Mike Craven

Hookem.com staff

Mike Craven

Hookem.com staff

Craven’s Corner: Backing Texas, Texas A&M in pivotal contests; three NFL wagers

Craven’s Corner is seven games above .500 for the 2020 football season after 3-1 week hampered by COVID-19 cancellations and postponements at the college and NFL level. We were 2-0 in college football and 2-1 in the NFL. For November, we went 20-14-1 with most of those wins … Read More

The Dotted Line: Texas pledge Jonathon Brooks sets school record; 2022 running back targets

Mike Craven Hookem.com staff

December 2nd, 2020

No member of Texas’ 2021 recruiting class is having a better senior season than Hallettsville running back Jonathon Brooks. The three-star set a school record last Friday in the Class 3A Division I regional semifinals by rushing for 501 yards and nine touchdowns in … Read More

The Dotted Line: How did Texas’ potential NFL draft hopefuls rank as prep stars?

Mike Craven Hookem.com staff

December 1st, 2020

Success in the NFL draft is the most obvious sign of development for a college program, especially one that recruits on a national level like Texas has under Tom Herman. Four current Longhorns are expected to be selected in the 2021 draft, including … Read More

The Dotted Line: Charles Wright ready to solidify legacy at Austin High with playoff win

Mike Craven Hookem.com staff

November 30th, 2020

Iowa State dealt the Longhorns a blow last Friday by coming into Austin and beating Texas. It was payback for Charles Wright, a three-star quarterback from Austin High who flipped his commitment from the Cyclones to Texas on Aug. 22. Wright … Read More

Texas report card: Eagles, the defensive line lead the way in Horns’ deflating loss to Iowa State

Mike Craven Hookem.com staff

November 28th, 2020

Texas’ three-game winning streak came to a bludgeoning stop that hurt in several ways: It effectively ended all hopes of making it to the Big 12 championship game, it was the final home game at Royal-Memorial Stadium for seniors like Sam Ehlinger and Ta’Quon Graham (and likely NFL draft-eligible juniors … Read More

Texas report card: Defense led the way on the field and in our game grades

Mike Craven Hookem.com staff

November 28th, 2020

Texas’ 17-13 win over West Virginia — the Longhorns’ third straight victory after back-to-back stumbles against TCU and Oklahoma — may be remembered for the day of Bijan Robinson’s breakout performance. But it was a spirited performance from the defense that was the difference. Grades for the Longhorns: Quarterbacks: C … Read More

Mike Craven

Hookem.com staff

Craven’s Corner: Should Texas be trusted as a home favorite against Iowa State?

This holiday season offers unique opportunities to invent ways to gamble. This year, I’m going to ask family members to predict their temperatures before the rest of us bet on the over/under.  As for Craven’s Corner, we went 3-4 last week after a bit of bad … Read More

The Dotted Line: Five Tom Herman-era recruiting wins Texas fans should be thankful for

Mike Craven Hookem.com staff

November 26th, 2020

Texas fans won’t believe this, but there was a time under Tom Herman that the Longhorns won recruiting battles against rivals. The 2021 cycle hasn’t been a great one for Herman and the Longhorns. The class ranks 18th in the nation, which would be … Read More

The Dotted Line: Del Valle wide receiver Caleb Burton is the latest Texan heading off to Ohio State

Mike Craven Hookem.com staff

November 25th, 2020

The ongoing trend of top prospects from Texas deciding to play football at Ohio State must be concerning in-state programs. Del Valle wide receiver Caleb Burton joined the group on Monday when the five-star junior picked the Buckeyes over 38 other offers, including Texas … Read More

The Dotted Line: Texas extends five new offers on the 2021, 2022 recruiting trails

Mike Craven Hookem.com staff

November 24th, 2020

The early signing period is inching closer for the 2021 recruiting class. Texas’ class consists of 19 members. It ranks 18th in the nation and second in the Big 12. Recruits can sign national letters of intent from Dec. 16 to Dec. 18. Players … Read More

The Dotted Line: Texas commit Jonathon Brooks prefers the underrated tag

Mike Craven Hookem.com staff

November 23rd, 2020

BRENHAM  — Hallettsville running back Jonathon Brooks doesn’t mind being overlooked. That comes with the territory when you play Class 3A football in south Texas. Brooks, a three-star Texas commit, wasn’t awarded a fourth star in recent … Read More

Bevo Beat

Longhorn Confidential: Terrence Cooks commits; interviews with Cade Klubnik, Jaden Greathouse

Mike Craven Hookem.com staff

November 20th, 2020

Hello, Texas fans. On today’s Longhorn Confidential Podcast: Alvin Shadow Creek outside linebacker Terrence Cooks picks Texas over Baylor, Georgia and LSU. Mike Craven was live at his most recent game and comes back with a scouting report on the four-star commitment. An interview with Westlake quarterback Cade Klubnik. The … Read More

The Dotted Line: Comparing the 2021 defensive recruiting classes of Texas, Texas A&M, Oklahoma

Mike Craven Hookem.com staff

November 19th, 2020

Texas’ main rivals on the recruiting trail remain Oklahoma and Texas A&M. The three schools battle for in-state recruits every year, including the current 2021 cycle. Tom Herman has signed a higher-rated class than OU and A&M every year since … Read More

Mike Craven

Hookem.com staff

Craven’s Corner: Betting Bedlam, four NFL games this week

Craven’s Corner plans to tread easy this weekend with a dull slate of games at the college and pro level. Last week, we finished 3-3-1 overall with a 2-1 record in college football. We’ll only bet on three college games in this edition because of lackluster matchups. Our record overall … Read More

Commitment 101: Longhorns add three-star defensive tackle Byron Murphy II to 2021 recruiting class

Mike Craven Hookem.com staff

November 18th, 2020

Texas scored a recruiting win over rival Baylor on Wednesday afternoon when three-star Byron Murphy II flipped his commitment from Baylor to Texas. Murphy, a product of DeSoto High School in south Dallas, is a 6-1, 290-pound prospect who was a first-team all-district and … Read More

Bevo Beat

Texas flips three-star defensive tackle Byron Murphy II from Baylor

Mike Craven Hookem.com staff

November 18th, 2020

Texas scored a recruiting win over rival Baylor on Wednesday afternoon when three-star Byron Murphy II flipped his commitment from Baylor to Texas. Murphy, a product of DeSoto High School in south Dallas, is a 6-1, 290-pound prospect who was a first-team all-district and an Associated … Read More

The Dotted Line: Comparing the 2021 offensive recruiting classes of Texas, Texas A&M, Oklahoma

Mike Craven Hookem.com staff

November 18th, 2020

Texas’ main rivals on the recruiting trail remain Oklahoma and Texas A&M. The three schools battle for in-state recruits every year, including the current 2021 cycle. Tom Herman has signed a higher-rated class than OU and A&M since his first … Read More

The Dotted Line: Westlake prospects Cade Klubnik, Jaden Greathouse keep recruiting on back burner

Mike Craven Hookem.com staff

November 17th, 2020

Attention follows success. The adage held true for Austin Westlake prospects Cade Klubnik and Jaden Greathouse. The pair helped the Central Texas powerhouse claim the Class 6A Division II championship last year as underclassmen, and the third-ranked Chaparrals improved to 7-0 this season with … Read More

The Dotted Line: Which Texas recruiting targets in the 2021 cycle remain uncommitted?

Mike Craven Hookem.com staff

November 16th, 2020

The Longhorns added a commitment Saturday when four-star outside linebacker Terrence Cooks became Texas’ 18th pledge of the 2021 recruiting cycle. The class ranks 17th in the nation and second in the Big 12. Tom Herman’s program can inch toward a top-10 class by … Read More

Commitment 101: Four-star linebacker Terrence Cooks fills Texas recruiting need

Mike Craven Hookem.com staff

November 14th, 2020

Texas’ 2021 recruiting class grew to 18 members on Saturday afternoon when outside linebacker Terrence Cooks chose the Longhorns over Baylor, Georgia and LSU. The three-star from Alvin Shadow Creek is the first prospect to commit to Texas since September. Texas defensive coordinator Chris … Read More