Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Texas football is sitting just behind Alabama in blue chip ratio percentage for the 2020 recruiting class.
After the recent additions of defensive back Jahdae Barron and transfer wide receiver Tarik Black, we’ve decided to take a look at Texas’ updated blue chip ratio among other programs. Continue reading “Texas Football: 2020 class atop national rankings in blue chip talent”
Former Texas legend Jamaal Charles was listed as one of the top 100 NFL players of the last decade.
Pro Football Focus will be releasing a list of the top 101 NFL players from the 2010’s. From Monday to Thursday of this week, each section will feature roughly 20 players who have been ranked in order by production, efficiency and performance.
While PFF strives to do their best to vote on these particular players in terms of all positions created equal, playoffs and playing time will also factor in. Realistically, some talented players whose careers were overlapped between decades may appear lower on the list than others.
While only the back end of the list has been released thus far, a former Texas legend cracked the top 100. Running back Jamaal Charles was listed at No. 86, just before wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders.
According to PFF, Charles’ speed and production over the last few seasons of his career were enough to land him on this prestigious list.
“One of the fastest running backs to play the game, Jamaal Charles had track speed that would break angles and statistics because of how difficult he was to hit, let alone tackle. Though the decade caught only the last few seasons of his career, the sample size for running backs is lower than it is for most positions. And even in those seasons, Charles averaged 5.3 yards per carry, 2.5 of which came after contact. He forced 157 missed tackles on 1,151 carries and generated a first down or touchdown on 26% of his carries.”
After being selected by the Kansas City Chiefs in the third round of the 2008 NFL Draft, his career didn’t begin to take off until the tail end of the 2009 season. All it took was one game to remember his name. Against the Denver Broncos in Week 17, Charles rushed for 259 yards on 25 carries, breaking the Chiefs’ single-game rushing record.
He never looked back, racking up countless All-Pro seasons. Although Charles had brief stints with the Denver Broncos and Jacksonville Jaguars beginning in 2017, he ultimately retired on May 1 of 2019 after signing a one-day contract with the Chiefs. To this day, Charles remains the Chiefs’ career leader in rushing yards.
As a true freshman at Texas, Charles saw playing time in all 13 games, including the BCS National Championship. However, it was his junior season that sticks out most.
Charles led the Big 12 Conference in total rushing yards (1,619) and total rushing touchdowns (18). It was impressive enough to forego his senior season and begin his professional career.
Keep an eye out on several other Longhorns to crack the list later this week.
Newest Miami Dolphin and former Texas Longhorn, Brandon Jones left an impression on Jayden. This story is bigger than a game.
Many Texas Longhorns fans know all about Brandon Jones. He is a ferocious hitter and defender on the football field. However, you would be hard pressed to find a more humble and generous person off of the field. Jones grew up in the East Texas town of Nacogdoches along with his four brothers. Brandon was just the age of 12 when he lost his father Bert to liver cancer. A big reason why Jones wore 33 on his gameday towel. His father never got to see Brandon get that call to the NFL. As a young boy his dad told him that he could see Brandon playing on Sundays. A message that stuck with him throughout his high school and collegiate football career.
Losing a parent at such a young age can be hard on a child but that time of his life helped mold him into the man he is today. So when he met a young child named Jayden, Jones formed a bond that could forever change both of their lives. Brandon stated that he felt a connection with Jayden like it was his own brother.
Brandon and Jayden have kept in contact throughout his time with Texas and even invited Jayden to the Alamo Bowl game this past season. While he may not be in Austin anymore, there may not be a bigger fan of Jones than Jayden. Their story is a touching one that the nation could use more of during this pandemic.
Brandon Jones proved that just because you play the game that you love that you can’t have a bigger impact on people’s lives. Here is the video that the Miami Dolphins released on their twitter account of the Brandon Jones story.
A dream realized ✨
This is @blessedjones33's story. 📺 @NFL pic.twitter.com/W69xV7Wpdw
— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) May 9, 2020
The Athletic and 247 Sports recently weighed in on the 2021 NFL Draft eligible quarterbacks. What are they saying about Sam Ehlinger?
When it comes to the NFL Draft quarterbacks are always the most talked about position. In a passing league, if you don’t have a quarterback then you don’t have much of a shot to compete. This is the same at the collegiate level as well. For the Longhorns, there are varying opinions on how Sam Ehlinger fits at the next level. 247 Sports and the Athletic recently dove into quarterback talk for the 2021 NFL Draft and Ehlinger was among the players discussed.
Ehlinger enters the season as one of the more well-established commodities among senior quarterbacks. The Austin native has started a ton of games for the Longhorns and we should have good grip on Ehlinger’s skill set by this point. He’s known for his toughness and ability as a power runner but has also been a solidly efficient passer. Ehlinger’s performance has been up and down over the years. As a fourth year senior, he’ll get a last crack to really break through under new offensive coordinator Mike Yurchich. – Charles Power (247 Sports)
“I like Ehlinger. Before the LSU game (Week 2 in 2019), I didn’t really like him. But I kept watching him, and I like him a lot. He’s not big enough, though, to play the way he plays in college. If he tries to play like that in the NFL, he’ll get hurt. Tebow was even bigger than him and he tried that and he was really beat up. But if he can continue to develop as a passer he has a chance. He has enough of an arm.” NFL assistant coach via The Athletic
“Ehlinger is a good athlete. But he still has some work to do as a thrower. I think with him right now, the sum is greater than the parts.” – Daniel Jeremiah of NFL Network
“I love Ehlinger. I think he’s a better throwing Tim Tebow, and he’ll come into the NFL at a perfect time. I wouldn’t be surprised if a team falls in love with him. He’s a great teammate, a physical runner, really driven and motivated, and we’ve seen him grow and keep getting better and he has developed as a passer.” – Dan Orlovsky
“The three players who stand out the most who check all the measurables boxes, along with a strong statistical production to warrant discussion for a possible first-round pick next year are Sam Ehlinger, Tanner Morgan and Trey Lance.” Richner, who leans heavily on his analytics studies, said, “Ehlinger is highly efficient on third down. He had an average of 8.2 Adjusted Yards Per Attempt on 3rd Down last season.” -Matthew Richner, NFL Draft consultant
Some like Sam Ehlinger’s chances but then there are those are flat out saying no to him as a NFL quarterback.
Yes: Brice, Mills, Trask, Clifford and Morgan. Maybe: Newman and Purdy. No: Brennan, Ehlinger, Thompson-Robinson, Mond, Martinez, Milton. – Former NFL quarterback via The Athletic
It is virtually impossible for everyone to agree on draft prospects. It all comes down to what is your flavor of ice cream. There are different ways to play the position and all Sam Ehlinger needs is for one team to believe in him. Provided there is a 2020 college football season, Ehlinger will have the opportunity to raise his stock heading into the 2021 NFL Draft process.
The Longhorns social media department continues to gather interactions on Twitter and Instagram.
Creativity has been the name of the game amid the COVID-19 outbreak. Continue reading “Texas is producing top interactions on college football social media”
Newest Locked on Longhorns Podcast where the team discusses a new addition to the team and the Big 12 Commish’s concerns for Texas-OU game.
Cami and Patrick open the show discussing the newest cornerback added to the 2020 recruiting class. How does Jahdae Barron fit in with the current group of defensive backs? Plus the Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby appeared on SiriusXM radio and voiced his concerns over the Red River Rivalry game at the Cotton Bowl.
With the addition of Barron, what impact did that have on the 247 rankings for the Longhorns? The re-air of the Alamo Bowl happens on Friday night. The duo discuss why they will be tuning in to watch Texas battle Utah one more time.
With Greg Brown now committed to play at the University of Texas does that mean there should be higher expectations? How Joe Lunardi of ESPN views this team for March Madness. Texas loses a basketball recruit to Florida, are prospects passing on Texas due to the hot seat of Shaka Smart?
Plus Texas busts out the big guns for one of the top recruits in the nation.
BetMGM has released their odds for the number one overall selection, which Texas Longhorns are in the running?
Is it too early to discuss the 2021 NFL Draft? Well maybe but let’s go ahead and do it anyway. The Texas Longhorns came away from the NFL Draft for fifth year in a row without a first round draft selection. The last being Malcolm Brown in the 2015 NFL Draft but could 2021 be the year the curse is broken?
According to BetMGM they have a couple Texas Longhorns who could make their way into the conversation.
Odds via BetMGM. Access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated April 27th at 4:30 p.m. ET.
According to their odds both Sam Ehlinger and Samuel Cosmi come in with identical (+8000) odds to be the number one overall selection. Cosmi seems to be one that feels like a first round lock this early in the process considering that he is the only constant in these way too early 2021 mock drafts. Another name that could find his way into the first round discussion but missing from the list of odds is Caden Sterns.
Other names on the list:
Trevor Lawrence, QB, Clemson (-250)
Justin Fields, QB, Ohio State (+350)
Penei Sewell, OT, Oregon (+500)
D’eriq King, QB, Miami (+1400)
Micah Parsons, DE, Penn State (+2000)
Jamie Newman, QB, Georgia (+4000)
Alex Leatherwood, OT, Alabama (+4000)
Gregory Rousseau, DE, Miami (+4000)
Travis Etienne, RB, Clemson (+4000)
Ja’Marr Chase, WR, Lousiana State (+5000)
Want to get in on the action? Place your bet now at BetMGM.
Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.
The Locked on Longhorns podcast duo of Cami and Patrick recap the NFL Draft and a look ahead to next year.
The NFL Draft recap show where Cami and Patrick discuss the NFL Draft, Recapping day two selections of Devin Duvernay and Brandon Jones. Any surprises from the day three of the draft with Collin Johnson and Malcolm Roach?
What are the team fits?
A look forward to the 2021 NFL Draft. Who has the best odds to be the number one overall pick in 2021? Final thoughts from the duo on the NFL Draft and one player to watch in 2020.
After not being selected in the 2020 NFL Draft, Malcolm Roach heads back home to play for the New Orleans Saints.
After three days, seven rounds and 255 selections the 2020 NFL Draft started another rush. The moments following the draft saw teams in full scramble mode to sign undrafted players to free agent contracts. One of those players was Malcolm Roach. The defensive lineman was mocked many times to go late on day three but it never came to happen.
Texas DT Malcolm Roach to the #Saints
Toledo FB Reggie Gilliam to the #Bills
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) April 25, 2020
Roach will now head back to his home state of Louisiana to play for New Orleans in hopes of continuing his playing career. Roach will join former Longhorns Malcolm Brown and Lil’Jordan Humphrey in the Big Easy. The road is never easy to make a NFL roster after signing as an undrafted free agent but if there is one Longhorn you should never bet against, it’s Malcolm Roach.
The 2020 NFL Draft is now over but that isn’t stop anyone from publishing their 2021 mocks. Do the Longhorns make the cut in the first?
The Texas Longhorns haven’t had a player go in the first round of the NFL Draft since 2015 when Malcolm Brown was taken by New England. With the 2020 NFL Draft now in the rearview mirror, some media outlets are already looking towards the 2021 NFL Draft. For Longhorns fans they might finally get to hear a Texas player selected in the first round. Walter Football already published their first mock and a Longhorn was taken in the top ten.
Cordy Glenn is gone, so the Bengals will be looking for a new left tackle to protect Joe Burrow.
Sam Cosmi is very athletic, but is considered raw at the moment.
The Bengals are in rebuild mode and recently got their quarterback in Joe Burrow from Louisiana State. Now with this mock draft, they get a blindside protector for their new franchise quarterback. Cosmi submitted paperwork to the NFL Advisory Board before making his decision to come back to Austin.
With another season under his belt, he should be one of the top offensive tackles in the upcoming class. Pro Football Focus graded him as the highest returning offensive lineman in the conference. He is technically just a sophomore having enrolled in 2017, so the Junior could return to Austin beyond this season. However, most will expect him to declare for the draft following the 2020 football season.
