SB Nation - Rashad Bobino

Words From Mack...

GhostofBigRoy — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 18:20:32 -0000

More photos » by Harry Cabluck - AP

...And, Rashad Bobino is the Most Successful Ball Carrier in Texas History?

No, I haven't gone crazy. You just really have to click and read after the jump on this one...It's a real leap.

Talkin' special teams: kickoff returns. The two kickoff returns for touchdowns by DJ Monroe and Jordan Shipley's punt return against Texas Tech have brought a lot of attention to Texas special teams, prompting a nearly-weekl spot in my Tuesday Morning Coffee post. That attention, in turn, has brought up concerns about the punt protection against Wyoming and kickoff coverage the last several weeks. On Wednesday, Mack Brown addressed the special teams units:

We are also trying to figure out how we keep speed on the field for the kicking teams. We are proud of our punt return team. We are proud of what D.J. [Monroe] has been able to accomplish with our kickoff return team, but we need to get Marquise [Goodwin] in there and do a better job of getting him more looks because there was a poor decision between he and Eddie Jones where we had a ball hit the ground the other day, which could have cost us in a much tighter ball game.

To play to which Brown referred occurred coming out of halftime for UTEP's second kick off and first after Monroe's touchdown return -- to keep the ball away from Monroe, UTEP kicked high and short to Goodwin's side of the field and Eddie Jones took a good long look at it before finally letting it go over his head, but Goodwin, watching Jones, hadn't gotten in position to catch the football and had to retreat to inside the five yardline to retrieve the live ball, picking it up and advancing it only three yards before being tackled viciously around the neck. Yeah, not so good there and the Longhorns no doubt spent a lot of time working with Goodwin fielding that play this week and deciding if they want to put Malcolm Williams back with Monroe again -- Williams is averaging 30 yards on his three kickoff returns and has more collegiate game experience fielding kicks.

However, Brown wants to get as much speed on the field as possible but knows not every speedster can return kicks, meaning that Goodwin will indeed get a long look before the Colorado game:

You don't know [who is good at it], it's like who can block kicks. You have to try them. Some fast guys don't get it, they'll run into piles, they're not patient, but D.J. [Monroe] has a great knack for doing it and we hope Marquise [Goodwin] does the same. We don't know that yet. He hasn't done it long enough for us to find out for sure and that's something that we really have to find out in the next 10 days.

After relating the story of a sky kick gone wrong against Ted Ginn and Ohio State, Brown returned to the busted return with Goodwin and Jones:

The other day I thought we had the perfect situation for Marquise because if Eddie [Jones] goes up (to block) and Marquise catches it, that's at the 30-yard line and we've got room, so we are working so hard right now.

Brown also noted that the poor return on that play significantly brought down the team average on kickoff returns and it would increase the average by about four yards per kick, but still keep the Longhorns second in the country behind Stanford, the only team in the country with three kickoff returns for touchdowns this season.

The Shipley conundrum. Or, the Cosby conundrum, no redux. As for seeing Jordan Shipley back returning kicks and reprising his starring role from the Cotton Bowl last season, Brown said, "Not so fast, my friends:"

We know Jordan can do it, so that's easy. The thing that we have to do, we felt like we lost Quan (Cosby) for the Texas Tech game last year and we felt like it was because we had him doing too many things. Jordan is playing the position that Quan played last year, and he's touching the ball 10, 11 times a game outside of the kicking game...But we do feel like that we've got to be smart with Jordan because he's playing so well and if we can get somebody else to help D.J. on kickoff returns, we'd rather not have Jordan in there.

Were Monroe not having such unqualified success at the position, there might be more talk about needing Shipley's explosiveness at the position, but those two touchdown returns have silenced any talk in that direction. As Brown said, there's no reason to risk injury to Shipley and not learn from a prior mistake. Shipley will take more than enough hits as it is, even on punt returns, as evidenced Saturday by an illegal hit before the ball arrived by Max Stephenson II, who then promptly picked off McCoy's subsequent pass and took it to the house.

Talkin' special teams: kickoff coverage. On Tuesday I wondered about the squib kicks Texas employed for much of the game and Brown provided an explanation:

We experimented a lot the other day in kickoff coverage because kickoff coverage with the rule change is one of the more difficult things right now for college football. We are trying to look at squibs. We are looking at sky kicks. We are trying not to kick the ball to the same place two times in a row because if you do and the kickoff return team gets a beat on your coverage, then that is a very, very dangerous thing to have happen during a ballgame.

It makes sense to work on covering different styles of kicks in a game situation given the historical struggles by the Longhorns in that department and practicing those different kicks helps the Texas kickoff return team work against sky kicks and squibs after the miscommunication by Goodwin and Jones. In terms of facing dangerous return teams, however, Brown may be looking ahead to Florida, ranked fourth nationally in that department. The teams the Longhorns will face during the tough three-game stretch? Missouri is the highest ranked at no. 60, while Oklahoma and Oklahoma State bring up the pack at numbers 87 and 112, not so respectively. The highest-ranked team Texas will face during the regular season is already in the rear-view mirror -- the good Pirates of the Red Raider at 29th in the country.

As much as everyone would like to see Justin Tucker kick the ball out of bounds every time, even against UTEP, that's just not a reality:

When the game got out of control, we really just wanted to try stuff. I know fans get frustrated sometimes with things that come up in a ballgame that's a blow out, but it's really a learning experience for us. We can experiment, kick it around, and we find out that a squib kick that's kicked properly is really hard to pick up and it was hard for them to pick it up. They averaged only 19 yards per return, but we still had a couple that were out to the 40 and that's what we're trying to keep from happening. If you could kick it out every time, you would.

The nature of the squib kicks makes the raw field position numbers look bad for the coverage teams against UTEP, but it may be a strategy that the Longhorns need to employ this season, most likely against Florida if both teams make it through the season unscathed.

Talkin' special teams: punts and fakes. Punt coverage hasn't been a problem, but the Longhorns could be looking at developing their ability to run fakes out of their punt formation:

We are look at punting with our left foot, with our right foot, we are looking at what fakes are available because this is a relatively new thing for us and for college football. Those are all things that we are trying to look at and figure out.

After Tucker's disastrous decision, the odds might seem small that Tucker would try another fake this season, but I think Texas has to look at it and against put some hope in Tucker's decision-making abilities in the regard. The other aspect to fakes in the punting game involves Antwan Cobb's position as the personal protector on the punt protection unit, the position Rashad Bobino occupied throughout his entire career at Texas and the position at which he may in fact have provided his most significant contributions to the team.

Gratuitous Bobino digression. It was Bobino who carried the ball on fakes six times for 28 yards in his career, each time for a first down:

Two yards on 4th and 2 against Ohio State to keep a touchdown-scoring drive alive out of halftime last season.
Seven yards for a first down in the third quarter of a close 10-7 game against Baylor in 2007. The Longhorns scored a touchdown and helped stave off the incredible ignominy of losing to friggin' Baylor in football -- the type of thing that earns walking papers for Texas head football coaches.
Three yards for a first down on 4th and 1 early in the game against Arizona State in the Holiday Bowl. Colt McCoy ran for a touchdown on that drive to put the Longhorns up three touchdowns in the second quarter.
Six yards for a first down in the second quarter against North Texas in Colt McCoy's first game. Texas scored a touchdown on that drive.
Five yards for a first down against Oklahoma State up 3-0 in the second quarter in Stillwater. The Longhorns scored a touchdown on that drive and never looked back in the only lopsided and relatively boring game recently in that series.
Six yards for a first down against Texas A&M his freshman season to help the Longhorns score a critical touchdown to take a 28-22 lead in the closest game of the national championship season.

So not only did Bobino pick up a first down each time he carried the football, but the Longhorns scored a touchdown on every single one of the drives that he kept alive, several times providing a turning point in close games. Let me amend my previous statement by saying that Rashad Bobino's most significant contributions by far came in picking up first downs in big situations to help win football games. Yes, Rashad Bobino actually helped win some football games at Texas. I know I now find myself glad that I spent 25 minutes researching each of those runs. Big ups, Rashad -- my feelings of appreciation for you may be newfound, but they are heartfelt. In fact, I'm going to go out on a limb here and call him the most successful ball carrier in the history of Texas football -- what other back can claim a first down on each carry and that each drive in which he participated ended in a touchdown? None, I suspect.

Back to special teams. In other words, Cobb has big shoes to fill at that position and didn't get off to a great start by allowing one blocked kick and nearly another. If the Longhorns did to pick up a big first down this season and want to do so with a fake punt, will Cobb be able to execute the play with Bobino's consistency and results?

Running back situation still fluid. When Vondrell McGee rushed for over 100 yards against UTEP, he not only earned the coveted honor of Flavor of the Week at running back, he also threw a wrench into Mack Brown's plan of narrowing the running back rotation, especially with the Mythical Fozzy Creature making the most of a rare appearance on the field. Of course, the offensive line also didn't help out Tre' Newton much and neither did a sore neck, as Nate's son picked up only 25 yards on nine carries.

So what's new with Fozzy and the guys, Mack?

[Fozzy]'s only had the one game, but he's doing well. He came back and he has confidence now, so we feel like he's right back in the mix. Cody Johnson looked really good on the one carry he had Saturday for a touchdown and he's at 242 pounds and 13 percent body fat, so he's really gotten in great shape and we're back to having a good mix of four guys there to compete. What we think we will do is we'll put the guys in the game and if a guy gets a hot hand like Vondrell [McGee] did Saturday, we'll leave him in.

In other words, back to square one, especially the comment about Johnson, who appeared to have been relegated to short-yardage duties after the Wyoming game. What, you expected resolution here?

Defensive tackles playing well. Neurotic Texas fans have moved their attention away from the defensive tackle situation only four games into the season, which is good news all around. Brown weighed in on their performance:

Right now, it's really strong. We still need to continue to develop depth at defensive tackle, but we're really proud of Ben Alexander, Kheeston Randall and Lamarr Houston. Lamarr is playing at such a higher level than ever before, Kheeston is so much improved from last year, and Ben's a five-year senior and it's time for him to play. He's excited about playing every down. So, those three guys have given us a good base to start from. We've been able to work Sam Acho in there some and Sam's improved so much and Eddie Jones now. He was concerned a little bit about his shoulder the first couple of weeks, but the last two weeks, he's played lights out. Then you continue to try and get the young guys like Calvin Howell to come on, but we're in better shape right now than we thought we'd be at this time.

The extra practice will undoubtedly benefit the young players, as did the game against UTEP. The idea, no doubt, is for players like Howell, Acho, and Jones to get some more time against Colorado, with the two defensive ends perhaps even getter a look inside on running downs to see if they can do more than just rush the passer from that position.

Morning Coffee Goes Pro

GhostofBigRoy — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 12:58:46 -0000

Texas Pro Day stocks. The Longhorns held their annual Pro Day for scouts ($) (and Packers GM Ted Thompson) on Wednesday, an important day for players looking to improve on their NFL Combine results (Ryan Palmer) or players who weren't invited to the Combine (Henry Melton).

Stock Rising: Henry Melton. The former Texas running back probably worked his way into the top half of the NFL Draft (fourth or fifth round) with his extremely impressive showing at the Texas Pro Day -- perhaps not the most impressive of the group, as Roy Miller and Brian Orakpo both allayed concerns, but Melton was the player who made himself the most money, running a 4.58 40 at 268 pounds (instead of the normal 225) and posting a 36.5-inch vertical. That raw athleticism, combined with his lack of experience at the defensive end position gives Melton a considerable amount of potential. As HenryJames notes, that 40 time makes Melton faster than the OU safeties.
Stock Rising: Quan Cosby. Though Cosby stuck with 4.57 40 from the Combine, he did perform extremely well in the passing drills, once regaining his feet to make a catch that IT's Ross Lucksinger compared to the David Thomas catch in the Rose Bowl. With his ability to use his body to shield defenders, his amazing hands, and leaping ability, Cosby won't be kept out of the league by his size, but the lack of upside will probably hurt him, as what you see is what you get with the "elderly" Mart product and former minor league baseball player.
Stock Rising: Roy Miller. Height has always been the concerns pro scouts have about Miller, but he did answer the questions he could -- running a 4.8 40 after a 4.98 at the Combine, while still adding 23 pounds since the end of the football season. His strength and first step helped Miller solidified his position in the middle rounds.
Stock Holding: Brian Orakpo. There wasn't much to prove for Rak that he didn't at the NFL Combine, considering his 4.7 40, 11-foot broad jump, and 31 reps at 261 pounds. Orakpo stuck with those numbers, but showed well in position drills and proved the health of his knees, essentially answering all the questions scouts had about him and making him a top-10 lock come April and possibly as high as five, a pick held by the Cleveland Browns, who play a 3-4 defense.
Stock Holding: Chris Ogbonnaya. OG ran a predictably mediocre 4.65 at the Combine and stuck with that number and worked at the positions he played at Texas (wide receiver, running back, and fullback). His versatility may land him a chance at the next level in the role he excelled at during his last season at Texas -- third-down specialist. He's probably a free agent pick up.
Stock Holding: Rashad Bobino. Everyone's least favorite linebacker (at least after Scott Derry and Robert Killebrew left) ran the slow 40 expected of him -- 4.7, but managed to turn in a remarkable 4.18 shuttle time that would have been second-best among linebackers at the NFL Combine. Adding his kamikaze tendencies and slow straight-line speed to his lack of height essentially eliminates him from NFL consideration, which isn't exactly a surprise. I would be greatly surprised if he latched on with a team even as a free agent. But I guess he bled for the program and stuff, so there's that.
Stock Holding: Ryan Palmer. Like Roy Miller, Palmer couldn't answer his biggest question mark -- size. At only 5-8, it doesn't mater much that Palmer ran a 4.53 40, much better than his 4.62 at the Combine, or that he can jump 36.5 inches in the air while standing still -- he's just too small. As the only thing separating him from some serious cash money, Palmer must wake up every morning and curse the cruel fate that dealt him a short deck.
Stock Falling: Aaron Lewis. For a player uninvited to the Combine and on the extreme margins of NFL talent, Aaron Lewis needed a strong performance on Wednesday. Due to hip and hamstring injuries, Lewis wasn't able to run a 40, but completed the shuttle in 4.45 seconds. Lewis will have to get healthy and make a strong impression at tryouts after the draft to make an NFL roster.
Post-college attendees. Texas players who completed their eligibility in the fall weren't the only participants on Wednesday. Former walk-on and track athlete Joe Davis worked out at wide receiver, perhaps giving himself a shot at landing a free agent opportunity with his 6-5 frame , while Eric Hall and former Texas receiver Myron Hardy worked out as well. Last year former Texas quarterback James Brown was pulled from the crowd to throw to the receivers, but this year it was native Texan and former Iowa quarterback Drew Tate and Austin resident Jeff Blake who did the honors.

D-Money names UT the favorite. Forth Worth Dunbar receiver Darius White, aka D-Money, currently has a27 offers from the best programs in the country, but there is one that stands above the rest ($) -- Texas. An Austin trip with his mom and brothers is in store for the spring game, while White says that his mom is advising him to take his time with the process. Considering the statements White made in the fall sounding like he was a lock to commit early, the trip seems to be about establishing a comfort level with the program for his mother, much like Reggie Wilson's trip last week that culminated in news of commitment shortly thereafter. If White's mother gives her stamp of approval at the spring game, White could be the 22nd commitment in the class, as many BONizens believe.

Mack Brown speaks. In his first press conference since before Spring Break, Mack Brown spoke about his team and the work left to be done.

Brown confirmed that DJ Grant did sprain his ankle, but disagreed with trainer Kenny Boyd's assessment that Grant would not participate in the remainder of spring practice, with Brown calling him day-to-day.
After horrible kick coverage last season, Brown says they are working harder on that than they have before.
Fozzy Whittaker is quickly developing a reputation as injury-prone and "tweaked" his ankle during the first part of spring practice.
In other injury notes, early enrollee defensive end Dominique Jones won't practice this spring, but fellow early enrollee Kenny Vaccaro is participating in individual workouts.
The coaches are no longer worried about the weight of 250-pound Cody Johnson, instead focusing on his body fat percentage, with Brown commenting that the staff doesn't want him weak from only eating salads.
Perhaps the most interesting news is that Ben Alexander has lost weight and is playing impressively. Of course, that leads to speculation that Alexander has looked good because Kheeston Randall hasn't, but it would greatly help the defensive tackle rotation if Alexander could have a breakout senior season, particularly against a team like Oklahoma State that runs the ball well.

Matthews down to two. Good news for Longhorn fans on Wednesday, as offensive lineman Jake Matthews told Burnt Orange Beat that he narrowed his list to two schools ($): Texas and Texas A&M. He's planning on visiting both schools soon, though he hasn't scheduled a visit to Texas as he has with the Aggies, with whom he has a higher level of comfort, partly due to his brother's attendance. Seemingly tired of the process, Matthews says that he will likely commit before having a chance to visit OU or USC, who haven't been completely eliminated, it seems.

Matthews will try to make it down to Texas in an effort to develop a higher level of comfort, likely for a practice or the spring game, which will be an extremely important visit. It doesn't seem like recruits have had problems getting comfortable in Austin or with the Texas coaching staff, so expect Texas to close the gap with the Aggies when Matthews does take his visit.

Wilson speaks, articulately. There might not be a Texas recruit in the history of the program with as interesting a story as Haltom defensive end Reggie Wilson. On Tuesday, at a news conference held in his school library, Wilson made the official announcement of his commitment to Texas. Wilson's maturity and perspective have always shown through in his previous interviews, but his new conference and appearance on "The Drive" clearly demonstrated how remarkably articulate he is ($) for a young man. Wilson sounded off on a number of topics during his interview, including the impact his trip to campus made on his family:

When we got on the campus my mom and dad and brother fell in love with the campus. And the things they offer in the business school and me telling my dad I wanted to major in business. Them being a top five business school in the country and all those things. My mom and my brothers were like yeah I think this is the right school for you.

For Wilson and his family, the considerations went beyond the campus or facilities -- older brother Winston wanted to know what would happen if Reggie got injured:

A major concern was that if he gets out of here and he's in Austin and playing football and he gets a season ending injury, what happens to his scholarship? That was basically what our concern was. And we were told 'Look if Reggie commits to us now, we guarantee him four years of academic scholarship. It's there. The athletic scholarship is there and it's going to be there. We are not going to take it from him.' So basically that was the biggest concern. My parents were concerned about that and I was concerned about that. So it was a snap of a finger to give them a commitment because they satisfactorily answered all of the questions we had.

A concern with Wilson talking about moving back to the Ivory Coast after his football career is that he might leave early for the NFL to have money to send back more quickly. Wilson tried to allay those concerns on Tuesday:

Some players decide to go to the NFL but I'm not one of those people who are going to the NFL [early]. I'm going to go the four years to get my degree. That's the plan I have and I'm not going to change it. You all can look forward to me playing four years of football there.

Finally, Wilson gave insight into the way that Texas coaches deal with blue-chip talent, developing personal relations that may last past the recruiting process, even if the player attends another school:

They're great people, I felt comfortable with them - coach Giles, coach Tolly, every one of them. I feel those are people who are going to be there for me regardless of football, football being there or not. And that's what really drew me closer to them.

Coach Tolly was the main one who got my attention. This is one thing coach Tolly told me, this is the main thing that got my attention, 'If you come to the University or if you don't come here I'll always be your biggest fan.' That really touched me to know that he liked me as a person and not just because I was a top recruit in the state of Texas or the nation, but he liked me as an individual.

Wilson will certainly represent the University of Texas in the best possible way and it will be interesting to hear more interviews with him later, though Mack Brown may well indoctrinate him before anything interesting comes out of his mouth while at Texas.

Recruiting Spotlight: Patrick Nkwopara

GhostofBigRoy — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 21:44:24 -0000

With Signing Day rapidly approaching and the great majority of the Longhorns' 2009 class already committed, it's time to look at each individual prospect.

Vitals

Name: Patrick Nkwopara

Height: 5-11

Weight: 210

Speed: 4.54 forty-yard dash

High School: South Grand Prairie

Rating (Rivals): Three out of five

Strengths

The first prospect personally approved by Will Muschamp his own self, the most outstanding aspect of Nkwopara's skill set is his speed, especially for a linebacker. With a new paradigm developing in the Big 12, if not college football in general, a new type of linebacker must emerge to deal with spread offenses. Rather than being able to play downhill the majority of the time, the new spread linebacker must be able to play sideline to sideline, possessing lateral quickness and the ability to effectively defend slot receivers (read: not Scott Derry). Nkwopara appears to possess those abilities, as well as significant strength for his size. When Muschamp saw Nkwopara on film, he didn't know where to play him ($), but he did recognize that the kid is a football player.

In addition to the speed factor, spread linebackers must also be strong enough to take on and shed blockers. To improve in that category, Nkwopara devoted the offseason before his senior year to improving his raw strength, his footwork, and his flexibility, adding ten pounds of muscle and increasing his bench press to 340 pounds and his squat to 470. The work paid off, as Nkwopara registered 100 tackles during his senior season, earning Defensive Player of Year honors in his district.

Lateral quickness and hip fluidity are important qualities for any linebacker, but more important in the Big 12, as mentioned above. Nkwopara possesses both those attributes ($), showing off the fluidity and mirroring ability that defines the best defensive backs, also allowing him to mirror the ballcarrier on running plays. His playmaking ability is evident by his propensity to always be around the ball, something of an intangible strength made tangible by his obvious speed. That speed allows Nkwopara to blitz the quarterback with great success ($), but he also shows off the ability to break down and change direction, with acceleration that matches his top-end speed. In addition, his jumping ability negates the size advantage possessed by tight ends.

Weaknesses

Size is the first obstacle facing Patrick Nkwopara and the most likely reason he receives so little love from recruiting services. He's listed at 5-11, but looks more like 5-9 or so. In the SEC, that's a serious impediment, but Nkwopara won't be playing in the SEC. It's relatively unusual for Texas to pursue players with non-prototypical size, which makes his offer something of an anomaly.

The lack of size most effects Nkwopara when tackling larger running backs in space, failing to create the leverage to deliver the blow, but instead absorbing it. He likely won't look like Blake Gideon trying to tackle Angus Quigley, but in games against larger running backs, Nkwopara may not play or may play a more limited role than usual. Mitigating that concern is the presence of Tariq Allen in the same class, a player who most certainly can tackle larger running backs.

Shedding blocks is another issue for Nkwopara, an ability, of course, that Bobino never displayed in four years at Texas and yet started for most of those. Nkwopara struggles mostly when allowing offensive lineman to get into his body, a result of the type of poor technique of which Muschamp and company should rid him.

Verdict

Nkwopara's size may lend credence to unfavorable comparisons to Rashad Bobino, but his raw speed nullifies those concerns in my opinion. Unlike Bobino, Nkwopara will work much more in space than everyone's favorite kamikaze linebacker. As far as a potential move to safety, the Texas coaching staff hasn't indicated to the Nigerian-born commit that they are considering such a move, but Nkwopara's speed gives him the ability to operate in space in such a way that he could draw coverage assignments that most linebackers simply aren't fast enough to execute. It's conceivable that the Longhorns could develop a type of "rover" position for Nkwopara to play, a sort of safety/linebacker hybrid capable of coming up and stopping the run when necessary and dropping back into coverage in passing situations.

It's also easy to see Nkwopara as nothing more than roster filler, especially in light of his ranking by Rivals, which is tied with Kyle Kriegel for the lowest in the class, at 5.5. Want evidence to the contrary? Will Mushcamp likes the kid. That's enough for me. It may take some time for Nkwopara to find the field, but with the proliferation of spread offenses in the Big 12, the South Grand Prairie product will find a niche with the Longhorns, if for no other reason than Will Muschamp is his coach and will put him in position to succeed. Let me repeat that for the Nkwopara haters out there: Will Muschamp will put him in a position to succeed.

The mental aspect of the game will be paramount for Nkwopara in college, particularly in reading and reacting to plays quickly to keep him from needing to take on blockers regularly. However, his ability to play in space means that he won't be manning an inside position in college and will likely play off the line of scrimmage to keep him out of the most serious traffic and blockers looking to find linebackers at the second level. If nothing else, Nkwopara possesses the skill set to make plays on special teams, certainly a major plus considering the significant struggles in covering kickoffs. As a kid with a 3.75 GPA and enrollment in every Advanced Placement class he can take, Nkwopara personifies the type of student/athlete Mack Brown covets and displays the intelligence and character to make the most of his physical skills.

Here is the Patrick Nkwopara Story.

Morning Coffee Hits the Recruiting Trail

GhostofBigRoy — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 12:00:08 -0000

Texas remains in race for Kirkpatrick. Following the Alabama/Mississippi All-Star Game, five-star cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick discussed ($) his five top schools, a veritable who's who of college football powerhouses: Texas, USC, LSU, Alabama, and Florida. Kirkpatrick won't make a decision until around Signing Day, with an official visit to Texas scheduled for January 23rd, but will find himself on Texas soil 20 days earlier at the US Army All-American Game in San Antonio. As for the All-Star game just completed, Kirkpatrick made his mark on his first defensive play of the game, catching a deep pass at its highest point from Mississippi State recruit Tyler Russell, returning the ball 30 yards out of the end zone.

There's a reason Kirkpatrick just moved to No. 2 on the ESPNU 150: a description of his physical traits reads like a defensive coordinator's dream cornerback. Kirkpatrick is the type of guy you can create on Madden if you have an unlimited amount of money. He's 6-2, with long arms and incredible quickness, ball skills, and the ability to mirror receivers. Consider this: Given the chance to talk to Duane Akina or any defensive coordinator about the traits that they want in a cornerback, that coach would describe Kirkpatrick.

Versatility defines 2010 prospect. It isn't clear whether Dunbar junior Rashad Favors can throw the football. Whatever the case, there isn't much that Favors can't do ($) on the football field. He scored nine touchdowns on only 29 carries, gaining 189 yards in the process, while spending time rushing the quarterback at defensive end, playing linebacker, and lining up in the defensive backfield at his long-time position of safety. It's the combination of size, speed, and strength that allows Favors to play so many positions.

At 6-1, 215 pounds and with 4.5 speed, Favors likely projects as a linebacker in college, the position he has played at Dunbar since informing his coach of his current 215-pound weight. Think Travis Lewis. With the highest priority in the current Big12 climate being the ability for linebackers or safeties to defend in space, Favors is the type of athlete that Will Muschamp undoubtedly covets, as demonstrated by the somewhat surprising offer to the undersized Patrick Nkwopara as a linebacker. Spread offenses require a redefinition of the linebacker position and Rashad Favors looks like the type of players whose picture would accompany just such a definition.

D Money and a Dunbar pipeline? Favors isn't the only impressive prospect from the Fort Worth high school. Receiver Darius White is known as "D Money" to his friends, but "Spare Change" to his coach, who wasn't convinced of his nickname early on. Any skepticism was allayed ($) by White's 1,100 yard junior season, during which he averaged 26.4 yards per reception and scored 16 touchdowns. A multi-sport star in track and basketball, the 6-4 White is ranked ($) as the No. 3 receiver in the 2010 class by IT's Jeff Howe and will be a national recruit in a class the Longhorns will look to add greater numbers than the one receiver they took in 2009.

Speaking of Nkwopara...Like Pacific Islanders finding homes in college football programs across the West Coast, the University of Texas has established a Nigerian pipeline to Austin. That group includes Brian Orakpo, Chris Ogbonnaya, and Frank Okam. Next fall, Texas fans hope that South Grand Prairie linebacker Patrick Nkwopara will be the next Nigerian star ($). Despite being undersized at 5-11, Nkwopara is too fast and too productive to end up as another Rashad Bobino. With 4.5 speed and the ability to play sideline to sideline--instead of kamikaze launches into the backfield or blockers--Nkwopara registered 100 tackles, earning District 7-5A Defensive Player of the Year distinction. Nkwopara isn't highly regarded by the scouting services, earning 3 stars from Rivals, but he was one of the first personal defensive selections by Will Muschamp after arriving at Texas. With a new paradigm developing for linebackers, is there any reason to doubt Muschamp's wisdom?

McFarland update. Bob Stoops took his in-home visit ($) on Wednesday night with Jamarkus McFarland, but there has been no commitment forthcoming, which bodes well for Texas. As mentioned in Tuesday's Morning Coffee, the longer the process draws out with no commitment to OU, the better the chances look for the Longhorns.

Morning Coffee Is Back At Full Strength But Still Slow

GhostofBigRoy — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 21:02:47 -0000

The attrition continues. The Longhorn football team is a group of walking wounded. Mack Brown said Wednesday that Brian Orakpo will be a game-time decision. Chip Brown broke the story ($) that Colt McCoy spent as much time in the ice tubs as Quan Cosby did last week after leaving the Tech game with an injury. It led to McCoy hesitating to take the running lanes given to him by the Baylor defense. He also absorbed a couple big hits when blitzing defenders came free through the line. Lamarr Houston left the Baylor game after aggravating an ankle injury he has played through most of the year. Adam Ulatoski injured his elbow in the game, as well, leaving after the injury, although he remained atop the depth chart at left tackle. Chykie Brown has struggled to get back to speed, while recovering slowly from his ankle injury. Now, starting center Chris Hall injured his knee in practice this week, leaving him out of action for the Kansas game and thrusting true freshman David Snow into the starting role. After Buck Burnette's dismissal last week, that leaves tight end (if you can even call him that) Greg Smith as the backup center and the only player on the team who may need two jerseys this weekend. Talk about a team in desperate need of a bye week.

Short quarterback revenge tour continues. Have I heard this story before anywhere? An undersized quarterback grows up in Texas loving the Longhorns, eventually leading his high school football team to an incredible amount of success, while racking up unbelievable numbers. Problem is, he's under six feet tall and the Longhorns aren't in the business of making that type of quarterback a top recruiting priority. Except it's not Chase Daniel this time, it's Todd Reesing, who grew up in the Longhorns' back yard, preceeding Garrett Gilbert there and starting the run of success at Lake Travis. Guess you were just short those NFL quarterback genes, Todd. Todd's father, Steve, sounds a little bitter about the whole process:

One of the things that was really frustrating was, after being named player of the year in the best football state in the country, Todd couldn't get looks from some of the big schools close to him. That was hard to take.

Should have married an Amazon, Steve. Seriously, dude, get over it. That's how the process works. When you're barely 5-10, you're going to end up playing for the Kansas' of the world. Tough break. Saying that the big schools should look at him because he was the player of the year is like saying that Jason White should have been a first round draft pick by the NFL because he won the Heisman Trophy. Besides, Reesing probably wouldn't have beaten out Colt McCoy had he come to Texas, anyway. As it is, he got a chance to put the Kansas football program on the college football map, however briefly, and play in a BCS game. That doesn't sound like a bad football career to me.

Embarassment of riches. PB has you covered on the signing of the three stud basketball players who currently make up the Longhorns' 2009 basketball recruiting class. But that's not all. The Longhorn baseball team hauled in three of the top 75 players in the country: catcher Jonathan Walsh (No. 34), pitcher/first baseman Colton Cain (No. 44), and pitcher Kiefer Nuncio (No. 75). Are you a greedy Longhorn fan left wanting more? Well, the women's basketball team is in the running to sign the numbers 2, 5, and 13 players in the country, with fifth-ranked Cokie Reed expected to sign today. Still not enough? The women's golf team signed three of the top 101 players, including Madison Pressel, the No. 34 ranked player in the country. The women's volleyball team got stronger as well, signing two of the top five players in the country, including top-ranked Bailey Webster and ShaDare McNeal. Whew. Never been a better time to be Longhorn fan.

Into the great, white North. Well, maybe not quite the North, but it isn't expected to be in the 60's like it is in Austin. Nevertheless, the Longhorns will be in Lawrence to play the Jayhawks on Saturday, with Scipio Tex covering your Kansas scouting report needs. But first thing's first: The Kansas football team in 2008 is not a BCS-quality team. In fact, they sit at 6-4, with their best win coming over the injury-riddled Colorado Buffaloes. The Kansas offensive line has allowed 17 sacks in their six Big 12 games, while Reesing has thrown seven interceptions, equal to his total from all of last season. While injuries have slowed down the Texas defensive line, expect to see Longhorns running free in the backfield and clogging Reesing's passing lanes. Note to Steve Reesing: That's why short quarterbacks get into trouble against goods teams--they're short.

Kansas does, however, have two tall and talented receivers in 6-3, 220-pound former quarterback Kerry Meier, who has 69 catches for 794 yards on the season, as well as 6-3, 200-pound Dezmon Briscoe, who has 60 catches for 964 yards and 11 touchdowns. They also have a white running back named Jake Sharp. Don't laugh, he's actually been effective, particularly in Big 12 play, where he's averaged 108.5 yards per game and scored 10 touchdowns, along with two games of 75 or more receiving yards. The Kansas offense will probably try to run the ball early to back off the Texas pass rush, while putting pressure on the defensive backs of Texas by throwing wide receiver screens. As Scipio notes, they big a better job of that against Baylor after getting destroyed against Texas Tech. Time to keep playing it well. I'm looking at you, Deon Beasley. Time to be a man. I have to believe that Coach Boom and Duane Akina question his manhood every day in practice. If they don't, they should, considering that I don't recall ever seeing the kid interested in hitting someone.

Sliding downhill? IT's Bill Frisbie brings up the conventional wisdom that is circulating through some quarters after the last several games that Texas has already played their best football of the season, peaking in the first half of the Missouri game. Longhorn players, apparently, aren't buying into that logic, with linebackers Roddrick Muckelroy and Rashad Bobino both looking for a complete, 60-minute effort from the football team, hopefully this weekend. I'm not buying into the conventional wisdom because the injuries are the manifestation of the physical demands of playing four intense, physical games in a month, while Greg Davis has struggled making adjustments to teams dropping more players into coverage rather than blitzing.

Davis notes that "a big part of coaching is asking your kids to do only what they can do." Certainly an obvious and elemental observation, but it raises questions about the usage of the tight end. Why did Davis leave Greg Smith in during max-protection schemes against a Tech team rushing three or four players? Especially since Smith kept getting beat. So let's look at this: Greg Smith can't pass block, can't catch, can't run, and has maybe a marginally positive impact on the running game. Why is he playing? I'm sure he's a great kid and all, but the best thing he can do is not be on the field for Texas. The Longhorns can still play great football this season on offense if Fozzy Whittaker can keep teams honest when they drop back in coverage and Davis uses the four-wide sets that directly contributed to the Longhorns playing their best football of the season. None of that should be considered anything more than glaringly obvious. Get it, Greg? Good.

The Game In Posters: Texas vs Arkansas

Peter Bean — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 06:00:14 -0000

Game day, poster-ized.