Posted April 30th, 2014 by Brian
Filed under: Basketball, Quick Hits, Recruiting

myles-turnerESPN’s number 2 player in the country Myles Turner has just committed to Texas on ESPNU. He chose the Longhorns over Kansas and Duke among others.

Huge commit for coach Rick Barnes who already had a good core team coming back for the 2014-15 season. Turner is a legit 7 footer who can play inside and outside. Barnes should be able to put Turner, Cam Ridley, and Johnathan Holmes on the court at the same time. A lot of comparisons to former Horn LaMarcus Aldridge.

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Posted April 30th, 2014 by Ross
Filed under: Football, Spring Football

Here are my thoughts after watching the Longhorns at the Spring Game under Coach Strong, Clint Eastwood style.

The Good

The defense as expected was the shining star after the first drive by the offense resulted in an early touchdown. The defense line led by Caleb Bluiett (8 tackles & 2 sacks) ran roughshod over the offense line. The real test is to see if this group can excel against better offenses.

The defense backs had its share of interceptions lead by Mykkele Thompson who returned one back for a score. The QB play did not give much of an indication if this group will be up to task, but they gained a measure of confidence in the way they played.

Malcolm Brown and Jalen Overstreet showed promise in their running styles (Thunder & Lightning) in the way they attacked the defense. It was good to see these two step up as the passing game will start with a big question mark.

I liked that Coach Strong put the offense and defense on opposite sides of the field. It gave the fans the experience that one group was going against the other in a game. Charlie Strong strode across both ends of the field during the game to watch the coaches and the players actions.

The Bad

We knew that the QB play would be the most scrutinized position on the field. It was evident that Tyrone Swoopes needs more time to develop as a passer. The athleticism is evident but the decision making and the timing of his release leaves room for doubt. If the incoming Max Wittek and Jerrod Heard can take the reins, it might be better to have Swoopes be the tight end that would remind us of Jermichael Finley. I will trust this coaching staff that they will put the kids in a position where they will succeed.

The offense line needs to come together quickly. There were some key absences on the line, but the boys in the trenches need to step up. The moving pocket allowed the line some success, but ultimately these road graders need to help this stable of running backs.
The audio coming from the Godzillatron was horrible. The timing and the placement of the music was bad. The big video board will be replaced because the company that created this monster is no longer around to feed the beast or get replacement parts. I hope the Athletic Department revamps the way they use this tool for the upcoming season.

The Ugly

The practice uniforms that the kids are wearing are hideous. I am going to the give the coaching staff a break because they have been preoccupied with establishing their culture and attitude with the team. I have been an advocate of providing the players an alternate game day jersey that will energize the players and help with new recruits.

As Clint said in the famous movie, “You see, in this world there’s two kinds of people, my friend: Those with loaded guns and those who dig.” Will the Longhorns have the loaded gun on the field or will they be the team digging?

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Posted February 15th, 2014 by Brian
Filed under: Football

Former Texas DT Andre Jones was found dead Friday morning in an El Paso hotel room. Jones was 24.

Jones was kicked off the team before playing a down for the Horns after he was arrested along with Robert Joseph for an aggravated robbery charge.

Get more details on Jones’ death in the El Paso Times’ story.

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Posted February 5th, 2014 by Brian
Filed under: Football, Recruiting

Texas Football head coach Charlie Strong speaks with the media about the 2014 signing class:

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Posted February 5th, 2014 by Brian
Filed under: Football, Recruiting

Per Horns247, former USC quarterback Max Wittek could be transferring to Texas and eligible to play this year.

“The Trojan signal caller plans to graduate this spring and has been actively looking for a landing spot to finish up the remaining two years of his collegiate career. According to a source with knowledge of the situation, that spot for Wittek is most likely going to be Texas.”

Talk about huge news for the most important position on the field and a position where the Longhorns are in desperate need of ANY depth. Wittek wasn’t great in limited opportunities as USC’s quarterback, but as a prep signal caller Rivals had him as a top 3 QB in the country and a 4-star recruit.

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Posted February 5th, 2014 by Brian
Filed under: Football, Live, Recruiting

Running list of all letters of intent from future Longhorns as they come in today.

19 LOIs Confirmed (10:51am)

DL Jake McMillon
WR Lorenzo Joe
QB Jerrod Heard
WR Roderick Bernard
WR Armanti Foreman
RB D’Onta Foreman
RB Donald Catalon
CB Jermaine Roberts
S Jason Hall
LB Edwin Freeman
WR Garrett Gray
LB Cameron Hampton
DT Chris Nelson
OL Elijah Rodriguez
WR Dorian Leonard
DE Derick Roberson
S John Bonney
OL Terrell Cuney
RB Kevin Shorter

Early enrollees

OT Alex Anderson
LB Andrew Beck
TE Blake Whiteley

List sourced from Horns247, Orangebloods, and LHN.

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Posted February 4th, 2014 by Brian
Filed under: Football, Recruiting

There’s been much hubbub the last several days as Texas fans reacted to the rumors that Texas coach Mack Brown told commitments visiting during the football banquet weekend that he was forced out that they should “look around”.

Mack responded to those reports via Twitter:

Some of you have asked about my visit w/recruits & their families after I stepped down. Let me assure you it was all positive towards Texas! Our new AD Steve Patterson was there with me and I told the entire group that Texas would hire a great coach, it is a wonderful place and they absolutely should still come.

The initial reports started based on comments from Houston Lamar safety John Bonney who today backed up Brown’s version of events. Bonney said that Brown told recruits that they should come to Texas if they committed to Texas, but if they committed just to play for him that “I certainly encourage you to look elsewhere because I won’t be your coach.”

Overall it sounds like Brown was honest with the kids and did not encourage them to look around but simply stated the obvious that the situation had changed and the players should be thoughtful with their decisions. That’s exactly the kind of honesty and respect with high school recruits that got so many 4 and 5-star recruits to sign with Texas over the previous 16 years.

The first National Signing Day of the Charlie Strong era is tomorrow. He’s kept most of the class together and hopefully signing a couple defensive tackle recruits to close out the class. Stay tuned to @40acressports and the Texas FanGuide app for updates.

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Posted February 4th, 2014 by Brian
Filed under: Football, Recruiting

After an official visit this weekend, 2014 offensive tackle Elijah Rodriguez has changed his commitment from the Colorado Buffaloes to the Texas Longhorns. Rodriguez is a three-star prospect from Houston Cy Creek who had been under the radar until a big senior season had schools like Florida State and LSU recently trying to pry him away from Colorado.

Texas offensive line coach Joe Wickline is said to be a big fan of Rodriguez’ toughness and agility in a 6-6, 280 pound frame. Wickline went after Rodriguez when he was at Oklahoma State but struck out. Rodriguez might have continued to stick with his CU commitment but he is a lifetime Longhorn fan whose grandfather played for Texas under Darrell Royal.

Rodriguez recruiting profiles: 247 Sports, Rivals.com

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Posted January 23rd, 2014 by Ross
Filed under: Football

Now that Coach Charlie Strong has his staff put together. What changes will Coach Strong implement on the 40 acres? I wonder if the first meeting with his team went something like this:

Coach Strong has shown that he wants to change the culture of this football team. I would like to offer up a few changes for the program. I believe the culture has definitely changed simply by the way that AD Steve Patterson went about hiring his first football coach. Here are my thoughts:

Practice

Please get rid of those ugly practice jerseys. This was a lame attempt to give the players some sort of boost with an alternative jersey. Because the practices are on LHN, sew a sponsor patch above the chest on the jersey to help raise even more funds. Paying players soon will be a reality. The University needs to leverage itself in order to bring in more money.

Let all the coaches influence all the kids. The former staff was only allowed to coach their own position players. All the players need to know that everyone including all the coaches are pulling in one direction to achieve the team’s goals. Coach Strong said the goals are simple: Graduate, Championships and Manhood in that order.

Game Day

It is time to surprise the players with alternative uniforms for special games. This past year the coaching staff was going to honor the ’63 championship team by wearing the player’s number on the helmet for a game. The captains of the team were desperate to have something new so they voted to leave it on all year. The players want something different and incoming high school recruits are considering uniforms when they look at all of their scholarship offers. I know the old guard will hate this, but the fans are not playing one down on the field. Here are the best and worst offerings because change for the sake of change with regards to uniforms will not due. Give the players something that they can be proud to show off to the fans and their families.

Please change the festivities of Senior Day. Watching the head coach congratulate the players on the Godzillatron as they maneuver around the masses to find their family in the end zone is frustrating. Have the kids run to mid field in front of the entire fan base and meet them at the 50 yard line. The parents can be standing along the sidelines for everyone to see. High schools do a better job than the University to honor those that have stayed all four years. Make the event special in order for players to have one more thing to consider before leaving early for the draft.

Communication

Do not be that coach that says I need to look at the game film in order to answer the media’s questions. Use that time to answer the question bluntly so that the team sees you as a no-nonsense leader. Do not give the microphone to the assistant coaches as a CEO would and lose the opportunity to make a point. You are the face of the program and use this time to send a message and challenge your players.

We all know that the big money donors are important to a football program. You do not have to be a politician with all the old big money donors because you can never satisfy all of them. Shake their hands for a photo and give them a signed football to give to their kids. You do not need to hire one of them to be your lawyer. We all know that if the coaches are obligated to the kids and the players are focused on playing for their teammates and their coaching staff then the University and the big time donors will see the results they want on the field.

I am not advocating getting rid of all the traditions of the past. The University of Texas has a tremendous legacy that every coach, player and fan needs to respect and protect. But changes are sweeping across every college football program and we do not need to be left behind. A culture of toughness has already been set forth by Coach Strong. Let’s give the coach and his staff the support they need amid all of these changes and enjoy the journey.

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Posted January 22nd, 2014 by Brian
Filed under: Basketball

The hoops team had me saying “ugh” several times in the last 30 seconds Tuesday night against Kansas State, but thanks to the money 3-point shot of Johnathan Holmes the Horns pulled out their second straight win over a ranked opponent. Watch the buzzer beater below:

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