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2009 Texas Football Recruiting: OL

Posted by Scipio Tex on February 5th, 2009 under Football, Recruiting

If you want to look at their high school accomplishments/stats.

OL

We still have no idea what we’re trying to recruit to or do philosophically – Thomas Ashcraft is going to reach block on zone plays? – but at least we have some quality guys in case we ever do get an actual philosophy in the running game. All four of them either are, or have the potential, to be excellent pass blockers, so that’s good news.

Come to think of it, I just figured out our OL recruiting philosophy: pass protection.

Just like our philosophy at RB.

Mason Walters OT 6-5 300 Wofforth, TX

An athletic freak created from a test tube with the DNA of a Yeti crossed with Doug Dawson. Great technique, superior flexibility, massive frame, motor, and a vicious streak. The only guy I’ve seen that size play center at a high level was TCU’s Rex Tucker, but the big pay checks for him are at LT. He will eventually be moved out there and if Tre Allen continues to flounder, that could be as early as this year. In the short term, he can help us at any position on the OL and he’ll be on our two deep by the end of August somewhere. No redshirt, plays right away. Probable starter as a true sophomore, barring injury. One of the best three recruits in this class. You should be excited that he’s a Longhorn.

Garrett Porter OT 6-6 305 Odessa, TX

I like Porter as a pass blocker. Great big old boy who stones pass rushers once he gets his hands on them. Gerry Hamilton described him as having a flat back in the running game, but he absolutely doesn’t in any piece of film I’ve ever seen. Permian had their OL line up without a hand down on many of their snaps and you can tell that Garrett is used to mauling in the run game based on his size and strength rather than low pads and good technique. Bad habits that he’ll quickly discard in Oklahoma drills. I’d heard indications from the cognoscenti that he’d need to move inside. He might, but right now I like him just fine as a RT. I’d like for him to redshirt, remake his body, and work on flexibility. Don’t just eat and bench, Garrett.

Thomas Ashcraft OG 6-4 310 Cedar Hill, TX

Henry James had a nice scouting report on him in his Signing Day cry for help. Ashcraft is bottom heavy, plays with some fire, and packs a big punch at the point of the attack. He’ll top out at 330+ if we don’t watch him carefully. Although he’s coordinated, he doesn’t move all that well laterally, and he has tendency to waddle when he’s trying to track someone down in space. Mack said he could play guard or tackle, but that’s nonsense. He’s a guard all the way. Honestly, I’d be much happier about Ashcraft if I had any indication that we were going to play a run game scheme that played to his strengths, but the thought of him zone blocking right now is pretty dire. A bit like watching poor Michael Huey. Maybe we’ll get him a jump rope and get him doing a lot of plyometrics as I know Mad Dog is eager to cater all of his workout regimens to the specific individual. Ahem. Worst case: we have a strong anchor at OG in pass protection who won’t give up an internal push and who works hard on every snap. On goalline plays where he actually gets to block head up, he’ll murder people.

Paden Kelley OT 6-6 270 Austin, TX

Ah, the controversial Paden Kelly. Look, here’s my thought: generally 17 year old physically immature OL with a lean frame who haven’t spent much time lifting (because of a severe shoulder injury) are generally the least well-served by the spotlight of the All-Star games. Unlike the oft-cited Trey Bates or Jason Glynn, you can see real athletic ability, a big frame, and a high level of aggression. You also need to take a closer look at how his body has changed in just one short year. A redshirt and three more years in the weight room will do wonders for his base and his overall strength – particularly when he’s walking around at 310. His bad moments in the All-Star game were largely compensatory – worried about a lack of strength, his technique falls apart as he tries to deliver a blow, then he loses his base. Increase strength, base gets better, technique resurfaces. I could see him moving inside, but RT isn’t out of the question. If we’re going to play run zone schemes where we value screening and foot movement more than push and decleaters, Kelly makes some sense. If this is considered a reach, I’ll take it all day over Riley Dodge and Jason Barron.

I pray that all four of our OL recruits can find Todd Wright’s cell phone number.

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38 Responses

  1. Vasherized said:

    February 5th, 2009 at 6:31 pm

    I have Todd Wright’s cell phone number if they don’t.

  2. ha ha guy said:

    February 5th, 2009 at 7:26 pm

  3. Crumdinger said:

    February 5th, 2009 at 10:41 pm

    Re the OL recruiting philosophy. First they start with size. If the guy doesnt look the part he doesnt make the invite list. Then they downselect from the a-holes and guys who like OU or can’t spell. Then, of those remaining, they take the guys who appear to them to have “good feet”. The result is what you see this year and last and the one before that.

  4. SlickStreet said:

    February 6th, 2009 at 5:56 am

    (Ashcraft)”Worst case: we have a strong anchor at OG in pass protection who won’t give up an internal push and who works hard on every snap. On goalline plays where he actually gets to block head up, he’ll murder people.”

    hmmm….I kinda fear you’re correct, Scip.

  5. Big Satan said:

    February 6th, 2009 at 6:26 am

    Wow. I haven’t seen that picture in a long time.

  6. RansomStoddard said:

    February 6th, 2009 at 6:34 am

    I spit up my coffee when you suggested Fat Dog might actually tell a player to do something other than eat and bench.

  7. uttotop said:

    February 6th, 2009 at 6:42 am

    Overall these OPs sound correct, yet I find it most difficult to predict success for the men in the trenches. I agree the scheme adjustments to capitalize on our skill sets on the OL would improve our run game and believe that finally there might be some tweaking in that regard.

    Overall, I could not be happier with this class of beef on both sides of the line. Only time will tell, as both line coaches would readily say: we recruit the best available we can get & the rest is up to us developing them into the best they can be. Only time will tell.

  8. bizzle said:

    February 6th, 2009 at 8:14 am

    Scip –

    Any chance you want to do a quick breakdown of other Big XII classes, perhaps your friends to the east in College Station?

    I’m not super excited about the class, but think we have a couple of guys that will help us to 5, maybe even 6 wins next year if it all goes well.

    And Mack is still certifiably crazy for not going after Michael, but I digress.

  9. Facebook User said:

    February 6th, 2009 at 9:46 am

    Bizzle – A few thoughts from the dudes at Spence Park Soapbox here.

  10. Black Scholes said:

    February 6th, 2009 at 10:48 am

    Don’t know why anyone would cite Bates re this conversation. The kid was an 11th hour offer, and was added strictly for depth, character and grades.

    Glynn is relevant. Tanner is particularly relevant. That kid was hand-picked by McWhorter for a scholie fairly early on, at a time when most of the talent was still on the board. Why?

    If anyone can identify any form of a cohesive scheme in either our OL or RB recruiting, please advise.

    And apropos of nothing, if we don’t find a way to deliver a redshirt year to Allen so the kid can try and get his feet under him (unintended lineman joke) it’s criminal.

  11. Black Scholes said:

    February 6th, 2009 at 10:50 am

    And while I’m pretty happy with these four kids – although the Ashcraft comments are spot on and give pause – I’m alarmed that we’re going to bring in zero in the following class, while apparently adding another 8-9 WRs.

  12. SlickStreet said:

    February 6th, 2009 at 10:52 am

    BS, we’re often told “trust the coaches, they know a lot more what they’re doing than we do.” Still, you can’t help but scratch your head over some stuff, regardless of the overall on-field results being so good. It’s because I figure inevitably the shortcomings catch up to you at the most inopportune moments (see two years in a row against a&m, tech this year, etc)

  13. huge said:

    February 6th, 2009 at 11:03 am

    maybe kelly will pan out down the road like a poor mans connor atchley…..errrrr

    bad mixed metaphor

  14. Scipio Tex said:

    February 6th, 2009 at 11:17 am

    I’m missing the chainsaw reference. Who is that?

    bizzle:

    I’ll take a look at the competition over the off season. Probably glance at the Big 12 South and a couple of North schools.

    Scholes:

    I don’t think we end up bringing in zero OL. I think we bring in a couple. We’re clearly not blown away by any of the talents in this year’s class and we’re going to sit back and evaluate. There’s no time for Tre Allen to redshirt – we need him to possibly start in 2010 when Ulatoski graduates. His future is now.

    Slick:

    You only need to look at our depth chart and who we started in our defensive backfield last year to know that those of us who were mocking our DB recruiting while Ross, Brown, Griffin were on campus were right. Our OL and RB recruiting has also been incredibly random, to be kind.

  15. Black Scholes said:

    February 6th, 2009 at 11:21 am

    Slick – I agree, and I’m no longer buying it. My personal theory is that McWhorter has stopped beating his head against the wall and surrendered to Davis and whatever grand plan he’s got. Regardless, there’s some significant disconnect there and it’s largely being ignored.

    I’ve always agreed that OL are really tough to project, which I guess makes me at least a little hypocritical criticizing some of the past recruiting choices. That being said, I agree that Kelly – even if he ends up as a miss – is a good kid to roll the dice on for potential. I think Scipio’s comments above are particularly spot on.

  16. scipio is blind said:

    February 6th, 2009 at 11:26 am

    That’s CTJ.

  17. HenryJames said:

    February 6th, 2009 at 11:37 am

    Dude with the chainsaw looks like Dwight Schrute.

  18. SlickStreet said:

    February 6th, 2009 at 12:42 pm

    Scip–LB starting group is another example of incredibly questionable decisions, esp ‘07. With Muschamp in charge a second year, I hope he’ll feel he’s had enough time to implement his schemes with his kind of players (though I think further classes are needed to fully realize that).

    BS, I can see that being the case regarding McWhorter. Guy’s probably about to retire, too far along for a HC gig, and is merely trying to focus on a more narrow set of duties. I do remember Tanner being a guy he really liked, and pretty early. Yet, he’s a kid who really doesn’t do much for me. That’s the case with the OL in general, though I don’t know the exact amount of “blame” to the talent or scheme.

  19. DBH said:

    February 6th, 2009 at 2:17 pm

    Re: The comments about FatDog and Todd Black…

    I recall after the ass-raping we took from Washington State in the Holiday Bowl, we brought in Robinson and Tomey to help toughen the team up, with the “not our standards” stuff. And at that time, I believe McWhorter insisted on calling the shots for conditioning and weight-training the OL. Has that supervision been returned to FatDog, or does McWhorter still call the shots on the OL training regimen?

  20. BiggUggly said:

    February 6th, 2009 at 3:31 pm

    I believe that I heard that Trey Bates graduates in June from Med School. Good for him. Great kid.

  21. Texasfootball said:

    February 6th, 2009 at 3:32 pm

    Walters is totally blue—I would buy stock in his future without reservations. I like Kelly much better than the crowd—three day schemes thrown together for all star games often ask OLine to use techniques or unfamiliar assignments that aren’t exactly beauty contest convenient to the ugly ducklings.

  22. Scipio Tex said:

    February 6th, 2009 at 5:35 pm

    Agreed, Texasfootball.

    Yep, congrats to Trey as well. No one doubts that he’s a first class guy.

  23. longhornmatt said:

    February 6th, 2009 at 10:44 pm

    Our OL recruiting hasn’t really been that random. If you are a tall, skinny white guy who is quicker at 260 pounds than other prospects who weigh 310 (file this one in the “wow, no shit” department), then we are going to be all over you.

    The problem, IMO, is the disconnect between Davis/McWhorter’s philosophy and Maddog’s training. We recruit all these lean guys who supposedly have good feet for our zone scheme, but instead of keeping them in the 285 range where they are still quick and fit, we beef them up to a plodding 300+ without fail.

    I might accept the notion that this weight gain is an organic result of maturing and getting into a strength program, if not for the fact that several of the guys who came in lean a few years ago now have triple chins. It’s almost like Maddog beefs the lean guys up extra quick with bad weight to make up for lost time. The result is that they ultimately end up weaker and no more athletic than the guys who were already huge coming out of high school.

  24. Scipio Tex said:

    February 6th, 2009 at 10:53 pm

    You nailed that, matt. See Chris Hall.

  25. 71grad said:

    February 7th, 2009 at 1:59 am

    It is good to see some of our West Texas products in this class. Mason lives just down the road. I have been watching him the last few years. He is a special talent and a future All-American at tackle. We’ll get to watch several years of him slober-knocking McFarland.
    Porter is very solid. he just hasn’t developed Walters mean streak. He’ll learn to use that better technique all the time now that he has some serious competition to face day-after-day.
    I’ll trust Kelley pass blocking. He’s been covering Gilbert’s backside since forever.

    Maybe we can get the Pom Squad to give Ashcraft some dance lessons.

  26. beowulf said:

    February 7th, 2009 at 4:12 am

    Thanks, Coach. Texasfootball is a voice of reason with no agenda.

  27. HenryJames said:

    February 7th, 2009 at 4:41 am

    Yes, everyone else has agendas when it comes to Kelley. A conspiracy if you will.

    As opposed to someone who has never seen him play but is friends with his aunt. That guy has no agenda whatsoever.

  28. Austintacious 'Horn said:

    February 7th, 2009 at 5:47 am

    Mack adheres to the precept that if a kid loves TEXAS and want to play here, it’s a one up on all the rest. ALSO, if any prospecs have university connections from family and true love of the Longhorns, it makes it easier to get them to fight much harder to win on Saturdays.

    I opine that it costs us WAY TO MUCH to recruit(in Texas & around the Nation) so many that have aggy or any number of BIG-12 teams on their wish lists and say they {also} want to come to TEXAS.

    Gimme the kid who is in love with TEXAS that owns ORANGE BLOOD his veins cause he will uphold the traditions and values of UT much more, and WILL contribute to the glory both on and off the field. IE (Chris Hall & Charlie Tanner) Dont know about all of you but i dont wannna be like blowu or miami…

  29. TaylorTRoom said:

    February 7th, 2009 at 7:30 am

    Austintacious ‘Horn- this may be a mistake, but I am going to assume you are serious…

    The greatest Longhorn players ever- Layne, Nobis, Campbell, Worster, Leaks, Gray, Williams, Young, McCoy…all had one thing in common. None of them had any rooting or family ties to the program before committing. All of them had to be recuited and convinced.

  30. SlickStreet said:

    February 7th, 2009 at 8:40 am

    longhorn matt’s take rings a bit too true for comfort. But, guys, if you just look at Maddog (impossible to miss if your eyes are in that general direction), maybe it’s not shock. I know there are many exceptions to that, but it can’t help that this guy is so dangerously obese combined with the background he’s from (steroids, pure power lifting).

  31. 8straight said:

    February 7th, 2009 at 8:49 am

    I hope we don’t just recruit kids who grew up having the warm fuzzies over Texas. That leaves a lot of talent on the table. Isn’t that what recruiting is all about? You sell the school and coaching staff to a top notch talent that is torn between high powered programs. There are a lot of kids who decide to go to schools, and do just fine, where they had no previous emotional attachment. If a quality kid grew a Orange Blood then more power to him and us but don’t let that be the only criteria. My guess is that if the Alabama and/or Georgia kids had come to Texas they would have quickly adapted to all that is Burnt Orange.

  32. beowulf said:

    February 7th, 2009 at 8:56 am

    I’m a master puppeteer, Pinocchio.

    And when did you get so personal and mean-spirited? I expect it from other sources but not you.

    Seriously. Bad form. Your better than that (in person)

  33. beowulf said:

    February 7th, 2009 at 8:58 am

    I’m a master puppeteer, Pinocchio.

    And when did you get so personal and mean-spirited? I expect it from other sources but not you.

    Seriously. Bad form. You’re better than that (in person)

  34. Austintacious 'Horn said:

    February 7th, 2009 at 12:30 pm

    TalorTRoom: Why? Yes Im serious, but A LOT of readers here quite miss the point as to why we need only kids that are attracted to UT for all the right reasons. Would you all be so comfortable with and have no regrets seeing:Ryan Perriloux SIGNED instead of COLT or JEVAN?… McFARLAND not Calvin Howell?Brent, but not Marcus Davis? Plus all the others soooo many here lament losing out on, drooling over what-ifs, then wind up cursing and lambasting the same kids for not picking UT because they have(5-15 FAVORITES!!)schools or 40+ offers Except from UT (in-state or not) What im stressing is this “MACK & STAFF DOES ALL HOMEWORK very very WELL AND THIS WEEKEND of JR DAYS WILL CULMINATE IN LIKE SUCCESS” AS 09 AND 08 AND 07 AND 06 ET CETERA… IF kids ARE NOT TALENTED AND not WANTED BY MOST IF NOT ALL SCHOOLS, UT WILL NOT RECRUIT THEM to be here,& WHEN THEY HAVE OR HIDE SOME CHARACTER ISSUES OR LACK THE BRAINS TO SUCCEED IN THE CLASSROOM..WHY THE HELL WE NEED TO, OR WANT TO WASTE TIME,$$$, AND ENERGY (ON ANY THE ABOVE NAMED we did not get???) AS TIME HAS PROVEN ALREADY THAT NONE OF THEM WANTED TO REALLY BE @ UT in the 1st place OR they would already be here! SOOOO WHERE IS THE LOVE??? I point out that:

    We also enjoy 30-40 walk-on players(almost all of them TEXAS HS kids) continuously on the team, and they are an integral part of every practice and every game. AS most do appreciate that walk-ons may lack top ability, yet they contribute & participate each day in the top football program in the country,Graduate from UT WITH A DEGREE,and then, a lot of them make their living teaching and coaching in High Schools in TEXAS. SO, I say THAT LOVING UT Is A MANDATE TO BEING AT UT…REGARDLESS, AS COACH MACK BROWN HAS FOUND THE ENVIED FORMULA FOR RECRUITING SUCCESS BEING HIS RELATIONSHIPS TO THE COACHES IN TEXAS HIGH SCHOOLS AS THE BEST IN THE COUNTRY. SOOO… junior days and summer camps encourage all participating kids to expose themselves to the UT EXPERIENCE, while the coaches continually evaluate and make their notes on who gets an invite and who gets an offer next week or 3 years from now. ok? Go ask MACK if he concurs with this view point or not…my money is on A YES. HOOK’EM all to DEATH!

    “We will dance with the ones we brung”-DKR (paraphrased) God bless all here.

  35. Black Scholes said:

    February 7th, 2009 at 2:24 pm

    If we’re going to digress into a debate over legacies or not (little Brewer, holla) then note that although this class includes Kelley it also includes Timmons, who caught the coaches off guard with his commit and still forgets it’s not politically correct to tell people OU is your favorite team.

  36. Black Scholes said:

    February 7th, 2009 at 2:32 pm

    Point, Scipio. The first commit in the next class is an OL. Kid’s not even on campus for the offer. Go figure.

  37. Hippie Killer said:

    February 9th, 2009 at 1:24 pm

    WHY ARE YOU YELLING?

  38. 6th street said:

    February 9th, 2009 at 2:14 pm

    LOUD NOISES

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