Burnt Orange Nation: All Posts by Wescott Eberts

Texas Longhorns football: Can Mike Davis take the next step as a deep threat?

2013-05-23T17:01:10Z

When thinking about how much the prospects of the 2013 Texas Longhorns football team would have taken a blow had senior wide receiver Mike Davis carried through with his tentative intentions to declare for the NFL Draft, it's almost hard to believe how much of a question mark he was entering last season.

After a promising freshman season that saw him set a single-season freshman mark at Texas for receptions (47) and finish third in receiving yards (478), despite a knee injury that caused him to miss the Oklahoma game and limited him for the rest of the season while he took a beating on screens and other short passes in the Greg Davis offense, Davis regressed as a sophomore.

Well, perhaps it's tough to say that Davis regressed, because he did improve his per-catch average and gained 609 yards, while making only one fewer catch. He even started to show off his potential as a deep threat with five catches that went for 40 or more yards.

But it was clear that something was wrong, which head coach Mack Brown partly blamed on a hip flexor that slowed him for much of the reason.

More than that, though, it was something mental that held him back. Something mental that caused the lapses in concentration that led to far too many dropped catches and missed blocks.

His roommate at the time, the malcontent Darius White, was blamed as much of the problem, so it was a relief to many when White left after the 2011 season, taking his poor attitude and work ethic with him to Missouri.

There were transfer rumors surrounding Davis and he even admitted last fall that he was going through personal problems and suffering from distractions and other issues he didn't want to discuss publicly. It got so bad that he considered giving up the game and returning to his first love of basketball.

Fortunately for the 'Horns, the Skyline product decided that he wasn't a quitter, regained his focus and love for the game, and played with a passion. In the spring, he asked to have the word "Magic" added to the name of his jersey and said during that fall that he needed to "make magic plays" to live up to his name.

Going back even further, the 'Horns are lucky to have Davis at all. One of the few prospects spurned at the first 2009 Junior Day, Davis then committed to LSU shortly thereafter, but reached out to the Texas staff late in the process and ended up becoming a Longhorn two days after visiting for the team banquet. At the time, Davis was an important piece of the 2010 wide receiver group, but he was eventually eclipsed in stature in the class by the pledge of Darius White at the Under Armour game.

Now, Davis is the last receiver standing from that group, which also included Chris Jones, who transferred from the program without making a catch, and Darius Terrell, who moved to H-back and barely contributed more than Jones before leaving the program as well.

And returning to last fall, he lived up to his "magic" promise. Sure, there were the big plays in the passing game, but there was also a knockdown block to help spring Joe Bergeron for a touchdown against Baylor that really illustrated just how far he had come.

On the season, he finished as the team leader in receiving yards with 939 yards, second in receptions, led the team in receiving touchdowns, and averaged 16.5 yards per catch, a monstrous improvement over his per-catch numbers as a freshman.

As those per-catch numbers indicate, he emerged as an elite or at least near-elite deep threat, with nine catches that went for 35 yards or more and three over 60 yards, including a stretch against Texas Tech and Iowa State late in the season when he caught a 75-yard touchdown pass and a 61-yard touchdown catch.

Against Oklahoma State, he made one of the biggest catches of the season, and one of the biggest in recent Texas history, by elevating to pull in a pass over Justin Gilbert to set up the game-winning touchdown.

Other than the degree of difficulty, which was high with Gilbert trying to dislodge the football as Davis went to the ground, the most impressive element of the play was the fact that it came after he had dropped a sure-fire touchdown earlier in the game. Afterwards, Davis admitted that there would have only been a 50-50 chance he would have made the same play last season.

Instead, Davis went to Ash after the drop and told his quarterback that he would come through with a play if he had the ball thrown his direction again. Ash showed confidence in his wide receiver, delivered the ball on the money, and Davis came down with the catch.

The newfound level of trust in Davis extended to Case McCoy, as he checked into a go route for Davis late against Kansas and then found him racing down the sideline for a 39-yard gain that set up the final touchdown pass to DJ Grant to avoid what would have been the worst loss in Mack Brown's tenure at Texas, which is saying something after the 2010 season.

The only real cause for pessimism regards the last several games of the season. After the outbrusts against the Red Raiders and Cyclones, Davis wasn't nearly as much of a factor, failing to match his eventual yards per game average in each of the final three games. However, it's easy to somewhat disregard the TCU and Kansas State since Ash was injured for the former and out for the latter -- his replacement, Case McCoy, simply doesn't have the arm strength to push the ball deep down the field in the same way that Ash can.

Still, that doesn't explain the Alamo Bowl. A month of preparation may have made quite a bit of difference for Oregon State in terms of emphasizing ways to take away Davis deep, but the three catches for 30 yards still aren't good enough in that big of a game.

As a corollary to the less-than-impressive finish, the offensive changes will mean more two-deep looks against Texas and a lower likelihood of safeties crashing into the box to defend the run as they did last season, especially on the long catch against Texas Tech.

With the way that defenses approach the offense changing, how will that impact Davis' nearly-uncanny ability to get open deep on post routes?

He'll surely still have some opportunities and if they aren't there in the spread sets, the coaching staff has been adamant that they will still have the ability to run the ball with numbers and force, so perhaps the play-action pass out of heavy sets with Davis running post routes will still remain an important piece of the offense, though it seems hard to imagine that it won't at least decrease to a significant degree.

Now a more mature player willing to do what it takes in multiple facets of the game, including with his mental approach, Davis has a chance to become one of the better receivers in school history with a season that builds on his 2012 efforts. The offense probably won't make it as easy to get open deep, but it doesn't seem outrageous to expect that he could eclipse the 1,000-yard mark for the first time in his career in his last season in Austin.

And after all of his ups and downs at Texas, that would be an extremely impressive accomplishment. If it happens, just thank the magic for returning. And Magic for returning.

Texas Longhorns football: 100 days until kickoff

2013-05-23T13:12:59Z

Happy Thursday, Longhorn fans. Thanks for bearing with us at BON as the dry summer months hit and the news slows down to an absolute trickle.

There is some good news today, however, as the countdown towards the season has hit a big landmark:

Countdown to Kickoff: 100 days! #HookEmHorns twitter.com/UT_MackBrown/s…
— Mack Brown (@UT_MackBrown) May 23, 2013

Tomorrow you'll wake up, happy that it's Friday and that a three-day weekend awaits, and you can think to yourself, "Not only is it Friday, but it's all the day that the countdown to Texas football hits double digits."

Yup, not a bad feeling.

Quandre Diggs replacing Kenny Vaccaro as Texas nickel back

2013-05-22T20:08:09Z

From Earl Thomas to Aaron Williams to Kenny Vaccaro, the Texas Longhorns are establishing a tradition not only as DBU, but also as NBU -- Nickel Back University.

Tasked with blowing up the wide receiver screen game, dealing with quick slot receivers, occasionally blitzing the quarterback, and holding the edge in the run game, the nickel back is one of the most important pieces as modern defenses attempt to deal with spread offenses. No other position needs such a diverse skillset -- strong, physical, smart, and quick -- and no other position requires more on a play-to-play basis.

So it makes sense that the Longhorns will deploy junior cornerback Quandre Diggs in that role in 2013. In fact, while the rumor du jour around the Alamo Bowl revolved around the move of Diggs to safety, perhaps it should have been apparent all along that he would fill such a crucial role.

With senior Adrian Phillips looking fully recovered from the shoulder injury that limited him so much as a tackler in 2012 and junior Mykkele Thompson also appearing more physical during a tough stop of junior running back Joe Bergeron barreling around the corner in the spring game, the biggest need was replacing Vaccaro, especially with junior Sheroid Evans and sophomore Duke Thomas emerging to hold down the boundary corner position that Diggs ended up moving out of during the spring.

After the spring game, Diggs hardly sounded overwhelmed by his new responsibilities:

Playing nickel is something new, but it's a fun opportunity for me. It's a good opportunity for me to go out and just make plays. I can be in the box more and be around the ball more. Any opportunity I get to do those things, I'm always up for it. It's been a great spring learning nickel, but I've still got a long way to go. I look forward to watching more film on what Kenny Vaccaro did last year and other guys that played nickel in the past.

Certainly, Vaccaro's play can provide a number of pointers for Diggs, who has never struggled himself with physicality, despite playing so much on offense in high school, recording 38 solo tackles last season and 32 the year before, significant numbers for a cornerback.

It's almost like he was groomed for years by a successful older brother to play the position in college and beyond. Oh wait...

Diggs went on to expand about what he needs to do to learn the position inside and out:

You've got to know your run responsibilities more. That's something that you've got to learn at nickel. At corner, you have most everything contained. On the inside, you've got to know what gap you have and things like that. I'm still learning those phases. I'm just going to continue to get better and watch film.

About two inches shorter than Vaccaro and 15 pounds lighter, Diggs isn't quite the physical presence of his predecessor, but he does pack some punch in his squatty, 200-pound frame and his pedigree is such that the mental part of the game shouldn't be an issue.

But, of course, defensive back coach Duane Akina likes to have options, which is why Diggs was working some at safety during bowl practice, sparking all those rumors. The next man up in the nickel role is Phillips, who spent some time there during the spring game, as well.

The only problem with moving Diggs to nickel? The position change will showcase the Angleton product's versatile skillset, which could make him even more appealing for the NFL. He's already ranked just outside the top five cornerbacks who would be eligible for the 2014 draft, so there's a chance to could forgo his final season of eligibility in Austin and declare early.

Whether Texas gets one more year of Diggs or two, there seems to be little question that he will competently fill the shoes of Vaccaro by stepping into his role. He is called Quandre the Giant for a reason.

Baylor and the Texas wide receiver recruiting problem

2013-05-22T16:16:57Z

When Robbie Rhodes committed to Baylor after giving Texas zero bump following a visit for the state track meet, it was surprising, nearly shocking.

When it became clear that Mount Pleasant wide receiver Kd Cannon was favoring the Bears after multiple visits in the spring, it was much less surprising.

When 2015 quarterback/wide receiver Chad President, a Temple product, chose the Bears recently, it was barely enough to raise eyebrows, it seemed.

When 2014 Alief Elsik wide receiver Ishmael Zamora chose the Bears on Tuesday night after receiving a Texas offer hours before, it had all solidified into a trend.

The Texas Longhorns have a major recruiting problem residing 100 miles up I-35 -- Art Briles and the Baylor Bears are owning the 'Horns on the recruiting trail as it pertains to head-to-head battles for wide receivers.

And it's not exactly hard to see why -- the Bears have fielded a passing offense that ranked fourth in the country in yards per game the last two years. Recruits now take pictures with RGIII's Heisman trophy.

More than that, it's an offense that has taken two-star prospects like Terence Williams and turned them into NFL players, with four wide receivers drafted in the last four years. Heck, Texas recruited Kendall Wright as a safety. Of course.

The perception of Baylor offensively is even better than that among recruits -- Waco is now a desirable destination, a rising program soon to have a shiny new stadium on the banks of the Brazos.

In recruiting, perception is reality and the perception is that prospects have a much better chance of making it to the NFL playing in Waco. So while Texas stands to produce NFL draft picks at the position in each of the next two years, even their most recent draft pick, world-class athlete Marquise Goodwin, who should have been heralded as an underrecruited success story, was a poster boy for how he wasn't used in Austin.

In fact, the last wide receiver draft picks before Goodwin were Quan Cosby, who originally signed in 2001, and Jordan Shipley, who inked with Texas in 2004. In between were a litany of poor evaluations and players who never developed. Guys like Darius White, Montre Weber, Philip Payne, Myron Hardy, James Kirkendoll. The list goes on and on.

The jury may still be out on Darrell Wyatt as an evaluator and developer of talent, but the sell of the Texas offense has gotten harder and harder in recent years after the move away from the high-producing offenses under Vince Young and Colt McCoy to the slow-paced, run-heavy attack operated by former co-offensive coordinator Bryan Harsin that often employed only two receivers at a time.

It was an offense that hardly helped recruit the needed tight ends and H-backs and helped not at all with wide receivers, though the 2012 group with Cayleb Jones, Kendall Sanders, and Marcus Johnson could turn out to be special.

The thing is, those guys committed to Texas, not the Texas offense.

The same with Jake Oliver, Jacorey Warrick, and Lorenzo Joe. For guys who really want to be Longhorns, the offense doesn't matter.

The problem is that as Texas recruiting luster fades as the seasons pass with little to no success on the field, there's nothing appealing offensively to bring in the prospects who don't already have a high affinity for the program overall. Kids like Rhodes, President, and Zamora.

In that regard, the move to the no-huddle attack new playcaller Major Applewhite is installing that should include more spread attacks may be the best thing to happen to Texas wide receiver recruiting in years. Even if it does significantly bolster production and the fun factor perception, it may be too late with Kd Cannon.

It's already too late with Rhodes, President, and Zamora. The hope is that it can help level the playing field with the 2015 and 2016 classes and beyond.

Because right now, Art Briles and Baylor are operating in another stratosphere than the Texas offense, a fact not likely to change soon on the Baylor side with all the incoming talent. It may have been incomprehensible when Briles arrived at Baylor, but it's become an unfortunate and uncomfortable reality on some fall Saturdays and especially on the recruiting trail.

And so in Major we trust to close that gap.

Ishmael Zamora commits to the Baylor Bears

2013-05-22T15:00:30Z

Baylor Bears head coach Art Briles is rapidly earning a reputation as one of the top evaluators and developers of wide receiver talent, a fact that helped him earn a commitment from Houston (Texas) Elsik's Ishmael Zamora on Tuesday.

It was a big day for the 6'3, 201-pounder, as he had picked up an offer from the Texas Longhorns earlier in the day, a fact that was not enough to keep him from joining the Baylor class. A consensus four-star prospect, Zamora is rated as the no. 37 wide receiver nationally in the 247Sports Composite rankings and the no. 33 player in Texas.

Baylor had offered just prior to his winning performance at the Texas state track meet, which quickly earned him offers from Colorado, Illinois, and Texas State in the following days, in addition to the Longhorns. He had previously held offers from Colorado State, Houston, Northern Colorado, SMU, and Houston, making him one of the most underrecruited four-star prospects in the state at the start of May.

One possible reason for being underrecruited? There's not a lot of pass-catching on Zamora's junior film -- much of it is spent as a perimeter blocker, with one look as an in-line tight end. In that capacity, he's willing, physical, and effective, so he should at least be an asset in the wide receiver screen game and in the perimeter run game as a player capable of setting the edge.

As a result, there's not nearly as much as a wide receiver. A reported 4.49 40 time, his work in the hurdles and the long jump, where he placed fifth, and a brief glimpse of his vertical ability seems to indicate there is some upside there, and there is some evidence of his ability to go up and get the football. Other than a couple of comeback routes, though, there's not a whole lot more, likely a function of the Elsik, which isn't exactly triple-option, but does appear run-heavy. As a junior, he caught only six passes for 128 yards and a touchdown.

Of course, he wouldn't have earned a four-star rating if he didn't possess significant upside, and that's what made Zamora a take for the Bears and so many other teams. Given Briles' track record, there's a strong chance he becomes an effective wide receiver in college, especially with a Baylor strength and conditioning program that has taken good athletes recently and turned them into great athletes.

The Elsik product is the ninth commitment in the Baylor class, which now ranks third in the Big 12 and 17 nationally. With his 90 rating, Zamora is tied with Ennis (Texas) running back Terence Williams for the second-highest rated recruit in the group.

With Texarkana (Texas) Liberty-Eylau athlete Davion Hall and Willis (Texas) wide receiver Chris Platt already members of the 2014 class and five-star signee Robbie Rhodes a member of the 2013 class, if the Bears manage to add Mount Pleasant (Texas) wide receiver Kd Cannon to the mix, as many expect, Baylor appears ready to field a fearsome wide receiver corps for years to come.

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Case McCoy headed on 10-week mission trip

2013-05-21T01:07:13Z

Transfer rumors have surrounded Texas Longhorns senior quarterback Case McCoy ever since it became apparent after the 2011 Holiday Bowl that junior David Ash was destined to be the Texas starting quarterback of the future.

News of McCoy heading on an extended trip that will last up until fall camp begins has once again increased speculation:

Proud of young son RT @casemccoy6: Wheels up... I'm out! This is about to be life changing! Leaving the country on 10 week mission #GodBless
— Brad McCoy (@CoachBradMcCoy) May 18, 2013

While the nature of the trip is far beyond reproach, it does raise questions about what McCoy sees as his role moving forward. And what Texas coaches see as the nature of his role moving forward.

Two years after Ash was set back by not receiving any repetitions in summer 7-on-7 work, the absence of McCoy could end up being a major benefit for the development of young quarterbacks on the roster like redshirt freshmen Jalen Overstreet and Connor Brewer, as well as early enrollee Tyrone Swoopes, who now have a chance to receive more of the crucial reps that will help them improve as quarterbacks. It could even enable Swoopes to move past him on the depth chart.

And McCoy probably doesn't need the repetitions, either. Right now, he is what he is -- a capable back up with some major mechanical deficiencies and an unwillingness to accept some of his personal limitation, most notably in throwing out routes, as evidenced by the two interceptions he threw against Kansas State that were nearly taken back for touchdowns and sparked a petulant response after the game from McCoy when he noted that he's been making those throws since he was three years old.

McCoy also has some options should be choose to leave Texas -- he graduated this spring and would therefore be eligible to play immediately at the FBS level if he enrolled in a graduate program not offered at Texas. A redshirt year also remains available to him.

If nothing else, this does seem to be a sign that McCoy is acknowledging his diminished role in the Longhorn offense, even if he does end up returning for his senior season.

Texas Longhorns recruiting: Erik Huhn interview

2013-05-20T23:26:53Z

One of the surprising offers that went out in the class of 2013 was the one extended to Cibolo Steele safety after a strong performance at a summer camp. Despite offers from the likes of Georgia, Oklahoma, Nebraska, and TCU, Huhn committed on the spot to become a Longhorn.

After a knee injury sustained during an interception on the second defensive play of his senior season, the 6'2, 205-pounder has been working on recovering from the ACL tear he suffered.

Special contributor Evan Massey spoke with Huhn for BON recently.

Q. What made you sign with the Longhorns? What draws convinced you they were right for you?

A. It's always been a dream of mine to play for the Longhorns since I'm from Texas. They have such a great tradition and it's only 45 minutes from my hometown so my family and friends can always see me play and stuff.

Q. What were you expecting when you went to the Texas camp last summer? What do you think you did to earn the offer?

A. Well, coach Akina and I had been in contact alot. He had come to my school to recruit me but he wanted to see if I could play man coverage before they offered me and since we don't really do that at my school, he asked if I could come to the camp. So I went to the camp and showed him what he wanted to see.

Q. What position do you expect to be used at during your career?

A. I expect to play safety.

Q. What would you tell fans who aren't familiar with you to expect from you on the field?

A. Just a player who like to come and hit the ball carrier but also can cover. But most importantly someone who will always work hard and give it my best.

Q. What is your current workout routine?

A. I have a personal trainer I work out with and we lift and then UT sent me a workout routine for running and conditioning.

Q. Do you have a career highlight? Maybe one play or game that stands out to you?

A. My favorite play would have to be an interception in the endzone against a QB who went to Oklahoma, in the 4th round of the playoffs my junior year. [editor's note: That would be Reagan's Trevor Knight.]

Q. What is going to be the biggest difficulty for you making the jump from high school to college football?

A. Just the speed of the game probably. Every player is a good player.

Q. Have you become close with any of your new Texas teammates at all?

A. Not really. I've talked to a few guys sometimes, but that's about it.

Q. If you were speaking to a young football player with dreams of playing D1 football, what would you tell them to do?

A. Just to focus on the game. Focus on the way you play. Don't get caught up in recruiting and rankings because if you play well the college coaches will find you and offer scholarships and all that good stuff.

Kansas Jayhawks football recruiting updates 2014

2013-05-20T19:48:05Z

The Jayhawks hope to build upon a 2013 class that ranked 8th in the Big 12.

The Kansas Jayhawks took a page out of in-state rival Kansas State's playbook in the 2013 recruiting class, inking 19 junior-college prospects in a class of 26 in the hopes of turning around a program that has declined since the Orange Bowl appearance in 2008.

So far, the Jayhawks have turned to high school prospects to start the 2014 class and Weis looks for more long-term solutions to the talent gap that exists between Kansas and the rest of the Big 12. In the early going, there's been some success, especially in keeping one of the top players in the state there for college and landing another prospect with a national offer list.

Traevonh Wrench, Gardner (Kansas) Edgerton running back

6'0 | 180 pounds | **** | no. 19 running back | no. 2 player in Kansas

One of the biggest commitments in Weis' short tenure, Wrench chose the Jayhawks in early March of 2013 over offers from Iowa, Kansas State, Michigan State, Missouri, Nebraska, and Oklahoma.

A tall, lean back who is perhaps a little more high cut than ideal for a running back, Wrench will need to work on his pad level in college, as well as his lower body strength, in an effort to avoid big hits and move the pile after contact, though when he does get behind his pads, he can break tackles. Mostly a straight-line runner, Wrench doesn't have much lateral ability, but he does have decent top-end speed.

Kyron Watson, East St. Louis (Illinois) linebacker

6'1 | 225 pounds | *** | no. 29 linebacker | no. 11 player in Illinois

Perhaps an even more important pledge for Kansas than that of Wrench, Watson committed in the middle of May of 2013 over offers from Cincinnati, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa State, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Missouri, Purdue, Syracuse, and TCU. It was also a bit of a surprise -- the industry consensus was that Watson would end up as a Wolverine pledge, though the battle is probably not over for his services.

A vicious hitter who can bend, wrap up, explode, and finish ballcarriers with evil intentions, Watson also has a nose for the football and enough speed to compete in a spread league that values range perhaps above all else. He also forces turnovers with multiple interceptions and forced fumbles as a junior. Watson comes downhill fast and hard and although he may have some trouble at the college level when he will have to deal with blockers more often, in high school his initial quickness is so good that he can get into the backfield unimpeded.

*****

National Signing Day is still more than eight months away. Verbal commitments are non-binding and change frequently.

For more on the Kansas Jayhawks, visit Rock Chalk Talk.

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