Russell Gaskamp Award Nominees

Is Ishie finally healthy? The last two years there has been talk about him going on a medical ‘ship.
Ben Alexander could have a big year. He has been a fairly solid role player.
I’m not in any position to complain about anybody. I didn’t make All-Conference when I was there either.

Not a senior, but I’ll go with Blaine Irby. I was impressed with his performance until his knee got hurt. I think he could be huge if he comes back 100%.

I don’t know that Bailey is eligible. He’s made some big kicks in the past. I was surprised when Lawrence beat him out this past year as FG kicker, but you know what? If you won’t let the kicking job be competed for in practice,what job will you let be open (thought- Lawrence could have gotten the ST Gaskamp this year, and Ogbannaya the offensive Gaskamp)?

Often, the Gaskamp award goes to a guy we turn to because, well, we don’t really have anybody else who is an obvious choice, so we might as well see what they can do. Greg Brown (DB from ‘99 and ’00) is a good example. That’s why I’m going with Alexander. The alternative to playing him is going with freshmen. The opportunity is there for him.

Blake Gideon.

Just kidding.

Ben Alexander for sure. And Mac McWhorter could just own TE this fall.

Sherrod Harris. Let’s hope, however, he doesn’t get the chance.

If he does ANYTHING, like make a tackle or not get called for interference, it’d have to be Deon. Most of us are so down on him we’d need caterpillar-cam to get his picture.

My nominee is Colt McCoy. After floundering for his first four years on campus (couldn’t beat out Vince as a freshman, had to redshirt) he’ll finally realize his massive athletic potential that WE ALL saw at Tuscola Jim Ned.

Nominee #2: Trevor Gerland makes Sammy Baugh look like a retarted five year old with polio while leading the SWC, I mean Big 12, with a 78.4 yards per punt average. Trevor goes on to win 5 golds in track at the NCAA’s..

Listen, how can you put together a list like this and not present us with Marcus Wilkins as one of your primary examples? That is a travesty. Oh man.

I will grease my buttocks in napalm and light my crotch-eral region on fire if Ben Alexander has any kind of impact on the team next year.

I don’t see a senior on the roster with a shot. They are either playing, or they won’t play at all. I don’t think Bailey can count,as someone above points out. No one is really down on him and he’s had big impacts previously.

My best guess is Josh Marshall. He’s yet to play much at all and we need a TE or flex TE to step up. If Grant does it, great. Seems like Marshall might as well.

Ha.

Gentle Ben Alexander is poised to have a break out year after posting one tackle per every two pounds gained during his stay in Austin. Using this weight gained to production ratio, Ryan palmer will be preparing for the NFL combine as a 486 lbs cornerback.

I thought this was called the Brandon Healy award.

I’d put Brian Carter on this list.

Marcus Wilkins never had that breakout year at Texas, even as a senior. He saved it for the NFL.

from older times, the receiver Jeremy Jones (’99) comes to mind.

The Marcus Wilkins mention was a hateful prank, TTR.

I thought Brian White (WR) did a pretty good job coming out of nowhere to help us beat Nebraska back in the day.

Bryan with a “Y”. Senior on the ’98 team with Gaskamp.

Some background on ctj’s Marcus Wilkins jibe:
 
I came back from summer practice having watched Wilkins in his new role as a situational pass rusher and predicted that he would amass many sacks for us and become a key 3rd down rusher. He was dominating people every day and he looked like our most athletic LB. Which he was…
 
The season came around and Wilkins remained buried on the bench.
 
I was mocked.
 
Then he went and had a lengthy NFL career having never started a game at Texas.
 
Then I was mocked less.
 
Yes, Brian Carter and Brandon Healy are both members of this list. As is Jeremy Jones (remember, a distance traveled). I only hit the biggest contributors.
 
If Five Foot Ten Ben Alexander offer us anything this year, I’ll eat my hat. I’m convinced that had we never played Brandon Kennedy at North Texas, he never gets a ’ship offer.

When I mock Marcus Wilkins, I mock the notion at the time that he was going to leap ahead of other guys on the depth chart who had been starting for a while. Specifically, I laughed openly at the idea of him playing ahead of Tyrone Jones. Jones sucked, very hard, but he and Rawls were the OLBs and Mack Brown doesn’t allow most starters to get jumped, irrespective of the reasoning.

I remember after the 2000 Holiday Bowl I was leaving the Texadelphia on Westheimer in Houston with SLX, Bragg, and myriad other buffoons. SLX honestly believed that that would be the last time we watched DD Lewis start at MLB. I laughed hard and bet him on it. He still owes me $10 for his buffoonery. Bragg proceeded to get sued by Texadelphia for kicking one of their support walls down as Oregon won the game.

beowulf, about 6+ years later, honestly believed that Bobino, because he was getting snaps in the spring at FB, would not be the starting MLB going into the 2007 season. I understand layering hope onto expectations, but time and again, Brown has shown he is not going to do it.

Anyway, that is something of a non sequitur rant, but it is hard to pass up the opportunity to make fun of people for stuff like this, led by the Marcus Wilkins pining. Oh man.

In regard to Alexander, I remain convinced that somehow realtexmex and diehard cornered Brown at a Dallas alumni function and brainwashed him into believing the greatness of Brandon Kennedy, therefore Alexander later appeared as a must have.

I don’t call out ctj’s private acts of stupidity publically because I am a CLASSY BLOGGER. Which is even superior to CLASSY FAN.

If Five Foot Ten Ben Alexander offer us anything this year, I’ll eat my hat.

Hey, you said wildest musings…

I have been rooting for it to be Ben for at least two years, but it won’t be him. I hope he goes to class and graduates. Kudos to whomever pulled out the Brandon Healy reference. FWIW I do not put Jeremy Jones on the list. Poor James Brown was bereft of WR talent in ’97, and our CBs were overmatched in ’08. God bless Mr. Jones, but he was part of both position groups.

We are in real trouble at DT next year . . .

Yeah, I really hope one of Jarvis Humphrey or Kheeston Randall step up cause I dont see Alexander being the guy.

Don’t forget that Reed Boyd started alongside Jones and Rawls. What do you think Wilkins would have done at OU?

Jeremy Jones is a filmmaker now here in Austin. I know, who isn’t … good kid though. He’ll always have the Baylor game.

And regarding Scip’s theory on Kennedy, I think Mack just liked his nickname more than anything.

We gotta get us one a them 1-tech bowling balls named Booger to clog up the middle, eh Cleve?

I agree coach. There is a kid from Carolina the SEC schools are all over that fits the bill.

Go get’em. You know how much I love my week fishing in Carolina every year. Sure he’s under 6 feet? Over 300 lbs?

He’s your next Casey Hampton.

I shall call him Ben Alexander.

No shit, coach! That’s the kid’s real name.

May he have the stature of Ben Franklin and Alexander Hamilton’s integrity.

Uh … Coach, Hamilton cheated on his wife and died in a duel with Aaron Burr.

Bring Burr back from Carolina with you.

That was funny, Vasherized.
 
Groundhog, I think OU would have…coached him?

Ishie Awshucks is the only one with a realistic chance to win this award. Assuming he hasn’t already thrown in the towel, having injured his shoulder 3 times within 30 plays over the last 3 years. He hits hard, he just doesnt cover Nate Swift very well. Is NU on the schedule next year?

Wildest musing?

Check it: Clark Frederick Ford III – senior “preferred” walk-on DB aka “whothafuckisnumber24?” during the Baylor game.

Recorded 23 stolen bases his senior year. Volunteered at Special Olympics. Loves Denzell and BET. No rotator cuff or should injuries.

It all adds up to a breakout season.

Bow,
Ishie’s career peaked with Rivals Highlight Reel 2. The Oduegwu and Orakpo families are not on speaking terms.

Scip,

There are many questions I would like to ask Mack, but at the forefront would be how the hell did he not play Wilkins? It’s not like we had 3 Derrick Johnsons in front of him. Reed f’ink boyd along with Jones and Rawls. Unreal.

Russell Carter.

Not a Senior, but during the bowl practices Orakpo said that he was going to blow up this spring and we’d know about him.

I saw him at practice and he bears a striking resemblence to a lighter Orakpo.

Where is this Reed Boyd stuff coming from? The linebacking corps at the time was Rawls, Jones, and Lewis. The biggest travesty wasn’t Marcus Wilkins, but Derrick Johnson. The guy played BEHIND Rawls and Jones. It was absurd and sad.

I stand corrected, CTJ. Thanks for pointing that out. I guess the two years that Reed Boyd started for us starting in 2002 seemed like 10.

I realize that the signing of the TC 4 was a big mental lift for the program, but can anyone else think of another group in any of Mack’s classes that were built up more and delivered less than Rawls- Jones – Anderson?

Amazingly, Tre Allen might be in line for this award next year. After Antwan Kirk-Hughes, Allen is probably our most highly esteemed OL signee in the Mack Brown era

Garnett Smith

Anyone not named Beasley.

Without conceding that any of the Gaskamp Award eligible seniors has a great chance of having a real impact, I think Beasley has the best chance of those listed.

Here’s my rationale: Beasley’s major fault is his lack of physicality. He’s got the quicks and he understands the game well enough, he just won’t hit and won’t wrap up, and that’s the primary reason he’s gotten dogged the last couple of years.

Now, I can respect any observer who holds that if Beasley hasn’t displayed sufficient huevos by the end of his junior year, he won’t grow a pair now. That’s a reasonable position. But we’ve seen recent examples of initially less than intimidating DBs at Texas who developed into very good tacklers (albeit not near this late in their collegiate careers). Both Ross and Huff came in thin and a bit timid about putting their hat on anyone, but they learned to come up and strike and to wrap up. If Beasley can do that, he may show something his senior year.

Of course, there’s the matter of getting playing time over Chykie, who should start the season on one side, and either Cu. Brown or Williams on the other side. No small feat, granted, but he’s got the spring and fall practices, and the rotation ought to be pretty dynamic no matter who starts, so he should have a chance to show it if he’s grown a penchant for getting physical.

As for Ryan Bailey, I agree with earlier posters that his career trajectory hasn’t been that of a Gaskamp candidate. Too much success.

TKO,

One small difference between Beasley and Huff and Ross. Neither Ross or Huff waited until their senior seasons to start tackling people.

It is ironic that his best game of the season might have been against the most physical receiver in the Big 12.

Good point, JAG. I thought about that distinction, too, and noted it in my first post.

Frankly, I have no idea if Beasley is likely to develop a pair in his last year or not, but the reason I’m hopeful is Akina. No matter what one thinks of any other facet of his coaching, Akina definitely emphasizes physicality in his DBs. Muschamp’s influence only augments that emphasis.

Beasley’s also had to watch while younger, more aggressive teammates have eclipsed him, so I’m hoping he steps up to the challenge and starts putting his hat on people. If he does, he could turn out to be a decent DB.