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#12351
1 hour ago, Hookem2147 said:

Visiting on Friday, per Wiltfong

ESPN
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Caleb Herring - Tennessee Volunteers Defensive Lineman -...

View the profile of Tennessee Volunteers Defensive Lineman Caleb Herring on ESPN. Get the latest news, live stats and game highlights.

Not gonna lie. At first I thought this was an AI image of some totally fabricated prospect.

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#12354
7 minutes ago, goathumper said:

Staff seems to be either bad or not equipped to find bargains in the portal

We're shopping for the bbq at Central Market, not Sam's Club

What kind of commits would read as bargains to you? And is paying a lot for the very best talent a bad thing in your mind?

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#12355
7 minutes ago, goathumper said:

Staff seems to be either bad or not equipped to find bargains in the portal

We're shopping for the bbq at Central Market, not Sam's Club

You sound like the kind of guy who leaves the bar at 10pm with the 2am bargain. Why the fuck would we be settling for bargains already when there are still thousands of players in the portal and 3 days for them to apply to enter?

#12356
1 minute ago, texifornia said:

What kind of commits would read as bargains to you? And is paying a lot for the very best talent a bad thing in your mind?

Exactly. Frugality is a positive, but that doesn't mean paying market rate for the talent needed to make a title run is a negative.

#12358

At the end of the day, next year is Arch's final year. This is our all-in moment and we've got many pieces ready. The money spent for next season means more than any other year. (Easy for me to say as some random fan)

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#12359
23 minutes ago, goathumper said:

Staff seems to be either bad or not equipped to find bargains in the portal

We're shopping for the bbq at Central Market, not Sam's Club

Fuck you for using Central Market in a derogatory manner.

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#12360

You guys have the most money. Some tards that aren't worth that money are naturally gonna make a grab at it. I don't think it matters because in the end you'll top out with more talent. But I don't get all the panic over 3's and 4's leaving. You can use this same analogy with hoes trying to get dudes with money. So I've been told. Anyways, I don't know shit about fuck, but it's kind of funny to see some of you panic, when there's absolutely no reason to panic. At worst the O line will fill up with experienced mid tier lineman from smaller schools. The panic, if there is any, shouldn't be about that - but about the fact Flood can't coach those guys up. Anyways, enjoy being rich, it's nice.

#12361
8 minutes ago, Huckleberry said:

You sound like the kind of guy who leaves the bar at 10pm with the 2am bargain. Why the fuck would we be settling for bargains already when there are still thousands of players in the portal and 3 days for them to apply to enter?

There are positions like guard and linebacker where having experienced and reliable depth can be just as good as having one big star at the position.

Instead of scouting and building a healthy list of players on other rosters that can meet the baseline of protecting Arch, the staff seems to put together a small list of future NFL guys they thought they could money whip into coming here. It's a lazier and much more risky strategy

#12362
16 minutes ago, Huckleberry said:

You sound like the kind of guy who leaves the bar at 10pm with the 2am bargain. Why the fuck would we be settling for bargains already when there are still thousands of players in the portal and 3 days for them to apply to enter?

Uh, cause like, I saved up this really good bbq analogy that I wanted to use.

#12364
52 minutes ago, Cajun said:

7 different schools?

Dayum.

7 schools, 6 teams

2020 - LSU (Covid year, doesn't count against eligibility). Started 5 games, kinda sucked.
2021 - Auburn. 0-3 as a starter w/ Bo Nix out.
2022 - Auburn. 2-0 vs Mercer and San Jose State w/ multiple INT and less than stellar numbers. Knee injury sidelines the rest of the year. Redshirt.
2023 - Texas State. Finley finds his level and crushes it in San Marcos. 24TD/8INT and 3400+yds, but looks like he runs in cement and Kinne wants a mobile QB.
2024 - Western Kentucky. Season ending injury in Wk3. Medical Redshirt.
2025 - Tulane. Has legal issues in the spring semester, leaves immediately.
2025 - Georgia State. Very meh. Split time, 6TD/7INT.
2026 - UIW. I'd bet anything he isn't the starter for most games there. Dude just has no mobility and turns the ball over (he's a fumbler too).

#12365
17 minutes ago, westexhorn said:

At the end of the day, next year is Arch's final year. This is our all-in moment and we've got many pieces ready. The money spent for next season means more than any other year. (Easy for me to say as some random fan)

Quit saying this shit. We don’t now that it is. There are clearly SOME expectations for him to stay for his Sr year from his family.

#12366
Just now, D3zii said:

We still don’t really know what we’re getting from Williams coming off the knee injury, and there’s already talk of him sliding do

1 hour ago, texifornia said:

Bizarro Cam Ward

#12367

All these guys who don't get picked up in the portal can still go to the school they are currently attending or some other one for a semester. They just won't be on scholarship and will need to pay their own way. It's not like there's a law prohibiting wayward portal players from going to school and banishing them to their mom's basement for five months.

#12368
Just now, lilMAC25 said:

Quit saying this shit. We don’t now that it is. There are clearly SOME expectations for him to stay for his Sr year from his family.

Highly unlikely. But I agree it's annoying. Texas should be in contention every year.

#12369
5 minutes ago, lilMAC25 said:

Quit saying this shit. We don’t now that it is. There are clearly SOME expectations for him to stay for his Sr year from his family.

And even if it is we’ll have another QB1 that we should go all in for as well.

#12370
8 minutes ago, GJ Winne said:

7 schools, 6 teams

2020 - LSU (Covid year, doesn't count against eligibility). Started 5 games, kinda sucked.
2021 - Auburn. 0-3 as a starter w/ Bo Nix out.
2022 - Auburn. 2-0 vs Mercer and San Jose State w/ multiple INT and less than stellar numbers. Knee injury sidelines the rest of the year. Redshirt.
2023 - Texas State. Finley finds his level and crushes it in San Marcos. 24TD/8INT and 3400+yds, but looks like he runs in cement and Kinne wants a mobile QB.
2024 - Western Kentucky. Season ending injury in Wk3. Medical Redshirt.
2025 - Tulane. Has legal issues in the spring semester, leaves immediately.
2025 - Georgia State. Very meh. Split time, 6TD/7INT.
2026 - UIW. I'd bet anything he isn't the starter for most games there. Dude just has no mobility and turns the ball over (he's a fumbler too).

Holy chit

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#12371
8 hours ago, William Bludworth said:

I will add to this that in the "we can afford it because our revenue sports like football and basketball can afford it for them" we need a men's and women's official Lacrosse teams. It's a massively growing sport in the state of Texas. Sure, it'll probably take us 80 years to get to the level of Duke, Syracuse, ND, Ohio State, Loyola, John's Hopkins, etc, but I don't care, we'll all be dead, anyway. I just want to say "yeah, I member when we started those programs." Same with men's soccer. Then just add some IDGAF women's sports.

If we're being honest, title IX is retarded. I understand the why, but realistically this isn't the 70s anymore. Women have plenty of teams, it doesn't all have to be "equal" in the sense of men's athletics has X amount of scholarships, so now we add [whatever women's sport] needs the same amount. No, they don't. They really, really don't. Sports is about entertainment, and if a men's soccer team and M/W Lacrosse teams bring in fans, you should do it. We aren't a poor school.

The women to men ratio is is 3:2 just as students. And yes, I understand it's different, but at what point do you acknowledge that not everything in the world is equal in terms of relevance? Adding women's gymnastics and lacrosse + men's soccer and lacrosse doesn't have to be about numbers, anymore. Athletes from both sexes still getting the opportunity to play here. It's not like we're taking away teams to add another, thus creating another issue; it's sports, thus entertainment. Who cares if Timmy has 85 apples and Tina has 40? The sports wouldn't be revenue driving, as is. Not a single sport outside of football and basketball are raking in cash hand over fist, including baseball, where we're a already a blue blood with the third most NC's and most trips to Omaha. Yet both the baseball team and softball team are getting NIL deals and scholarships. Same wirh VB. Non-revenue sport, but people show the fuck up in support. You can't make money off of those programs. It's simply impossible, you know? It's why football and basketball carry the other sports, because they can afford to.

Women's gymnastics is awesome. Lacrosse kicks ass. Men's soccer has been popular in the state and long overdue for fucking ever. The NCAA might as well be inert at this junction. It's being phased out. It has no teeth.

/rant over

We have women's teams/sports as a result of Title IX.

Take TItle IX away and you might just find athletic directors taking away women's sports (and unprofitable men's too) to meet the revenue share max, or just general cost-cutting.

Title IX probably exemplifies what Churchill said about Americans: they'll do the right thing, once they've exhausted all other possibilities.

Edited by TwiceHorn

#12372
1 hour ago, goathumper said:

Staff seems to be either bad or not equipped to find bargains in the portal

We're shopping for the bbq at Central Market, not Sam's Club

You are dumb as a fucking rock. Actually, you are dumber than one.

We are eating at Leroy and Lewis before going over to Rudys to see what else is out there that's decent, bread-y or cheap to fill out the roster.

#12373
8 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said:

Take TItle IX away and you might just find athletic directors taking away women's sports (and unprofitable men's too) to meet the revenue share max, or just general cost-cutting.

Title IX probably exemplifies what Churchill said about Americans: they'll do the right thing, once they've exhausted all other possibilities.

Not might, ADs will one hundred percent drop women's sports and Olympic / unprofitable mens also.

#12374

Mike Craven: How Sarkisian’s Portal Pivot Signals a New Era for the Sport

The 2025 college football season will go down in history as the year that broke the old-school method of team building.

Four of the top five transfer portal classes heading into 2025 were signed by Texas Tech, Ole Miss, Oregon, and Miami. Each of those programs reached at least the quarterfinals of the College Football Playoff and are a combined 7-3 so far in the tournament with Miami still alive. Oregon was the only one of the four to sign a Top 10 recruiting class in 2025. Miami signed the 14th best class, Ole Miss landed at 19, and Tech checked in at 43. Indiana, the overwhelming favorite to win the championship, landed the 53rd best recruiting class but the 13th-ranked portal class in 2025.

Of the 10 Power Four teams that reached the CFP this year, seven signed portal classes that rank inside the top 16 heading into the season. Those seven teams are a combined 9-4 in this year’s CFP. The three P4 teams in the tournament that didn’t sign Top 16 portal classes were Georgia (29), Oklahoma (51), and Alabama (61). Those three teams went 1-3 in the CFP with the lone win coming when Alabama beat Oklahoma. Proof that the 2025 season was a fulcrum moment in college football roster construction comes from the Forty Acres where Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian is clearly changing philosophies.

Programs like Texas, which can recruit Top 5 classes out of high school, used the portal as supplemental for most of the last few seasons, just like Georgia, Alabama, Ohio State, and other recruiting giants. The belief was that the ceiling was higher for programs who recruited organically. Sign a bunch of five- and four-star prospects with huge upsides, develop those guys behind the scenes, hoard talent at every position, and then dominate peers that didn’t have access to that type of pure talent. That worked for decades and it's why the SEC dominated the sport in the 21st Century.

But that model is broken and outdated. Money and the ability to move schools spread the talent out and the SEC is reeling. For the third year in a row, the conference won’t have a team in the national championship game. It isn’t a coincidence that this is happening parallel to new dynamics. Before the transfer portal, location to high school talent was paramount and that talent was largely concentrated in the Southeast of the United States.

It was easier for Alabama and Georgia and Texas to convince that talent to stay at home when there weren’t big paydays to be made in the Midwest or on the West Coast. Furthermore, once that talent was signed and on campus, it was a headache to leave. To cash in as a college football player was to be developed into an NFL prospect, and that happened more often at the blueblood programs with the giant staffs and elite facilities. Not anymore. Why would a four- or five-star recruit wait his turn at a program like Texas or Alabama if they can go make more money to start earlier at a stereotypically mid-tier SEC or Big Ten program?

Sarkisian sees the trend and is adjusting. The goal is no longer to hoard young talent. The new goal is to spend money on the two-deep. Signing five-star prospects out of high school is still expensive, so why waste your money on bench players who may or may not develop into their potential? The goal is to win now and spending half of your payroll on players in the bottom-half of the roster no longer makes sense. Load that salary into the stars and the starters and worry about replacing that depth the next time the portal opens.

Texas has watched 23 players leave in the portal. Some saw a mass exodus that caused alarms. Others saw a new process for the Horns. Sarkisian was essentially clearing cap space by allowing non-starters with hefty price tags to find greener pastures while using that freed up money to land portal stars that can help Texas win in 2026 like wide receiver Cam Coleman, linebacker Rasheem Biles, and running back Hollywood Smothers.

That’s not to say Texas won’t keep recruiting at an elite level. There are still positions, most notably the offensive line, that require development and patience. The Longhorns signed 23 players to the 10th-ranked recruiting class back in December. The difference is the patience in watching those guys develop. If they’re not competing for starting spots after their first year on campus, move on and find a junior or senior who can walk in right away and help you win.

Bud Elliott created the Blue-Chip Ratio in 2013. It calculates how populated each roster is with four- and five-star talents. The rationale was simple and true: To win a national championship, college football teams need to sign more four- and five-star recruits than two- and three-star players over the previous four recruiting classes. That hypothesis held true for every modern college football champion. If fewer than 50 percent of the roster was compiled by non-blue-chips, your team couldn’t win the title. The closest teams to breaking the pattern were Michigan in 2023 with 54 percent blue-chips, 2016 Clemson with 52 percent, and 2013 Florida State with 53 percent. Last year’s Ohio State team was at 90 percent blue-chips.

Indiana could obliterate that model with a win over Miami. The Hurricanes are at 55 percent on the Blue-Chip Ratio, but the Hoosiers are at eight percent, which is below teams like Stanford and SMU. High school recruiting still matters and provides a higher floor, but it no longer can predict the ceiling. That ceiling is now directly impacted by the transfer portal and how effective each program is at using it to build the top-end of its roster for the upcoming season.

The early adopters of the transfer portal were rewarded in 2025. Miami, Oregon, Ole Miss, and Texas Tech used it to bridge gaps and fill voids while the bluebloods around them stubbornly held onto the old way of thinking. But those bluebloods are now waking up to the reality. It’ll be interesting to see if that helps recreate the caste system that existed for so long in college football or if that toothpaste can’t be put back into the bottle.

#12376

Some OU dorks on the radio think they are killing it in the portal. I’m scanning their list, it doesn’t seem that great to me. Anyone have a better insight on them? Given their “GM” model it’s interesting to compare to Texas’ current situation.

Edited by Dbeasy

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#12377
4 hours ago, Sgt Hulk said:

We don’t need an o line anyway. We got all these shiny new toys

This meme is now a bit less funny than it was a week ago.

Untited2.jpg

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#12378
9 minutes ago, Dbeasy said:

Some OU dorks on the radio think they are killing it in the portal. I’m scanning their list, it doesn’t seem that great to me. Anyone have a better insight on them? Given their “GM” model it’s interesting to compare to Texas’ current situation.

I wrote a synopsis on the OU recruiting thread. They’ve added a few but my opinions haven’t really changed. They are admittedly bargain hunters hoping to win by the magic of Nagy’s “eval advantage” and good luck with aaaaalllll that.

#12379
1 hour ago, Gut Wagon said:

Not gonna lie. At first I thought this was an AI image of some totally fabricated prospect.

Next time just say I'd fuck him.

1 hour ago, goathumper said:

Staff seems to be either bad or not equipped to find bargains in the portal

We're shopping for the bbq at Central Market, not Sam's Club

What sort of fucking moron has such a small ball sack that you shop for BBQ at central market? Honestly!!!!! Oh shit. I'm sorry... @goathumper This lack of manhood obligations to cook meat on a charcoal pit for your loved ones was something you lost... herding the easy one....

#12380
14 minutes ago, Dbeasy said:

Some OU dorks on the radio think they are killing it in the portal. I’m scanning their list, it doesn’t seem that great to me. Anyone have a better insight on them? Given their “GM” model it’s interesting to compare to Texas’ current situation.

They are having a big circle jerk over their portal class. CTJ’s summary was pretty good. I’m not quite as critical, but their class isn’t anywhere near as good as the jizz dripping from their ceiling fans might indicate.

I think they have a decent receiving corps now. The linebacker from Michigan was well-thought of by Michigan fans who didn’t want to lose him. Of course, the same could be said of some of the guys we lost.

Their problems along the OL and RB still look like problems to me. I suppose they could have upgraded along the OL, but that’s not saying much.

Edited by Chili dog

#12381
43 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said:

We have women's teams/sports as a result of Title IX.

Take TItle IX away and you might just find athletic directors taking away women's sports (and unprofitable men's too) to meet the revenue share max, or just general cost-cutting.

Title IX probably exemplifies what Churchill said about Americans: they'll do the right thing, once they've exhausted all other possibilities.

In geopolitics, there's only self interest.

#12383
1 hour ago, goathumper said:

There are positions like guard and linebacker where having experienced and reliable depth can be just as good as having one big star at the position.

Instead of scouting and building a healthy list of players on other rosters that can meet the baseline of protecting Arch, the staff seems to put together a small list of future NFL guys they thought they could money whip into coming here. It's a lazier and much more risky strategy

shannon-sharpe-spelling-boaf-tsnxff8m8d8

#12384

48 minutes ago, NoName said:

You are dumb as a fucking rock. Actually, you are dumber than one.

We are eating at Leroy and Lewis before going over to Rudys to see what else is out there that's decent, bread-y or cheap to fill out the roster.

Rasheem Biles is one of the best defensive players in the country.

Justin Cryer finished third on FSU's defense in LB snaps and 4th among their LBs in solo tackles. Texas is definitely taking both types to fill out the roster

#12385
1 hour ago, Reese Bennett said:

All these guys who don't get picked up in the portal can still go to the school they are currently attending or some other one for a semester. They just won't be on scholarship and will need to pay their own way. It's not like there's a law prohibiting wayward portal players from going to school and banishing them to their mom's basement for five months.

giphy.gif

#12387
55 minutes ago, NoName said:

Not might, ADs will one hundred percent drop women's sports and Olympic / unprofitable mens also.

If that was true, most ADs would field a football team and whatever minimum women’s sports needed to claim compliance with title IX right now. How many do?

#12388
6 minutes ago, Voluminous Banality said:

No one is happy to see this one, but based on other results this portal period, as with Barnes, this is probably another green arrow up situation.

Sir, why would you fuck this thread up with optimism? Asshole.

#12389

If we can’t coax TJ Finley out of the Incarnate Word commitment I’ll never forgive Sark.

#12391
1 hour ago, Dbeasy said:

Some OU dorks on the radio think they are killing it in the portal. I’m scanning their list, it doesn’t seem that great to me. Anyone have a better insight on them? Given their “GM” model it’s interesting to compare to Texas’ current situation.

Meh. They’ll be league average at best

#12392
2 hours ago, Reese Bennett said:

All these guys who don't get picked up in the portal can still go to the school they are currently attending or some other one for a semester. They just won't be on scholarship and will need to pay their own way. It's not like there's a law prohibiting wayward portal players from going to school and banishing them to their mom's basement for five months.

I think many players will find out that the scholarship is worth a LOT….food, housing, tutoring, tuition, books, monthly stipend, other support not available to normal students…..so, staying on the team, working your ass off and being dedicated to a great school, just might find you starting….ask Taffe.

Oops…forgot about one of the most important reason for staying….girls like jocks.

Edited by Cairn Horn88

#12393
1 hour ago, Chili dog said:

They are having a big circle jerk over their portal class. CTJ’s summary was pretty good. I’m not quite as critical, but their class isn’t anywhere near as good as the jizz dripping from their ceiling fans might indicate.

I think they have a decent receiving corps now. The linebacker from Michigan was well-thought of by Michigan fans who didn’t want to lose him. Of course, the same could be said of some of the guys we lost.

Their problems along the OL and RB still look like problems to me. I suppose they could have upgraded along the OL, but that’s not saying much.

They are just tooting their horn cause they bought Livingston…..they happy now.

#12395
8 hours ago, Ricky Butler said:

Gotta assume there will be depth in the portal later this month. Gotta get the front line guys first.


We have 12 offensive linemen right now. We should carry 16 every year, minimum. I'm thinking we need a backup center, two LEGIT guards, and another tackle for depth.


#12397

Should we carry 16 OL though? 16-18 was good roster management when 6-8 were freshmen or redshirts. However, it is clear we can no longer carry that number of developmental positions. They would cost too much and just get picked off by other teams. Given recent developments, 12 is not out of the question. That’s two-deep and a couple of young guys learning. That said, I’d like to have 13-14. Recruit 2-3 each year and portal the rest.

Edited by Reese Bennett

#12398

This is starting to sound like the board did when yall were fed that nfl practice model is the way by 995ers and their sources in the program. Now you’re being fed the nfl roster model is the way….

Key difference is nfl backups are still some of the best college players where as we can’t say that about the backups we will have

Edited by BurntOrange&White

#12399
9 hours ago, closetojumping said:

I wrote a synopsis on the OU recruiting thread. They’ve added a few but my opinions haven’t really changed. They are admittedly bargain hunters hoping to win by the magic of Nagy’s “eval advantage” and good luck with aaaaalllll that.

Would you say they're shopping for BBQ supplies at Sam's Club or Costco?

#12400
1 hour ago, BurntOrange&White said:

This is starting to sound like the board did when yall were fed that nfl practice model is the way by 995ers and their sources in the program. Now you’re being fed the nfl roster model is the way….

Key difference is nfl backups are still some of the best college players where as we can’t say that about the backups we will have

So you’re saying that our backups will not be the best college players. Interesting.

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