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 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***
Deionte Thompson, the #7 ranked player in the HornSports Top 50 is a solid commit to Alabama. He gave Nick Saban a verbal pledge way back in February. But according to a team source, that hasn’t stopped the Texas coaches from pursuing the dynamic Safety prospect.
Thompson plays Wide Receiver in addition to Safety for West Orange Stark and Charlie Strong loves players that can, and will, play multiple positions. Many analysts think Thompson is the state’s best 2-way player and he backed it up in WOS’ first game with a touchdown reception on offense and an interception on defense.
Signing day is a long way off and evidently the defensive staff has made enough of an impression on Thompson that he’s planning to visit Austin this Fall. It will take a Herculean effort to pull Thompson from ‘Bama, but if he comes to town for a game and the defense plays like they did against North Texas…
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An Ex D-1 player had a couple of observations about Saturday night’s thrashing of North Texas:
“The Texas defensive coaches realized the UNT passing game wasn’t a threat and then opened up the playbook. They called some crazy stunts, blitzes, twists…for example, there were at least three "0 blitzes" (rushing 7 against 5 or 6 blockers).â€
“I feel that the defensive system in place is *much* more complicated than the offensive system.â€
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At least one source lacks the confidence of the coaching staff. Regarding the BYU game, he said, “If David Ash and Dom Espinosa are out, then BYU won't be a pretty game.â€
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It was the first game of the season and the team and coaches made a big impression on a big group of recruits that were on-hand for the first game of the Charlie Strong era. We were told that 20 recruits were in town for the game and it sounds like a solid mix of players – 4 current Texas commitments, 2 2015 players, a whopping 13 2016 kids, and one 2017 recruit for good measure.
One of the more interesting names off the list of visitors is Hunter Herndon. A tight end prospect from Forney (North Forney HS), Herndon has been committed to the Rice Owls since March. That didn’t stop OU from offering him a scholarship in early August and the Texas coaches are leaving no stones unturned as they try to bump up the quality of the position in Austin.
It doesn’t look like Herndon left town with a scholarship offer, but he’s a name to watch. Texas will take a TE in this class and once they evaluate a few more names, expect them to go full bore after the one they decide to pursue.
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We caught up with Tristian Houston after the game to ask how the gameday experience was, “It was really great and a great experience to see what it's like in Austin on game days.â€
Houston is a good commitment to have on-hand for games. He’s very personable and was undoubtedly doing some recruiting with all the prospects on hand.
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We checked in with an ex-college position coach for some perspective on the Texas defense and did we ever strike gold.
“That defensive line has a chance to be the best in the school’s history. Yes, I said in the history of the program – as in best ever.â€
One of the most interesting revelations he shared had to do with the DL’s upside. According to him there’s almost unlimited potential from the group because based on what he saw against North Texas, “It was such a mismatch that we haven’t seen their top effort yet.â€
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Two things stood out to us as we collected thoughts on Ash’s injury from players throughout Monday afternoon…
- The first is that players are talking like Ash’s absence is permanent. The official word is that Ash will be evaluated this week. Either the players know something we don’t or they see the writing on the wall.
- The second impression is that none of the players seemed worried about the team – instead all are worried about Ash like a brother.
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One of our best team sources told us that the coaching staff was not at all surprised by the team’s performance against North Texas. “It was more like they were vindicated. They knew what this team is capable of doing and they were really excited to see them start believing in themselves.â€
One other note, the same guy said, “Plus it’s not like the coaches were pleased for themselves. They are genuinely happy for the guys. There doesn’t seem to be an ounce of self-pride in this staff.â€
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You likely saw numerous comparisons on Monday between Case McCoy’s effort in 2013 and Tyrone Swoopes’ this year. A lot of ‘If Case did it last year, then why not Tyrone this year?’
It sounded plausible until we started talking to people close to the team. Three different conversations can be summed up by this quote, “Last year, everyone was worried about how McCoy could get better. This year, everyone is worrying about how they can get better, themselves. Everyone is talking what can they do to help the team win instead of what the backup quarterback has to do.â€
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Eric Davis, a shooting guard from Saginaw, MI, visited Austin this weekend. Being that close to Michigan State and being recruited by Tom Izzo has had the Spartans as the favorite to land Davis for months. As we’ve often seen with football recruits, one visit to campus can change that.
Such was the case this weekend with Davis according to someone close to him. In fact, Rick Barnes and the team made such an impression that our source told us that Texas basically pulled even with MSU.
We’ll check in with Davis in a few weeks and see if the excitement has worn off from his trip.
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We talked with one of the recruits that was in Austin for the North Texas game about his impression of the Horns’ performance. Here’s how it looked to a young man that holds an offer from UT, but is not a commitment, “The defensive line was dominant as was the secondary. I think the offense need some work, but I know they will get better.â€
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