2011 Texas Big Board: The Running Backs
by Wescott Eberts (GoBR) on Feb 10, 2010 2:00 PM CST
in Texas Longhorns Recruiting
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PrintRunning backs on 2011 roster -- Fozzy Whittaker (2011), Cody Johnson (2011), Jeremy Hills (2011), Tre' Newton (2012), DJ Monroe (2012), Chris Whaley (2013), Traylon Shead (2013/14), Demarco Cobbs (2013/14)
Needs -- Two or three. Texas will definitely take two running backs in this class after taking only two running backs in the last two classes and could decide to take a fullback/H-back type as well as a replacement for Barrett Matthews.
Targets --
| Name | School | JD invite? | Offer? | Commitment odds | Quick take |
| Brandon Williams | Brookshire-Royal | Feb. 27 | No-brainer | 50% | Wow. Gimme, gimme. It doesn't take long for Williams to blow you away on film. Closest thing to Adrian Peterson since AD himself -- runs hard, has elite speed, but is probably an even more polished receiver than AD at the same age. Has the size to be effective in blitz pick up. No questions about size or speed. |
| Malcolm Brown | Cibolo Steele | Feb. 13 | No-brainer | 50% | Extremely solidly built back who runs with a bulldozing mentality and has plenty of speed. Elite speed? No, but plenty of speed. The concern is that he isn't a perfect fit in the Texas scheme. |
| Aaron Green | San Antonio Madison | Date unconfirmed | No-brainer | 25% | A late injury and an overall subpar junior season has dropped Green's stock a bit, but his sophomore success was not a fluke -- he's an elite talent. |
| Herschel Sims | Abilene | Feb. 27 | No-brainer | 50% | Excellent receiver and in the return game. Perhaps best pure burst of all the backs. At around 5-8 or 5-9, his size is a concern and he may not project to be an every-down back in college and his ability to pick up the blitz is questionable at best. |
| Bradley Marquez | Odessa Permian | Feb. 27 | Unlikely | 25% | Big OU fan experienced as a blocker and receiver, but lacks the explosiveness and top-end speed of the top prospects in the class. Second tier. |
| Daniel Lasco | The Woodlands | Feb. 27 | Unlikely |
25% |
Burst onto the scene with a huge sophomore season and has excellent speed, but a little lanky and doesn't have a lot of shake in his hips. Questionable if he is a running back at the next level. Reportedly prefers the Florida schools. Second tier. |
| Joe Bergeron | North Mesquite | Feb. 13 | Likely | 90%+ | Big kid with excellent feet for his size who could be the short-yardage replacement for Cody Johnson and also spend some time at fullback. Virtual lock for commitment. |
Other names to know -- Tevin Williams (Euless Trinity), Kenny Williams (Pflugerville Hendrickson), Kenneth Farrow (LD Bell), Damion Willis (McKinney)
Overview -- Wow. The talent in this class is simply unbelievable and the greatest talent of them all might be the latest addition to the list -- Brookshire-Royal's Brandon Williams. On film, he truly looks like the second coming of Adrian Peterson, meaning that he possesses the size Mack Brown seems so enamored with right now.
All the talent presents the Texas coaching staff with an extremely difficult proposition -- how to decide their top target without alienating the other top backs. Aaron Green's recruitment in particular could be a national one and extend deep into the process with his interest in USC and Nebraska.
Perhaps it's not surprising given how large he looms over the football landscape of Texas and Oklahoma, but the most important person in the entire process could be Adrian Peterson. Sims and Williams have specifically mentioned that AD is their favorite player and OU may be the top school for both of the aforementioned players, as well as Brown and Marquez, with Green having an interest in the Sooners, too. It's hard to say if any of them will commit, but the bottom line is that Oklahoma can't take all of those running backs and instead of being able to pick which running backs the Longhorns want, it may be the Sooners taking their pick and Texas trying to scrambles for the leftovers.
Now, it's hard to properly call a guy like Brown or Sims or Williams a leftover, but the early narrative suggests that Texas won't be controlling this process as they have been in Texas recruiting for the last several years and it will be telling to see how Mack Brown handles such an auxiliary position. It also seems to be the year where the loss of AD to Oklahoma comes back to potentially haunt the Longhorns in terms of the impact that he had on
In terms of which kids get offered, the elite backs in the state -- Williams, Green, Brown, and Sims -- are all probably no-brainers for offers because it's too much of a risk not to offer one and risk completing alienating them for the rest of the process. Since securing commitments from two of those four would be ideal, the coaches should group them into two categories to ensure that if two do commit that they are complementary, then tell the kids in the same group that they can only take the first one to commit. For instance, Green and Sims are the most similar, with Williams and Brown both slightly larger and more physical backs.
After understandably missing on the only home-run threat last season in Lache Seastrunk, it may be verging into the realm of hyperbole to suggest that this is a class that Texas can't afford to miss on and the emergence of DJ Monroe and rumblings that DeMarco Cobbs will start out at running back help allay those concerns, but this class remains extremely important simply because there are so many talented backs that this class will basically become a referendum on the running game -- is the scheme good enough to attract top backs? Can Major Applewhite convince top backs to come to Texas?
Wish list -- Brandon Williams, Herschel Sims, and Joe Bergeron. The skill sets of those three are as complementary as a group of running backs could possibly be and would represent an absolute triumph in recruiting at the position. Surely too much to ask. Not quite as high on Brown as some of the services because of questions about how he fits into the scheme, but Texas can't go wrong with any of the top four backs, though pairing Green and particularly Sims with a larger back would make the most sense.
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I don't like these 50%s but I assume that's because the state is LOADED at the RB position.
"Football's so important in Texas. On the West Coast, it's a social. On the East Coast, it's a culture. Here, it's a religion."
-- Major Applewhite
Brown/scheme
GoBR:
First, THANKS A TON for these, and all of your contributions for that matter. I have thoroughly enjoyed every one.
I wanted to ask about your reference to Brown not fitting into our scheme as well as the other backs. When my untrained eye watches film on the elite 4, Brown is who reminds me of Adrian Peterson, both physically but also his smoothness, vision, power, cutting ability, etc. Williams compares physically, as does his overall speed, but he seems to have lesser vision/awareness and something is spastic about the way he runs. Based on that, I would much prefer Brown, so what about scheme differentiates those two?
(In terms of the other two, Green looks simply untouchable, both in shake, burst, vision, and 2 gears more than anyone else on the field. Sims looks good but not in the same class to me)
Brown and the scheme
thoughts are here. Looking back on it, I think I probably have fewer questions about Brown. With Brown, it’s really a question of accelerating, particularly from a standstill, but there could be a move more under center that would end up giving him a head start.
There is something a little spastic about Williams, but it reminds me of Peterson in his pure effort — he doesn’t exactly glide, but I like how hard he runs.
by Wescott Eberts (GoBR) on Feb 10, 2010 7:57 PM CST up reply actions
With the backs Mack has been recruiting
I still have no idea why we don’t run out of the pistol. With the personnel we have it would only make sense to run down hill and have a running head start rather than running later for 5+ yards before making any progress up field. That is probably the single most frustrating aspect of our offense to me.
"I want to be remembered as the guy who gave his all whenever he was on the field."
-Walter Payton
Frustrating to me as well.
It will be absolutely inexcusable for Texas to enter the fall without having installed the pistol.
by Wescott Eberts (GoBR) on Feb 10, 2010 8:55 PM CST up reply actions
thanks GoBR
Sorry – one more question about size. Green, Sims, and Williams are all listed around 180-185, whereas Brown is listed at 220. Weight is more important than height for a rb, so why group Williams with Brown in the bigger back category? Is it because Williams has the potential to add 20-30 pounds because of his height?
Yup
Williams is listed in that category because of his height and running style, which demonstrates little concern for his future.
by Wescott Eberts (GoBR) on Feb 12, 2010 3:58 AM CST up reply actions
Same here
and I hear that constantly in the stands during games. Surely the staff has to recognize this, it seems like plain common sense. The differences in the RB’s vision and acceleration are glaring.
"If worms carried pistols, birds wouldn't eat 'em"- Darrell Royal
by SpiritOfTheFedora on Feb 11, 2010 4:57 PM CST up reply actions
I couldn't agree more
I don’t think I can stomach another season watching our RB’s running parallel to the line of scrimmage before making a move. They typically aren’t even in view of running lanes when they receive the ball. I do not understand GD’s running concepts at all
by jarrodmhoss on Feb 12, 2010 11:10 AM CST up reply actions
(B)Williams and Brown
Are the guys I like the best after watching film. Sims is a beast as well, but I have a feeling he is a sooner lean and I am probably just trying not to get my hopes up with him.
I would take just getting Brandon Williams over everyone else as his film just blew me away!
GoBR, what is your take on Joe Bergeron, I know you mentioned him as a possible FB, but I think that is what he will be exclusively at Texas. I have not seen much film on him though, and a link would be great! We have to have someone replace Antwan Cobb at one point right?
I also think adding these RBs we are going to see a transition in scheme with the Texas offense, from the spread to somewhat spread/power running game (Like they run at OU, as much as I hate to say that)
"The best decision I ever made was coming to Texas," James said. "The second-best decision was coming back."
I concur with your assessment, blazz.
I’m not sure that a particular back’s admitted affinity for Petersen translates into a recruiting advantage for gooner. IMO, they are identifying themselves with his style more than a scheme (though not entirely; certainly offensive scheme is an important factor.) Also, OU took, I think, three well-regarded backs this year.
I'll never forget ol' what's-his-name.
If you're looking for the next featured back
I think Williams is the choice. I’m really not that concerned since Tre Newton will be around for three more years. Give him a decent OL and Tre will be awesome. Williams looks to me to be the only one out of this group that could unseat him. Sure Green’s fast but can he pass block?
"If worms carried pistols, birds wouldn't eat 'em"- Darrell Royal
by SpiritOfTheFedora on Feb 11, 2010 5:26 PM CST up reply actions
I want Sims.
I’ve seen him play a few times, the kid is really good. He has a quick burst and runs with power for his size. I’m not quite sure how we can project blitz pickup on a kid in high school when I highly doubt its something high school teams have the luxury of really focusing on. I think he can learn that in Austin. He’s a tough kid, he’s gonna make someone very happy.
So, GoBR, do you have a prediction
or two concerning running backs? Seems like getting one of the elites here would almost be a make or break for the 2011 class.
Not sure if I would say make or break
just because of how important the offensive line is in this class, but yeah, definitely close. Not sure if I can make predictions though because these kids are so intertwined, especially in their interest in Oklahoma. Of the four elite guys though Brown and Williams seem like the best bets for Texas.
by Wescott Eberts (GoBR) on Feb 10, 2010 7:50 PM CST up reply actions
athlete
supposedly a athlete from s.carolina named hakeem flowers is coming to our 2nd junior day.
I could see Flowers at safety
but the kid is so fast and has such gamebreaking ability and so many offers that I would bet the house on him wanting to stay at wide receiver. Since he has over 30 offers, it’s probably safe to say that he’ll play where he wants in college. An excerpt from a recent Irish Illustrated article ($):
Like every other school across the country, Notre Dame is recruiting Flowers to play wide receiver.
by Wescott Eberts (GoBR) on Feb 10, 2010 7:46 PM CST up reply actions
Good lord
That offer list is impressive.
http://rivals.yahoo.com/miami/football/recruiting/player-Hakeem-Flowers-100849
Bergeron
I find it difficult to justify giving him a scholarship unless if there is truly going to be some sort of a shift offensively. It seems the only time that we have a fullback on the field it’s in the form of a defensive tackle (who’s that gonna be this year by the way?, Derek Johnson maybe?)
I’m sure he could be a special teams contributer and all but for me I’d probably rather see another OL unless if we really do intend to use the fullback position outside of our goal line set.
Agree
He’ll likely be a role player at best with little PT. Mack’s gotta take a big back every year, though.
"If worms carried pistols, birds wouldn't eat 'em"- Darrell Royal
by SpiritOfTheFedora on Feb 11, 2010 5:06 PM CST up reply actions
Calvin Howell as the jumbo fullback?
Not sure, I think either one are good candidates, but you are correct in pointing out that the Longhorns will have to find someone to fill that position this springs, as it has greatly helped the short-yardage game.
I’m not a huge fan of the I formation, but Bergeron could play some H-back and I think a fullback in the pistol who can provide some versatility by splitting out wide could be helpful. Good point though that fullback isn’t a position of need and probably won’t be unless the offense makes some major changes.
by Wescott Eberts (GoBR) on Feb 12, 2010 4:01 AM CST up reply actions
sec effort
more concerted effort down in sec country we’ve got 4 targets down there. Muschamps having a big effect on oos recruiting
Sooners are stacked at RB
So, a kid that wants to get on the field at OU is probably going to have to wait behind Calhoun, Clay and Finch.
At Texas we have Whaley who is probably oversized and may not be a RB (guess we will know pretty soon), and now Shead who is again a big back and not elusive on an elite level. Cobbs may be both, but again, he is not a clear concern for a shake-and-bake type smaller RB.
I would think that Sims or Green would be eager about potential playing time at Texas and that our depth is not a concern to them. However, Green is a Nebraska lean since that is where his brother is and he made a comment in a recruiting interview that Austin was so big—the largest city in the Big XII. Like that was a bad thing??? He’s from San Antonio, so it was a weird thing to say, and I guess that is how Nebraska goes negative on us. Sims has always been an OU lean.
I do like that the Texas coaches must have seen this talent in the pipeline which is probably part of their plan with the last two recruiting clases. This will be a very interesting recruiting group of RBs.
I like Malcolm Brown, but would love to get that super speedy elusive RB and I think that is Sims.
Isn't Austin the biggest college town in the country?
I can’t think of a bigger one. Maybe Columbus?
I have beat wholesale ass for a whole lot less.
by burntorangehorn on Feb 10, 2010 4:32 PM CST up reply actions
UW is in Seattle
UCLA and USC are both in LA. Georgia Tech is in Georgia. As far as major football schools go those are the biggest.
"I want to be remembered as the guy who gave his all whenever he was on the field."
-Walter Payton
But Atlanta, Seattle, and LA aren't college towns
Austin revolves around the university. That’s definitely not the case in any of those other places. Obviously Boston, Chicago, NYC, LA, and Houston are far bigger than Austin, but none of those cities really revolves around a major university in town (BC, Northwestern, essentially zilch in NYC, USC or UCLA in LA, UH or Rice in Houston). I mean, UCLA and USC are big in LA, but it’s not like the program dominates the culture and identity of the city, whereas UT almost defines Austin.
I have beat wholesale ass for a whole lot less.
by burntorangehorn on Feb 10, 2010 4:59 PM CST up reply actions
Well ya
I was just merely pointing out the universities in the largest cities. As far as Chicago goes it is much more pro ND than Northwestern. Northwestern is in Evansville and that is about the only place in Chicago they are touted.
"I want to be remembered as the guy who gave his all whenever he was on the field."
-Walter Payton
A minor point, NW’s main campus is in Evanston but all the professional schools are just off of Michigan avenue. There’s a huge Northwestern presence in Chicago (literally, the campuses and hospital take up several blocks of prime real estate), it just has very, very little to do with the athletic side of the university or the undergrads.
I don’t think the athletics are touted anywhere in Chicago proper.
proud to swim home
by learned hand on Feb 10, 2010 8:54 PM CST up reply actions
True
I am from Chicago originally and Northwestern athletically is not a huge pull there. Graduate school wise, yea, its a big deal. However ND is the main attention grabber in Chicago.
"I want to be remembered as the guy who gave his all whenever he was on the field."
-Walter Payton
Chicago is definitely a mixed bag
Plenty of Michigan, Indiana, Purdue, Wisc and Ohio State fans too. Pretty much any big ten team will have a fan base.
Northwestern is like Rice University in Houston. Rice is probably more centrally located in the city, but the athletics are not overly appreciated. It is a good example of a great small school in a very large city.
Oh yea plenty of Michigan fans in Chicago
I choose not to acknowledge Michigan, though. If it were up to me I would annex the whole state to Canada.
"I want to be remembered as the guy who gave his all whenever he was on the field."
-Walter Payton
That's kind of how I feel about Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana
Could we please just give them to Cuba or the Caymans?
I have beat wholesale ass for a whole lot less.
by burntorangehorn on Feb 11, 2010 12:04 AM CST up reply actions
Could we add Arkansas to that list?
and include Jerry Jones in the deal? I’d rather see Fidel Castro running the Cowboys.
"If worms carried pistols, birds wouldn't eat 'em"- Darrell Royal
by SpiritOfTheFedora on Feb 11, 2010 5:34 PM CST up reply actions
Maybe we could arrange a sort of deal like the Louisiana Purchase
Sell the whole dirty south for pennies on the dollar. The original price was $15 million for the Louisiana territory, though, so we might have to drop the price in this economy.
How ‘bout Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and the Florida panhandle for a box of Cuban coronas and bottle of Cuba’s best rum?
I have beat wholesale ass for a whole lot less.
by burntorangehorn on Feb 11, 2010 8:52 PM CST up reply actions
I'm in
provided Jones gets an exit visa.
"If worms carried pistols, birds wouldn't eat 'em"- Darrell Royal
by SpiritOfTheFedora on Feb 11, 2010 9:52 PM CST up reply actions
I just thought it was strange coming from a guy that attends Madison H.S. in San Antonio
When I was at UT I had a bunch of friends from Madison—they have over 3,000 students.
He seemed very shy in that interview also. I wonder if he meant the size of the UT campus was larger than other schools and something for him to consider. He did say that he liked Texas, but I just got the feeling it wasn’t the right fit for him. The interview was last year so it was very early in the process for him.
I can understand a kid's feeling intimidated by the prospect of going to the biggest school
UT is freakishly huge, with a total student and faculty population larger than many small cities. But let’s hope the environment grows on the kid if/when he makes an official.
I have beat wholesale ass for a whole lot less.
by burntorangehorn on Feb 10, 2010 5:28 PM CST up reply actions
We are very close to his home
If being close to home matters you can’t beat Austin to San Antonio. Plus he will have lots of friends from Madison going to Texas.
Monroe
is a smaller/ shake and bake type RB and the coaches say he’s to small to be an every down back.
Jacquizz Rodgers
Maybe we should let guys prove if they are every down backs on the field and not at the “you must be this tall to ride” line.
by Wrangler86 on Feb 10, 2010 7:06 PM CST up reply actions 1 recs
It all comes back to pass protection.
by Wescott Eberts (GoBR) on Feb 10, 2010 7:42 PM CST up reply actions
I understand what you mean
But if we have a RB actually running the ball with some success maybe we don’t need a RB that is merely an extra blocking surface. It would be nice if we could keep opposing defenses honest about our run which in turn is one of the better ways to get pass protection.
Newton can run and pass block
Against North Texas Monroe will do just fine. Against Oklahoma, Nebraska or Alabama and as much as we throw the ball the RB has to be able to pick up the blitz. Would you rather have nobody, Monroe or Newton in that position?
Just saying, an ‘every down’ back like Monroe is similar to the empty set in terms of pass protection.
"If worms carried pistols, birds wouldn't eat 'em"- Darrell Royal
by SpiritOfTheFedora on Feb 11, 2010 5:51 PM CST up reply actions
Isn't amazing the different standards that apply, isn't it?
Adrian Peterson’s approach to blocking was to annoy the blitzers like he was an annoying little gnat, yet the backs who could block like the staff wants probably idolized Peterson.
I have beat wholesale ass for a whole lot less.
by burntorangehorn on Feb 10, 2010 8:31 PM CST up reply actions
Rodgers
he’s battled injuries most of his career. Is it because he’s so small and OSU is using him too much?
by Longhorns84 on Feb 15, 2010 11:08 AM CST up reply actions
When did the coaches ever say that?
I haven’t seen them say it. It sure seemed like Hodges Mitchell did pretty well in the role.
I have beat wholesale ass for a whole lot less.
by burntorangehorn on Feb 10, 2010 7:25 PM CST up reply actions
Mitchell was a John Mackovic recruit
and had the benefit of a fullback to pass and run block.
"If worms carried pistols, birds wouldn't eat 'em"- Darrell Royal
by SpiritOfTheFedora on Feb 11, 2010 5:56 PM CST up reply actions
True, he did have the fullback
But I don’t think the person who recruited him was as big a deal. The question is whether UT could use a smallish back like that again, and I think it’s unlikely unless the scheme changes a little in the future.
I have beat wholesale ass for a whole lot less.
by burntorangehorn on Feb 11, 2010 8:54 PM CST up reply actions
Thanks for being realistic GOBR
I disagree with Texas will have to shift through the running back rubble left behind by OU but yes losing Adrian Peterson continues to hurt and will probably go down as Mack’s biggest and most painful miss if only AD because AD became a huge star in the league and that weighs on recruits minds. I think Texas should be able to get Brandon Williams and Sims. Perhaps Lasco as plan C? Pretty defeatist to think that Texas has already lost to OU on these runnings backs. We have kicked their asses 4 out of the last 5 years so Mack and Bobby can point to that on why they should come to Texas.
by billfromlaketravis on Feb 10, 2010 4:33 PM CST reply actions
Texas hasn't lost
they just aren’t in the driver’s seat and Oklahoma may well dictate the terms of recruiting at the running back position in 2011 because these kids all love AD.
by Wescott Eberts (GoBR) on Feb 10, 2010 7:41 PM CST up reply actions
I'm not sure how much having a favorite player
translates into wanting to go to the same school as that player. Kobe Bryant has made it well known that if he had gone to college that he would have gone to Duke, although he idolized and patterned his game after MJ, who as well all know is from UNC.
It may be less about having a favorite player than the fact that OU has a tendency to showcase one or possibly two featured backs. Other than 2007 with Jamaal Charles, UT has had a running back by committee system since these kids were in elementary school.
proud to swim home
by learned hand on Feb 11, 2010 9:05 AM CST up reply actions
We can show them films
of Ricky Williams and Cedric Benson along with JC and tell them (truthfully) that we’re looking for a featured back.
"If worms carried pistols, birds wouldn't eat 'em"- Darrell Royal
by SpiritOfTheFedora on Feb 11, 2010 4:51 PM CST up reply actions
True enough.
This running back class will be an interesting test case for the appeal of a single player to bring guys at the same position into the fold.
by Wescott Eberts (GoBR) on Feb 12, 2010 4:02 AM CST up reply actions
Question for GoBR:
Texas will definitely take two running backs in this class after taking only two running backs in the last two classes and could decide to take a fullback/H-back type as well as a replacement for Barrett Matthews.
Did I miss something?
I have beat wholesale ass for a whole lot less.
by burntorangehorn on Feb 10, 2010 4:33 PM CST reply actions
Two years down the line.
"I want to be remembered as the guy who gave his all whenever he was on the field."
-Walter Payton
I suppose that's possible
But I figured Graham now has a year of separation from Matthews, and then there’s Terrell. And heck, either one of those guys could beat out Matthews in 2010, since no one but Greg Smith has really done much of anything at TE for Texas since the Irby injury.
I have beat wholesale ass for a whole lot less.
by burntorangehorn on Feb 10, 2010 4:39 PM CST up reply actions
I think GoBR is speaking more to the H back possibilities than TE
"I want to be remembered as the guy who gave his all whenever he was on the field."
-Walter Payton
Makes sense
I guess I can’t remember the last time I really saw a significant role as an H-back for a Longhorn, unless one counts Thomas.
I have beat wholesale ass for a whole lot less.
by burntorangehorn on Feb 10, 2010 5:00 PM CST up reply actions
Irby played there a bit as a freshman
but using Matthews at H-back would be a big part of the solution at tight end — instead of miscasting players there who either aren’t athletic enough to help the passing game (EBS), guys who should be playing another position (Matthews), they could use Matthews in a role that actually fits him. But then you don’t have that nice blocking surface and one less combo block, so maybe that’s the rationale.
by Wescott Eberts (GoBR) on Feb 10, 2010 7:36 PM CST up reply actions
The moer versatile a guy is the more unpredictable it makes the offense
For instance if Matthews is the kind of guy that can line up on the line of scrimmage and we can motion him in to the backfield as a lead blocker and vice versa it allows us to have an advantage against the defense because we can show those looks without having to change personnel. Any defensive coordinator worth his salt calls his defense and makes his substitutions based off of personnel packages.
"I want to be remembered as the guy who gave his all whenever he was on the field."
-Walter Payton
I would definitely count Thomas
but yes, a true tight end with size who can block a DE without a double team would be ideal. I wish Mack would really go after the kid from Washington.
"If worms carried pistols, birds wouldn't eat 'em"- Darrell Royal
by SpiritOfTheFedora on Feb 11, 2010 4:48 PM CST up reply actions
I'm projecting Matthews
as an H-back/fullback down the line because of his size. As you no doubt know, the coaches generally try to replace juniors. To me, Matthews is too small to play as an attached tight end and is miscast in that role.
by Wescott Eberts (GoBR) on Feb 10, 2010 7:33 PM CST up reply actions
Speaking of AD
I really prefer RBs that do not fumble the ball.
also any Toby Gerhart type RBs? Havn’t seen the Bergeron film.
I just finished reading "The Eyes of Texas"...I'm a slow reader.
I think most of y'all are reading too much into Herschel Sims being an ou lean...
I don’t really have the time to consult his myspace page and read about his heroes or favorite colleges, but UT has consistently cherry-picked the top players out of west Texas and I like our chances with Herschel.
Keep in mind he came down to 2 different games and was down another time to talk with Major.
He is definitely my favorite rb in this class and would be a very nice change of pace in comparison to the rb’s we’ve recruited lately. In regards to his blitz pick-up ability, his cousin(Ronnell Sims) doesn’t need much help in that area. However, I’m sure he can be taught to be just as good(or bad) as the current rb’s are at blocking and blitz pick up.
A lot of it is a size issue
You can have all the technique and assignment understanding, but if the linebacker coming through the hole or the twisting defensive end just blows the kid up, none of the practice or technique matters.
Two days ago, Sims mentioned Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and TCU as his favorites ($), but did mention that he enjoyed his trips to Austin. Make of that what you will.
by Wescott Eberts (GoBR) on Feb 10, 2010 7:40 PM CST up reply actions
If you don't have the size you at least need to have the leverage
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5K1g4SDO2k
"I want to be remembered as the guy who gave his all whenever he was on the field."
-Walter Payton
Right.
MJD is a physical freak though — dude’s built like a bowling ball. Sims have some thickness in his lower body, but nothing like MJD.
by Wescott Eberts (GoBR) on Feb 10, 2010 7:48 PM CST up reply actions
Oh yea definitely, MJD is the exception
Just making a point about blitz pick up.
"I want to be remembered as the guy who gave his all whenever he was on the field."
-Walter Payton
Here's another "small" blocker
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxEPwqnXydg
I just finished reading "The Eyes of Texas"...I'm a slow reader.
The video spells "watching" wrong
and then names the Production Company! Thats pretty funny!
"A lot of people look for the easy way to do anything, in swimming there is no easy way." - Eddie Reese
True, yeah, I forgot about what he said about his list
Maybe I’m just more optimistic about him, but the last 2 guys that Mack Brown has recruited from Abilene High, he got.
Thanks for the clarification on the blocking, wasn’t exactly sure about the big concern.
The person I would like to compare Sims to is Quentin Griffin….but faster and maybe an inch taller. Ol’ Q was a Texas killer, if nothing else…..
by SneezyBeltran on Feb 10, 2010 7:51 PM CST up reply actions
Maybe one
with Bergeron being the most likely possibility. Other than him, no idea how things sort out.
by Wescott Eberts (GoBR) on Feb 10, 2010 7:37 PM CST up reply actions
Wait a second...
Was vondrell mcgee a senior this year? I could have sworn he was a junior.
by Longhorn11 on Feb 10, 2010 8:32 PM CST via mobile reply actions
He was a junior
But again, the holdover list GoBR made is for guys who are projected to be on the roster in 2011, and McGee should be out of eligibility at that point.
I have beat wholesale ass for a whole lot less.
by burntorangehorn on Feb 10, 2010 8:34 PM CST up reply actions
hakeem flowers
gobr can you tell me about him thanks
His interest list is every team
http://rivals.yahoo.com/highschool/football/recruiting/player-Hakeem-Flowers-100849
But, he also has offers from all of them.
Oh my good lord
B. Williams – damn. He would look good in Burnt Orange.
"A lot of people look for the easy way to do anything, in swimming there is no easy way." - Eddie Reese
Marquez
Bradley is from Odessa High School. OHS doesn’t get that many high level recruits (if he can be called that) so can we get him at the correct school? Just because we can’t spell our mascot doesn’t mean you have to give our players away. Go Bronchos.
"Will Rogers never met Barry Switzer."
Sorry.
My deepest apologies :-).
by Wescott Eberts (GoBR) on Feb 12, 2010 4:04 AM CST up reply actions
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