Bunk Moreland

So this is what it’s come to: @Joe Zura turning tricks for a competent guard.

<insert comment from grouchy OTF subscriber asking whether the baseball team has anyone who can play guard>

Big 10 only wants 24 teams because they are so weak outside of their top 3-4. It’s the only way they can get more teams in. Pathetic.

It seemed like they preferred Jordan Church and were trying to bring him in for a visit, but were too late. I had no problem with the swing for the fences strategy, but by the time the portal was almost closed, it should’ve been time to cut their losses and go all-in on a second-tier guard like Church. I think they overplayed their hand. Too focused on landing a big fish and not agile enough in pivoting.

I don’t think it’s fair to paint the whole $1 crew with a wide brush. The frustration that I think some have (and that I had initially) is that OTF started out as a fairly small, tight-knit community with a culture that was generally more easy-going and amiable. For many of us, that’s a big reason we left other sites like IT and OB—to escape the toxic board culture. Almost immediately after the $1 special started, there was an influx of users from those other sites who seemed to embody their toxic cultures. It’s clearly not fair to attribute that to everyone. And you’re completely right that growth is good because, ultimately, this is a business. Many of us are just protective of what we have here. But no reason for us to also not be welcoming and embrace a growing board. So, welcome!

Ball knower

I don’t think Baker moves to LT. He needs all the guard reps he can get. Probably Chatman to Lt

Hey Joe,

@Gerry Hamilton is currently on a stakeout

No, incorrect. First, PK demonstrated a consistent inability to marry the back and front end. He only had one year at Texas in which his secondary was elite. He also was philosophically not aligned with what Sark wanted, ie an aggressive defense. From Sark’s perspective, Muschamp is an upgrade over PK and better aligned with Sark’s own philosophy. With PK, the bad secondary was a trend, not a one-off. Compare that with Flood—philosophically aligned, consistent improvement through 2024, only one “off” year in 2025, and Sark thinks Flood is the best OL coach available. If any of those variables change, then firing Flood becomes more reasonable.

This is entirely fair. We will never know exactly what transpired to lead us to starting so much youth and inexperience last year and yet doing so with such confidence. But as far as I’m concerned, that’s a collective failure on Sark, Harris, Flood, and the personnel staff. I will say this: if the OL looks like a weakness this year, my tune might change on Flood. One off year after four years of gradual improvement is forgivable. But if turns into a trend, he’s gotta go.

Anyone who thinks that Sark doesn’t ultimately control every single aspect of his program hasn’t been paying attention. If anything, he needs to delegate more. Sark has been very clear that he has the final word on everything from every recruit who is offered to playcalling to NIL strategy. The buck stops with him.

I completely agree. Let Flood coach the tackles and the overall unit. His tackle development is elite. But breaking up the interior and tackles like we do on the DL could pay serious dividends. Also, moving away from the large humans philosophy should really help over the next few years. I do think that Flood needs to revamp his scheme, because Georgia (and others) have figured him out. He needs a better inside zone / power scheme.

Kyle Flood completely changed the OL dynamic at Texas from a national joke that hadn’t had a first-round draft pick for 20 years into a team strength by 2024. The 2024 line wasn’t perfect but it was one of the best in the country and to say otherwise is to be blinded by confirmation bias. He developed Christian Jones from a terrible waste of talent who could barely walk straight into an NFL player. He developed Goosby from a skinny basketball player into a likely top-15 draft pick. The whole country was laughing at Kelvin Banks after his all-star camp performance his senior year, but look at what he became. Jake Majors and Hayden Conner got so much crap from Texas fans, but under Flood they became NFL players. His recruiting has been up and down, no doubt. It’s insane that the cupboard was so bare last year. But that’s every bit on Sark and his roster management as it is on Flood. Flood’s IOL development has not been great, but I think that’s as much a problem with the “large humans” philosophy as anything. And recruiting massive linemen who can’t move was fully a Sark-endorsed idea. As bad as the line was to start last year, the job Flood did to turn it into a solid unit to end the year does not get enough credit. Has he made mistakes? Absolutely. I still think the reliance on unproven young players last year was inexcusable. But yall are going to run the man out of town, and we are just going to have to live with the results. But be careful what you wish for.

What an absolute joke. The dude had 12 sacks and 60+ pressures and somehow there were 64 better players in the country?

D’oh! My brain read LSU. Disregard!

What Lane is doing in the portal is pretty impressive