Meet the New Insider: The CDO

We'd like to welcome a new friend to the Carnival, an insider we shall call The CDO, or Collateralized Debt Obligation. It's what sunk our nation's economy and it's also what will restore your faith in the Longhorns.

Derivatives are complicated like that.

If you are familiar with The Asset, let's just say they work in the same field and The CDO owed us a favor.

We had a chance to catch up with him yesterday to get his thoughts now that spring practice is in high gear.

BC: Of the freshmen that enrolled early, who has impressed you the most?

CDO: Duke Thomas. Dude's legit and will play this year.

BC: We have a pretty loaded secondary. That's saying something. Corner or safety?

CDO: Duane will probably cross train him but he could be an elite corner.

BC: Gary Patterson had him rated #1 on their in-state target list. Looks like Duane saw something there as well. How did this kid fly under the radar?

CDO: Happens every year. Just be glad he's here. How long did it take us to finally offer Quandre Diggs? And he was a legacy. Patterson also wanted Camhron Hughes and Jonathan Gray pretty badly. Welcome to the Big 12, Gary.

BC: Does Mack go after more JUCOs after seeing what Moore and Hawkins are doing in practice?

CDO: These aren't your average JUCOs. But yes, if needed, we'll go that route but only if it's the right fit. If you've seen how the depth chart is shaping up for 2013-2014 we probably won't have to.

BC: Do you know where the BCS Title game is in two years?

CDO: The whole locker room knows. The Rose Bowl. But they won't mind if we get there a year early. These young kids are a confident bunch.

BC: Is Ash feeling the pressure now that he's the man?

CDO: Sure doesn't seem like it. His confidence is a lot higher than last year and you can see Harsin's confidence growing in Ash. Despite all the adversity he saw as a freshman, he's pretty hard to rattle. Whereas Gilbert got scrambled and never seemed to sort it out.

BC: Will McCoy be a factor this year?

CDO: Not likely. Only if Ash gets hurt. As much as they say they want two QBs, they'd prefer one good one.

BC: How has the presence of Moore and Edmond in the middle changed the defense?

CDO: We have a SuperSized Package now, which is something we haven't had in awhile. Going jumbo up the middle should help against teams like OU and Okie State. We can still keep our speed on the edges. The plays where Bergeron and Brown are making yards are either to the outside, on well-blocked misdirection, or after contact because they're so hard to bring down. As well as the OL has been playing, pockets are still collapsing quickly when those two big guys arrive. The quality of play on both sides of the line has improved and that determines who wins more often than not.

BC: Definitely. Who's your x-factor on D this year?

CDO: Other than Vaccarro obviously, it's a healthy DeMarco Cobbs. He does things the other LBs can't. He's fast, mean, and instinctive. Diaz is chomping at the bit to get him back but neck injuries are tricky. Tevin Jackson is coming along well though. Reggie Wilson might have a game with 4 sacks just to tease you.

BC: Who emerges from the young guns in the secondary?

CDO: The coaches really like how Turner and Scott are playing but Thompson just has that freaky NFL frame that they want in there. Turner seems like a natural corner and Scott is better at safety. But there won't be many situations when Vaccarro, Phillips, Byndom, and Diggs are off the field though unless it's a blowout.

BC: Forgot what those were like.

CDO: Not for long.

BC: Who is your offensive MVP after the season?

CDO: Either Brown or Bergeron. We've never had a tandem quite like these two in the same class. Hopefully they can both stay healthy.

BC: Well Mizzou is off the schedule, so there's a chance. If they can't, does Jeremy Hills hold off Jonathan Gray?

CDO: Ha. Only by cutting off his feet. Actually Hills looks pretty good but we know what we have with him. Gray is basically another LeSean McCoy. He can do it all.

BC: Thanks, CDO. Where does witness protection have you staked out these days?

CDO: Where nobody can find me. The Longhorn Network.

BC: Good one. Hook'em.

We'll have a few more updates from The CDO before the Orange & White game.