Good article from IT about recruiting to fit our current offense
http://insidetexas.com/ian-gameplan/
* * * *
A summary of the 2015 class thus far…
QB: Zach Gentry and Matthew Merrick both match the physical specs for this spot although neither are necessarily guys that could make big plays in the run game but both would force the defense to account for the QB. Merrick is probably closer to ideal in terms of accuracy and ability to see the field while Gentry is a raw ball of clay waiting to be formed.
Center: Garrett Thomas makes sense at center thanks to his obvious love for the game and his good feet, he’s the type you could see the coaches trusting to make the line calls. Vahe is a phenomenal prospect here due to his great quickness and ability to get low and go to war despite his shorter height. What’s the best solution to powerful BYU Islanders getting low and blowing up our OL? How about grabbing one our own?
Guards: Thomas could fit here as well as I doubt he’s quite athletic enough to stick outside. Weathersby was likely to be a featured guard of the future but that ship has now sailed. Vahe could figure in here as well but he’s more of a center in this scheme and you probably don’t want him grappling with long, quick defensive tackles who are good at getting upfield.
Tackles: Tristan Nickelson, Buck Major, Connor Williams, and Brandon Hodges all project initially as tackles. Looking to the future you’d guess that Hodges provides competition and depth at left tackle and perhaps moving inside if numbers allow it. Nickelson is a longer-term project that should fit in as a mauling right tackle but is a bit too tall to play inside. Williams and Major are big-time athletes that will battle to be the left tackle of the future.
Running back: I don’t think Kirk Johnson ends up on offense but if he did it’d probably be here or at the H. His HS offense was wildly different from what he’d be doing at Texas as more of an I-back so it’s not clear if he has the vision to thrive in Wickline’s schemes and would have to learn all the reads. Tristian Houston obviously fits here but he also isn’t an obvious stud in terms of vision although he has solid acceleration through the hole.
X/Z: John Burt fits here, if he stays. He’s a strong enough route runner and receiver to be a very good option on the outside, perhaps not a truly terrifying deep threat.
H: None.
TE: None…maybe Zach Gentry, I’m just sayin’! If he doesn’t pan out at QB, his big frame and solid athleticism obviously projects here. He’s not a TE recruit though and wouldn’t be moved here until later in his career ala Blake Bell if at all.
H-back: None.
FB: None.
Obviously Texas has a great deal of work to do here filling out the skill position slots with players that could be featured but the infrastructure is well stocked with two QB takes and an abundance of big movers on the OL.
Texas’ biggest need is for a feature back which makes Chris Warren perhaps the biggest priority on the board. Ideally Texas would be able to field lots of double TE sets, which makes TE the next priority.
Ryan Newsome is a really appealing player who could be a featured weapon at H or maybe even outside like fellow miniature WRs Brandin Cooks, Quan Cosby, and Mario Alford. Overall numbers at WR are the priority after these takes.
Overall, Texas has laid the groundwork for a very solid class provided that Charlie finishes with some playmakers. The good news is that the foundation and basic concept of this offense is one that should make it easy to adapt to feature different types of playmakers depending on who the Longhorns can get to campus.
-- LOTS MORE AT THE LINK ^^ --