Burnt Ends (3-16)

[HornSports Staff]

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.

***DO NOT FORWARD***

Let’s get things started with the topic that is on everyone’s mind – the future of Rick Barnes’ tenure as head coach at Texas. The Horns made it into the Big Dance after winning three consecutive games before losing on a buzzer beater against Iowa State in the Big 12 tournament quarterfinals. lSU went on to win the tournament, but is that any consolation against the sting of a 20-13 season that started with high preseason rankings and even higher expectations?

When Texas was announced as a No. 11 seed on Sunday, Texas fans met the news dispassionately. Whether the lack of interest is grounded in the recent trend of losing early in the tournament, or if fans have simply had enough disappointment this season, there was and continues to be very little buzz about the game against Butler on Thursday.

We climbed as high as we dared inside Bellmont and started asking questions to some of the folks that will play a role in deciding Barnes’ future. Is there a timeline for a decision? Is there a magic goal or ultimatum, such as Sweet 16 or bust?

The answer we got was so objective, it almost felt cold:

“First off, the team is still playing basketball. There won’t be any discussion of the future of the team or direction of the program until after the season is over.”

Okay, but what if there’s a Round of 32 loss and Texas doesn’t make the Sweet 16?

“Let me re-state myself…having a conditional outcome in this year’s tournament implies that a decision has been made about the future. If there was a predetermined decision based on the Longhorns not making it to the second weekend – this isn’t some if/then scenario.”

Okay. Got it. Is there anything you can say with certainty yet?

“We will review the program and coaches after the season. That’s something we do in every sport. That discussion is coming, but it hasn’t even started yet. To do so would be reactionary and that’s not how things are done.

You are asking me about the winningest basketball coach in UT history. However this season ends will only be one data point. When we look at the program, we’ll look at everything collectively, not a single data point.”

+++++

Caleb Bluiett suffered a knee injury against TCU in the last game of the regular season, but things are on track for the talented d-lineman. With multiple spots up for grabs on the defensive line, Blueitt should be a major contributor this Fall regardless of the alignment Vance Bedford and Brick Haley choose. 

HornSports caught up with Bluiett’s father who told us rehab is going well.  Mr. Bluiett said Caleb will miss Spring football, but is on track for a return to Summer workouts. He was quick to credit Coach Moorer ‘s role in Caleb’s rehab. 

In fact, Mr. Blueitt went so far as to say that he’s seen a marked improvement in strength and conditioning since Moorer took over.  Evidently Dad thought Caleb put on a little too much weight under the former staff, and the report we got is that Caleb is much leaner and more muscular under Moorer’s guidance. 

+++++

Our look at prospects from the HornSports Top 50 continues with one of the most underrated prospects in the state.  Beaumont Westbrook receiver Keith Corbin hasn’t received a lot of recruiting attention at this point, but spend a few minutes watching his film and it’s not hard to see him becoming a major factor at the next level. 

The 6’2, 175 pound playmaker holds offers from TCU, SMU, Texas Tech, Ole Miss, and Wisconsin but might be suffering from a lack of exposure.  A source we spoke with recently talked about the troubles within the Beaumont school district and how those issues have filtered down to the school’s sports programs.  Corbin has made it known to reporters he grew up a Texas fan and would love an opportunity to attend school in Austin. 

Corbin is very quick off the line and has very little wasted motion.  He is smooth in and out of his breaks and possesses above average speed once he is in the open field.  His route running skills could use some work, but his quickness and acceleration help him separate from defenders. 

The best thing about Corbin’s game is his exceptional body control - he has great skill when tight roping the sideline and can track passes over his shoulder with ease.  At 6’2, Corbin has nice vertical skills with a big catch radius, and displays good leaping ability and strong hands to out muscle defensive backs for the ball. 

A big time playmaker who plays with confidence and swagger,  Corbin looks like a player that could see his stock explode at any moment. Texas is tightly managing scholarships, and has two committed receivers on board already, so an offer might not be in the cards.  Regardless of where he lands, it’s clear from his film that Corbin might be an early impact candidate. 

+++++

Manvel receiver and Longhorn commitment Reggie Hemphill attended The Opening with a group of Manvel teammates on Sunday. Based on Hemphill’s performance at the camp, it is obvious that football isn’t the only sport where Manvel excels.  Hemphill is a star member of the track team and that group is making waves in the state. 

“We currently rank #3 [in Texas] in the 4X2 and #8 in the 4X4, and I’m on both of those teams.”

Hemphill also competes in the individual event and told us he ran a 47 second  400m and a 10.56 in the 100m.  Although he didn’t make it to the Texas junior day, the wideout told us he’s going to try to get to Austin within the next week for a visit. 

As for his high school team, it’s loaded with talent and Hemphill thinks they can make a run but it won’t be easy. 

“We’ve got to compete like always, we’ve got to be Manvel and earn it just like every year.”

+++++

In HornSports’ profile of Houston MacArthur’s Isaiah Chambers, we reported that the defensive end is not hearing from the Longhorns.  We caught up with Chambers at The Opening who told us not much has changed on the recruiting front. 

“I will probably go to A&M soon, I went to TCU yesterday.  I didn’t get to go to Oklahoma – I plan to go to Ole Miss and back to Baylor”.  

There still hasn’t been any movement on the recruiting front with Texas, but Chambers says he would be very receptive to an offer.

+++++

We talked with someone that was at The Opening on Sunday as an “interested party” – he’s not a coach, scout, player, or parent, but his job is in football…and we’ll leave it at that. We asked him for some impressions from the event and he was willing to share a few things:

“For a lot of these players, the camp is their first true brush with big-time football. Look at the production of today’s experience – NFL-level coaching, laser timing devices, a drone flying around taking video and photographing the event , free Gatorade and Gatorade protein bars…the event isn’t even in the same universe as a high school football practice. Most college practices aren’t even like this in terms of a wow factor.

From a marketing perspective it’s part of the aura of exclusivity that Nike is trying to build for invitations to Oregon. But it’s an event like this that gets kids dreaming about the lure of a level most will never reach.”

That’s the player perspective…what do you see – the marketing aspect?

“No. To me, one of the most impactful things is just how much more money is in it. Take all those things I listed that make an impression on the players, and then think of them as expenses. Certainly Nike isn’t hurting for cash, but these camps aren’t a mere marketing expense either. There is serious money to be made at these things – what were there, 400+ players out here?”

Good point, and one that makes it easier to see how coaches and schools set up camps as a vehicle to boost compensation. What about the talent level out there?

“I was impressed. The majority of the kids in attendance will be division 1 football players. And when I say majority, the number is closer to 100% than 50%.”

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HornSports reported the recruitment of Galena Park North Shore’s Tyler Moore in detail. In last week’s Burnt Ends, we followed up on Moore and detailed his early results at the University of Minnesota. Who we haven’t mentioned much is the quarterback Moore and the rest of the Mustangs’ offensive line were charged with protecting – Maciah Long.  Long, a 3-star prospect, is a fast, agile, dual-threat signal caller who guided the Mustangs to the 6A-D1 Regional in the playoffs (North Shore lost to Cy Ranch 31-27).

This offseason, Long has gained a considerable amount of muscle through a regimented strength and conditioning program.  The transformation in his physique has earned the shifty quarterback offers from Ohio State, UCLA, Missouri, Texas Tech and Kansas.  The caveat to the offers is that Long is being recruited as a linebacker – a position in which he has played very little, he told us this evening.

While the Longhorns have not reached out to Long, expect more Big 12 schools to do so.  Long is currently 6-2, 220 pounds and has the grades to play just about anywhere (he’s a solid A & B student).  

We asked a well-known recruiting analyst about Long and his potential to play linebacker at the next level and he had this to say, “Schools see a big kid that can run fast and add lean mass and say ‘hey, he could be a linebacker’...TCU is the master of that.”

We asked Long about his gains in the weight room and he had this to say, “Those weights will do that to you.” Even though he’s projected as a linebacker in college, Long confirmed that he will play quarterback next season for the Mustangs.

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Couple of recruiting notes to close this edition…

• One of the more dynamic quarterbacks we’ve seen live is TCU commitment, D’Eriq King.  As Manvel’s quarterback, King has the good fortune of slinging passes to Texas commit Reggie Hemphill. If there is a knock on King, who we recently saw at Nike’s Opening Regional in Dallas, it is his size.  King is 5-11 and 180 pounds but has tremendous speed, agility, and a decent arm.  One high school coach told us “D’Eriq is a smaller qb, but has a lot of Kyler [Murray] tools.”

Despite the success of Trevone Boykin, it’s doubtful that King gets the opportunity to line up under center in Fort Worth – word is that King will end up playing slot receiver for the Horned Frogs.  

• A source told HornSports that if Kyler Murray decides to go pro (MLB), then Texas A&M will push hard for Channelview QB Jalen Hurts.

• An SEC coach told us that the Longhorns are in great shape with 2017 Episcopal HS (Bellaire, TX) Defensive Tackle Marvin Wilson.

 

[joeywa]

Very PC answers from whomever you were asking about Barnes. 

 

[Mike Roach]

To Keith Corbin the football is like a one man cold.  Keith Corbin is the only one catching it, Keith Corbin is the only man comin down with it.

 

[Juan]

Did your secret source mention Darius James?

Sounds like he is offically done

 

[North Texas Golfer]

Did your secret source mention Darius James?

Sounds like he is offically done

And apparently, even though Swoopes has gained weight, he can still out run some of our wide receivers.

And apparently, Heard just isn't getting it and is complacent. 

Don't sit on the good stuff. Surely your source can tell us something about James, Swoopes, and Heard 

 

[J.B. TexasEx]

You are asking me about the winningest basketball coach in UT history. However this season ends will only be one data point. When we look at the program, we’ll look at everything collectively, not a single data point.â€

Sounds like Barnes isn't going anywhere unless Butler whips us badly in the 1st Round

 

[streettopeschel]

Sounds like Barnes isn't going anywhere unless Butler whips us badly in the 1st Round

i took it just the opposite. that statement was hardly 'rick has done a great job and we expect him to be our coach for years to come'.

i like the part where the tournament is but a 'single data point'. to me that implies regardless of winning a game or two, the entireity of our program will be looked at. as it should. reaching the sweet 16 shouldn't save his job, nor should a first round exit assure his dismissal.

where we are in totality over the last several years should be the decider...and that's been pretty mediocre.

 

[doc longhorn]

Sounds like Barnes isn't going anywhere unless Butler whips us badly in the 1st Round

I think it was more about someone wanting to put the quietus on all the Barnes speculation and gossip.  Color him gone.

Anyone remember what I said about the bottom line?  Follow the money - or the lack of it.

 

[J.B. TexasEx]

I think it was more about someone wanting to put the quietus on all the Barnes speculation and gossip.  Color him gone.

Anyone remember what I said about the bottom line?  Follow the money - or the lack of it.

I hope you're right, Doc.

We had much higher expectations for this talented team. It just seems like we're stuck in a rut. I hope Patterson has reached out to top coaches already. Smart, Marshall, etc.

Don't make a change just to do it.

 

[doc longhorn]

I hope you're right, Doc.

We had much higher expectations for this talented team. It just seems like we're stuck in a rut. I hope Patterson has reached out to top coaches already. Smart, Marshall, etc.

Don't make a change just to do it.

Here is the salient question, JB.  Is there a single solitary soul that believes Barnes can lead a UT basketball team to a national championship?

We all know the answer to this.  So, do we continue playing pretty good, but never good enough - or make a change?

Barnes problem is Patterson knows basketball - Dodds didn't know diddly about basketball, but Barnes was as favored, to him, as Mack Brown was.

My choice would be Shaka Smart.  He can talk the 'hood talk  - read he can recruit.  And he is a helluva basketball coach as well.

 

[echeese]

Shane Buchele #30 in your Top 50 (which is a tad low). . . .is a TEXAS commit.

Just FYI.. . .. 

 

[HornSports Staff]

i took it just the opposite. that statement was hardly 'rick has done a great job and we expect him to be our coach for years to come'.

i like the part where the tournament is but a 'single data point'. to me that implies regardless of winning a game or two, the entireity of our program will be looked at. as it should. reaching the sweet 16 shouldn't save his job, nor should a first round exit assure his dismissal.

where we are in totality over the last several years should be the decider...and that's been pretty mediocre.

In the context of the conversation, this is accurate.

 

[Lastcall8]

And apparently, even though Swoopes has gained weight, he can still out run some of our wide receivers.

And apparently, Heard just isn't getting it and is complacent.

Don't sit on the good stuff. Surely your source can tell us something about James, Swoopes, and Heard

Swoopes has gained muscle weight, not fat weight. Yes he can outrun some of our receivers. If you had never seen texas play, and came to a workout, you would look at him and say he has to be a beast on the field. We will know next week if his hard work will pay off when the pads come on.

Heard isn't complacent at all. He was complacent last year. He is working his butt off as well this offseason. He never expected to play and acted like most freshman do when they come into big college football.

James..........

The next two weeks will tell us a huge amount about how swoopes has developed as a leader and football player.

 

[Mike Roach]

Shane Buchele #30 in your Top 50 (which is a tad low). . . .is a TEXAS commit.

Just FYI.. . ..

We need to go through and update the committed kids but he wasn't when we originally put this up

Buechele will move up in the next rankings but I'm wondering who you would have bumped for him when we released these and why?

 

[Matt Cotcher]

Barnes problem is Patterson knows basketball - Dodds didn't know diddly about basketball, but Barnes was as favored, to him, as Mack Brown was.

I keep reading that Patterson knows hoops - it's written/said everywhere. Is that just an assumption since he was GM in Portland, or am I missing something?

 

[J.B. TexasEx]

I keep reading that Patterson knows hoops - it's written/said everywhere. Is that just an assumption since he was GM in Portland, or am I missing something?

Based on what I've gleaned and Hakeem Olajuwon's opinion, I'd say it's just an assumption because his daddy was GM of the Bucks and he nepotism'ed his way into the business.

 

[streettopeschel]

I keep reading that Patterson knows hoops - it's written/said everywhere. Is that just an assumption since he was GM in Portland, or am I missing something?

he WORKED in the nba. how much that makes him an expert in college hoops, i do not know. Bud Adams worked in the NFL but i wouldn't have wanted him anywhere near the UT program.

but yeah, you're right. message board guy just repeats the mantra of 'he knows basketball' over and over.

 

[Aaron Carrara]

An interesting bit of financial information relative to college hoops recruiting expenditures:
 

 
 
5 Big 12 schools in this list - Texas isn't one of them. 

 

[streettopeschel]

An interesting bit of financial information relative to college hoops recruiting expenditures:

5 Big 12 schools in this list - Texas isn't one of them.

not a surprise really. The state is full of excellent players. KU has to travel far outside their state to recruit.