SPRING PRACTICE PORTAL STANDOUTS: Texas Transfers Already Turning Heads!

0:00This episode of On Texas Football is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Fiscally responsible, financial geniuses, monetary magicians. These are things people say about drivers who switch their car insurance to Progressive and save hundreds. Because Progressive offers discounts for paying in full, owning a home, and more. Plus, you can count on their great customer service to help you when you need it, so your dollar goes a long way. Visit Progressive.com to see if you could save on car insurance. Progressive casualty insurance company and affiliates, potential savings will vary, not available in all states or situations. Ever notice how ads always pop up at the worst moments when the killer's identity is about to be revealed? During that perfect meditation flow. On Amazon Music, we believe in keeping you in the moment. That's why we've got millions of ad free podcast episodes, so you can stay completely immersed in every story, every reveal, every breath.

1:01Download the Amazon Music app and start listening to your favorite podcast, that free, included with Prime. When you really need care, you need 24-7 access to a care team, not a maze of paperwork from a third party. Every day, America's hospitals and health systems show up for you, navigating healthcare and fuel overwhelming. But you can count on real doctors, real nurses, real people, providing quality around the clock care when you need it most. They're in your corner. In communities across America, your neighbors, your lifelines, right beside you, holding your hand and helping find answers. That's what putting patients first actually means. Learn more at strengthinhealthcare.org. Brought to you by the Coalition to Strength in America's Health Care. Hey, what's up folks? Welcome back to OnTexas football. I'm Lifetime Longhorn, right? Baby's pleased to be joined by another Lifetime Longhorn, a man C.J. Vogel and of course my good friend, esteemed colleague, Jeff Howeswell. We want to talk about, of course, what we've seen the first two practices of spring football for Texas, but talk about specifically the portal acquisitions and who are the stand out so far that we've been able to notice when we've got our eyes on practice and during

2:05the media windows for the first two practices. So first, I'll start off with you, C.J. Who among that transfer portal class to you stood up while you got a chance to see practice? I'm going to leave this one on the table for you, Jeff or for you, Rod. I'm not going, Cam Coleman, instead, I know it, I know it, but I'm going to talk about Melvin Ciani today and look, a lot of eyes. My eyes included, I'm sure both of y'all's eyes on the offensive line this year. What does that unit look like as a whole? What does the Wake Force transfer look like moving from left tackle to right tackle? People want to know that. We've seen a pretty good run of offensive tackles at Texas, end up in the pros, right? Calvin Banks, Christian Jones, Cam Williams, you get an idea by now, what the NFL model and body looks like and Melvin Ciani looks like an NFL prospect. So he's lengthy, he's lean, he moves well and he carries weight very well. So I liked a lot of what I saw from Melvin Ciani.

3:06I know that there's obvious movement that kind of stands out. He's not a guy that gets led footed, like we've seen in the past at Texas, so he should be able to work well with the speed of SEC pass rushers and not telling you he's going to go out and be another Trevor Gooseby on the opposite side, but he should be someone that can hold their own. And that's for archmaning, all you need to hear. So I liked what I saw from Melvin Ciani. After one week I came away saying, okay, I see why Texas went out and added him to kind of bolster that offensive line and get that right tackle spot solidified. Yeah, I feel like they liked what they did last year in the adjustment, right, where they basically had two centers between co-hutson and Connor Robinson playing inside. And it really kind of helped the overall kind of football awareness, situational awareness of the offensive line. They were just better from that point on. And I feel like I had a coach tell me this once. He said, I don't really like guards. I don't want guards on my own line. I want tackles that I bump inside or I want centers who can play multiple spots inside.

4:13Because centers get, they get a lot of love for being intellectual, right, their football acumen of a center. That's why Texas having two centers inside their office line last year probably paid huge dividends because those are the guys who are setting the protections. Those are the guys who are making the adjustments and the articles on the line and your tackles are known for what? Uber athleticism on the online. Those are most athletic guys on the online. They're the freaks on the online. The more, I want an athletic freak or I want a superior intellectual on the online. And guards always get a knock. It's like, just a guard. And I feel like Texas is doing that right now and Melbourne's young is a big part of it. Get more athletic and freakish bumping right in Baker inside to get more athletic too. And potentially cross-training a lot of guys. How many guys in Southeast Plains is cross-training a place center now, four or five? Yep. Mm-hmm. Just saying. Going out to room two, I think they own this something. All right, Jeff, who, what member of this transfer of portal class stood out to you since CJ made it real easy for you?

5:14Maybe you're going to make it real easy for me. Who's your pick? Yeah, I'm going to make it real easy for you, Rod. I'm going to leave Cam Coleman off to the side because it's easy to talk about the pretty guys, the skill guys, right? But the guy I want to talk about, I don't know that anybody's generated more discussion in week one among the transfers than Angel Fard because it's hard to miss him when you walk out on the practice field. I mean, that is a, you know, the good Lord only makes a certain number of human beings. That's just that big. But he's big, but he can move. And man, if there's a way somebody can carry 378 pounds very well, Angel Fard carries 378 pounds very well. You know, to hear his teammates talk about, you know, here, O'Connor mentioned it, like talking about how proud he is of Angel Fard for the strides he's made since he got the campus. That seems to be a common theme when you hear about him, like, yeah, he's lost weight since he got the Texas. He's been serious about, you know, putting in the work to be in the best shape he can

6:16be. And Rod, we crunched the numbers you did. We talked about our football theory, like for as big as he is, he played a lot at Arkansas and to think like he's potentially going to be in better shape at Texas. He's part of a better rotation. He could be way more productive because he's not having to play as much because you do, you are deeper, you know, getting a look at on Wednesday's practice, got to look, they separated kind of the over the ball guys. It was Angel Fard, Zion Williams and Maraud Watson, where the three guys that were in that group and the other guys were with the tackles. I'm sure that's going to change and they'll mix and match, but man, I just, I love the flexibility that Angel Fard gives Will Mustchan to play more odd fronts. And he can be that big guy over the ball to where he can occupy space and, you know, take on blockers and let guys like Racine Biles and linebackers kind of roam free around it. So I just, you know, you saw him at Arkansas and you knew about the size, but man, just wanted to look at it and up close and watching him move and hearing all the positive things

7:17everybody has to say about him. I'm an Angel Fard fan. Typically, typically when you see human beings or just things in general, that large, they come with a little tag that says GE, whirlpool on them, something on those lines. And that's not where I think we get the nickname from NIL and ref share over on the live stream earlier about Angel Frij. That's who we're referencing now as Angel Fard, all right. Glad you got it in SCJ of black because I almost forgot about the great big name, Angel Frij. You got to throw some love. But I'm glad you got to start with the lines of scrimmage. And I think Jeff, the way you ended this probably most important thing, Angel Fard is going to allow your linebackers also that group to thrive as well because he's going to keep those guys clean. You know, you get a guy that big in Texas hat, massive human beings like this on the D line to find their sweat being one hill. I played with one with Big Sean Rogers. They do actually, they're a little large enough. What they, they can be responsible for a gap and a half or to block them, you need more than one man. All right. You're going to need, you need one, one, one and a half guys to block them up front.

8:20If you got two guys up front, they're demanding a double team or at least demanding more than one on one blocking. That's how you flip the numbers advantage in your favor. And Angel Frij can do that. The stat that I'm in, Jeff was referencing, Texas last season had zero players with 100 plus snaps in the A gap. Angel Frij, what he does, that he's specialty is that's a guy that can play right over the nose. He's the only detail in the country that I found that played at least 460 snaps at more than 350 pounds. Two. No, but no other detail in the country played that many snaps being that heavy. And like Jeff said, he's down now 13 could be down more than that. So he is. Yes, do that. At Texas. Yeah. Because of the rotation in the body. So you're going to get a higher level guy or snaps out of him as well. Yep. He's going to be fresher. That's no doubt about that. All right. Well, it just made it easy for me for my pick. My pick is of course. Can't go with it. I mean, nobody says stood out like him. Come on. What I love is he, he leased the drills and sarcasm.

9:22I've heard multiple times. I'm out there. He is emphasized. Hey, we got to start the drill out. Good. You got to start it off right. I want to start the drill off right. And I want to start the drill off with almost a perfect grip, guys. Perfect grip. Watch the guy in front of you. And that's how you start out. And he's taking pride in that. He's leading all the drills. I love his professionalism and leadership. But Sark is going to unlock Cam Coleman, guys. And I haven't even seen it on the route. The different routes he's running. I've watched a lot of film him in Auburn. He's already attention. In my opinion, expanding the route tree. Or at least running routes and Texas that I did not necessarily see on film there at Auburn. He's going to get yak opportunities. He got no yak opportunities at Auburn at all. I think he averaged less than three yards after the catch per reception. All Texas number one guy's average over five yards after the catch per reception. That's just how Sark does it. He's going to play in the slot more. I saw him kind of moving him around a little bit in terms of the routes they were running. He's going to move around a lot more. That's going to give him a favorable matchup. Sark is going to truly unlock Cam Coleman. And he's going to have a true number two with Ryan Wingo.

10:23So I'm getting about what Texas is going to bring to the table with this guy along with Archmating. This is going to be an explosive combination. Sark's already saying it's the deepest wire receiver room that he's had in Texas, which is a bowl statement considered. That's some damn good wire receiver rooms. You know, when when Texas started going after him and definitely when he committed, we start talking on the channel a lot about cops like who does he remind you of. I still don't know that he's at that freaky level of athleticism like an AJ green. But there's definitely some of that to his game. I think honestly after watching him to me, he's George Pickens with a little more, just a hair more. This episode of on Texas football is brought to you by progressive insurance, fiscally responsible, financial geniuses, monetary magicians. These are things people say about drivers who switched their car insurance to progressive and save hundreds. Because progressive offers discounts for paying in full, owning a home, and more. Plus, you can count on their great customer service to help you when you need it,

11:23so your dollar goes a long way. Visit progressive.com to see if you could save on car insurance. Progressive casualty insurance company and affiliates, potential savings will vary, not available in all states or situations. When you really need care, you need 24-7 access to a care team, not a maze of paperwork from a third party. Every day, America's hospitals and health systems show up for you, navigating healthcare can feel overwhelming. But you can count on real doctors, real nurses, real people, providing quality around the clock care when you need it most. They're in your corner. In communities across America, your neighbors, your lifelines, right beside you holding your hand and helping finances. That's what putting patients first actually means. Learn more at strengthinhealthcare.org. Brought to you by the Coalition to Strength in America's Healthcare. Then George Pickens. That's honestly who Cam Coleman reminds me of. You know, you see him go through drills and like, he's at the point in his career rod. Kind of like where Williams was. He's got that gear that he can hit. He's just not going to hit it in practice unless he has to.

12:25But man, when he hits it, you notice it real quick. Yep. He's got strong hands. There's a, there's a suddenness to him. Yeah. Even though he got the size, there's still a suddenness to his game. All right. There you go. So that's obviously those are three of our top standouts. But there's so many other guys. I think that I got to get everybody excited. So let's open up the conversation here. Who else? Mr. I know I would choose CJ. Who else has stood out among this transfer of portal class. And I'm hoping you, I got a couple of names. I'm hoping you bring up because I'm ready to talk about a couple of these guys. Yeah. No, I'm going right down the road from where I'm sure you spend a lot of time watching. And spring practice and Beaumasco for me is a guy that I was very high on coming in out of Rutgers. If you're all conference honorable mention in the big 10, you're a top 8 to 10 cornerback. And a conference with 18 teams that play at one of the highest levels in all of the country. So that to me, I think it's something that probably didn't get enough praise for his addition. And now you get to see some of the versatility that Texas will deploy him at with Grayson Littleton.

13:30Who will be the slot? Who will be the outside corner? Regardless, you're in good hands with both of those guys having with Masco specifically played a lot of football in his career. So I'm just encouraged. I'm ready to start hearing more about when these guys get back from spring break next week. What do the one-on-ones look like? How does Beaumasco pair up with that of a Cam Coleman? You know, how can a colleague clock it get better going against a Beaumasco? That's something I'm really interested in. But I think he just watching a little bit from a distance, how he moves, how he carries himself. Obviously that connection with Mark Orfe. I think that was a home run addition out of the portal for Texas. Yeah. No, I'm really excited about it. I did hear you had a couple of interceptions in practice too. I think Grayson Littleton revealed that. And I think some people might be concerned that, you know, he's playing a lot more nickel early on. I do think they just want to see what he does at the nickel position. Yes, I think in 2024, he played a lot of slot and played a lot of nickel at Rutgers.

14:30But I think in much champ system, he wants to see what he can provide there. And on the other end of that, we are already seeing what Grayson Littleton can do at nickel. And not to slot. He was fantastic as a freshman. I think they want to see if he can be a guy that can play corner at the same level. And manufacturers manufacture a little depth. But also give yourself possible solutions to get your best five guys on the field. So I'm with you. Bowmask has been great. So I love what I've seen. I do think they like. I think much I'm like this little com piece compact as a player. A little bit more compact than Grayson Littleton. And maybe he wants to see that if he's got a more ideal frame for the nickel. The way they want to play it. But I'm with you on that. Yeah. You know, you know, Sark mentioned tight ends on Monday, because he got asked about Michael. He said, man, tight ends are so hard to evaluate in a practice where you're not in pads. You're not hitting anybody. You don't get to set the edge and do the things tight ends do. The linebacker's kind of the same way.

15:30But man, I, I'm thinking. Rachim Biles may be a one of one. Because I'm trying to think of like a Texas linebacker. He reminds me of. And he's, he's so twitchy. He's so fluid and smooth. But yet he's so violent when he gets to the point of contact. Even when he's just hitting bags or, you know, the ball, just moving around, just working on shedding blocks. There's, it's, it's really hard to describe it. Like I'm watching him. I'm like, then like he's, he's built like a receiver. And he's that kind of twitchy and that kind of fluid with his body movements. But then you're like, no, but I've watched the tape and like he's a linebacker. Like he's destroying guys. See gap to see gap. So I can't wait. He's the guy I'm most excited about when the pads come on after spring break. And they really start getting after it. He's number one on my list of guys I'm most excited to hear about. Because I think we'll just hear about him making. Freaky play after freaky play after freaky play during live periods.

16:31Yeah. I want to see about the size. Because you know, the talk said always undersized, but he's a hell of a playmaker. Um, he's 220 and every bit of it. Yeah. In the modern game, I think it's less of a concern that it's ever been, honestly, um, considering where the game is going. And his, like you said, his style of play. We just, we talked about instincts and linebacker. Man, I haven't seen a, honestly, the last time I seen a lineback with great instincts like that naturally for Texas. I am going all the way back to DJ because DJ of course had that. Um, Jamie Ford had some of that where just really good and coverage had naturally good instincts. But I mean, you want to naturally good as a playmaker. He's got a football player playing linebacker in my opinion. And I think that's kind of what he projects to be. He's just a hell of a football player playing linebacker. Um, I'm going to go with the running backs. I got a chance to watch, uh, relief brown and Hollywood smothers. Um, so I'm going to throw both of them out there, um, because I hear they're really tight. And I think they're going to be used in that pony package a lot.

17:32I think I'm going to be used in combination. And of course, I think sarke likes the fact that, you know, both of these guys are explosive. And they break a lot of tackles. You believe both of these guys had more force missed tackles than germ. I love this bad season. Wow. I did not know that 65 and 67. Missed. And, and, and, and, and to put that in perspective, folks. I know love split time. Obviously what you're doing price, but love is being considered as the top back in this year's NFL draft. And a number of scouts have even come out and said, Hey, if I had a class of love in Ash and Janty, who won the Heisman a year ago, I'd be taking Jeremiah love. So that kind of get you an idea of. The biggest ability for both of these guys. That's right. Yeah. Yeah. I think you're going to have one of the most explosive backfields in the country with those guys. So he's bringing. That's why I started excited about getting back to their identity in the run game, which is those explosive runs in the outside zone, but a more athletic offensive line and just a much explosive backfield period. And then get back to some of the.

18:33The types of big time chunk yardage runs that really can. Can really boost this offense and add some juice to it. All right, gentlemen. I know we went through a lot. So is there any last thoughts and comments, final thoughts here about the transfer of quarter class and what we've seen so far. Jeff, I'll throw it to you first. Dylan. Of course he watching him work center in practice gives me hope about his versatility, his position flex going forward. Well, I like that. And he came in bigger than I thought. Yeah, he did. I thought that was. A little larger than I anticipated. Yeah. And I think he was lighter than that. At Oregon State. So interesting to see if that's that they want him to bulk up a little bit. They want him to be heavier or if he's going to kind of lighten up as the season approaches. Interesting. Because the office line seems like they're getting a little bit lighter. They brought in Dylan. Of course, communities and beef inside. Yeah. Yeah. I just. You know, if.

19:33If the Lord Seymour thing doesn't work out, he may be your, you know, your top option at left guard. We shall see Jayden Chapman's working there. But you know, he's a guy that if Seymour is eligible, they may not need him to play, you know, high leverage snaps this year. So he got the one year started Oregon State. Maybe he's a depth piece for you that you're working on. Hey, we got a really big role for you in 2020, 2027. It's good point. CJ, any final thoughts about what we've seen so far stand out from this transfer of portal class? Yeah. I've said it a few times. I'll say it again until I. Improving wrong or hopefully right, but I think Michael Moussoonis is going to be a very good addition for Texas. I think just the way that he approaches blocking. I don't need him to catch 40 balls. I don't need him to be a 400 yard receiver for Texas. We know that our just check down is his legs. We know that if it comes down to checking down to a 260 pound tied in or really round or Hollywood. Smothers probably going to look the other way to one of those running backs around just being honest there.

20:35But I need a tied in and Texas needs a tied in that will get his nose dirty and move people up front. And given what I've seen through the first week. I think that's a guy that can absolutely get it done and is willing to get it done, which is also a change from what we've seen over the last five years or so at the tight spot. Yeah, random stat about Michael Moussoonis in limited snaps in 2024. I believe before the injury. Short and season for him at Michigan State. He was the third highest rated run blocker that season. And there are highest graded blocker own zone runs that season before his season was stopped short. And so I don't know if it did not carry over to 25. That's the weird thing. It did not necessarily carry over to five. But it's we've seen him small sample size being really dominant block, especially in some zone run schemes finishing to see if Texas Jeff. Thanks for bringing that out in Michael Sons. But I like that. Take C.J. Great stuff, gentlemen. As always, we appreciate all of the expertise. Thank you to each and everyone of you out there for watching. If you listen, thank you to Matthew behind the scenes for editing, chopping it up.

21:36He's the heart and soul of O T F and thanks Jeff. And thank you as well. C.J. We're Jeff for C.J. I'm life time. I'm going to ride babies. Until next time. This episode of On Texas football is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Fiscally responsible, financial geniuses, monetary magicians. These are things people say about drivers who switch their car insurance to progressive and save hundreds. Because progressive offers discounts for paying in full, owning a home, and more. Plus, you can count on their great customer service to help you when you need it. So your dollar goes a long way. Visit progressive.com to see if you could save on car insurance. Progressive casualty insurance company and affiliates, potential savings will vary, not available in all states or situations. This episode of On Texas football is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Fiscally responsible, financial geniuses, monetary magicians. These are things people say about drivers who switch their car insurance to progressive and save hundreds. Because progressive offers discounts for paying in full, owning a home, and more.

22:39Plus, you can count on their great customer service to help you when you need it. So your dollar goes a long way. Visit progressive.com to see if you could save on car insurance. Progressive casualty insurance company and affiliates, potential savings will vary, not available in all states or situations.