Then yall must be utah state status
The OFFICIAL 2016 College football RANDOM THOUGHTS thread
- Thread starter Ed MOTHERFUCKING G
- Start date
Recruiting momentum swing back to Longhorns
Five hundred two days. That's how long it took for Texas to reclaim from Texas A&M its spot as recruiting kings of the Lone Star State.
"It's safe to say the narrative that has been repeated by a lot of people for the past two years that Charlie Strong can't beat out Kevin Sumlin for the top players in Texas can be erased," a Power 5 assistant coach that has recruited Texas for decades and has coached in the Pac-12, Big 12 and SEC said. "It's clear to everybody that recruits in Texas, and against Texas and Texas A&M, that there is a lot more love for Charlie than Kevin now, especially with the difference-making recruits."
The top of the food chain in Texas is a position Longhorns fans demand and expect to be, especially after former UT coach Mack Brown created a culture of recruiting domination for 15 years. But Brown wasn't winning on the field, and he was replaced by Strong after the 2013 season. There was a change in College Station, too, as Mike Sherman was replaced by Sumlin following the 2011 season.
The moves ushered in a seismic shift in the Lone Star State that saw Texas A&M become the "it team" with recruits. Sumlin brought with him a sense of excitement -- #AgSwag it was called -- that hadn't been seen in the state in a long, long time. After a magical 2012 season that produced a Heisman Trophy winner and an 11-2 record, A&M took over as the top dog in the Lone Star State with a 2013 class that finished eighth in the country and a 2014 class that ranked fourth. The Aggies were so hot on the trail, they somehow convinced not just one but two No. 1-ranked quarterbacks in back-to-back classes to sign. In the 2014 class, Sumlin was not only beating Strong for prospects, he even went into New Orleans and lured five-star receiver Speedy Noil away from SEC rivals LSU and Florida.
But Dec. 19, 2014, will forever be known as the day momentum began to shift back toward Texas. A series of fortunate (for Texas) and unfortunate (for A&M) events led us to last Wednesday when it became crystal clear the Longhorns were once again the top recruiting team in the state. And it all started with a single recruiting victory.
In the 2015 class, Malik Jefferson was the first true program-changing prize fight between Strong and Sumlin, and when the star linebacker narrowed his choices to Texas, Texas A&M and UCLA, many believed this was going to be another Sumlin recruiting victory, especially since Jefferson admitted the Aggies were his one-time leader. But he clicked with Strong unlike he did with anybody else, especially Sumlin. Strong's sugar-free honesty appealed to him, and he especially loved how the coach preached the importance of character. So when Jefferson committed to the Longhorns on Dec. 19, 2014, not only was it Strong's first major win over Sumlin, it was also the first initial swing of the pendulum back toward UT.
"It was a really big moment for our program," Strong said. "I told Malik when I was at the University of Florida, we signed Tim Tebow. I said this signing is just as big as that one is because now all of a sudden, you get someone who gives us momentum. I said that anytime you're in a recruiting process, there's got to be a player, there's got to be a marquee player -- that was Malik Jefferson for us. When he got on board, it got us started."
The momentum only continued to increase throughout the 2016 recruiting cycle, as Texas A&M finished 8-5 in the 2015 season, top-ranked quarterback recruits Kyler Murray and Kyle Allen announced their transfers from A&M and Texas became the national story of signing day with five head-to-head recruiting victories over the Aggies and a top-10 class.
"People ask me all the time if there's a sense of urgency for us to do better in recruiting or if we've lost momentum in state," Sumlin said in mid-April. "Hell, there was a sense of urgency when I took the job, but I also understand why people are asking that. My answer is that I think we've been pretty consistent in what we're doing."
Despite Sumlin's positivity, things went from bad to worse last Wednesday when A&M assistant coach Aaron Moorehead posted a series of tweets about loyalty and accountability after ESPN 300 quarterback recruit Tate Martellannounced he was breaking his commitment to the Aggies. Soon after Moorehead's tweets, another Aggies recruit, receiver Mannie Netherly, the No. 181 player in the ESPN 300, posted on Twitter he was also reversing his pledge.
The response from many of the top undecided prospects in the Lone Star State was swift and decidedly negative for the Aggies. Through social media postings, ESPN 300 recruits Marvin Wilson, Jeffrey Okudah and Baron Browningwere quick to poke fun at the Aggies, and they later said they've cooled on A&M. They weren't the only ones, but they are three of the most important targets in the 2017 class for A&M and collectively represent the current mindset of many elite prospects in the Lone Star State.
Yes, Strong still has questions he has to answer ahead of a make-or-break season. Recruits like Wilson, Okudah and Browning will also want to see results before totally buying in, but most astute observers believe the tide has turned toward Texas and the Longhorns could be building toward a class that would rival some of Brown's best.
"Last Wednesday was the death knell -- the moment it became obvious it's Texas' state again," an SEC West coach that recruits in East Texas and Houston for his program said. "We're already talking to a few kids that were high on A&M but have cooled on them because of this. A&M will have to defend against that for the rest of this class, and unless it goes out and wins a bunch of games, it's going to be hard to recover from. You can bet Texas will take advantage of this and really focuses on the loyalty stuff. It'll work well. It's going to be a really good summer for those guys in Austin."
Why not Austin for the ND-Texas game?I might be able to do the Houston & Dallas game
This list doesn't include the Sunday Night (ND @ Texas) & Monday/Labor Day night (FSU vs. Ole Miss) games.
Man in not tryna pay to watch a live rape
Hope yall have it together so i can finally go to the RRS
Tide Run This
Veteran
Man in not tryna pay to watch a live rape
Hope yall have it together so i can finally go to the RRS
But you willing to go watch Bama and Kiffin run a train on SC
Only reason Lane hung around was so he can run it up on SC
Tide Run This
Veteran
I'm just hoping we don't get no fluke Iowa and Northwestern teams popping up at the top of the Big 10 again shyt sad how they got they card pulled on New Years Day. Nebraska and Pedo State where are you?
Chrishaune
Veteran
That was noted earlier
Defense ready to eat.....
You really puttin all your chips in.Ima be 
when Clemson puts 55 on yo ass.
Chrishaune
Veteran
As long as we get 56
Woodwerkz
R.I.P. King Bean #8 #24 and Little Deuce #2 Gigi
That's because of the offensive side of the ball. All we have to do this year is be a top 20 defense with the offense we have. The pressure would be on most teams to keep up and the reason is because that side of the ball felt that they faced the CFB powerhouse and carved them up with a young OL and they've taken that confidence in the offseason that they can make it back.
Then on top of that...The defense has improved every year under Coach BV with being #1 a few years ago and still top 8 last year. The logic most have is that yes....our defense will take a step back this year...but they can't see it dropping like 20 places from last year. We expected Lawson, Alexander, and Kearse to make the jump. The only real surprise was Green because after Dodd put on that show vs Bama we knew he was gone. DB is the biggest concern because Mac took a whole side of the field away, but the talent is still there and if they are decent then the DL won't allow many QB's enough time to get the ball off with a bunch of time to make all reads.
904Lurker
R.I.P Young Dolph
Chrishaune
Veteran
Our boy John Franklin III is outchea training with Mike Vick......
