Tag: Jake Smith

ESPN’s Top 2019 Texas recruit poised for a breakout: Jordan Whittington

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.

One Longhorn who needs to step up in 2020 according to 247Sports

247Sports named their one player who needs to step up in 2020. For the Longhorns it comes from the wide receivers group.

The Texas Longhorns return one of the most productive teams in the Big 12 in 2020. However, they do have plenty of questions especially on the offensive side of the ball. While they do have talent available, it remains unclear who will step up in 2020 for this football team. If the Longhorns do indeed make a run at the Big 12 title they will need a few players to step up on both sides of the ball. According to 247Sports, there is one player on offense who needs to step up the most.

247Sports writer Dean Straka states:

Texas fans saw what Eagles was capable of accomplishing during his sophomore year on the Forty Acres after only registering one catch as freshman in 2018, but 2020 will bring an entirely new set of expectations for the former four-star prospect. With Devin Duvernay and Collin Johnson — the Longhorns’ leading two receivers from 2019 — both now graduated, Eagles finds himself standing as arguably the top target for Sam Ehlinger to work with in 2020 as the Longhorns look to rebound from an 8-5 finish that was far short of meeting expectations a year ago. Eagles’ most productive game of 2019 his best game of the season in Week 2 in a 45-38 loss to eventual national champion LSU (five catches for 116 yards, including a 55-yard touchdown strike). With new Texas offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich setting the expectation of around 45 points per game in order for the Longhorns to compete, prepare to see plenty of passes from Ehlinger headed in Eagles’ direction this fall.

Ehlinger has a tall task ahead of him this upcoming season, steer the Longhorns towards the top of the conference without his top two receiver of the past few season. Along with Eagles, Jordan Whittington, Jake Smith and newcomer Tarik Black are all expected to be in the mix. For the team to hit the level of expectation that Yurcich has laid out, they will all need to do their part.

Behind Ehlinger in the backfield Keaontay Ingram, Roschon Johnson and newcomer Bijan Robinson should help lighten the load. Ingram and Johnson are the known commodity, while Robinson is the wildcard. The best running back in Arizona high school history should be a mainstay on the offense for the next three seasons. If he is able to deliver what many think he can, the offense should be a lethal one.

Texas Football: Ranking the most memorable catches from 2019 season

Texas’ 2019 season provided no shortage of thrilling receptions, we’ve decided to rank the five most memorable.

Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger had several weapons at receiver last season. Continue reading “Texas Football: Ranking the most memorable catches from 2019 season”

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5, Page 6

It is full speed ahead for Longhorns’ Jordan Whittington

Recently head coach Tom Herman met with reporters and provided an update on the health of Jordan Whittington. He is recovering from surgery.

The buzz surrounding Jordan Whittington couldn’t have been higher when he committed to play football at the University of Texas. In his final high school game, Whittington put on a show en route to winning a state championship game. He ran the ball 28 times for 334 yards, a 11.9 yards per carry average that blows the mind of many. Not to mention his five touchdowns that set a state record.

The composite five-star recruit was expected to see some action in his freshman season behind Keaontay Ingram but his injury ruined any thought of a breakout season. Whittington would be shut down due to a sports hernia that required surgery. Fast forward to the next offseason and the expectations are still there for Whittington. It likely won’t be as a full-time running back.

The Longhorns have Ingram, a quarterback convert in Roschon Johnson and the nation’s number one rated running back Bijan Robinson set to get the carries for the offense. J-Whitt is moving over to wide receiver and the position is in desperate need for playmakers. The returning leading receiver in Brennan Eagles has stated he won’t play another snap. Collin Johnson and Devin Duvernay are now gone.

Whittington will find himself in a battle to take the slot role with another top recruit from the 2019 recruiting cycle in Jake Smith. New offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich will need to figure out who plays where and when. Given the talent of a player like Whittington, they need to find ways to get him involved. The question now all surrounds the health of J-Whitt.

According to Jeff Howe of 247Sports, head coach Tom Herman recently weighed in on his health.

Head coach Tom Herman said Thursday on a video conference with reporters that Whittington “is full speed running and cutting without pain,” which builds on the positive report he had on the Cuero product’s progress in April during Horns247’s Texas Tailgate virtual chat.

“If we were to play a game tomorrow, he would play,” Herman said. “He’s still got a little soreness, some scar tissue down there. I mean, two different surgeries in your pelvic region is not ideal, but he’s, he’s on the mend and was full speed, full clearance on the winter conditioning drills.

Herman went on to talk about how they wanted a hybrid player that could be both a runner and pass catcher in their offense. That could be how Jordan Whittington makes his impact on the 2020 Texas Longhorns.. The positive news is that it appears that he is ready to run.

ESPN: How Texas can become a national title contender

A four “if” plan for the Texas Longhorns to get back into the title hunt? ESPN lays it all out.

The Texas Longhorns seem to stay in the national spotlight despite the lack of consistent performances from the football team over the last decade. It has been over 10 years since their last conference championship in 2009. Before that it was 2005. For all of their success during the Mack Brown era, he only produced two conference champions despite all of those 10 win seasons. Nine consecutive to be exact. However, Texas is still viewed as top tier program according to ESPN.

According to a recent article from ESPN they laid out a plan for Texas to get back into the title hunt. A four “if” plan that could return them to prominence.

Daniel Dunn-USA TODAY Sports

The first part of the plan revolves around such a young defense.

If … 2019 pain means 2020 gain for the secondary.

The stats were much more pessimistic about Texas than the eyeballs last season, and the stats were eventually proved correct. But those same numbers are quite a bit higher on the Longhorns this time around. Why? Experience. This defense had a ridiculously young spine (tackles, ILBs, safeties) last season, and the sophomore-heavy secondary suffered a run of injuries as well. The Horns now return 10 defensive backs who logged triple-digit snaps and add a new batch of blue-chippers. This unit should be both talented and experienced enough to thrive.

Todd Orlando is now gone and Chris Ash steps up to take the defensive mantle. Ash will be tasked with implementing a new scheme. Changing from a defensive scheme that many felt did the defense any favors. Just ask former Longhorn Malcolm Roach. Add in the veterans like Caden Sterns, B.J. Foster and D’Shawn Jamison among others. For Texas to take the leap, it will start on that side of the ball.

Provided Sterns and Foster can stay healthy this upcoming season, the defense on the back end should be much improved. Sterns showed so much promise as a freshman leading the team with four interceptions. Jamison picked up that mantle in 2019. Both need to be able to create more turnovers to help out the defense in 2020. They also lost a leader in Brandon Jones who finished second in interceptions.

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4

10 potential candidates to become the next star for Texas football

With Sam Ehlinger graduating in May, Texas needs a new face of the program. Here are 10 potential candidates to become the next star for UT:

Right now, the star and face of Texas football is senior Sam Ehlinger. Ever since his freshman year for the Longhorns, the quarterback has led the team by example, both on and off the field.

With the Austin native graduating in May 2021, Tom Herman’s team is going to need a new star to be the face of the program. While being a leader is helpful, their production on the field needs to become the priority.

Texas has promising players on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball. All big named recruits coming out of high school, their level of success will be determined by the coaching staff throughout the next couple of years. If expectations are met, the Longhorns will field a roster full of future NFL talent.

Here are 10 potential candidates to become the next star for Texas football:

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5, Page 6, Page 7, Page 8, Page 9, Page 10, Page 11

Submission Underground 13 results: Craig Jones heel hook leads to verbal submission from injured Vinny Magalhaes

Craig Jones’ devastating leglock attempts proved successful once again, earning a verbal submission from fellow standout Vinny Magalhaes.

[autotag]Craig Jones[/autotag]’ devastating leglock attempts proved successful once again, with the Australian grappling ace earning a verbal submission from fellow jiu-jitsu standout [autotag]Vinny Magalhaes[/autotag].

The bout served as the featured contest of Sunday’s Submission Underground 13, which streamed live on UFC Fight Pass from a converted grain silo in Oregon without fans present as a safety precaution due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Jones dropped to guard in the opening seconds of the matchup, initially latching on to Magalhaes’ left leg. Jones then went belly down while attacking the heel, but Magalhaes somehow worked free from an incredibly deep attempt, then went after his opponent’s legs to force a scramble. Jones pulled free, and the two reset on the feet.

Jones went to his back again on the restart, and there were a few odd moments as the two paused to speak while working on the floor. With microphones not quite picking up the conversation, it was difficult to understand the context, though it would become apparent shortly after. Jones continued to attack the left leg as the action resumed, though he would again occasionally stop and gesture toward Magalhaes inquisitively.

Eventually, it became clear that the earlier heel hook had caused some damage to Magalhaes left leg, possibly dislocating the ankle, and after some pressing, he eventually relented, leading to a verbal submission due to injury at the 4:21 mark of the contest.

In the night’s co-main event, Bellator welterweight [autotag]Austin Vanderford[/autotag] earned a surprising and quite impressive win over 10th Planet standout [autotag]Richie Martinez[/autotag].

Martinez showed his trademark trickiness early, using rubber guard to isolate his opponent’s right arm, but a few rapid-fire rolls saw an alert Vanderford slip out to safety. Once recovered, Vanderford did his best to try and work past his opponent’s guard, once forcing a brief timeout after accidentally striking Martinez’s face as he looked to dive past the legs. In the end, Martinez’s threatening guard made it tough for Vanderford to stay engaged, and the five-minute regulation ended as a stalemate.

In overtime, Vanderford set the tone with an incredibly quick escape from an armbar in the opening frame. Martinez responded in fine fashion, but his escape from back control was clearly much longer than his opponent’s work.

In the second overtime, Martinez started in back control, but as he transitioned to an armbar attempt, Vanderford again escaped in shockingly quick fashion. With momentum clearly in his fashion, Vanderford started on the back but locked in an arm-triangle choke as Martinez looked to spin inside. Vanderford sold out on the squeeze, and he earned the submission from a frustrated Martinez.

In the night’s first main-card contest, RFA and LFA veteran middleweight [autotag]Gabriel Checco[/autotag] submitted longtime UFC welterweight contender [autotag]Jake Ellenberger[/autotag] via reverse triangle choke.

MAIN CARD

  • Craig Jones def. Vinny Magalhaes via verbal submission (injury) – Regulation, 4:21
  • Austin Vanderford def. Richie Martinez via submission (arm-triangle choke) – Overtime 2, 0:44
  • Gabriel Checco def. Jake Ellenberger via submission (reverse triangle choke) – Regulation, 1:52

PRELIMINARY CARD

  • [autotag]Ethan Crelinsten[/autotag] def. Andrew Alexander via submission (rear-naked choke) – Overtime 1, 1:00
  • [autotag]Don Stoner[/autotag] def. [autotag]Alex Larmey[/autotag] via escape time – Full time
  • [autotag]Joe Baize[/autotag] def. [autotag]Nicholas Maximov[/autotag] via submission (heel hook) – Regulation, 2:31
  • [autotag]Cris Lencioni[/autotag] def. [autotag]Gabriel Austin Daffron[/autotag] via escape time – Full time
  • [autotag]Charlie Gilpin[/autotag] def. [autotag]Jake Smith[/autotag] via submission (kimura) – Regulation, 1:38
  • [autotag]Eric McConico[/autotag] def. [autotag]George Martinez[/autotag] via submission (armbar) – Overtime 1, 0:04
  • [autotag]Cody Kenaga[/autotag] def. [autotag]Jake Hargis[/autotag] via submission (toe hold) – Regulation, 2:06

Submission Underground 12 results: Craig Jones submits Kevin Casey in empty grain silo

Grappling superstar Craig Jones kept his perfect promotional record in place with a submission win over Kevin Casey in the main event.

Grappling superstar [autotag]Craig Jones[/autotag] kept his perfect promotional record in place with a submission win over [autotag]Kevin Casey[/autotag] in the main event of Submission Underground 12.

Sunday’s UFC Fight Pass-streamed event took place in a converted grain silo in Oregon without fans present as a safety precaution due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Additional precautions included the elimination of all but one camera operator in the venue, lone commentator Chael Sonnen being positioned outside the venue, and cornermen also prevented from attending – making for an eerily quiet setting.

All competitors were also forced to wear long-sleeved rash guards and compression spats, and the cage was sanitized in between matches.

Jones dropped to a seated position at the start of the match featured, and Casey did his best to attack from the top without fully stepping into guard. After two minutes of a stalemate, the grapplers returned to their feet, where Craig again tried to drop down to a sweep. While he didn’t initially earn the position he was hoping, Jones kept the tangle tight, eventually inverting and rolling into a heel hook position to score a verbal submission from Casey at the 2:40 mark of regulation.

[lawrence-related id=503254,500687]

In the night’s co-main event, Oregon-based MMA prospect [autotag]Ben Egli[/autotag] took advantage of his time in the spotlight, scoring an impressive submission win over longtime UFC veteran [autotag]Jake Ellenberger[/autotag].

Egli initiated a takedown in the opening second, but Ellenberger was able to stifle that attack and settle into top position. Egli remained active underneath, and a guillotine choke missed but allowed him to sweep to top. Once there, Egli’s chain grappling attack was simply too much for Ellenberger, who was always just a step behind as he defended the non-stop attacks.

Eventually, a scramble saw Egli drop back into a triangle position, but he instead focused on the arm and shoulder and earning a submission via Americana at the 3:30 mark of regulation.

Submission Underground 12 results include:

MAIN CARD

  • Craig Jones def. Kevin Casey via submission (heel hook) – Regulation, 2:40
  • Ben Egli def. Jake Ellenberger via submission (Americana) – Regulation, 3:30

PRELIMINARY CARD

  • [autotag]Juan Bernardo[/autotag] def. [autotag]Bobby Emmons[/autotag] via submission (rear-naked choke) – Overtime 2, 0:35
  • [autotag]Cris Lencioni[/autotag] def. [autotag]Logan Skinner[/autotag] via submission (rear-naked choke) – Overtime 1, 1:58
  • [autotag]Matt Stringham[/autotag] def. [autotag]Joe Levasseur[/autotag] submission (standing guillotine choke) – Regulation, 0:28
  • [autotag]Alex Larmey[/autotag] def. [autotag]Thomas Patrick[/autotag] via escape time – Full time
  • [autotag]Jake Smith[/autotag] def. [autotag]George Martinez[/autotag] via escape time – Full time
  • [autotag]Don Stoner[/autotag] def. [autotag]Lee Flores[/autotag] via submission (rear-naked choke) – Regulation, 2:34
  • [autotag]Cody Kenaga[/autotag] def. [autotag]John Simon[/autotag] via escape time – Full time

Texas Football: Who would make up the Avengers team?

If you could put together a team of Avengers using the Texas Longhorns football team, who would make the cut?

With no football going on, we decided to take a little different approach and bring some pop culture into sports talk. Over the last decade or so, Marvel’s Avengers movie series has been one of the hottest things to hit the theaters. Setting box office record after box office record. Here we compared current Texas Longhorns to their Avengers counterpart.

Nick Fury- Tom Herman

Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Nick Fury’s job is to lead his team of Avengers (Longhorns) against the evil group known as Hydra (Oklahoma). With Fury there is often times a plan in place but the end game is quite unclear on how to achieve it. The same can be said for Herman. At one point Fury disbanded the entire Shield team only to build it back up gain, Herman did the same with his new staff for 2020.

Hawkeye-Cameron Dicker

Hawkeye is the archer of the group who is all about his pinpoint accuracy. No one fits that better than Dicker the kicker. Cameron Dicker nailed 77.8 percent of his field goal attempts and 98.2 percent of his extra points in 2019. Poised for an even better year in 2020.

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3

Longhorns Wire Roundtable: Top five returners on offense in 2020

The Longhorns Wire writers discuss their top five returners on offense in the latest roundtable discussion.

Three Longhorns Wire authors rank their top returners on the offensive side of the ball.

Cami:

  1. Sam Ehlinger – QB – He has complete control over this offense, everything starts and ends with him. He’s also poised to have a Heisman finalist season as a senior.
  2. Samuel Cosmi – OL – The 6-7, 300-pound left tackle will anchor the offensive line this season, if it weren’t for Ehlinger behind center, he’d be the top returner on offense.
  3. Jake Smith – WR – His versatility as both a receiver and returner are key here. With Collin Johnson and Devin Duvernay both leaving for the NFL, Smith is bound to have a breakout season.

    Tim Warner/Getty Images
  4. Keontay Ingram – RB – With the nation’s best running back Bijan Robinson joining the roster this summer, Ingram will have to produce significantly in order to retain his starting role. It’s his job for the taking, but the running back room is now loaded with talent.
  5. Brennan Eagles – WR – He hasn’t been able to showcase his full potential yet, but Texas desperately needs a big-bodied receiver on the outside.
Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3