FRISCO, Texas—The question was simple, really.

The question was put forth by Austin American-Statesman columnist Kirk Bohls.

“Oklahoma had four All-Americans last year and came within an overtime of getting to the championship game. You had one All-American, a punter who is gone. How many elite players that you feel are ready do you have on this roster that can be difference makers and win championships?”

This question is simple. This question has a simple answer. This question turned Texas coach Tom Herman into undergraduate trying his damndest to understand the complexities of string theory.

His face pinched, squeezed and ran through a gamut of emotions for the most excruciating blank seconds of the entire two days that Big 12 Media Days is stretched across. Then, on live national television, Herman uttered the word that will come to mark the start of the 2018 college football season in Austin, Texas.

“Some.”

First: The correct answer is “85,” Tom. The answer is the exact number of scholarship players on your team. Every kid on your team needs you to believe he’s elite. Not some.

Second: Some—some? Texas football should never have some elite players. The Longhorns should be a perennial national power.

You aren't so much recruiting to Texas as you are simply hand-picking which of the best players in the most football-rich state in the union you want—and, in most cases, they come running. 

This problematic answer was not helped by Herman having included weight room stats in his opening statement.

• 60 Longhorns can vertically jump at least 30 inches.
• 42 Longhorns can power clean 300 pounds.
• 34 Longhorns can squat at least 500 pounds.

But only “some” of those Longhorns are good enough to be difference-makers and win championships. At least, that’s what Herman could come up with after months to prepare for questions about how he’s going to get Texas back to playing football that challenges for national titles.

“I mean, I don't know,” he said. “You kind of put me on the spot there, I haven't tallied up difference-makers and championship level guys and I don't know that it's fair for me to give an assessment with the limited time that you have to think about that question.”

Limited time? To think about that question? This isn’t Academic Bowl. This isn’t Jeopardy. This is big-time college football, Tom, and you’re the steward for one of the jewels of the sport.

Apparently, Herman’s time is best spent ripping the reputation of his former players, if his players are to be believed. Former safety DeShon Elliot took to Twitter to ask the UT coaching staff about trashing his reputation for leaving early as a junior.

I’d really appreciate it if anyone on the current staff at the University of Texas Football team besides Craig Naivar , Jason Washington or Kyle Coats would keep my name out of there mouth and continue to bad talk me or any other junior that decided to leave early.

— DeShon Elliott (@OfficialShon_4) July 18, 2018

We lead your team the best we could before making a decision to better our families. Which I believe you would do the same.

— DeShon Elliott (@OfficialShon_4) July 18, 2018

If you really “loved” your players the way you portray then you wouldn’t continually talk bad about them behind closed doors. Bad mouthing us to our brothers who we played for and cried and sweat for way before you stepped on campus.

— DeShon Elliott (@OfficialShon_4) July 18, 2018

Yikes.

Maybe spend less time going after players who left early to get paid a fair wage for their efforts and more time preparing to answer softballs like the one Bohls threw you.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯