Tag: Tom Herman

Texas has drastically improved in penalty yards this season

The Longhorns have gone from one of the most penalized to one of the least penalized teams in the nation.

One of the biggest issues during the Tom Herman era was the lack of discipline shown by the team.

The Longhorns would constantly shoot themselves in the foot, racking up penalty yards every game. There were games where an unnecessary roughness prevented them from scoring key touchdowns, or holding penalties that negated big plays. It just always seemed that whenever the team had some momentum, a ill-timed penalty would happen.

Thankfully for Texas fans, the Herman era is over, and the penalty yardage per game has gone down drastically under Steve Sarkisian’s staff. The Football Brainiacs’ CJ Vogel noted that Texas is currently one of the least penalized teams in the country with just 13 penalties for 98 yards total through the first three games.

For reference, through the first three games of the 2020 season against UTEP, Texas Tech, and TCU, the Longhorns racked up a total of 28 penalties for 247 yards. They had almost exceeded this season’s amount of penalties in just the first game alone last year.

While there are still improvements to be made this season, not averaging 82 yards of penalties per game has helped and will continue to help the Longhorns insurmountably.

Sarkisian and his staff came in to change the culture, and as of right now it seems like they are doing just that.

How the last five Texas football head coaches fared in their season opener

As we approach the Steve Sarkisian era, let’s take a look at how the last five head coaches have done in their season opener.

There’s less than two weeks until the start of the 2021 college football season. Continue reading “How the last five Texas football head coaches fared in their season opener”

WATCH: Torre Becton implements ‘All Gas no Brakes’ culture during workout

There’s a new culture in Austin and success starts in the offseason.

The Longhorns are in dire need of a hot start in the upcoming 2021 season, especially given the fact 247Sports declared Texas as having the ninth toughest schedule in the nation.

One slip-up can change the trajectory of the whole season and starting off with what could be back-to-back trap games will be an indicator of where the program stands. The Longhorns take on a very well coached and deep Louisiana team, and follow that up with a matchup against SEC school  Arkansas, who had shown improvements under Sam Pittman.

A change of culture was needed after the Tom Herman era displayed constant disappointment and looked as if the program had never felt success. Steve Sarkisian had just the guy that would be able to implement his desired culture that emphasizes improvement and simply just having a swagger that shows the program fears none, in Torre Becton.

Becton can be heard emphasizing that nothing they have done in the past matters, because the program is all about moving forward. Something that Longhorn fans are hoping happens, as the team has fallen short of expectations for the past four years.

Texas needs Sarkisian and staff to get the program to a point where the whole world can tell they are back, rather than having to say it.

Texas WR Jake Smith enters the NCAA transfer portal

Wide receiver Jake Smith has entered the transfer portal after two seasons in Austin. Max Olson of The Athletic was the first to report.

While Steve Sarkisian has excelled in the transfer portal, the other side can be just as detrimental.

On Tuesday, wide receiver Jake Smith entered the transfer portal after two seasons in Austin. Max Olson of The Athletic was the first to report the news. A former four-star recruit, Smith played in 20 games, having 568 yards and nine touchdowns.

A broken foot kept the wide receiver out of the entirety of spring practice. While Smith was not expected to be a full-time starter, he was going to be a major contributor in Sarkisian’s offense.

Smith was a member of the 2019 recruiting class under Tom Herman. He was the No. 49 overall prospect after winning the Gatorade National Player of the Year. Being a Scottsdale, Arizona native, a west coast option is the most likely destination for Smith.

Tom Herman’s usage of Smith will leave fans wondering what if. In Mike Yurcich’s offense, Smith played in the slot with Jordan Whittington. Rarely would the two receivers have the opportunity to be on the field at the same time. Smith never had the opportunity to prove he could be an every-down receiver.

With the roster in front of Sarkisian, the addition of Xavier Worthy seems that much more important. Whittington, Troy Omeire, and Joshua Moore will continue to be the top three receivers but the depth gets thinner with Smith’s departure.

The need for four wide receivers in the 2022 recruiting class just became more important.

Where Texas’ 2017 recruiting class is now

Four years ago, Tom Herman was hired to be Texas’ coach. The transition recruiting class was not great. Here is where the ’17 class is now.

Four years ago, Tom Herman was hired away from Houston to become the head coach of Texas. His transition recruiting class was not ideal, dealing with the struggles of Charlie Strong.

On the 247Sports composite, Texas had the No. 25 class in the country and the No. 2 class in the Big 12. It was the lowest-rated class since Strong’s transition class from Mack Brown. Few significant starters were able to be developed and turned into talent ready for the next level.

So far, only four players have made it to the NFL, while five are expected to be on the roster for Steve Sarkisian. COVID-19 allowed players to take a fifth year if they chose to. Of the five, only two are going to be starters week in and week out for the Longhorns.

Here is a look as to where Texas’ 2017 recruiting class is now:

Bears hiring former Texas coach Tom Herman as offensive analyst

The Bears are bringing in more reinforcements on offense with the hiring of former Texas coach Tom Herman.

The Chicago Bears have plenty of concerns on the offensive side of the ball, which has hindered the success of the team over the last couple of seasons with Matt Nagy at the helm.

The Bears are bringing in more reinforcements on offense with the hiring of former Texas coach Tom Herman, the team announced Monday. Herman is joining Nagy’s coaching staff as an offensive analyst/special projects.

Herman spent the previous four seasons with Texas, where he compiled a 32-18 record and 4-0 record in bowl games. His experience in college football also includes stints as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Texas State (2005-06), Rice (2007-08), Iowa State (2009-11) and Ohio State (2012-14).

The Bears also announced the hiring of Anthony Hibbert as assistant strength coach, the role he served in over the past six seasons at Oklahoma State.

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Former Texas HC Tom Herman will join Chicago Bears staff

Former Texas Longhorns head coach Tom Herman has been hired by the Chicago Bears as an offensive assistant.

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Former Texas Longhorns head coach Tom Herman has found a new landing spot. Continue reading “Former Texas HC Tom Herman will join Chicago Bears staff”

Texas Football Recruiting: Comparing the transition classes from Strong, Herman, and Sarkisian

For UT, three transition classes have occurred since firing Mack Brown. Here is how all three worked out for Strong, Herman, and Sarkisian.

One of the most difficult aspects of hiring a new coach is retaining and working with a transition recruiting class. More times than not, the entire class was recruited by and had relationships with the old staff. The new head coach had little to no prior contact.

For Texas, three transition classes have occurred since the firing of Mack Brown in Dec. 2013. Charlie Strong, Tom Herman, and now Steve Sarkisian have all had to manage with someone else’s recruits. For Strong and Herman, we witnessed how they turned out, while Sarkisian still has the chance to prove himself.

Each class has its positives to go along with its weaknesses. All three transition classes ranked outside the top 10 nationally on the 247Sports composite. When struggling on the field and dealing with continual staff turnover, Texas’ new head coaches were all given tough hands.

Here are Strong, Herman, and Sarkisian’s transition classes and how they turned out.

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Texas Football Recruiting: Three reasons the 2021 class was a disaster

Texas’ 2021 recruiting class was not one Longhorn fans are used to seeing. Here are three reasons it turned out to be such a disaster.

Texas’ 2021 recruiting class was not one Longhorn fans are used to seeing. Continue reading “Texas Football Recruiting: Three reasons the 2021 class was a disaster”

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Texas Football Recruiting: Where the Longhorns’ six decommits ended up

Decommitments are inevitable, especially when making coaching changes in a cycle. Here are where the six former UT commits ended up signing.

The 2021 recruiting class was an important one for Tom Herman and it played a role in why he was let go as the head coach. Continue reading “Texas Football Recruiting: Where the Longhorns’ six decommits ended up”