Barking Carnival - All Posts

Longhorn Nate Boyer: Big 12 Sportsman of The Year

2013-06-18T18:19:42Z

While we all celebrate the joyful, but ultimately inconsequential, bread and circus of college athletics, Texas Longhorn football walk-on Nate Boyer is handling other tasks like defending the free world, preserving civilization, and fighting for the country.

All while perfecting his other passion: winging a tight spiral between his legs from 40 feet into the eye of a dragonfly in front of 100,000 screaming fans.

For those reasons, and many others, Nate Boyer was named the Big 12 Sportsperson of the Year.

Moved by the attacks on 9-11, Nate joined the military at age 20, busted his ass to earn selection to the United States Special Forces (he's a Green Beret), and served the country in a number of operating theaters - some known - Darfur, Iraq, Israel; others less so - earning a Bronze Star along the way.

While overseas, Nate became enamored of Texas Football, vowed to play for the Longhorns despite not having played high school football (his high school didn't field a team - California, man), and he eventually walked on at Texas at age 29 while earning his degree as a full-time student, still serving out his commitment in the reserves. After an assessment of his physical gifts, the 5-11, 190 pound Boyer decided that deep snapper was his best chance to get on the field and he spent his free time on deployment whipping footballs to puzzled fellow soldiers.

Boyer has since earned a scholarship, along with the affectionate nicknames Grandpa, America, Army, and Old Man from his teammates, and was selected to the Academic All-Big 12 Team after earning a 4.0 GPA (he graduated from Texas in May, missing his commencement while on active duty overseas).

Not surprisingly, when he was awarded the 2012 Disney Spirit Award at the Home Depot College Football Awards Banquet, he used his guest ticket allotment not for family or friends, but to bring soldiers from the Wounded Warriors Project to the ceremony.

And it that's not enough for you to like him, his favorite show is Eastbound and Down.

#37 will be proudly carrying the American flag in our home opener against New Mexico State.

Please do Nate, us, and yourself a favor by dropping Boyer a line on his Twitter account and offering your congratulations and thanks. For his service. For his sacrifice. For his generosity of spirit. For living outside the wire. For standing guard so that we can lead our lives and enjoy a college football Saturday.

Thank you, Nate. Hook 'em.

THE ONLY THING NECESSARY FOR THE TRIUMPH OF EVIL IS FOR GOOD MEN TO DO NOTHING

Catching up with TJ Ford

2013-06-17T22:09:35Z

I was catching up with TJ recently about what he's working on and the most immediate thing is this:

Just two more days...Texas Top 60 Camp in H-Town!!! @tj_ford @TXboysbasketbal @RcsSports #TexasTop60Camp pic.twitter.com/U56vbZFlr2
— TJFordBasketball (@TJFORDBA11) June 17, 2013

We're going to do more cool stuff with TJ in the future but we (Bean, Tjarks, Scip and I) wanted to quickly get a few questions his way and get caught up on this event and get his thoughts on a few other things. We'll do be doing more in depth things later but here's a quick hitter for you.

On TJ Ford Basketball:

It's a player development training program that teaches kids and pro athletes to become a better players and better people. We try to cover all aspects of the game, from the mental to the physical. Our approach is actually teaching life skills through basketball, instilling in our athletes the values of hard-work and self-discipline. We feel like these things carry over. Teaching the proper approach to improving both individual skills as well as team concepts ultimately builds self-esteem and prepares them for college and beyond.

On TJ Ford Elite (AAU):

I wanted to give back to the community that provided a way for me. These kids are the future so it's important to me to be involved every step of the way. I've got a great staff around me including guys like my high school coach Ronnie Courtney and NBA veteran James Posey. I've always felt a need to give the kids help and honest advice about their basketball ability. This is why we go back to self-discipline and work ethic. We want these kids to go further in life on whatever path they end up on because the NBA is huge long-shot for most.

Our mentality for our teams is to prepare them for college - getting in, staying in, competing, etc. We are committed to putting our kids in a more professional mindset early. We feel like we can give them an advantage by using our experience from both college and the NBA.

On the Texas Top 60 Camp:

This was a concept that I wish I'd had in my high school years - a camp with all the top players in the state. The players were selected by my staff and Alan Branch (txboysbasketball). They are all kids considered as the top players at each position. We're going to provide these young athletes with a fantastic experience featuring hand-ons interaction at a variety of stations working on different aspects of the game and different positions. The teaching will be done by NBA guys like Royal Ivey , James Posey, Mo Taylor, Moochie Norris, Terrence Morris, Mario Elie, Daniel Ewing, Reggie Butler, Stephen Jackson, Fred Jones, Mo Peterson, Chuck Hayes, Andre Barrett, and Bobby Simmons.

On playing in the NBA:

There is a huge difference between college and the NBA. In the NBA you play against the very best every single night. The pace and the tempo and players' athleticism just sets it apart. The combination of size with power and strength and quickness is a real jump. These are the best athletes in the world - there's no easy night. In college the atmosphere is different, the audience is younger so there is often more excitement and passion and that makes college so fun and free. In college the pressure is more on the coaches than the players.

On playing point guard, coaching:

Point guard is the most important position on the court because he controls the game. I think you can help guys become solid PGs but you can't make anybody great. Greatness is special because it's born.

I do enjoy watching ex NBA players transition into coaching because we have a lot of knowledge and experience to share and I think point guards by nature and experience are often well suited to leading teams. If you go into coaching after an NBA career, it's a true love of the game.

On in coming PG Isaiah Taylor, Rick Barnes:

My advice to Isaiah Taylor is to build a strong bond with Coach Barnes. Learn to understand him both on and off the court. The relationship is the key thing with him. He's a coach's coach and a tough-love guy but when he loves you, he's all in.

Rick Barnes was a huge part of my success. He saw something in me that was bigger than basketball. He told me at age 18 if I came to Texas, I would make history and change the culture in Texas and make it COOL to come to the University of Texas to play. I believed every word he said and my dream came true. Now it's my turn to go to work to positively effect lives.

Buh-Bye, Bubba

2013-06-17T21:54:46Z

Bubba Thornton is retiring as the head coach of Men's Track & Field at Texas, effective August 31st.

Texas will then move to restructure into a unified Men's and Women's Track integrated program. The efficiencies and savings from the move should allow the Longhorns to free the money sufficient to hire a prominent replacement.

Thornton spent 18 years at Texas (coaching 31 years in all) and led the Longhorns to 12 conference titles. During his reign, Texas produced 26 different individual NCAA champions. He was also the coach of the 2008 Men's Olympic Team. Despite these honors, there are some who believe that the Track & Field program was underachieving nationally relative to its potential and that a new integrated structure is needed to revitalize the program.

Don't be surprised if Texas A&M's Pat Henry gets a phone call.

Or Florida's Mike Holloway.

2013 Texas Basketball Transfers - Sheldon McCLellan to Miami; Joseph Young to Texas?

2013-06-17T17:34:54Z

Sheldon McClellan has made official his long-rumored transfer to Miami, where I'm sure he'll find focus for his game on the sands of South Beach. I'm very curious to see how Sheldon does as a part of Jim Larranega's transfer-rich Hurricane team. If he flourishes, it can only reflect poorly on the case for Rick Barnes. If he doesn't, I'm sure the Texas staff will offer Larranega their sympathies.

However, there is the chance that the Longhorns could pull out a win in transfer musical chairs with the news that standout junior-to-be shooting guard Joseph Young of Houston is considering the Longhorns after his father, Michael, was reassigned within the Cougar athletic department. The elder Young objected and bolted, the younger Young followed, and now they're testing the transfer waters.

Together.

Implied in the transfer is the possibility that the recipient program would need to make provisions for the elder Young somewhere in their basketball staff. And the primary competition for Young appears to be Baylor, where Scott Drew has demonstrated a willingness to hire just about anyone to raise the talent level in Waco.

Dwon Clifton agrees.

It may be worth it, though.

Young is a pure shooting guard with a legitimate stroke out to 23 feet, is deceptively quick, an instant starter, if not a potential star, wherever he lands. A 6-3 athlete who averaged 18 a game last year while shooting 42% from the 3 point line and 87% from the free throw stripe. And his game grew markedly from his freshman to sophomore year after a redshirt season.

Texas fans saw Young show his wares against the Longhorns in the Grand Olde CBI tournament to the tune of 18 points, 5 assists, 1 turnover in only 29 minutes of play. And there's no doubt that a defense heavy 2014-2015 Longhorn basketball team could use an efficient potential 18-20 ppg scorer on the roster.

2014 Texas Longhorns Football Recruiting Overview

2013-06-14T20:04:25Z

The 2014 class has been a curious one to watch, taking on characteristics we haven't seen from a Mack Brown Texas recruiting class in well over a decade. The conventional wisdom is that we were beaten to the punch on super early - borderline neo-natal - recruiting (not to be confused with regular 'ol early recruiting, a space Mack Brown essentially defined, pioneered, and innovated in the 1990s) and that we struggled to catch up. The groundwork simply wasn't established, and this is the punishment for late adoption.

I don't doubt that analysis, and largely agree with it, but it's a contingent point that may ignore the larger truth; specifically, the larger backdrop of Texas decline. Both real and perceived. The late erosion of the 2013 class speaks to the truth of this.

If Texas had been 10-3 or 11-2 over the last three seasons, the landscape would still largely respond to our timelines even if A&M, LSU, Alabama and OU were offering 8th graders. A healthy Texas begins most races from a set of blocks ten meters in front of the field. And making up ground usually meant soothing the recruit's ego over our early hard-to-get act. But take a three year profile featuring an 11-15 record in Big 12 play, absurd humiliations at the hands of OU, another year of the SEC cementing its perception as the only league that matters, and throw in an emergent, charismatic A&M program rising in the East ("charismatic" and "Aggie", usually paired about as often as human resources employee and "sharp, go-getter") and the punishment for late adoption is swift and savage.

A strong Texas dictates markets. A weak Texas is subject to them. And the optimistic early returns for neo-natal 2015 recruiting, though encouraging, will fall apart if on-field results don't marry to the "Texas is back" narrative.

But I want to stick with 2014...because I think there are some interesting learning points, positives, and regrettable discontinuities in our current approach. It defines our transition from old to new.

List courtesy of Orangebloods.

Committed - Not Yet Signed
Name	Pos	Location	Ht	Wt	40	Stars	Rivals Rating	Committed	Videos
Jermaine Roberts	DB	New Orleans, LASt. Augustine	5'9"	170	4.4	3 stars	5.7		7 videos
Jake McMillon	DE	Abilene, TXAbilene	6'3"	240		3 stars	5.6	4/1/13	1 video
Derick Roberson	DE	San Antonio, TXBrennan	6'3"	225		4 stars	5.9	8/2/12	2 videos
Sione Teuhema	DE	Keller, TXKeller	6'4"	215		3 stars	5.5	5/30/13	1 video
Courtney Garnett	DT	New Orleans, LASt. Augustine	6'2"	280		3 stars	5.5	4/7/13	3 videos
Trey Lealaimatafao	DT	San Antonio, TXWarren	6'2"	301	5.0	3 stars	5.7	3/31/13	2 videos
Otaro Alaka	LB	Houston, TXCypress Falls	6'3"	210		4 stars	5.8	4/8/13	2 videos
Andrew Beck	LB	Tampa, FLPlant	6'3"	230		3 stars	5.7	4/9/13	1 video
Cameron Hampton	LB	Dallas, TXCarter	6'0"	201	4.5	3 stars	5.7		3 videos
Terrell Cuney	OL	Jasper, TXJasper	6'3"	260		3 stars	5.6	3/30/13
Jerrod Heard	QB	Denton, TXGuyer	6'1"	193		4 stars	5.9	8/14/12	8 videos
Donald Catalon	RB	Houston, TXEisenhower	6'0"	200		4 stars	5.8	8/3/12	2 videos
Roderick Bernard	WR	Houston, TXSharpstown	5'10"	175		3 stars	5.6	1/30/13	1 video
Garrett Gray	WR	Marble Falls, TXMarble Falls	6'5"	205	4.6	3 stars	5.5	6/10/13	1 video
Lorenzo Joe	WR	Abilene, TXAbilene Cooper	6'2"	192	4.6	4 stars	5.8	8/2/12	3 videos
Dorian Leonard	WR	Longview, TXLongview	6'4"	200	4.6	3 stars	5.7	6/13/13	2 videos

Overview

Texas has 16 commits in a class that will likely go to 22-25. If you're a stargazer, 11 of the Texas commits are 3 stars, 5 are 4 stars, according to Rivals (not that substantially different elsewhere). While our aggregate ranking is 4th in the country, on a per player basis, Texas is ranked 25th. In other words, our perceived quality significantly lags a typical Texas haul, much less our desired peer group. With about 70% of the hay already in the barn. Either Texas finishes with a considerable bang, or we're looking at one of the lowest quality recruiting classes - as least as defined by recruitniks and current perception - since Brown's inaugural class, when he was trying to get warm bodies as much as land studs.

For further context, Mark Stoops at Kentucky, who also has 16 commits, has a higher per athlete star average than Texas (3.33 to 3.31). Commonwealth Stadium is a wonderful old school venue and Lexington is a pleasant enough place, but we're talking about a basketball school, the dregs of the SEC, fresh off of a 2-10 record (0-8 in the SEC). That's a cold slap of reality.

As well as a reminder how receptive recruits are to vitality, a hopeful story-to-tell, and an authentic sense of excitement.

Other schools ranked above Texas with 8+ commitments (my arbitrary cut off line for mid-June meaningfulness; 1/3rd of a full class) include Vanderbilt, Tennessee, Auburn, Clemson, and Miami. Auburn and Tennessee are puzzling recruiting leaders given their recent shakiness, but they're at least real programs. But, good God - Miami? The Miami about to go on probation averaging 30K attendance at home games? And Vanderbilt?

Hopeful fans and coaches like to sell three star recruits as perfect system fits or high ceiling athletes. The famous three stars of years past are well known to all Longhorn fans, ranging from Colt McCoy, to the beloved Acho brothers, to Brian Orakpo.

More often, they're also the guys you took because your rivals stole your milk money. Or you did a terrible job of evaluation. Or your decaying program is giving off the musty smell of Gran's Vix Vapo-Rub scented housecoat. Or it's the best you can do with current resources.

How do we define this 2014 class?

Positives

- Several of the guys we have committed are demonstrably high ceiling prospects, at least from my viewing of junior highlight film on HUDL. Few obvious Big-System high school program already maxed-out types. I'll take raw, lean, hyper, and athletic every time. I haven't yet been able to identify the LB who is guaranteed to switch to FB and never see the field, the tweener WR/TE destined to eat orange slices for four years, or the DT with an eating disorder, Texas archetypes I can usually spot every year with uncanny accuracy. Maybe I'm not looking hard enough.

- Our staff is aggressively doing its own evals. And legitimately putting in the work. I like that we're not operating with a blind adherence to reputation and recruiting rankings. They're guidelines, not road maps. I think these are heartfelt evals. That doesn't mean they're good. But I don't think they are lazy.

- For the most part, I can see a fairly clear vision in how and why this guy fits what we're doing. Even if that vision is not ultimately fulfilled, that's vastly preferable to me than the random talent acquisition model in years past (I'm looking at you TE, LB, WR, OL was a travesty, RB) where we just randomly threw darts at guys with four stars (or did our dart landing cause the four star ranking?) and declared the class talented. Bill Snyder runs a yearly seminar on the importance of matching the player to the job. I think we're recruiting with that in mind.

- I like the current headliners quite a bit - Roberson, Heard, Alaka. And Catalon seems to fit our slashing inside zone/draw direction nicely.

Question Marks

- There are a handful of puzzling takes. If you're going to take class filler, wait until late January when we've exhausted all other options. Are we're still trying to create scholarship scarcity with marginal takes to force the decision of the coveted recruits (a Brown tactic since arriving here)? If so, that demonstrates a complete misunderstanding of the current power dynamics. It's not 2005.

- The state of Texas is loaded with exceptional 2014 DB prospects. Given our history and the seniority of our current starters, this should be an easy pitch. We have one commit from a reasonably promising prospect in Louisiana. That's a problem.

- The state of Texas is loaded with exceptional DE prospects. We only have one of them.

- We have four WR commitments. None of them are considered the top guy in their respective position, though I have far more confidence in Darryl Wyatt than prior decision makers. 3 of the 4 are big body receivers, where we've done nothing but strike out since Limas Sweed. Those takes also presage the future for a few current big body WRs on campus, as well as suggest the likelihood of our landing a 2014 consensus elite. We may well be done here.

- We can afford to go light on OL given 2013 and the prospects for 2015, but I never like taking fewer than 3. If it's weak in-state, why aren't we beating down more OOS bushes?

- I'd classify nearly half of the current class as guys I'd be happy to wait on or we could circle back in on later if better options were exhausted. And if we lost them altogether, I think we could find replacement level options. Maybe our staff believes several of the big potential fish aren't taking bait and we've moved on. However, if we believe that we do have a chance with several of them, we're being tactically foolish. What if Phil Steele and the Football Outsiders are right and Texas pulls off a 12-1 or 11-2 type of season? Don't we want some breathing room for late coups?

- Volume recruiting. Throwing 18 three stars and 7 four stars a year at talent acquisition does work if you have a system built for it. Specifically, the ability to quickly and efficiently turn over your roster with medicals and forced transfers when those projects don't pan. And you need a good developmental system - both Xs and Os, individual skill coaching, and S&C. See Oklahoma State. I'm not convinced we can check all of those boxes, for a variety of reasons. Broadly speaking, Texas has to land high numbers of high quality recruits. We've simply not demonstrated the potential (or culture) for program churn or consistent enough internal development at a few key position groups.

Could it all be different now? Sure. But there's no precedent.

Conclusion

While I think some of the things we're doing in the 2014 class are desirable, if not laudable, from a player-role fit perspective and in terms of matching college football's direction, I don't think it's married to a complete understanding of how those parts interact with 2014 state of Texas class strengths/weaknesses or acknowledge the realities of new power relationships, program perception, or allowing the potential for fully exploiting the possibility for a strong on-field 2013. In short, this is a transitional class, demonstrating a head coach still struggling to adapt to a new landscape and new ways of thinking about talent acquisition and development. A landscape that he used to almost singlehandedly define.

I welcome your thoughts.

New Buffalo Bills WR Marquise Goodwin on beginning NFL career, dream Oscars date

2013-06-12T18:28:52Z

Buffalo Rumblings.

UT Board of Regents In-Fighting Picks Up Again

2013-06-12T18:18:35Z

Well, that didn't take long.

After members of the legislature and the UT System Board of Regents engaged in a war of words, events seemed to have calmed down as the legislative session wound to a close.

However, a member of the UT System Board of Regents is once again digging into the past of UT President Williams Powers. Regent Wallace Hall has filed an open records act asking for any and all relevant documents all the way down to post-it notes.

Hall wants to continue his investigation into Powers time as Law Dean and how he worked with the University of Texas Law School Foundation on its "forgivable" loan system.

During the legislative session, lawmakers and members of the Board clashed over this and other items, and it was thought that an agreement was reached in April that the Board of Regents would ask the State Attorney General's Office to handle an investigation into the law school's foundation.

Hall has other ideas.

His information request covers all current members of the Texas House, Texas Senate, any current or former member of Congress, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, all founding members of the Texas Coalition for Excellence in Higher Education, or law school foundation board members.

Two regents, Robert Stillwell and Steven Hicks, have publicly blasted Hall's request. Hicks called Hall's request an "abuse of power.

Stillwell, in an email to UT System Board of Regents Chairman Gene Powell, agreed and added:

"One aspect of the matter that has concerned me is our continued public reliance on "fiduciary duty " as an excuse for most anything and everything. I have practiced corporate law 50 years and have dealt with fiduciary duty cases and issues many, many times in advising corporate boards and directors. There is nothing in the fiduciary duty law or lore that trumps abuse of power or authority or excuses poor governance practices. Common sense, good judgment, discretion, fairness and a level playing field will ALWAYS prevail. There is similarly no excuse or cover provided for personal agendas or vindictive actions. "

Stillwell then finished with this:

"I think we all deserve better than what is happening. For better or worse, we are all affected as Regents and as a Board by official ( or even unofficial ) actions by each one of us. Often that can be reflected glory. But not always.

We can and should do better. It is really not that hard."

While Hall filed this request as a public citizen, he still wants to have any financial costs that come with the request to be waived.

"Because this request is made on behalf of a member of the UT System Board of Regents, we ask that you waive the assessment and collection of fees, if any, associated with responding to the request."

The new APR Rankings are out and Texas Football...Wait.

2013-06-11T22:55:23Z

About this time last year, Scip reported on the APR rankings being out and was less than pleased with Texas' performance.

Well, the report is out again this year (official report) and here are some breakdowns from Brett McMurphy's Twitter feed.

All the same caveats and allowances apply. APR is maybe a goofy way to do this, etc. But it looks like football is last at Texas again. The same post as last year basically applies again. Go read it.

Oh well, our APR may be down, but our EA Sports ratings are up!