Inside Texas December 2019

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DECEMBER 2019

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Sam Ehlinger ran and passed his way to Offensive MVP Honors in Alamo Bowl win over Utah.

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in this issue

Horns Dominate Utes in Alamo Bowl |

6

by Joe Cook

Texas plays well in all phases in San Antonio.

12

5 Quick Thoughts | by Ian Boyd Ian’s thoughts on Alamo Bowl win.

Post Mortem - Alamo Bowl |

18

by Scipio Tex

Scipio’s analysis of Offense, Defense and Special Teams

Chris Ash is New DC |

26

by Mike Blackwell

Tom Herman taps former Rutgers HC to run Texas defense.

Yurcic Named Offensive Coordinator |

by Mike Blackwell

31

Yurcic leaves Ohio State to run Texas offense.

Longhorns Ink Early Signees for 2020 Class |

by Eric Nahlin

34

Eric’s expert analysis of the incoming early signees.

Publishers -- Michael Pearle, Clendon Ross | Managing Editor--Clendon Ross | Editor-- Mike Blackwell InsideTexas.com Editor -- Justin Wells | Lead Writer -- Joe Cook | Contributor -- Ian Boyd Designer/Photographer -- Will Gallagher | Recruiting Analyst -- Eric Nahlin To Subscribe/Customer Service -- Phone: 512-659-8167 | Email: help@insidetexas.com December 2019

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TEXAS BULLIES UTE

BY JOE COOK

Offensive MVP Sam Ehlinger and

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ES IN ALAMO BOWL

d Defensive MVP Joseph Ossai

SAN ANTONIO -- The Utah Utes entered the Alamo Bowl with the No. 3 total defense in college football, allowing 256.2 yards per game. Teams averaged 70 yards per game on the ground against a talented and disciplined defense.

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utah -

exas amassed 231 yards on the

game. He passed for 201 yards and

The 49-yard touchdown from Ingram

ground against the No. 11 Utes

three scores and added a rushing

was one of six different rushing plays

as part of a convincing 38-10 Alamo

touchdown as part of Texas’ domi-

of 10 or more yards.

Bowl win where second and third

nating night on the ground. His 73

string Longhorns were able to re-

yards didn’t earn the honor of being

“Our players, wow did they play hard

ceive playing time in the final stages

the game’s leading rusher; that be-

and we knew that’s what it was going

of the game.

longed to Keaontay Ingram.

to take,” Texas head coach Tom Herman said. “We knew this was prob-

“We knew coming in that they’re an

Ingram rushed for 108 yards on 13

ably going to be the most physical

incredible front seven,” Sam Ehlinger

carries, including a 49-yard touch-

team that we played all year, and our

said. “Offensive linemen knew they

down run that put the game at its

guys rose to the occasion.”

had to be physical and win their

final 38-10 score.

Sam Ehlinger (11)

matchups, and I think they did exactly that.”

Ehlinger won player of the game

D’Shawn Jamison’s 71-yard second He added 26 yards and a touchdown

quarter punt return set up Texas’ first

through the air., and had a highlight-

touchdown, a five-yard touchdown

reel hurdle of a Ute defender.

reception by Collin Johnson.

honors for the second straight bowl

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- texas

utah -

That was the only six-point score of

middle linebacker in his hometown.

the half by both teams.

Freshmen Chris Adimora, and first-

Interim defensive coordinator Craig

year player Juwan Mitchell contrib-

Though Texas’ 2019 disappointed at

uted to the defensive effort.

many junctures, the end gives the

Naivar took over playcalling duties

2016 senior class their third straight

and spun a gem in his first time in

“We just trusted them,” Ossai said

the role at Texas.

about the interim defensive staff.

Utah totaled 254 yards on 60 plays,

back.

bowl win.

“We bought in 100 percent and

No senior class at Texas this

went out there and executed. I think

decade could say that save for

128 of them on the ground and 126 through the air.

The Ute offense didn’t cross midfield until just before halftime, and that drive ultimately ended with a punt.

The Longhorns fared much better in their ability to finish drives. Of Texas’ 11 drives, only the second drive ended with a three-and-out.

Six of them ended in scores, and only the first ended with a field goal.

Naivar’s gameplan consistently put Joseph Ossai on the edge rather than off the ball, and Ossai excelled. He recorded a game-high nine tackles including 3.0 sacks and 6.0 tackles for loss.

“Craig Naivar and that defensive staff did an unbelievable job getting

Keaontay Ingram

these guys ready for what they were about to face,” Texas head coach Tom Herman said after the

that was the key thing tonight was

Malcolm Roach and his fellow

game.

executing.”

Longhorns.

Ossai had several young team-

Texas’ 28 second-half points al-

“It just shows you what you could

mates with him on the field includ-

lowed the backups to enter the

do when you stay together with your

ing former walk-on linebacker Cort

game late, with Casey Thompson

brothers,” Roach said. “We’ve been

Jaquess, who received the start at

receiving mop up snaps at quarter-

through so much together and the

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way we led this year, it wasn’t always on the same page, but it always was the same message that we wanted to get through to the whole team.”

“I couldn’t be more proud of everybody in my class.”

Join the Conversation

Malcolm Roach (32)

Texas enters an important offseason hoping it can parlay another bowl victory into loftier achievements in 2020. It’s a lot easier to do that with a win, and Texas will try to ride that as much as they can before the first snap of the 2020 season.

“It can take us a boost us into the offseason,” Ossai said. “We can have that on our shoulders and going through the offseason because there’s no ball game. So if you need to be reminded of something, it’s definitely great to go into the offseason with a win like this.”

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5

QUICK

vs

thoughts

by Ian Boyd

The conventional wisdom going into this game was that 11-2

Texas did show up, and while they did struggle to move Utah’s

Utah, who always plays with a chip on their shoulders, was

330 pound DTs in the inside run game, they dominated the

going to pound disappointing, coordinator-less Texas in the

Utes most everywhere else and made a mockery of their pass-

Alamo Bowl.

ing game and inside run game with a typical, Todd Orlandoesque gameplan.

The problem with that wisdom was that Utah has feasted on teams that don’t have the athleticism or skill of Texas and have

The Longhorns out-rushed the Utes 231-128 and out-gained

been able to live between the tackles. Go watch them against

the Utes overall 438-253. Complete subjugation of the foreign

Oregon or USC this year and you’ll see something similar to

invaders, ideally Texas would not play in the Alamo Bowl again

the team that showed up in San Antonio.

in the coming decade. They did go 2-1 there this decade.

#1: Good

gameplan by the reduced staff...

This was an easy assignment for Craig Naivar, believe it or not.

have done that anyways though if he was being retained simply

The Utes used some tempo, motion, and sweeps to generate

because of the matchup). However, the Texas offense had the

some leverage and advantages here and there but as noted in

tougher task and they had a very good plan.

the preview, what they really want to do is go downhill with Zack Moss. Well downhill is where Keondre Coburn lines up, and

One of their big wins was the bunch set, playing with the TE in

Ta’Quon Graham, and Malcolm Roach.

an H-back set like normal but then keeping the slot and outside receivers fairly tight as well.

The interior is where Texas’ D is designed to regularly shoot the A-gaps with ILB blitzes by explosive players like Juwan Mitchell.

The problem for Utah here was their emphasis on man coverage

It’s an inhospitable place and if your gameplan is geared towards

and the way these sets allowed Texas to create rubs, especially

downhill runs but can’t prevent Texas from shooting LBs through

for the RBs and TEs breaking outside. But Texas did some real

those gaps then you’re going to have a bad day. Sure enough,

damage on their normal tight zone play from that bunch forma-

Utah had a bad day.

tion:

What’s more, their passing game was really heavy on play-action

Bunch tight zone vs Utes.jpg

sets from protections that weren’t capable of blocking Texas’ athletes on the blitz. Soon Tyler Huntley had his head down and

With hard cutbacks by the RBs, Texas could turn the tight zone

was running for his life and taking shots from all directions.

play into a “Keaontay Ingram/Roschon Johnson vs the CB” matchup in space when they ran that play to the wide side like

On offense the gameplan was similarly effective and perhaps a

this. It was wildly effective, accounting for that 49-yard scoring

little more impressive. Credit to Naivar for doing a good job and

run by Ingram and a pair of 20-yarders by Roschon.

maintaining Texas’ normally effective packages while mixing in their four-down stuff a little more for Ash’s benefit (Orlando may

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#2 What

a season by

Devin Duvernay

Duvernay, the workhorse, turned in a final day of work with three catches for 92 yards and a TD, hauling in a pair of beautiful throws with fantastic over the shoulder catches.

Facing man coverage by the Utes, Texas got into a trips formation a couple of times with Cade Brewer working in space to run a stick route and then Duvernay flexed a little wide and running a slot fade. Utah didn’t really catch on either time Texas ran this set and the result was 40 and 37 yard completions.

He also caught a flag route for a TD with a Ute trying to tackle him before the ball arrived. His final line on the year was 103 catches for 1294 yards and eight touchdowns. Salute to the other senior wideout who proved to be the key one in 2019.

Salute to Collin Johnson as well, who was unlucky with injuries this season but still showed up for the final and caught three balls for 62 yards and a score. Like so many other Longhorns in this soon Tom Herman

Todd Orlando

ending decade, his story has too many “what might have been” chapters.

Keondre Coburn (99)

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- 5 Q uick T houghts | A lamo B owl -

#3 Joe Ossai,

nightmare on the edge

Because of Utah’s tendencies and formations, Joe Ossai got to play strictly as an edge player in this game.

A play you may or may not have fully noticed though was the 4th and 1 attempt on Utah’s first drive after the half. The

It went well.

Utes ran a zone-read from a double TE set.

Nine tackles, six of them for a loss, three of them sacks.

They read TQ Graham and had BOTH TEs blocking Ossai

Unbelievable domination from number 46. I’m sure many

so that Huntley could win to the edge for the first down.

will be cursing Orlando forever that he wasn’t allowed to

Guess what happened? Ossai got off the blocks and tack-

play on the edge all season.

led Huntley for a loss.

Utah was a uniquely good matchup for Texas and I’m

Ossai will be on the edge full time next season...that could

inclined to give Ossai credit for doing what he had to do

be very effective even if he doesn’t land six TFLs and three

this year, but they definitely should have let him play on the

sacks ever again.

edge more. Spilling the ball to him with Coburn and the ILB blitzes yielded tremendous results.

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- 5 Q uick T houghts | A lamo B owl -

#4 Don’t

count out

Keaontay Ingram

Everyone wants to count this guy out because Roschon John-

downs, nice game. He has some toughness as a runner and

son is a really tough runner and consummate teammate and

his lateral agility hasn’t gone anywhere.

Bijan Robinson is a future star who could definitely execute the bunch set tight zone play that Texas employs.

By the way, a reminder that I’ve seen Mike Yurcich’s 2014 playbook and they still had the diamond formation in there

All that said, Keaontay Ingram is pretty good too. He leaped

that Dana Holgorsen installed when he came to Stillwater and

over a man, caught a pass with a hit coming on the throwback

found a bunch of talented RBs and not a lot of depth at other

(similar to the one he dropped vs LSU only nearly covered this

positions.

time), and murdered Utah on a quick out from the bunch set as well.

I don’t see any good reason why Texas couldn’t run a diamond formation with some combination of Ro, Ingram, Bijan,

13 carries, 108 yards, two catches, 26 yards, two total touch-

and Whittington next season.

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- 5 Q uick T houghts | A lamo B owl -

#5 Secure Sam

and put this decade in the past

Sam Ehlinger is virtually a lock to come back. He’s waiting on the NFL papers but he’ll get a better grade after his senior year and there’s a long tradition of QBs that stuck in college having better success both in the draft and in the NFL. There’s a lot to be gained by sticking around with Yurcich, continuing to clean up his game, and ideally being handed the keys to calling the shots at tempo.

Tom Herman has proven that he can get this team up for big games and bowl games. Now it’s time to get this new staff together, put together a compelling vision that excites these players and prepares them for another offseason grind, and go have a season where they can plan and prepare well enough to inflict more blowouts like this one rather than giving away games they should win against scrappy Big 12 opponents.

USF and LSU loom on the schedule as the first tests in a new decade for Texas football. This one is finally over.

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Kraken_Texas_mechanical.indd 1

5/19/11 2:17:09 PM

POST-MORTEM |

O F F E N S E

by Scipio Tex Tom Herman with nearly a month of preparation is a pretty good

and wrinkle-filled than they likely anticipated. Hell - even more

offensive coordinator. He’s now proven that in three consecutive

than many of us anticipated.

bowl games. Of course, the problem is that a head coach playing offensive coordinator with a weak overall staff is going to roll

Bunched wide receivers and snug formations everywhere! An

out some dud efforts with limited scouting and preparation time

expansive, creative running game with option and read ele-

in the season weekly grind. Too many fires to put out.

ments built off of it. For once, Texas wasn’t the most confused or indecisive defense on the field.

Texas scored the most points (38) and gained the most yardage (438) of any Utah opponent this year. While Utah’s losses in the

A lot of defensive systems number receivers to create clarity,

secondary certainly hit them hard given their preference for Cov-

can have conflicting rules on declaring strength to width of field

er 1 press coverage, the Texas offense was also more creative

and number of receivers in bunch (particularly if you’re trying to

SAM EHLINGER

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match your best guy on ours), and pretty much guarantee man

Keeping him fresh and healthy is the operative phrasing and I

coverage on the “point” receiver (first guy in the bunch) -- all

endorse the Alamo Bowl 15 touch pitch count (13 carries, 108

tools that are helpful for mucking up Utah’s run support and

yards, 2 catches, 26 yards, 2 total TDs). Ingram isn’t a work-

passing game coordination on the back end. For once, it was

horse running back. Accept that and it will mean a much saner

nice to see another defense blow containment in the running

fanbase and, for the coaching staff, a much more productive

game.

season long contributor. Roschon Johnson ran very hard in relief, notching 49 yards on 6 carries. Including a 20 yard burst

Texas really hit their stride in the second half, using the threat of

behind a brilliant Junior Angilau block. RoJo finishes the season

the deep passing game to back Utah off and allow particularly

with 807 yards rushing and receiving combined. Not too shabby

big running lanes for Ehlinger, Ingram and Johnson.

for a converted QB who just wanted to help the team. .

In a game that featured a constantly running clock, the Long-

WR/TE

horns maximized ten “real” possessions (no offense to the

Devin Duvernay (3-92-1 td) went out fittingly. Three terrific

reserves) into six scores, including four consecutive second half

catches, each one absolutely crucial to the win. I’ll miss him as

touchdowns. Before the 2nd team offense came in, Texas’ last

much as any receiver who has ever played here. No ego, just

18 plays went for 243 yards and the play-calling was particularly

work and production. No matter the coverage, his injuries, the

sound, highlighted by a beautiful throwback touchdown pass to Ingram on the short side field release. One of many solid calls on the night.

Utah got worked over pretty good.

QB Sam went the hyper efficient route going 12 of 18 for 201 yards and three touchdowns.

With one interception on a fairly bad 4th and goal play call (despite a good Texas game plan, 4th down play calling deserves some real offseason study). He also hurt Utah with his legs, rushing for 73 yards

DEVIN DUVERNAY

and a touchdown on a busted shovel pass. Nice to have a heady tough guy playing QB to

score of the game. If any of you had Duvernay totaling 1386

fix plays like that on the goal line. Overall, Sam played a really

yards on 106 catches this year, please take your victory lap now

good game other than a pair of sailed intermediate routes. We

and send me your best guesses on the Lottery. My takeaway on

have one more year of a very good QB. Let’s not waste it.

The Duve’s career? Writing off very hard workers with measur-

RB

ables is a risky bet.

IA fresh, healthy Keaontay Ingram is a fun player to watch. The

Collin Johnson was big early, punishing Utah with a 34 yard

vision, lateral burst, acceleration, and balance were all there on

catch from the Snug formation on the 1st play of the game and

New Year’s Eve.

catching a goal line TD pass after the Jamison punt return. He

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the year turned in a hell of a performance against one of the better DLs in college football.

Aided by some terrific play calling and angle advantage, Texas flat wore them out. While Utah did win some battles early (3 sacks, 8 tackles for loss on the game) Texas delivered most of the punishment from the 3rd quarter on. Probably why a Utah DT chose to vent his frustration on Ehlinger late on an option play - he certainly wasn’t having much success with guys his size.

Junior Angilau had a tough go of it early, allowing a sack and a tfl on back-to-back plays, but he crushed a Utah DT on the next possession to bust Rojo on a run and he didn’t look back after that. His play was emblematic of the total OL effort. They each

ROSCHON JOHNSON

lost a couple against a very physical Ute DL early, but won

went 3-62-1td and, like Duvernay, every one of his catches felt important. Nice to see him back healthy.

Brennan Eagles was a non-factor, other than an untimely holding penalty. His first 10 catches of the season over four games (La Tech, LSU, Rice, OSU) went for 276 yards and four touchdowns. Over the next nine games, he totaled 22 catches for 246 yards and 2 touchdowns. He went from an athlete opposing DCs legitimately worried about to an afterthought. With his decline coinciding with Collin Johnson’s absence, when the offense most needed him to step up. If Texas is going to get it done in 2020, Eagles will need to show some consistency.

Good snaps from young Jared Wiley. The strength and mass isn’t there yet, but when it is, look out. Brewer had one of his better blocking games as the bunch formations allowed him to screen smaller Ute personnel.

twice as many down the stretch and on the latter portions of drives. Texas got stronger.

Sam Cosmi also looked like himself for the first time in a while.

While quality OL play is certainly an offensive enabler, good offense, angle advantage, defenders in conflict, and creative play-calling is a boon to the big guys. You can block your OL better by virtue of quality play-calling, creating some indecision in defenders, and a little creative novelty. This game was proof of that fact.

FINAL That was quality game planning and dialed in players.

It’s fun to kick the **** out of people. Against Utah, the defense did it, special teams did it, and the offense did it. Let’s do it more often. I could get used to this.

OL A unit that saw its level of play degrade over the second half of

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Let’s build on it with a bowl win..

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POST-MORTEM |

D E F E N S E

JOSEPH OSSAI (46)

That was a gratifying win led by a dominant defensive perfor-

If you want to play great defense, play less of it.

mance. Today, the Salt Lake brims with tears.

Interim DC Craig Naivar and a skeleton defensive staff put in The Utes punted on all five of their first half possessions and

a good game plan and installed some basic structure in only

opened the 2nd half by turning the ball over on downs on their

eight practices. Texas could have had as many as 15 sessions

side of the field. So much for the obligatory first possession op-

to prep the Alamo Bowl, but hiring necessity was the mother

ponent touchdown.

of invention and Herman’s lack of intervention meant a rested defense that actually knew their positional assignments. Sure

Texas showed the merits of playing with a lead and a fast start

minds, fast legs.

and when Utah did finally string together some offense (with their touchdown enabled by a helmet-less Keondre Coburn), it

Against a favorable personnel and schematic match-up, the

was far too little, too late. Utah only had ten possessions overall.

Texas coaches correctly identified that Utah wasn’t going to

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bully a physical Longhorn DL with their power sets when the

The Utes totaled 128 yards rushing in all - a decent bit of it com-

Horns ran fronts featuring as many as 4 DL + Ossai (he’s good

ing when the game was already decided.

on the line of scrimmage - who knew?) backed by run stopping ILBs tasked only with attacking gaps between the tackles. The

It’s been a frustrating season trying to convince everyone that

bully got bullied.

our DL is much more talented than our coaches scheme them to be. It was nice to show what players like Graham, Coburn and

What about trying finesse? That certainly worked on Texas all

Ojomo are capable of when Texas actually sets the edge, stops

year. The Utes had little chance punishing Texas deep with a

making DL take lateral steps at the snap, and employs tactics

subpar receiver corps when our DBs were allowed to run simpli-

understanding football is a lot more than white board sanskrit

fied assignments paired with Joseph Ossai doing his best Lawrence Taylor impersonation applying pressure while the Longhorn DL actually got favorable pass rushing angles.

Texas also noticed that Utah’s TE merited a jam and safety attention on passing downs and that Huntley wasn’t going to really hurt us running the ball. There’s your game plan. Sometimes football isn’t hard.

Consequently, Utah’s longest completion downfield was a measly 19 yards and a big strike Utah passing game averaging well over 10 yards per attempt was held to 126 yards passing and 5 sacks. Little surprise that the Utes were held to 4 of 15 on money downs, repeatedly running their heads into a brick wall on 3rd and 4th down and short. Utah hurt Texas very briefly playing tempo, but that’s not their identity and their receivers couldn’t consistently separate against superior athletes. They

with mindless Xs running to spots. The best way to improve a

pretty much threw in the towel in the 4th quarter and accepted

unit is to teach and develop the position.

their fate.

LB

While these pregame scouting points were pretty obvious, obvi-

Perhaps Chris Ash will notice Joseph Ossai’s best attributes so

ousness eluded this defensive staff for much of 2019. So kudos

that he doesn’t have to “break out” every year in the bowl game

to competence.

playing on the edge.

DL

Joseph Ossai should probably be up on battery charges today.

A heavy rotation of Sweat, Graham, Roach, Ojomo and Coburn

Properly employed with fresh legs (and shoulder), #46 was

yielded sixteen tackles, six tackles for loss, two sacks, and mul-

a terror. He finished the game with a remarkable 9 tackles, 6

tiple QB hits while completely stoning Utah’s power run game.

tackles for loss, 3 sacks. That’s a stat line I haven’t seen from

Texas played multiple fronts and Roach got heavy rotation as a

a Longhorn defender in a very long time. He also registered

4-3 DE and even a 3-4 OLB (really almost an old school 5-2 at

at least three teeth rattling hits. Seeing him dominate Utah

times). Utah star RB Zack Moss totaled 57 yards on 16 carries -

tight ends, tackles and RBs wasn’t fair - his ability to play the

nearly half of his total coming on a 26 yard scamper on a blown

edge with leverage, speed, and strength are rare and valuable

assignment on the second level. Utah can’t play the ball control

attributes best not wasted playing ILB or standing over a slot

game if they can’t convert 3rd and short or face repeated 2nd

receiver. Orlando made the mistake of thinking that just because

and 12s after Longhorn DL penetration. Their formula can’t work

a player CAN do something, he then necessarily should. In

absent reliable gains.

fact, that’s a pretty good description of player misuse for a lot of

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23

versatile Texas defenders.

QB shrugged and threw it to green instead of into our carefully laid schematic traps.

The other interesting development was seeing walk-on LB Cort Jaquess get the start inside. That’s a good thing for meritocracy

Caden Sterns is a pretty damn good safety if you let him look at

and if you ask Longhorn practice observers which Texas LB

the QB and empower him to play the game. Eight tackles with a lot of range, featuring a terrific TFL solo tackle in space on Kuithe that was a chef’s kiss of form tackling and recognition. He also showed good instincts for closing out from Cover 1.

BJ Foster didn’t show up much in the box score (2 tackles) but he did a very good job attacking Utah’s interior chain moving options in the passing game.

Chris Adimora got heavy run in the absence of Chris Brown and Brandon Jones and he had a nice PBU on an iso deep route and a big hit when a Utah receiver alligator armed a post. Instinctive, physical football player with room to grow into his body. Demarvion Overshown played, looked somewhat lost, and was pulled.

Start watching some LB tape, DO.

ANTHONY COOK (4) AND AYODELE ADEOWE (40)

consistently brings the most violence coming downhill, many

SPECIAL TEAMS

will mention #57. Downhill violence is what Texas needed most

D’shawn Jamison showed easy speed on his 71 yard punt

against Utah, as the scheme did a good job of shielding the

return after the Utah punter kicked a line drive past his cover-

ILBs from many responsibilities beyond attacking Zack Moss.

age. That play set up a key Texas score before the half to put

Jaquess rotated with Adeoye and Mitchell throughout the game

the Horns up by 10. It really was the first crack in the Utah dam.

and the three combined for 15 tackles playing a run first simpli-

Jamison had 4 punt returns for 102 yards overall and that hid-

fied gap assignment defense. McCuloch even got a little run and

den yardage was key to Longhorn dominance.

chipped in another two stops.

Ryan Buj looked healthy with a 47 yard punt average (Utah had All of the linebackers delivered some good hard tackles be-

only 1 yard in punt returns) and Cameron Dicker nailed a chip

tween the hashes, even if some athletic deficits showed up on

shot field goal.

a cutback or two. Utah didn’t really have the tools or mindset to exploit them, but Texas helped its own cause by assigning TE and RB coverage duties to DBs, content to let our corners play single man outside and let Caden Sterns be a football player.

Texas dominated all three phases of the game.

FINAL The Texas defense can hold its head high going into the off-

DBs

season and several personnel flashed their true potential. One

Anthony Cook and Jalen Green played well outside and that,

wonders what this defense might have been had Texas coached

along with our DL and Ossai, was really the key to Texas domi-

this unit starting back in the Spring instead of trying to scheme-

nance. They overmatched Utah’s wide receivers in coverage

f*** everyone playing God on the white board.

and it was nice to seeing them play with certainty and confi-

24

dence. Traits regrettably absent in our season long attempts to

But I’ll take the dominating win and the offseason wind in our

give QB “looks” that only confused our guys while the opposing

sails.

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CHRIS ASH HIR

You know how the job search works. A job opening is posted. Applicant sends in resume. Employer reviews resume. Applicant is called for interview.

And of course, at some point in the process, the hiring party considers the intangibles: familiarity, expertise, personality.

And then, either thumbs up or thumbs down.

December 2019

26

RED AS NEW DC

BY MIKE BLACKWELL

AP Photo/Paul Sancya

December 2019

27

-

chris ash hired as dc

F

or Chris Ash, the Applicant, the path taken to eventually

-

Sort of like the man he’s replacing, Todd Orlando.

becoming the new Texas defensive coordinator was a familiar one. For Tom Herman, the Hiring Party, the

process went swimmingly.

Any description of Ash would be incomplete if it didn’t include an analysis of his Rutgers tenure. He was hired in 2016, so he ended up coaching three-plus years before getting the axe.

Job opening available, applicant analyzed, hiring initiated.

Perhaps ill-suited for the Big 10 - certainly Rutgers didn’t fight Now comes the hard part.

the football fight with the same weapons wielded by the Ohio States and Michigans of the world - the team beat three league

Both Herman and Ash have no illusions about not only how the

teams in 2017: Illinois, Maryland and Purdue.

hiring process works, but also know that the hiring and firing processes of major college football are two mutually exclusive

The Scarlet Knights were 1-3 and had just lost to Michigan 52-0

events in the tenuous profession of football coaching.

when he was dismissed earlier this season.

In other words, “We are thrilled you are here, we know you are

Before Rutgers, Ash was co-defensive coordinator and safeties

capable, we can’t wait to meet your family...and you better win.

coach at Ohio State, contributing to the Buckeyes’ national

Now.”

championship in 2014. In his five years in the Big 10, his teams won four league championships.

Ash’s resume is certainly easy on the eyes.

And not only did he have success in Columbus, but he also Yes, he was fired from his head coaching position at Rutgers in

worked on the same staff with Herman for the second time in

the middle of the season, but seriously, Vince Lombardi prob-

his career. Initially, Herman and Ash coached together in 2009,

ably would’ve gotten the pink slip, too. Other than the Rutgers

when Herman was offensive coordinator and Ash was defensive

blip, Ash comes to Texas as a highly-desirable and respected

backs coach and recruiting coordinator at Iowa State.

defensive mind.

To say the very least, Herman is extremely comfortable with Ash, a fact that some analysts of the Texas program say is not necessarily a good thing (a few pundits have said they want Herman to hire the best man available, rather than hiring someone for comfort). Herman appears to have accomplished both of those things with the Ash hire.

“After taking a hard look at a lot of options at defensive coordinator, Chris was the one that continued to stand out,” Herman said. “We couldn’t be more excited about what he’ll add to our staff. I’ve witnessed firsthand Chris’ skills as a game planner, his attention to detail and ability to develop players. He gets the best out of every one of them and has a history of building physical, fundamentally sound, winning defenses.

Caden Sterns

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chris ash hired as dc

-

“He has done it at the highest level, is a tremendous all-around coach and an awesome person. I know he’ll do great things, and our players, coaches and staff will really enjoy working with him. We look forward to his arrival in Austin, getting to work, and him and his family joining our Longhorn family.”

All of that feel-good stuff is great, but UT followers basically have a simple question, as it pertains to the new defensive leader: how will he use the roster at his disposal to improve a defense that often looked completely lost in 2019?

The answer might be at least partially answered with the words of defensive lineman Keondra Coburn.

“He came in and talked to me and said he liked how I move and how I play,” Coburn said. “He’s more of a defensive line lover, so he has a lot of packages for us and how we’re going to love the defense we are going to run.”

Most believe that will include more four-man defensive fronts, as opposed to the three-man defensive line preferred by Orlando.

Ash will definitely employ a different system than the blitz-happy Orlando, who may have sewed the first seed of his demise with the 3rd-and-17 LSU conversion.

He’s also known as someone who is laser-focused with teaching his defenses the intimate details of tackling fundamentally, something the Longhorns often failed to do in 2019.

Ash’s influence will also be heavily-felt in the Texas secondary, the coach’s specialty. Ash played safety at Drake and has coached defensive backs at all of his career stops.

“Just introduced each other and really opened up to each other,” Texas safety Caden Sterns said. “You can really tell what he wants to bring to this program. He’s really meaningful and so it’s going to be cool. I can’t wait to learn from him and get better.”

Joseph Ossai, who ended his 2019 season with a dominating

meeting with Ash. And though he’s a big-time Orlando guy, Ossai expects to thrive under Ash. “The main thing is opening myself up to him, not just closing him off because he came and took my coach’s job,” Ossai said. “I’ll have to open myself up to him and let him do what he’s paid to do.

“I don’t care where I play. Just tell me what to do and I’ll do it.

That’s the way I think. My philosophy is I want to win.”

If his resume and comfort level are indicators, then Ash will be a big reason when and if the winning happens in 2020.

“Texas is a place with a lot of history and tradition,” Ash says.

“It’s synonymous with success. There are great players that have been in this program, there are great players in this program, and I’m really excited about what we can do in the future.

“I’ve recruited in the state of Texas. When I was at Ohio State, I had been in the state to recruit, and as a young coach at Iowa State in the Big 12, I always thought Texas was the gold standard and would be a place you would want to be at and work at, and I’m thrilled about this opportunity.”

performance in the Alamo Bowl, was also impressed with his

December 2019

29

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December 2019

30

OHIO STATE’S YURCIC NAMED OC

By Mike Blackwell

photo courtesy of footballscoop.com

A

ustin remains one of the fastest-growing cities in

questions around this place are rapid-fire and relentless:

the country, with a population explosion that is

Why can’t the Texas offense move the ball? Why don’t

best-reflected by lane-clogging, mind-numbing

we run more? Why don’t we pass more? Why do we run

gridlock on I-35 from Georgetown to San Marcos.

the ball so much on first down? Why don’t we throw the ball less on first down? Why do we go for it on fourth

And contrary to what you might believe, only one of the

down so much? Why don’t we go for it on fourth down

new arrivals in the City of Weird is an offensive coordina-

more often?

tor at the University of Texas.

Who is calling the plays?

Listening to radio and reading print media in Austin, one would think the city has more offensive coordinators than

Welcome to Austin, Mike Yurcich.

breakfast tacos. When the offense at the University of Texas is bad - or even when it’s only above-average - the

Yurcich is the newest University of Texas offensive December 2019

31

-

mike yurcic

-

coordinator, replacing Tim Beck, who was an excellent

Most recently, he has been the passing-game coordina-

offensive coordinator last January prior to his demotion

tor and quarterbacks coach at Ohio State, a school that

in December. Beck is undoubtedly disappointed at being

has experienced a bit of success of late. He’s largely

ousted from the burnt-orange frying pan, but there also

credited with revamping the game of Buckeyes’ quarter-

has be a little relief below the surface at not having to get

back, Justin Fields.

raked over the coals by Joe SixPack on the Line 3.

And though there are some questions about what his Yurcich is now officially the “next up” for the Longhorns in

play-calling duties were at Ohio State, he clearly made

this particular hot seat, and though the questions pertain-

an impression as a play caller at Oklahoma State prior to

ing to him are many, probably the most pressing inquiry

his trek to Columbus.

is this: How will his philosophy meld with the team’s current pool of talent?

Fields was obviously one of the best players in college football this season, in no small part because of Yurcich’s

Well, like a true offensive coordinator wanna be, let’s try

breakdown and rebuild of the quarterback’s mechanics.

and address that question thusly...

The Buckeyes averaged more than 46 points per game, the most important statistic of all when judging an offen-

To know how his philosophy will team with the Texas

sive coordinator.

talent, you have to define that philosophy as clearly as possible, and that definition can be most accurately

Though Fields is undoubtedly his best-known quarter-

described in one word: flexible.

back pupil, Yurcich’s influence was felt heavily - for years - in Stillwater, where he teamed with Mike Gundy to rack

A look into Yurcich’s background makes it clear that

up prolific numbers. Yurcich took a walk-on quarterback

he’s a fan of a smash mouth running game that he has

- Taylor Cornelius - and made him into a player who fin-

implemented in a way to open up his passing game. His

ished in the top 10 in several passing categories in 2018.

background includes significant success on the ground and through the air.

In 2017, the Cowboys had perhaps their best offense in their history, sporting a quarterback in Mason Rudolph

Consider...

who passed for 4,000 yards, two receivers (James Washington and Marcell Ateman) who had 1,000 yards in receptions and a 1,000-yard rusher in Justice Hill.

His philosophy? Run the ball to set up the pass.

The second part of his equation is the pool of burnt orange talent at his disposal, and he must be happy to see the talent that will be at his disposal when the 2020 football season rolls around. He’ll get a chance to work with one of the best quarterbacks in the country in

32

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mike yurcic

Sam Ehlinger, and he’ll have a couple of talented and

-

put on hold for awhile.

proven running backs at his disposal as well in Keaontay Ingram and Roschon Johnson, not to mention a Jordan

“I couldn’t have dreamed of a better fit in terms of simi-

Whittington.

larities and the way that we believe in offensive football,

Additionally, he’ll have a solid offensive line and a handful of talented receivers. As an offensive cook, he’ll have all the necessary ingredients to succeed. Until proven otherwise, it’s pretty easy to jump on the Yurcich bandwagon.

“I talked with a number of coaches as we tried to find the best fit at offensive coordinator, and Mike is a guy who really stood out,” Herman said of the hire. “I’ve admired his work for many years, he’s very highly regarded and respected in the coaching world, and in talking at length with him, I was extremely impressed with what he’ll bring to our staff.

Keaontay Ingram

“He knows our conference well from his time at Oklahoma State and, including the run

and yet a lengthy track record and resume of success on

he had with Ohio State this year, has played a big part

that side of the ball,” Herman says. “According to Coach

in some of the nation’s best offenses for the past several

Gundy, who I spoke to, he’s an unbelievable play-caller,”

years. All of that said, what impresses me most about

Herman said. “Very rhythmic. Very detail oriented in the

him is how he works with and develops players and the

way he develops QB and offenses. The thing that really

creative ways he utilizes all of his weapons on offense.”

stood out to me is his ability each year to play to the strengths of the personnel.”

Herman also appears happy that Yurcich is not a “system” coach who is locked into a singular offensive

Yurcich seems as happy as Herman about the fit.

approach, while at the same time adhering to Herman’s philosophy of a strong running game paired with a

“When looking at offensive coordinator positions, Texas

passing attack designed to take advantage of a defense

is a no-brainer career move,” Yurcich said. “I’m excited

geared to stop the running game.

to work with coach Herman and the entire staff. Having recruited the state of Texas, and having coordinated in

If the marriage of Herman and Yurcich’s philosophies is

the Big 12, I’m excited and proud to represent UT football

as cohesive as it appears, then the hot-and-heavy ques-

as its next offensive coordinator.”

tions about the Longhorns’ offensive coordination may be

December 2019

33

2020 RECRUITING ROUND-UP

By Eric Nahlin

Eearly signing period was December 18-21 and Texas came away with an impressive class highlighted by 5-star running back Bijan Robinson and 4-star QB Hudson Card.

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Kitan Crawford | John Tyler HS

December 2019

35

- 2020 early signees -

T

his should serve as a good refresher, or if you aren’t a

his spin rate. Card and Eaves do a good job linking up versus

recruitnik, a formal introduction. Despite the issues on the

zone. Here’s Card throwing to big target receiver Grayson

field, and the recent defectors from the class, this is still a quality

Sandlin who plays to both the boundary and the field. There are

group that rates highly on a per player basis.

numerous examples of Card throwing it where only his guy can catch it even if Sandlin is well covered. To top it all off, Card is a fine runner. One nit to pick is the oft-overrated downfield arm

QB Hudson Card

.9697 | 4*

strength. I think because of his current build and body mechan-

LAKE TRAVIS (AUSTIN, TX)

6-2.5 | 185

ics he loses a bit of power on his ball as his release gets up and away from the power source. Once S&C takes root this will

Early Enrollee: Hudson was injured a couple of weeks ago but

probably resolve itself.

thankfully not as bad as originally thought. He should return for at least some of the playoffs. Currently he doesn’t have a

CONCLUSION: Card won’t be on a long growth-curve. The

full Hudl clip, but his nifty slot wide receiver, Kyle Eaves, does.

mechanics are good and the results better. He seems to antici-

Who better than an athletic slot to give us an idea of what Card

pate and read defenses well. I expect Card to be heavily in the

brings to the table? With UT’s usage of the position along with

mix post-Ehlinger.

Lake Travis’ deployment of Eaves, it paints a well-rounded picture of Card’s skill-set. The first thing that stands out is touch

Edit with new hires in mind: Card can flourish in a number of

and accuracy (68 percent passer in each of his three seasons),

systems. He would have absolutely lit it up in Graham Harrell’s

even when Card rolls the pocket. A tight spot in the corner of the

but he’s still a great fit for what Herman wants to do. If Herman

end zone? No problem. Throwing accurately on the move so

hires a Gundy acolyte, it isn’t hard to envision Card perform-

Eaves can maximize space? That’s evident as well. Hudson is

ing well in the Cowboys offense. Whoever the hire is, RPO’s

at his best on short and intermediate throws. Those intermedi-

need to be a feature as well as the QB run game. He struggled

ate throws feature plenty of velocity. Jeff Luhnow is intrigued by

at times versus a fast and physical North Shore team but he also showed he belonged athletically. He also showed toughness coming back from injury.

QB Ja’Quinden Jackson DUNCANVILLE (DUNCANVILLE, TX)

.9654 | 4* 6-2 | 220

Easy guy to evaluate, tough guy to project -- he’s big, elusive, quick, and fast for his size. He also has a big arm for quarterback and has made strides at the position throughout the years.

Does he have the softer skills Card does? Can they be developed? Time will tell on that front. Like what Charlie Strong said about Lil’Jordan Humphrey, “I don’t know what he is, but he’s something.” He’ll start off at quarterback and as well he should. He’s an uncommon prospect and it’s the highest value position. To Hudson Card -- photo Justin Wells/IT

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remain there he’s going to have to put in the time on

insidetexas.com

- 2020 early signees the technical aspects of the position. Interestingly enough, they

can he routinely get the Frank Gore yards? He certainly has the

could play him immediately to save carries on Ehlinger and to

build for it.

add a different gear to the offense. If quarterback doesn’t work out long-term, or if he simply wants to hit the field sooner, run-

CONCLUSION: Just an exceptional athlete who will get carries

ning back is an obvious option. Roschon Johnson’s success in

day-one and ascend the depth chart from there. An underrated

making the transition illustrates Jackson’s high floor as a prospect. What I’m most curious about is if he’d be want to play linebacker. That could be the position that helps him find the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. He’s big, physical, changes direction like a smaller player, and can run. Linebackers that can move like him are rare and we have a name for them -- millionaires.

CONCLUSION: Jackson will be in charge of his positional destiny and very well may remain at quarterback. If it comes together for him you’d want to see him in a run, run, run, throw it deep offense a la Baylor earlier in the decade. If he transitions to running back, he could be a more productive Jacques Patrick.

Edit with new hires in mind: Herman seems intent on running with a close facsimile of his current offense and that benefits Ja’Quinden greatly. He’s a lock to translate as a devastating force in the QB run game, though his

Bijan Robinson -- photo courtesy Josh Galemore|Arizona Daily Star

mechanics and processing will require some work. As we know he injured his knee last week and the severity is unknown.

aspect of his game are his hands. He can be used similarly to

If healthy, he projects to play early with a run-game package

Jordan Whittington.

while the rest of his skillset is brought along.

Edit with new hires in mind: Holding on to Robinson amid a disappointing season is the singular story of the recruiting cycle.

RB Bijan Robinson SALPOINTE CATHOLIC (TUCSON, AZ)

.9930 | 5*

Wow. An easy case can be made that he’s the best running

6-0 | 200

back in the nation. The new staff will need to figure out how to get this guy in space. Yes, running between the tackles is

Two things are obvious here, he’s special and Texas has to re-

important, but is that the best use of your talent? Texas needs to

cruit him through the whistle. It’s probably easier to make a case

run more outside running concepts. This would benefit Keaontay

for him as the best back in the country than anyone else. He’s

Ingram immensely too. Make sure to feature him in the passing

explosive in all directions, fluid, has good size, vision, patience,

game too.

and top end speed. His ability to not lose speed when cutting is elite. He wastes no movements; a glider. The only thing I

WR Troy Omeire

.9131 | 4*

wonder about is how he’ll fare as a volume carrier between the

FORT BEND AUSTIN (SUGAR LAND, TX) 6-3.5 | 205

tackles. Can he absorb those hits, fight through them, and move the pile? We know he can make the 50-yard gain look easy, but

He has a clear projection as an X boundary receiver. Improve-

December 2019

37

- 2020 early signees ment that I’ve seen from the spring is initial quickness and fluidity. The X is generally your ball-winner who is often in man coverage. The more ways you can get open, the better.

Omeire always had the “post-up” skills that we see Collin Johnson use, but in time he may become a good route runner as well. He has about as good of a build as you can have and he’ll be a quick responder to S&C. At a minimum he should be able to bully corners. His size should translate to becoming an effective blocker too.

CONCLUSION: The X pipeline is secure with Omeire on his way in. Someone mentioned he was reminiscent of Dwayne Jarrett. I think that’s a good stylistic comp.

Edit with new hires in mind: I don’t really have any new thoughts. Omeire should be a reliable chain-mover at a minimum but he showed some exciting play-making for his size this season. His ranking should be bumped back up to where it was when the networks thought his previous tape looked like his current tape.

OL Jaylen Garth

Logan Parr - Justin Wells/IT

.9177 | 4*

PORT NECHES-GROVES (PORT NECHES, TX)

OL Andrej Karic

.9036 4*

CARROLL (SOUTHLAKE, TX)

6-5, 270

6-5 | 285 The hold-up on offering Karic was lack of size but as you know

Garth lost his senior season due to injury but I heard he was

that’s almost always overblown. Karic will be a bouncy 300

looking great in August. Seeing him live last year versus

pounds in limited time. He owns all the baseline attributes to

T’Vondre Sweat was a great barometer, especially since our

be a great left tackle: quickness from the bottom up, he plays

suspicions of Sweat being a gem have been confirmed. Garth

urgently off the ball, keeps his back flat enough to shoot pool on,

has the feet, quickness, bend, and length to play left tackle.

brings his feet with him, and looks to finish his opponent. He’ll

Even before the injury he was going to need quite a bit of time

be plenty athletic on the pull and in space.

to develop physically, but now the priority will be to regain his movement skills first.

CONCLUSION: The natural comparisons are Connor Williams and Sam Cosmi and I won’t lay down a spike strip. Williams was

CONCLUSION: Garth’s road to college success hit a tempo-

good as a freshman and Cosmi could have played in his first

rary snag but he’s up for the challenge and the sky is the limit.

year. Karic should be ready to compete after a redshirt year. I’ll have him around No. 15 instate. Currently the networks have

Edit with new hires in mind: Garth has the athleticism to be a

him in the 70’s. I’ll be curious to see where they slot him.

plus player on the move, whether pulling or screening. Get him out in space leading the way for the running backs.

Edit with new hires in mind: I really liked what I saw of him versus Duncanville, which is a good measuring stick. Give him a year and he’ll be competing to play. I wouldn’t be surprised if I

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- 2020 early signees hear early positives on him like with Connor Williams and Sam

extra carrots. Parr looks to me like the guy you’re going to fea-

Cosmi before him. His ranking should get a significant revision.

ture on pulls (square those shoulders, Logan!). He’s also going to have the power to be a drive blocker for inside zone. I like his awareness and how he looks for work. He could be a center too,

OL Jake Majors

.9281 | 4*

but they have Majors, and I think he can be the feature guard

PROSPER (PROSPER, TX)

6-3.5 | 280

after Angilau.

Early Enrollee: Jake’s another one I was high on early. Like

CONCLUSION:

Shackelford (and Kerstetter) he plays tackle in high school but

Watching his senior Hudl I was reminded why I liked him so

best projects to center. Texas will need a bridge for 2020 at

much initially. It’ll be fun to see him at 300 pounds. I don’t think

the position but I expect Majors should be able to compete in

he’ll need to weigh much more to get his point across.

2021. He’s a smart kid (Stanford wanted him) which is the first winnowing trait. Length is his only limiting factor. If he had more

Edit with new hires in mind: I think he’ll be a multi-year starter

of it we’d be talking about another Karic. He shows good pop

at guard, perhaps starting as soon as 2021.

even in pass pro. He’s an easy mover with bad intentions which means he translates to any run scheme. The only struggles I can see him having are 1v1 against the bigger noses like Ross

ATH Jaden Hullaby

Blacklock or his future teammate Keondre Coburn. I see some

MANSFIELD TIMBERVIEW (ARLINGTON, TX)

.8701 | 3* 6-2.5 | 205

Joey Hunt here.

If Hullaby was having this year, last year, we’d be talking about CONCLUSION: He’s what you’re looking for in a center but he

how Texas has two Ja’Quinden Jackson type athletes coming in.

could also play guard. For some, mental development serves as a governor but Majors will be ready after he physically matures some.

Edit with new hires in mind: Majors’ stock is “down” and he’s been categorized as a center but he has a lot of promise as an interior lineman. Texas desperately needed a center in the class which adds a lot to his value.

OL Logan Parr

.9061 | 4*

O’CONNOR (SAN ANTONIO, TX)

6-3.5 | 280

Early Enrollee: Another one whose limiting factor isn’t movement skills or bend but length. Parr was early on the scene and very highly rated. That ranking eventually dropped, perhaps because it became apparent he would be an interior player. If you rank him within the interior taxonomy you’ll have a much greater appreciation for him. First of all, he carries very little bad weight.

Is he really an offensive lineman? He’s going to be in Pluckers asking for his wings to be skinned and baked. Hold the fries,

Jake Majors - Justin Wells/IT

December 2019

39

- 2020 early signees DE Vernon Broughton

.9505 | 4*

Hullaby has skills that are not common for a 6-foot-2, 210 pound

CYPRESS RIDGE (HOUSTON, TX)

6-5 | 285

athlete and is coming in to be a hybrid that’s all the rage right

Early Enrollee:

now. Hopefully he’ll unlock some creativity in the staff because he’s a player you’re going to want to get involved in numerous

Vernon the Destroyer remains one of my favorite recruits in some time. I love his ceiling but I think it’s lost on some that his floor is high too simply because of the raw materials and the near certainty that being coachable maximizes them. At 6-foot-5, 280 pounds, he’s one of the quickest, most fluid defensive lineman you’ll find in that heavyweight classification. He’s still a little behind the learning curve when it comes to using his hands and arm length to keep separation -- he tends to body offensive linemen -- but that’s where Oscar Giles comes in. Those traits, along with leverage, made Charles Omenihu a very good defensive end and the same will hold true for Broughton. He’ll just naturally carry more weight for the position and possess more power. Upside is certainly found in how his body will respond to heavy compound lifts. They’ll reshape

Vernon Broughton - Justin Wells/IT

him some and add about 15-20 pounds but there’s no reason he should get too far north of 300. Much

ways. Like with Jackson, I’d want to be a linebacker if I was

has been stated about his family and basketball but he has

Hullaby simply because he’s a 99 athletically for the position. It’ll

cousins playing football at Clemson and Cincinnati. His dad

be interesting to see how easily he puts on weight. Judging by

played football. It’s in his blood.

his build, muscle will stack on quickly. He’ll have the movement skills and the size. It’ll come down to what he wants to do with it.

CONCLUSION: I think he’ll have a T’Vondre Sweat type freshman year while he acclimates physically and mentally but

CONCLUSION: Hullaby’s commitment to Texas flew under the

after that he’ll be a long-term starter before a fruitful career in

radar but he’s an intriguing athlete with a lot potential at numer-

the NFL. My comp has been a lengthier Solomon Thomas but I

ous positions.

think Vernon has more upside and is the Vitruvian Man of what the modern swing defensive lineman looks like. He can play

Edit with new hires in mind: Oklahoma State has the position

5-tech to nose to give you an idea of his size and ability.

called “Cowboy Back” and that’s what Hullaby best projects to if he remains on offense. It’s basically an H-back who sees the

Edit with new hires in mind: One of my favorite prospects in

field quite a bit. Hullaby would be an excellent weapon for the

the state. . After years of struggling to find the ideal 4i, Texas

position but would have to show the aggressiveness for the

finally found one only to change fronts with the hiring of Chris

blocking duties. He’s athletic enough to log emergency carries

Ash. No matter, Vernon has numerous fits and will move along

in a pinch.

the line depending on down and distance. As a 5-tech you’re not going to run on him, and I think he has enough mobility to get into the back-field from the edge. Of course he may also grow

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- 2020 early signees into a 3-tech as S&C takes hold. He’s going to respond in a ma-

to linebacker. Expect him to pack on 20-25 pounds of muscle

jor way to Yancy McKnight’s regimen. I think he’s a borderline

with ease. He could add more but that should be dependent on

five-star because he’s nowhere close to his ceiling.

where he plays.

DL Sawyer Goram-Welch

.8465 | 3*

LONGVIEW (LONGVIEW, TX)

6-4 | 280

Early Enrollee: Depending on development, the newest addition to the class projects anywhere from 5-tech on down to nose tackle. He’s worth the take on that alone.

The James Lynch comparisons are natural and not as outlandish as one might think. I think Goram-Welch’s senior footage is superior to Lynch’s and the college coaches who wanted to turn Lynch into an offensive lineman would likely agree with me. These guys can be really good because of their overall composite of traits, not one unstoppable trait. Quick enough to where OL have to respect them, mobile for their size, strong hands that guide the OL, and motor. If this kid hits big it won’t surprise me.

Sawyer Goram-Welch

LB Prince Dorbah

.9408 | 4*

Edit with new hires in mind: With the new scheme Dorbah

HIGHLAND PARK (DALLAS, TX)

6-2.5 | 215

will follow in Ossai’s footsteps as a weakside defensive end/ part-time zone dropper. His quickness will give tackles trouble

No senior footage is out for Dorbah yet but we know what he

and I think his play-strength will surprise. There still may be an

is -- a slightly smaller Joseph Ossai. He’s played the B-backer

outside chance he’s an off-the-ball linebacker but I think that’s

type role that we’ve seen UT use sparingly this season. B-

unlikely.

backer is the cleanest projection for him but I’m betting, like Ossai, he can play off the line of scrimmage.

Being a little shorter that Joseph will even help him some from

CB Kitan Crawford

.9315 | 4*

JOHN TYLER (TYLER, TX)

5-11 | 200

a movement skill standpoint. In his career he’s played a ton with his hand in the ground, again, like Ossai. These two have simi-

Like fellow East Texas native, Kris Boyd, Kitan Crawford is a

lar mindsets but I don’t quite know if Dorbah is as relentless as

solid framed high school running back who projects to corner in

Ossai. I knew Ossai much better in high school so I had a good

college. If you’re waiting on a tax return, you might still get it.

read on his mentality.

Crawford is a bit harder to project cleanly to corner than Boyd CONCLUSION: Initially I had him figured for B-backer but

because I haven’t seen him playing the position in camp settings

even going back to last year we haven’t seen the position used

like I did with Boyd on several occasions. As a running back

all that much. No matter, I think he can be projected simply

you can see he has good twitch, quick feet, and loose hips for

December 2019

41

- 2020 early signees corner. He also has a sturdy build.

S Xavion Alford

9401 | 4*

SHADOW CREEK (PEARLAND, TX)

6-0 | 180

I think the Tarell Brown comp that’s been mentioned is pretty good given what we know. With his build, I do wonder if nickel

Early Enrollee: Alford has missed much of his senior year with a

will come into play but he’ll get his first crack at boundary corner.

meniscus injury but he played so much good football as a junior

How long it takes him to get up to speed technically is entirely

we know who he is. His best position will be playing deep safety

unknown. Jalen Green, who also played offense predominantly,

with the leash to range and track the ball in the air. He has

became technically serviceable pretty quick. Crawford should be

excellent instincts and ball skills when defending the pass. For

a plus in run support.

safety he’s slight of build but still a willing, if not physical, tackler.

He’s not the guy you move into the box, he’s the guy that keeps

CONCLUSION: Corner is a big need for the class. The staff

you from giving up 70 yard coverage busts.

needs to get the roster healthy like we’ve seen the defensive line the last several years.

CONCLUSION: He has great leadership skills, is smart, and because of that plays faster than he’ll time. He also has really

Edit with new hires in mind: The corners playing man-press

good ball skills. He’ll be ready to play as soon as size is added.

will allow the technically raw Crawford see the field sooner than

I’d put him at corner for a practice or two just to see if he has it

he would otherwise. He’s really well suited to using aggression

in him. If he doesn’t, no sweat, get right back on schedule and

and strength at the position.

groom him for field safety.

There’s still a chance he plays nickel long-term as his size com-

Edit with new hires in mind: With him being more slight-of-

bined with coverage ability could help him match up well on tight

build, Alford is well-suited to playing quarters coverage. When

ends and playing the run.

Alabama was pursuing him I said it made sense because they’ve struggled defending the spread. His instincts and intelligence (using his eyes) will serve him well covering vertical routes. In time he’ll also be able to read his RPO keys quickly. Safety is difficult work in this league but Alford should be mentally ready quicker than most. His body will need to catch up but it will in time. He’s a sure enough tackler but you want him in coverage more than playing downhill.

S Jerrin Thompson

.9298 | 4*

LUFKIN (LUFKIN, TX)

6-0 | 185

Early Enrollee: What if I told you he projected better to nickel than the more heralded BJ Foster or Brandon Jones? Both of those guys are excellent safety talents, and BJ probably has the most NFL upside on the roster, but they’re safeties.

Jerrin Thompson - Justin Wells/IT

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inside texas

I like Thompson’s ability in man coverage, while still

insidetexas.com

- 2020 early signees having Foster’s footballness. Footballness is a platitude with truth behind it, essentially, “being able to get **** done even if it isn’t in your wheelhouse, whether through intelligence, brute force, or athleticism.”

But nickel is Thompson’s wheelhouse thanks to the composite of skills, including coverage, tackling, and physicality at the point of attack. He’s not as big as Foster or Jones but those are the trade-offs and they play to his advantage in coverage.

While Thompson isn’t big yet, he’s pretty dense and will be more durable than his current build suggests.

CONCLUSION: Once I awoke to him being a nickel he moved way up the charts for me. Like Alford, Thompson is intelligent and instinctive. Texas still has a lot of options in the defensive secondary for the foreseeable future but as we’ve seen this year, injuries can mount in a hurry. He should be ready for primetime after a year in the program and could also play either safety position. Lots of versatility here.

Dajon Harrison - Justin Wells/IT

Edit with new hires in mind: Chris Ash will likely want to play Thompson at safety rather than nickel, though if you were going to try a safety at nickel in this defense Thompson would be a good candidate because of his fluidity. I think he and Alford have similar mental traits which is exciting for Big 12 play, though Thompson is more physical despite not being very big. He punches well above his weight which will help him run the alley.

ATH Dajon Harrison

.8614 | 3*

HUTTO (HUTTO, TX)

5-10 | 170

I’m not sure how you could watch his tape and think he shouldn’t have the ball in his hands but he may play corner.

Of course the traits that make him an excellent slot receiver -- ultra quick feet, agility and ability in a phone booth -- translate to corner but his big play ability after the catch is too good to squander.

Jaylen Waddle could play corner too. That’s an extreme example but the point remains. When I heard corner was in play

quickness are clearly evident for the position, I just don’t think it’s his greatest value. Kelvontay Dixon, should they sign him, better fits on defense, maybe even corner.

CONCLUSION: This is a great late-cycle development for the class. While corner might appear to be the greater roster need, Harrison would be able to see the field quicker at receiver where his skills likely better translate anyway. There actually isn’t much behind Jake Smith at slot unless they move Whittington to fulltime receiver this off-season. Harrison’s route running needs refinement, but damn that kid gets off the line and into his routes in a hurry.

Edit with new hires in mind: Harrison is a receiver all the way to me. I think he has the ability to threat short, intermediate, and deep.

UT’s class average of .9230 is very good, but again it’s a small class. In the coming days we’ll address remaining needs..

the first thing I asked a couple of people who know Harrison well is if he’s tough and that checks out. His movement skills and

December 2019

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