Thoughts on the QB situation now
I'm going to go into more detail on this in a separate position piece, but adding Jake Hubenak over the weekend should constitute a sigh of relief for A&M fans. It also means that a 2015 depth chart that was dangerously thin not all that long ago now looks pretty solid for the next several years.
Hubenak, as you probably already know, destroyed the JUCO ranks last year as he threw for 4,052 yards, 47 TDs and 9 INTs. He helped once and current teammate Damion Ratley put up ridiculous numbers last season, which helped catch the attention of A&M to begin with. Hubenak has good size (6'3") and obviously throws the ball with good touch and accuracy, but he doesn't have a big arm. That, I guess, has been the knock on him, even though his level of productivity should have merited greater attention.
In any event, everyone else's loss is A&M's gain. Nobody really cares if someone's a "system QB" if you're running that system. Looking at his film, you can see Hubenak has enough athleticism to keep plays alive (I don't think he's as athletic as Kyle Allen, much less Kyler Murray), keeps looking upfield when he's pressured and makes solid throws. He reminds me a lot of Case Keenum, and considering who ran the show when Keenum was putting up huge numbers at UH, that's fine with me.
Now, to the nitty-gritty: I'm not expecting Hubenak to come in and play unless there's a serious emergency. This is Kyle Allen's football team, he's advanced well and deserves the job at this point. If anyone's going to beat him out, it'll be Kyler (and I don't think that's happening). Murray brings an added dimension with his legs, and he will play this year -- he's too dynamic not too. But Hubenak has 3 to play 3, and he's been extremely effective everywhere he's played. Even if he's QB 3, you want a guy like that who can get things done.
Does this mean the Aggies are only going after one QB in 2016? I think that's now a distinct possibility, and that's fine when you consider the age of the players who would be in front of him. But they need to continue to make sure that, if they only get one QB, it's top quality. I'd be all in on Jalen Hurts, personally. In any case, this was not a move to reflect panic on 2016. It was a move to improve the 2015 team, and I think it did just that.
That explains it (and not in a good way)
Last week, I talked a little bit about Julien Obioha moving inside and the opportunities that would create for guys like Qualen Cunningham and Daeshon Hall to make more plays at the end positions. I also said that it would cut Jay Arnold's time down on the inside.
That stuck with me all weekend, because Arnold had played well when he was healthy. It was just a matter of him staying healthy. Some of you were well ahead of me on this, but I finally got around to asking someone if Arnold would return in 2015.
The answer is no. His shoulders, which were so severely torn up he couldn't play by the end of last season, have not responded well after surgery and he's almost certainly hanging them up. And that's a real shame, because you're talking about a guy who gave it everything he had all the time, and never complained. He's a dynamic guy and really smart. I hate to use the word "warrior" when describing an athlete, because it's unfair to the real ones putting their lives on the line -- but Jay comes about as close to someone who would earn that description.
With the loss of Arnold, A&M has seen 15 of 31 2013 signees either retire (3), transfer (6), graduate (2), get kicked off the team (3) or vanish off the face of the earth (1). Even as we start to see signs of life from a few guys in that class, that's still a horrible ratio.
O RLY?
Clay Travis just tweeted out the following: "The Longhorn Network is the most disastrous cable channel launch in ESPN history." His story, here, details how big a bust it's been. I'm sure that they're not crying to hard in Austin, but it details just how much of a disaster it's been for ESPN. On the other hand, the SEC Network has been one of the most successful cable launches of all time, regardless of who you're talking about. The glorious part, of course, is that without LHN, there would be on SECN because A&M and Mizzou wouldn't have told DeLoss Dodds to go to hell (or do something physiologically impossible with himself).
Heh. Heh. Heh. The eyes of Texas are upon them... but nobody else's. They're watching SECN.
The next late addition?
The Aggies are after River Ridge John Curtis LB Bo Wallace, as anticipated. Rob mentioned that would probably be the case, but we got it verified that Terry Joseph had made contact over there late Friday morning. Is he worth taking? His offer list and a Notre Dame commitment would say a lot of people like him, and the Aggies can't be choosy at linebacker right now. If he can come in and help, then at least let him come in and add some depth. That's what is sorely lacking right now. He doesn't have to start, but A&M needs more guys who can play in the event of injury. It would be no surprise if the Aggies go after him as hard as they can the next few days and try to get him.
Old School Monday
Looked this one up Friday night to explain the disinterested "very nice" to someone...
I'm going to go into more detail on this in a separate position piece, but adding Jake Hubenak over the weekend should constitute a sigh of relief for A&M fans. It also means that a 2015 depth chart that was dangerously thin not all that long ago now looks pretty solid for the next several years.
Hubenak, as you probably already know, destroyed the JUCO ranks last year as he threw for 4,052 yards, 47 TDs and 9 INTs. He helped once and current teammate Damion Ratley put up ridiculous numbers last season, which helped catch the attention of A&M to begin with. Hubenak has good size (6'3") and obviously throws the ball with good touch and accuracy, but he doesn't have a big arm. That, I guess, has been the knock on him, even though his level of productivity should have merited greater attention.
In any event, everyone else's loss is A&M's gain. Nobody really cares if someone's a "system QB" if you're running that system. Looking at his film, you can see Hubenak has enough athleticism to keep plays alive (I don't think he's as athletic as Kyle Allen, much less Kyler Murray), keeps looking upfield when he's pressured and makes solid throws. He reminds me a lot of Case Keenum, and considering who ran the show when Keenum was putting up huge numbers at UH, that's fine with me.
Now, to the nitty-gritty: I'm not expecting Hubenak to come in and play unless there's a serious emergency. This is Kyle Allen's football team, he's advanced well and deserves the job at this point. If anyone's going to beat him out, it'll be Kyler (and I don't think that's happening). Murray brings an added dimension with his legs, and he will play this year -- he's too dynamic not too. But Hubenak has 3 to play 3, and he's been extremely effective everywhere he's played. Even if he's QB 3, you want a guy like that who can get things done.
Does this mean the Aggies are only going after one QB in 2016? I think that's now a distinct possibility, and that's fine when you consider the age of the players who would be in front of him. But they need to continue to make sure that, if they only get one QB, it's top quality. I'd be all in on Jalen Hurts, personally. In any case, this was not a move to reflect panic on 2016. It was a move to improve the 2015 team, and I think it did just that.
That explains it (and not in a good way)
Last week, I talked a little bit about Julien Obioha moving inside and the opportunities that would create for guys like Qualen Cunningham and Daeshon Hall to make more plays at the end positions. I also said that it would cut Jay Arnold's time down on the inside.
That stuck with me all weekend, because Arnold had played well when he was healthy. It was just a matter of him staying healthy. Some of you were well ahead of me on this, but I finally got around to asking someone if Arnold would return in 2015.
The answer is no. His shoulders, which were so severely torn up he couldn't play by the end of last season, have not responded well after surgery and he's almost certainly hanging them up. And that's a real shame, because you're talking about a guy who gave it everything he had all the time, and never complained. He's a dynamic guy and really smart. I hate to use the word "warrior" when describing an athlete, because it's unfair to the real ones putting their lives on the line -- but Jay comes about as close to someone who would earn that description.
With the loss of Arnold, A&M has seen 15 of 31 2013 signees either retire (3), transfer (6), graduate (2), get kicked off the team (3) or vanish off the face of the earth (1). Even as we start to see signs of life from a few guys in that class, that's still a horrible ratio.
O RLY?
Clay Travis just tweeted out the following: "The Longhorn Network is the most disastrous cable channel launch in ESPN history." His story, here, details how big a bust it's been. I'm sure that they're not crying to hard in Austin, but it details just how much of a disaster it's been for ESPN. On the other hand, the SEC Network has been one of the most successful cable launches of all time, regardless of who you're talking about. The glorious part, of course, is that without LHN, there would be on SECN because A&M and Mizzou wouldn't have told DeLoss Dodds to go to hell (or do something physiologically impossible with himself).
Heh. Heh. Heh. The eyes of Texas are upon them... but nobody else's. They're watching SECN.
The next late addition?
The Aggies are after River Ridge John Curtis LB Bo Wallace, as anticipated. Rob mentioned that would probably be the case, but we got it verified that Terry Joseph had made contact over there late Friday morning. Is he worth taking? His offer list and a Notre Dame commitment would say a lot of people like him, and the Aggies can't be choosy at linebacker right now. If he can come in and help, then at least let him come in and add some depth. That's what is sorely lacking right now. He doesn't have to start, but A&M needs more guys who can play in the event of injury. It would be no surprise if the Aggies go after him as hard as they can the next few days and try to get him.
Old School Monday
Looked this one up Friday night to explain the disinterested "very nice" to someone...
