Hey fellas,

Like many of you, I am fired up about this recruiting class. I really feel like this class could be special. I loved seeing that Mack was not afraid to finally enter the JUCO ranks. That said, what do you guys think (know) about the JUCO offensive and defensive linemen? I don't see Mack signing these kids unless he KNOWS they will play immediately. I know that Coach Davis wants some hogmollys in the trenches and I believe the DT is 6'6'' 335 lbs!?! Your thoughts? Hook em!!!

Congratulation on taking a top 20 class (15 Rivals/13 247/15 ESPN/20 Scout) and signing a few star players including 4* QB Matt Davis, 5* RB Trey Williams, and former Longhorn commit *4 WR Thomas Johnson. However please stop claiming that yall pulled one over on us by getting TJ, and that the move to the SEC is helping yall's recruiting. That is just ridiculous. I get that its been a crazy year for yall but come on, 20 decommits! Is that a record? Here's my list, feel free to dispute it, but trust me I checked everyone of these out.


Left under Sherman (7)
Lorenzo Phillips 4 star (LSU)
Davante Bourque 4 star (Tenn)
Denzel Devall 4 star (Bama)
Eric Davis 3 star (Okie St)
Jerald Hawkins 3 star (LSU)
Trevor Knight 4 star (OU)
Marcus Johnson 3 star (Texas)

Left under Sumlin (5)
Colin Blake 4 star (FSU)
Darion Monroe 4 star (Tulane)
Corey Thompson 3 star (LSU)
Michael Wilson 3 star (Okie St)
Bralon Addison 4 star (Oregon)

Will not qualify academically (8) per TexAgs
Marion Grice 4 star (AZ St)
Eddie Porter 3 star (Ark St)
Adrian Bellard 3 star (Texas St)
Dennis Smith 3 star
Logan David 3 star
Jaevon Richardson 3 star
Trent Momon 3 star
Troy Green 3 star

Now I don't have a clue how yall can recruit 8 players that don't qualify, but even without them yall still had 12 decommits. Sure go ahead and be proud with your "AgSwag" but please stop trying to justify how in some roundabout way yall are better than us or that ESPN is secretly downgrading Ag recruits as punishment for leaving the Big 12.

Thanks,

TowerPower

There's no question I relish my role as the resident BON contrarian (read: jackass), but know that my intentions with the solemn soapbox speech on recruiting below are not to rain on the signing day parade - as I do think the signing of another great class is worthy of an enthusiastic response - it's merely to temper the expectations a bit and remind us all that we are talking about 18 year-olds.

A Recruiting Reminder

The best advice I've ever heard about college football recruiting: "You want your team to have a class that's rated in the top 10 to 15 in the country, where they're ranked exactly doesn't matter, after they're signed, it's all about coaching."

Most football fans would agree that the key to competing at college football's elite level is recruiting. It is the foundation (lifeblood if you will) for which all great programs depend upon. Every year thousands of coaches trade in their whistles and elastic waist-banded Bike shorts for a slick 3-piece suit and a state of the art portable powerpoint presentation deck to go door to door pedaling their programs to increasingly jaded prep stars all across the country.

Everywhere organized football is played, you can bet there are more than just parents and local townsfolk looking on in the stands on Friday nights in the fall. Everybody wants to win and every coach is looking for the next potential blue chip or 5-star to take their program to the next level...whether that level be a winning season, a bowl game appearance, a conference title or even the whole BCS enchilada. And it's not just about the emotional gratification that comes from winning.

College football is big business has never been more of understatement than it is today. Winning teams fill stadiums, go to bowl games and most importantly, command lucrative television (maybe even a whole network) and merchandise deals which in turn help to build bigger, more powerful football programs.

It wouldn't be too much of a stretch to rename the new stadium Baylor's building to "the house that RG3 built."

For quite some time now, recruiting has become so big and so important that it's a cottage industry and practically a sport in and of itself. Hundreds of self-anointed recruiting gurus have made a one-day event into a year-round job and are constantly ranking prep stars (younger every year) and football programs for the depth and quality of their recruiting classes. These so called experts are often littlemore than modern day snake oil salesmen selling newsletter subscriptions to over enthusiastic fans willing to suspend their better judgment just for a chance to dream and imagine what if.

"What if that strong-armed gunslinger from the grid irons of Panhandle is the final piece needed to take my school to the promised land? Well hell, he must be, he's got 5 stars next to his name. The boy stands 6-6 and is 240 pounds of pure muscle and raw talent. He can bench press a buffalo and out run a tumbleweed. Once he signs on the dotted line, the championship is in the bag."

So desperate are many fans to believe that they would drink sand in the dessert if Jesus Shuttlesworth told them to. Unfortunately, perceptions are rarely reality in this case. The fact is, the majority of major college recruits never really contribute significantly on the field. Whether they get injured, drop out because of poor grades/off-the-field distractions, or dare I say it, fail to live up to the hype, many prized recruits never even see the playing field.

Do the math. If even just one of your recruits in any given year is good enough to be a 4-year starter, that means the 3 players at his position who came before and the 3 who came behind will most like never receive significant playing time. Every team is allotted 85 scholarships, but that doesn't change the fact that you can only put 11 out on the field at a time.

So regardless of whether your team just won the National Championship or just got off a 5-7 season, before you start making room in the trophy case because some so called expert just ranked your school's recruiting class tops in the land, you might want to take a second and remember that recruiting is not an exact science.

As a fan of the Longhorns, I'm as excited about the latest crop as the next guy, but I try to remember that most of these boys are barely 18 years-old and probably haven't spent a day of their life away from home. As we all know full well, college is a whole new ballgame and no one really knows for sure how these kids are going to react to the riggors of ballancing the freedoms and responsibilities of being a student-athlete at a big time school.

Recruiting may be key, and I'll be the first to say that without it we'd be no where, but I'll put my faith in a proven coach and a solid program before I bet on a blue chip any day.

National Championships are won in the fall, not in the spring.

Are there certain positions more valuable than others...no matter the football scheme/style a team uses?

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the Easter Bunny, the Force, God, karma:

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I'd like to hear everyone's thoughts on this idea. In my opinion, this may be the best class under Mack so far. Not by much though. My thoughts are as follows:

One, we filled a lot of need positions this year with excellent evaluations. Solid class spread out over position needs except TE.

QB: Brewer was picked by Harsin for a reason. He fits the system well. Yes, he will benefit from a redshirt but his upside is good. Seems like Kellen Moore with better tools to work with. Overstreet is a safe take in case and will likely move to LB I think.

WR: Jones and Johnson are good gets. Jones has great hands and a willingness to go get the ball. Add some strength and blocking technique, and he could have a bright future. Johnson is a dark horse. I really like his speed and ability to get open.

OL: Estelle and Riser have a lot of upside. Both likely need a 'shirt but each has great potential and were recruited to play their natural positions. Hawkins will be very good...bank on it. Fits nicely into OT allowing our OL to fill out in their natural positions. Hughes will be good for depth. Needs some time to develop.

RB: No Brainer

TE: Not much action here. Bluiett could have an impact here though. Really need to land RSJ in 2013.

DB: I'm putting Sanders here because I think this is where he ends up. Great versatility however and will help out immediately. Same goes for Daje. I think he ends up here as well. Honestly, he can play either side and be great. Major luxury take IMO! Echols is a good take with little downside. Good for depth at the very least but a lot of potential as well.

LB: All I have to say is Santos. Natural fit for MLB with the ability to step in if Edmond gains and spins down. The kid can play with the best...ie UA domination. Cole should add some weight and will likely see action some 2013 or so at Sam. Jinkens is an interesting prospect. Great speed and willing to punish someone. I see him ending up at WLB but we will see.

DE: Good to land Cottrell. Nice prospect for WDE especially if he can pack on muscle and polish his technique. Ridgeway will be a good SDE. I really like his potential as well. Glad we added some depth here.

DT: MB2...need I say more? This kid will be special. Easily cracks the 2 deep this season. He is likely done in 3 years. Norman is a good take. Good speed with the capacity to pack on some muscle. Give him a good redshirt and he will be a solid DT for us.

Opinions?

I know that your career at The University is not turning out like you had hoped, and you have had to endure a lot of criticism. But to me and thousands of other Horn fans you deserve to be listed among the all-time greats.

You found a way to beat aggy in College Station in what I hope was our last game with them.

Thank you Mr. McCoy. We will never forget you.

Hook 'em

This off-hand comment by DeLoss Dodds, which BON has now picked up, has transformed us from an admired program into what the rest of the world views as hubristic jackasses. Even worse Dodds has managed to alienate a large percentage of the Longhorn faithful with his Longhorn Network that about six people get. It is time for Dodds to retire.

Which brings me to Dodds’ asshole buddy Mack Brown. The Regents should have grown a pair and said, "Mack, win the Big 12, then we will talk." But no they incredibly gave him a contract extension. Please note that I am a fan of Brown, and as such do not want him fired, but we should demand performance for pay.

Which sadly brings me to Rick Barnes. He has done a great job of taking us to the next level, but we will need a new coach to take us all the way. Barnes’ forte is taking smallish teams and getting them to over-perform which has been moderately successful in the Big 12 but which also guarantees early exit at tournament time. For what we pay him we can bring in a coach who can coach big men thereby giving us a shot at a title.

In short, the men’s athletic department has turned us into a bigger joke than aggy. God how I hate that!

TEXAS (13-7, 3-4 Big 12) at #6/7 Baylor (18-2, 5-2 Big 12)
Saturday, January 28, 2012 • 12 pm (Central)
Ferrell Center (10,284) • Waco, Texas

From Texas Sports:

TELEVISION: The game will be televised nationally by CBS. Verne Lundquist (pxp) and Clark Kellogg (analyst) will call the action.

SERIES: Texas leads, 157-79. Last meeting: Texas 60-54 (March 5, 2011; Waco).

Series vs. Baylor
Texas has faced Baylor more times (236 entering Saturday) than any other opponent. In fact, UT’s opening four games in the school’s first year of basketball (1906) came against the Bears (Texas won all four). The only time Texas and Baylor did not meet since 1906 was in 1908, when the Longhorns did not field a team. The Horns have won 51 of the last 62 meetings between the two schools dating back to the 1982-83 season.

http://www.newson6.com/story/16589955/tim-kish-hired-as-sooners-linebackers-coach

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