I think Humphrey could play some defensive end in a 3-4 and be a pass-rushing replacement for a guy like De’Aires Cotton, who projects as more of a gap plugger. In other words, he could be an Aaron Lewis type of guy and I think he’s a definite take because of his combination of size and speed. With how much Houston and Randall got worn down against Texas A&M, I don’t think depth can hurt since it’s so hard to find players at those positions and in the last couple of years a high number of guys have washed out. With the 2009 and 2010 kids, there’s a strong chance that a couple of them don’t make it through the program.

As for offensive linemen, I think that’s a major point of emphasis in the 2011 class, probably more so than even running back. I suspect that the coaches didn’t want too many in the 2010 class because of the number of linemen redshirting in from the 2009 class and because they didn’t want a guy like Evan Washington for whatever reason. Most likely, they weren’t convinced about his ability to play tackle and 2011 will be about finding guys that can play that position, most notably Spencer Drango and then whoever they like from the group of Marcus Hutchins, Taylor Doyle, Josh Cochran, etc.

As for your first comment — it’s a problem, but it’s hard to see anything changing. Basically, the accelerated timetable places an extremely high value on good initial evaluations and accurate projections of where they will be in several years. A tough task, but I think the staff got in on a couple kids like Greg Daniels and Chris Jones who would have been hard to get commitments from had they waited and allowed other schools to get in on their recruitments.

Mack’s "fill up the commitment list early" is a tough strategy to justify

Agree in most years, but this year I honestly don’t see 1 reach in the current group of commitments.

For all of the complaining recenlty about UT not offering kids earlier than the previous class signing day, I’d actually like to see the entire process moved back, with no offers or commitments until the fall of the sr. year.

just based on the seniors that are leaving. To get the entire current class in we are going to have to have attrition of 3-4 other players. Start adding in some of the guys on your list and the level that it is going to take gets pretty scary.

IMHO – he is too small to be a top 15-20 pick as a safety. Especially with Mays and Berry coming out. He should come back for another year of strength and maturity – and more reps as a cb. He will be an early first rounder in 2011 and a 2nd in 2010. And the difference in guaranteed money is well worth the wait.

and so would only have one year of eligibility — he could have jumped ship with Webber in the spring, but chose not to. Unlikely that he leaves now.

Harris has the continued neck problems with the stingers, so it’s possible that he could decide that his football career is over. Like I mentioned with Payne above, McGee only has one year of eligibility remaining and unlike Payne he already had a redshirt year, so he would have to transfer to an FBS school. I think he stays. Like Payne, Harris really made the decision last year to stay and he’s the unquestioned back up next year in case something happens to GG, so he’s basically already made the decision to stay. Irby probably wouldn’t made a decision until next fall, though it could be necessary to make it earlier. Wells and Hills seem the most likely candidates for a transfer, along with Brock Fitzhenry and DeSean Hales.

since both he and Irby had some fairly serious nerve damage, leading to “drop foot.” Hills was a remarkable comeback story, but he never recovered his speed, a serious problem for Irby, who doesn’t have the option of moving to the offensive line.

As for Dixon, he started hanging out with the wrong people. In my understanding of how Texas deals with recruits, that pretty much made him untouchable and he didn’t exactly notify the coaching staff quickly of his decision. Texas has options at the position and there are a couple of kids in the 2011 class who like the Longhorns who should be good college players, even if they aren’t on the level of Dixon. Yes, it’s a loss, but it’s not really something worth worrying about at this point because there’s no going back.