2022 Recruiting - Football

[Pomspoms]

Yeah, just want to see progress next year. I'd imagine our futures # is 7-5. We need 4-5 more classes like this in a row before we can compete nationally.

You are forgetting about the transfer portal.
It won't take 4 top 5 classes in a row.
Take this year for instance:
We got Ewers, Billingsly, Neyor etc.

 

[NRHorn]

Bo Davis didn't have 4 star talent in '21?

2021 class of EVERY DL…. Only four signees, all 3*- one didn’t make it to campus … so if my maths correct that’s a whopping total of 3 players who are all 3*.
View attachment 6177
That said Murphy and Sorrel played well when in the game.

 

[NRHorn]

First of all, going 5-7 while it sucks, was not all on Sark. This was a team under new systems and little talent. Developing players takes more than a couple months. These were obviously not his recruits, although there was talent in the skill positions. Second and most important, yes, TH recruited well, but only in the skill positions. Trench recruiting was totally ignored and if you watch the games, and I understand you do, it was in this area where we lost the games. Now we have a young set of players that will be developed by what I believe to be a great coaching staff, add Marion and Patterson and I believe in a couple years, we will be on our way, regardless of what color glasses I wear.

Be very careful my friend. Tred lightly.
Positive comments and those that promote hope and/or patience are normally frowned upon here.

 

[NM fan]

I can't disagree with this. I will add, however, that like Herman Sark will be on a very short leash with recruits. (Probably shorter because he didn't come in with Herman's HC hype, has his past personal issues that were well publicized and then went 5-7 after Herman got fired despite a better record.) Like most new coaches, selling the dream only lasts for so long before the recruits stop believing the con. Sark needs to turn it right around on the field and start winning big for consecutive years to keep the illusion of progress and a future Natty.

Agreed, but building a winning program takes time. I’ve worked in management for 35 years now, and have been assigned teams needing to be rebuilt and culture change. If we don’t give our coach more than 3 years, the carousel coaching change will continue and the winning we all desire will never be achieved. We all look at Saban as the model to build our coaches from, but there is only one Saban, and most likely never will we see one like him again. Sark has started with moving on from those not bought in, bringing new blood with players willing to work, let’s see where it takes us before we start casting stones. We won’t win, just because we’re Texas.

 

[RainH2burntO]

No need for explanation, Rain. Even Sark himself knows he comes in with a 50-50 head coaching record, under performed with an ugly losing season in 2021 and is expected to turn things around and show improvement in 2022. You would not be judging fairly, nor accurately if you didn't have legitimate questions at this point. That doesn't mean we toss Sark under the bus, stop supporting his administration and start claiming there is no hope for the future, but it would also be disingenuous and fantasy to pretend all is perfect. I have hope for him and the program and believe he can do it, but I also know he has a very tough slog ahead of him and he has not started out extraordinarily well.

Thanks Orange.
Appreciate the sensibility and I agree.
Couple of really odd responses to my very innocuous post simply repeating obvious aspects of areas of need.
And you're right...I shouldn't have to...But I'll clarify again for anybody needing it.
I'll speak s l o w...

The staff did an excellent job but we still have areas of need at certain thin position groups

 

[Pomspoms]

Thanks Orange.
Appreciate the sensibility and I agree.
Couple of really odd responses to my very innocuous post simply repeating obvious aspects of areas of need.
And you're right...I shouldn't have to...But I'll clarify again for anybody needing it.
I'll speak s l o w...

The staff did an excellent job but we still have areas of need at certain thin position groups

I agree, especially at LB.

 

[OrangeClad]

You are forgetting about the transfer portal.
It won't take 4 top 5 classes in a row.
Take this year for instance:
We got Ewers, Billingsly, Neyor etc.

So long as you address and solve your problems in the portal, I agree it can be done faster. That said, we can't forget that the competition is also doing the same thing. Some on this board think that because we bought in a couple 5 star, three 4 star and a couple 3 star OL, we are now going to dominate in a few years. We need to keep in mind that Bama, GA and even A&M, who we will be playing by the time our haul develops into something, have been doing the same thing every year for a while now. They have the quality of our '22 OL class lined up on the bench 3 deep. LSU, Florida and Auburn have solid OL talent, as well.

 

[RainH2burntO]

So long as you address and solve your problems in the portal, I agree it can be done faster. That said, we can't forget that the competition is also doing the same thing. Some on this board think that because we bought in a couple 5 star, three 4 star and a couple 3 star OL, we are now going to dominate in a few years. We need to keep in mind that Bama, GA and even A&M, who we will be playing by the time our haul develops into something, have been doing the same thing every year for a while now. They have the quality of our '22 OL class lined up on the bench 3 deep. LSU, Florida and Auburn have solid OL talent, as well.

This^^^^^^
We are years behind in the type of recruiting and player development it takes to be at the perennial top5-6 or so CFP level. Doesn't mean we cant/wont win a few big games or make an impact. We can do that in a couple more years if things go well....but...yeah...building that base...that modern day factory that puts you up there with the big dogs takes a different kind of plan, execution...then time and patience.
Aggy has been working on this for years and in my mind are ahead of us...and are just now even remotely knocking on the door....while still losing 4 games a year.
We may be getting on the right track....but it is the early stages of the route.

 

[old65horn]

Had an eye doc appointment for my monthly shot-in-the-eye. He is a Texas alum and a huge 'Horn supporter. We had our usual pre shot talk about the 'Horns and he had some info I have not heard. This is hearsay from me and not admissible in a court of law, but he said that the aggys had paid members of the Evan Stewart family $300,000 if Evan signed with aTm.

He also said that aTm had paid several high profile '24 recruits $1,000 NOT to come to our recent evert for '23 and '24 recruits.

Hope Sabre can confirm or add details to this rumor. My doc has had good info in the past.

That was the only upside to my monthly shot-in-the eye event. I was afraid that the office visit would be cancel due to another cold weather disaster. That is a discussion for the West Mall.

 

[bystander]

I actually made it through the Farrell era. It was Winchester that ruined it for me.

Well, let's just say that Winchester was another step in the wrong direction. It was over the top at that point.

 

[bystander]

Had an eye doc appointment for my monthly shot-in-the-eye. He is a Texas alum and a huge 'Horn supporter. We had our usual pre shot talk about the 'Horns and he had some info I have not heard. This is hearsay from me and not admissible in a court of law, but he said that the aggys had paid members of the Evan Stewart family $300,000 if Evan signed with aTm.

He also said that aTm had paid several high profile '24 recruits $1,000 NOT to come to our recent evert for '23 and '24 recruits.

Hope Sabre can confirm or add details to this rumor. My doc has had good info in the past.

That was the only upside to my monthly shot-in-the eye event. I was afraid that the office visit would be cancel due to another cold weather disaster. That is a discussion for the West Mall.

So the question is this; were they straight cash payments to the families and is that covered under NIL?

 

[moondog_LFZ]

So the question is this; were they straight cash payments to the families and is that covered under NIL?

I would say it's a violation unless it somehow went through the player.

 

[RainH2burntO]

So the question is this; were they straight cash payments to the families and is that covered under NIL?

I would say it's a violation unless it somehow went through the player.

And help me here...but I thought there had to be some service rendered, image use, or work performed to receive money and it had to be from an entity directly attributing any payments to said services or use. (Like our oline deal, for instance)
I have seen nothing to indicate you can just hand people money....though many of us predicted that is just what would occur.
Thoughts
??

 

[OrangeClad]

Had an eye doc appointment for my monthly shot-in-the-eye. He is a Texas alum and a huge 'Horn supporter. We had our usual pre shot talk about the 'Horns and he had some info I have not heard. This is hearsay from me and not admissible in a court of law, but he said that the aggys had paid members of the Evan Stewart family $300,000 if Evan signed with aTm.

He also said that aTm had paid several high profile '24 recruits $1,000 NOT to come to our recent evert for '23 and '24 recruits.

Hope Sabre can confirm or add details to this rumor. My doc has had good info in the past.

That was the only upside to my monthly shot-in-the eye event. I was afraid that the office visit would be cancel due to another cold weather disaster. That is a discussion for the West Mall.

Wow. That is pretty serious stuff. That said, if I was Aggy I wanted to do this kind of thing, I would be worrying more about keeping recruits away from conference foes Bama, Georgia, LSU and Florida than spending my money to slow down a middle of road Big12 UT program. But, we all know they have always been fixated on Big Brother.

 

[CreakyHorn]

This^^^^^^
We are years behind in the type of recruiting and player development it takes to be at the perennial top5-6 or so CFP level. Doesn't mean we cant/wont win a few big games or make an impact. We can do that in a couple more years if things go well....but...yeah...building that base...that modern day factory that puts you up there with the big dogs takes a different kind of plan, execution...then time and patience.
Aggy has been working on this for years and in my mind are ahead of us...and are just now even remotely knocking on the door....while still losing 4 games a year.
We may be getting on the right track....but it is the early stages of the route.

We have also had multiple coaching changes which inhibits player development and continuity, especially on the O-line. I remember reading that one recent O-line graduate had played for 4 different coaches. I hope Sark gets at least 4 years to build the team.

 

[OrangeClad]

So the question is this; were they straight cash payments to the families and is that covered under NIL?

Aggy is a far too experienced cheater to do that. Remember, we are talking about the school that invented the idea of purchasing hashtag sayings....just coincidentally from star recruits' parents.

 

[Dionysus]

This is hearsay from me and not admissible in a court of law, but he said that the aggys had paid members of the Evan Stewart family $300,000 if Evan signed with aTm.

Hope Sabre can confirm or add details to this rumor.

I appreciate that you refer to this as a rumor because this is a serious accusation, and I think we need to tread carefully on these things.

To be clear, I don’t know exactly where the line is here — it’s not unusual for one fanbase to claim a rival is paying players or doing some illegal or unethical thing to gain an advantage, but it seems more serious (to me, anyway) when there are very specific claims and accusations being described involving certain people.

I hope that makes sense. Please just be careful about rumors and allegations of wrongdoing.

 

[SabreHorn]

Aggy is a far too experienced cheater to do that

This is exactly why they can and would do it. The Aggies have well over 6 decades of experience funneling money under the table to momma. Jimbo thought he knew how to do it until he arrived in Brazos County and found out he was a novice in the middle of longtime professionals. Kinda like thinking your diploma from Blinn is the equivalent of an MBA from Stanford.

Can you prove it was to stay away from Austin? No, unless some mother gets pissed because her check didn't arrive on time.

While you're at it remember that the kings of "kidnapping" and/or "hiding" recruits are still living in Brazos County and OKC.

 

[moondog_LFZ]

.though many of us predicted that is just what would occur.
Thoughts

It was already occurring.
Reggie Bush says hello.

 

[OrangeClad]

We have also had multiple coaching changes which inhibits player development and continuity, especially on the O-line. I remember reading that one recent O-line graduate had played for 4 different coaches. I hope Sark gets at least 4 years to build the team.

So long as he shows continued improvement to keep the recruits believing and committing, and give administration enough air cover to assuage the donor base, not lose control of the team, nor embarrass the school with monkey-gates or substance problems, he will likely get the 4 years. However, not showing improvement in the win column, losing ground with recruiting, losing control of the team or embarrassing the power, and he won't get those 4 years.

 

[OrangeClad]

This is exactly why they can and would do it. The Aggies have well over 6 decades of experience funneling money under the table to momma. Jimbo thought he knew how to do it until he arrived in Brazos County and found out he was a novice in the middle of longtime professionals. Kinda like thinking your diploma from Blinn is the equivalent of an MBA from Stanford.

Can you prove it was to stay away from Austin? No, unless some mother gets pissed because her check didn't arrive on time.

While you're at it remember that the kings of "kidnapping" and/or "hiding" recruits are still living in Brazos County and OKC.

This is a fascinating time we are living in for college football. Like the 85 man roster limitation, I think this NIL (legal paying of players) is going to completely change the landscape of the who's who over time. Everything they tried to do in the 1970s to create parity with the roster limits, they are now reversing 180 degrees plus. I am just glad to be on the UT side, who has more money than anyone else. Once UT hits its stride with the NIL, it is going to look very different around here.

I don't blame Aggy for legally doing what they have to do to get recruits(NIL). CS is a terrible place, they kind of have to do that. Now, if the school paid/cheated and gave cash to recruits and momma's, that's not okay, obviously. But, if indeed they have the alleged $30MM NIL fund and that's what brought in that pretty amazing recruiting class, so be it. It's legal and frankly, they better do it fast and build their roster and trajectory for the future before the NCAA figures out a way to limit it or cut it out completely. UT should be doing the exact same thing. It's sad testimony, but the landscape is what it is nowadays and you must compete (legally) or dry up and fade away.

 

[TEXAS1983]

I’ve gulped down so much Kool Aid, I’m peeing burnt orange.

(Better not let Tom Herman know…. He’ll break out that pee chart.)
Man, that dude was weird.

One must not mock the pee chart, the highest expression of MENSA level brain power ever applied to the field of athletics!

 

[mchammer]

This is exactly why they can and would do it. The Aggies have well over 6 decades of experience funneling money under the table to momma. Jimbo thought he knew how to do it until he arrived in Brazos County and found out he was a novice in the middle of longtime professionals. Kinda like thinking your diploma from Blinn is the equivalent of an MBA from Stanford.

Can you prove it was to stay away from Austin? No, unless some mother gets pissed because her check didn't arrive on time.

While you're at it remember that the kings of "kidnapping" and/or "hiding" recruits are still living in Brazos County and OKC.

Please remember this is aggy. Aggy think they are smart doing this ****, when in fact momma sees an easy mark, threatening to take Timmy to Austin. It’s a psychological win-win for both parties, but means little in the long run as Texas on the whole don’t need these players.

 

[RainH2burntO]

It was already occurring.
Reggie Bush says hello.

I understand..and agree.
Just feels like this new NCAA world will lend itself to many more opportunities for deceit and abuse.

 

[SabreHorn]

Rain,

Some schools (USC, OU, A&M, LSU, Auburn, FSU, Clemson, Ohio State, Nebraska, Tennessee) have found a way to cheat for well over seven decades. Put in more rules, the novices will get caught, but the old pros will figure out a way before the rule takes effect.

 

[CreakyHorn]

Please remember this is aggy. Aggy think they are smart doing this ****, when in fact momma sees an easy mark, threatening to take Timmy to Austin. It’s a psychological win-win for both parties, but means little in the long run as Texas on the whole don’t need these players.

Really? Which players do we not need? Weren't we competing for most of them?

 

[CreakyHorn]

Watched Sark's NSD conference today. I like what I hear from him, and really hope he is successful in the next couple of years. One thing that surprised me, and perhaps I haven't been paying close attention. I was concerned that he was talking about what Ewers needs to do and that he wasn't talking about Maalik. Then, toward the end, he mentioned that Maalik had broken his ankle in a playoff game. Did this not get much coverage? I was looking forward to the competition. This changes things a bit.

 

[SabreHorn]

Which players do we not need?

The ones that create discord and dissention, or as the best coach I've ever known would say, "The ones suffering from a severe case of "I-itis"

 

[mchammer]

Really? Which players do we not need? Weren't we competing for most of them?

The players that want to come here ignore aggy and their stupid prizes. The overlap between aggy and horn players is fairly small, and usually includes the high 4* and 5* players who have little need to play this game.

 

[dukesteer]

People don’t change their behavior. The Aggies may be adroit at cheating but their obsession to win at any and all cost may result in issues perhaps even they cannot manage. That’s my prediction.

I suspect that folks in Tuscaloosa, Gainesville, BR and other places don’t like this one bit. Those folks rule the SEC, not the cult in CS.

We’ll see how this plays out but given that these folks are geniuses at shooting the themselves in the foot, I’m hoping for the worst for them, and somewhat expect for that to happen.

As for Texas, I have always been proud of what I believe is the manner in which the program comports. I want to win badly, but win fairly. Otherwise, for me it will be tainted.