Texas OC/OL coach Kyle Flood discusses WR Adonai Mitchell’s impact

Adonai Mitchell opened more versatile game planning for Steve Sarkisian and Kyle Flood.

Texas is a far more dynamic offense than it was last season. Big play wide receiver Adonai Mitchell is a huge reason for the dynamic performance. Continue reading “Texas OC/OL coach Kyle Flood discusses WR Adonai Mitchell’s impact”

Texas OC Kyle Flood discusses becoming more explosive in passing game

Texas was one of three FBS squads not to have a 50-yard pass play in 2022. The team looks to change that.

The Texas Longhorns were not explosive in the passing game last year. While it’s likely the offense improves dramatically in 2023, the passing game is still an area with room for improvement.

Last season, Texas was one of three FBS squads not to have a 50-yard pass play. That’s not the list in which you want your team to find itself.

Much of the blame goes to the quarterback, but offensive line coach and offensive coordinator Kyle Flood believes its a team effort. He said the following to the media about developing more explosion in 2023.

“I don’t see it as a responsibility of the quarterback or a responsibility of the running back, I think that’s the responsibility of all 11 players on the field to create those types of opportunities. We are certainly going to call those types of plays, there is no question about that.”

The lack of converted deep shots were not for lack of attempts. Several downfield passes from quarterback Quinn Ewers to receiver Xavier Worthy fell to the turf. While both Ewers and Worthy both bear responsibility for those incompletions, both look primed to bounce back based on offseason performances.

Texas will look to add plenty of 50-yard pass plays in the upcoming season.

Texas’ Kyle Flood believes he has eight OL with which he can win games

Don’t tell us about your starting five linemen. Tell us about your best eight. Texas has eight good ones.

Conference championship contenders need eight offensive linemen to realistically compete. Texas offensive line coach Kyle Flood believes he has his eight. It’s part of what makes this roster more fortified against a late-season falloff than past Longhorns teams.

You need eight quality offensive linemen to safeguard against injury. Having a strong top five doesn’t matter all that much if one or two get injured. Due to the physical nature of the position and the inherent lack of balance in pass protection, it’s difficult to go a full season with five healthy linemen. Texas might not have to worry about that.

We feel strongly about the starting five and its ability after last season. The line is perhaps the best pass blocking unit in the conference. The backups are ready to make impact as well led by DJ Campbell, Cam Williams and Neto Umeozulu.

The 2022 offensive line class illustrates that one good offensive line class can transform the entire unit. Texas will look to maximize its collection of four- and five-star linemen to a 10-win season in 2023.

PFF ranks Texas’ offensive line one of the best in the country

Texas is among PFF’s top 10 offensive lines in the country in 2023.

Texas’ offensive line was considered one of its weakest position groups under former head coach Tom Herman. Now that Steve Sarkisian and Kyle Flood have taken over, recruiting and development along the line has now become one of their biggest strengths. Continue reading “PFF ranks Texas’ offensive line one of the best in the country”

Texas inches closer to a commitment from No. 1 OT Brandon Baker

Texas seems like a good match for Mater Dei (CA) offensive tackle Brandon Baker.

Texas has arguably the most talented offensive tackle in the nation on its roster, Kelvin Banks. The team also has its sights on his heir apparent.

Mater Dei (California) offensive tackle Brandon Baker is a realistic get for the Longhorns. According to Inside Texas, offensive line coach Kyle Flood and company make a lot of sense for the top offensive tackle in the country.

There are more than enough serviceable linemen on the roster to man the left tackle position when Kelvin Banks departs. Presumably Cam Williams or Neto Umeozulu could move to tackle after Banks’ junior season. Nevertheless, Texas would be wise to look further than 2025, and Baker would figure to be a good replacement at the position.

That Flood has put the Longhorns in position to go from No. 1-ranked tackle to No. 1-ranked tackle is a testament to what he brings to the Forty Acres. The famine in offensive line recruiting under previous head coach Tom Herman is well documented. Texas is far removed from that drought.

The Longhorns look to close on the indispensable recruit over the next few months.

Former Rutgers football coordinator gets honored by the DC Sports Hall of Fame

Former Rutgers offensive coordinator Ralph Friedgen gets a big honor.

Former Rutgers football assistant coach Ralph Friedgen was inducted into the DC Sports Hall of Fame on Sunday.

Friedgen was one-staff at Rutgers for two years. In 2014 he was the offensive coordinator for the Scarlet Knights in their first season in the Big Ten. Rutgers won the Quick Lane Bowl over North Carolina that year.

Fridgen’s offense was led by quarterback Gary Nova, who would sign with the New York Giants.

The Scarlet Knights have not had a winning season since 2014. In 2015, Friedgen was a special assistant to then head coach Kyle Flood.

Friedgen is best known for his 10 seasons at Maryland where he compiled an impressive 75-50 record. He made seven bowl games during that time, winning five times.

 

He beat 12 teams ranked in the top 25. One of those teams was Rutgers in 2007, when Friedgen’s Maryland team beat what was then the tenth-ranked team in the nation.

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Also inducted on Sunday into the DC Sports Hall of FamewereJen Adams, Lew Luce, Ken Niumatalolo and Marty West. The Team of Distinction was the 1977-78 Washington Bullets

The hall of fame is located at National Park, the home of the Washington Nationals.

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Texas looks different in OL recruiting under Sarkisian and Kyle Flood

Texas is on the right side of the haves and have nots in offensive line recruiting under Kyle Flood.

Texas continues to thrive in offensive line recruiting under Kyle Flood. Continue reading “Texas looks different in OL recruiting under Sarkisian and Kyle Flood”

Four-star OL Daniel Cruz breaks down his Texas commitment

The Longhorns continue to stay hot on the recruiting trail

On Wednesday the Texas Longhorns were able to add to their 2024 recruiting class in a big way. Continue reading “Four-star OL Daniel Cruz breaks down his Texas commitment”

Texas LT Kelvin Banks is best recruiting pitch for OL coach Kyle Flood

There’s no better place for a freshman lineman than with Kyle Flood at Texas.

There is no better recruiting pitch for offensive line coach Kyle Flood than simply stating two words: Kelvin Banks.

The Texas left tackle has become one of the most integral and best players on the roster after one season on the team. At his worst, Banks has been an effective pass blocker. At his best, he’s been elite.

Pro Football Focus put into perspective just how dominant the second-year tackle was last season. In 456 pass blocking snaps, Banks allowed just one quarterback hit. We’re not talking about sacks. We’re talking about the player lined up across from Kelvin simply getting to the quarterback.

The recruiting pitch for Kyle Flood to this year’s recruiting class of linemen is fairly straightforward: If you’re truly an elite tackle like Kelvin Banks, we’ll find a way to fast track you to stardom.

Banks is set to compete for an All-American nomination as a sophomore and work toward becoming a Top 10 pick in the NFL Draft after his junior season. Should he do that, the Longhorns should be set up for recruiting success for years to come.

Dave Brock’s NFL experience is shaping his new role with Rutgers football

A strong coaching resume in the NFL now sets Dave Brock up for his new experience with Rutgers football.

PISCATAWAY, N.J. – The challenge is certainly a big one for Dave Brock, this as the Rutgers football wide receivers coach is working his way through his first spring practice back with the program.

At Rutgers, Brock is faced with the task of rebuilding a wide receivers room that lost its top three statistical producers last season. And while there is some talent among the group, it is largely unproven, at least at the Big Ten level.

Brock, who served as the Rutgers offensive coordinator in 2012 under then head coach [autotag]Kyle Flood[/autotag], joins a revamped offensive staff under head coach [autotag]Greg Schiano[/autotag]. His friendship with offensive coordinator [autotag]Kirk Ciarrocca[/autotag] predates their time here at Rutgers when they were both on staff at Western Connecticut State nearly three decades ago.

“I think I have a unique relationship with Kirk Ciarrocca and he and I worked together too long ago to probably say and then you know, we had had a conversation really a couple of years ago and man, wouldn’t it be a really cool situation to have an opportunity to work together again?” Brock said on Tuesday.

“And then, you know, again, this opportunity came up, and I jumped at it. You know, I was really excited. I have an incredible amount of respect for coach Schiano. I’ve known him for a long time, kind of through other people, coached against him a bunch which is challenging, and, you know, the opportunity to be here and work under him with Kirk. You know, just an opportunity too good to pass up.”

Since his time at Western Connecticut State, Brock has certainly gained some impressive experience on his resume. After his season with Rutgers where he was their offensive coordinator, Brock spent four years at Delaware as their head coach.

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He then moved to the NFL for five years with the Atlanta Falcons, spending the 2019 season as a running backs coach. Midway through that season, he moved to wide receivers coach which is the post he held until 2021.

Now, he is back with the Scarlet Knights and a program that is very different than the one he left over a decade ago.

In his 11 years away from Rutgers, the program has changed plenty, from now playing in the Big Ten to vastly improved facilities. But Brock has changed as well.

His time as a college head coach and then his five years in the NFL with the Falcons helped him develop and grow as a coach.

“I hope experience and kind of the opportunity to share those experiences,” Brock said of what he learned during his five years in the NFL as an assistant coach. “You know, I think one of the things that players enjoy hearing is, ‘Hey, this is exactly how X, Y or Z did something. This is what it will look like if you’re able to do it this way’.”

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