Official Texas Longhorns Football Thread - page 42

I wanted Major to come with Herman but I figured he would get the HC job at Houston. Applewhite is far better than Beck

Mann I ain't a UH fan..but the city was turnt when Herman was the HC. Applewhite done lost the buzz man. That's why I wish UH would've hired Kiffin. At least he would had ppl talking.

You know how much free beer and food I got from hollering go coogs at a random bar/restaurant when it was Poppin?!?!?!?

I remember these 3 old white dudes paid the bill for our entire side of Lupe Tortilla in Katy that one weekend they beat temple for the aac title.

Applewhite fu*kin up the bag.
:nasmad:

Applewhite needs to come on home, Houston ain't been the same since Herman & Orlando left

More like Herman and Applewhite ain't been the same since Greg Ward. Herman needs to recruit olinemen! Ward masked both their inefficiencies in recruiting/developing oline talent.

Gotta put some blame on Derek Warehime as well

Just checked his 247... I'm guessing that dude is a recruiter and not much else.

Mann I ain't a UH fan..but the city was turnt when Herman was the HC. Applewhite done lost the buzz man. That's why I wish UH would've hired Kiffin. At least he would had ppl talking.

You know how much free beer and food I got from hollering go coogs at a random bar/restaurant when it was Poppin?!?!?!?

I remember these 3 old white dudes paid the bill for our entire side of Lupe Tortilla in Katy that one weekend they beat temple for the aac title.

Applewhite fu*kin up the bag.
:nasmad:

[I]If the bowl game was a glimpse into next year -- and with almost everyone who played significant snaps returning it can be construed as such -- the win over Missouri could be telling, and I'm only partially referring to the outcome.

In recent weeks we've discussed a Tom Herman that suggests he knows he was in danger of losing the team after a mentally exhausting season. We mentioned practices were still pretty tough but overall he had been a bit more laid back and personable in recent weeks.

Some honest and frank discussions seem to have had a positive effect not unlike a family eruption at the dinner table where everyone gets things off their chest that had been bothering them for some time. Once you reach that stage it's almost a reset of sorts. Position coaches asked players how they could better perform their job and from what I hear the players didn't hold back. As typical with those family discussions there's usually plenty of blame to go around so I'm surely not singling out the coaches. Some players lack mental toughness which we'll hit on in a bit.

Breckyn Hager mentioned with that performance Tom Herman won over the locker room. Something that caught the attention of much of the team was the late touchdown play call to Armanti Foreman. Herman versus Foreman got to the point it played out a bit publicly this season, especially with Foreman's dad being so vocal on social media. Some players felt Tom was petty (RIP) and punished Foreman for his dad's antics on Twitter. I don't know if Herman did that but that's the perception and I did hear Foreman had good weeks of practice only to not see the field much the following week. That touchdown was not insignificant and even Mr. Foreman took notice of what occurred.

Soliciting feedback from the players and even admitting making some mistakes could go a long way towards keeping wavering players in the fold. The football was fun again and it wasn't just the winning part. The team played tough and confidently and had many wondering yet again what might have been this season. I asked if this meant many guys would now return and heard, "we'll see. Most realize leaving isn't in their best interest to begin with and winning definitely helps. If they believe that's the Tom Herman going forward I bet most, if not all, will return. At least the ones he wants to return."

We've mentioned guys like Chris Nelson and Reggie Hemphill-Mapps are two that Texas can ill afford to lose. There are more but those players aren't quite as vocal about it behind the scenes.

These latest developments could also make Charles Omenihu's decision to return easier. Many don't understand how big of a loss that would be because they go by what he is this year (which is still good) and not by what he will be next year. He's nowhere close to a finished product. I'd bet on him returning.

All this written, Tom Herman is still Tom Herman. There will be some attrition and he'll consider that a good thing.

Recently Herman was heard to say if he needs to take 60 guys in the next two classes to get his type of players in he'll do that. Right now the number for this cycle is 29 but it would go higher if he found those right type of guys. He used the word "coddled" a few times and how he's still exorcising that attitude from the program. He mentioned toughness over a dozen times in 10 minutes. He went on to intimate that finesse teams can be too inconsistently up and down based on talent (especially quarterback play/graduation). He said toughness is a sustainable trait and there's no reason Texas shouldn't have a tough team year in and year out. It reminded me of TPW on the backs of Gunter's jerseys in the high school state championships. Tough People Win.

Herman has an idea of what this program is going to be and it isn't close yet. He needs a program filled with players who believe in the system and trust their coaches and fellow players. He also said he wants to get to a point where they're taking 3-4 linemen on both sides of the ball year in and year out. He doesn't like low or bulk classes. He wants an assembly line where freshmen are afterthoughts and seniors are full grown men who are leaders.

Herman hasn't made any excuses for the season but he has tried to add context. Inability to block on the edge due to poor offensive tackle and tight end play has been crippling. He wants to be able to run outside with the quarterback in order to make sledding easier for inside zone and power. He said that interplay is the foundation for his offense. Because they couldn't do that it really hamstrung them. They feel much better about the offensive line next year.

When you struggle on offense like Texas did for much of the season you're going to hear a lot of speculation regarding offensive coordinator. Herman is sympathetic to Tim Beck but that doesn't mean you won't see a new offensive coordinator.

The first year Texas coach said something interesting in a press conference a couple of weeks ago. At first he was looking for the 10th assistant to be a defensive guy who could recruit. This confirmed what we've been saying. Then he stated he would take the best coach possible and that it could be on offense even if it created a 6/4 disparity (or 7/4 if you count Herman) between offensive and defensive coaching. That was news to me and it indicates perhaps Beck will be reassigned.

The name I've heard is currently an offensive coordinator and as of the last day or two is still in play. That coupled with my belief that Herman was calling plays during the bowl game lead me to believe Herman is in the midst of an OC search. This candidate may not work out, however, as I think he wants to bring someone with him and that might not be in the cards.

I have not heard Mark Helfrich's name -- and if it's coming from agents rather than Herman sources (which aren't very numerous) -- it's probably inaccurate. The coach we've heard has much less name recognition than Helfrich.

I believe Virginia Tech's Brad Cornelsen has been suggested to Herman, and he certainly fits the profile, but I don't know if there's genuine interest on either side. Cornelsen is a tough guy who can win with any type of quarterback, though, like Herman, he prefers one who can beat you with his arm and legs a la Jerod Evans.

As far as a timeline goes, there isn't one as far as I know. This from 11/27 still seems relevant:

One source said it thusly regarding any potential staff moves, "He'll probably slow things down and think about it. Time is on his side. Go win a bowl game and think things through. If he decides to make a move he'll probably get with his agent and others he trusts to go over options."

If any moves were to be made we believe they would happen after a bowl, but the big question is, will they?

After talking with a few people with keen insight I feel confident one or two moves will be made but the decision isn't as easy for Herman as it is for fans. Herman (and most football coaches in general) is acutely aware of the devastating impact injuries had on his offensive line as well as at quarterback. Youth also wasn't on the offense's side.

As stated, I still think moves will be made. I know some are encouraging an outside the box approach with a potential new hire, even perhaps a coach from the Air Raid tree. I asked if that would work with Herman and heard back, "oh yeah, as long as the coach instills toughness and runs the ball." [Someone in mid-January remind me about this section]

While Herman isn't feeling the heat from the school to make any changes, that may change and he may be encouraged to make a change in the same way players are encouraged to make voluntary workouts. Would that require a new Athletic Director? Perhaps, and one may be in place relatively soon [no new names at the moment].

Bottom line: I expect one or two changes but nothing is set in stone and if anything is set to happen, it will likely come after the bowl/early signing period.
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Next week will be the college coaches convention in Charlotte. If a move hasn't been made by then that should at least be fun for rumors as agents chum the waters for the hammerheads in the media.

One thing I will say that herman has a problem with is practicing for a season. He spends too much time on big games and not enough on each individual game. It's been a problem since UH.

If we can get a new OC and finally find an offensive identity this team can be really good next year.

Same sh*t you said before last season. Come on man.

Come on now let’s be realistic, the team should have went 10-3. Should have beat USC, Okie State. Only losses should have been to OU, Maryland, TCU

They didn’t though.....which is the point.

My point is stop acting like we got blown out by teams. Only team that handled us with ease was TCU cause our offense

Maryland did too. And USC is clearly overrated. Look at the the PAC-12 record in Bowl games.

When OU loses in the first round, he gonna have to shut up. OU hasnt done sh*t in over a decade and this dude been on our d1ck all season

Oh I can’t wait for USC to come to Austin next year. Maryland game we weren’t prepared

Hermanus plays down to his comp if you haven't noticed. I expect a solid 7 win season from you guys again next year.

Haha keep dreaming, we’re winning more than 7 games next season. I expect CHOKEU to regress

You said the same thing to start the Season. I feel like you said the exact same statement. And what happened?

I’m not gonna say anything in terms of predictions of the 2018 season. I’m just gonna let it play out

SMART move.

And if we improve on the record next year I expect you to give props