HornSports Staff
HornSports.com
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- Oct 20, 2013
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The point on a brisket is typically the fattiest cut. Pitmasters often trim the point and select edges off a whole brisket and return them to the smoker.
Are burnt ends tough, chewy worthless cuts of meat, or are they a heavenly bites of smoky goodness? I suppose it depends on who you ask...
Rather than discard trimmings and fat, we chose 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 this edition started with the bizarre story on Oklahoma State suing Joe Wickline over contractual issues. The news hit all the major outlets last week, but one thing we picked up from a source is that this lawsuit has been lingering for a while now. There are some that have a reason to spin it as something that popped up last week when it hit the news, but that is definitely not the case.
Along that same line, it’s interesting to note that Wickline hired his own attorney and it didn’t work out. What we were told, politely, is that “the attorney was not a good counselor.â€
As it was told to us, University lawyers didn’t really bother to get involved in the case because it was deemed “frivolousâ€. That was how it was described until Oklahoma State ramped up their legal pursuit and stated making claims that Joe Wickline lied to them.
At that point, UT lawyers got involved in the suit because the Athletic Department wasn’t about to let Oklahoma State attorneys have their way with Wickline. It was relayed to us that one attorney for the University was so annoyed with Oklahoma State’s pursuit of the breach in contract that he said something along these lines, “If those mullet-wearing, meth heads North of the Red River want to get schooled in contract law, then so be it.â€
Evidently going to law school doesn’t preclude you from stereotyping when you get upset…
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Let’s talk DFW recruiting…
About 10 days ago, DE/OLB Michael Scott (Irving Nimitz) decommitted from SMU. Scott committed to the Mustangs in July, but several programs stayed in touch with him, especially with the way SMU’s season is unfolding. A day after reopening his commitment, Scott announced TCU as his leader.
Here’s where the story gets interesting…according to a source on staff at Nimitz, the Longhorns reached out to Scott last week. As a bit of a tweener, it’s unclear if the Nimitz star will play defensive end or outside linebacker in college – and the coach we spoke with wasn’t positive how the Texas coaching staff planned to use Scott.
With the commitment of Cameron Townsend on Sunday, the opportunity for Scott may have vanished. Townsend and Scott have similar skillsets and it’s doubtful that Texas would take both players.
We checked back in at Nimitz and were told that contact has been very “limited†recently, so that serves as confirmation that Scott may have been nothing more than a backup plan.
If Texas continues to pursue Scott, it will be a clue that they see him as a DE. With a LB spot being held for Malik Jefferson, the scholarship numbers at LB don’t warrant more than 3 players in the 2015 class.
If Scott does end up at TCU, Patterson may have another project to spin down on his DL. In the old days, Texas would have recruited Scott purely to keep him away from the Horned Frogs.
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Here are a few recruiting snippets from various connections we’ve talked with…
- 4* prospect Tim Irvin (Westminster Christian School in Miami, FL) will take an official visit to Texas the weekend of the WVU game.
- Eric Monroe (2016 DB from North Shore) recently tweeted that he’s thinking of going to school in Texas. That’s big news considering that he’s been an LSU lean for months. Even bigger news from a source that talked to Monroe over the weekend, “If he stays in state, I think it looks really, really good for Texas.â€
- At the other end of the spectrum, news on Holton Hill is not as encouraging. After JW Ketchum chose Baylor on Sunday, we were told that Baylor will become a “significant†factor in Hill’s recruitment.
- As we reported in BE a few weeks ago, Avon, CT tight end Chris Clark is considering Texas. Clark is committed to Michigan, but has openly talked with multiple schools since the Wolverines started having on and off-field troubles. The real news here is that Clark has setup an official visit to Austin in early December. The way it was told to us is, “Once the coaches saw that Will Gragg wasn’t going to happen, they put all their focus on Clark. This has gone from an outside shot to a very real possibility.â€
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As many folks have projected, there is discontent brewing in College Station. The combination of on-field results and lacking playing time are enough of a combination to get some current players and commitments to consider whether their future looks better elsewhere.
One of the names that you see circulating in reports of potential transfers is freshman DT, Zaycoven Henderson. According to a source we spoke with there are two other names that the A&M staff is trying to placate: Justin Manning and Laquvionte Gonzalez.
Evidently both Gonzalez and Manning are not happy with the lack of playing time and are willing to pursue other options in the interest of getting on the field sooner. The same source that gave us the names also told us that Texas was an unlikely transfer destination for all three players.
In his opinion, it was another Big 12 school, Baylor, that is a threat for all three transfer candidates. In fact, he called the Bears the “ideal landing spot for both players [Gonzalez & Manning].â€
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Two different sources close to the team told us (in separate conversations) that the locker room remains close knit. Despite what reports are out there in the media, both guys basically said that suggesting anything other than a really cohesive locker room is both incorrect and irresponsible.
One source put it this way, [laughing] “There aren’t that many guys left, but the ones that are still here are 100% on board with their teammates and the coaches. Don’t pay any mind to anything that hints otherwise.â€
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We talked with a coach on staff at another Big 12 school, and he thinks too much attention is being given to the roles of Joe Wickline and Shawn Watson as it relates to the Horns lack of offensive production. In his words:
“People should quit looking for drama in play calling or their roles, the issues are related to the chosen scheme, personnel that doesn’t fit that scheme, starting players that should be backups, and an overall lack of execution.â€
Ouch.
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We checked in with the same ex-college player that shared some thoughts with us following some of the Horns’ early games. After the futile effort that resulted in 23-0, we thought it was appropriate to get some experienced input on what happened in Manhattan:
“Vance Bedford has really fallen for the3-man front personnel packages. Once KSU saw that Texas was sticking with that grouping, they countered with heavy formations throughout most of the game. From the perspective of my living room, it seemed pretty obvious that K-State was content to attack the 3 sets with their heavy personnel and the run game. It was a conservative choice, but based on the way the game was unfolding, it was obvious that they’d stay with it.â€
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And finally, we checked in with a team staffer on the 3 players that could make a difference to the Texas offense. Here’s what we were told about each of them:
- Desmond Harrison: “Uhhhh, no. He won’t be playing.â€
- Kent Perkins: “They’ll say he’s day-to-day, but based on how he’s moving I’m optimistic. On the other hand, they were very careful with Jason Hall, so that might be a better gauge. We’re all still learning what these coaches are comfortable with in terms of injuries.â€
- Daje Johnson: “He’s practicing. He doesn’t look 100% to me, but his 90% is more than most of the guys.â€
