Burnt Ends – 8/22/2016

The point on a brisket is typically the fattiest cut. Pitmasters often trim the point (and select edges) off a brisket and return those pieces to the smoker.

Are burnt ends tough, chewy worthless cuts of meat, or are they heavenly bites of smoky goodness? It depends on who you ask…

Rather than discard the trimmings and fat, we choose to savor all the information that flows through the site. So, sit down and help yourself to some burnt ends.

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This is a free site, so anyone can read this report. If you share it with someone, please take time to attribute the information to HornSports.

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As the season nears we will lead off with team notes. The quarterback discussion is dominating the minds of Texas fans, so we will address the latest on that front, in bullet-point format:

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[*]A few weeks ago, Anwar Richardson of Orangebloods.com reported that Tyrone Swoopes was the favorite to be named starter. After taking a lot of punishment on twitter, it appears a lot of people will owe Anwar an apology. Our sources have been bullish on Shane all off-season, but we were told that the coaches are leaning towards going with the more experienced player in Tyrone Swoopes.

 

[*]Throughout practices and scrimmages, the competition has been very close. Neither QB has been able to pull away with the position, but it appears seniority will likely win out here. Take this as no knock on Shane, he’s done a great job and is doing better every day in practice. While he might not trot out onto the field to start the game against Notre Dame, the notion of Swoopes running away with the battle was laughed at by several of our sources on campus.

 

[*]We talked to some current players to poll them on their thoughts and the consensus was that they believe Shane is the better player, but Swoopes is working hard to win the job and improve daily. The knocks on Swoopes from practice include waiting too long to get rid of the ball and struggling on throws into tight windows. Shane is money on a lot of those throws, but he’s struggled a bit with his deep accuracy and arm strength when going to the opposite hash.

 

[*]We’ve said it before and will standby the thought, that the most important thing for this quarterback battle is who runs out onto the field after halftime. From what we were told we should expect a short leash if mistakes are made early.

 

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Now that we have the quarterback news out of the way, let’s talk about what we’ve heard about the rest of the team.

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[*]Nothing new on center Zach Shackelford, but we’ve been told if there’s hope of him playing for Notre Dame they’d like to see him back at practice this week.

 

[*]We expect Tristan Nickelson to be back and healthy. In the meantime, Denzel Okafor and Brandon Hodges have done a good job taking first team reps at right tackle. Hodges has never been able to take control of a starting position, but he might be able to turn into a utility man on the offensive line. Hodges is learning multiple positions, and he could be a plug in guy throughout the season.

 

[*]We hear the running backs are rounding back into form, and their days off were largely a result of a conservative approach from the training staff.

 

[*]One name you haven’t heard from receiver reports is Davion Curtis. We checked in on him this week and were told to be prepared for him to play quite a bit this season. Curtis has been the leader among the young receivers when it comes to learning the offense, and he often assists others with getting up to speed. He’s working on both sides in the slot position, and he’s doing very well against a talented secondary group in practice.

 

[*]While guys like Jacorey Warrick and Jake Oliver will get some early time in the slot, expect the young group of Curtis, Devin Duvernay, and Lil’Jordan Humphrey to all push them. If Foreman is healthy he should be in right away, but the young guys have all had some great moments during camp.

 

[*]We’re hearing the transition of Jerrod Heard to receiver is going very well. Expect him to play early and often in some packages, because his athleticism is just too good to keep off the field.

 

[*]Speaking of quarterbacks switching to receiver, a little birdie told us that Kai Locksley might be warming up to the idea. A great indication of that is the fact that he was working on punt return in practice per Charlie Strong.

 

[*]On the defensive side of the ball we are told that Anthony Wheeler is really having a great camp. If Wheeler can take the next step, he and Malik Jefferson could combine for a scary duo.

 

[*]Word from the weekend scrimmage is that Malcolm Roach is providing an early surge at the Fox position. Roach is already over 260 pounds, but he’s playing with some nice pass rush ability and disrupting plays.

 

[*]Jason Hall is still holding on to his starting position, but DeShon Elliott is having a marvelous camp from what we know. Elliott put in a lot of work this offseason, and his natural playmaking ability is starting to show up.

 

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We are in the middle of a quiet period in recruiting, but we do have some quick hits for you:

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[*]2017 Kennedale LB Baron Browning will be announcing his decision on November 29^th. Browning is arguably the top target on the Texas board, and we continue to hear very positive things for the Longhorns.

 

[*]We mentioned some of this last week, but we’ve been told that 2017 Temple DE Taquon Graham is close to a decision. We were told over the weekend to expect something to go down at any time in the next few weeks.

 

[*]2017 Hutto DE Ondario Robinson was originally scheduled to announce his decision Friday night during halftime of his game, but he pushed his decision back. We’re not sure what this means, but Robinson is close with Erick Fowler. We still hear that Texas A&M holds the lead, but Robinson is going to take his visits and decide.

 

[*]2018 Cibolo Steele DB Caden Sterns was offered at Under the Lights. Originally we were told that Texas would have a tough battle with him, because his brother Jordan is at Oklahoma State. Jordan will be in the NFL by the time Caden enrolls, and we hear that he’s warming to the idea of playing in Austin. Caden’s mom lives in Cibolo, and his dad lives in Dallas. The proximity of living between the two is starting to appeal to him. Sterns is one of the elite players in the class, so this could be a big development.

 

[*]2019 St. Pius X quarterback Grant Gunnell visited Austin this weekend. Gunnell looks to be the top passer in the 2019 class, and he told us it was a great visit. Gunnell spent a lot of one on one time with Charlie Strong and Sterlin Gilbert, which he noted as the highlight of the visit. Gunnell told us that the coaching staff indicated a ton of interest in him, and he called a potential Texas offer “a special thing”. He has some ties to the A&M coaching staff, so expect them to be in the mix there.

 

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Football is back at the high school level, and the HornSports staff will have you covered on some big games. As always, we will have a big high school thread on the board headed by SirHornsalot. That’s a must read for those keeping tabs on teams around the state.

On Friday night, Mike Roach will be at Lancaster to see the Tigers against Denton Ryan. This is a huge early matchup, as both teams are coming off deep playoff runs and looking to go to state this year. Lancaster of course features Omar Manning, and we are excited to see the big Texas target in action. Denton Ryan features 2018 quarterback Spencer Sanders, who could be a Texas target in the next class.

On Saturday night, Mike will be at the big game of the year between Cedar Hill and Las Vegas Bishop Gorman. Cedar Hill is loaded as always, and Gorman features national recruits Tate Martell, Bubba Bolden, and Tyjon Lindsey. Check in with us on Friday and Saturday to get a taste of football.