The nickel defender has been one of the most important players in the 21st century. The proliferation of spread tactics made him a focal point and players like Roy Williams and Tyrann Mathieu demonstrated what defenses could do when they had a hybrid playmaker in that role.
This was supposed to be more focused on the upcoming Junior Day, but you know how people from East Texas like to spin yarns.
And now you know who joined the podcast this week.
This week’s Notebook starts in DFW with the nation’s top rated safety and four-star linebacker target for the Horns. Then we head to Bastrop to check in on a big defensive lineman, and finish in Lewisville with a safety with athletic genes. The Recruiting Notebook hits all angles.
Now that we have an idea of what kind of numbers the staff is working with for the Class of 2020, let’s take another look at the current names pinging the radar the hardest.
Against the top team in the Big 12 ranked No. 18 in the country, Texas looked to be trading punches with Kansas State throughout the first half. The Longhorns scored 24 of its 39 first half points in the paint choosing to eschew outside shots and instead driving against the Wildcat defense.
With the 2019 cycle comfortably in the rear-view, let’s re-familiarize ourselves with the numbers (Part I), names (Part II), and approach (Part III) for the 2020 cycle.
Texas head coach Shaka Smart met with the media yesterday ahead of the Longhorns’ match-up with Big 12 leading Kansas State.
Catching up with 2020 class leader Hudson Card, rising defensive back Xavion Alford, newest Longhorn and legacy Parker Alford, and the early visitor list for the month of February and early March in the Scoop: PART II, by Justin Wells.
In Part I, we learned that 0/12 of the best linebackers in the Big 12 last year were blue chip high school recruits.
That’s the output part of the equation.
It started in the loss at TCU, oddly enough. Prior to that game in Fort Worth, the 6’3 freshman combo guard had taken only 40 shots inside the arc and hit 16 of them (40%). Over that same period, he had attempted 54 three point shots, making 17 (31%).