Herman discusses practice schedule, improved endurance, team dynamics

FREE Premium access until August 14 when you sign up, then only $39.99 for every five months! Click here for more details.

WELLS/COOK: Day 1 a.m. practice notes

Two hours in the early morning Texas heat with receivers running routes, defensive backs learning coverages and quarterbacks working on progressions means football season is right around the corner on the Forty Acres.

But for head coach Tom Herman, what the team went through today was not football.

“Nobody impressed,” Herman said at the beginning of his post-practice availability. “Nobody disappointed in shorts. Everybody that was supposed to practice, practiced.”

Herman repeatedly stated throughout the spring that he would not evaluate a player’s performance based on how they looked in shorts and helmets. Now that he and his staff are coaching earlier than they ever have before, they’ll have plenty of time to evaluate under new NCAA practice guidelines.

Since the NCAA abolished two-a-days, programs must now start much earlier in order to fit all 29 practices teams are allowed to hold before their first game.

“29 practices is 29 practices is 29 practices,” Herman said.“I think though, if we’re going to stick with this model, then kids reporting on July 30th – that’s a little crazy to me. I think we should, nationally, then cut practices down to 26, 25 because not only does it alter our scheduling, it alters your summer training program.”

According to Herman, the second session of his two-a-day practices were never overly physical, often just helmets and shorts. Now, the beginning of football is mixed in with the end of the second summer session as well as the beginning of the fall semester. “We’ve had to alter our practice schedule to make sure they’re getting out on time and early, all that stuff, to head to class,” Herman said.

With the team, freshmen and transfers excluded, familiar with how Herman’s practices operate from spring ball, today was an opportunity for the team to show some of the progress they made over the summer.

The team progress had concrete numbers attached to it in order to quantify the “night and day” change in culture at Texas. Sixty-seven percent of eligible student-athletes were “champions” in Herman’s system. The team lost 500 pounds of body fat and added 380 pounds of lean muscle mass. Maximums on individual workouts like back squats and drills like vertical jump increased, and, on the field, Herman said he noticed a difference.

“Much more stamina,” Herman said.“I don’t mean that from a lung standpoint. When you’re strong, you can go and bend and change direction and you don’t get tired. When you’re weak in period 12, I’m having a hard time of changing direction. I’m having a hard time of going hard. I’m having a hard time finishing plays. I saw a team that was running around really good even at the end of practice.”

QB ROOM HAS THINGS TO WORK ON

Five quarterbacks find their names on the Longhorn roster, but only two have scholarships, sophomore Shane Buechele and freshman Sam Ehlinger.

With both going through an offensive install over the next few practices, both quarterbacks will have to learn new concepts as well as master the ones they’ve gone over in the off-season.

For Buechele, Herman wanted the second-year signal caller to stand up in front of his team more.

“That he has a voice,” Herman said on where Buechele has made the most progress. “He’s a lot more vocal. I heard him a lot more, which is good.”

Ehlinger, like most freshmen, can get caught up in the faster play of college football. Herman said Ehlinger needs to play football instead of thinking about playing football.

“Sam’s a very cerebral guy, really sharp guy,” Herman said.“A lot of times with quarterbacks that’s a detriment. He thinks a lot out there whether that be his mechanics, his reads, his protections. We had to talk today. I said ‘Sam, you worry about all that stuff in the drill period, the individual, all that stuff. When it’s 7-on-7, 11-on-11, just play football. Stop thinking and just play. I think he started to do that a little bit better toward the end of practice.”

Nothing quarterback-wise will be decided over the next few days, as there is still some time before Herman plans to name a starter. Herman said today he plans to have “about three weeks” of competition before naming a starter. Once he names a starter, the team will be into preparing for Maryland, and a majority of the first team reps will go to the first string guy.

(WHO WILL BE) TOTING THE ROCK

Health at the running back position continues to be a question following spring and heading into fall. Junior Chris Warren participated today and made it all the way through practice. Warren has promise even Herman recognized while at Ohio State, but he must stay on the field in order to prove it.

Herman refused to offer an evaluation of Warren following today’s practice, though he was complimentary of how he looked.

“He’s done everything right in the summer,” Herman said.“He came out today. His body looked right. He didn’t fatigue. All signs are pointing in the right direction, but it’s too difficult to tell.”

Warren’s seemingly successful return to the field is made even more important by the fact that sophomore Kirk Johnson was unable to finish practice per a statement released by Texas. There are questions about whether Warren can play at the weight his body carried last year. Herman said he wants to see Warren drop additional weight before the season begins.

“He weighed in at 254,” Herman said. “I think a week of training camp will get those four pounds off of him. He’s a freaky guy. It would be very cumbersome to almost, not impossible, but very difficult to keep him under 250 pounds. The cool thing about it is even at 250 pounds, he’s explosive and fast and strong and all that good stuff.”

ADDITIONAL SUMMER COMPLIMENTS

Many members of Texas’ highly ranked 2015 and 2016 recruiting classes have already seen playing time, whether due to necessity or injury.

There are, however, several players from those classes who have yet to make any major contributions during the season. Although he’s yet to see actual playing time, redshirt freshman Reggie Hemphill-Mapps is one of the players Herman says has put himself in a position to contribute and succeed with his off-season efforts.

“He’s added weight to his thin frame,” Herman said.“He needed to. When you’re out there, you’re blocking nickels and sam linebackers. You’re not blocking corners. So he’s got to add strength and he did that. He’ll continue to throughout his career. We need him to produce.”

According to Herman, weight was what Hemphill-Mapps needed since he had already been on the receiving end of good coaching in Houston.

“He’s explosive in and out of breaks,” Herman said.“Good ball skills and good feel for the game. He came from Manvel. Really, really well coached there. You can tell that about him. He came in, although maybe not physically ready because he was too thin and weak, very football smart.”

On the opposite end of the weight spectrum is the defensive line. As he has in the past, Herman praised the starting trio of sophomore Malcolm Roach, senior Poona Ford and junior Chris Nelson.

Those three seem to be the only ones who can gain a compliment from their head coach, as Herman sees the need for depth.

“As I said at media days and will continue to say, if those guys are playing 75 plays a game, we’re a trouble. We’ve got to find (sophomore Gerald) Wilbon, (freshman Andrew) Fitzgerald, (freshman) Ta’Quon (Graham), those guys have got to pick it up for us to feel good about everything.”

WHO ISN’T IN AUSTIN

Herman also touched on two players from the class of 2017 who have yet to make it to campus, NE Oklahoma A&M’s Jamari Chisholm and Tyler John Tyler’s Damion Miller. Herman said they are waiting on Chisholm to be admitted and that Miller was “waiting on some final summer stuff, academically.”

When asked if he had high hopes on them making it in, Herman’s response touched on the development of late arrivals.

“I’m never optimistic when I’m this late into the summer. I’ve never seen a guy come in this late and actually contribute in year one. Usually in year two because you’ve missed a whole indoctrination into a summer training program. The winter off-season will be the first time that he’s full time in conditioning, training, and lifting. It’ll be tough.”