40 Acres Sports

Oklahoma recruit Josh Jarboe was arrested Thursday for receiving stolen property and having a weapon on campus. What the heck are these kids thinking?

Irving Macarthur linebacker [tag]Tariq Allen[/tag] was one of the most sought after defensive prospects in Texas this spring before commiting to the Longhorns this week. Allen has offers from Oklahoma, Texas A&M, and Kansas and national programs like Michigan and Notre Dame were showing heavy interest as well in the speedy middle linebacker. Now you can see for yourself why so many teams are after him.

It’s not the Rivals’ video I mentioned earlier, but it is definitely a lot of the same highlights. Check out video from Allen’s junior year below:

Impressive stuff, definitely has a nose for the football. Can’t wait to see Tariq on the Forty Acres anchoring the middle of our defense.

It’s barely March but it looks like [tag]Mack Brown[/tag] is close to wrapping up his 2009 recruiting class already. After starting out strong with Garrett Gilbert and six other commits at the team’s first junior day, the Horns have since added eight more of the state’s top football players to bring the total tally up to fifteen.

Two of the biggest commits were at linebacker, where Irving’s Tariq Allen and Grand Prairie’s Patrick Nkwopara made their pledge to play for defensive coordinator [tag]Will Muschamp[/tag]’s defense. Both players were top targets of the Texas defensive coaching staff and appear to fit their mold perfectly for a linebacker, speed guys who aren’t afraid to knock your head off. If you’re a Rivals subscriber, watch Allen’s videos and you’ll be very excited about our future middle linebacker.

The team also got help in the defensive backfield by picking up commits from cornerbacks Eryon Barnett from Euless and Kenny Vaccaro out of Brownwood. Vaccaro is one of the state’s most heavily recruited DB’s and held offers from the likes of Florida, Oklahoma, and Stanford when chose the Longhorns. Barnett was a virtual unknown before committing to the Horns but Texas offered quickly and he certainly passes the eyeball test so he looks like a player who will shoot up the rankings once the scouting services get film of him.

Texas also did an excellent job filling needs from the top in-state options. Defensive end and tight end were both positions the Horns needed to fill holes at in this class. At defensive end the two big fish are still out there, Alex Okafor and five-star Devon Kennard, but the Horns added two very capable prospects in Dominique Jones and Kyle Kriegel. The tight end commits look like the two best in the state in Trey Graham and Barrett Matthews. I’m particularly excited about Matthews, whose versatility, athleticism, and toughness allow him to play an H-back role or maybe even end up on defense. It doesn’t hurt that he plays for Galena Park North Shore, a school that has now put out three top Division I tight ends in a row.

The fifteen current commits are listed below:

Name	Position	Rating*	LSR**	Hometown
Tariq Allen	LB		65	Irving
Thomas Ashcraft	OL		13	Cedar Hill
Eryon Barnett	DB		NR	Euless
Marcus Davis	DB		15	League City
Garrett Gilbert	QB		2	Austin
Trey Graham	TE		NR	Waco
Dominique Jones	DE		NR	Kilgore
Paden Kelley	OL		31	Austin
Kyle Kriegel	DE		64	Elysian Fields
Barrett Matthews	TE		59	Galena Park
Patrick Nkwopara	LB		NR	Grand Prairie
Garrett Porter	OL		30	Odessa
Greg Timmons	WR		10	Aldine
Kenny Vaccaro	DB		53	Brownwood
Chris Whaley	RB		8	Madisonville

*Note: Most of the star ratings are just estimates based on the video I’ve seen of the recruits and Orangebloods.com’s state rankings.

**Note: LSR is Geoff Ketchum’s Lone Star Recruiting Top 100. The numbers represent the player’s ranking as of 2/13/2008.

After acquriing him via trade last Saturday, the Cleveland Browns moved quickly to lock up former Longhorn [tag]Shaun Rogers[/tag] to a long-term contract. The Pro Bowl defensive tackle signed a six-year, $42 million deal today with the team. $20 million of the new contract is guaranteed money.

Despite playing at a high level, he hasn’t always played up to his elite skill level during his career. His motivation has been questioned due to his inconsistency and problems with his weight. The article mentions he’s listed at 340 pounds, but rumor a couple of weeks back was that he was closer to four bills than he was to 340. He’ll be playing in the 3-4 now so the weight won’t be as big of an issue, but he still needs to be in good enough shape to be in there for a majority of the snaps. Hopefully he can find motivation in this new opportunity and fresh start he’s getting in Cleveland, because he has the talent to dominate on every play.

Congrats to Shaun on the big money deal.

And just because it’s awesome, here’s his fleet-footed run and stiff arm (of Selvin Young) on a 66-yard interception return for a touchdown last season:

Orangebloods.com is reporting that five-star athlete/QB Russell Shepard has committed to [tag]LSU[/tag]. The young man out of Houston Cypress Ridge was thought to be a Texas lock for the last year or so, but after the Longhorns secured a commit from top quarterback Garrett Gilbert the Texas coaching staff pursued Shepard only as an athlete. Shepard wanted the promise that he’d at least get his shot to be a college quarterback. He’ll apparently get that at LSU.

Good luck to Russell, I hope he has a great career for the Tigers(as long as they’re not up against the Horns of course.) I also hope he keeps the door cracked just a tiny bit in case the situation changes around here.

After seeing the first spring Big 12 power rankings from ESPN and disagreeing with their placement of the Missouri Tigers at number one, I am now proud to present the first 2008 Bevo Sports Big 12 Power Rankings. This will be a weekly feature during the season and we’ll likely post updates at the end of spring practice and again in the preseason.

1. [tag]Oklahoma[/tag]

   
   

   I’m not 100% behind Sam Bradford as a top quarterback but he’s definitely good enough to lead this team. They lost several good players early to the NFL Draft, but they’ve got talent and running back DeMarco Murray is a stud.

2. Texas

   
   

   Too many question marks to be ranked any higher this early, but early practice reports from this spring are encouraging. If the Horns’ secondary and linebackers improve and flourish under coach Will Muschamp they’ll be my conference favorite.

3. [tag]Texas Tech[/tag]

   
   

   I struggled deciding between Tech and Missouri, but I ended up placing the Red Raiders third thanks to a slightly better defense and a love for pirates and Michael Crabtree.

4. [tag]Missouri[/tag]

   
   

   I don’t trust Gary Pinkel, I think he lucked into last year’s success and was tempted to put the Tigers much lower. Chase Daniel and Jeremy Maclin could be poised for a huge season, but their defense leaves a lot to be desired.

5. [tag]Nebraska[/tag]

   
   

   I think the Cornhusker players will play with a new enthusiasm after being rescued from Bill Callahan’s regime. Marlon Lucky is a very talented running back and coach Bo Pelini’s return should immediately improve the defense.

6. [tag]Colorado[/tag]

   
   

   This is a team I’m really not sure about. They could go either way, either compete for the Big 12 North or completely suck. They lost a couple of good linebackers but if QB Cody Hawkins makes plays and Darrell Scott is as advertised they could compete.

7. Texas A&M

   
   

   I think this is a transition year for the Aggies and new head coach Mike Sherman. I think he’s a step up from Fran but I’m not sure he’s the longterm solution. The defense should be improved under new coordinator Joe Kines, but losing Yemi Babalola off the offensive line hurts bad.

8. [tag]Kansas State[/tag]

   
   

   I like quarterback Josh Freeman a lot but the two other guys that killed the Horns the last two years (particularly Jordy Nelson) are gone. Ian Campbell is a beast on defense.

9. [tag]Kansas[/tag]

   
   

   Welcome back to reality Kansas fans, though I still think the Fightin’ Manginos are headed in the right direction. They don’t have the same season they did in 2007 but they’re going to be a contender in the Big 12 North again soon if Mangino stays.

10. [tag]Iowa State[/tag]

    
    

    Other than a win over rival Iowa last season the Cyclones and former Texas coach Gene Chizik had a rough 2007. Chizik reportedly has things headed in the right direction and two conference wins late last year might be an indication of that.

11. [tag]Oklahoma State[/tag]

    
    

    The only coach in the Big 12 I think less of than Mizzou’s Pinkel is the Cowboys’ Mike Gundy. They’ve had more talent in previous years and not done much with it, this is a down year and they’ll finish near the bottom and Gundy won’t be back in 2009.

12. [tag]Baylor[/tag]

    
    

    I think bringing in Art Briles was a genius move by Baylor. It is going to take a couple years for him implement his scheme and bring in his type of players, but he’s got a chance to turn the Bears into a Texas Tech caliber team. They’ll suck this year.

Update: Preseason Big 12 Power Rankings are released! (8/27/2008)

ESPN previews Big 12 spring practices. A few quick notes on all the teams.

Texas-Texas A&M game returns to traditional Thanksgiving night date. The game will now be on ESPN, I’m not sure if this means more viewers or not but I love the going back to tradition.

New coaches Muschamp & Applewhite bring new ideas to the Longhorns. Hopefully they also bring new intensity as well.

Jerseys of Vince Young and Kevin Durant may be retired. It definitely should happen, but there’s no need to hurry.