HornSports Staff
HornSports.com
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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.
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As it’s been for the last several weeks, things continue to appear calm on the surface around Disch Falk Field, but behind the scenes, the situation is steadily evolving…
This week’s news is that Head Strength and Conditioning Coach for Baseball, Lance Sewell is no longer with the team. His bio page is still up at texassports.com but we’ve heard from multiple folks that the decision was made about a week ago.
Subtle changes are happening for the 2016 club – how that impacts the top of the pyramid is an unknown.
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The football team is hard at work, building on the foundation they poured this spring. Where things come into focus in mid-Summer isn’t on a practice field in what, at-best, amounts to scrimmage work. The main thrust of July isn’t 7-on-7, it’s strength and conditioning.
For the Longhorns, July is a transition month – workouts on the track, in the gym, and on the field are shifting from things designed to keep players in shape, to workouts tailored towards football-specific benefits.
On a coach’s calendar, the first half of Summer is about recruiting, evaluations, and camps. We’ve seen this happening with Junior Days, the quarterback skills camp, and the upcoming Under the Lights camp.
As coaches are back from recruiting and camps, conditioning begins to shift towards more position-specific training. As workouts shift, position coaches begin to take greater advantage of the one hour a week they're allotted by the NCAA.
For example, players are running fewer 110's and more 40's; putting more weight on the bar, and doing lower rep’s – essentially, the more football-specific they can make the work out the better. In layman’s terms: in early summer guys run 110M to stay in shape, but it gets cut down to a 40-yard dash to focus on burst, power, and speed. The things that matter during a game.
This shift in workouts is gradual. What’s happening in July is very similar to what takes place in early Spring – after spending the winter months in conditioning drills, coaches have players transition workouts before spring practice starts. Basically, winter conditioning is similar to the early summer phase, and the weeks leading up to spring ball are similar to summer phase 2.
In conditioning work, athletes are building the ability to train at a high level (110's at 60% speed; running stairs; lighter weights with 3-4 sets and 8-12 rep’s). Subsequently, they must develop the skill at a high level (40's, 30's & 20's at full speed; position drills [ex: high knee drills, or 7-on-7, or sleds]; weights shift to high intensity of 6 sets of 2-6 rep’s).
Micro-analyzing Tyrone Swoopes and Jerrod Heard’s performances, or dissecting which freshmen are scrimmaging well isn’t what July is about for Texas football. To suggest that decisions are being made about the two deep roster goes against the idea of competing in August preseason practices. We’re told the team is doing better than it was at time last year, and that the coaches and the players are looking forward to open competition next month.
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Texas freshman hoopster Kerwin Roach has been on campus for a little over a month and sources are telling us it is quite evident he's going to fit in nicely with new head coach Shaka Smart's style of play. While Roach is still learning the offense, he told HornSports he’s feeling good about making the jump from high school to the college ranks:
"Everything is going smooth... I'm making the transition really good. The team and I get along real good."
On his relationship with Shaka Smart, Roach says he is already very comfortable with Smart's philosophy on and off the court:
"Coach Smart is a dude you can really trust and know that he is going to have your back.â€
The Horns open the 2015-2016 season against Washington in Shanghai, China on live TV (ESPN). Don't be surprised to see Roach on the court at some point during the game.
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Regis Jesuit (Aurora, CO) tight end Jack Stoll committed to the Nebraska Cornhuskers last week. Stoll’s pledge caught Texas fans off guard - many thought Tight Ends Coach Jeff Traylor had Stoll close to being a "lock" for a Texas commitment.
With Stoll and Irv Smith off the board, the Longhorns are focused to the east to find a tight end that will break a lack of production at the position. Texas is full throttle on Smith’s teammate, Brother Martin’s (New Orleans, LA) Peyton Aucoin.
The Louisiana duo was offered scholarships back in April, and Smith committed to Texas A&M. Aucoin, who previously told HornSports that Texas was "definitely one of his top schools," narrowed his choices to Texas and Florida.
Aucoin told us several days ago that he will not be attending the Under the Lights Camp next weekend. Even though he will not make the trip, Aucoin says he wants to make a decision before Brother Martin’s season starts and he reiterated Texas is still very much in consideration with him.
The rumor mill surrounding a possible commitment from Aucoin is in full swing. UT would love to get him on campus once more before he makes his decision, but we’re hearing that UT coaches like their position with Aucoin regardless. Buckle up...we’ve all seen how the tight end position has a knack for thwarting plans.
