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Yesterday’s media availability was somewhat typical for Steve Sarkisian. He was cordial and thoughtful. But I felt like there was a sense of focus there, too. The Texas coach thinks he’s got his guys prepared. Yet when asked whether he thought this was a championship caliber club, he said he didn’t know. He said that they had to go out there and prove it. And that sums up my feelings, too. We’ve chronicled all off season just how talented this Texas squad is, from top to bottom. From a number one ranked class to the return of difference makers like Colin Simmons and Anthony Hill, to the debut of Arch Manning. Sark and his coaching and personnel staff h…

Gerry Hamilton said “hi” about Marcus Spears Jr. almost a month ago now. Everyone assumed it was a football player. Rightfully so, since that’s the usual protocol. Nobody caught on, because nobody leaked the information. The national folks didn’t even catch on that this was a possibility until Tuesday afternoon. Lips were shut tight until then. The result, however, is the most important aspect. Texas, at least on paper, will now have its most talented basketball roster in school history. Sean Miller is prepared to elevate Texas into the upper echelon of college basketball. That’s what this signing and this commitment means. ** Speaking o…

I pride myself in being more plugged in to what’s going on behind the scenes at Texas than anybody who is not a part of the athletic department. Yet yesterday was a surprise to me. In fact, I had to read the press release twice, then immediately call someone at Texas just to make sure we weren’t being pranked. All of it was true. Texas hired Will Muschamp to return as the defensive coordinator while letting go of Pete Kwiatkowski. ** In the aftermath, I did some digging on questions about the move. - Let’s talk about the “when”. I’m told the deal started coming together about 2-to-2.5 weeks ago. - And now the “why”. Sark, …

After taking a short break for Christmas, most Texas players returned to campus late yesterday afternoon. The team is leaving for Orlando later today on a chartered plane. They’ll have a round of practices over the next four days followed by the game on Wednesday. ** According to ESPN, Michigan is focusing its efforts on Kyle Whittingham, the former Utah coach, to serve as its next head coach. The move wouldn’t affect next week’s Citrus Bowl - unless some players decide to opt out - but it would certainly impact the Longhorns’ game with the Wolverines in Austin in 2027. Whittingham is known as a defense-first head coach. ** Gerry reporte…

Texas and defensive end Zina Umeozulu came to an agreement late yesterday. Zina is expected to remove his name from the portal and return to the Longhorns. However... It should be noted that nothing is final until it is actually final. In other words, until the ink is dry, I'm not trusting anything these days. And that is not a concern specific to Zina either. It's about the nature of the transfer portal as a whole. This is the Wild West, welcome to the show! ** Speaking of the Wild West, I spoke to one source yesterday who said to expect at least another 1,000 players nationwide to enter the portal between now and Jan. 16. "It's not don…

Yesterday was a whirlwind. Texas zigged when everyone else was waiting for them to zag. Instead of Colorado offensive lineman Jordan Seaton visiting the Longhorns, it was Wake Forest offensive lineman Melvin Siani who signed with the Longhorns. The former Temple transfer started for two seasons at Wake Forest before entering his name into the transfer portal yesterday with a "do not contact" tag. Siani immediately signed with the Longhorns. He gives Texas its third offensive line recruit in the transfer portal, joining Oregon State guard Dylan Sikorski and A&M's Jonte Newman. Texas is expected to try Newman at both guard and tackle. But the Horns a…

Today, Jan. 23, is the last day for the SEC and Big 10 commissioners to come to an agreement on the future of the college football playoff. The SEC wants an expansion to 16 teams. The Big 10 prefers an expansion to 24. Both parties must agree on any changes to the existing agreement. The SEC is said to be unwilling to go to 24. Without that guarantee, the Big 10 is likely to block a slightly expansionary move to 16 (or even 14). If there is an impasse, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey seems ok with keeping the current 12-teams format intact. ** But who really cares about the playoff format? Any change to it is like putting lipstick on a pig.…

The Texas personnel department deserves a nod this morning. Why? Because they’re doing their job. And doing it thoroughly across multiple avenues, the fruits of which we’re seeing currently. While the headline of the week is the transfer portal addition of interior offensive lineman Lawrence Seymore, the personnel department has been doing work in other ways, too. Consider the following, all of which directly involves the personnel team: 1. Texas earned a commitment from 2027 Mansfield defensive lineman Camron Hall. 2. Texas is currently hosting a veteran wide receiver, Wake Forest’s Sterling Berkhalter, out of the transfer portal. 3. Te…

Following the official visit, Texas moved into the pole position immediately for Tampa, Fla., cornerback Graceson Littleton. Littleton told coaches and players alike on the visit that Texas felt like the place he wanted to be. His commitment to Texas yesterday gives the Horns two cornerbacks in the class, and it also gives the secondary some much-needed versatility, too. Littleton just might be a fit at nickel, and that’s important. Heading into next season, after Jaylon Guilbeau, who is a junior, the nickel spot is wide open. Freshman Wardell Mack is getting some run at the spot already. But beyond that, no one else seems destined for the role, other than …

The Longhorns will make their way to College Station later today to prepare for a renewal of a rivalry that has been too long gone. Texas leads the all-time series 76-37-5, including winning the last one, 27-25. ** The renewal of this rivalry is part of all that has gone right for Texas football the last four years. Think about it. In the last four years, Texas has gone from 5-7 to perennial national contender. In just four short years, Texas has a roster that is the envy of much of college football and a team that has put itself in position to be one of the best in the sport. And they’ve also entered a new conference, the best in the land, with t…

Texas hosted two portal prospects on campus yesterday. Max Klare, a 6-foot-4, 240-pound tight end from Purdue, made the trip with his parents. He caught 51 pass for 685 yards and four TDs a season ago. It’s unclear at this time what other schools he is considering. Punter Jack Bouwmeester, who was second team All-Big 12 at Utah this season, was also on campus. Bouwmeester averaged 44.9 yards per boot this season and has two years of eligibility remaining. Bouwmeester, an Australian native, spoke to former Texas punter Michael Dickson via phone yesterday, according to CJ Vogel. Texas could potentially close out the recruitment of Bouwmeester as soon as toda…

Over in San Marcos last night, Texas State almost pulled off the biggest upset in school history. Arizona State held off the Bobcats for a 31-28 win. At one point, Texas State was up 21-7 in the second quarter, but only scored one TD the rest of the way. I mention that game because this weekend the Horns play Texas State's previous opponent, UTSA. I'm not much for the transitive properties of college football scores or stats, but Texas State beat UTSA 49-10 and amassed more than 500 yards of offense against the Roadrunners. UTSA meanwhile averaged just 2.7 yards per carry on the ground and completed fewer than 50-percent of its pass attempts against th…

The Longhorns have looked dominant this season. The entire three-game stretch has been complete domination. Texas has outscored opponents 139-19. No team has even been within two scores of Texas during a single second half, not even defending national champ, Michigan. At some point, I don't know when and I am not predicting it will be against ULM this weekend, the Horns have to come down from this high. Right? Or are these Horns just that good, because they're able to execute on such a high plane on offense with the type and style of defense that makes it hard on teams to play catch up? I struggle with those questions a bit. Yes, I think Texas can be t…

If you saw the latest injury report, running back Colin Page and safety Derrick Williams have been downgraded from questionable to out. I conjectured earlier in the week that Page, the effective walk-on who has added some depth to a depleted RB room, might have suffered a concussion on his final run against UTSA. I was wrong. Instead, I am told that it was a pretty difficult ankle sprain that he is trying to overcome and that's why he is marked out for Mississippi State. Williams continues to be hampered by a hamstring that has tightened up on him. ** On the flip side, both Jelani McDonald and Tre Wisner have been upgraded to probable. McDonald, a…

Good morning! Sark has already gotten into a helicopter this morning and is headed toward Houston for a long day of recruiting. Gerry has chronicled all the places he’ll go, from Spring Dekaney, to Galveston Ball, to Hitchcock, to Conroe, and perhaps one other stop. And Sark isn’t the only one on the road. The Texas coaching staff is fanned out across various parts of the state and country. Tashard Choice, Kenny Baker and Kyle Flood are all in Georgia. They got there yesterday so they could get a full day on the road starting this morning. Texas currently sits at 20 commitments. It’s a top ~5 class. What happens on the road this week with coa…

The festivities have begun. Gerry Hamilton and I are out here at Firewheel Golf Course in Garland this morning for the annual Get Teed Off at OU golf tournament benefitting the Dallas Texas-Exes scholarship fund. It's going to be a fun day. More than 250 Longhorns are participating in the event and they're coming from all over the state and country. ** The commit of Daylan McCutcheon caught many by surprise but not us. We began hearing about a week before his visit for the Mississippi State game that conversations with the Longhorns were turning more serious and that his thoughts on the situation at Florida State had become more dire. While o…

I arrived in Austin yesterday morning. And this place is humming. It feels like a big-game weekend here. From the airport at 8am, where I saw literally dozens of Georgia fans streaming off of a flight, to the downtown and the university areas, there’s just a buzz in the air. There’s more Longhorn merchandise being sold and signs on retail stores than I can ever recall. From the Uber driver to the bartender, anywhere you go, anyone you talk to, this game is top of mind. That makes me realize just how excited the fan base is, how big this game is, and likely just how loud DKR is going to be Saturday night. DKR should be a significant home-field…

Competitors compete. And Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia is the very definition of a competitor. It doesn’t matter who else is on his team or how deeply the cards are stacked against him, you’re going to get his best effort no matter the stakes. He’s going to try win, no matter the personal toll. Pavia won two state championships as a high school wrestler. He won a junior college national championship as quarterback at New Mexico Highlands. He led lowly New Mexico State to a 10-5 record a year ago. And now he has Vandy sitting at 5-2, on the precipice of a bowl bid for the first time since 2018. I rarely root for players on other teams. But Pavia, I…

With the bye week here, it is the final "free" weekend for Texas coaches before the end of the season, so naturally they are hitting the road to recruit. As Gerry Hamilton has reported, Steve Sarkisian is expected to be in Dallas today to see not only five-star OL Michael Fasusi but also several other recruits in the area. Perhaps just as noteworthy, Texas assistant Chris Gilbert went to see OL Lamont Rogers in DFW yesterday as well. It's clear that Texas wants a true OT in this recruiting class, especially with Cameron Williams now looking like a possible early departure to the NFL. Fasusi and Rogers, even though they're committed to Oklahoma and Miss…

With the Longhorns in the national semifinals, Texas is now playing with house money IMO. Anything beyond a final four finish is gravy. Hopefully, Texas players and coaches see it similarly and come out with nothing to lose against Ohio State. Beating the Buckeyes is going to take an inspired performance. ** Speaking of “inspired”, I can’t tell you how many different Longhorns (from some members of the administration to the parents of players, to football alums, etc.) that I have spoken with in the last 48 hours that have discussed the need for Texas fans to fill AT&T Stadium with burnt orange on gameday. Texas has the rare chance of making a …

After watching Notre Dame and Penn State last night, all I can say is the Longhorns would match up exceedingly well with either of those teams. Both teams played solid, physical defense, relied heavily on the run game and the pass just enough. But Texas has a little something extra to them compared to the Irish and Nittany Lions. The Horns can get the ball to playmakers more often in space by comparison. And that happens to be the exact same thing Ohio State can do with its offense. While ND and Penn State prefer to play in a phone booth, the Horns and Buckeyes like to mix things up. ** I think the game tonight will come down to execution and…

On Sunday, we talked about how Junior Day was just a starting place for recruiting for the Texas football staff, that it was just the beginning of the evaluation process for Texas. Well, this week, a time when Texas has extended double digit new scholarship offers, shows exactly what the Horns had planned. Texas coaches have been on the road, from California to Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Illinois, Virginia and more. It's abundantly clear that this recruiting class is going to take on a different construct. Rather than keying in on several elite players early and being forced to stay with those prospects throughout the recruiting process, the Texas staff is …

Yesterday was bittersweet for me. Blake Gideon is someone I consider a Lifetime Longhorn. From the very minute he stepped on campus 16 years ago as a freshman from nearby Leander, Gideon was determined to make a positive impact for the Longhorns. Despite other recruits being ranked higher and pundits like me not giving him much of a chance, Gideon was determined to succeed. And succeed he did. He simply would not be denied despite others possibly being more athletic, faster, etc. He started as a true freshman, and then all four years as a Longhorn, helping Texas become one of the best teams in all of college football. He even recorded an interception in the…

Texas football coaches are back in the office. The coaches, the majority of them, actually returned yesterday morning from vacation. That’s when Tashard Choice told his peers and others in the building he was headed to the NFL. While it caught us off guard, Choice’s move was not entirely surprising. There was some thought he would go to Dallas just a week ago after speaking with the Cowboys. But Dallas’ contract offer didn’t even meet what Choice was making financially with the Longhorns. Detroit came calling. They valued Choice differently. So he’s off to the NFL. ** There’s no easy way to put it. Losing Choice is a definite loss for the Lon…

Yesterday was awesome. Why? It was the ultimate news dump by Steve Sarkisian. - As we’ve speculated for several weeks, Sark confirmed there will be no spring game. Choosing instead to use a more NFL-style format of OTAs, Sark did not say if any practices would be open to the public though he left that door open. - In an interview, Sark also said that Arch Manning is the “starter” at Texas and his recruitment was “normal” despite obvious extenuating circumstances that come with the Manning name. - In that same Kay Adams interview, we learned that Sark has given his remaining staff members extensions. - Then later yesterday, Texas Football announced…