Charlie Strong has cancelled the short bus route to and from practice. He's made players move back to campus. He's put the coaching staff in the dorms for fall camp. He's even (temporarily) taken the iconic Longhorn emblem off the helmets. These are the things you've been told about how Strong has changed the culture at Texas.
Allow me to show you.
Below is a video taken of a circle drill conducted last February, Mack Brown's last spring as Texas' head coach.
And here is a video taken Thursday of the same drill involving the same team and, possibly, even some of the same players.
Except nothing about it is the same.
The difference in intensity is stark, and undeniable. The circle is much tighter, and often becomes an amoeba as each battle wanders from its starting point. Nearly every matchup brings an accompanying wave of spectators who can't pry themselves from the action. Every matchup has a winner and a loser, because each matchup goes to the ground.
And, finally, there are no Longhorn decals on the helmets.