Texas Tight Ends Dominique Jones, Ahmard Howard Ineligible for Holiday Bowl
by Wescott Eberts (GoBR) on Dec 23, 2011 5:12 PM CST
in Texas Longhorns Football
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PrintIn the last little bit of attrition in the days leading up to the Holiday Bowl against Cal, the university announced Friday afternoon that tight ends Ahmard Howard and Dominique Jones will be ineligible for the game and are not with the team in San Diego.
Though the cynically positive news here is that these final two losses are mostly insignificant in terms of affecting the odds of the Longhorns prevailing against the Golden Bears, the announcement for the senior Howard finalizes a mostly invisible Texas career that someone went on for five seasons despite never catching a pass, never cracking a rotation decimated by injuries, or notably contributing to any special teams other than getting beat on the end and giving up a blocked field goal against Colorado in 2010. His inability to to stay eligible for his final college game after so long in the program never contributing marks an ignominious, yet somehow fitting end to his career.
As for Jones, who came to Texas and briefly spent some time at defensive end, he was regarded as the best blocker of the tight ends coming into the season, but lost playing time and had only two catches for the entire season, none after the Iowa State game on October 1st. For a player already falling out of the rotation and possibly being passed for next season by redshirting freshman MJ McFarland, the Texas career of Dominique Jones could now be at a crossroads. In fact, it would be something of an upset at this point if he is still on the team when fall practice starts.
Oh well, at least no one expected to contribute is out.
But if Jones was actually in the gameplan in some power-rushing sets for Texas, it's possible the coaches could take a more serious look at Chris Whaley, who has been receiving a few looks in practice at tight end in Jumbo looks. Now that's actually something of interest.
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Feel bad for Howard
Hope he can wrap up the degree in the future.
IIRC, Jones was touch-and-go as far as staying eligible in the summer. Wonder if this opens up another scholarship. My guess would be yes.
the TE situation
this was the depth chart for the bowl game.
89 Barrett Matthews | 87 Dominique Jones | 82 Luke Poehlmann
We still have 8 TEs on the roster
by TCB Orange Dino on Dec 23, 2011 6:11 PM CST reply actions
Irby, Grant listed at H-back.
Follow me on Twitter: @GhostofBigRoy
Burnt Orange Nation
by Wescott Eberts (GoBR) on Dec 23, 2011 8:47 PM CST up reply actions
That's the depth chart
from the Baylor game. The coaches will probably release a depth chart for Cal out of respect to Tedford and his staff, but it probably won’t be out until shortly before the game.
Follow me on Twitter: @GhostofBigRoy
Burnt Orange Nation
by Wescott Eberts (GoBR) on Dec 23, 2011 8:47 PM CST up reply actions
Best wishes to all of them
But it does sound like they will not be with the team next year. I do hope that Howard gets his degree.
We're Texas, We're not OK.
Mack said that Howard graduated this fall.
Follow me on Twitter: @GhostofBigRoy
Burnt Orange Nation
by Wescott Eberts (GoBR) on Dec 23, 2011 11:10 PM CST up reply actions
?
Can a player graduate in the fall semester and also be ineligible at the end of that semester?
I think so
In order to be eligible, Howard would need to be enrolled in a graduate or professional program. He’s probably just not enrolled in one, although that would seem like an easy enough thing to remedy if he and the coaches were determined to do so. My guess is that neither Howard nor the coaches see much point in his enrolling for a semester of a graduate program he might not even want to pursue in order to participate in a bowl game.
Now I’m unclear on the specifics of the graduate enrollment rule, because it appears to not allow for the possibility that a person might graduate at the end of a semester, but have competitions (such as a bowl game) between graduation and the beginning of the following normal (non-winter, non-summer) semester.
There’s another possibility that could lead to ineligibility despite graduation, and that would be if Howard were to satisfy his undergrad program’s graduation requirements despite not carrying the minimum GPA. For example, if he were to fail twelve credits and only pass three, but those three represented the final course he needed to graduate, that could result in ineligibility.
"Anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.'"
― Isaac Asimov
by burntorangehorn on Dec 25, 2011 12:33 AM CST up reply actions
It's a shame it didn't work out on the field for these guys
I just really hope it worked out in the classroom. There’s no shame in never making a significant impact as long as a guy is doing his best, but even more important is that these kinds of guys use the scholarship for the literal meaning of the word.
"Anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.'"
― Isaac Asimov
by burntorangehorn on Dec 23, 2011 10:44 PM CST via mobile reply actions
Good point
You have to really love football to put up with all the work and heat and seldom see game action. And you really have to love UT, to stay here rather than transfer to a program where you would play more.
"Only angry people win football games." --DKR
I've Got a Totally Different Take
I call them a case of dead wood that littered the sideline during some of the darker years in the program’s history. And that they got free ride scholarships while guys who would’ve embraced at least the academic gift they were given while they were physically unable to compete on the field is emblematic of the flaws in recruiting character we’ve been saddled with the past several years.
by RMHorn on Dec 26, 2011 10:17 PM CST via mobile up reply actions
These are people--Longhorns, no less--and not dispensable sundries
In the case of Howard, if GoBR’s statement that Mack said the kid graduated this December is correct, then he almost certainly embraced the academic gift. That illustrates the point that none of us knows the details, so maybe we ought to reserve the “dead wood” label.
"Anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.'"
― Isaac Asimov
by burntorangehorn on Dec 27, 2011 8:14 AM CST up reply actions
Wow. Just wow.
You mean to tell me that scholarship players who never play a down over 4-5 years shouldn’t be questioned simply because the accepted the gift of a free education at UT, they may be really nice kids – but they don’t study enough to even remain academically eligible? For real?
Look, if the idea of football scholarships is charity to kids who can’t play I know there’s a bunch of kids who are needy and will study, but who don’t waste their time in the weight room. Or if the idea for a football scholarships to really bright kids who are simply not D 1-caliber players I know a bunch of ‘em who play Ivy league who’d rather wear burnt orange.
Point is they were obviously recruiting misses. Sorry if the term dead wood offends the more gentry sensitivities of some, but it rings accurate to me – especially in light of the acknowledgment of nearly every contributing author on BON that our coaches got lazy recruiting over the years these kids are from.
by RMHorn on Dec 27, 2011 8:58 AM CST via mobile up reply actions
Again, you're making an irresponsible assumption
GoBR said Howard graduated. Obviously if that’s the case then he did study, and his academic ineligibility has to do with something else. Did you see my post a few lines up?
"Anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.'"
― Isaac Asimov
by burntorangehorn on Dec 27, 2011 10:00 AM CST up reply actions
Totally Random and off topic but
What do you guys think of this design i found? The gray looks sort of cheap but its a good attempt.
MrDooley
No, no, no. Ugly, ugly, ugly. The ‘Horns don’t need any “attempts” to look like T. Boone Pickens U. Don’t even think of changing away from Burnt Orange and White. The traditional Texas uniforms are classy. The gray is dingy crap.
by MrDooley on Dec 24, 2011 8:24 AM CST up reply actions 2 recs
Joe Parker
Are you by chance related to Joe Parker?
If a man is alone in the woods and he speaks, if no one hears him,,is he still wrong?
Orange and White
How is that so hard?
Before you criticize someone, walk a mile in their shoes. If they get mad, you're a mile away AND you have their shoes.
You don't mess with a classic
UT has some of the best looking uniforms in the nation. It looks like an attempt to look like OSU.
TEXAS FIGHT
by Darklust on Dec 24, 2011 8:34 AM CST up reply actions 1 recs
Starship Troopers, ladies and gentlemen!!!
You’ve managed to create a look uglier than the Okie State unis. Was that your intent?
by Beergut on Dec 24, 2011 3:32 PM CST via mobile up reply actions
even OSU's uniforms arent as ugly as your all maroon uniforms
In The Morning To You
by horns1025 on Dec 25, 2011 7:42 AM CST via mobile up reply actions
I love our unis, especially all white
And I would vote against ANY change to our classic helmet. But, I also like my jerseys and gear that include the dark gray and/or black. I would only want it as a small accent or a dark gray/black under shirt. The jersey and pants need to stay the primary burnt orange and white imo.
Cool to see the uni though.
We're Texas, We're not OK.
I've never been a fan of the black and orange
Makes me look like I’m dressing for Halloween or something. I have a strict “white, burnt orange, or a combination of the two” policy. My wife knows I’ll return anything else.
by GoHorns on Dec 24, 2011 3:39 PM CST up reply actions 1 recs
That's funny
I have a jersey that is a very dark burnt orange and has black numbers a blank name blank on the back and I like it. BUT, I never wear it during game dame.
I wear either my polo type burnt orange shirt with Longhorn logo, or my Rose Bowl NC Jersey. If we are away I wear my white jearsey. And, on Friday I always put out my flag….white or orange depending on location of game.
We're Texas, We're not OK.
Doesn't Texas consistently win some sort of best helmet and uni award?
And really beergUT,,,bugger off.
If a man is alone in the woods and he speaks, if no one hears him,,is he still wrong?
That lead photo has to go
Isn’t there another photo of #87 somewhere, someplace, that doesn’t simultaneously illustrate the disaster that our QB position has become? Ash’s form on that pass (or is it a shot put?) is atrocious. Let’s hope Harsinwhite has worked some Christmas miracles over the past few weeks of bowl practice to eliminate that weakness.
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