10 Things Longhorn Athletics Need in 2014
Happy New Year my fellow Horns, I hope everyone had a safe holiday. With the bowl games wrapping up and the coaching search speeding up, I thought this would be a good opportunity to look ahead to 2014 and give you ten things Texas Athletics need this year.
1. The Right Head Coach
I can’t stress this enough, not only does Texas need to make a hire, they need to make the right hire. Of course this seems like a very obvious point, but follow me here. I’m of the opinion that aside from a few special exceptions that college football is going away from the 15-20 year head coaching era. With coaching salaries going through the roof, and the NFL again interested in hiring college coaches, I just don’t think you are going to have your two decade long coaches anymore. This hire is important for the next five to seven years, but it’s also important for the next twenty years because of where the program will be when it’s time to make the next hire. In the short term, the program is at a crossroads where it needs to be revived or risk slipping into the black hole of college football. In the long term, the program doesn’t want to be Tennessee the next time the job opens. It’s been talked about over and over again, but Texas is among the best jobs in football and that is due to the location and resources, but also due to what Mack Brown built here. This is why a coach’s age at this point do not scare me. If Art Briles is the right man for the job, and can bring Texas back in seven years before he retires it sets the stage for a mega hire at the next turn. This hire needs to ensure that the next time there is an opening; Texas is again among the best jobs in the nation.
2. A Healthy David Ash
We all know what’s at stake here. Either David Ash comes back and finally completes a season healthy, or we are back in the spin cycle of inexperienced Quarterbacks. Early reports are that Ash will be ready for Spring football despite the fact he never put a uniform on again after Kansas State. That is a little hard for me to believe, but if he’s going to give it a go then Texas has a chance. Say what you want about Ash, but he’s a better alternative than putting it all on Swoopes and Heard. A healthy Ash will also probably provide a much needed redshirt for Jerrod Heard. The other upshot is that Ash will probably qualify for a medical redshirt and could be here for two more years allowing more growth for the young guys on the roster and a chance to backfill more depth with recruiting. That said, I hope he is really medically fit to return because I’d hate to see a young man take a chance with a potentially serious injury.
3. A Backup Plan at QB
Whether it be a JUCO option (there isn’t much out there) or a graduate transfer like Chuckie Keeton or Jacob Coker, there must be an insurance policy in place here. Both guys mentioned bring different tools to the table, but both could be a suitable fill in. It should also be mentioned, that both Keeton and Coker are coming off knee injuries. Coker is a pro style passer blocked on the depth chart at Florida State by the Heisman winner Jameis Winston. He’s probably a bit of a longshot, because he’s an SEC guy who sources have said favors LSU or Alabama. Keeton is a dual threat from Houston who was electric at Utah State. After suffering a knee injury this year, he could look to pull a Russell Wilson and come back home for his last year and get a good look from the NFL. The other option is Michael Brewer at Texas Tech. The former Lake Travis star and Longhorn legacy was offered a gray shirt at Texas, but has graduated from Tech and could be eligible to play right away. This is all going to be tough to coordinate with the new coaching staff, but I’m hoping Patrick Suddes is on top of this.
4. Cedric Reed
One of the bright spots for the Longhorns this year was the pass rush from Jackson Jeffcoat and Cedric Reed. The Longhorn “QB Breakers†caused havoc for every quarterback they faced and made several big time plays. Reed probably made himself a lot of money this year and is considering a jump to the next level. The Texas defense could really use his skills and leadership as they move into a transition phase. The depth at end is quality and I believe Shiro Davis is the answer at one end, but it would be great to have Reed on the other side for continuity sake. That said, you can’t blame Reed for capitalizing on his monster season and taking the money if he receives a favorable draft evaluation.
5. The Right Coaching Staff
Aside from finding the right coach, he needs to be able to hire the best staff that can be assembled. Texas has seen its grip on the state slip in the past few years with the Baylor and Aggy emergence. This staff needs to not only be competent on game day, they will need to hit the ground running in recruiting. The first step is to shore up the current class and try to add to it in any way possible. The next step is to get on to the 2015 and 2016 classes and start building the next phase of Longhorn football. The stakes are high and they have to capitalize early. For Texas to truly return the foundation has to be built right now. When Mack landed at Texas he laid waste to the recruiting trail immediately plundering and burning down villages and signing big time players every time he walked into their school. As we know, the staff became complacent after winning a championship. This coaching staff needs to again take no prisoners and plunder the recruiting trail until leaving the scraps for the other regional schools. I should also mention this would encompass a culture changing S&C program. The new regime will need to set the tone right away.
6. A Sweet Sixteen Run and Myles Turner
It’s fun watching this Longhorn hoops team, and I don’t know how long they can hold on playing at this level, but this looks like a team that could potentially make a surprising run once they get into the tournament. If they can establish some outside shooting, their defense and rebounding could make them a dark horse bracket buster. The Basketball program is on life support and a run in the tournament could bring the team out of its coma. It could also show Myles Turner that there is some promise with this unit, and he could potentially be a game changing type of player we’ve seen here before. If they don’t make the tournament or get embarrassed in the first round, then Rick Barnes is probably gone and we are looking at turnover there as well. Some might see that as a blessing, but this looks like the type of team Rick Barnes has waited his entire career to coach.
7. A Trip to Omaha for Augie
The baseball program isn’t on life support, but it certainly isn’t in stable condition. Like the basketball program, this baseball team looks like it could show some real promise. Several of the MLB draft prospects actually made it to campus and the Horns again have a strong pitching staff. If Armadillo Slim can get into Augie’s ear and tell him to tone down on the small ball, this could be a good offensive team as well. Augie probably has more security in his job because of his skins, but the baseball program has underperformed the last few years and has really played down to low level competition. Augie needs to re-gain that mojo and a trip to Omaha would be just what the doctor ordered.
8. Another Running Back in the Recruiting Class
This one hasn’t been talked about a lot, but the corps of backs could suddenly look very thin if they don’t get another guy in there. Joe Bergeron and Malcolm Brown are seniors and neither have shown the ability to be healthy over the long term. Jonathan Gray is coming off of an Achilles injury that has crippled a lot of careers due to the player losing his explosiveness. Daje Johnson and Jalen Overstreet can’t seem to get it together (see the Alamo Bowl suspensions). Donald Catalon is locked in for this recruiting class, but D’onta Foreman’s position is undetermined and Kevin Shorter could be done with his spinal cord injury. What once looked like a position of riches could be dangerously close to thin if things don’t break a certain way. A sub category to this one could be Daje Johnson getting his act together. We’ve seen what he can do when he’s locked in and focused, but he’s pretty much been a liability since the OU game.
9. An Answer at Tight End
Since that night in Austin when Blaine Irby hit the turf this position has been missing in action. How many times have you watched the Horns play and think about how a good tight end would help these young quarterbacks? Geoff Swaim was a good pickup and really helped in the blocking department, but as we saw on Monday he’s not known for his pass catching ability. Go out and scour the JUCO ranks where tight ends are plentiful and find a guy that can be a real help to your offense. Don’t get a 220 lbs WR and try to convert him, find a guy who’s played the position. Find a guy who can block a little bit, who can catch a lot, and can make plays down the field. Go get your Jordan Najvar, Jace Amaro, or Austin Sefarian-Jenkins.
10. Patience
Rome wasn’t built in a day and this thing is going to take a lot of patience. No matter who the coach is, the recruiting talent has been depleted, there’s not a clear answer at Quarterback, and the team will be playing in a new system with new terminology. Every rumor seems to throw the fan base into a new hurricane of complaints and gnashing of teeth. You never know who could be the right guy. Exercise patience with the new staff and allow them a few seasons before you judge if they are a failure or not. Patience is the need, from the BMD’s, the fan base, and the athletic department. I know it’s difficult, and it’s something I struggle with as well, but no one knew Mack Brown was going to do what he did. It might be someone you didn’t want here, it might be someone the media mocks, and it might be someone that rival schools laugh at, but let this thing play out before you light your torches.