Horns247 Board

Thanks EM. Appreciate the post.

an update:

I spoke to a few people today to gauge their overall feeling on the QB position after the first couple of practices and here's what both had to say:

"what i wanted to see more than anything, was whether the reports coming back from organized workouts were true. For the last couple of weeks the people around the staff were getting reports of a guy that was taking charge and more confident. I think we've seen that and more. He's not thinking about things any more. He's executing and it's clear he has made the jump we all needed him to make. He's head and shoulders above anyone else right now. So much so that we're probably not going to see him running the ball like we did last year. At least not as much. He's the only guy we have right now that can run the entire offense. Physically, he has no limitations as a player. What we saw last year was a guy that should not have played. That guy has been replaced by someone who has matured mentally as a player. "

"Yea, it's practice. Yea, it's not even the summer. But when former coaches and players come over to you and make comments on his improvements, it gives you a good feeling. I've been around this team for a long time, and i haven't seen a player change his mental makeup as a football player as quickly as he has in a matter of a few months. He's really changed and his confidence is night and day. Harsin and especially Mack don't want to throw to much at him only to see him have a setback, but you can tell he's really worked hard with his timing and technique. I don't want to say yet that this is becoming his team, but you can see the players start to believe in that. That's what we needed to see this spring (someone take charge) and I think we have. "

looks like Ash has made the jump

Asked both guys about the RB position and what it's going to look like:

"Obviously, nothing is going to change until the new blood gets here. Right now, we're still trying to develop that inside running game with the two young backs we have. The only other guy we feel comfortable with is Hills. He has that burst back after being injured and he can play for us this year. Unless one of the new guys comes in and really turns some heads (and that's certainly possible), Hills is going to play a lot this year. "

"I think everyone's on notice right now and there's some urgency with this group. I don't have to tell you about the talent we have coming in, so these guys are getting after it. Brown looks much better now that he's almost 100%. To me, he's the clear number one guy and probably will be that this year for Texas if he stays healthy. But Major is pretty thrilled right now with his options at RB. He told us all last week that talent is not an excuse anymore. That his group is ready to roll. "

I asked about the WR group:

" we have to find a number 4 and 5 guy. Right now, we feel pretty good about the top 3 guys, but we needed a couple more to step up. I think Davis is turning the corner and doing the things he needs to do to erase the memories of last year. He knows as well as anyone that he probably didn't buy in last year. He was frustrated (as we all were), but he's working as hard as Shipley right now. "

"I personally think Goodwin is going to have a breakout year. He's going to be involved so much in the offense because Harsin likes his abilities so much. I think we saw a glimpse of that in the holiday bowl. But we have to find some depth. If that doesn't happen by the spring game I would expect a few true freshmen to get thrown out there in the summer to see what they can do. "

on the DL:

"least worried about this group. Best group on the entire team, imo. We probably have 3 or 4 guys that are close to becoming great players and we have depth behind them. Couldn't be more pleased thus far".

"Whaley is going to be special. I don't know if special happens this year or next, but he has enormous talent. Flat out been a mismatch at times at both positions. He's starting to buy into what Diaz and Davis are telling him. He showed a glimpse of that the last couple of weeks last year. The rotation on the line is going to be interesting to follow. Brandon Moore is really going to save us to some degree this year. He's not there yet, but just his presence is going to be something that eats up the middle of the offense. He does a really good job of forcing RBs to bounce it outside and that's what we have needed for a while here at Texas. Really excited about Whaley's potential this year. Obviously, we have two potential all big 12 DEs as well. This group has a chance to be special. "

on the LBers:

"we need to find a few guys. with the injuries we've had, right now this group looks a little underwhelming, although Hicks is very good. We need a few guys to be ready to go and take their games to the next level. We can't afford to have only situational players and right now we're a little stuck with that. We need starters and right now we only have 1 or 2 guys we really trust."

"need to get healthy. Hicks is really good but we need to find more players. Big spring for this group. "

on the DBs:

"Going to be better here than we have in a few years, imo. So much versatility and speed. Every single one of those starters is special. Not decent or good, but special football players. Think about that for a second. All of them have proven themselves in big games. Really, just looking for the backups to get sorted out. We need to find a few guys who are ready to play. "

"I think the top tier guys are better than anyone in the big 12. I think AP is going to be a special player for Akina. But you could say that about all the starters. He was a man in the bowl game. So much talent and can play anywhere. We just need the young guys to step up and decide whether or not they are ready for primetime. Lots of speed and talent here. Really like Duke as a young player. "

on recruiting:

"tough year because we're so limited by numbers, but we feel really good about who we offer. We're taking our time with a few positions, but we've already landed most of the guys we felt we had to have. I don't remember that ever happening to this level this early. "

"with the change in philosophy, we're going to take as many of the top athletes as the numbers will allow. We simply aren't going to let a guy pass us by because he may not fit our mold as a WR or DB or RB. Honestly, that has killed us over the last 5-6 years. really excited about the kids we have so far, they are great recruiters and leaders. "

sry, i forgot to ask about the OL and TE. Will try to get more info on that after a few days. Sorry for all the Typographical errors.

Excellent. Thanks for posting that.

this should be it's own thread....

Thanks for the post as always!

Interesting stuff

i am a big bergeron fan. brown showed me very little last year. gray is a 10.5 100 meter
guy, brown might break 11.0. we need a home run guy and i think gray will be that guy.

so malcolm brown started last year as a true freshman along with fozzy but gray will have little effect on the depth chart? give me a break. i think you are selling gray a little short. what did brown average a carry 4.5? that's hardly tearing it up. ask major how much gray is going to effect the depth chart. his answer is alot different than yours.

We'll have to wait and see how things are this fall but i dont think mb crackin the depth chart is the same thing. Gray is coming into a loaded backfield. And frankly from what ive seen on film I'm not as high on gray as everyone here. But i hope im wrong and he wrecks it like everyone is so sure he will.

You do realize Brown was our leading rusher and was Big 12 freshman of the year? Yeah, he showed nothing.

No burst!? Are you kidding me? He's shown plenty of burst this spring and you can't forget that he was a true frosh last year. The

atrocious play of the O-line last year was a huge burden on his ability because there were simply no holes to run through. Don't shut the

door on a kid who's only a true sophomore and is fully healthy now. I fully expect MB to be the number one and stay there this year.