DE Erick Fowler commits to LSU

[utisdabomb12]

UT has no offense and has no special teams capabilities. No.player is going to flip from Bama, LSU or TCU to play for Texas until and unless Coach Strong shows he can handle coaching more than just a mid-major program. 

You do understand Strong flipped players from Baylor, FSU, Oregon, Georgia, OU, and Tennessee last year. 

 

[Sirhornsalot]

UT has no offense and has no special teams capabilities. No.player is going to flip from Bama, LSU or TCU to play for Texas until and unless Coach Strong shows he can handle coaching more than just a mid-major program. Shit like not having the team captains prepared to handle the coin flip simply can't happen again. Debacles like what happened against TCU and Arky simply can't happen. Quite frankly, there needs to be a lot of improvement in coaching that has to occur before UT will be able to recruit at a high level. For me, the Cal game is the telling game for this season. If Texas can't compete against Cal, this season will be another disaster and the recruiting wheels fall off.

Whooooaaa there little philly. I think most recruits understood the hand Strong was dealt last year. 

I think if we beat ND, we can beat or lose to Cal and it doesn't mean a lot. OU is again a pivotal game that we'll win this time around.

Look folks, it doesn't get much worse than what we saw last year. Strong was HIGHLY embarrassed by what happened in the last two games as well as off and on all season.

I don't think we see that again. We're going to win games this year.

You buying? (beer)

 

[Agmaniacmike]

None of those guys are top 20 caliber players in this state other than Newsome, can't comment on the JUCO guy. Hager is a legacy, FSU had two QBs and saw Locksley as a receiver, Johnson wanted to play with his buds, OU had coaching turnover, A&M had coaching turnover, Locke stayed close to home, Newsome- same deal+ family. LSU/Bama are a little different than UCLA/Oregon when it comes to Texas kids. I'll give you the Florida guys, but the Texas guys are a different ballgame and what we are referencing, ultimately, I think these Texas guys will determine how far Strong goes, and in 2016, he hasn't been successful with prospects that at one point were considered strong Texas leans. Fowler and Jones were both being recruited by Strong personally, characterizing their loss as nothing more than a failure is ignorant. I guess we'll see what happens, but I would be willing to put my money where my mouth is on this topic.

 

[Randolph Duke]

Whooooaaa there little philly. I think most recruits understood the hand Strong was dealt last year. 

I think if we beat ND, we can beat or lose to Cal and it doesn't mean a lot. OU is again a pivotal game that we'll win this time around.

Look folks, it doesn't get much worse than what we saw last year. Strong was HIGHLY embarrassed by what happened in the last two games as well as off and on all season.

I don't think we see that again. We're going to win games this year.

You buying? (beer)

We all understand the hand Strong was dealt last year, but there were also some self inflicted problems. Special teams didn't even try to run back punts or kickoffs. I think the team averaged 13 total yards a game in punt returns. That should be per return, not per game. The team didn't even bother trying. Same with kickoffs - no one even tried. A Charlie Strong coached team with one entire aspect of the game where the team didn't even try. I still don't understand how against UCLA on 4th down with the game on the line and a qb lacking in both confidence and experience that Watson decides to run the play instead of calling they last time out to make sure everyone was on the same page. There were serious coaching issues last year.

I am guessing we go 6-6 again this year and there is no way in hell we are even going to be competitive against ND. The only serious decision Brian Kelly is going to have to make in that game is going to be how many backups he wants to get into the game and how early to play them. Last year, the Horns were a one dimensional team - defense only. No offense whatsoever, no special teams whatsoever and based on the TCU and Arky debacles, no season end development whatsoever. With no qb and no offensive line again this year, and with at best special teams playing at the level of a average mid-major squad, Texas is not going to even be competitive against ND. Probably not OU, TCU or Baylor, either. If Texas can't compete against Cal, then West Virginia and Kansas State are probably losses, also.

The absolute upside this season is probably 8-5. The realistic downside is 4-8. You simply can't win in college football, and especially not in the Big 12, with no quarterback and no offensive line.

 

[utisdabomb12]

Hager is a legacy

Brother played at Baylor. Being a legacy probably helped but Strong still had some work to do. 

 Saw Locksley as a receiver.

This is completely wrong. 

Johnson wanted to play with his buds

Huh? 

OU had coaching turnover

Like 90 percent of the staffs in college football. 

Locke stayed close to home

Probably helped. Still flipped him. 

Newsome- same deal+ family.

What's your point? That's Strong's recruiting style to get close with the family. Probably helped us land Malik too. 

You just made a ton of excuses to try and not give Strong any credit, bravo. Strong gets absolutely no credit with any of those guys is what you are getting at? 

 

[utisdabomb12]

he hasn't been successful with prospects that at one point were considered strong Texas leans. Fowler and Jones were both being recruited by Strong personally, characterizing their loss as nothing more than a failure is ignorant. I guess we'll see what happens, but I would be willing to put my money where my mouth is on this topic.

It's June. I heard these same narratives last year. Counting "losses" in June is nonsensical because that's not how recruiting works at all. I'm sure if Strong flips any of these guys though you will make excuses like above. 

 

[Randolph Duke]

It's June. I heard these same narratives last year. Counting "losses" in June is nonsensical because that's not how recruiting works at all. I'm sure if Strong flips any of these guys though you will make excuses like above. 

I'm not counting losses. I am making note that the elite players in Texas that Coach Strong has extended offers to are not wanting to play for him. That simply has to change for Texas to have a good program again.

At Louisville, Coach Strong did extremely well at coaching up 3-star players to compete against other mid-major programs. He now has to show he can coach up 3-star players to compete against a solid schedule of P5 programs. It is a legitimate question whether he has the ability to coach a winning program playing against P5 teams. To compete at that level takes elite talent. I am extremely worried that Coach Strong seemed to concede special teams last year and did not even choose to have the team try in that aspect of the game. You can't win if you have no offense and don't even try on special teams (and before you bring up Traylor's name, as what times during the season last year did you say to yourself the special teams were only one high school coach away from being an elite unit?)

I am also quite concerned that Shawn Watson lacks the ability to outscheme P5 defensive coordinators. Last year I absolutely expressed the opinion that Shawn Watson lacked the ability to lead the Texas offense. I was absolutely correct in my opinion. Last year, not only did the Texas offense embarrass the fans and alumni, it failed to mature and develop as the season went on. Swoopes simply is not a D1 quarterback. Evidently, Heard is not developing as a D1 qb either. Shawn Watson has to show he has the ability to coach an offense against better than mid-major level defensive schemes and mid-major level defensive talent. I don't think he has it and I think he will be the one who drags the team down to at best a 6-6 record. This fall, Texas simply will have a horrendous offense and, at best, mediocre special teams. There doesn't seem any hope for any better than that. We will again get humiliated in multiple games. I hate to say it, but it looks to be the reality we are going to have to endure. How Coach Strong convinced recruits to come to Texas after this season remains to be seen.

 

[utisdabomb12]

I'm not counting losses. I am making note that the elite players in Texas that Coach Strong has extended offers to are not wanting to play for him. That simply has to change for Texas to have a good program again.

Texas landed 6 of the top 20 recruits in Texas last year. Next closest school was 3 in A&M.  5/6 were late commits, so I'll repeat it's June.  I stopped reading after this. 

 

[java]

What is concerning is the number of top instate recruits who seem to give no weight whatsoever to Strong's supposed ability to develop defensive players. Here, yet another top player rejected that and instead committed to a SEC school.

And let's not ever again use Lampkin as an example of Strong's recruiting prowess.

Duke,

That is pure BS, and you know it.

It is possible the kid has always wanted to attend LSU, or it is quite possible that the kid is simply reserving a spot until something he wants more comes along.

This isn't concerning at all.  Next.

Hook 'em!

 

[MikeV73]

None of those guys are top 20 caliber players in this state other than Newsome, can't comment on the JUCO guy. Hager is a legacy, FSU had two QBs and saw Locksley as a receiver, Johnson wanted to play with his buds, OU had coaching turnover, A&M had coaching turnover, Locke stayed close to home, Newsome- same deal+ family. LSU/Bama are a little different than UCLA/Oregon when it comes to Texas kids. I'll give you the Florida guys, but the Texas guys are a different ballgame and what we are referencing, ultimately, I think these Texas guys will determine how far Strong goes, and in 2016, he hasn't been successful with prospects that at one point were considered strong Texas leans. Fowler and Jones were both being recruited by Strong personally, characterizing their loss as nothing more than a failure is ignorant. I guess we'll see what happens, but I would be willing to put my money where my mouth is on this topic.

If we snagged good talent flipping guys from other schools I really don't give a crap about the coaching situations at other schools. I could care less about your negative reasons on how we stumbled upon these guys, they commited to Texas and are in the fold. I will now sit back and watch coach Strong develop his commits on the field.

 

[Agmaniacmike]

Those things I listed were built-in advantages that Texas had. Texas' location is the biggest factor in swaying most of those kids from West Coast programs and the JUCO kid. The factors on swaying OU commits and A&M leans was coordinator change based, which a coach in his first year generally doesn't deal with. The Locksley bit is common knowledge amongst FSU fans, which is exactly why he played receiver at the Under Armour Bowl. He saw DeAndre Francois was making an announcement and committed just before his announcement to lock up a spot. The narrative last year was that Strong had only been on the job for less than a year. Strong has been recruiting most of these kids off the board for well over a year and has had guys like Jones visit campus plenty of times but still hasn't sold them on a vision. The constant excuses for poor recruiting is exactly the same thing I heard when Fran was coach and it digs the hole deeper for most programs. 

As has been discussed here before, Texas and A&M are striking out on need positions. Texas' strength in recruiting last year was in the secondary and LB corps, while they took one Texas Top 50 guy (Vahe) at a need position in OL, one borderline top 50 at DL, and a project dual threat QB from Maryland who didn't eclipse the 1000 yard mark in passing at his high school.

In comparison, A&M missed on all of the top guys at LB and DB other than Pryor and Dunning. I don't see either program upgrading at positions that will slow the bleeding and patch the depth chart. Those are cold hard facts, none of this PR stuff that both fanbases have been fluffing up in the offseason. 

A&M has a top 15 class with little help to get the porous defense back to speed in the back 7. Texas has a top 15 class that does little to solve the offensive woes that plagued the 2014 season and doesn't address the increasingly obvious depth issue on the defensive line. 

Meanwhile, TCU and Baylor are quietly putting pieces together and building strong 2016 classes while LSU and Bama are taking high-end talent out of the state in bunches.

 

[Agmaniacmike]

If we snagged good talent flipping guys from other schools I really don't give a crap about the coaching situations at other schools. I could care less about your negative reasons on how we stumbled upon these guys, they commited to Texas and are in the fold. I will now sit back and watch coach Strong develop his commits on the field.

Believe me, I understand this thought process, but realistically, the same scenario will happen to Texas at some point, and will not be a factor every year for competing programs. For precisely this reason I don't think last year's flips will be indicative of a long-term event. Those scenarios will likely cycle back the other way in due time, especially if the offensive woes continue this year. Sorry for the back and forth but the constant "head in the sand" routine amongst posters on both sides grinds my gears.

 

[MikeV73]

Believe me, I understand this thought process, but realistically, the same scenario will happen to Texas at some point, and will not be a factor every year for competing programs. For precisely this reason I don't think last year's flips will be indicative of a long-term event. Those scenarios will likely cycle back the other way in due time, especially if the offensive woes continue this year. Sorry for the back and forth but the constant "head in the sand" routine amongst posters on both sides grinds my gears.

I got ya my friend, you make some valid points. I would rather not increase my anxiety year round, I will reserve it for game day!

 

[Randolph Duke]

Duke,

That is pure BS, and you know it.

It is possible the kid has always wanted to attend LSU, or it is quite possible that the kid is simply reserving a spot until something he wants more comes along.

This isn't concerning at all. Next.

Hook 'em!

No individual contemplating a career as an elite professional in any field gives into childhood dreams. They find the best situation to advance their potential as an elite professional. These kids are making calculated decisions, not indulging in childhood dreams first and deciding to get serious as a professional after college. Kid yourself they are simply reserving spots at Alabama and LSU to look around and flip to schools with losing records, but in all honesty, how many players has Charlie flipped from LSU, Bama or even aggy?

 

[java]

No individual contemplating a career as an elite professional in any field gives into childhood dreams. They find the best situation to advance their potential as an elite professional. These kids are making calculated decisions, not indulging in childhood dreams first and deciding to get serious as a professional after college. Kid yourself they are simply reserving spots at Alabama and LSU to look around and flip to schools with losing records, but in all honesty, how many players has Charlie flipped from LSU, Bama or even aggy?

Duke,

Charlie had a job to do last year, and that was to clean up the program.  He did it, and I respect the guys that stayed the course - Big Mal, Brown I, Q, Ced, John Harris, Espy, Ash, Hicks, and the others.  We are going to miss those guys.

Now, Charlie gets to run his program without wondering who is going to be the next to disappoint.  The guy is a winner.  He has always been a winner.  I'm not getting into your debate - not now, not ever.

This paragraph you just threw up is true of some 17 and 18 year olds, but for many, they just haven't had the guidance to do more than reserve a spot and hope to make the right decision.  If you think otherwise, you are sadly mistaken.

 

[tejasrulz]

Fowler is #8 on the Top 50, plus he lives in the shadow of DKR. This is a major boost for LSU.

I like Strong and I'm not going to panci but losing this one hurts, no matter how you spin it.

 

[streettopeschel]

Middle aged people fretting about the musings of 17-year olds amuses the hell out of me.

Here's a 100% guarantee. Come February we'll have 20-something commitments. 4 years after that, some of those guys will have turned into really good players. Some won't have contributed a thing. The majority will be in the middle. And the number of stars some hack from Rivals gave them will be largely forgotten.

The same thing will happen the following February.

 

[Eastexhorn]

IMO everyone should be a little worried about recruiting. After the camps Texas recruiting might pick up. I for one am more worried about the offence. IMO thats what wins games in modern football. You out score your oppoent. I think by Feb. UT'S recruiting will be in better shape at least hope so. Some how get a very goog QB and a great OL and things will greatly improve.

 

[streettopeschel]

IMO everyone should be a little worried about recruiting. After the camps Texas recruiting might pick up. I for one am more worried about the offence. IMO thats what wins games in modern football. You out score your oppoent. I think by Feb. UT'S recruiting will be in better shape at least hope so. Some how get a very goog QB and a great OL and things will greatly improve.

you worry for me.

 

[Sirhornsalot]

We all understand the hand Strong was dealt last year, but there were also some self inflicted problems. Special teams didn't even try to run back punts or kickoffs. I think the team averaged 13 total yards a game in punt returns. That should be per return, not per game. The team didn't even bother trying. Same with kickoffs - no one even tried. A Charlie Strong coached team with one entire aspect of the game where the team didn't even try. I still don't understand how against UCLA on 4th down with the game on the line and a qb lacking in both confidence and experience that Watson decides to run the play instead of calling they last time out to make sure everyone was on the same page. There were serious coaching issues last year.

I am guessing we go 6-6 again this year and there is no way in hell we are even going to be competitive against ND. The only serious decision Brian Kelly is going to have to make in that game is going to be how many backups he wants to get into the game and how early to play them. Last year, the Horns were a one dimensional team - defense only. No offense whatsoever, no special teams whatsoever and based on the TCU and Arky debacles, no season end development whatsoever. With no qb and no offensive line again this year, and with at best special teams playing at the level of a average mid-major squad, Texas is not going to even be competitive against ND. Probably not OU, TCU or Baylor, either. If Texas can't compete against Cal, then West Virginia and Kansas State are probably losses, also.

The absolute upside this season is probably 8-5. The realistic downside is 4-8. You simply can't win in college football, and especially not in the Big 12, with no quarterback and no offensive line.

You need to do something about the premature speculation issue you're suffering from.

First, you don't know that we don't have a QB and you don't know that we don't have an offensive line. To believe the best our OL can do is duplicate last year is to believe Charlie Strong and Wickline are average, at best, at development of personnel. Yet, that is precisely what they're known for above and beyond most. So you're banking on them not being them, when the odds would suggest the opposite is more likely.

With ND saying good bye to a lot of personnel, I'm certainly not going to write that one off.

Then, you point out the deficiencies on offense and special teams. Yet, you don't understand that when you have to dedicate a disproportionate amount of time to one thing, you are taking away time from another.

You admittedly based everything you say on the performances against two very good teams, one of which probably should have played for the MNC. One might agree with you if the performances in question were against teams that were equal to us or not very good. Losing to those two teams really doesn't say anything about this year at all. So why base anything off of it?