Notes from Bobby Burton An article on the OL that goes in a little more detail about what's going on with Okafor. Most relevant sections Bolded. I'm not sure if this is another one of those "Charlie's Guy" issues. If the kid has stopped caring then that could be a sign he doesn't plan on sticking around. A lot of the guys in this class decided to come to Texas after visiting in big groups so each kid that leaves breaks that dynamic even more. At the end of the day, if they don't want to be here then they don't want to be here. They'll move on and so will the team.
I respect it. I've heard a lot of coaches talk about winning every day, but they let talented guys slack off and get away with it. Herman lives that statement. You don't practice hard, you don't play. I'm pretty sure that is why Chris Warren hasn't carried the ball that much. It's also why Okafor didn't play. That type of mentality shows you real quick who is all in. That's a great way to turn a program around... even if it leads to a few tough losses in the first season.
Zach Shackleford rolled his surgically repaired ankle Tuesday and was held out of Wednesday's practice. But Tom Herman said he expects Shackleford to play on Saturday. If he can't go , Terrell Cuney would replace Shackleford at center. Cuney is a fourth-year offensive lineman who has played in three career games before this year. I don't know how much he's played in 2017. As an early enrollee freshman, Shackleford won the center job over Cuney last year so.....we'll see I guess. Herman said RB Carter and OL Okafor both had a good week of practice. That could mean we finally see Nickelson move to backup LT.
Okafor stepping up would be huge for the program moving forward. Carter brings some burst to the backfield so glad to hear he'll be more involved, but we also heard that about Warren so we'll see. Small recruiting note: Top 2019 RB Noah Cain will be hosted by UT at RRS. Can't bring myself to get into 2019 recruiting but kid is a big time recruit to keep an eye on.
I would not be surprised at all if he transferred after the season but that's just my guess. He's part of the same group of recruits that bonded together on the visits to UT. 247 said there was rumblings about 4 Star DL D’Andre Christmas transferring too. It's funny to think back at how exciting the end of the 2016 recruiting class was...jezzz. Here are the guys who have already transferred: 4 Star LB Erick Fowler transfers to Sam Houston St 4 Star DT Jordan Elliott transfers to Missou 4 Star OL Jean Delance transfers to Florida 3 Star DL Marcel Southall transfers to Tyler Junior College 3 Star TE Peyton Aucoin transfers to Mississippi Delta Community College I think you have to push to get the top Texas and Oklahoma offensive linemen. Colten Blanton is out of Houston and is committed to A&M. You have to hope UT finishes strong and their is a staff change in college station because he seems pretty committed. A meteor could strike college station and the Matthews kid would still go to A&M. There is a kid outside of Dallas (Darrell Simpson) who is currently committed to OU that you could go after.
Charlie's recruits were all committed to him but not to the school or program. They can leave. I don't know about Oklahoma, but the crop of OL recruits is not good in Texas this year. We need to look out of state.
Turns on game... Horns at the goal line, about to score a TD (FG minimum)..... leaves room for a moment... Horns on defense with no points scored.... leaves room for moment.... Horns chasing a player as he enters the endzone on what appears having been a looong play. 10-14 point turnaround in 3 minutes
Then he should have been suspended for a game at some point. That was a nice drive. Johnson needs to be targeted at least 10 times every game.