HornSports Staff
HornSports.com
- Joined
- Oct 20, 2013
- Messages
- 2,544
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.
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.
+++++
For several weeks, Burnt Ends reported that Augie Garrido planned to retire. As part of that series of reports, we also told you that Steve Patterson and influencers in Bellmont are all content to let Garrido make the decision on when it’s time for him to step down.
The fluid part in the situation is Skip Johnson. As Burnt Ends reported, if Garrido steps down immediately, then Johnson is not likely to be a candidate to fill UT’s vacancy. In the event Johnson isn’t retained, there are multiple schools that are interested in him – some as a head coach, others as a pitching guru.
Now that the emotion of the postseason is wearing off, both the highs (Big 12 tournament) and lows (performance against DBU) have subsided and earnest talks about the immediate future of the Texas baseball program are ongoing. Even with their winless trip to Dallas, Garrido’s steadfast belief in the team’s talent level was validated when Texas went undefeated in the conference tournament.
Two weeks of postseason play led to feelings that the things that prevented success in 2015 will be much improved in 2016. With this in mind, Garrido told Patterson that he wanted to coach for one more year, with public knowledge that he will retire after the 2016 season.
From Bellmont’s perspective, that is the easy part.
With multiple schools lining up to talk to Johnson about taking the next step in his career, Garrido, Patterson, and UT find themselves in a predicament: how can they retain Johnson as UT’s pitching coach during Garrido’s final year? Does a new title, a raise, or a (gulp!) ‘head coach in waiting’ tag pacify Johnson enough to stay in Austin?
The difficulty:
- Garrido is not interested in working with a new pitching coach in his final year. That’s understandable.
- UT isn’t excited by the idea of not being able to conduct a thorough search after Garrido’s retirement. That’s understandable.
- With major programs telling him that he could be their head coach, Johnson needs something from UT in writing that guarantees his future with the program. That’s understandable.
As you can see, this is a very developed and dynamic situation. With multiple sources corroborating on the decisions being made, HornSports will continue to provide information as we’re able.
+++++
Houston MacArthur defensive end Isaiah Chambers received an offer from Texas last week. The talented defensive lineman wasted no time visiting campus following the offer – Chambers was on campus this weekend.
“It was pretty cool,†Chambers said. He continued, “I enjoyed getting to meet the coaching staff.â€
Good fortune struck – Chambers was on campus while Charlie Strong broke the internet by hosting a pair of baby tigers in his office. Chambers got to spend some time with the furry little visitors but said the best part of the visit was meeting and getting to know the coaches.
Texas is a little late to the party on Chambers, but he is a mature kid who is taking the process slowly. The longer his recruitment extends, the better it will be for Texas.
+++++
2017 Frisco offensive lineman Jack Anderson is one of the most talented players in the state – he’s also startlingly open and direct. Anderson received an offer from Texas earlier in the spring, and is trying to approach Texas with an open mind, but was his typical outspoken self, when voicing his displeasure with the Texas staff last year.
“I grew up not a fan (of Texas), but they are growing on me a little bit.â€
Not only is Anderson one of the top linemen in the state, he is also one of the more popular players among other recruits. Anderson is close with Wylie East running back Eno Benjamin and the two plan to try and play together at the next level.
Jay Norvell is the area recruiter for Anderson, but Joe Wickline is also pitching in on his recruitment. Texas has some ground to make up in this race, but there is a long way to go until signing day 2017.
+++++
Summer marks the end of the major evaluation period for most college programs. The end of summer eval’s usually results in a second wave of offers for prospects who were seemingly passed over earlier in the year.
One way for players to heighten buzz are summer camps that occur on college campuses. The Longhorns held their first camp this past weekend, and while it wasn’t headlined by the household names in the state, it did give the Horns an opportunity to see some of the lesser-known prospects up close.
Beaumont Westbrook wide receiver Keith Corbin (who we profiled a few months ago in Burnt Ends as one of the most underrated players in the state) was in attendance and made it clear on Twitter that Texas is the school he wants to hear from most. We caught up with Corbin following the event to get his thoughts:
“It went good – I got to learn a few new things.â€
Corbin got to spend time with the coaching staff including Texas receiver coach Jay Norvell. Corbin did not receive an offer, but did benefit from the coaching he received while on campus in Austin.
“Coach Norvell told me what I needed to work on, and showed me some new stuff with my route running.â€
While the scholarship numbers at receiver are tight, if UT decides to pursue more pass catchers, Corbin could be high on the list.
+++++
On Monday UT arranged for the three newest assistant coaches – Jeff Traylor, Brick Haley, and Jay Norvell, to meet with local media. The impetus behind the meeting was for those in attendance (both sides) to get to know one another before August arrives.
From coaching philosophy to insight on Charlie Strong’s demeanor; and from recruiting to the Horns’ quarterback debate, the three assistants covered a lot of ground. Inside the interviews there were interesting bits of information about Charlie Strong, the team’s talent, and their expectations for the upcoming season:
Jeff Traylor
General observation: Traylor will eventually be a college head coach.
On how this Texas team looks in practice compared to his old team:
“They move a lot faster and they’re a lot bigger.â€
Traylor went into detail about how high school coaches want and need other high school coaches to be successful when they get a shot at advancing their career. He then joked that he’d be reminding friends of that when he called to recruit their best players.
Then he turned serious and belabored that most high school coaches will always do what best for a kid as opposed to a university. He finished by saying he is anxious to see how those dynamics play out in recruiting, implying that UT often fit both criteria.
When asked about the tight ends on the roster, Andrew Beck was mentioned first – then Blake Whiteley. That wasn’t surprising after our Spring Practice reports.
Compared to Traylor talking about personnel, it was more revealing when he reviewed what he wants out of the position. Traylor is after someone that can play on the line, at full back, or at wide receiver. On his goal for the postion:
“[We’re] trying to get as multiple formations as possible without getting into [changing] personnel groupings.†He continued by saying that he wanted a player for the, “spread set, a TE set, a fullback set…which means a kid has be very athletic, very coachable, and very smart…and catch and block.â€
Brick Haley
General observation: Haley is a soldier, not a general; and he’s more-than-fine with that.
Haley’s 15-year old son, AJ, is autistic, but was not diagnosed until he was 7 years old. Haley said that AJ had a very normal growth pattern for learning/retention up until age 7, and then they experienced a sudden drop off. The family could not figure out what the problem was and went to several doctors before AJ was finally diagnosed accurately.
“It was unbelievably tough. We had no answers.â€
At that point he had everyone’s attention and used the story to steer the conversation back to the gridiron by talking about how his experience impacts how he recruits and coaches young men:
“It’s [AJ’s autism and diagnosis] given me a new lease on life in understanding people. Sometimes you have to dig a little deeper to find the real truth. A lot of times it’s not just on the surface, you have to dig a little deeper to find out – that’s what we had to do with our son. Why not everybody else’s kid? They deserve the same thing.â€
Haley conveys himself in a very genuine way. On the experience of interviewing for the Texas job, he said:
“It was just a matter of coming over, sitting down, and talking ‘ball. Making sure I’m what he [Charlie Strong] wanted.â€
In case you’re not a fan yet, Haley summed up the choice to coach in Austin by saying:
“It’s the University of Texas. It’s the capital of football. Why not?â€
Jay Norvell
General observation: A master of technique that sees a level of detail that most don’t understand.
One of the first things Norvell did was talk about the personnel on campus. The first player out of his mouth was not surprising:
“Marcus Johnson really understands what he he’s got to do and what he’s gotta be. His career hasn’t exactly been what he wanted it to be. He knows now that if he does the things we ask him to do, he’s gonna have success. And I think he trusts that and believes it.â€
Norvell also made specific mention of both Jacorey Warrick and Dorian Leonard before discussing what he expects out of practice rep’s:
“We don’t decide who starts. The players decide – by the way they conduct themselves every day. The guys that do the best job are the guys that get the opportunities in the Fall.â€
Along that line of thought, Norvell also talked about the talented newcomers:
“We’ve got some young freshman coming in that will get a lot of opportunities over the summer and in training camp. We’ll see how their level of competition can help the other guys.†He continued, “[There are] A lot of good athletes, now we’ve got to teach ‘em to be good players. If they do the things we ask them to do, they could have success.â€
Novell then launched into his expectations for the incoming recruits:
“We’ve got a lot of young players that are gonna have to play well this year. We’ve got to improve and grow as we go along.â€
Pausing for a moment, Norvell admitted that wideout isn’t the only position that needs to improve over the course of the season. He said there are several positions that will be that way:
“We’re gonna have to have to have some successes early and continue to maintain that and grow as the season goes along. We could be a different team in November than we are in September – and that’s gonna be very important.â€
