SB Nation - Brock Fitzhenry

Searching For Six -- The Wide Receiver Position Battle, Part II

GhostofBigRoy — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 16:09:13 -0000

The Wildcard

John Chiles – Garrett Gilbert’s commitment to Texas in February 2008 did more than secure the Longhorns’ quarterback position for years -- it also put the writing on the wall for John Chiles at the quarterback position. In essence, it was the beginning of the end. Though it took Chiles nearly a year to accept the necessity of his unavoidable move to receiver, he finally experienced his overdue epiphany the week before the start of spring practice, informing coaches that he was willing to move to receiver full time.

Unfortunately for Chiles, the receiving corps is the most crowded group on the roster, with 12 players competing for the six spots in the rotation. As described by Greg Davis, Chiles was in quarterback shape entering spring practice, but not in receiver shape, leading him to give up fast food and late-night snacks to lose weight and drop nearly 10 pounds since the start of spring practice, with the goal of losing another five or so.

His previous experience playing quarterback at Texas and receiver in high school has helped quicken the transition for Chiles, though he was not able to show off his progress during the Spring Game, as he did not have any passes thrown in his direction and Colt McCoy often did not even seem to look to Chiles’ side of the field at all. It may be that Chiles and McCoy need more time to develop chemistry during the summer. The most disappointing aspect of Chiles not catching any pases during the game was that he did not have an opportunity to support Greg Davis' assertion that Chiles can make opponents miss in the screen game, an ability that he did not show at quarterback or in the aborted Q Package.

There was some speculation early after the move that Chiles could use his redshirt season in an effort to distance himself from the other junior receivers (Collins, Kirkendoll, Webber, and Payne) and refine his receiving skills. Mack Brown, however, is increasing unwilling to allow players to redshirt who can contribute, making it extremely unlikely that Chiles would redshirt, especially given that he has impressed coaches at the new position. Currently, having received significant playing time with the first unit in the Spring Game, all signs point to Chiles being in the six-man receiving rotation in the fall.

Though he will have relatively little practice time to refine his receiving skills, his junior season will be a defining one for Chiles. Can he finally live up to the monumental expectations that accompanied him to the 40 Acres? One apt comparison might be Sergio Kindle, who struggled during his first two seasons out of position, then exploded onto the national scene with a spectacular sophomore season. Longhorn Nation asks you this, John Chiles: How would you like to define your legacy at Texas?

The Wait-Your-Turn Crew

DeSean Hales – "The Run" was perhaps the most recognizable highlight from the 2008 recruiting class, leaving Texas football fans drooling for the diminutive Hales and his big-play possibilities. After a redshirt freshman season, Hales is undoubtedly closer to contributing, though the rotation in front of him and his continued adjustment to running routes inside and across the middle suggests that he will see only limited playing time in 2009 as he remains outside of the six-man rotation.

Desean Hales 71 yard TD run vs Klein Forest 2007 (via sessamoid)

However, with so many potential blow outs in the early part of the season, Hales may see important reps on the field, most likely a situational look in the I formation, providing a threat coming in motion on the end around, a play the Longhorns showed repeatedly during the Spring Game.

The most likely scenario for Hales is that he plays a little in blowouts for his first two seasons before stepping into a starting role as a redshirt junior in the year after John Chiles, Brandon Collins, and James Kirkendoll graduate.

Brock Fitzhenry – Set back by a hamstring injury suffered late in spring practice, Fitzhenry missed the important opportunity to see the field in the Spring Game. In addition, the loss of reps from practice could keep him from seeing the field for another season.

Fitzhenry seemed likely to battle with DeSean Hales for playing time, but the word out of the program now is that Hales is playing in the slot, while Fitzhenry has been talked about at Jordan Shipley’s flanker position that receives the majority of screen passes in the Longhorn offense. His ability in the screen game will be the skill that gives Fitzhenry the best chance to see the field in 2009 and in the future.

DJ Monroe – For young receivers, repetitions are everything – necessary to develop a comfort level with the quarterback, develop route-running abilities, or learn to make tough catches in traffic. As a result, the time missed by Monroe this spring to focus on his academics will set him back significantly.

Whatever setback he experiences, though, will remain a secondary concern to that of his grades – if Monroe doesn’t turn his academic situation around this spring, he will never see the field at Texas and potentially waste his prodigious playmaking talent.

Greg Timmons – Most famous (infamous?) for his since-departed high-top fade, Timmons has the size to play in the controlled passing game Texas employs, but repetitions will be hard to come by in fall practice and Timmons did not enroll in the spring to get a head start at the position. Timmons probably won’t get a chance to see the field for any significant number of snaps until at least 2010, though it could be 2011 when he really gets a chance, after Brandon Collins and James Kirkendoll graduate. Most likely is that Timmons redshirts for a season before competing for Jordan Shipley's vacated spot in the rotation as a redshirt freshman.

The Don’t-Let-The-Door-Hit-You-On-The-Way-Out, Not-So-Dynamic Duo

Montre Webber – You will always have the Lightning Package from 2007. Why are you still here, again?

Phillip Payne – Good luck at your next stop. Texas needs your scholarship and you need a chance to play. Win-win.

It's likely that one or both of Payne and Webber will leave the program in the spring, though it's surprising that neither one left before the start of spring practice. It's clear that neither one will ever see the field for significant playing time at Texas and the Longhorns could use their scholarships.Good luck on your next stops, fellas.

Morning Coffee Is All Over The Place

GhostofBigRoy — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 19:32:14 -0000

It's all because of Muschamp. Well, maybe not all of it. But rest assured that Sergio Kindle and Lamarr Houston deciding to return for their senior seasons has more to do with Muschamp ($) than any other football factors. Sure, Kindle and Houston will both earn their degrees next fall, with Houston the first of his four siblings to get a college degree, and Kindle wants to graduate to get his T-ring. Additionally, Brian Orakpo passed on his leadership role on the defense to Kindle and Houston and expects them to step up and take over the team next year. Hey, as big as Kindle and Houston are, even they don't want a disappointed Orakop coming around and asking them to explain failure.

In the end, money was an important factor, and Muschamp fits into that equation because he's the one who is going to scheme them to success and the fortune to follow. Here's Muschamp's sales pitch, according to Kindle:

Basically, he just laid out the numbers I can make this year compared to next year. He talked about the schemes for next year, and the possibility for our team to get to the Big 12 championship and the national championship with the players that we have coming back.

In terms of roles, Muschamp says that Kindle will get more work at the defensive end position in the spring because of the lack of depth there. After being unable to participate in offseason workouts last year, Kindle says the "sky is the limit" for what he can accomplish through hard work during the spring and summer leading up to his senior year. For Houston, he will have another year of experience and strength training at defensive tackle, and if he can avoid the nagging injuries that plagued him for most of his junior season, expect big things from him as well.

Devon Kennard set back in decision-making process. With former USC defensive coordinator Nick Holt leaving for Washington, the promotion of Rocky Seto to defensive coordinator and the hiring of Jethro Franklin as defensive line coach, defensive end Devon Kennard is stepping back from the process to re-evaluate ($), pushing his decision likely back to Signing Day. A commitment to USC seemed imminent in the recent weeks, but if Darrell Scott is any evidence, the new position coach could tilt the scales in favor of the Longhorns. Could, that is, but may not, since Franklin is a long-time friend of Kennard's father, Derek, a former offensive lineman for the Saints. Also in Franklin's favor is his recent experience in the NFL, coaching defensive lineman for the Houston Texans and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, though he was fired from both jobs.

Of course, family connections played a key role in Scott's eventual commitment to Colorado, so maybe this situation doesn't end up favoring the Longhorns in the end at all. Some Longhorn fans are distressed about Kennard taking his in-home visit from Pete Caroll during the Fiesta Bowl, but Kennard says he recorded the game to watch it later and has seen Texas play and practice already. At least Texas fan are used to bad news leading up to and on Signing Day.

Transfer season is upon us. Despite rumors of an impending transfer, DJ Monroe plans to enroll for the spring semester in attempts to become eligible for football season next year. John Chiles and Mack Brown spoke, with Chiles deciding he wants to stay full-time at quarterback, where he will get all his reps in spring and fall practice. Rumors about Sherrod Harris leaving persisted for the second year in a row because of the logjam at quarterback, but Harris is reportedly staying in the program ($) as well after discussing the situation with his family. Defensively, there isn't as much depth, so the likely transfer candidates are all on the offensive side of the ball, unless you think Ben Wells might want out after getting little playing time, but that seems unlikely, since he and Christian Scott will compete for Blake Gideon's position.

That leaves crowded depth charts at the following positions on offense: Running back, wide receiver, tight end, and guard. There will be eight players competing for the two guard spots next season, although Britt Mitchell was worked some at short-yardage tight end, a position he may continue to work out next year with the graduation of Peter Ullman. Expect one player to leave from that position.

There will be seven scholarship running backs next season, including Antwan Cobb, who's more of a fullback by trade. Mostly likely to leave is Tre' Newton, although he received some buzz from coaches in the workouts leading up to the Fiesta Bowl, perhaps making Jeremy Hills a more likely candidate to transfer. Vondrell McGee didn't play at all in the Fiesta Bowl, so he may be considering his options, since Chris Whaley could cut into his playing time.

Eight scholarship players occupy the tight end position, although movement there is likely. Greg Smith will probably return to working at center or guard, but might continue in a short-yardage tight end role with Britt Mitchell. Ahmard Howard was moved from defensive end after the injuries during fall practice and is a candidate to move back. Trey Graham will probably redshirt, but that could mean that Ian Harris or Josh Marshall decide to move on after finding themselves on the outside looking in. Blaine Irby might not be able to play next year, though, which decreases the pressure on Harris and Marshall to assess their place in the program until after next year.

Wide receiver is the most likely position to see attrition, and soon. There are 11 (!) wide receivers who will be on scholarship next season, a number that seems way too high. Montre Webber and Philip Payne are the two players who have been passed on the depth chart by younger guys and have only seen limited action the last two years playing on the same unit as John Chiles. Neither of them are likely to ever start or find themselves in the rotation for Texas and are probably best served by finding somewhere they can play. The other player on the outside looking in is probably Brock Fitzhenry, who has the speed to enter consideration as a player who might end up being productive, but with Desean Hales competing for playing time at the same position and in the same class, Fitzhenry doesn't look like he will ever play at Texas, making him a possible candidate as well.

All in all, none of the possible defections I mentioned would cripple or even set back the Texas football program, so there is nothing in particular to worry about or obsess over in terms of potential transfers.

Mims update. Stony Point defensive end Tevin Mims will take his official visit to the Texas campus this weekend, where he will likely receive his scholarship offer. All indications are that Mims will probably commit on the spot, but he has not received his offer yet and despite some rumors, has not yet committed.