Episode Transcript
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Who better than the talk about Texasfootball than my friend CJ. Folligel from
On Texas Football. You can followhim on Twitter at CJ Foligo Underscore OTF.
He is a college football insider andrecruiting analyst in CJ. I know
you're out there at DKR yesterday.What was your biggest takeaways from the Texas
Barbecue bash that saw recruits and signeesfrom twenty twenty four through twenty twenty seven
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attend. It was very calculated,you know, looking at what Texas needs
in this twenty twenty five class.They had a pair of five star athletes
Michael Terry and Jonah Wims on campus. But also they addressed the big need
and it made a big splash inthe recruiting world. Getting the flip from
Josiah Sharma from Oregon to make hisannouncement in favor of the Longhorns after just
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a month ago he made his commendmentpreviously to the Oregon Dot. That's a
big win for Kenny Baker and c. Sarkisian. Of course, you begin
to look at what the twenty twentyfive bills of that class is looking like.
The sense of line is a bigquestion mark right now. To go
out to California and secure a commitmentfrom one of the country's best interior prospects.
Massive win, and it's a bigstamp as Texas, you know,
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kind of wraps up it's pre offseason kind of recruiting events and looks forward
to the on field success that theyexpect to have this season. Yeah,
let's stay on scharma real quick,because there's two big things from that.
You mentioned Kenny Baker, right,the new defensive line coach replacing Bo Davis,
And we've seen Texas lose a fewrecruiting battles in the defensive side on
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the trenches. We've also seen themhave to really address defensive line in the
portal. Happened to outsource to beefup for this year's class or this year's
roster. Rather, the other sideof this commitment, CJ is also Texas
has been losing to Oregon on therecruiting jail, of course, most notably
to CORYN. Moore, the fivestar receiver from Duncanville who ended up committing
to Oregon over Texas. So thisseems like just a huge win, not
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only for Kenny Baker, but alsofor Texas in doneral to get this kid
from Oregon to flip. Yeah,it absolutely is right. You know,
I think that last month or sosince the conclusion of the official visits on
campus has been a bit of arough for the Texas recruiting cycle. Right,
you know, you earn a coupleof commitments, but you also saw
some guys who maybe you thought youhad a better chance at or were pretty
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high on your recruiting board end upelsewhere. Right, Dorian brew cornerback out
of Conrod Texas, ends up atOregon. Coriyan Morris, five star from
Dunkinville, ends up at Oregon.You start thinking, Okay, what's going
on here? I thought we werein pretty good spot for these guys.
So it certainly does help with themomentum. With Josiah Sharma making that flip,
you start looking again at you knowjust how important that position is.
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You know you don't necessarily or atleast you didn't have the depth at defensive
line. Will walk into a seasoncomfortably after seeing not just by renmarkians of
Andrea Sweat depart for the NFL,but Troll Carter leaving for Auburn. So
defensive line room it wasn't in greatshape and I don't think that the depth
was there from you know, yourjunior to your incoming pression behind Alpher Collins
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and Vernon Brokewan. So for themto go out and get these guys via
the portal, it's a one yearsolution, absolutely, But for twenty twenty
five, what does that picture looklike on the defensive line? I don't
know, but I do know thatJosiah Sharma is a big piece of that
puzzle and will certainly be a contributorsearly on in his career as affect of
long word. Yeah Sharma the sixteenthcommit in Sarks twenty twenty five class.
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Now I think Andrew simble. Nowwe've tried this the last two time,
CJ, where Andrew has a questionfor you and we just can't get the
connection the work. But hopefully thistime you can hear Andrew. All right,
CJ, can you hear me?Let's start there. I guess not
there it is camp there, We'vewe've solved our tete one wait, try
it one more time. We gotit? All right? Do we get
it now? CJ? Can youhear me? I can hear it now,
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we've made it up. We've madeconnections. This is a miraculous.
And look, it was last weekendCAM fifty five years since we went to
the Moon. I'd put this asthe second best technological advance that we've made
in that time. CJ. Youtalk about Texas being able to flip into
Oregon, recruit Oregon joining the BigTen, this is their first season in
that conference. Texas and the SEC, do you see this as like kind
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of one of those like, Hey, if there is a commit on the
fence, Texas is going to goget them, not only because of the
Lamborghinis, but also because of theconference. Is that going to play?
How big of a part do yousee that playing well? I think both
schools have done a really good jobof promoting their new environments. Right.
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For Texas, it's the Southeast,it's the SEC, it's kind of that
premier conference in college football. Comebe a part of it. We've got
a big brand, we got alot of success on the field, a
lot of momentum, and now we'reentering the best stage to play college football.
For Oregon, it's very much thesame, but to a lesser degree.
Right, I think organ itself ispitching its own unique environment in Eugene.
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When you look at Organ Ducks andwhat that kind of entails, right,
You think Nike, you think thethe yellow and the green, you
think Uh, you know, elaborateuniforms, you know some crazy uh venues,
whether it be Austin Stadium, youknow, the basketball area, the
track stadium. They've got all sortsof facilities that I think other programs just
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can't match up with. So Iknow, specifically when you look at the
decorrean more recruitment, Texas Hues theSEC right, they absolutely are proud to
be a part of the conference.Now that's going to be a big selling
point for a lot of guys inthe trenches, as we saw with Josiah
Sharma. But it's gonna be alittle bit different when you compete with skill
guys for or with Organ. Right, they're going to say, hey,
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come be your own guy. Come, you know, kind of plant the
seeds for your own garden, ifthat makes sense, blaze your own trail,
because that's kind of what Organ's allabout. And they have to because
they don't have a pipeline in thestate of Oregon that produces high quality division
and athletes. So to go outto Texas and California and the Florida and
some of these other high producing caliberstates across the country. You're gonna have
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to have a unique selling approach,and right now that's what's coming out of
Eugene, as well as that conferencerealignment into the Big Ten, which as
we look at it now is basicallya Big two between the Big Ten and
the SEC, with the ACC andthe Big Twelve kind of falling in place.
Three and four. Talking with CJ. Vogel on Texas Football college football
recruiting insider and analyst, CJ.You're at the SEC Media Days with us
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last week. You're also attended theTexas High School Coaches Association Convention, which
saw Sark appear at that. Fromboth those events, what were your biggest
takeaways, not just pertaining the Texasbut also maybe any other school including in
the SEC. Yeah, I'll startwith Texas, because, of course,
I think first and foremost, Circusianis very confident in his squad. He
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didn't shy away from the talent thathe has on roster right now. At
the forty acres he said it wasthe most talented roster he has, which,
of course, we just saw elevenLonghorns get drafted a year ago.
That was that stood up to mein regards to what he was able to
talk about. But beyond that,I think there's a you know, a
bit of caution, you know,kind of exuded amongst the SEC coaches and
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some media personnel in regards to BoothOklahoma and Texas. Right, you know,
the secs are different animals. Youlook at the week to week gauntlet
of teams that you have to play, you know, whether that be a
Georgia and Alabama, Florida, youknow some of these teams h now that
you think of at the top,Well, Mississippi's up, Tennessee is up,
Missouri's up. There's a lot ofprograms who are you know, very
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eager to make what is it now, it's well team playoffs. So the
week to week is going to besignificantly different. No longer you playing in
Iowa State as a trap game,no longer you playing Kansas State as one
of your bigger games. You know, these are teams that produce a lot
of NFL caliber talent and have alot of NFL caliber talent ready to roll
the minute they step foot on campus. So the week to week gauntlet's going
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to be a very challenging, especiallywhen you go on the road, which
Texas US twice towards the end ofthe year to Fayetville in College Station Luckily
and again to Starkasian's point, feelsvery comfortable about the level of talent that
they currently possessional awesome. One ofthe things I noticed from from the media
day CJ was where we were atstationed, you know, there was it
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was kind of like the pit forall the television reporters to do their stand
ups and their live shots for thenews. And the difference I don't know
if you notice the difference between peoplewho were there Wednesday for Texas to Friday.
There was a huge huge drop inmedia people who were there for Texas
just on Wednesday and then on Thursday. And then also I noticed it seemed
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like, obviously the big conversation isGeorgia. Everyone has picked them to take
back the SC championship, to winanother national championship. But the second storyline
does seem to be Texas, andthat's just not US, you know,
biased or ego. It does seemto be that Texas in other schools and
other markets in the country do haveTexas as that second team behind Georgia.
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Yeah, I tend to agree,right. I know that we're part of
the Texas market, but you know, Texas received the second most first place
votes in the SEC preseason media poll. They finished second in that poll as
well. I think nationally you startto look at why that is, and
it's well, Texas has a verytalented return in quarterback. They have an
offensive line that returns five pieces froma year ago, for of which were
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starters, and they've gone out outof the portal and added a piece or
two or even three when you lookat the defensive line to positions of need
in the entire roster. So there'sa lot of comfortability. As I mentioned
earlier Starkesian's comments, and again datingback to what we know of Georgia,
they're going to be using all site, all sorts of motivation to get to
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where they need to go, maybeyou know, exceeding some limits right speed
time specifically. But I do thinkthat Georgia is the top team in the
SEC going into the country. Carsonbacks a great quarterback. They have plenty
of weapons right now offensively in thatdefense under Kirby's part, will never be
lacking. To the point though itdid feel like Texas was that overwhelming number
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two team. I think Alabama andOle Miss are three and four interchangeably kind
of off of preference two falls whereBut right now, again, Texas,
it feels like they're receiving a fairamount of respect from the SEC media with
also you know, ten total guyslining up on the first and second all
SEC preseason teams. CJ. Iwas racking my brain before the show trying
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to come up with coaches call arat poison all the expectations for Texas.
Has there ever been a time wherethere's this much expectations or are these lofty
expectations to the Longhorns. It's interesting, right I think was twenty nineteen when
Tom Herman had Sam Ellinger returning forhis senior season. You know, you
had a pretty good defense in place. You were expecting a jump in performance.
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Some folks had him as like asneaky pick to make the college football
Playoff. Obviously Tashis fell pretty shortof that, but you saw the signs
of a good team that obviously won'thave any effect on this year squad.
But I do think for Starkesian,this is the you know, kind of
the loftiest heaviest set of expectations sofar for him. He had pretty heavy
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expectations a year ago to make thatjump from eight and five into a College
Football Playoffs contention, obviously coming inas the Big twelve, you know,
undisputed number one team. So helived up to expectations a year ago.
This year, he'll have just ashigh as expectations, perhaps even higher now
that he's in the SEC. I'mhopeful that, you know, he uses
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those motivations as some sort of atool to get his team to where they
want to go. And I dothink the one thing that is a bit
underrated here is Texas got so closeto the College Football National Championship a year
ago. They understand what it's liketo play in those high level games and
they got a taste of it,but they were cut short. Ultimately,
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use that as the motivation to getback to where you want to go and
exceed the expectations. I'll be eagerto see if that plays off this fall
well, with fall camp beginning nextTuesday. For texts getting so close to
Texas football kicking off. What aresome of the things that you were watching
for as fall camp begins? CJ. Yeah, I want to see
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who those first three wide receivers are, you know, I think that's been
a hot topic this year. Yougo out and add three guys via the
portal, if you bring in afive star freshman from Saint Louis, who
are the first three? I thinkyou'll see that wide receiver circle expand this
season. But at the same time, your starters and the guys that you
trot out on a third and seven, a third and ten, those are
going to be the guys that makeor break your games and therefore your season.
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I do think Ryan Wingo the freshman, will make a lot of plays
this year. Isaiah Bond you avery you know, highly expected guide to
come in and make plays as well. Who else who else kind of fills
out that role? But also thethink of line you know, do they
roll out tandems? Is it ayou know, kind of a platoon system
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with all those bodies? They haveseven guys right now, with time at
some level as the power forward divisionone level, I'll be eager to see
who their big guys are, theirmain starters, as well as do they
rotate, do they platoon? Howdo the substitutions go there? Yeah?
It receiver Spot and Edge Spot areboth packed a planthora of talent on both
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sides. Will be interesting to seewho ends up being the top dogs on
both sides. He is CJ Fogelfrom on Texas Football. Make sure to
give him a follow on Twitter atCJ Fogel Underscore OTF. You can catch
them every day on Texas Football.CEJ, thanks much the time, man.
We'll talk to you soon. Absolutely, guys, thanks for having me
on. Have a good weekend,all right, CJ. Folgel. It's
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a great time to be following Texasfootball, so make sure you stay up
to date on all the notes andnuggets. You can do that on Texas
Football dot Com. CJ along withBobby Burton doing some great stuff Jerry Hamilton,
Rod Babers as well. Up nextFlorida Man Friday. Three of the
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biggest words I think in modern society. Florida Man Friday. That's up next
year on The Craig Ways Show.