As is custom this time of year, I sit and think about what I am thankful for. The 2009 National Championship comes to mind. The game that would send two perennial powerhouses on two entirely different trajectories. Sure, Alabama and Nick Saban would have found success eventually, but it helps when you beat one of the hottest teams in that Era to kick off your run.
But as much as I am thankful for the trajectory that the game put my Crimson Tide in, this article isn’t about them. As much success as the Tide has sustained is incredible, but so to is the fall from grace that the Texas Longhorns are experiencing. Tom Herman is just the latest installment of coaches who have “been the answer” or bring Texas Longhorns football back, but he too like his predecessors are falling short.
Texas has been disappointing. They haven’t been able to sustain success like they did in the Mack Brown era. So how does Texas get back to the glory days? I believe there are two answers, development and culture.
The Fix
Let’s start with development. Being able to get a team to perform at the best of their ability is the goal of coaches everywhere. It’s what gets players drafted, and also helps attract players to your institution. Since the 2007 NFL draft, the Texas Longhorns have only put out six first round draft picks. From 2000 to 2006 the Texas Longhorns put out ten first round players. For reference, since 2009 the University of Alabama has had thirty three first round players taken.
You may be asking yourself, what does sending players to the first round have to do with the Longhorns current success. The answer is simple, recruiting. Development isn’t the only factor in recruiting, far from it. But top level recruits have a goal, to get to the NFL. Being able to show recruits that you are sending your players to the NFL at the highest levels means something. For instance, the number one player in the state of Texas right now is Offensive Lineman Tommy Brockermeyer. Ranked as the number four overall player in the nation by 247sports, Tommy Brockermeyer’s recruitment may have been the most intriguing of any player this season.
Tommy Brockermeyer isn’t just the best tackle in the nation, he is also a triple legacy to the University of Texas. Tommy’s grandfather played for the Horns, his Father played for the Horns. Heck, even his older brother is currently on the roster for the Texas Longhorns.
What’s more? Tommy Brockermeyer has a twin brother, James Brockermeyer who also happens to be the number one center in the nation per 247sports. With all of that going for the Longhorns and Tom Herman, you would think this would be a slam dunk for Texas right? Wrong. Not only did Tommy Brockermeyer decide not to attend the University of Texas, but James Brockermeyer abstained as well. Both heading for greener pastures in Sabanland.
This isn’t the only major loss Herman has suffered this year on the recruiting trail either. The class of 2021 has sustained other major losses. Billy Bowman, number two athlete in the nation and Texas native recently decommitted. To add insult to injury, Bowman ended up going with the Oklahoma Sooners as his College of Choice. Jalen Milroe and Kendrick Blackshire, two four star prospects out of Texas will be joining the Brockermeyer’s at Alabama as well.
It’s hard to tell whether the biggest loss is not getting the Brockermeyer twins is the biggest loss of the year. In true Texas fashion, it’s only natural to one up yourself right? Quinn Ewers, number one Quarterback in the class of 2022, and the second best player in the nation also decommitted from Texas. Ewers is being lauded as the top QB prospect since Lawrence. He now finds himself at Ohio State with an embarrassment of riches. (Top 100 high school player to ever play for the state of Texas, per Dave Campbell’s Highschool Football, Jaxon Smith-Njigba will be happy about this).
Culture is key.
So how do you fix recruiting if you aren’t developing players at the rate of your competitors? Culture, a word that gets tossed around a ton. For as much as it gets used, I don’t think people realize it’s importance. Brendon Weatherspoon, former University of North Texas Football player, talked with me about its importance.
“Culture and trust is everything in recruiting.” Brendon Weatherspoon said on my podcast.
So what is culture? There is no simple answer to this because culture is an over-arching quality. It reaches far beyond the pales of where it should. For instance, when I watch Texas Football, they look to be a team without an identity to me. They seem to mismanage games and force them to come down to the wire because of mismanagement.
Then you hear about players protesting the Texas song, all the while boosters are expressing their concerns. This is not indicative of a successful culture. Cracks have shown, and in fairness they have been showing for those who were willing to look.
It isn’t relegated to Herman, this problem started with Mack Brown. Charlie Strong saw the writing on the wall, and tried to make drastic changes that didn’t sit well with people in Austin. Was Strong the guy? Probably not, but there hasn’t been a discernible difference between he and Herman. Except he was willing to take the chances and make drastic moves to try and repair the culture.
Lets be honest, success breeds complacency, and that is the word that pops up to me when thinking about Texas. Not complacency in result, rather complacency in approach. I believe the Texas Longhorns want to win football games. But I also believe that they think the burnt orange and logo on their helmet will give them automatic success.
I know that this is an oversimplification. But to really peel back the layers of Texas I would need a full video to do it (I’m a man of the people, your wish is my command). The University of Texas is not back, and they aren’t particularly close. Their recruiting class is leaking, holding on by a thread to five-star phenom Ja’Tavion Sanders. Honestly, most Texas fans probably aren’t holding their breath on Sanders. His teammate Billy Bowman just decommited, and with Herman being on the hot seat its understandable if he has reservations. It’s going to be intriguing to watch Texas finish the year. Their record, the recruiting, and the attitude will be key.
Herman will probably be fired this year. Did he get the job done? No, but he also didn’t create the mess that he inherited. The culture has been festering for a while, and many thought that the Longhorns meant success would come easy. In a perfect world, and depending on how the allegations against Penn State and James Franklin go, Franklin would be a great hire. He has experience building a program, and maintaining it. There are multiple candidates, and it’s one of the most coveted jobs in all of college football.
I am thankful for the Longhorns, but also saddened. They helped propel my team to new heights in college football history. The cost, however was the future of another college football powerhouse. Texas fans cling to the one win a year to proclaim “we are back” before having their hearts broken. The Texas Longhorns stink right now, and college football is better when they are good.
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