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Hollywood, Fla., running back Derrek Cooper announces his decision tomorrow evening at 6pm CT. Cooper, one of the nation's top players, has it all. From size to speed, from toughness to elusiveness, he has the makings of a special running back. He even has good hands out of the backfield. Cooper says he is deciding among Texas, Miami, Georgia, Ohio State and Florida State. Of course, dozens of schools put their name in the hat before Cooper narrowed his choices. With about 36 hours to go, we believe Texas remains in the pole position. However, things can and do change quickly in this era of college football recruiting, so we'll keep our ears to the ground t…

Some news and notes by position that we’ve picked up prior to fall camp starting: Quarterback - we’ve heard Troy transfer Matthew Caldwell has been relatively impressive in team work this summer. In other words, Trey Owens has major competition for the back-up spot. In fact, if I were handicapping the job today, I’d lean toward Caldwell. Running back - Cedric Baxter is pushing the limits of his recovery. That’s the great news. The realistic news? Still unlikely to be full go until late training camp or post-Ohio State. Christian Clark has looked the best he has since arriving on campus. Wide receiver - the top four have been easy to pick out, perhaps too ea…

I’m writing this in my car before exiting and going deeper into the mob scene that is Texas vs Ohio State. ** The vibe here is tremendous. Tailgates abound. They have parties in every nook and cranny. There’s also a magnificent stadium as a backdrop to all the tailgates as well as the creature comforts of a big-time game, like ESPN’s College Gameday, all right off the main drag. This is a big-time atmosphere, no doubt about it. ** One thing I would like to add: Ohioans take their football seriously. It’s very much like the state of Texas in that regard, maybe more similar to Texas than any other state in the country. Football is importan…

Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian will meet with the media one final time ahead of the home opener of the 2025 season. Texas will host San Jose State Saturday at 11:00 a.m. at DKR. Final updates will be included in the comments down below. View full news story

At least twice on Thursday, Texas and at least one other college program were contacted by Damonic Williams' agent asking for "more". Yes, that's a tried and true negotiating tactic. I don't blame an agent for trying, nor should you. The response? Texas did not budge. So Williams announced for OU last night. ** That is portal recruiting for some in this day and age. It's partially what Nick Saban said drove him out of the game. But the Williams situation is not the case for every player, every agent, or every family in recruiting. And that's where I think Steve Sarkisian has it right. Yes, NIL should be there. But it should be the l…

Decision Day: 4-star EDGE Smith Orogbo Alief (Texas) Hastings 4-star EDGE Smith Orogbo is scheduled to announce his commitment around 3 p.m. central today. Orogbo, 6-4 and 218 pounds, is down to four schools headed into his announcement. Texas is battling Oklahoma, Washington and Texas Tech. He also made official visits to Arizona State and SMU in April and May before cutting his list to four. The case for Texas Texas is closest to home, has the best combination of football and academics (dad only cares about academics), and the S&C and nutritionist were very impactful on his visit. He was hosted by Zina Umeozulu, and Smith talked to OTF about Z…

OTF percentages on remaining uncommitted targets There are nine prospects yet to make a public commitment that Steve Sarkisian and staff remain in the mix for. OnTexasFootball believes the Longhorns are leading with at least five of those on the list. That means Texas will very likely have a top 10 ranked class when the calendar turns to October 1, with the runway to sign a fourth straight top 5 level class. OTF throws out percentages on the nine top uncommitted targets remaining on the board to get your Wednesday started. Jaime Ffrench, WR, Jacksonville (Fla.) Mandarin OnTexasFootball ranking: 4-star+ The battle: Texas with Tennessee second. Ca…

Texas is back on the practice field early Tuesday morning as preparations for Colorado State have begun. Just 11 days away from the start of the 2024 season, Texas has already experienced some adversity before ever lining up against someone in a different jersey. Having lost both CJ Baxter and Christian Clark for the season due to injuries, the Texas staff has been forced to scramble a little bit to ensure the necessary depth and talent is available for the long run this fall. That even includes the possibility of Texas going out to add another body out of the grad transfer ranks should the right piece present itself. *** Here is what we know + how I a…

Texas defensive line recruiting update: A smorgasbord Kenny Baker and the Texas defensive staff are casting a wider net, and OnTexasFootball absolutely loves the new offers and targets the Horns are pushing for in the state of Georgia. With one commitment and the target number four in the 2025 class, there are a number of possibilities to join the class. OTF is in the Peach State three days this week, with a first stop to see defensive line targets Tuesday with a visit to Grayson High. Grayson High is also the home of Texas 4-star+ OL commit Nick Brooks and 2026 5-star LB target Tyler Atkinson. State of Georgia targets Joseph Mbatchou, DL, Logan…

A big time win for the 2026 class – DB Zelus Hicks has committed to Texas! The Longhorns earn its second verbal commitment since the win in Ann Arbor a week ago and now sit with three prospects in the 2026 class as Hicks joins QB Dia Bell and WR Chris Stewart. Hicks is a five-star prospect per the 247Sports Composite rankings, and sits as a top 30 national player in three of the four major ranking services. The Longhorns were able to get Hicks on campus for a visit in the spring and doubled up with a terrific visit for the June 1 Elite Camp as well. A big win for Texas and more specifically, another victory for Texas in the prime SEC territory. View f…

Texas Best Class Scenario October 4: Sark on the road Friday The Texas Longhorns sit at 20 commitments and top 5 level class with the class expected to end up with as many as 27 signees on December 4. In the latest Best Class Scenario, OnTexasFootball lists 27 prospects with defensive line, defensive back, wide receiver and linebacker in the balance. Quarterback (1) K.J. Lacey, QB, Saraland (Ala.) High #AllGasNoBrakes OnTexasFootball ranking: 4-star Running back (2) James Simon, RB, Shreveport (La.) Calvary Baptist #AllGasNoBrakes OnTexasFootball ranking: 4-star Rickey Stewart, RB, Tyler (Texas) Chapel Hill #AllGasNoBrakes OnTexasFoo…

Because it has been such a rampant discussion over the last few weeks, let's dive into it here. A look at some of the throws and moments from Saturday's Quinn Ewers' game that are carrying the narrative about being a checkdown only guy. For reference, I asked Sarkisian Monday morning about trying to find the balance between the short, quick game and continuing to have teams respect the deep shots. Georgia put the blue print out to take away the short game, but more than anything they did it with elite athletes – athletes Texas won't see again until they face Georgia again possibly this season. *** Average Distance of Target By Game Co…

I was perhaps skeptical of the turnout for this game with the holiday and the students on break, plus Westlake and Vandegrift in the Texas HS State Championship in Dallas. But it is absolutely packed at DKR. Stadium is as raucous and excited as I have seen for a game this year with Georgia being maybe the lone exception. *** 1st Quarter Clemson will receive the opening kickoff. Lefau and Hill to start the game. Clemson starts out with six consecutive drop backs to open the game and has relative success in doing so. Slants and rollouts, nothing that has provided the Texas pass rush an opportunity to get after Klubnik. This has been an im…

As Steve Sarkisian has started his spring practice exit interviews, there has been some potential movement behind the scenes. Just so everyone is aware, we are hearing of a returning Longhorns defensive starter potentially hitting the portal. However, no decision has been finalized to our knowledge. And I want to make sure everyone understands I italicized the word “potentially” for a reason. We’ll see what happens in the next 24 hours and update accordingly. The deadline to enter the portal ends April 30.

Friday recruiting nuggets Savannah, Ga. - OnTexasFootball made two more key stops on Thursday in the Peach State. OTF began the day with a stop in Greensboro, Ga. to see Florida State commit and Texas target Kevin Wynn at Greene County High. Wynn, 6-2 and 324 pounds well put together, speaks with Texas defensive line coach Kenny Baker multiple times per week. Wynn told OTF a visit during the season is likely, either in September or October. Green County High has bye weeks September 20 and October 11. Obviously, October 11 weekend is OU in Dallas. Wynn attended the Boston College at Florida State game Monday. OTF's takeaway was the commitment remains, but t…

Folks may wake up this morning with a lot of questions about this Texas team. And that’s fair. But one thing you can not take away from the Longhorns is a 7-1 record headed into the season’s final bye week. Texas is poised to make a run at the College Football Playoff, exactly where it wanted to be with four regular season games remaining. ** Much of the focus yesterday was on whether or not Quinn Ewers would have a bounce back game and whether or not the Texas defense could safely corral Vandy QB Diego Pavia. There are two key stats that answer both of those questions: Heading into the contest, Vanderbilt was converting 51.6 percent of their…

Recruiting Update: Defensive line battles The Texas Longhorns continue to swing away with hopes of igning a four man high school defensive line class. That means having to win out for two of four top targets remaining, with two of them being committed to other schools. Along with Texas battling to win out for two top remaining targets, Kenny Baker has to play keep away with Miami and Florida chasing 4-star++ commitment Myron Charles. OnTexasFootball begins Monday with a look at the percentages on top defensive line targets remaining. Texas commitments Myron Charles, DL, Port Charlotte (Fla.) High Charles made a visit to Florida this weekend. …

We all know that Texas and the rest of the college football world is just eight days away from National Signing Day, Dec. 4. But not as many realize just how quickly thereafter that the transfer portal opens. For this school year, the portal windows are Dec. 9-28 and Apr. 16-25. Those dates are only when a player must enter the portal by, not when they must decide which school to attend. Attrition on a college football team is the natural way of things and it always has been. But with the portal, it's more pronounced than ever. So how many current Texas players will enter the portal? And how many do I think Texas will add from the portal? I…

While there have been some rumors out there to the contrary, as of today Quinn Ewers is expected to start tomorrow night in College Station against Texas A&M. This falls in line with Steve Sarkisian listing Ewers, a three-year starter, as “probable” for this game. The real question is just how healthy Ewers will be in doing so. He has undergone treatment all week in an effort to expedite the healing process. Only time will tell just how much (or how little) that treatment has worked and whether or not the injury will be exacerbated during the game itself. I am told any expectations beyond that are unfounded and/or uncertain at this time. There’s al…

Jack Bouwmeester joined OTF last night for a quick interview. Couple of interesting points: - He’s not just a portal transfer. He’s actually a grad transfer, recently earning his degree at Utah. And he has two years left of eligibility because of Covid. He’s moving to Austin in early January. - In his media availability yesterday, Steve Sarkisian commented about Bouwmeester’s obvious traits, like yards per punt and hang time. But Sark also made sure to mention Bouwmeester’s ability to pin opponents deep, and that’s something Bouwmeester expressed a lot of confidence in. - Last but not least, as I listened to Bouwmeester last night, it struck me ju…

Steve Sarkisian Press Conference *** Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian will speak with the local media Monday ahead of the Longhorns' trip to Athens. Massive game all the way around for both teams. Note and quotes in the chat below. View full news story

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…

Texas is set to hire former Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops as a special assistant to head coach Steve Sarkisian, OnTexasFootball has confirmed. Horns247's Chip Brown was first to report. The role had a vacancy after Neal Brown left the staff to take over as head coach of North Texas. The longtime Wildcats coach was let go in December after 13 seasons leading the UK program. He finished his tenure in Lexington with an overall record of 72-80. Kentucky finished in the top 25 twice, with eight straight bowl game appearances at one point under Stoops. He was voted SEC Coach of the Year in 2018. The veteran coach flirted with Texas A&M and their open head coachi…

On Texas Football can confirm OL Laurence Seymore's eligibility waiver has been approved and the Western Kentucky OL will be allowed to play for the Longhorns this fall, Anwar Richardson the first to report. Texas added Seymore out of the portal on January 28th, and for the first time since his signing, there is clarity on his availability for the season in 2026. -- As things sit now, the Texas offensive line projects to look like this: LT - Trevor Goosby LG - Laurence Seymore C - Connor Robertson RG - Brandon Baker RT - Melvin Siani View full news story

Over the weekend Texas hosted Notre Dame OF Bino Watters for a visit. Watters then left and visited LSU on Monday. Earlier this week I reported that things looked good for Texas and Watters and that Texas A&M, who also hosted him, believed the Horns were leading. That has now changed. I fully expect LSU to be the destination for Watters and that announcement to come soon. There are a lot of moving parts in this recruitment and it's just one of those things that didn't work out. The Longhorns hosted another visitor earlier this week, however, and I'm told that visit went well. The team leaves for Omaha in just a few hours.