National Signing Day...

[WoodysGirl]

His dad is a Red Raider, his uncle is an Aggie and his cousin is currently attending OU. Needless to say his decision probably did not come without pressure. :laugh2:

Dang!! That poor kid.. lol

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

This guy, along with Brown and Bergeron, are going to be beasts next year. The Texas Running Game is going to be extremely tough to stop.

 

[The30YardSlant]

OH, BS. Stanford has done well and they might even be tougher then ND. It is all about the coaches; how good are they at recruiting. ND has a shot at a top 10 class this year; Weis had several. We can get the talent; we just need the coaches that can develope it.

Stanford lowered their academic standards for athletes to the NCAA minimum in 2006. Four classes later they've been to back to back BCS bowls and are now set to have five players drafted in the first two rounds of the draft. Coincidence?

 

[The30YardSlant]

This guy, along with Brown and Bergeron, are going to be beasts next year. The Texas Running Game is going to be extremely tough to stop.

This is all contingent upon their line improving greatly.

 

[Doomsday101]

This guy, along with Brown and Bergeron, are going to be beasts next year. The Texas Running Game is going to be extremely tough to stop.

I agree about the Texas running game.

I like Texas chances of being a contending team next year if they can improve QB. Last year’s team was predominately freshmen and sophomores starting. The weakness was at QB and hopefully with a full off season Texas QB will be better prepared

 

[burmafrd]

Stanford lowered their academic standards for athletes to the NCAA minimum in 2006. Four classes later they've been to back to back BCS bowls and are now set to have five players drafted in the first two rounds of the draft. Coincidence?

A top coach and a top staff was the difference. Not that. And if you look at their best players like luck and Decastro, they were great students in High School. Fail.

 

[Doomsday101]

This is all contingent upon their line improving greatly.

and I see it more to do with Texas lack in the passing game. Teams can afford to play the run and take their chances vs Texas passing. If they can get that fixed the running game will do well

 

[The30YardSlant]

A top coach and a top staff was the difference. Not that. And if you look at their best players like luck and Decastro, they were great students in High School. Fail.

Two players does not a BCS winner make. The following is taken from a Stanford Scout board...

2006 Cardinal scholorship makeup: 49 white players, 31 black players

2011 Cardinal Scholorship makeup: 21 white players, 63 black players

Dropping our academic standards for athletes did more for this program than Harbaugh or Luck did in the long run. Getting inner city kids from bad schools is a key to winning.

Take from that what you will.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

His dad is a Red Raider, his uncle is an Aggie and his cousin is currently attending OU. Needless to say his decision probably did not come without pressure. :laugh2:

If your talking about his Uncle, Jerry Gray, he played for Texas. He was a 1st Team All American For the Horns and was a 1st round pick in the 1985 NFL Draft for the Rams. He played 9 seasons in the NFL and made 4 Pro Bowls.

Gray was the Defensive Backs Coach and Assistant HC for the Horns in 2011 before accepting a position with the Tennessee Titans in the NFL as their DC. He has recently been interviewed by the Colts for their Head Coaching Job in January of this year.

I don't know if that is the Uncle you are talking about or not.

Jonathan Gray does have ties back to Texas in the form of his Uncle, Jerry.

 

[The30YardSlant]

If your talking about his Uncle, Jerry Gray, he played for Texas. He was a 1st Team All American For the Horns and was a 1st round pick in the 1985 NFL Draft for the Rams. He played 9 seasons in the NFL and made 4 Pro Bowls.

Gray was the Defensive Backs Coach and Assistant HC for the Horns in 2011 before accepting a position with the Tennessee Titans in the NFL as their DC. He has recently been interviewed by the Colts for their Head Coaching Job in January of this year.

I don't know if that is the Uncle you are talking about or not.

Jonathan Gray does have ties back to Texas in the form of his Uncle, Jerry.

Someone on shaggybevo posted he had another uncle who went to A&M in the 80s. Not sure if that's accurate or not.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

This is all contingent upon their line improving greatly.

You don't think it will? This year, Texas installed a new offense and started OT-Josh Cochran Fr., OT-Trey Hopkins So., OG-David Snow Sr., OG-Mason Walters So. and C-Dominic Espinosa Fr. Only 1 Graduation and all the others are Sophomores or Freshman.

The 2012 recruiting class will bring in OT Estelle Kennedy, Donald Hawkins, Curtis Riser and Camrhon Hughes. Hawkins is probably an immediate starter as he is a JC with experience and considered perhaps the top JC player at his position.

I don't think that with another year of training, a year of experience in the new offense and another year with the new coaching staff, they will certainly improve.

Of course, this is only my opinion but I think there is good basis for this opinion.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

and I see it more to do with Texas lack in the passing game. Teams can afford to play the run and take their chances vs Texas passing. If they can get that fixed the running game will do well

I agree with this. A true Freshman and a Soph, both with no starting experience last year hurt the offense. I absolutely believe that next year, our QB play, whomever might be the one to win the job, will be much improved.

The Offense is not my worry next year. My worry is getting better play out of the Defense. They played well at times during the season but they failed to show up at key moments as well. We need to get a little more stout. Our DBs need to get better at making plays on the ball and actually making interceptions as opposed to just being there to watch WRs make catches and then making a tackle. JMO once again.

 

[The30YardSlant]

You don't think it will? This year, Texas installed a new offense and started OT-Josh Cochran Fr., OT-Trey Hopkins So., OG-David Snow Sr., OG-Mason Walters So. and C-Dominic Espinosa Fr. Only 1 Graduation and all the others are Sophomores or Freshman.

The 2012 recruiting class will bring in OT Estelle Kennedy, Donald Hawkins, Curtis Riser and Camrhon Hughes. Hawkins is probably an immediate starter as he is a JC with experience and considered perhaps the top JC player at his position.

I don't think that with another year of training, a year of experience in the new offense and another year with the new coaching staff, they will certainly improve.

Of course, this is only my opinion but I think there is good basis for this opinion.

I don't know. Most people, including I, thought A&M would be a BCS contender this year and OSU would sorely dissapoint. The exact opposite occurred. It's so tough to predict changes from year to year.

I think the line play itself will improve, but I don't think Texas will improve much at QB. McCoy has a noddle arm and Ash just seems like an athlete without a true pocket presence. Texas may want to look into starting that touted true freshman, because I'm not sure the line can improve very much without a passing game.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

I don't know. Most people, including I, thought A&M would be a BCS contender this year and OSU would sorely dissapoint. The exact opposite occurred. It's so tough to predict changes from year to year.

I think the line play itself will improve, but I don't think Texas will improve much at QB. McCoy has a noddle arm and Ash just seems like an athlete without a true pocket presence. Texas may want to look into starting that touted true freshman, because I'm not sure the line can improve very much without a passing game.

I don't really see a problem with McCoy or Ash. Of course, I am a Horns fan so perhaps that's why. When Colt played at UT, they said the same thing about his arm and they were correct in his early years. He was not very strong armed and still is not IMO. However, he learned how to win by playing to his strengths. I think Case has the chance to do the same thing. In the case of Ash, to me it looked as if the game was moving to fast for him at times. He should improve their. Things will slow down for him and when they do, he will look much more like the HS QB we all saw who looked like he could do it all. The running game and an improved defense will certainly help. Cut down on our drops from the WRs and that is going to also help a lot. I imagine we will have a much better year next year and we will contend. I don't know if we will win it but I think we will be much better then we were last year.

 

[Doomsday101]

I agree with this. A true Freshman and a Soph, both with no starting experience last year hurt the offense. I absolutely believe that next year, our QB play, whomever might be the one to win the job, will be much improved.

The Offense is not my worry next year. My worry is getting better play out of the Defense. They played well at times during the season but they failed to show up at key moments as well. We need to get a little more stout. Our DBs need to get better at making plays on the ball and actually making interceptions as opposed to just being there to watch WRs make catches and then making a tackle. JMO once again.

I think the young secondary will improve as well. Diggs really grew into a quality CB as the season progressed.

I work with a lady and that is her nephew and she always likes to tell me that Quandre is a much better athlete than his brother Quinton. I have to say I was impressed with him after getting picked on early he stepped and started producing.

 

[The30YardSlant]

I don't really see a problem with McCoy or Ash. Of course, I am a Horns fan so perhaps that's why. When Colt played at UT, they said the same thing about his arm and they were correct in his early years. He was not very strong armed and still is not IMO. However, he learned how to win by playing to his strengths. I think Case has the chance to do the same thing. In the case of Ash, to me it looked as if the game was moving to fast for him at times. He should improve their. Things will slow down for him and when they do, he will look much more like the HS QB we all saw who looked like he could do it all. The running game and an improved defense will certainly help. Cut down on our drops from the WRs and that is going to also help a lot. I imagine we will have a much better year next year and we will contend. I don't know if we will win it but I think we will be much better then we were last year.

Maybe, but Colt was spectacular from day one and Seemed much more comfortable with the spotlight. Case is just erratic. Ash is better IMO, but he really needs an Urban Meyer type offense to flourish, not a pro-style under center one like Texas runs.

Again, maybe I'm wrong. I think by year's end neither will be the full-time starter, though.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

Maybe, but Colt was spectacular from day one and Seemed much more comfortable with the spotlight. Case is just erratic. Ash is better IMO, but he really needs an Urban Meyer type offense to flourish, not a pro-style under center one like Texas runs.

Again, maybe I'm wrong. I think by year's end neither will be the full-time starter, though.

I don't know. Colt was special but he did throw up his share of passes that probably should have been pulled down in his first year and even in his second. The thing about Colt was that he got extremely lucky in that he didn't get a lot of balls that probably should have been picked, dropped. By the time he was a Jr., that was all done but with Case, he's making mistakes in that he is really only looking to one receiver way to often. He needs to really work on that. He needs to look of his receivers and get better at progressions. Now, he just holds the ball until Shipley clears or doesn't.

I guess we'll see. I have a good feeling about them though. I think they will both get better.

 

[Risen Star]

WR Courtney Gardner signs with Sooners


Add one more wide receiver to Oklahoma's incredible 2012 class. Junior college product Courtney Gardner (Reno, Nev./Sierra College) did as expected and switched his commitment from Arkansas to OU on Wednesday, signing with the Sooners around 10:30 a.m. CT.

Gardner had been committed to the Razorbacks since December, but OU wide receivers coach Jay Norvell made a huge impression on Gardner in the last month. A great official visit to Norman, Okla., last weekend sealed the deal.

But the impact of landing Gardner might not fully hit home until he takes the field as he is the most prepared receiver in the class to take the field in 2012.

Gardner said OU’s explosive style of offense really appealed to him, and as his relationship with Norvell got better in the last month, the more he considered the Sooners.

Gardner punctuates a five-wide receiver class that has fans drooling in anticipation. OU has three of the top 19 wide receivers in Sterling Shepard (Oklahoma City/Heritage Hall) at No. 9, Durron Neal (St. Louis/De Smet Jesuit) at No. 10 and Derrick Woods (Inglewood, Calif./Inglewood) at No. 19. OU also has Trey Metoyer, who was cleared by the NCAA last week. He was ranked No. 8 at the position in 2011.

http://insider.espn.go.com/blog/ncfrecruiting/on-the-trail/post?id=8857

 

[Doomsday101]

National Signing Day always has a few surprises, and this year Texas fans received an unexpected gift when prized LSU recruit Torshiro Davis, who had been committed to the Tigers for most of the last year, decided to come to Austin instead:

http://dallas.sbnation.com/texas-lo...ommitment-national-signing-day-lsu/in/2414932

 

[Chocolate Lab]

Great photo.

Several different observers on the Sports Animal from OKC are saying OU made a tremendous last-minute rush and has a good class? (And they aren't homers, either.) I guess they got some kids they didn't expect to get.

I will say this -- If I were an OU fan, I'd be a little concerned about getting all these WRs the ball. Just seems to me that they already threw the ball too much last year. I don't understand why more of the top-top-tier programs don't try to go the Alabama or even Stanford route and build a big O-line and get some RBs to run the ball over people. Looks like that's what Texas is doing, or at least trying to do.

Question on the WR Gardner: How does a kid from Reno narrow his choices down to Arkansas and OU?