Outlook for next season Football related.

[Son of Wasatch]

Can I get a Bruin fans take on your outlook for next football season?

I"m a Texas fan and we are pretty excited about what we have coming back especially on defense and our backs and receivers. Our biggest question is QB with our starting missing most of last year with a concussion.

I'm curious to know more about what you guys have coming in. Here is my breakdown of what Texas has.

Offense

QB - Texas currently has 3 QBs - David Ash has been a starter for 3 years but he had his last season cut off in game two when he got a concussion against BYU, the symptoms never went away and he lost the entire year. When on his game he is a pretty good player, I doubt he is NFL material but he can win a game when needed. Behind him is Tyrone Swoops who looks like Vince Young but plays like Pee Wee Herman. He was a true freshmen last year and is a real project, they say he has really improved but most of us aren't holding our breath. Finally we have true freshmen Jerrod Heard who we think is the real deal, he really does remind me of RGIII. Outside of those guys we are also expected to bring in ex-USC QB Max Wittek, no idea how good he is but if he comes in he is expected to be the #2 guy and challenge for a starting spot.

RB - Our #1 guy is Jonathan Gray he is the real deal but you won't know because he blew up his Achilles tendon last year and will likely miss all of next season. Our starter will be Malcolm Brown who was the #1 RB coming out of high school back in 2010. He is big and fast, reminds me (in style) of Eddie George. He is big and tall and fast but not very fast. I expect him to put up about 1500 yards next year. Behind him is a battering ram named Joe Bergeron his game is modeled after Jerome Bettis. Together they are going to really pound defenses and we hope will ware people down. Our 3rd RB is a fast little water bug named Daje Johnson, he is like a Jamal Charles type player who if given a slight crease will be gone. He is easily one of the fastest guys on our team. The Running back position will be the strongest position on our offense.

WR - Texas has 3 experienced and dangerous players coming back. Jaxsom Shipley is the younger brother of Texas All American WR Jordan Shipley not as good as his older brother he is the favorite target of David Ash. Next we have Marcus Johnson who I think is NFL material, he is a big fast guy that is a legit deep threat. Finally we have Kendall Saunders who is our best receiver and the guy that will see the most double teams. Texas will try to get him as many touches as possible he is electric with the ball in his hands. Like I said before, the Texas passing game will only be as good as our starting QB, we have very good receivers but they need a QB that can deliver the ball and they won't disappoint.

TE - nothing, we haven't had a good TE since Vince Young was here, this year is no different. We have about 4 bodies but none stand out as anyone to worry about and likely won't get much playing time.

OL - Texas is about 8 guys that will get about 95% of the snaps. It's a solid group but we won't know more until spring ball. Texas is solid at the tackle spot but questionable at the guard spot.

I'll talk about the defense in my next post.

 

[Son of Wasatch]

The strength of the Texas football team will be the defense we return 8 starters including a very strong front 7.

DT - Texas will primarily have a 3 man rotation of Malcolm Brown Dez Jackson, and Hassan Ridgeway, I expect all three to play in the NFL. Brown is the one to really watch as he is a game changer. The biggest question to answer this spring is what will be our primary alignment a 3 man front or a 4 man front.

DE This is a position with a solid 4 man rotation with really good starters in Cedric Reed and Shiro Davis. Most Texas fans were surprised to see Reed return for his senior year because he was expected to be a fairly high draft pick. Behind them we have two young guys in Brice Cottrell and Caleb Bluette both are young guys that showed some solid play making ability last year.

LB - This position can be the strength of the defense or a liability. Texas lost two impact linebackers last year in Jordan Hicks and Steve Edmond. If they can come back this will be a pretty salty unit. Without them it's still a strong unit with Peter Jenkins, Dalton Santos and Tevin Jackson. The guy we are hearing really good things about is a freshmen named Nashon Hughes. Still it's all about getting Hicks and Edmond back both are really solid impact players.

CB - Inconsistant is the best thing I can say about this group. They absolutely shut down a strong Oklahoma passing game and got abused by Oklahoma State, then they ended the year shutting down the Oregon offense in the Alamo bowl. Texas returns Quadre Diggs the younger brother of Quintin Jammer, and Sherod Evans both have NFL ability the guy we are really excited is Antwan Davis, he is a big kid that looks like the next great corner at Texas.

S - No idea, this is the weakest position on the defensive side. We were constantly abused last year and most Texas fans will tell you we have no idea why. Texas has recruited very well at this position and there is no shortage of talent but it hasn't translated to production on the field. We are hoping for solid improvement next year.

With our coaching change we have no idea what to expect from either side of the ball. Our OC was running the Oklahoma State offense and is the best Oline coach in the country. He says Texas will run a spread offense but it's very unclear
if that means the OSU offense or something that Louisville ran last year.

I'm a lot less concerned about our defense, Strong is a defensive genius and with the talent Texas has we should be a very good unit from the beginning. Strong won two MNC as the DC at Florida so he knows what it takes to win.

That's all I have about Texas, I would like to hear what you guys know about UCLA.

 

[slappyray]

Wow very in depth. What concerns me about Texas other than it being a Longhorn home game, 'wink wink' is that the new coaching staff coming will most like alter if not tinker with your returning talent thus not sure what kinda looks you'll be showing us. Does UCLA pull out old Louisville videos to scout Texas? As for the Bruins We are gonna be awful with no talent or depth returning. Hundley opted for the NFL so tell the Horns not to even bother preparing for the contest. LOL!!! Just kidding. UCLA is on an upswing thanks to Jim Mora . We lost major talent to the NFL with the likes of Anthony Barr, Justin Zumwalt, wr Shaquille Evans & stud OL Sua- Filo. With that said the feeling around these parts is that UCLA shouldn't miss a beat this upcoming season & the Bruins will build upon their just concluded 10 win season. Many Bruin fans believe that we're in a good position to earn one of the 4 playoff berths in the new postseason format. I'll just mention 2 names. QB Brett Hundle & LB Myles Jack.. Keep an eye on these two great players.If you're lucky to attend the game you can tell your gandkids one day that you witnessed their geatness in person. Yes they're that good. Hope the game is competitive with no real injuries to either side. Wish Longhorn Nation the best this upcoming season in the post Mack Brown era. God Bless!

 

[Son of Wasatch]

Thanks for the post, any updates on how you think the D line and O line will perform for the Bruins? How many returning players do you have coming back on defense?