Jeff Choate the G.O.A.T. and hastily created narratives
This article was originally published on August 5th, 2022: I call Texas linebackers coach Jeff Choate the G.O.A.T as a dig toward people who assume someone is a failure based on limited or incomplete data. That data worked against the coach in two ways in his first season at Texas.
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First, his linebackers struggled for much of last season. This occurred for myriad reasons, with the biggest one being lack of front-line starters and depth. The linebacker room possessed very little experience last season. They were game and played hard, but absent some flashes, they were confused and/or limited.
I’m not one for belaboring player shortcomings, but those who have no such governor and routinely question talent were also many of Choate and Pete Kwiatkowski’s greatest detractors. (PK also had personnel issues at Edge)
Personnel issues are the reason I was in agreement with not only bringing PK and Choate back, but also reserving judgement. After all, these guys were well-known qualities before arriving at UT.
In the back half of last season Jaylan Ford started to emerge as a potential breakout player. Our sources indicate he’s developed well since last year and he’s set to have a quality season. David Gbenda, who isn’t playing as consistently as Ford, has also improved. The staff was also proactive in adding Diamonte Tucker-Dorsey from James Madison. He’s exactly what they didn’t have last year — an experienced linebacker who can find the ball carrier.
Ultimately Choate will be judged by how his linebackers perform in his second year, which of course will have allowed him time to not only acquire new parts but also develop the ones he inherited.
The second critique of Choate regarded talent acquisition. After missing on a handful of national recruits last summer — the type UT is landing this summer — Texas only signed Trevell Johnson, one of the first commits of the Steve Sarkisian era. Johnson profiled as the type of linebacker PK and Choate would sign at Washington. The Arlington Martin player would go on to be the only linebacker signed in an otherwise strong defensive class. On top of it, he’s a longer curve player who missed his senior year, meaning, he’s no help this season.
Coaches are frequently hindered or aided by what the state produces in a class. Kyle Flood last cycle versus this Kyle Flood this cycle is a good example (though he and Arch navigated that well). Before that, Jason Washington and Craig Naivar were chopped liver because they were unable to add talent in their short window for the 2017 class. A wise reporter mentioned they’d kill the next cycle. That was easy to see because not only was the state loaded, but Houston was especially with quality DB’s.
This cycle has set up much better for Choate than the previous one. In 2022 Harold Perkins wasn’t coming to Texas. Kobie McKinzie was a brief commit before his dad kidnapped him back into OU’s class. He wasn’t a great fit anyway. You can make the case they should have looked more nationally last year, and I’d agree to a certain extent, but they did chase some quality national prospects, finishing second or third a couple of times.
Choate had to do well in this cycle and thus far he has. S’Maje Burrell is the No. 5 (now No. 10) linebacker in the nation per On3, and was even rated ahead of Anthony Hill for a spell. Liona Lefau is an On3 Consensus four-star (now a three-star), though On3 has him rated lower than others. Still, Choate went to Hawaii, literally and figuratively, and pulled out a player with the movement skills to remain at off-ball linebacker. That alone is a win. We like Derion Gullette as an Edge more than as an off-ball linebacker, but either way, Choate played an instrumental role in that recruitment as well.
Is Choate really the G.O.A.T? Nah, that’s just a hastily created narrative to combat the original hastily created narrative. But he’s trending in a direction many thought impossible a short while ago.
