2021 Recruiting - Football

[zuckercanyon]

Joe, it appears Sarks' arrival didn't do much for a splash in recruiting (probably too late for this year). Do you feel like the portal will be a savior for this recruiting cycle?

 

[Joe Fan]

Another potential RB in the portal
RB Ricky Slade was a 5-star in the 2018 class (top 30 players overall). He went to Penn St. And is one of the the highest rated recruits James Franklin ever signed. He played as a freshman behind Miles Sanders and then was the starter in 2019 but eventually got beat out by Journey Brown and then Noah Cain (Herman holla). He ended up at Old Dominion but that program decided not to play in 2020. And now he has left ODU. I think he will have two years of eligibility left. But, like Eric Gray, he probably wants to be "the guy" wherever he goes.

If I am remembering correctly, the RB depth chart will be

Robinson
Johnson
Young
Brooks (true FR)​

The QB depth is even thinner

Thompson
Card
Wright (true FR)​

If someone else decided to portal out after the Spring, it would be devastating. I am still surprised JQJ did not want to stick around and compete for a spot

 

[Joe Fan]

Joe, it appears Sarks' arrival didn't do much for a splash in recruiting (probably too late for this year). Do you feel like the portal will be a savior for this recruiting cycle?

We have 4 spots for the portal and, based on Sark's comments yesterday, it sounds like we will use them all.

More players enter the portal every day. It's kind of crazy out there right now. Plus, we haven't even begun Spring ball. Combining that with the special covid eligibility rule means there are going to be more players than there are open slots (the 85 limit remains). So some players are going to be stuck without a schollie slot. It's a bit like a giant game of musical chairs. From our perspective, it should mean there are going to be some good players available

So, what positions do we look for with those slots?
Sark did specifically mention ILB, so that's a possible if not likely spot
And we, of course, have been looking for OLs for the last decade
But are we done at edge rusher now?
What about RB depth?
QB depth?

What do you think?

 

[Chop]

If I am remembering correctly, the RB depth chart will be

Robinson
Johnson
Young
Brooks (true FR)​

The QB depth is even thinner

Thompson
Card
Wright (true FR)​

If someone else decided to portal out after the Spring, it would be devastating. I am still surprised JQJ did not want to stick around and compete for a spot

Our QB depth is scarier than our RB depth. We should pick up a portal QB or even a JC QB.

 

[caryhorn]

We have 4 spots for the portal and, based on Sark's comments yesterday, it sounds like we will use them all.

More players enter the portal every day. It's kind of crazy out there right now. Plus, we haven't even begun Spring ball. Combining that with the special covid eligibility rule means there are going to be more players than there are open slots (the 85 limit remains). So some players are going to be stuck without a schollie slot. It's a bit like a giant game of musical chairs. From our perspective, it should mean there are going to be some good players available

So, what positions do we look for with those slots?
Sark did specifically mention ILB, so that's a possible if not likely spot
And we, of course, have been looking for OLs for the last decade
But are we done at edge rusher now?
What about RB depth?
QB depth?

What do you think?

^^^ Joe, I think you’ve done a fine job of summing things up.
I think we are “good” at running back but not great. Bijon is great and the depth is very good. I like Daniel Young a lot. He has huge potential. I hope he can stay healthy and focused. Roschon has proven his value; and Brooks will likely be used sparingly while getting bigger & stronger.
OL & LB’s are big needs; we can use guys who can step in and start now and/or provide quality depth.
QB depth is a great question. That will be interesting to see.

 

[Joe Fan]

Our QB depth is scarier than our RB depth. We should pick up a portal QB or even a JC QB.

Here was the Sark quote from yesterday

We didn't want to reach too far and just fill up all of our numbers. So we have four spots still available for us. And with the transfer portal and potential one-time transfer rule, we wanted to make sure we left ourselves enough wiggle room and versatility​

 

[Chop]

RB depth doesn't worry me as much. In a pinch, we've got true Freshman Brooks and we could move J. Whitt over from WR.

 

[Joe Fan]

,,, I like Daniel Young a lot. He has huge potential. ....

Agree. I think he has greater potential than just the goal line, short yardage guy. But, I also think in order for his style of running to be effective, we must have better interior OL blocking. On the one hand, even if we suddenly found better OG/C run blocking, he would have a hard time taking snaps for the 2 RBs in front of him. On the other, he is just one injury away from taking a significant load of the carries.

In that group player interview I posted above, the group that sort of stood up for Herman, he was more thoughtful and composed than I expected. He only spoke when directly questioned, he was calm, took his time with his answers and chose his words carefully. Daniel Young is a thinking man. I like it.

 

[Joe Fan]

... and we could move J. Whitt over from WR.

Good point

And that reminds me that I hope the new offensive guys get Jake more involved. Everyone likes the Kai Money story, including me. But Money was taking snaps away Jake from State Farm and that left me less than gruntled.

 

[Joe Fan]

Keithron Lee brought errbody to his signing

Sark said Lee will start out at slot.
He says Lee is a bright guy with good hands, enough to be trusted with some "gadget plays."

 

[ViperHorn]

On the surface, I was not sure the JQJ defection would hurt the QB room. However, for whatever reason, as long as the issue wasn't academia/grades, he wanted out so be it.

Card will be an adequate #2, but Wright could either be the next Colt McCoy or the next Case McCoy. The question is would a transfer/JUCO QB be better than Wright? I have my doubts, but a body is probably needed in that position.

 

[beijinghorn1]

Our QB depth is scarier than our RB depth. We should pick up a portal QB or even a JC QB.

I think Thompson's half of football in the bowl game will scare away any QB looking for playing time. I really hope we have 3 QBs to start the season as I am really worried that either Thompson or Card would transfer if they don't get the start. I don't know these guys nor do I have any inside information, this is simply my gut feeling.

 

[Joe Fan]

On Uke, Vogel talked to him post-announcement and he said he went to bed without having made a decision. He woke up Weds and knew Stanford was the place for him. He did not call and let the Tree People know until that morning
.

 

[Joe Fan]

...Wright could either be the next Colt McCoy or the next Case McCoy. .....

That's a good line

 

[Joe Fan]

.... The question is would a transfer/JUCO QB be better than Wright? I have my doubts, but a body is probably needed in that position.

I dont know how this part would work. Maybe not all but probably most of these guys are leaving wherever they were because they want to play. How do we convince someone like that to come here and be the third string QB?

 

[Joe Fan]

Sark said Lee will start out at slot.
He says Lee is a bright guy with good hands, enough to be trusted with some "gadget plays."

Speaking of gadget plays, I always thought Yurchich/Herman would try to take advantage of Roschon's QB skills. But they never did much with him in that regard. Maybe the new guys will?

 

[Chinstrap]

Good point

And that reminds me that I hope the new offensive guys get Jake more involved. Everyone likes the Kai Money story, including me. But Money was taking snaps away Jake from State Farm and that left me less than gruntled.

State Farm....my man!

 

[Sangre Naranjada]

Speaking of gadget plays, I always thought Yurchich/Herman would try to take advantage of Roschon's QB skills. But they never did much with him in that regard. Maybe the new guys will?

After two years in the RB room, just how rusty are those QB skills?

 

[Joe Fan]

After two years in the RB room, just how rusty are those QB skills?

I would still trust him with a halfback pass more than any other RB

 

[Joe Fan]

(too often, for other programs^^^)

 

[Joe Fan]

I think we have signed 23 four-star WR recruits in the last 10 years and sent just four to the NFL draft.

aggy, I think, has sent 5.

Thus, Ketch has a point on in-state 4 star WRs

ou, however, signs OOS and 3-star WRs. And they have sent plenty to the NFL

 

[Chinstrap]

OL have the highest IQ of any group in football.

I used to think that, but no more with all of their dumb penalties in critical situations these days. They look pretty dumb.

 

[Joe Fan]

(too often, for other programs^^^)

Some more on Abiara from Mike Roach of 247 --

Before Texas re-entered the picture, Washington was the favorite to land him. While Bo Davis is who offered, the addition of Pete Kwiatkowski sealed the deal for the Longhorns. This goes back to what I wrote around the time Kwiatkowski was hired. He may not be known as the most dynamic recruiter, but he connects with people in a strong way. Legacy head coach Chris Melson told Horns247 that when Kwiatkowski came to Texas, "It made it a no brainer. When coach Pete came to Texas that was it. The relationship he made with coach Kwiatkowski really led to the decision being pretty easy for David."

As we learn about where players fit in Pete Kwiatkowkski's defense, Abiara says he can play multiple edge-rushing roles. "I'm going to play outside linebacker or defensive end," Abiara told Horns247. "Whichever way I can help the defense, that's what I'll do."

Melson praised Abiara's competitiveness saying, "He loves a challenge. What really stands out is his potential. His potential is really high. He's got a talent level and skill level that's very rare. I've been doing this for 29 years and he's as talented and has as high of a ceiling as any kid we've been able to coach."​

 

[Joe Fan]

I used to think that, but no more with all of their dumb penalties in critical situations these days. They look pretty dumb.

It did seem like our OL would always flinch at the worst moment possible

 

[ViperHorn]

I dont know how this part would work. Maybe not all but probably most of these guys are leaving wherever they were because they want to play. How do we convince someone like that to come here and be the third string QB?

That is my concern, but someone who has at least taken snaps in a real college game is better than a Freshman whose last handoff in a game was 11 December in a lopsided loss to Vandegrift.

 

[Joe Fan]

Our QB depth is scarier than our RB depth. We should pick up a portal QB or even a JC QB.

 

[Chinstrap]

Great recruiting story - not us
From homeless, to a 3-7 a.m. job just to live, to college football schollie
He's homeless and works from 3-7 a.m. to make ends meet. Now he's signed to play college football.

Shame on the UIL. If ever there was a time for a hardship exception this was it. When the movie comes out on this kid it will not bode well for them.

 

[Run Pincher]

I used to think that, but no more with all of their dumb penalties in critical situations these days. They look pretty dumb.

You'll have to convince me with "a lot" of hard core data. Otherwise it's just trying to hype up a position that never gets any recognition.

 

[rick mueller]

I used to think that, but no more with all of their dumb penalties in critical situations these days. They look pretty dumb.

Does make one wonder. The two pf penalties by Kerstetter were the most puzzling of all. Not just an oline guy but a senior four year starter. SMH.

 

[Joe Fan]