Johnathan Gray Commits to Texas

If you haven’t watched film of Gray, do so. Even ransom eeyore expressed genuine excitement on the ’Cosm open thread.

Best running back from Texas since Peterson.

Longhorn Scott should have 4600 words explaining how we plan to use him a year and half from now up by 8 a.m.

I hope one of his legs doesn’t turn out to be longer than the other.

So Vasherized IS Tipsy! I KNEW it.

Nice pick up. Congrats.

Josh,

No, I dont live out of a van by the ship channel. Tipsy’s post had been in draft for weeks.

Kennedy Estelle? Come on down…

Oh, this is nice. I think we can put the rest the concerns about 2010 having a negative effect on recruiting, but goddam we had better win at least 10 games in 2011 or we certainly will start to see some issues. Once is a hiccup, twice is a pattern.

Not when you have six new coaches. Do you fire all of the new guys because we went 8-4 or 9-5?

Hell no.

Damn, it’s nice to have some running backs that wouldn’t struggle to start at Austin High.

This should make great use of my Benson 32 home jersey, formerly:

1) Undefeated when appearing at a game (2009 NC Game)

2) Undefeated at home (2010 UCLA)

3) Uncried upon (2010 KSU)

Nice pickup.

I think a mistake some are making is that Texas got this commitment because “Texas is Texas”. There is some truth, but what can’t be underestimated is the impact a hungry staff, backed by resources, turned loose of certain oversight shackles, and selling new ideas to recruits.

Dividends are being paid from the purge of the staff as I don’t believe Major alone is enough to land Gray if no changes had been made to the staff and the program.

Davey O is right. We don’t get Gray with last years staff and who could blame him?

While he has plus size, speed, change of direction, power, etc… what really sets Gray apart is his vision and anticipation. He has a feel for the crease and hits it with such authority that he only needs about a one foot moving window to get through. Truly remarkable vision.

Great job staff. Best class since Vince’s group?

Davey, Harsinwhite were huge in turning the tide back to the good guys. Malcolm Brown and his family were also a big part of Gray’s decision. Gray wants to go somewhere he can share the load. Pappa Gray knows all about running back wear and tear as it relates to the NFL.

I’d like to see a stat on average yards per carry on those 59 TDs. Seems like every one goes for at least 50.

Somebody knock on the basement door and see if Huck is awake yet.

I’m ecstatic over this, but I hope we get one more RB (redshirt candidate) in this class. Looking ahead, we’ll be thin at RB in two years.

RB recruits
2012 Gray
2011 Brown/Bergeron
2010 Shead
2009 Whaley (now at TE?)

Getting a speedster might work, eh?

Bartoncreek,

I remember Bob Breunig talking about Dorsett and how he hated to try to tackle that type of back versus the guy who would just go hard all the time in one direction.

Said that TD would just gilde out on the sweep and start to hesitate just a bit to get the defenders to slow a bit and then they were screwed when he set that foot and exploded.

Watching the videos of Gray you can see the same thing. He just elegantly floats to the outside and then when he sees the defenders freeze for just a minute it is all over. Watching him do that to Springtown and Azle isnt the most impressive, but a group like Brenham speaks volumes about how explosive his first step is as a back.

Jesus,

Harsin and Major have to be elated as I think Gray fits perfectly into the scheme and I believe we will see Stacey making progress in the line faster than some expect. Funny how when you give players a clear concept of what you want them to do, coach their butts off, and then settle for nothing less than execution of that plan good things happen for you.

I am interested to see Malcolm in Austin. At times watching him in person he reminded me of Ced in that he was much quicker than you realized and others he looked like a younger version of Cody. SA football is tough to judge as there is a big gap between the good and the bad and at times it looked like Malcolm was not challenged by the competition he faced and that might have explained the lulls at times.

The next Reggie Bush? No, better than that. When he sticks a full gainer while diving over pylon for a score, everyone will forget Reggie Bush’s so-called acrobatic dive during the ’05 MNC.

If any of you have a Viagra bottle, can you give me that number you’re supposed to call if it’s been more than four hours?

Congrats on this one Horns. Gray will be gone by the time you play ND in 2019.

Whew….I am glad!

Kid is going to be very good.

DOB: “Dividends are being paid from the purge of the staff as I don’t believe Major alone is enough to land Gray if no changes had been made to the staff and the program.”

Gotta disagree with you a little bit on this one, Davey. I think Gray was Texas all the way because of, number one, his relationship with Major Applewhite.

The only hiccup came when, after going 5-7, we purged the staff. That gave Gray pause (just as it should have) until he and papa Gray saw first-hand the new offensive system being put into place, met and became comfortable with Harsin, and most of all, understood that Applewhite wasn’t going anywhere any time soon.

IMO, if Applewhite had left the staff, we probably don’t get Johnathan Gray.

I could, of course, be wrong about this but I really think that even had the former staff remained, Gray signs with Texas anyway. I think Gray and his dad were that sold on Mack Brown, Applewhite, and the University itself. There doesn’t seem to be a lot of “OK, I guess I’ll choose-pick-settle for . . . Texas” in this to me. This kid seems to really want to wear “TEXAS” across his chest. He wants to be a Longhorn.

Whatever. He’s one of us now. He’s family. And that’s all that matters.

The hope with Mack has always been that he brings in enough overwhelming talent to make up for his coaching deficiencies. The three top 10 classes in the last 4 years hasn’t done it, but Gray might to the scales back toward Bowden level talent.

“ransom eeyore”

Good one, Magnus…

“I hope one of his legs doesn’t turn out to be longer than the other.”
Juice, you sent chills up my spine with that thought. And brought back some bittersweet memories.

“That gave Gray pause (just as it should have) until he and papa Gray saw first-hand the new offensive system being put into place, met and became comfortable with Harsin, and most of all, understood that Applewhite wasn’t going anywhere any time soon.”

This statement in my mind verifies my might. Major would not be long for Texas had significant changes been made in the staff and the direction of the program. I am not saying Major told Mack it is either Greg or me, but that Major would not have stayed in Austin unless he truly felt changes to the staff, offense, and program would have been made.

No doubt JG really likes Major, but the Grays are smart enough to see the problems in the program and on offense. Just as Bruce Matthews was not going to let his son be part of the offensive trainwreck the culminated last year do you really think that Gray Sr. would let his son be wasted in a scheme that really didn’t do anything to utilize the talent of the players on hand?

I believe Gray is the most important recruit we’ve gotten since Vince.

At a minimum, since Colt.

White/Bush tandem was pretty solid and this tandem of Brown/Gray very much could rival that. And if you’re a receiver, you have to be happy about the defense committing extra guys to the run.

Quit bragging Juice, but if you really need some help, just grab the picture of the USC cheerleaders…

“I believe Gray is the most important recruit we’ve gotten since Vince.

At a minimum, since Colt."

How many program changing recruits did we get between Vince and Colt?

“How many program changing recruits did we get between Vince and Colt?”

Exactly.

"How many program changing recruits did we get between Vince and Colt?"

Jordan Shipley and Ramonce Taylor came in the year before Colt. Taylor was headed towards being a program changer and then Shipley finished up his time as the guy that in some ways really lead us to the 2009 title game. Colt was great but without Shipley we don’t win 13. If both of them had managed a full career on the 40 they could have been spoken of in the same breath as Colt. (VY is still a singular talent who defies comparison to anyone who has come after him.)

Davey O’Brien sez: This statement in my mind verifies my might.

As well it might.

I’m filing this one under “Obscure, but thought-provoking”.

kemit sez:…if you’re a receiver, you have to be happy about the defense committing extra guys to the run.

DG-B - you listenin’?

Play-action works a whole lot better when (a) it’s set up by actual running plays and (b) the back being faked to has the ability to make that D pay for ignoring him… Gotta believe we gottem now.

JG - you gonna be there when DG-B visits, right?