Syllabus Week: What Cedric Baxter Jr., Jaydon Chatman, Andre Cojoe need to work on
Depending on who you ask, “syllabus week” isn’t limited to a seven-day period. Some recognize syllabus week as lasting one day, others recognize it for an entire month.
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Whatever your preferred way to celebrate the beginning of the semester is, any newly-minted Texas Longhorns football player has a learning curve they have to navigate as they settle in on campus, begin workouts with Torre Becton, and learn other aspects of the program in preparation for spring football practices.
Rather than just telling each new Longhorn making their first few steps on the Forty Acres to “learn the playbook and get to know your teammates,” Inside Texas will look for specific areas for each mid-year enrollee to focus on during their first few weeks and months on campus.
Cedric Baxter
Baxter, On3’s only five-star at his position, has all the physical tools necessary to be a great running back. He has the desired size and strength to make life tough for tacklers, and enough speed outrun a significant portion of the players who will be charged with bringing him down.
He’ll have a more multifaceted role at Texas than the one he had at Edgewater, and that’s where his biggest learning curve lies.
Baxter’s senior highlight tape has 3:52 of mostly touchdowns. Same with his junior tape, all 6:07 of it. But of those 10 minutes of highlights, only a small handful of plays are runs behind zone blocking schemes, and they’re outside zone plays at that. Everything else is on a gap blocking scheme.
Steve Sarkisian believes in being proficient in a lot of different things. That’s not just limited to personnel, but also in plays. Sarkisian runs outside zone and gap blocking plays, but he also is a believer in inside zone. Baxter will need to learn the ins and outs of inside zone, a staple Sarkisian playcall, to make the most of his first year on campus.
One other area On3’s No. 1 running back needs to work on is his hands. Baxter caught 18 passes in three years at Edgewater. He’ll be asked to be a part of the pass game far more often at Texas.
Jaydon Chatman
Chatman has excellent size for the position already, and plenty of experience playing tackle for Harker Heights. There is a lot to work with as far as his blocking ability and his footwork. College strength and conditioning will do wonders for him.
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Chatman hasn’t posted senior film on his Hudl profile, but some of his Harker Heights teammates have.
Upon review of that film, specifically his quarterback’s film, Chatman’s motor is something that’ll have to be turned up as his time at Texas begins. Playing Power 5 football, especially SEC football in the coming years, is an activity that requires peak effort on a down by down basis. Sheer physical attributes won’t be enough to get by at this new level.
If Chatman showcases the skills that led him to be a sought-after prospect by some of the nation’s best programs with consistent effort, he’ll be on his way to becoming a versatile option for Kyle Flood.
Andre Cojoe
Cojoe just turned 17 the other day, and is listed at 6-foot-6, 353 pounds by the school.
Considering his age and size, Cojoe has one of the longer developmental curves among members of the 2023 offensive line class.
Cojoe often used pure size and strength to block opponents. His footwork shows a willingness to be active in pass protection, and his run blocking indicates just the right level of nasty needed for an offensive lineman.
Along with reaping the benefits of college strength and conditioning, Cojoe should focus on marrying the good foundation his footwork provides with improved technique in his hands. He’ll have plenty of time to do it, and once his skill set and body mature, he could be a stalwart at multiple positions on the offensive line.
