Tag: horns

The Draft Network: Calls Journey Brown to Texas a ‘perfect fit’

Kyle Crabbs of the Draft Network explores possible transfers and calls Journey Brown to Texas a perfect fit, but is it?

Following the cancellation of the Big Ten season, many began to wonder about the players from the conference. Would the players look to transfer to another school planning on playing in the fall? Given that the conference announced intentions to play in the spring, players likely wouldn’t be able to transfer and be granted immediate eligibility.

However that didn’t stop the Draft Network from exploring the idea of who could transfer. In the article Kyle Crabbs picked one Big Ten running back to Texas as a perfect fit.

What the Draft Network says

Max Gersh / The Commercial Appeal,

Journey Brown, Penn State

How about a little lightning to go with all that thunder in the Texas backfield? The Longhorns were hard-pressed for backs last season and between the size of quarterback Sam Ehlinger in the QB power game and backs Keaontay Ingram and Roschon Johnson (a former quarterback himself who only converted to running back ahead of the 2019 season), the Longhorns sure could use a little extra juice in the backfield.

The Longhorns didn’t offer Brown in the recruiting process (he ultimately decided to stay put in Pennsylvania), but they were one of just six teams that was pegged as an interested team by 247 Sports. The Lions run a wide open spread attack and, like Texas, offer plenty of QB run dynamics in their offense, so there are some parallels in the style of play that would make for a seemingly easy transition and offer a big upgrade to the Longhorns backfield.

With the devaluation of the running back position, Brown could use every boost he can find to his resume, even if it means a transfer for this fall.

The full article on the five Big Ten transfers can be found here.

Next what Longhorns Wire thinks about the idea

Pages: Page 1, Page 2

Locked on Longhorns podcast: ‘NCAA fall championships cancelled, UTEP update’

The Locked on Longhorns podcast discusses the latest announcement from the NCAA with cancelling fall championships. UTEP update as well.

The podcast returns the Friday edition to discuss the fallout of the conference cancellations. John Williams stops by to help breakdown the quarterback situation in Norman. Is Spencer Rattler the starter while competing in a “quarterback battle” with Tanner Mordecai? Plus the NCAA has announced no fall championships in 2020. Is this a power play to put pressure on the remaining six FBS conferences planning on playing?

UTEP recently had a coronavirus outbreak within their team that caused the Miners to halt practice. Adrian Broaddus of ESPN El Paso brings us up to speed on the latest happenings. What are the expectations for UTEP and will they travel to Austin to play on September 12th?

Plus an interview with Locked on Saints’ Ross Jackson. The Saints have three former Longhorns poised to make the team this year. What are the expectations of Malcolm Roach and Lil’Jordan Humphrey. How can the Saints use Humphrey in year two and why did Roach’s production suffer at Texas?

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NCAA President states no fall championships, FBS not affected

NCAA President Mark Emmert released a video in which he stated there will be no fall championships in 2020. CFP is not a part of that.

The NCAA released a video on social media stated that there will be no fall championships. This ruling impacts all of FCS fall sports and Division I soccer and volleyball. This does not have any bearing on the state of the College Football Playoffs. The Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) operates independently from the NCAA in terms of football championships.

“We cannot, at this point, have fall championships”-NCAA President Mark Emmert

In the video he discussed moving the fall season to spring while keeping the athletes engaged with their coaches, focusing on their academic studies and being prepared to play in the spring.

The College Football Playoff committee has yet to state whether or not there will be a playoff but they are finalizing their protocols for the upcoming season. They will release the final standings on Sunday December 20th.

As it sits right now the ACC, Big 12 and SEC are the only Power Five conferences still planning on playing in the fall. American Athletic Conference, Conference USA, and the Sun Belt still remain from the Group of Five conferences.

It is a very real possibility that the three remaining Power Five conferences could be the only ones left standing. If that were to be the case you could see a scenario where the winner of each conference could get a bid into the playoff with the highest ranked team remaining make it as the fourth team.

This all hinges on what the CFP committee decides and that will likely come in the next few weeks as football season approaches. We are still not in the clear but appears as if we will have fall football at this point.

Season Opener: UTEP is ‘right on schedule’ to play the Longhorns

UTEP head coach Dana Dimel spoke with media stated they were “right on schedule” to play the Texas Longhorns in the season opener.

It was made official on Wednesday that the Longhorns would host the Texas-El Paso Miners on September 12th to open the season. Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte confirmed in the Forty Acres Insider that was published. Their original matchup was set for September 19th on the original schedule but due to the Big 12 changing to a nine plus one schedule it had to be adjusted.

There were still questions even after the confirmation by Del Conte as to whether or not the game could still be played. Conference USA met on Wednesday evening to discuss their course of action as the fall football season approaches. As other conferences have come out and postponed the season, UTEP’s conference hadn’t yet made a decision. The conference issued the following statement.

Essentially a passive statement to state they were still in discussion about what their final answer will be. On a conference call with media, Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby stated that a Big 12 opponent must adhere to their testing standards. If the Miners are afforded the opportunity to play they will be tested three times before they can play in Austin.

Head coach of the Miners Dana Dimel met with the media on Thursday and stated they were “right on schedule” to play against the Longhorns. UTEP had been dealing with a coronavirus outbreak that caused them to halt camp while they determined how to proceed.

Provided that the game doesn’t get cancelled, the Longhorns will host UTEP for their sixth meeting all-time. Texas has won all five matchups with their last game coming in 2016. Texas won 41-6. The Longhorns should be heavy favorites as the Miners are coming off a 1-11 season in 2019.

Conference Opener: Texas Tech to limit stadium capacity to 25 percent

When the Texas Longhorns open the Big 12 Conference schedule they will be traveling to Lubbock. Texas Tech announced 25% capacity for fans.

When the Big 12 Conference announced the new schedules for the upcoming 2020 college football season, the order of opponents changed. Instead of playing Kansas State in the conference opener, the Longhorns will instead head to Lubbock, Texas on September 26th to play the Red Raiders.

The Longhorns finished the 2019 season in a game against Texas Tech. After falling behind 14-0 early on in the contest, Sam Ehlinger and the team rallied to defeat Tech 49-24. Thanks in large part to a 22-point outburst in the second quarter.

Texas has defeated Tech five consecutive times in Lubbock. We won’t mention the last time Texas failed to defeat the Red Raiders. The Longhorns hold a commanding 52-17 edge in the series all-time in 69 games. If fans plan on making the trip to Lubbock for this year’s game, there will only be a handful of fans allowed at the game.

Nicole Auerbach of the Athletic is reporting that only 25 percent of the stadium capacity will be in attendance. Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock holds around 60,000 seats. Essentially only 15,000 fans will be able to attend.

While the Texas Governor Greg Abbott has stated that venues in the state can have upwards of 50 percent capacity, most universities are willing to take the risk of inviting more fans into the stadium.

Recently it was reported that the Texas Longhorns were currently discussing if they would have 50 or 25 percent capacity in their stadium. They were leaning towards the latter Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium will likely only have 25,000 fans for home games this fall.

Texas target and top running back in state trending towards Oklahoma

Texas target Camar Wheaton is now trending to the rivals across the river, Oklahoma. Wheaton is second-ranked back in the nation.

During the last recruiting cycle the Texas Longhorns were able to snag the top running back in the country. According to 247Sports composite rankings, Bijan Robinson was the best of the best. The five-star composite runner is expected to a part of the offense in 2020 but will have to earn snaps behind Keaontay Ingram and Roschon Johnson.

This year’s top target was Lakeview Centenial’s Camar Wheaton. He is also a five-star composite prospect much like Bijan was. Wheaton is the second-ranked running back in the country and top back in the state of Texas. The Longhorns have been in the running for him to come to Austin and provide a two-headed monster for the next few seasons.

The LSU Tigers, SMU Mustangs and Oklahoma Sooners are among the top contenders for his commitment. However recent trends indicate that the Sooners are leading the charge to secure him. The 247Sports staff recently put in their crystal ball predictions with  everyone picking Oklahoma.

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Crystal ball predictions aren’t the end all for Texas. Recently they were projected to land transfer linebacker from Arizona Tony Fields II, but he ended up heading to West Virginia. Even with the news of Wheaton trending to the team across the river, the Longhorns have another running back trending their way with L.J. Johnson.

Robinson has been communicating with Johnson to bring in another weapon for the Longhorns offense. Provided that he has a big season in 2020, Bijan could be the man leading the charge moving forward. As far as Wheaton, there has been no indication of him making an announcement prior to National Signing Day.

Texas Football: Defensive end Marqez Bimage opts out of 2020 season

The Texas Longhorns defensive end Marqez Bimage has opted out of the upcoming season. He was expected to compete for a starting role.

The Texas Longhorns are preparing to get ready for the upcoming football season that is less than a month away. The Big 12 Conference announced the conference portion of the schedule on Wednesday and Texas confirmed their matchup with UTEP. The defense is expected to be much better in year one under Chris Ash. Joseph Ossai and Demarvion Overshown will be playing new roles in a new defensive scheme.

One player expected to compete for a starting role was defensive end Marqez Bimage. The senior defensive end is reportedly opting out of the upcoming season. It was first reported by Anwar Richardson of Rivals. Bimage has splayed in 34 games as Richardson tweeted, he recorded 12 total tackles and one sack while appearing in every game in 2019.

It remains unclear if Bimage will focus on returning in 2021 as he will have another year of eligibility remaining. His absence could open up opportunities for freshmen Vernon Broughton Jr and Alfred Collins.

Bimage becomes the first Texas Longhorn to opt out of the upcoming season while senior running back Daniel Young has opted out on the offensive side of the ball. Players who opt out of the season due to concerns over the coronavirus will keep their scholarship and remaining eligibility.

The Longhorns have no shortage of able bodies to play the position and get to the quarterback. However, this is still a blow to the defense. The team is currently in the midst of fall camp and getting ready for the opener. Best guess is that Moro Ojomo could be in the mix to start on the strong side of the defense.

Texas Football: Top 10 in 247Sports AP poll prediction

247Sports has projected the new preseason AP top 25. For what would be the second season in a row, Texas found itself in the top 10.

247Sports has projected the new preseason AP top 25 after the Big Ten and Pac-12 decided to cancel their season. For what would be the second season in a row, Texas found itself in the top 10.

Last season, the Longhorns failed to meet up to the top 10 expectations, finishing 8-5 and without a Big 12 championship appearance. Now, Tom Herman and new coordinators Mike Yurcich and Chris Ash will be looking to find some type of consistency.

Here is what 247Sports had to say about the Longhorns.

“Remember, we’re projecting here, so this is an attempt to gauge just how fond of the Longhorns AP voters are this month. Face it, there’s a lot to like. This is Tom Herman’s deepest team in his tenure and his two best players — quarterback Sam Ehlinger and safety Caden Sterns — are guys you can bank on to have difference-making seasons. A three-game stretch vs. Oklahoma, Baylor and on the road vs. Oklahoma State will determine just how good Texas is this fall.”

The Big 12 released their schedule today, mixing up the order of the Longhorns’ games. Texas will now have two bye weeks, one before the Baylor matchup and another before traveling to Kansas.

Another benefit to the new schedule is no back to back road games. The Longhorns played three out of their final five games of the 2019 season away from Austin, losing all of them.

As for the rest of the Big 12, four other teams appear in the prediction, with Oklahoma being the highest at No. 4. Baylor and TCU sneak in at No. 22 and No. 23 respectively.

Here is the full top 25:

  1. Clemson
  2. Alabama
  3. Georgia
  4. Oklahoma
  5. LSU
  6. Florida
  7. Notre Dame
  8. Texas
  9. Texas A&M
  10. Auburn
  11. Oklahoma State
  12. North Carolina
  13. UCF
  14. Cincinnati
  15. Miami
  16. Virginia Tech
  17. Tennessee
  18. Iowa State
  19. Memphis
  20. Kentucky
  21. Louisville
  22. Baylor
  23. TCU
  24. Virginia
  25. Appalachian State

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WATCH: Texas LT Samuel Cosmi dominates Joseph Ossai

Take a look at Texas left tackle Sam Cosmi facing off against Joseph Ossai towards the end of practice on Tuesday.

As a coach, you want your players to be challenged throughout practices. It’s an iron sharpens iron mentality. Continue reading “WATCH: Texas LT Samuel Cosmi dominates Joseph Ossai”

Quarterback Sam Ehlinger named to Johnny Unitas Golden Arm watchlist

Senior quarterback Sam Ehlinger joins two other Big 12 passers on Johnny Unitas watchlist. Looking to become the second Longhorn to win it.

Stop me if you have heard this before but Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger has been added to a preseason watch list. Yes, indeed after being named to the the Maxwell, Davey O’Brien, Manning and others you can add the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award watchlist.

Texas Tech’s Alan Bowman and Baylor’s Charlie Brewer join Ehlinger as the only Big 12 passers to make the watch list. In a press release from Texas Athletics a list of the accolades for Ehlinger over the past two seasons show how good he has been.

Ehlinger, an Austin native, has started all 27 games for UT over the past two seasons and leads all active FBS quarterbacks in completions (571), attempts (879), passing yards (6,955), total offense (8,100) and total touchdowns (80) since the start of the 2018 season. He also ranks second among active FBS quarterbacks in touchdown passes (57) and fifth in completion percentage (65.0) during that stretch. Ehlinger is the only FBS player to account for at least 50 passing touchdowns and 20 rushing touchdowns over the last two seasons.

The award was first presented in 1987 with Don McPherson of Syracuse being the first recipient. In the 33 year history, five times a Big 12 quarterback has been given the award. Colt McCoy is the only Texas quarterback to earn this honor. Last season Joe Burrow walked away with the honor of being associated with a legendary quarterback in Johnny Unitas.

In 2017 Mason Rudolph of Oklahoma State was the winner of the award under the tutelage of offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich. As Ehlinger enters his senior season that kicks off September 12th against UTEP, expectations are high. The senior quarterback hopes to pick up the accolades as the looks to dethrone the Sooners as top dog in the conference.