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Adimora will look for a second chance at SMU.
After a lengthy trip in the transfer portal, former Longhorn Chris Adimora has found his new home. Continue reading “Former Texas DB Chris Adimora announces transfer to SMU”
Two experienced defensive backs for Texas chose to enter the NCAA transfer portal on Friday.
The Longhorns are continuing to experience attrition, as two more players decided to enter their name in the NCAA transfer portal on Friday.
Texas safety and former five-star recruit BJ Foster will be looking for a new home as a graduate transfer, and fellow defensive back Chris Adimora will also be testing the transfer portal waters.
Source confirms to @Horns247 that Texas defensive backs BJ Foster and Chris Adimora have entered the NCAA transfer portal. #HookEm
— Jeff Howe (@JeffHowe247) December 10, 2021
Foster was a highly touted recruit that came to the Forty Acres with high expectations. He was an immediate contributor for the Longhorns as a freshman, and was consistently in the lineup throughout his four years in Austin.
He recorded 168 total tackles, five sacks, and five interceptions with Texas. That’s solid production numbers wise, but he always seemed to be having some sort of issue whether it be injury or a starting role.
Foster is notorious for quitting the team in the middle of a game against UTEP in 2020, and this season he was criticized for taking a putrid angle during the Kansas State game on a long touchdown run that Saw Steve Sarkisian become furious, causing Foster to not play the rest of the game. Foster has the potential to help a team out, but he needs to improve upon his efforts in order to really reach his maximum potential.
In terms of Adimora, he was a player that the previous staff loved last season as he started all 10 games, but when the new staff came around they seemed to not have the same fondness of the California native as he fell all the way to No. 3 on the depth chart. While on the Forty Acres, Adimora accumulated 61 total tackles, seven pass defections, and one interception.
It is no surprise that either of these players are entering the transfer portal, as Foster and this staff clearly did not see eye to eye at times, and Adimora was buried on the depth chart that is expected to become much deeper after this recruiting cycle and via the transfer portal.
Foster and Adimora mark the No. 9 and No. 10 players from Texas that have entered the portal.
With a new defensive coordinator now in play, let’s break down the Texas secondary with Pete Kwiatkowski at the helm in 2021.
The final installment of the Texas Translation series focuses on the secondary in Pete Kwiatkowski’s scheme. This will be unique in that Terry Joseph is the passing game coordinator for Kwiatkowski’s defense. Steve Sarkisian brought in Joseph due to the fact that he was able to defend his offense in the passing game. The two will marry their schemes to defend the high-powered passing attacks in the Big 12.
Over the last four seasons in the Pac-12, Kwiatkowski’s scheme has severely limited offenses. Let’s take a look at the yards per game, yards per attempt, touchdowns surrendered and interceptions.
Washington under Kwiatkowski:
| Year | YPG | YPA | TDs | INTs |
| 2017 | 197.2 | 6.1 | 10 | 15 |
| 2018 | 190.1 | 5.8 | 12 | 11 |
| 2019 | 222.2 | 6.3 | 13 | 13 |
| 2020 | 185 | 6.3 | 5 | 3 |
Texas ranks in the same timeframe:
| Year | YPG | YPA | TDs | INTs |
| 2017 | 258.8 | 7.4 | 17 | 16 |
| 2018 | 261.4 | 7.4 | 26 | 12 |
| 2019 | 292.5 | 7.9 | 28 | 12 |
| 2020 | 266.4 | 6.8 | 17 | 10 |
The secondary will be deployed with five defensive backs, therefore it’s not dissimilar to the secondary deployed by the previous regime. Chris Ash’s scheme utilized two safeties, two cornerbacks and a ‘spur,’ with the latter being a linebacker and cornerback hybrid. They have to be physical enough to play like a linebacker but also able to play coverage like a nickel cornerback. It takes a unique athlete, see Chris Adimora for example.
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The first position we look at is free safety. Kwiatkowski often deploys a single-high safety in the center of the field. In the screengrab above, he is standing about 15 or more yards from the line of scrimmage. This is to help in the passing game, especially on vertical routes. This is your coverage safety. Jerrin Thompson should be the guy to man this role for Kwiatkowski and Joseph.
Others could likely be in the mix as well. Incoming freshman J.D. Coffey could also be a name to consider, he has the skills of a ball-hawking safety on the back end. Coffey also fits the mold of another position, the rover. The rover is similar to the spur, but it is a mixture of an outside linebacker and box safety. Coffey fits what they would ask.
⚰️ . pic.twitter.com/Sh59V8Mq0y
— JD Coffey III (@JD_Coffey1) October 24, 2020
Chris Adimora fits the rover as well. Recently, we discussed the idea of giving Adimore the Budda Baker role. Other players who could play this role include B.J. Foster and Tyler Owens. Play them closer to the line of scrimmage and allow them to use their physicality. They would also handle coverage underneath and in the flats.
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The secondary will utilize three cornerbacks: Two play on the boundary and one in the nickel. This is very much a standard of all defenses, especially in the Big 12. Most teams utilize 11 personnel with three wide receivers on the field. D’Shawn Jamison is likely going to take one of the boundary spots. The other may be Darion Dunn, the transfer from McNeese State.
Dunn has the size to deal with bigger receivers and has a nose for the ball. He last played in 2019 since McNeese State’s season was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. According to the McNeese State website, Dunn hauled in five interceptions with 16 passes defended. Josh Thompson, Jahdae Barron and Kitan Crawford could be in the mix at nickel now that Jalen Green is heading to Starkville.
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With a new defensive coordinator joining the Longhorns, Chris Adimora could be used in a similar way as Washington’s Budda Baker.
Now that Texas has zeroed in on defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski, several questions arise. Continue reading “Opinion: Texas should use Chris Adimora in a Budda Baker role”
Football Friday Locked on Longhorns Podcast previews the TCU-Texas game with Stephen Simcox of ESPN 1600 in Central Texas.
The Texas Longhorns are hosting the TCU Horned Frogs on Saturday morning to get the Big 12 weekend started. On this Football Friday edition of the Locked on Longhorns Podcast we preview the keys to the game. On offense who will lead the charge for the team? What about on defense? Who needs to step on that side of the ball for the team to be successful. Plus an update on freshman running back Bijan Robinson after his awkward fall against Texas Tech.
Stephen Simcox of ESPN 1600 Central Texas joins the show for an update on the quarterback situation for TCU. Plus how this Horned Frogs team matches up with Texas. Plus Stephen weighs in on if he thinks TCU can pull off an upset on the road in Austin.
With all ten teams on the field this Saturday, what are the top games to watch. How will Oklahoma come out after their disastrous finish against Kansas State at home? Plus our game picks across the conference. Will KSU come out flat after the win?
Plus Cami and Patrick lay out their offensive and defensive MVPs through two weeks.
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It was tighter than expected but UT found a way in the Big 12 opener. Here are three reasons UT was able to get a victory over Texas Tech:
Saturday’s win against Texas Tech was nervy, shocking, and an emotional rollercoaster throughout. Up by as much as 10 points with under one minute left in the third quarter, Texas somehow found itself down by 15 with just over three minutes left in the fourth quarter.
One improbable comeback later and the Longhorns found itself with a 1-0 conference record for the fourth consecutive season. Tom Herman became the first Texas coach to accomplish the feat since John Mackovic did it from 1992-1995 in the Southwest Conference.
A lot had to go right for Texas to pull a win out of their hat, requiring some clutch plays coming from both the offense and defense. Even Cameron Dicker’s magical right foot had to get involved.
It was tighter than expected but the Longhorns found a way in its conference opener. Here are three reasons Texas was able to get a victory over Texas Tech on Saturday:
How to watch, stream and listen to the Texas Longhorns vs Texas Tech Red Raiders. Also the betting odds and game picks.
It is finally to stop with all the game previews. The kickoff between the Texas Longhorns and Texas Tech Red Raiders is almost upon us. This is the first Big 12 Conference game for both teams. Both teams came out victorious in their opener, which means only one of these two teams will leave with a perfect record in tact.
Time: 2:30 PM CDT
Location: Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, TX
TV: Fox
Stream: Fox Sports Go App
Listen: 104.9 FM in Austin
For more Texas Longhorns Radio Network affiliates
These betting odds are according to BetMGM .
| Picker | UT (-17.5) at TTU | ATS Record | UT at TTU Winner | Overall Record |
| Patrick | Texas | 9-7 | Texas | 11-5 |
| Cami | Texas | 6-10 | Texas | 11-5 |
| Griffin | Texas | 7-9 | Texas | 11-5 |
Looking for some action on this game or others? Place your legal sports wagers online at BetMGM in Colorado, Indiana, New Jersey and West Virginia. Bet now!
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| X Factors | Offense | Defense |
| Patrick | Keaontay Ingram | Caden Sterns |
| Cami | Roschon Johnson | DeMarvion Overshown |
| Griffin | Sam Ehlinger | Chris Adimora |
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With the Texas Longhorns set to kick off the season on Saturday, Longhorns Wire takes a look at areas of concern for the opener.
The start of the Texas Longhorns football season is finally upon us. A little over 24 hours away from the UTEP Miners and Texas Longhorns kicking off at Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Recently the Texas Longhorns named their team captains for the season, really no shocking selections. It just means that we are that much closer to 18,000 fans piling into DKR. Hopefully this is a Big 12 Championship contending season for the burnt orange faithful.
This game is not expected to be one that is even relatively close. The UTEP Miners are coming off a 1-11 season in 2019. They struggled to defeat a FCS foe in Stephen F. Austin, in which they fell behind early 14-3. While they were able to rally from behind, if the Miners and quarterback Gavin Hardison find themselves down early it could be over before the first quarter ends. Texas is clearly the more talented team, it is just a matter of if the Longhorns buy into their own hype and overlook UTEP.
Even being heavy favorites according to BetMGM, there are still areas for concern in the upcoming game. This is the first live action for many of these Longhorns. The incoming freshman class such as Bijan Robinson and Alfred Collins getting their opportunity to prove their value and why they were 247Sports Composite five-star recruits.
We start with Longhorns Wire’s areas of concern with the health of the team.
With the 2020 college football season just over three weeks away, the Longhorns Wire staff weighed in our their predictions for Texas.
It’s been a whirlwind offseason, but college football is quickly approaching. We’re now just a mere 24 days (at time of publishing) away from kickoff. The Texas Longhorns are in the midst of fall camp and looking to ramp up the intensity as they prepare for the UTEP Miners on Sept. 12th.
The buzz surrounding three of the Power Five conferences is reaching a fever pitch. The Longhorns are eager to get the sour taste of an 8-5 season out of their mouths. Although it’s a shortened season with minimal offseason work, expectations are sky high.
Head coach Tom Herman has spoke at length regarding what a successful season would be for the Longhorns. Obviously, this particular season could be derailed in a matter of moments due to COVID-19 or injuries to a key player.
For Texas, the expectation level is to compete for the Big 12 title. That’s the primary stepping stone in order to advance to the College Football Playoff.
With a substantial amount of hope and optimism in the air as the schedule approaches, Longhorns Wire staff put together their predictions for the upcoming season.
Related: ESPN predicts each game by win probability
Related: 2020 Longhorns Wire game-by-game predictions
In a recent article, ESPN named second-year wide receiver Jordan Whittington as their top recruit to breakout for the Texas Longhorns.
When it comes to a breakout season in 2020 for the Texas Longhorns they have plenty of options. When you narrow that down to top 2019 recruits poised for a breakout, it significantly narrows that list and removes a player like linebacker Joseph Ossai. The list for 2019 could include wide receiver Jake Smith who finished tied for second on the team in receiving touchdowns. Another name for the future could be another top Arizona product in tight end Brayden Liebrock.
On the defensive side of the ball you could throw in Chris Adimora. He is likely taking over the nickel cornerback role in 2020 due to the level of his play expected and the fact that incumbent started Anthony Cook has left the program. We listed him as one of the guys who could take that role in a recent article on the next man up at nickel.
ESPN recently wrote about which top recruits from 2019 would have a breakout in their second year. For the Longhorns that player is running back turned wide receiver, Jordan Whittington.
Writer Tom VanHaaren says about Whittington:
Whittington was a four-star prospect in 2019 who originally came to Texas as a running back. He converted to wide receiver, but re-aggravated a groin injury and missed all but one game of the season.
Whittington is back to 100 percent now and is in position to help the Texas offense in a big way. He is versatile and gives the Longhorns another option as an H receiver to go along with Jake Smith. With those two on the inside and Whittington having big-play ability, he should be able to make a big impact this season.
Given the lack of experience at the position outside of newcomer Tarik Black and Brennan Eagles, they will need someone in that position group to take the next step. As of late, ESPN has been pinpointing to Whittington as a key cog in the offense for 2020. He was also named their breakout star earlier this offseason.
