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Texas is at the exact midpoint of spring ball. Today is practice no. 8 of 15 total. Couple of notes: 1. Because of expected inclement weather on Saturday, Texas has moved its annual high school coaching clinic from Saturday to Friday. We’re awaiting word on whether Texas might also move its Saturday practice to Friday as well. Getting to see the Horns practice is always one of the high points for Texas high school coaches but there’s just not enough room to accommodate them all if practice is forced inside the bubble. 2. We will have a media availability following today’s practice with several players. Sark continues to open up this team more to the me…

Rather than labeling Arch Manning, Michael Taaffe and Cole Hutson as “doubtful” or “out”, Sark chose to go the same route with all of them - “questionable”. The designation leaves all of us guessing. Including the Vanderbilt staff. Sark also relayed that Manning practiced on Wednesday which means he is progressing through the concussion protocol timeline cleanly. Theoretically, Manning could return to full padded practice today, if his symptoms do not reoccur. We also know that Taaffe practiced in a green jersey on Tuesday and Hutson is attempting to return for the Vandy game. Perhaps Texas could get all three starters to return in time for this w…

While the focus for many fans rightly remains on the rest of the Longhorns’ regular season, behind the scenes is a different story for much of the Texas staff. Steve Sarkisian and his personnel team are prepping diligently for next spring and the 2026 season from a roster construction standpoint. Gerry Hamilton wrote this morning about a number of potential high school prospects (and possibly a junior college player or two, as well). While adding new talent to the mix is always important, it is far from the only moving roster piece currently receiving major attention of the Longhorns’ coaches. There is the 1) retention and 2) attrition of current players on…

Big games evoke big feelings. I think we all could sense the anticipation with Ohio State. With Oklahoma. And now with Georgia. There’s a reason for that. We all know a college football season typically is decided by only a few games each year. This is clearly one of them. ** As a program, Georgia has what Texas wants. They have elite players, they have a championship coach, but most importantly, they have a championship pedigree. Essentially, any time Georgia loses, it’s an upset. That’s exactly where Texas fans want to be. The irony is, to get there, the Longhorns have to go through those very same Bulldogs. I don’t…

At this time of year and for this game, I always think back to one of my fondest childhood memories (and part of what sparked my lasting obsession with Texas Longhorn football). The year was 1977. I was all of eight years old. I woke up that morning 48 years ago and my dad told me to get my Longhorns t-shirt on. Surprisingly, he announced we were going to drive up to College Station from Houston and see if we could scalp tickets to Texas vs Texas A&M to see Earl Campbell’s final regular season game as a Longhorn. My parents were both blue collar workers. They didn’t have a lot of money to spend on football tickets. But my dad was so convicted of the ide…

As I wrote last night, there remain several players who Texas has recruited whose paperwork had either not been signed or not been appropriately filed with their schools of choice as of late yesterday. Those players include: WR Jalen Lott - Lott has communicated to Oregon that it’s a paperwork issue and not something to be concerned about. Yet he officially remains unsigned. WR Chris Henry - Henry was originally committed to Ohio State but decided not to move forward with that pledge on Tuesday because of Buckeye WR coach Bryan Hartline’s acceptance of the HC job at South Florida. Oregon is under consideration as is Texas who have made a “significant” NIL o…

A college football bomb exploded yesterday, its epicenter Ann Arbor, Mich. Exactly one week after national signing day and three weeks before Michigan is set to take on Texas in the Citrus Bowl, the Wolverines fired head coach Sherrone Moore for cause. Moore apparently went apoplectic following his dismissal and was detained in a local jail, according to published reports. It’s both a sad and ugly situation that has unfolded. But what does it mean for Texas, for the Citrus Bowl match-up, for bowl opt-outs from Michigan, the portal, the recruiting class, etc.? There are a lot of things left to be determined. But one is pretty clear: Michigan w…

Coaches always say it’s easier to coach a team hard after a big win than it is a loss. Well, that’s exactly what Steve Sarkisian and staff have been doing this week. I’m told that attention to detail and all-out effort have been the priorities of the coaching staff. Players have responded accordingly. ** I mentioned yesterday just how much recruiting has changed and is changing for the Longhorns. It may not take long to prove me right. The state of Georgia’s no. 3 overall prospect, safety Zelus Hicks of Carrolton, will announce his college decision later today. Hicks, currently a member of the class of 2026, has earned scholarship offers…

I’m a Cam Williams fan. Daniel Jeremiah, ESPN NFL draft analyst, talked about Williams yesterday. It’s nice, yet unsurprising, that Williams is starting to turn heads. We talked about that possibility a lot heading into the season. Despite several false start penalties early this year, Williams has otherwise been dominant. But what I want to share this morning about Williams is a story I don’t think I’ve ever told publicly. I was not there for this, but a good friend of mine was. So here goes… As a member of the Pancake Factory in its inaugural year, Williams and his fellow offensive linemen went to the Dell Children’s Hospital in Austin as part o…

Brother, can you spare a...... running back? With the injury report released last night by Steve Sarkisian, the Horns are perilously close to bankrupt at the RB position. Emergency running back Velton Gardner? Out. The best walk-on Colin Page? Doubtful. Tre Wisner? Questionable. And that's on top of previously known season-ending injuries to Ced Baxter and Christian Clark. The Horns are legitimately down to just two full-time RBs, Jaydon Blue and Jerrick Gibson. And Gibson has clearly been hampered by a tweaked ankle during the last two contests. Sure, Ryan Niblett could see some action, but he has specifically trained to be capable in a…

Several coaches will get on the road to go recruiting following this morning’s practice. And they will stay on the road until tomorrow night. Expect Texas coaches at high schools and football games across the state over the next two days The Texas players, meanwhile, will be off Friday and Saturday - most will head home for the first time this season - and then will be expected to return for a Sunday afternoon/evening team meeting. This is the cadence of a bye week In season. ** Additional recruiting needs (how I see them) from both high school and portal: QB - none RB - none from high school; maybe 1 in portal which is somewhat dependent o…

Well, the SEC injury report for the Longhorns certainly was surprising. Texas punter Michael Kern, a freshman from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., was listed as questionable. Kern appeared to tweak his groin against Mississippi State but Texas never punted again in the contest so his health flew under the radar. So the starting Texas punter, as well as the starting deep snapper, Tate Haver, are now listed as questionable. Texas is expected to turn to Ian Ratliff, a sophomore walk-on from Atascocita, at punter. Kern beat out Ratliff in the competition for the job during fall camp. Ratliff is a product of the preferred walk-on system at Texas, a system that also …

Quarterback is the most important position in football, according to Steve Sarkisian. Yet in the first six games of this year, Texas has not faced a legitimate quarterback. None of them are expected to play a down of football beyond his time in college (perhaps Mississippi State’s Michael Van Buren will buck that trend, but he’s also just a freshman right now). In the next six games, however, the Horns will face: - Georgia’s Carson Beck, a likely first-rounder. - Vanderbilt’s Diego Pavea, who has been the catalyst for the Commodores’ upsets over Virginia Tech, Alabama and Kentucky. - Arkansas’ Tayland Green, a Boise State transfer, who has Arkansa…

At 21 commitments, Texas is trying to get to 26 or 27 in this recruiting class. Michael Terry and Javion Hilson are obvious targets at athlete and defensive end that Texas has every reason to feel good about. They would take Texas to 23 and leave 3-4 more spots available. And that leads us to defensive tackle where, as Gerry wrote this morning, Texas continues to purse more than a half dozen others to get at least two, possibly three. Gerry’s done a thorough job of discussing the DLs and the possibilities there. But what other position(s) is Texas really looking for? Clearly Texas wants another piece in the secondary, be it a corner or someon…

Across college football there are a lot of meaningful games this weekend. The biggest game is Ohio State going to Penn State. A loss would put the Buckeyes on the outside looking in for the Big 10 championship game and could potentially do the same for the CFP. In the SEC, there are some games ripe for conference disruption. What do I mean by that? Well, Ole Miss goes to Arkansas. Vanderbilt heads to Auburn and A&M is off to South Carolina. From the perspective of the SEC standings, all of the away teams are more highly ranked. So we’ll see just how homefield advantage holds up. For example, A&M is only favored by 2 against South Caro…

Quick update on Colt Munroe, Blake’s son. He is off the ventilator and doing much better. He’s got some healing in front of him but things appear to be headed in the right direction. ** According to Florida coach Billy Napier, quarterback DJ Lagway practiced on Wednesday. How much he practiced is unclear. But to be back on the practice field four days after being carted off the field is a strange turn of events. I still wouldn’t count on Lagway playing. But I wouldn’t count it out entirely either. I’ve tried to remember a situation where someone was carted off the field and then played the very next week. In my lifetime of covering the sp…

If you throw away all the preconceptions and expectations you had about this game - about what should have happened - and take a step back, what we all actually witnessed yesterday was an absolute classic of a college football game. It was the quintessential David vs Goliath story, the twists and turns made for a biblical epic. Texas was on the bad end of things at times, including a heroic 16-point fourth-quarter comeback engineered by a slippery quarterback and a puking running back, who looks like he was chiseled from granite. Then there’s not one but two missed field goals by Bert Auburn, the last of which doinked off the left upright. At that poin…

The weather outlooks appears slightly better for today and tomorrow in Dallas, which should make traveling to the game safer. Temps won’t get below 32 degrees on Friday until 11pm. ** Texas arrived in Arlington yesterday. The team is staying at the Gaylord Opryland. CJ Vogel and other media members met with several coaches and players yesterday for an open media session. It was fairly tame. The Longhorns and their coaches offered no bulletin board material to the Buckeyes. ** Texas personnel assistants have been on the road recruiting this week in the Metroplex. Gerry Hamilton has seen Texas GM Brandon Harris, director of player per…

With the announcement of Quinn Ewers heading to the NFL, the Arch Manning era at Texas has officially commenced. There are those who wonder if Manning can step in immediately next season and be as good as Ewers. I think he can. That’s not a knock on Ewers. It’s just that I believe in Manning and his abilities and preparation that much. Folks have to remember Manning doesn’t just have the physical skills. He also has the mental ones. He understands just how important preparation is, how important repetition is, etc. Make no mistake, he’s never going to be perfect. So, as fans, we will ride the ups and downs with him over the next couple of seasons.…

I know it’s early in the recruiting process, but I think we’re already seeing the tide turn sooner than even a year ago. More and more elite players are interested in Texas at a deeper level. I’m talking not only about in-state players, but also out-of-state ones, too. That’s a natural biproduct of winning and winning big. So I’m unsure how this Junior Day weekend will unfold. Even though Steve Sarkisian likes to be extraordinarily patient when it comes to accepting commitments, his hand may be forced slightly. The momentum his program has generated may have several recruits ready to make a decision. Let’s see how Sark plays it this weekend. Does …

Some notes from CDC’s Wednesday night town hall. - The new indoor facility looks…. unbelievable. Shooting to open in June of 2026. - The cost of season tickets are rising $80 per ticket from a year ago. That’s an increase of $13 per game. Season ticket renewals were beginning to be sent out late last night. - New scholarship numbers are being put into place in recognition of the expected approval of the House Settlement. I’ve attached pictures of those below. - Football will stay at 85 scholarships even though they have a roster of up to 105. - Parking at baseball games has become a hot topic. A parking garage formerly utilized primarily for baseb…

Yesterday was obviously not the news any of us wanted to hear. Starting running back Cedric Baxter has been lost for the season with a knee injury sustained in Tuesday's practice. Baxter will have surgery soon and begin the rehabilitation process that is expected to last roughly six-to-eight months. Hopefully he'll be back and ready for spring practice. So what does that mean for the RB position this year? It leaves three fairly sizable holes on this roster and a fourth one that is more nuanced: 1. Power, inside runner. Steve Sarkisian's penchant for running the inside zone ~10 times a game is well documented. While other running backs can run inside z…

Going into camp, we were wondering about several position battles: - The Wide receiver rotation - Possible OL rotation - Edge - Cornerback opposite Manny Muhammad ** Prior to the second and final scrimmage of fall camp on Saturday, most of these battles look like they’ve almost all been settled, except perhaps one: Wide receiver rotation Silas Bolden and DeAndre Moore seem to have solidified roles on this team. Bolden is a playmaker while Moore is on track to fill a role similar to Jordan Whittington. Isaiah Bond made some eye-opening plays in the scrimmage and you just can’t seem to keep his speed and big-play ability off the …

The addition of Velton Gardner, the Dallas Skyline product who spent the previous five years shuffling between Kansas and SMU, gives you a picture of just how thin the RB room is right now. Sure, Texas has three quality (and healthy) RBs still. But if one or two of those guys goes down during the season, the Horns can’t put 30+ carries on any single back. Situations like that keep coaches up at night. While Gardner is not expected to be a world beater, he is the one Sark and company circled and found in the portal at such a late date. ** If you recall, this is not the first time Sark has added a player this close to football season. Two years ago,…

Some tidbits I've picked up in the last 24-48 hours: * Expect Tre Wisner to be a more important piece to the offense than perhaps many realize. Wisner has had a very strong fall camp. And while his size may not be entirely different than Jaydon Blue, his running style is distinctive. He's definitely more of a slasher than Blue and seems to glance off tackles more easily, I am told. On a down note, the loss of Cedric Baxter is very real. There are those behind the scenes who felt like the sophomore from Orlando was poised for a breakout year. * There are rumblings about who will be starting along the OL, particularly at offensive guard where both Cole Hutson…