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ANYTHING SPRING FOOTBALL!!

More quotes like that and Higs may start to lose his inside track with Strong.

 
I had an extensive conversation with my friend earlier today. I was able to ask a lot of questions and received some candid and straightforward answers. Hopefully, no one gets upset about this post. Here goes, in no special order.

The practices – "We've never seen practices like these at Texas. We're running 70 plays inside of 10 minutes time. Thats quick. But it's by design. We spend far less time working on conditioning and much more time doing two important things – 1) Learning the tempo, and 2) Learning the offense.

Unlike the past, coaching actually takes place after practices once coaches are able to review film.

Tempo must be drilled into their heads. They're (coaches) having to do two things at once, get the Watson offense out of their heads and get the new stuff to become instinctive."

On the QBs . . . "Swoopes is clearly #1 and looks very relaxed and poised. I feel strange even saying that but its true. The thing is, Swoopes has never been a confident QB. He has struggled because when he thinks through his progressions, he's also second guessing his own thinking while also having to think about getting his head ripped off due to a bad OL. Now, there's no real thinking involved. And in that environment, he's really excelled."

"Heard is looking better. He's just never been a practice player so he's not accustomed to studying a defense like someone like Buechele will do or Colt McCoy would do. He's basically a great athlete who plays QB. But to be honest, if we were playing right now and had to put Heard or Buechele in to play catch up late in a game, we'd probably go with Buechele. He's just such an accurate passer and is very tuned-in mentally.

"Buechele really needs to spend some time in the weight room this summer. He's 185. Heard was small last year at 195. Buechele needs to thicken up so he can take the hits he'll see in the Big 12. But he's clearly got everything else."

On the coaches . . . our new WR coach wasn't real keen on the new practice pace we have. He'd never seen anything like it and there was some friction there at first. That's gone now and everyone seems to understand and support what we're doing. The results are starting to show. We're learning while conditioning."

On the new OL . . . "I would compare Shackleford with Connor Williams. They're very much the same in how they're young but are way beyond their years in certain things. Snyder over at KSU knows his OL and Shack was his top priority. Its easy to see why now."

On the safeties . . . "It's going to be hard to get Dylan Haines off the field. But Brandon Jones will probably at least split time with him. Last year, Hanes was like a coach on the field. He knew where everyone was supposed to line up and had to do a lot of on-the-field coaching. So his value lies in a lot of things most fans don't see. Jones is a very sharp kid with a lot of athletic ability. We expect him to play right away when he gets here. Elliot has been looking good so far."

On the new WR . . . . "Colin Johnson will start next year, no doubt. He's very much like megatron. He's big. He runs precise routes. He's very physical. Not as fast as John Burt but an equally dangerous weapon due to the other things he does so well. He's way beyond his years in the way he plays. Nobody has been able to hold him up at the line of scrimmage yet."

He said PJ Locke has locked down his starting spot. Kid is improving fast. They recruited him because he reminded them of Michael Griffin. They think he has arrived. 

I couldn't take notes as fast as we were talking, so if I think of something I left out, I'll add it later.

 
Haines could not start for another team in the BIg 12 other than maybe Kansas. If he starts again or is on the field more that Jones or Elliott then all this staff is doing is rewarding spilled milk for the program just like Mack Brown did.

 
"Buechele really needs to spend some time in the weight room this summer. He's 185. Heard was small last year at 195. Buechele needs to thicken up so he can take the hits he'll see in the Big 12. But he's clearly got everything else."
I heard his dad Steve say they have Shane on intense weight training since arriving at UT. He has five months till ND, I'm no weight guy, but if he can put on 2 pounds a muscle a month that would put him at 195. Chris Warren is at 245 now and was listed at 232 last year.

If Buechele is the best QB then play him and limit his running. Briles has said he didn't need a running QB to run his offense. Most of all teach Buechele to slide and don't have David Ash as his teacher. :)

 
I heard his dad Steve say they have Shane on intense weight training since arriving at UT. He has five months till ND, I'm no weight guy, but if he can put on 2 pounds a muscle a month that would put him at 195. Chris Warren is at 245 now and was listed at 232 last year.

If Buechele is the best QB then play him and limit his running. Briles has said he didn't need a running QB to run his offense. Most of all teach Buechele to slide and don't have David Ash as his teacher. :)
...or Seth Russell for that matter *smh*

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5joCcCwOenQ

 
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Denzel-Okafor-Gregg-Miller.jpg


Longhorns Class of 2016: Lewisville guard Denzel Okafor hopes to put defenders on ice

New Longhorn guard angling to become freshman All-American, like Connor Williams and Patrick Vahe

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Okafor was moved up to the varsity early in his sophomore season.
Just like Lewisville was in 2012, Texas is looking for more depth along the OL now.
Okafor: “That’s all I hear; Texas is building something good.'


LEWISVILLE — Bahama Bucks bills itself as the “Original Shaved Ice Company.†The place offers some tricked-out flavorings like Hurricane Daiquiri, Wedding Cake and something called Tiger’s Blood. Ewww. They have vanilla, too.

“It’s kind of like Starbucks in a way, except we’re known for our snow cones,†said Denzel Okafor, the offensive lineman from Lewisville who has a 7-foot wingspan — perfect for reaching over the counter and making someone’s day.

Or ruining a defensive tackle’s.

“Everybody walks out with a blue tongue and a smile,†Lewisville coach Gregg Miller said.

Okafor’s go-to drink is called “Oasis,†a fruity cocktail of strawberries, bananas, orange juice and coconut. Anything that keeps the 6-4, 295-pound Texas signee happy is just fine with UT coaches. They’d like to add him to the their mix this fall.

“I need to work on hand placement, extension and punching more,†Okafor said. “I’ve got to do my part so I don’t come in there on the first day, get hit in the face and think, ‘Dang, what just happened?’ I’m not nervous. I’m eager.â€

Okafor’s profile is the 11th in our series highlighting the Longhorns Class of 2016. To catch up on the rest of the series, here’s an interactive map of Texas’ recruiting class of 2016.

Lewisville once was one of the baddest schools in North Texas. The Farmers became a statewide power under Ronnie Gage, winning state titles in 1993 and ’96. But that success over time, like the prime ingredients at Bahama Bucks, all melted away. Parents headed off for new subdivisions in nearby Flower Mound or Allen, and the school district opened its fifth high school, Hebron, in 1999.

Miller spent 12 years at Katy and seven as the defensive coordinator before coming to Lewisville in 2012. It was a serious uphill battle. Two years in, he simply needed more players to fill out practices. His offensive line coach talked up Okafor, a hulking, but raw, sophomore.

Miller figures it took about three games of the 2013 season for Okafor to be promoted to varsity.

From that point on, everything changed.

Miller said Okafor approached the offensive line coach with a request. “Don’t coach me like a sophomore. Coach me like a senior,†Miller said.

“He’s the baby of the family, but the guy’s really mature,†said Okafor’s oldest brother, Goldstein, who is nine years Denzel’s senior and competed in the long jump and triple jump at Texas State. “His humility is going to take him to the top over anything else. The guy’s just a humble giant. He’s ready to compete and he wants to be great.â€

Since Goldstein Okafor understood the recruiting process and knew what college athletics was all about, he’s the one who took Denzel to recruiting camps and helped get him noticed. Once TCU offered Denzel a scholarship, other schools came calling, too.

Coaches found a talented athlete labeled the 12th-best offensive guard prospect in the nation, according to 247Sports. He was No. 48 on the American-Statesman’s Fabulous 55 list of the state’s top recruits.

Okafor felt almost compelled to sign with TCU, since the Frogs were the first to offer. But he had something of an epiphany one day at Bahama Bucks. He really liked Texas coach Charlie Strong’s demeanor. He loved the YouTube videos featuring Vance Bedford’s “Why wouldn’t you want to come to Texas?†marketing talks.

Perhaps most in Texas’ favor, Okafor was impressed that last year’s newcomers — left tackle Connor Williams, right guard Patrick Vahe and linebacker Malik Jefferson — became freshmen All-Americans.

“That’s exactly what I want to do,†Okafor said. “It’s something in my mind. But it’s just about who wants it more. If I know somebody has beaten me to what I want, it’s just a sign that I need to work harder.â€

As for those TCU coaches, Miller said, “Hey, it’s his deal. They act like I sold ‘em a car that didn’t have a steering wheel or something.â€

To see him in person, Okafor has the perfect body to be an inside guard in college. Extremely long arms, a wide base, broad shoulders, size 14 feet. Time will tell what sort of physical specifications new offensive line coach Matt Mattox wants at each position.

Okafor will enroll this summer and get to work immediately. He wants to be on the field in September. If redshirting is what’s best, he’s open to that possibility, too. Okafor simply wants in.

“That’s all I hear: Texas is building something good,†Okafor said. “Forget the record. We’re building something.â€

http://www.hookem.com/story/longhorns-class-of-2016-lewisville-guard-denzel-okafor-hopes-to-put-defenders-on-ice/

 
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Did someone say AD search? Apparently, Perrin is attached to Charlie somehow. Spoke with another source today. This one is plugged in on the admin and BMD side. Says feelers have already been put out to two people whom UT higher ups are very keen on replacing Perrin with. 

Oliver Luck and Chris del Conte (tcu). Luck is the preference but CDC really wants the job.

If Charlie doesn't get it done next year, a new AD will be hired before the next football coach is hired.

 
Did someone say AD search? Apparently, Perrin is attached to Charlie somehow. Spoke with another source today. This one is plugged in on the admin and BMD side. Says feelers have already been put out to two people whom UT higher ups are very keen on replacing Perrin with. 

Oliver Luck and Chris del Conte (tcu). Luck is the preference but CDC really wants the job.

If Charlie doesn't get it done next year, a new AD will be hired before the next football coach is hired.
If I'm Oliver Luck, I would tell the committee after they chose Patterson over me.

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If I'm Oliver Luck, I would tell the committee after they chose Patterson over me.
Word is, Luck steadfastly refused to fire Mack.

That automatically disqualified him for AD at that time. He'd be a great hire now, however, unless he has the same reservations about dismissing Strong...or Augie.

 
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