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This week’s Crossfire will address the upcoming Junior Days and which recruits we can expect to see on The 40 Acres. We'll also look at Coach Strong's recruiting prowess and the future out-of-conference football schedules for the Longhorns. As always we will check-in with Friend of Bevo to see what's going on during the off-season. Let's get to it! Texas Upcoming Junior Days on February 22 & March 1 Visitor List ATH - John Humphrey - League City Clear Falls ATH - Billy Ray McCrary - Leander Rouse ATH - Ryan Newsome - Aledo ATH - Tony Nicholson - South Grand Prairie ATH - Dylan Moses - Baton Rouge University Laboratory School (2017) QB - Ryan Agnew - Southlake Carroll QB - Jaylon Henderson - Kingwood Park (March 1) QB - Keaton Torre - Edmond (OK) Santa Fe (2016) QB - Josh White - Marietta (GA) Walton (2016) RB - Tristian Houston - Galena Park North Shore RB - Patrick Carr - The Woodlands (unsure because of track) RB - Kameron Martin - Port Arthur Memorial (2016) WR - Jaelan Austin - South Grand Prairie WR - James Proche - Dallas Prime Prep (maybe March 1) WR - Denver Johnson - Oklahoma City Casady WR - Tyron Johnson - New Orleans Warren Easton Senior(Not decided) WR - Deshawn Capers-Smith - New Orleans Warren Easton Senior(Not decided) OL - Patrick Vahe - Euless Trinity- Soft Commit to Texas OL - Connor Lanfear - Buda Hayes- Soft Commit to Texas OL - Ronnie Major - Huntsville OL - Keaton Sutherland - Flower Mound Marcus OL - Toby Weathersby - Houston Westfield DT - Bryce English – DeSoto- Committed to Texas DT - Darrion Daniels - Dallas Bishop Dunne (March 1) DT - Derek Brown - Katy (March 1) DT - Jeremy Cox - Edmond (OK) Santa Fe DT - Vessy Parrish - Edmond (OK) Santa Fe (2016) DE - James Lockhart - Ennis (Not decided) DE - Charles Omenihu - Rowlett DE - Josh Uluocha - Stafford DE - Lonzell Gilmore - Spring LB - Cameron Townsend - Missouri City Ridge Point LB - Anthony Wheeler - Dallas Skyline LB - Landis Durham - Plano East (undecided on which one) LB - Arthur McGinnis - New Orleans Warren Easton Senior (possible) DB - Jalen Campbell - Corpus Christi Flour Bluff- Committed to Texas DB - Holton Hill - Houston Lamar (undecided on which one) DB - Johnny Shaw - West Orange-Stark DB - Kenneth McGruder - Alief Taylor DB - James Locke - Beaumont Central (undecided on which one) DB - Jordan Tolbert - Missouri City Ridge Point (maybe on March 1) DB - Ashton Preston - Edmond (OK) Santa Fe DB - Gary Woods - Oklahoma City Casady Holding a UT offer/invited but unlikely to be in attendance QB - Jarrett Stidham - Stephenville QB - JW Ketchum - Missouri City Fort Bend Marshall RB - Ronald Jones II - McKinney North RB - Chris Warren - Rockwall RB - Jay Bradford - Splendora RB - Jamycal Hasty - Longview DT - Daylon Mack - Gladewater LB - Malik Jefferson - Mesquite Poteet DB - Larry Pryor - Sulphur Springs DB - Kendall Sheffield - Missouri City Fort Ben Marshall DB - Kris Boyd – Spring visitor Top 20 Q & A from Horn Sports Members Q) Will Max Wittek sign with Texas? A) The coaching staff did a very nice job selling an opportunity to compete for the starting job. Louisville and Hawaii can sell a clear path to the starters role. Right now I would say it’s 50/50. Q) Seems that more of the top rated 15 class players are not including Texas among their top schools. Comments? A) Give this staff time to develop the necessary relationships’. Having a year under their belt to point to will be beneficial. Q) Plus your thoughts on so many out of state offers offers. A) Apparrently this staff has already evaluated these OOS recruits and has had previous relationships established. Q) 1. Give us the pros and cons of having a marquee game versus a team like USC in Mexico City. A) Pro= Money & Exposure A) Con= International travel is not convenient for the fan bases Q) How does the admin and those in the athletic dept feel about potentially losing a home game of that caliber to Mexico City? A) I think they are looking at it as what we are going to gain and not what we lose by playing in Mexico City. Q) Darrell, how about an update from you or Shaunsters on where things sit with Mr. Myles Tuner? FYI, I'll probably guess this will be an ongoing thing until he signs. A) Texas leads large. Q) Odds on J Gray playing in 2014? A) It is very early in the rehab to estimate. Different people respond to rehab in different time manners. There is absolutely no reason to rush the kid. Q) What's going on inside Bellmont? We were lead to believe Patterson was going to shake things up and bring in a leaner, more effective staff. So far it seems an empty promise. A) You better believe the people in Bellmont understand there is a new sheriff in town. Patterson is not one to go off half cocked. Steve has had a lot on his plate the last three months. Give the man a little time and this time next year you can probably expect him to have all “his” people in place. Q) Odds Cam Ridley goes NBA draft? Please don't! A) At this time, I’m hearing that he is strongly considering returning to Texas next year to play alongside Myles Turner. There is no doubt that the agents are going to be in Ridleys ear but, I think he stays. Q) Will Mack be visible on the 40 acres at games/practices, or fade in to the background? I bet the later bit give me your thoughts. A) Mack is gone. From what I’m hearing, Mack is no more interested on being on the 40 than some are having him here. Q) We told everybody you had a change of heart and went back to OB. A) Then you told them wrong The majority of the posters I prefer to correspond with are on Hornsports and I don’t see that ever changing. Besides, the Hornsports members are too smart to believe I would go back to OB’s. Q) How are we going to combat the SEC recruiting tactics? A) You win football games. Q) Do you know how many instances have been documented? A) Documented by whom? Don’t hold your breath on the NCAA doing anything concerning the SEC & cheating. The cheaters have it down to an art. Unless there is a whistleblower, nothing is going to come out. Q) I heard Aggie coach is not happy with BMD's bad behavior. True? A) Every HC in the SEC probably has some “concern” when it comes to booster dealings. The HC does not want some booster scandal hitting the press. There is a lot to learn when it comes to being a HC in the SEC and the way booster hierarchy is in place. The HC may not like it but, he can’t control it. Q) Any repercussions coming Powers way? A) No. Q) Will Hall be impeached? A) Yes. Q) Any noise on the upcoming Penn State trials? A) It won’t be pretty. It’s past time for closure. Q) If the NCAA is going to turn a blind eye to the "payola" recruiting tactics employed by the SEC in the state of Texas, should Texas use the LHN as a tool and broadcast games and highlights of every recruit that Texas is pursuing? The NCAA doesn't have the stones to do anything about it and I doubt they would want to mess with a large institution like UT. A) Expect Patterson & Texas to push the envelope with the LHN. Q) What about Tim Brewster? A) Not happening “this year.” Q) Does Bruce Chambers get credit for the positive play of our TEs of yesteryear, or only bad rep for our lack of quality TE play of late? A) Resting on your laurels is exactly the problem Texas staff has had in the past years. Chambers was rewarded accordingly for the past. The TE position has been a nightmare from the recruiting to the development for years now. The Louisville TE caught 46 passes last year so, we have to see improvement this year. Q) What's the status on a new basketball arena and where is it going? A) Still looking at several properties. Q) Is Patterson accepting resumes? If so, how can I get it to him? A) I’m having lunch with him soon so, email it to me. I will see that he gets it. Q) What's the perception of how 2015 recruiting is going (or is it too early to tell)? A) Way too early to tell. However, we have more out of state offers in the last month that we have had for the last five years combined. Q) Any word on whether practices will be open to the public? A) Not yet. Q) Have you heard any rumblings about the status of Barnes for next year? A) I heard he was put on notice and by the looks of it Barnes has responded accordingly. If Texas loses in the first round and fails to land blue chip recruit Myles Turner, I could then see the heat over come Barnes. If Barnes wins a couple of tourney games and lands Tuner, he mostly likely bought some more time. Q) When Disney consults, what will be their priority? Game day experience as in the Orange Bowl halftime faldera, or home field advantage & atmosphere like Death Valley or better? Are they trying to intimidate visiting teams or get more money out of the season ticket holders? Is the dictate to help fulfill Mack's goal of "come early, stay late, be loud, and wear orange" or provide recliners to the "sit down" crowd? How much say will the students or the team get? A) There is not a set priority. My understanding is they are looking into everything we do now oppose to how other professional entertainment venues operate. Once they have an understanding of what might work for our culture, they will make a presentation. Related Q: Will they ever get the ads off the Godzillatron,turn the volume down & use it for replays & break aways like on TV so it finally reaches its potential, or will it become something people will be happy to see go? A) It will be replaced with the newest model. I’m sure Patterson is looking at using this in the same manner an NFL does. Q) Have you heard upon whether or not if coach Strong has decided to go through as per the construction of a new two story practice facility? it was stated upon the ob... that coach strong was having a bit of trepidation about building a new facility in spite of the "bubble" eyesore. what gives upon this front? A) Coach Strong just said that he can work with what he has now and building a new facility is not on the top of his priority list. Q) What's the relationship like now between the BMD's and Patterson and Strong? A) The relationship are being formed by all parties. Everyone is being supportive of Coach Strong. Q) How are the high school coaches meshing with the new coaching staff? A) Some of them have like what they have heard about the level of accountability but, building those relationships is going to take time. Q) What's the job description of a Special Assistant to the President? Details, details, details..... A) Fund raiser, back slapper, golfing, speaking engagements etc….. Q) How does the HS coaches take all these OOS offers going out? A) I would assume they understand that we are aware that we are behind in state so; it would behoove us to pursue and maintain as many oos relationships as possible. Q) Any news about Brewster? With the offer to Gragg a few days ago, it doesn't seem like Chambers is going anywhere. A) Nothing is changing this year. Q) What are strong and company going to do to make inroads into Texas HS football since they really don't know the lay of the land? A) The same thing Mack Brown did, visit as many as you can and build those relationships. Q) I know this was being discussed at variety of boards when Strong was hired, but do you know if there is any talk about potential Satellite Camps? A) There was under Suddes. With all the contacts this staff has back in the SE, I could see Texas hosting a few satellite camps in the near future. Q) Any chance we hook up with the ACC in conference realignment? A) IMO the next realignment in our future in going to be the realignment of all of college football and not conference realignment. Any updates on attrition? Are the workouts maybe weeding some of the Hack Brown babies out? Q) What does Bevo think of the Nick Saban 10 second rule change? Does this have a chance in hell of passing? I believe it will degrade the game of college football personally.... A) I doubt it but, you have to admire the fact that Saban is always working it. Q) Any updates on attrition? Are the workouts maybe weeding some of the Hack Brown babies out? A) Expect two OL's, two receivers, two tight ends, two line backers and possibly a DT to transfer or give up football altogether. Q) What changes are being considered for the South end zone? A) I don’t think anything has been official decided. Q) Why is Strong happy with the bubble when it seems to be smaller than some other schools? A) That was taken of context. Strong did not say he was happy with it. Coach Strong said it was not a priority at this time and it was not a factor in preventing us from being prepared when we take the field. No excuses. Q) Will the new Godzillatron be as large as the current? A) This is Texas, so I would imagine it will done in style. Strong Projections? In his first recruiting class at Louisville (he had 2 months to work), he immediately went heavy on the OL & DL bringing 10 guys in the trenches (a glaring need for us as well). More need-based than talent. His first class the 2010 group was ranked 48th with 28 signed LOI's: 3-Four Stars 18-Three Stars*. Four of five of those kids from that class are projected to be taken in the NFL. In that same class, Texas was ranked 3rd with 25 signed LOI's: 2-Five Stars 19-Four Stars 4-Three Stars. Only 2 of those recruits have a draft projection. Strong’s first full year recruiting at Louisville ( class 2011) was the best in Louisville history: Louisville ranked 29th with only 20 kids. 16 of those freshmen saw significant playing time. 4-Four Stars 15-Three Stars Six players from that class are projected to be drafted. Texas again ranked 3rd with 22 kids. 1-Five Star 15-Four Stars 6-Three Stars Six of those Texas recruits are projected to be drafted by the NFL. -Eleven to thirteen of those two Louisville classes are projected to be drafted in the NFL. -Those two Louisville classes made up most of the 23-3 record with big bowl wins over Florida & Miami the last two years. - Strong has done a wonderful job of turning out NFL talent. - in the last 7 years, Strong has had 22 guys drafted on defense and 37 during his time at Florida. Approved Coaching Salaries Charlie Strong, Head Coach * 5-year contract that begins at $5 million annually and includes an annual $100,000/year raise. Vance Bedford, Defensive Coordinator * $800,000/yr for 3 years - includes annual guarantees $30,000 for speaking engagements and $10,000 for camps Shawn Watson, Assistant Head Coach/QB coach * $650,000/yr for 3 years - includes annual guarantees $30,000 for speaking engagements and $10,000 for camps Joe Wickline, Offensive Coordinator/OL Coach * $575,000/yr for 3 years - includes annual guarantees $30,000 for speaking engagements and $10,000 for camps Chris Rumph, Defensive Line Coach * $415,000/yr for 3 years - includes annual guarantees of $10,000 for speaking and $5,000 for camps Tommie Robinson, Running Backs Coach * $200,000 in year 1 and $350,000 in years 2 and 3 - includes annual guarantees of $10,000 for speaking and $5,000 for camps Les Koenning, Wide Receiver Coach * $350,000/yr for 3 years - includes annual guarantees of $10,000 for speaking and $5,000 for camps Pat Moorer, Strength and Conditioning Coach * $330,000/yr for 3 years Brian Jean-Mary, Line Backers Coach * $315,000/yr for 3 years - includes annual guarantees of $10,000 for speaking and $5,000 for camps Bruce Chambers, Tight Ends Coach * $275,000/yr for 3 years - includes annual guarantees of $10,000 for speaking and $5,000 for camps Chris Vaughn, Defensive Backs Coach * $260,000/yr for 3 years - includes annual guarantees of $10,000 for speaking and $5,000 for camps Future Texas Out of Conference Football Schedule 2015 Date Opponent Time Sept. 5 at Notre Dame TBA Sept. 12 RICE TBA Sept. 19 CAL TBA 2016 Date Opponent Time Sept. 3 NOTRE DAME TBA Sept. 10 UTEP TBA Sept. 17 at Cal TBA 2017 Date Opponent Time Sept. 2 MARYLAND TBA Sept. 9 UCF TBA Sept. 16 at USC TBA 2018 Date Opponent Time Sept. 1 at Maryland TBA Sept. 15 USC TBA 2019 Date Opponent Time Aug. 31 NOTRE DAME TBA 2020 Date Opponent Time Sept. 12 at Notre Dame TBA 2021 Date Opponent Time Sept. 11 at Arkansas TBA 2022 Date Opponent Time Sept. 17 OHIO STATE TBA 2023 Date Opponent Time Sept. 16 at Ohio State TBA Friend of Bevo FOB: The offseason workouts continue to go well. The majority of the team has responded well. The kids are excited because they are seeing the results of the hard their hard work. There is no doubt this will be one of the most well conditioned Texas teams we have seen in a while. Hopefully being in better conditioning strength and conditioning wise will cut down on the amount of injuries we have endured these last few years. Me: I hate asking this every week but, are you hearing about any attrition? FOB: Yes, like I said before, I hate mentioning names but, there is going to be around six kids that will probably come to the conclusion that there time would be better served elsewhere. This is to be expected any time you have a new staff come in. Me: I can’t wait for spring ball to get here so we can see the product on the field. FOB: I wouldn’t be too excited about spring ball. The kids are going to be learning new terminology and that in itself limits to amount of full contact practices. It is going to be interesting to see how much this staff can implement in the spring. Me: How is David Ash progressing? FOB: I was talking to a trainer the other day and he said David is going full speed and has seemed to have shaken off any ill effects of the past concussion. David does not possess the same strength he had but, he is getting there and should be 100% by the time spring practice starts. Me: What do you make of former USC and transfer Max Wittik giving Texas a look with David Ash’s future looking better? FOB: If there is one position we can add depth, it’s the QB position. Charlie and the staff did a wonderful job of selling the opportunity to compete for the starting job. Max and his father left Texas very impressed with everything they saw. Me: Who else is Max considering? FOB: The other two schools that have been mentioned are Hawaii and Louisville where probably has a clearer path to the starting job so, this one is going to be hard to pull off. Me: Are you concerned about the lack of 2015 elite recruits looking our way? FOB: Not yet. It is too early to get worried. This staff is about to host their first two JR days so, the Charlie Strong buzz should be able to pick up some momentum. I have been told that the staff is really looking forward to laying the groundwork for building the relationships. What is refreshing to witness is the confidence the staff carries when it comes to the topic of recruiting. This staff firmly believes they are going to be a force to be reckoned with in the state and nationally. Me: Does it surprise you to see the high number of out of state offers this staff has extended? FOB: I would be lying if I didn’t say yes. I have never seen anything like it at Texas. I would expect the % of out of state offers will diminish when this staff forms new relationships within the Texas borders. Me: I have been impressed with the quality of the offers. This staff is not shy about going after the elite in the south east and Florida. FOB: What have they offered, twenty of the top two hundred and fifty in the nation? Me: Yes, I used the term carpet-bombing. FOB: It is apparent that this staff is going to maintain and retain the relationships they have built throughout their careers and it would be crazy not to. I don’t think any of us realize how confident Strong and his staff is believing they have a national product to sell at Texas. Me: I have always felt that way too and have been somewhat frustrated that we didn’t throw our hats in the ring on more national kids. Me: Switching topics, what do you think about the USC/Tex Mexico city matchup? This has seems to have pissed off a bunch of our fans. FOB: LOL. Hey, I understand that. The big picture is you can’t pass up a great opportunity to market your brand on an international level when it presents itself. This is still is still about the Benjamin’s and those two trips will be extremely profitable. Me: That’s all I got for now. Look forward to seeing you next week. FOB: Hey BTW, I have really enjoyed the Hornsports Roundtable podcast with Feeley and you. Keep up the good work. Me: Thanks. Coleman is a former player and knows the game well. Take care and talk to you next week. Hook 'Em --Darrell McPhaul