. His feel for finding open space to separate is terrific as is his ability to win in contested-catch situations. Very confident player. Confident with the ball in his hands as a runner. His body control is excellent and his overall coordination is apparent in the way he addresses, frames and makes his play on the football while in motion. Very good body control and spatial awareness.
As a blocker from the H-back/sniffer alignment, he stalks defenders and engages with confidence in free space. He does not overwhelm you as a smothering monster, but he's effective and Langham Creek clearly has no problem running right behind him. EDIT: I don't ever look at these players' recruiting profiles before I write them up, because I don't want their star rankings to cause bias. This is one where I was actually really surprised, though. He's only listed as a three-star player on both Rivals and 247, whereas I would have been sure we're talking about a 4-star type of player here. Very good player. Texas could use him.
He's another guy who should be on the field sooner than later.
It wasn't a monster week or so in recruiting, but it was pretty dang close to one, and I think Texas fans will take it every day of the week.
And we haven't even talked about the dudes who committed on defense yet ...
BOOK REVIEW: Tier One (Series) by Jeffrey Wilson and Brian Andrews
https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51jFjWx882L.jpg
FROM THE PUBLISHER: John Dempsey’s life―as an elite Tier One Navy SEAL named Jack Kemper―is over. A devastating terrorist action catapults him from a world of moral certainty and decisive orders into the shadowy realm of espionage, where ambiguity is the only rule. His new mission: hunt down those responsible for the greatest tragedy in the history of the US Special Ops and bring them to justice. But how does a man torn between duty and revenge walk the line and preserve his soul? As Dempsey struggles with the games of spies, the case propels him across the globe in a desperate effort to prevent a new, horrifying attack on American soil. Once, John Dempsey followed orders blindly. Now he sees behind the curtain, and the security of the civilized world rests on one question: Can a Tier One Navy SEAL adapt and become the world’s most lethal spy?
ALEX'S THOUGHTS: This is it ... for now. I can't promise I'll stop picking up new CIA/counterintelligence/spycraft-and-espionage novel series forever, but I think I now have enough for one guy. That is to say, I should be able to get my fix with each new one that comes out every year between the Gray Man, the Terminal List, and ... now ... Tier One. This series is terrific. Dempsey is an elite protagonist in this genre, but the best part is the writing, where the action is undeniably fast-paced; and the descriptive and technical nature of it all lends a ton of credibility to plots and situations, that, at times, can admittedly feel a little over-the-top and unbelievable. It is a thriller, after all -- and I can promise this series lives up to that billing and description. While I don't love it as much as the Gray Man -- which I consider to be THE measuring stick in this type of novel -- Tier One really is incredibly well done and I give it 4.75 stars.
- Alex's Daily Short Reading List (updated 7-11-2023)
Books I've read or listened to on Audiobook since I've been sharing these reviews on OB (this list is not encompassing of all of my favorite books although it certainly includes a few of them - books I recommend reading/listening to start at 3.5 stars - I will review every book I read, but only list those that I awarded 3.5 stars and up here).
Lonesome Dove (5 stars)
Joe Pickett Series (5 stars)
The Undoing Project (5 stars)
The Accidental Superpower (5 stars)
I Am Pilgrim (5 stars)
Empire of the Summer Moon (5 stars)
Gridiron Genius (5 Stars)
The Cartel (5 stars)
Disunited Nations (5 stars)
Lone Survivor (5 stars)
The Terminal List Series (5 stars)
The Gray Man Series (5 stars)
The Son (4.75 stars)
Seasons of Man Series (4.75 stars)
The Lincoln Highway (4.75 stars)
The 4-Hour Work Week (4.75 stars)
Astroball (4.75 stars)
Project Hail Mary (4.75 stars)
Tier One Series (4.75 stars)
Shantaram (4.5 stars)
Dueling With Kings (4.5 stars)
Wanderers (4.5 stars)
Back of Beyond (4.25 stars)
Blue Heaven (4.25 stars)
The Border (4.25 stars)
Wrath of the Khans - Dan Carlin Podcast Series (4.25 stars)
The Time it Never Rained (4.25 stars)
Hard Country (4.25 stars)
This Tender Land (4 stars)
Supermarket (4 stars)
Ready Player Two (4 stars)
When Christmas Comes (4 stars)
Hollywood Park (4 stars)
Fields of Fire (4 stars)
Terminal Rage (4 stars)
The Great Alone (3.75 stars)
Hunting El Chapo (3.75 stars)
The President is Missing (3.75 stars)
The First Conspiracy (3.75 stars)
REAMDE (3.75 stars)
American Wolf (3.75 stars)
The End is Always Near (3.75 stars)
Second Wind (3.75 stars)
The End of the World is Just the Beginning (3.75 stars)
A Strange Habit of Mind (3.75 stars)
The River (3.75 stars)
A Bright Shore (3.5 stars)
The Lost City of the Monkey God (3.5 stars)
The Summer That Melted Everything (3.5 stars)
The North Water (3.5 stars)
Deep Survival (3.5 stars)
The Boy From the Woods (3.5 stars)
The Frackers (3.5 stars)
Arliss Cutter Series (3.5 stars)
AS ALWAYS, PLEASE LET ME KNOW ANY BOOKS YOU WOULD RECOMMEND, PREFERABLY THAT ARE AVAILABLE ON AUDIOBOOK. MANY OF THE BEST BOOKS ON THIS LIST HAVE COME VIA RECOMMENDATIONS ON ORANGEBLOODS.
