Tag: Texas football recruiting

Former NFL scout discusses Texas DT Keondre Coburn

Keondre Coburn has a chance to be drafted early in 2023.

Keondre Coburn is seeing high praise from one NFL Draft expert. Bryan Broaddus wrote the following about the Texas defensive lineman in regard to his draft stock.

Keep an eye on Keondre Coburn DT Texas in this draft. Massive nose man that is disruptive rushing the passer. Type of guy that forces opponents into penalties. Good group with Siaki Ika Baylor and Mazi Smith Michigan.

From early in the season, Coburn flashed as a much improved player. The second-team all Big 12 lineman was a force to be reckoned with in 2022 and has seen first round hype since his strong start.

Improved strength and conditioning programming likely helped Coburn realize his potential after a struggling campaign in 2021. He wasn’t the only player who didn’t reach his ceiling that season.

The 2021 campaign saw Texas send zero players to the 2022 NFL Draft. With Bijan Robinson viewed as a first round talent and Coburn another potential early pick, the Longhorns can change the narrative about lack of development on the Forty Acres.

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Texas Football: Why the SEC could ignore geography in new schedule

Don’t hold your breath for an eight-team division split in the SEC.

The SEC is going to look a lot different in 2024. More than the two teams it added, Texas and Oklahoma, the scheduling could be unlike anything we’ve seen.

A simple eight-team division split makes too much geographic sense, but it appears the league might opt against that model. The league has 16 teams to please, not the least of which is a Texas A&M program that wants its independence from Texas.

A couple models under discussion involve pod and 3-6-6 scheduling. Under both models, each team would play the majority if not all of the conference in a two-year span.

With pods, the same four teams would face each other. For example, that could be Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas and Texas A&M or Missouri.

In a 3-3-6 model, each team would have its own unique protected rivals and face half of the remaining league opponents one year and the other half the next. Logical rival options for Texas based on proximity are Oklahoma, Arkansas, Texas A&M, Missouri and LSU.

Here’s a look at why the SEC could opt to ignore geography in its schedule.

Longhorns Wire Contenders: Are we overrating Oklahoma?

We could be overestimating the Sooners.

The Oklahoma Sooners head into one of their more consequential seasons in program history. After its first losing season this century, the pressure is on Brent Venables to start winning consistently.

Venables took over an 11-win team heading into his first season. Looking at the schedule ahead of 2022, Oklahoma looked to only have five losable games on the schedule. The team in crimson eclipsed that mark going 6-7 and losing to Texas, 49-0.

The 2023 Oklahoma football schedule looks even easier at a glance. The Sooners avoid Kansas State, Baylor and Texas Tech, all of which handed the team a loss last year.

Once again, it seems reasonable to see Oklahoma going 10-2 with losses only to TCU and Texas. On the other hand, it’s entirely possible we could overrating Venables’ team once again.

Elite players like Anton Harrison and Marvin Mims depart Norman with nary a comparable replacement on campus. And while they have significantly upgraded the roster through the portal and in recruiting, the team is not without holes.

The blue blood program is not to be underestimated, but they may have work to do before some give them the benefit of the doubt.

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Five reasons Texas RB Bijan Robinson is worth drafting in late first round

We examine why Bijan is an excellent late first round pick.

Bijan Robinson is a primary topic of draft season for many who follow pro and college football. Experts are split on where Bijan should be drafted. In particular, the consensus is Robinson is the best at his position. Despite that, many debate the value of the running back position.

Our colleague Patrick Conn projected Robinson to the Dallas Cowboys at No. 27. He had the following to say about the move.

The Cowboys could go cornerback here but adding a dynamic running back in Bijan could help them solve some cash tied up in Ezekiel Elliott. The team can save $5 million by going with a younger back, who showed that he can win as a runner, receiver, and blocker.

Some Cowboys fans would be opposed to drafting a running back given how Ezekiel Elliott’s ability has eroded in recent years. That fear might be unfounded.

Let’s look at why Bijan would be the right move should he fall to No. 27.

Winners and losers from Texas and Oklahoma to the SEC

The Aggies can’t run or hide from Texas now.

The Texas Longhorns and Oklahoma Sooners are heading to the SEC early. Rest assured, there are winners and losers in the move.

Multiple stakeholders stand to gain from the move, not the least of which are Texas and Oklahoma.

The Longhorns and Sooners have already seen a recruiting bump from the move to their new conference. Both teams have put up Top 5 recruiting classes, each of which is their best in a long time. For the Sooners, the 2023 class might be their best class ever assembled.

In addition to improved recruiting, Oklahoma and Texas will have much more appealing home schedules. Needless to say, season tickets are a much easier sell when LSU, Arkansas and A&M come to town than when the Longhorns host the Kansas Jayhawks or Iowa State Cyclones.

Here are a few parties that stand the most to gain or lose by Texas and Oklahoma’s entry into a new league.

Looking at where Texas ranks among the highest recruiting budgets

Georgia, Texas A&M and Texas headline the big spenders in recruiting.

The Texas Longhorns are among college football’s biggest spenders in recruiting. According to USA TODAY, Texas spent $2.44 million on recruiting in 2022. That number was good for fourth-best among all college football programs.

Georgia led the way, committing $4.5 million to its recruiting budget in 2022. If that number makes you recoil, it’s the price of winning back-to-back national championships in major college football.

One team didn’t see the greatest return on investment from its recruiting efforts. The Texas A&M Aggies finished No. 2 on the list of highest spenders. 2022 saw the Aggies go 5-7 and earn the No. 15 recruiting class for 2023.

All five of the top spenders are expected to play in the SEC in 2025. Georgia, Texas A&M, Tennessee, Texas and Alabama round out the top five with Michigan not far behind.

Here’s a look at how the biggest spenders fared on the football field in 2022 and in their 2023 recruiting classes.

Texas Football: Guide to not buying the 2023 College Football Playoff hype

It’s hard to see Texas having the consistency to run the table.

The Texas Longhorns are once again a trending playoff pick heading into 2023. 247Sports is the latest to project Texas to contend for the College Football Playoff.

We’re not gonna tell you how to think, but the notion of the Longhorns as a playoff team is absurd. It’s crazy because it would be unprecedented in the playoff era.

Steve Sarkisian’s team is a viable Big 12 championship pick, but only should no other team from the conference emerge as a playoff contender.

Quinn Ewers and the Texas offense will have plenty to prove heading into the 2023 season. Though it’s easy to see Ewers thriving next year, he didn’t exactly light Big 12 defenses on fire in his freshman campaign.

The former Southlake Carroll Dragon completed a pedestrian 58.1% of his passes with 2,177 yards, 15 touchdowns and 6 interceptions. While he should be improved, the 2022 stat line isn’t promising.

It’s fair to categorize Ewers as a good quarterback who had a bad season. He will need to vastly improve to lead a playoff caliber team.

The Longhorns will also need more consistency in run blocking, pass catching and money down defense to run the table in the Big 12 conference.

Despite the above concerns, Texas is in my estimation a 10-win team. Nevertheless, there’s a great chasm between 10 and 11 regular season wins. Steve Sarkisian will have plenty of work to close that gap.

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Five-star Colin Simmons sees appeal in playing for Texas HC Steve Sarkisian

Colin Simmons has high praise for Steve Sarkisian.

Texas wants five-star edge Colin Simmons to be part of its 2024 recruiting class. So would presumably every other team in college football. Nevertheless, the Longhorns have one aspect of the elite edge’s recruitment going in their favor. Simmons is a Steve Sarkisian fan.

The Duncanville native had the following to say about Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian.

I see why people are committing to Texas. (Sarkisian is) an amazing coach. He’s an amazing person.

Simmons isn’t the first to speak glowingly about the Longhorns’ head coach and might not be the last. Sarkisian is winning with sincere and genuine relationships, which only adds to Texas’ already strong recruiting pitch.

Undoubtedly, the Duncanville defender will be at the top of Texas’ wish list. He could end up being the best player in the country, playing at a premium position within the state of Texas.

It’s unclear what role his high esteem for Sarkisian will play in his recruitment, but the mutual respect between the two should aid Texas in bringing Simmons to Austin.

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Texas makes top schools for 2024 four-star DL Nigel Smith

Nigel Smith is a one-man wrecking crew.

The Texas Longhorns are still in the running for one elite defensive lineman in the 2024 class. Four-star Nigel Smith recently listed Texas as one of his top schools.

The disruptive playmaker from Melissa (TX) cut his list to 16 teams on Tuesday. He ranks as the No. 50 overall player and No. 7 defensive lineman in the On3 consensus.

For now, the Oklahoma Sooners are seen as the prohibitive favorite early in the recruitment. The On3 recruiting prediction machine gives Oklahoma a 76.2% chance of landing the elite talent. Ohio State, Texas A&M and Texas are seen as teams with a chance to win over the 260-pound defensive lineman.

Oklahoma’s Smith-centered pitch looks to be difficult for Texas to replicate. Albeit, another strong season from Pete Kwiatkowski’s defense could pay dividends for the Top 50 player.

Regardless of whether or not Texas lands Smith, the 2024 class will be of great importance to Arch Manning’s future title hopes and the Longhorns’ first seasons in the SEC.

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Forecasting what could prevent Texas football from reaching 10 wins

We look at what could keep the Longhorns from reaching 10 wins.

Texas should win 10 games in 2023. I predicted as much in my way-too-early record predictions. Continue reading “Forecasting what could prevent Texas football from reaching 10 wins”