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Willie Nelson is playing on my car radio. I’m headed north to Ann Arbor. All is right in the world. ** All is right in San Cosmi’s world, too. The former Longhorn just signed a huge deal with the Washington Commanders with $45mm guaranteed. This is a sign of just how average Texas OL has been the last decade and why things are changing now. Cosmi becomes just the second Texas OL in the last decade to get a second contract from an NFL team. How many OLs currently in the Texas program do you think will get second contracts? My guess is four or five, at least. They may not all be starting this year, but that room has led the team transf…

CJ Vogel did some nice work yesterday pointing out that Kentucky has done a very good job of not letting opponents get off to a fast start against them. In fact, even though the Wildcats have won just one league game so far this year, not a single league opponent has scored more than 7 points in the first quarter against them. Even Florida and South Carolina, the only two blowout losses for UK this year, scored 3 and 7 points in the first quarter, respectively. It’s something to watch for on Saturday. We can almost expect Texas to not get off to a fast start. That means it’s imperative not to make any mistakes in the meantime, not to turn the ball…

In case you missed it, Quinn Ewers was listed as probable on last night’s SEC injury report by Steve Sarkisian. He’s the only Longhorn on the list who is not out for the year. That means, outside of safety Derrick Williams and running back CJ Baxter, the Horns could possibly be at full force Saturday night. ** The recruiting beat has been amazingly and uncharacteristically quiet for a week prior to national signing day. About the only news of note yesterday came in the form of Javion Hilson, the DE from Cocoa, Fla. Hilson was thought to be potentially visiting A&M this weekend but instead he’s headed to Missouri for an official visit. That’ll…

Another year, another elite class. I don’t care if the Horns ultimately finish no. 1 in recruiting. That “title” is virtually meaningless. What I care about is the program sustaining success over the long haul, and that means signing a class good enough to sustain the on-field success that we’ve seen the last two years. And in my eyes, I’d categorize the class of 2025 in simple terms: Mission Accomplished. ** There can be no let up. Steve Sarkisian and his staff must attack the portal with the same ferocity as they did high school recruiting. Defensive tackle is an absolute must. The Horns could lose six, possibly even seven, tackles thi…

Last night, Kelvin Banks was awarded the Lombardi Trophy. Banks is the fourth Texas player to win the award, and the first since Brian Orakpo. Banks is up for the Outland Award, which is presented to the nation’s best tackle or guard regardless of whether he plays on offense or defense. The winner will be announced later tonight. Congrats to Kelvin! Any honor he receives is well deserved. ** Defensive back Jahdae Barron is up for the Thorpe Award for the nation’s top defensive back. The decision will also be announced tonight. ** This is becoming a clear trend of sorts under Steve Sarkisian. Play and excel at Texas and the national award…

The team will be back on the practice field today. Most players returned to Austin yesterday afternoon/evening with a few set to return this morning. We are still monitoring the injuries of wide receiver Isaiah Bond and offensive tackle Cameron Williams. Bond did not practice on Monday following the Clemson game. Williams returned to the field but it was a light workout. Running back Tre Wisner, offensive tackle Kelvin Banks and center Jake Majors are all expected to be healthy for the Peach Bowl next Wednesday. ** Saturday Dec. 28 is the final day for players to enter the portal if they have completed their seasons by Dec. 23. For examp…

The Longhorns are back on the practice field today. Some news and notes based on what we’ve heard: - Even though Ryan Wingo and DeAndre Moore have been sidelined for spring, don’t think they’re taking camp off. I’m told the duo, along with Manny Muhammad, have been working overtime watching film. Muhammad is somewhat famous for how much film he takes in. Moore and Wingo seem to be doing the same this off-season, including all three watching film together to give each other a view of what the two sides of the ball are seeing and reacting to. - One of the early surprises of spring had been Zina Umeozulu. As we reported on Tuesday, Zina suffered a thumb injury…

I mentioned earlier this week that Texas planned to be both strategic and aggressive when it came to the transfer portal. Example no. 1 revealed itself Wednesday afternoon, the very first day the portal opened. ESPN national reporter Pete Thamel broke the news that Texas is receiving a visit from Jack Endries, the no. 1 tight end in the portal, out of Cal. Endries was thought to more likely be headed to Indiana or even Oklahoma before the news of the Texas visit broke. Thr Horns seemed to have skipped the line on their opposition. Tight end is one of the few spots Steve Sarkisian identified that he wanted to address via the portal. Endries, who is…

Time for some news and notes (a lot of it on the freshmen): - KJ Lacey continues to look the part of a future starter at the D-I level. Lacey has a good presence, delivers the ball on time and has some escapability to him. He does not have the arm strength of Arch Manning or Trey Owens, but he has some wily-ness that makes him difficult to defend at times. - James Simon is ahead of Ricky Stewart of the two freshman RBs. Christian Clark is still running third team behind Tre Wisner and Jerrick Gibson. Some are saying Gibson’s body is leaning out some this spring, which is giving him a little more bounce in his step. - Parker Livingstone is the team’s go-to r…

We’re twenty-two days from Texas starting fall camp. That also happens to be the same number of players Texas signed in the NCAA transfer portal this year. It’s a record high for Steve Sarkisian during his tenure at Texas. While some of that increase is a direct result of the NCAA increasing its scholarship total from 85 to 105, it still creates an entirely new composition of the Longhorns football team. Texas is “older” as a result of the portal additions. In fact, Texas added nearly as many portal signees in this class(22) as the Longhorns did in the previous two combined(23). Texas signed 12 and 11 portal transfers in 2025 and 2024, respectively. …

Good morning from Columbus, Ohio! ** As I wrote yesterday afternoon, offensive guard Connor Stroh has had a terrific fall camp. He may have even pushed ahead of Neto Umeozulu at left guard as starter. Stroh only moved to left guard three weeks ago. He had been apprenticing behind DJ Campbell on the right side with Nate Kibble backing up Neto on the left. But the coaches flip-flopped Kibble and Stroh, and Stroh has apparently taken full advantage of the opportunity on the left side. At first, it was thought the move was made because of the injury to Andre Cojoe at right tackle. Texas wanted to develop depth at left tackle and tried Neto there some …

If you missed my score prediction yesterday, here it is: 56-0 Texas. Rarely, and I mean rarely, do I step out there with a prediction like this. Usually, I’m the one on the other side of the coin, urging caution. But something tells me the Horns are preparing to make mincemeat of the Bearkats. The Texas offense has played tight in every game this year. Every single one. It’s time to let loose. Maybe that looseness causes an early INT or fumble from Arch. But I’m going to be ok with that, so long as it shakes him out of his season-long slumber. It’s time for him to fight back, to show us what he’s really made of. It’s time for Arch to get…

Texas softball welcomed Texas Tech into the championship series with a five-run first inning, including a two-run homer by Katie Stewart who became the first player in World Series history to hit a homer in four straight games After the big inning, the Horns never looked back, defeating the Red Raiders 7-3 in the opening game. Texas ace Teagan Kavan went the distance giving up just three hits while managing an umpire’s inconsistent strike zone. Texas Tech did not start its ace Najaree Canady, opting instead to go with Kaitlyn Terry. The Red Raiders quickly turned to Canady, however. Terry never made it out of the first inning. Canady was replaced after an inning…

We reported yesterday afternoon that Cole Hutson has been approved for a temporary restraining order to move forward with his suit against the NCAA and its application of the 5-for-5 rule. Hutson, once he receives the actual order itself from the judge today, can then provide it to Texas and begin resuming football activities immediately. In other words, the judge ruled yesterday in favor of Hutson. Now Hutson and his representation must wait for the judge to write the order. ** Interestingly, Hutson's and Colorado DL Ezra Christensen's suits against the NCAA are similarly situated. Both appear to be succeeding. This is expected to open up another…

Let’s start with the really good news. The wait may finally be nearing the end. True freshman defensive back Jonah Williams, who took the Texas baseball team by storm this spring, has returned to “full” practice for football. He had been nursing a hamstring injury for months that sidelined him from practice sessions. His regular season game debut may come as soon as this week or at some point over the next two games so long as there are no physical setbacks. Williams is a very gifted athlete. While it’s going to be hard to break into the rotation at safety given the talent and experience at the position, Williams could help Texas almost immediately in the …

While Anthony Hill will likely be picked in the top two rounds of this year’s NFL draft and four or five other Longhorns will eventually join him in being selected, it’s the 2027 draft that appears loaded for Texas. A year from today, the number is potentially astounding. Here are the draft eligible players of note for 2027: Arch Manning Hollywood Smothers Raleek Brown Cam Coleman Ryan Wingo Emmett Mosley V Michael Masunas Trevor Goosby Melvin Siani Brandon Baker Alex January Hero Kanu Maraad Watson Ian Geffrard Colin Simmons Zina Umeozulu Rasheem Biles Brad Spence Ty’…

It should be a really, really good day for the Horns. I suggest you check in with us a couple of times a little later today. I’ll leave it at that. ** The NCAA football rules committee is trying to shake things up for spring practice and fall camp. Beginning in 2027, the committee proposes that teams can move to a 7-week spring/summer camp with a total of 21 practices. That is up from the 15 practices currently allowed. At the same time, the rules committee is reducing the number of practices prior to the season. Teams will get 27 days to complete 21 on-field practices next year, which is a reduction from the 25 currently allowed. In other words, …

We remain on commit watch. ** Big 12 presidents meet today to discuss the future of Texas Tech. This comes two days after 15 of 16 conference athletic directors met with Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark and told the conference that Brendan Sorsby should not play this season, some going so far as to call it a disgrace to college sports. Likely as a result of that meeting, Tech allegedly told multiple media members yesterday that they were prepared to sue the Big 12 or individual schools if the Big 12 took action against them. Hey, it’s America. Anyone can sue anyone else for anything. But I don’t think the Big 12 or anyone else is quaking in their…

Another day, another congressional deadline that is going to go unheeded. This time, the senate aides finished the proposed bill late last night and asked for an answer by 10am this morning. The response from the SEC and Big 10? We need to have a call with our presidents in the afternoon. It’s a sign of who really holds the cards here. And it’s not Ted Cruz or Maria Cantwell. It’s the SEC and BIG 10 and they’re playing it that way. ** Personally, I don’t like the bill as currently constructed. All it does is cap player costs and create an oversight structure on those player costs while limiting future expansion of the SEC or Big 10. Ther…

DESTIN, Fla. -- Today's my last day in this touristy beach town, home to the 2026 SEC Spring Meetings for the 40th consecutive year. Amazingly, it's been held at the same resort hotel each of those 40 years. The resort itself, while grand and with a gorgeous beach-line view, is obviously older and dated. The off-white stucco interior and tired carpet both look like they're from the 80s. The resort is literally begging for a remodel. So, too, are members of the SEC of its own conference. Being here in Destin, listening to its coaches and athletic directors, I see a cohort that is asking for action. Yet the commissioner and the conference itsel…

A pair of big boy recruitments are set to finalize soon. Indianapolis WR Monshun Sales, a top 10 player in the country, is slated to choose between Texas and Indiana on Friday afternoon. The Longhorns remain in the mix. Neither team has been told yes or no as of yesterday and communication lines remain open. The Longhorns are hopeful but I think it's important to stop short of saying optimistic. The Horns are well aware of the high stakes here and how recruitments like these can come down to the wire. Landen Williams-Callis, the state's top running back, publicized yesterday that he will announce his decision August 1. A national report also mentioned …

An OTF reader/viewer asked us the other day what exactly Texas is doing to mitigate the risk of something like the the gambling problems of Texas Tech transfer QB Brendan Sorsby from happening at Texas. So I asked, and I was given a straight-forward answer. ”We use a geo-fence,” a senior athletic official explained to me this morning. ”And it’s not just for our athletes, it’s for our full-time personnel, too. We get a ping on our phone anytime something like that happens.” The official said they are unsure how many other universities use such a system. But it’s something the Longhorns are committed to long-term. As for Sorsby, if he is somehow cle…

South Oak Cliff offensive lineman Brian Swanson was a priority recruit for the Longhorns from day one. It was a huge win for Texas. The Longhorns are in that phase of recruiting right now. They’re battling for the big dogs. And the big dogs are starting to come off the board. Four of the last five commitments rank among the top five of Texas’ 15 commitments for the class of 2027. So that leaves us with two questions: 1. What’s next for Texas recruiting overall? 2. What’s next for OL recruiting more specifically? Our Hank South answered that second question with a precise report yesterday on how Texas will focus on the OL moving forw…

Thursday AM recruiting notes Thursday morning recruiting notes with things moving by the hour, if not minutes. Dre Quinn, EDGE (Buford, Ga./High) - Clemson is telling Quinn and circle that they see him as an impact player in year one. Texas told Quinn and circle they see him developing for a year, then becoming an impact player. That has made Clemson much more attractive to the circle. He will announce his decision today. Vodney Cleveland, DL (Birmingham, Ala./Parker) - Texas remains the favorite as of Wednesday over Florida, North Carolina and Georgia with a Saturday decision closing in. 5-star Trenton Henderson, EDGE (Pensacola, Fla./Catholic) - M…

Thursday AM Recruiting Nuggets A few notes this morning on the recruiting front. Riley Pettijohn, LB, McKinney (Texas) High The 4-star linebacker out of the DFW area will be on campus this weekend with family members. Texas has been considered the favorite since early in 2024. Pettijohn, 6-2 and 215'ish pounds, has already made OV's to Ohio State and USC thus far, and is scheduled to be at Texas A&M June 21-23. The Aggies have made Pettijohn the top target at linebacker in the 2025 cycle, and are expected to emerge as Texas' top competition should the June 21-23 visit take place. Dorian Brew, CB, Conroe (Texas) High Texas remains confident t…