TFB Talking Point | College GameDay Headed to Dallas

– Will Baizer

College GameDay is coming to Dallas to cover the Red River Shootout. Last time both teams were ranked going into the Cotton Bowl was 2012.

Texas has played two top 25 teams and won. The two best teams OU has played this season are Army and Baylor.

You ready, Dallas? Next up, we’re headed to the State Fair for the Red River Rivalry! pic.twitter.com/VwdTl6H1Em — College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) September 30, 2018

Trending | Marcus Washington

– Super K

I know some of you have asked about this tweet by recent Texas visitor and top wide receiver target, Marcus Washington…

Mind made up!!!!!!! — Marcus Washington (@_MarcusW11) September 30, 2018

To answer your questions, yes it has to do with recruiting.

This one is trending Texas. But keep in mind that Washington’s family is very close to the Missouri and Ohio State staff. Also, the head coach at Trinity played at Missouri.

However, as I was told by Washington’s brother after their visit to Texas, Texas took the lead on the most recent visit and things have continued to trend Texas’ direction.

Washington was hoping to get to the Red River game this weekend but it’s looking less and less likely that it’ll happen due, in part, to transportation issues.

Vernon Broughton in Focus

– Super K

In the 2020 class, Vernon Broughton has emerged as one of the most highly coveted defensive linemen. His move up the recruiting ranks aren’t particularly surprising when you consider the fact that he’s a 6’5 250 lb young man who can run. God didn’t make many of those.

But what may surprise you is the fact that Broughton started playing football…last year.

Broughton grew up in a basketball family. His mother and father both played college basketball. His mother actually coached at the division one level for nearly twenty years.

“I been playing basketball most of my life”, Vernon said, “Then, last year my mom asked me to play one year of football. Just give her one year of football. That was my sophomore year and I was cool with it. So, I played”.

I asked Broughton’s mother, Yolanda about that move from football to basketball, “We transitioned to a new school and I said, give me one year of football. And, he just showed up and he got out there and said, mom this feels good. He felt good with the leverage and his lower body. He felt more grounded on the football field”.

Once Broughton got a taste of football and began to flourish it became hard for her to keep him on the basketball court, “When it began I told him if he played one year, I promise you I won’t ask you to play again. Before you know it, I’m begging him to finish basketball because he wanted to focus on football”.

Broughton’s basketball background and the training he received from his family certainly helped the transition, “We’ve worked extremely hard on his football and he has some exceptional footwork”.

Vernon has also found help from an expert in defensive line development, coach Doug Smith who runs the Dominate the Day organization in the Houston area, “Over the summer I trained with coach Doug” Vernon noted. “We were on the field and in the weight room twice a day working on speed and agility drills. We were working on hand drills.”

Broughton says all that work and the time on the feel has made him feel more and more comfortable. Still, it’s exciting to think that the big man has yet to scratch the surface. Too many times colleges get a kid on campus and find out he’s overdeveloped or they have to break bad habits. While Broughton is building a foundation, his relative newness to the game can be seen as a bonus for coaches who feel the sky is the limit.

Recruiting

Nick Saban has churned out plenty of draft picks on the defensive line. At a camp this past summer, Broughton caught Saban’s attention. “My son called me” Yolanda described, “and said Nick Saban just offered me. He didn’t even know who Nick Saban was!” Yolanda said that Saban told Vernon that he’d take him right then and there if he wanted to commit.

While the Broughton’s weren’t ready to make a decision right then, they would like to get the process done with sooner rather than later, “If he (Vernon) could get the recruiting process over I think he’d like to. We don’t really want it to go beyond spring break. That gives him time to narrow things down. At the end of the day, not much is going to change. It’s about fit. We know Nick isn’t going anywhere. Tom isn’t going anywhere. Jimbo isn’t going anywhere”.

Vernon echoed his mother’s sentiment in terms of the process being more about finding the right fit and less so about specific criteria. Vernon has never followed college football. So, the tradition of a program isn’t as important to him, “Whoever loves me, I’m going to love them back”.

And, unlike many players, being a successful young man isn’t centered around going to the NFL, “if that happens it happens but it isn’t something I’m planning on”. Funny enough, given his raw talent Broughton is probably more likely to make it than most. Yolanda added, “What do I want? It really doesn’t matter. My goal was just to get my children to where they are at BCS level. Now, I’m just here to help him”.

Two of Vernon’s early offers came from Baylor and Oklahoma State. In fact, Baylor was Vernon’s first offer. Those two staffs appear to be recruiting Vernon very hard, “Coach Fran from Baylor and coach Richmond from Oklahoma State are the ones I talk to the most”, Yolanda noted. “It’s not even necessarily just about sports. We talk about a lot of other things”.

Texas and Oklahoma are two schools that offered this past summer and Vernon has had a chance to see both. The family attended the USC game and had a chance to speak with coach Giles and coach Herman. They visited the Sooners this past summer for their ChampU BBQ.

Next up on Broughton’s visit schedule will be the Cotton Bowl in Dallas where they plan to see Texas and OU battle it in the Red River game.