Subscriber Scoop

As OTF has been reporting, Sherrard will announce his decision on July 1st. We can now report the decision will be made at 11:20 AM CT on Wednesday. Texas, LSU, and Oklahoma will likely make up the hats on the table but this is a Texas vs. LSU battle. OTF currently leans towards the Horns

We're talking about portal! Not a game! Not a game! We're talking about portal! Let's talk about portal to start Thursday morning. OTF takes a look at what positions of need there are. Quarterback Expected to return: Arch Manning and KJ Lacey. Incoming: Dia Bell Gone portaling: Trey Owens OTF: An experienced QB as a third teamer is something we are watching. KJ Lacey will be a solid No. 2. A redshirt is preferred and expected for Dia Bell. Doubtful Sark wants to be in a similar position as Missouri this season if the unthinkable happens. Running back Expected/possibility to return: James Simon, Christian Clark, Tre Wisner Incoming: Derre…

If you’re going to the game this week in Orlando, we wanted to let folks know that we’re having a little party. From 4-7pm on Tuesday afternoon/evening, we’ll be at Wall Street in Orlando. Hopefully it’ll be a Texas Takeover. Everyone is welcome. It is free of charge. Wall Street is a pedestrian-only area of downtown that has about eight bars and a common area. We’ll be set up in the common area so folks can pick and choose where they want to go. Come hang out and have fun with CJ, Gerry, myself, other Longhorns and a few special guests! https://www.google.com/maps/search/25+Wall+St.+Orlando,+FL+32801?entry=gmail&source=g View full new…

Texas players have headed home for the holidays. But that doesn’t mean the football offices are empty. Rather, Steve Sarkisian, Brandon Harris and the rest of the Texas football staff are extremely busy working with agents about next year’s team. The negotiation of players is in full swing across the country. And true to form, some agents are overreaching, which only protracts the process, while others seemingly have a better handle on market value. It’s the new way of the world. It’s happening everywhere, including Texas. But specifically for Texas, I mentioned a “protracted process” for some. It’s important to know that that additional time…

“The next 72 hours is crucial to know who is coming and who isn’t.” That’s a direct quote from someone behind the scenes when discussing several of the big names considering Texas. So please read Gerry Hamilton’s morning update for more specifics. ** Three positions of need have been filled: - Nose Tackle - Inline Tight End - Cornerback Several positions to go: - Running Back (2) - Wide Receiver (1-2) - Offensive Line (2-3) - Defensive End (1) - Defensive Tackle (2) - Linebacker (2) - Safety (1-2) ** Texas contemplated going after two safeties in the portal but with Derek Williams’ announ…

College coaches met yesterday at the AFCA convention in Charlotte. The primary topic of conversation was not change to NIL rules, collective bargaining or expansion to a 16- or 24-team playoff. Rather, the focus was expanding the redshirt rule. Currently players can play in four games or less and retain their redshirt. Coaches apparently want to increase that number to 9. The argument, according to folks covering the meetings, is that too many young players are trying to preserve that redshirt at a time when their team actually needs them. This would essentially pave the way for a five years to play five years rule. I mean, what is a redshirt if someon…

This will be the final day players can be entered into the transfer portal. One big name has already come up. Ole Miss defensive end Princewill Umanmielen, who recorded nine sacks last year, has entered the portal. It’s believed he is likely to head to LSU but Texas will at least throw its hat in the ring. ** Watch for offensive linemen today. That’s almost certainly what Texas is hoping for. ** Lots of post-season lists are being published. For example, the final AP Poll was released and the Horns came in at no. 12. The results of that poll are ridiculous. I think voters made their mind up about Texas after the Georgia ga…

Texas added a major surprise to its portal class yesterday, an interior offensive lineman: Laurence Seymore of Western Kentucky. Seymore, who is 6-2, 320 pounds, originally signed with Miami out of high school in 2021. He spent two years at Miami before transferring to Akron for two seasons (the first of which he did not play) and then to WKU before last season. All told, he has spent five years in college. But he has only played three full seasons. So he is applying for a 6th year in 2026 that must be approved by the NCAA and/or adjudicated by the law. It’s a new day in college football when you can add a commitment from a portal transfer who is out o…

After a discussion yesterday morning with Gerry and Blake, I started thinking more and more about how many possible NFL draft picks the Horns added through the NCAA transfer portal. Below are the transfer players almost assured of getting drafted in 2027: - WR Cam Coleman - LB Rasheem Biles - RB Raleek Brown - RB Hollywood Smothers - OL Melvin Siani - CB Bo Mascoe Then there is a second group: - TE Michael Masunas - DL Ian Geffrard - LB Justin Cryer For those counting, that’s a minimum of six NFL picks with a possibility of three more. And they join the likes of Arch Manning, Trevor Goosby, Colin Simmons, J…

The Texas men’s tennis team won the Indoor National Championship yesterday defeating No. 2 ranked Ohio State, 4-2. It’s the first-ever national indoor championship for the men’s team and coach Bruce Berque. Senior Sebastian Gorzny, who is ranked no. 10 in the country and plays line one for Texas, recorded a doubles victory and won his singles match in straight sets. The Longhorns beat Texas A&M, TCU and Baylor to get to the finals. Congrats to Texas men’s tennis! Light the tower!!! ** I ranked the QBs of the SEC yesterday. I want to reiterate, the ranking was not a preseason power ranking. Rather, it was a prediction of where th…

Tramon Mark’s last two shots will make all the highlight reels, as they should. But I felt like the real hero of last night’s Texas 68-66 win over NC State in the play-in game of the NCAA tourney was Chendall Weaver. Weaver finished with the first double-double of his career. He was 3-5 from the field and 5-6 from the free throw line. He also had two steals and just one turnover. Weaver did not leave the court from the 16-minute mark of the second half to the end of the game. A key role player during the season, Weaver’s all-around play was a focal point last night. It was the perfect time for Weaver to have the best game of his Longhorns career. …

There was a lot of talent on display at yesterday’s Texas pro day. The secondary group of Michael Taaffe, Manny Muhammad, and Jaylon Guilbeau was stout. The two linebackers - Anthony Hill and Trey Moore - were, too. DJ Campbell and Cole Hutson worked on the OL, Jack Endries at TE, and Cole Brevard, Travis Shaw, and Ethan Burke along the defensive front. Even back-up QB Matthew Caldwell tossed the ball around (and ran a 4.62 40 apparently) and deep snapper Lance St. Louis participated. As someone who has attended these events numerous times, what is eye-opening is the large numbers of players working out these days. There were years in the past the…

The ACC spring meetings are taking place this week. And conference officials are squawking about various aspects of their preferred view of college football’s future. Couple of notes: - ACC coaches favor and will push for a 21-day style pre-season training spread over the entire spring and summer as opposed to the current 15-day spring practice window. It’s a potential rule change that will get some attention from SEC coaches during their spring meeting in two weeks. I could see this one passing, though part of the problem is summer school for athletes. Athletes notoriously take heavy summer courseloads, so they can take fewer classes in season. - The ACC a…

The portal window is officially - and finally - closed. There can be no new entrants, either undergraduate or graduate until December. Just three Longhorns players total entered this spring - kicker Bert Auburn, punter Michael Kern and offensive lineman Malik Agbo. Meanwhile Texas added five players to its roster. Four are starters from Power 5 schools plus a kicker with 60-yard range. For the entire portal campaign, winter and spring, Texas officially added eight starters from power 5 schools. By comparison, Texas lost two “potential” starters in tight end Amari Niblack (A&M) and defensive tackle Sydir Mitchell (LSU) and a lot of depth pieces, lik…

Texas made six new scholarship offers yesterday. One to a class of 2026 running back, Carsyn Baker from the Atlanta area. The other five offers went to members of the class of 2027. In all, four of those 2027 offers hail from Southern California. They include: DB Gavin Williams OL Lincoln Mageo WR Demare Dezeurn OL Lucas Rhoa ** All this proves to me is that Sark and his staff have no plans of slowing the strategy they have deployed since arriving in Austin. If it ain’t broke, why fix it? Texas is clearly a national recruiting program with a particular focus on its home state, the southeast and southern California an…

What do we make of this sudden rash of commitments in the month of June? It’s very unSarkisian-like. In one way, it’s clear that Texas is a hot school; more recruits are wanting to jump on board earlier rather than later. Yet the string of commitments (five in three days) also strays somewhat from the formula which has brought Sark and Texas so much success of late. Sark has routinely pushed key recruitments well into the football season instead of deciding them in the summer. Perhaps the uncertainty of the House Settlement is playing a role in this. The Horns, nor any other team, actually know what their financial budget will really be. Sure, they’ll …

If you don’t have the stomach for it, you shouldn’t follow recruiting. Texas lost one of its top running back targets yesterday to Texas A&M in Carthage’s KJ Edwards. Edward’s was long considered a Texas lean until other factors came into play. The Aggies are pushing the limits on NIL this year in recruiting with apparent little regard to the House Settlement. Have they found a loophole or work-around? Or are they confident the rules of engagement will change yet again by the time December’s signing period rolls around (not a bad bet IMO)? Whatever the case may be, it’s clear A&M is upping the ante. How Texas responds will tell the tale. Y…

Steve Spurrier never met a Manning he didn’t like to tweak. Back in the 90s, he used to tease Peyton Manning mercilessly about never beating his vaunted Florida Gators. And now it seems he’s taken on the newest Manning: Arch. In case you missed it, Spurrier was interviewed recently and said he wasn’t exactly all aboard the Arch Manning train. Spurrier asked, why, if Manning is so good, wasn’t Manning playing more instead of backing up a 7th round pick in Quinn Ewers? Well, he’s there’s an answer to that. But the fact that Spurrier asked it doesn’t make him immediately wrong. After all, it’s merely the same question many Texas fans were asking…

Some folks have suggested multiple reasons for Texas’ recent swoon in recruiting. Well, I’m here to tell you that there’s really only one reason - NIL. If this were just a year ago, and Texas had more funds to distribute, there’s little doubt in my mind that the Longhorns would hold the no. 1 recruiting class in the country. The reception Texas has been receiving on the recruiting trail has been enormous. But, unfortunately, it’s not last year. The House Settlement was passed and the recruiting class of 2026 must abide by it (at least some of the schools seem prepared to truly abide by it, Texas included). So we’re effectively entering a new dawn of re…

Some notes from behind the scenes… While most of Longhorn Nation is concerned with quarterback play and the offense, the mood inside DKR is decidedly different. The Longhorn staff remains upbeat about the season ahead. Not only do they feel the issues at QB are temporary, but they are extremely encouraged with other aspects of the team, particularly the defense and kicking game. The staff thinks the defense can get even better as playmakers Colin Simmons and Anthony Hill get more and more opportunities in conference play. There is the belief that if Texas plays well this weekend on both sides of the ball against Sam Houston State, the Horns will b…

It’s an off week for the Longhorns, so it’s supposed to be a slow news week. Well, yesterday was anything but. ** First, Oklahoma announced its Heisman front-running quarterback, John Mateer, would have surgery later today in Los Angeles for a problem with his throwing hand. The surgery is expected to sideline Mateer for at least a month. For those calculating such things, that length of time is just enough for Mateer to miss the Red River Rivalry with the Longhorns. OU coach Brent Venables already announced sophomore Michael Hawkins as the starter in the Sooners’ game in 11 days against Kent State. It’s highly likely Hawkins will also be the star…

I don’t want this fact to get lost, so I’m going to lead with it this morning. Chris Ogden, the Texas basketball GM, was Rick Barnes’ first high school recruit. Yesterday, his son, Bo, officially became the first high school recruit of Sean Miller’s tenure with his pledge to the Longhorns. The Texas blood clearly runs deep in the family. Hopefully the success of Miller’s era at Texas can exceed that of Barnes. After all, Bo is a better prospect than Chris ever was. (Yes, that’s a fun little dig at the father that I think he’ll appreciate.) 😉 ** One more thing on hoops: Gerry Hamilton and Jeff Howe will be interviewing Texas coa…

Some injury news… - We expect Tre Wisner, Parker Livingstone and Manny Muhammad to be able to go on Saturday. - There was an injury to a different player that was sustained against Florida that was cause for a level of concern during Tuesday’s practice. We’ll see what that means later today following the Longhorns’ morning practice and whether or not it is revealed by Steve Sarkisian in the first injury report that comes out later this evening. ** In recruiting news, I am told that Dre Quinn, the defensive end from Atlanta who originally committed to Clemson during the summer then de-committed two weeks ago, is close to pledging to Ohio State foll…

What I mentioned in this column yesterday morning became public by yesterday afternoon. Sophomore running back Jerrick Gibson has left the program. Gibson’s role never quite took off at Texas. While some will point to his tendency to fumble, I think it’s actually more definitive than that. Gibson just wasn’t as good as Tre Wisner and is not appreciatively more talented than Christian Clark or James Simon. So when you add his propensity to fumble on top of it, Gibson just had no real advantage other than his size over the other runners. Size just isn’t enough to ever be a front-line guy at Texas. Yet Gibson probably still harbors hope of a being a …

News broke yesterday that safety Michael Taaffe had surgery on Monday on his thumb. The injury and procedure are likely to keep Taaffe out this week and possibly next, with the potential of a return for the Georgia game, according to CJ Vogel. Of course, we won’t know the plans for sure until we receive Steve Sarkisian’s injury report later this afternoon. We expect experience veteran Derrick Williams to start in place of Taaffe. But the position all of a sudden looks somewhat thin. After all, not only is Taaffe expected to be out but key back-up Xavier Filsaime has missed the last two weeks with an injury. That means Jordon Johnson-Rubell and potentia…