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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…

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…

One thing I am told the coaching staff was pleased with in game one was the physicality of the team as a whole. Were there situations that were lacking? Absolutely. But overall, Texas matched Ohio State’s physicality. There is no rest, however. Texas went hard at practice yesterday even though they’re prepping for a San Jose State team that throws the ball 40-to-50 times a game. Over these next three games, Texas can not afford to lose the physicality they displayed against the Buckeyes. l It is something the staff is guarding against. They know they need to retain that edge when they enter SEC play. ** Texas played 23 defensive pla…

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…

This week it’s been back and forth some with Bert Auburn and Will Stone. The two kickers have been vying for the starting spot against Ohio State. Auburn, yesterday, seemed to get the upper hand. He made all the kicks with the 1s and 2s. We expect him to be the starter over Stone in the Cotton Bowl. Auburn beat out Stone twice before for the job. It looks like he’s done it once again, even though he’s been just 6 of 14 this season beyond 40 yards. I’m not shocked by this development. Hopefully, Auburn has worked on or tweaked his approach and possibly that of his holder as well. Auburn, at his best, is the better field goal kicker of the two. But …

Yesterday, Cam Williams elected to turn pro while Michael Taaffe opted to return to Texas. As of this morning, we’re awaiting the potential NFL decisions of Trey Moore and DJ Campbell. And we’re also awaiting the decisions of other players on the roster that must decide whether or not to enter the transfer portal by today. Below are some notes on these situations. ** The return of Taaffe had been decided for some time. We were told prior to Arizona State that he would likely return to Texas despite some indications from NFL scouts that he would be drafted if he went pro. Those sentiments were even louder after the Cotton Bowl loss. Taaff…

Earlier this week, we quietly passed a landmark here at OTF. On Jan. 20, it became one year since the start of this website. From the beginning, I’ve wanted to build a community of Texas fans who truly love to watch and follow the Longhorns, who would feel free to voice their opinion while being reasonably courteous and professional to one another. I hate message boards that devolve into name-calling or sanctimony. Of course, I’ve also wanted to bring solid reporting and news gathering to the mix. CJ Vogel has been terrific. Gerry Hamilton is unmatched. Blake Munroe knows more about baseball than anyone. But going into year two, I know we need to …

BOOOOOOM! Early this morning, Ohio State defensive tackle Hero Kanu announced he would be transferring to Texas. Kanu, a 6-foot-5, 305-pound redshirt sophomore, is a key addition to the Longhorns for 2025. Kanu recorded four tackles in 100+ snaps in 2024 for the Buckeyes. While he is unlikely to start in Austin, he should be a integral piece of the DL rotation and provide much-needed depth. Texas unquestionably needed at least 3 transfer defensive tackles this portal campaign, and the Horns snared exactly that just under the wire. He joins Cole Brevard from Purdue and Travis Shaw from North Carolina. All three will be available for spring practice…

When Texas needs a big play in 2025, who is going to step up? In 2024, it felt like that torch was primarily carried by Matthew Golden and Jaydon Blue late in the season. In 2023, it was Xavier Worthy and Adonai Mitchell. Of all the questions I have around the 2025 team, that may be the most concerning. Will it be Ryan Wingo? Arch Manning? Tre Wisner? Deandre Moore? Maybe a yet-to-be-signed transfer portal receiver? I’m just not sure. And it’s one of the reasons why the 2025 Longhorns are so intriguing. Who do you think is going to be the player or players Texas leans on the most for game-changing plays? I can’t give you a definitive ans…

Mark your calendars. In case you missed it, we reported yesterday that Texas is expected to start spring ball March 25, exactly one month from yesterday. The Longhorns get 15 practices in total. There will be a fan appreciation day on April 26 that is in conjunction with a baseball game against A&M at Disch-Falk. Athletic director Chris Del Conte will talk more about the fan appreciation day later this evening during his annual Texas athletics town hall program. ** CJ is covering the NFL combine for us this week. The DLs and Edges are talking to media today and workout tomorrow. I am speaking with NFL Draft expect Lance Zierlein…

Injuries happen in football. And they suck. Sophomore running back Cedric Baxter Jr. went down with a knee injury during yesterday's portion of team drills. Here's what we know so far: 1. This was not a non-contact knee injury. It occurred during team drills. 2. Baxter is said to have not heard a "pop" during the injury. For those who know, that is possibly good news because significant ACL injuries typically are often accompanied with a loud popping noise. 3. Baxter was given an MRI after practice. 4. We do not know the results of that MRI yet. Of course, we will report on the outcome as soon as we know it. Baxter was expected to be a k…

Jahdae Barron and Quinn Ewers met with the media following practice last night. CJ will have a full report later this morning. But I picked up on one thing from each player that I wanted to mention this morning. Jahdae Barron compared playing the star position to playing the kid's game of Red Light, Green Light. He was, of course, talking about how you see run vs pass and his corresponding responsibilities on the play. It was an easy analogy to understand just how clearly Barron's mind for the game works. If it's a run, he needs to go. If it's a pass, he needs to stay or drop into coverage. Boiling things down to that simple of a process is one of…

I posted a poll on our YouTube community page asking who folks thought the surprise of fall camp has been. On the surface, the answer is simple: Silas Bolden has become an indispensable piece of the offense. It’s not only his quickness and playmaking ability but his attitude and willingness to make the extra block that I’m told has been contagious among teammates. Of all the things I expected from Bolden, his team-first, can-do attitude permeating through the receiver room and the rest of the offense was not something I expected. In a short period of time, he’s become much more meaningful to this team than just a quality slot receiver. That is as surprising, if …

Congrats to Jaylan Ford, Jordan Whittington, Xavier Worthy, Adonai Mitchell, Byron Murphy, T'Vondre Sweat and JT Sanders who all made their respective NFL teams' opening day rosters. Christian Jones, Jonathon Brooks and Keilan Robinson were all placed on one version or another of their team's injured list. Unfortunately, Ryan Watts suffered a season-ending injury in a pre-season game. What was first thought a stinger may actually be more serious. ** Several Horns were also cut yesterday, including: D'Onta Foreman, Collin Johnson, Caden Sterns (who never really made it back from injury) and Lil'Jordan Humphrey. ** Steve Sarkisian has a brief m…