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I know there were some sick souls out there hoping Texas might lose yesterday in order to expedite the firing of men’s basketball coach Rodney Terry. All I’d say is this… There are few things sweeter in life than beating A&M. Very few. And yesterday, in the face of such a disappointing season overall, was particularly so. I still can’t believe Texas might make it into the NCAA with a 6-12 regular season conference record. I know people talk about Quad I wins. But I just find it antithetical that a team that lost 12 times in conference should be rewarded with post-season play. But that’s what it looks like. So I hope the Horns and Terry make the mo…

“I want to be the quarterback at the University of Texas. Sometimes it’s worth the wait.” That’s what Arch Manning said yesterday in response to the question why he never transferred from UT, or whether he even thought about transferring at all. With all the click bait and ballyhoo surrounding his every move since well before he arrived in Austin, two concise sentences explain so much about the new Texas quarterback. Manning is here with a specific purpose and that’s to lead the University of Texas football program. How he views this opportunity also strikes me. In his responses in yesterday’s media availability and previous ones at bowl games, Ma…

The Big 12, the ACC and others can bellyache all they want about the SEC and Big 10 pushing them around at the negotiating table when it comes to number of playoff spots and other aspects of the future of college football. But last night was a prime example of exactly why the two premier conferences feel justified in doing so. The SEC finished with 15 picks in the first round of the NFL draft. The Big 10 had 11. That’s 26 of 32 in the first round. The Big 12 and ACC had just 2 each. Hell, Texas alone, with three first-round picks, had more than those two entire conferences. Ohio State, Georgia and Michigan did, too. The message to recruits is…

Some notes from Thursdays practice and a little more: ** All off-season we were told that Texas was planning on utilizing Cole Hutson and Neto Umeozulu more during games, not strictly relying on a five-man OL rotation like the Horns did most of 2023. I'm told that some of that rotation occurred on Thursday. The Horns are beginning to get the team and the offensive unit used to it. Hutson, at times, replaced DJ Campbell at right guard and Neto Umeozulu replaced Hayden Conner at left guard during the team session with the first unit on Thursday. I don't think this is Texas merely giving those two a chance. I think it's clearly part of the plan in 20…

Let’s start with some really good news. I am told that Texas has been very happy with the work of Jerrick Gibson at running back. Very happy. He has stepped up and is being more and more reliable in each practice and is working to understand pass protection at the college level more and more. At this stage, we expect Gibson to have a role on this team out of the gate. Now don’t get carried away. I’m not talking about starting or being the premier back. But his work as a strong, smart inside runner has been on display. For a team that needed someone to step up following the injury to Cedric Baxter, Gibson has answered the call to this point. …

Last night I was on a panel with three former Longhorn players - Tony Hills, Alex Okafor and Fozzy Whittaker - at the Dallas Texas Exes season kick-off event. Not only was it a great event, but as I was sitting up there, I started thinking about how uplifting it was to see all three of those men up there, years after playing for Texas, succeeding in life and talking positively about their experiences as Longhorns. That was just great to witness. Hats off to the Dallas Texas-Exes, and Doug Rice in particular, for putting it all together. ** One thing Fozzy said last night that caught my ear. Fozzy said he was talking to Tashard Choice last week. And Cho…

Xavier Worthy had two TDs last night for the Chiefs in the NFL regular season opener. The Longhorn product had a scintillating reverse for a score and then a long TD pass against blown coverage. It’s indicative of just what and who Texas must replace this year. Worthy made a helluva catch against Alabama last year to get the scoring started for Texas. While we saw several players take on the roles of Worthy, Adonai Mitchell and Jordan Whittington against Colorado State, which current Texas player is going to do that versus an elite opponent? It’s just a reminder that this game will test the “playmakers” for Texas as much as it will the Longhorns o…

In the early 2010s, the hopes of Texas football clung to the development of two quarterbacks — first Garrett Gilbert and then David Ash. Gilbert never made it at Texas. He finished his only full year as a starter, 5-7, before being pulled the following year for Ash. Gilbert eventually made it as a journeyman NFL QB but it was a circuitous route to be sure. Ash, meanwhile, showed a ton of promise, leading the team to a Alamo Bowl win. However, multiple concussions ultimately derailed his Longhorn career. In the years since, Ash has rarely been one to talk a lot or espouse his views on the Texas program. Yes, he’s done interviews (like the one with 3rd & …

I’m here in Gainesville, Fla., this morning. Just drove past the bronze statues of Steve Spurrier, Danny Wuerffel and Tim Tebow in front of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium where the Longhorns will face the Gators tomorrow afternoon. Texas and Florida, both teams, are at a crossroads for this season. Neither team has matched their preseason hopes. While the Horns are 3-1, Texas has not really looked like a top ten team. A top 10 defense? Yes. But not a top ten team, not yet at least. The Gators, meanwhile, have all but written the eulogy for coach Billy Napier with a 1-3 start, including an inexplicable home loss to South Florida. A victory over the Horns woul…

Patience. That’s all you had to have. With two more pledges yesterday, the 2027 Texas recruiting class is rounding into shape and the 2028 one got kick started for the Longhorns, too. As expected, Sark and his coaching staff are hitting their stride on the recruiting trail at just the right moment. ** There remain several big fish still at play. On defense, Texas awaits the decision of three players in the secondary. Later today, Junior Tu’upo, the Alabama safety prospect that Will Muschamp identified from day one, is expected to come off the board. Tu’upo has been trending to Texas for a while and it would be an upset if he picks anyone other tha…

It’s recruiting time in Austin, and it’s a big weekend for the defense. One that only got bigger yesterday with the news that Cedar Hill defensive tackle Jalen Brewster, who some consider the nation’s no. 1 overall prospect, will be making his way to the state capitol today to begin an official visit with the Longhorns. Brewster committed to Texas Tech months ago yet has kept communication lines open with various schools, including Florida, LSU, Texas and others. Brewster suffered a torn labrum last year and is still recovering from that to a degree. But his athletic ability is eye popping. He was a wildcat quarterback at times last season, even at 300 pounds. …

Yesterday, Greedy James flipped his commitment from Texas to LSU. For those who have been following his recruitment here at OTF, the change should have come with little surprise. We’ve been saying for more than a week that we did not expect James to be part of the class. Why were we so certain? Couple of reasons: - James wanted a sizable NIL deal. As we know, Texas does not shy away from competitive NIL recruitments. But Texas just didn’t slot James that highly. - Given that, James told Texas it would be LSU last week. Texas did not fight thereafter, and focused instead on Pearland Shadow Creek DB Brandon Sherrard. Texas feels like they came …

We’ve all heard some of the hyperbolic recruiting platitudes the last few weeks espoused by a few writers and reporters. According to some, Texas Tech is “dominating” the state “like never before”. A&M is “off to a great start with five stars”. There’s a “Fong Bomb” of a player going here or there. It’s almost funny. It feels like a concerted media effort by those who are fed information from those very programs. Actually, that’s exactly what it is. Knowing the industry as I do, national recruiting reporters play mostly to the audience who feeds them. That’s not necessarily wrong. It’s just human nature and it’s where the reporters can “…

Now that the team has finished six days of practice, there are a few questions we can answer with a little more definitiveness (based on both what we’ve seen and what we’ve heard). Here’s one of the biggest ones I had going into camp: What role will each of the portal transfers play for the team in 2025? ** QB Matthew Caldwell - Caldwell is a little better than perhaps what the Texas personnel and coaching staff expected. Not from a talent standpoint, but from a leadership and professionalism one. He takes every snap seriously, and pays attention to the details. He is the odds-on favorite to be the team’s back-up heading into Columbus. WR Emmett M…

As expected, Texas is building some recruiting momentum coming off of last week’s official visit weekend and heading into this one. The pledge yesterday of Kasi Currie, a defensive tackle from California, was a huge pickup for Texas, literally. Currie is 6-foot-4, 315 pounds and looks like he’s cut from a block of granite. He brings the commitment total for the class of 2027 to 13. Mobile, Ala., product Jabarrius “Chicken” Garror could be next up for the Horns. Garror, who visited Texas last weekend as well, announces his decision this morning at 10am. He’s another defensive front seven guy that Will Muschamp, LaAllen Clark and Kenny Baker id…

With SEC Media Days taking center stage, we haven’t given much attention to what’s going on in Washington DC. Yesterday afternoon, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) said he did not believe the Save College Sports Act would get any time on the senate floor prior to the mid-term elections. Personally, I’m ok with that. The bill was rotten from the start, pushed by a booster with clear intentions and protective and preservation efforts focused on a subset of schools (if not his own school primarily). If people wonder why the bill failed to get to the finish line and ultimately crumbled, it’s because the foundation was so poor and so misaligned fr…

Steve Sarkisian said a lot at yesterday’s Houston Touchdown Club meeting. Of course, most national media are focused on his comments about another team and another conference. Or perhaps they’re running with what he said about the inequities across college sports and his explanation on Ole Miss and basket weaving classes. But for me, the thing he said that surprised me and stood out the most had to do with Arch Manning. Sarkisian said multiple Texas players interviewed at the NFL Draft were asked, who is the toughest player on the team? Multiple now-departed players responded “Arch Manning.” Think about that. The players didn’t mention one of…

Observations through two days. Quarterback - Arch Manning is the clear alpha. Not by position but for the entire offense. Texas goes as he goes. Manning was the first to break-down the team to begin practice, continues to lead the pace going from drill to drill, and more. He is leading by example. In drills, Manning hasn’t been perfect in open-viewing sessions. But there is zero question who is attempting to lead this team and the intensity behind it. Both KJ Lacey and Dia Bell have had their bright spots. Lacey is simply extraordinarily accurate and has a knack for timing. People want to compare him to Bryce Young. Perhaps but I’m not sure he has that sort of a…

As of late last night, there still was no word on the decision of Indianapolis WR Monshun Sales, one of the nation’s top 10 players. I am told that Texas remains in contention. Sales is set to announce his decision later today on the Pat McAfee show and is expected to choose between Texas and Indiana. Communication with other schools, including LSU and Ohio State, has been limited, while talks with the Horns and Hoosiers continue. ** Having covered recruiting for 30+ years, it’s extremely rare that one school or another doesn’t know the true intention of a recruit heading into the announcement. But, if either school knows the decision as of this m…

Given that spring practice is now complete across the country, it’s the appropriate time to ask where did the former Longhorns who transferred out end up on their respective depth charts? The biggest surprise has to be Jamie Ffrench. QB Trey Owens - Arkansas State - battling for no. 1 job with a Vandy transfer. RB CJ Baxter - Kentucky - finished ahead of former Sooner Jovantae Barnes as top Wildcat RB. RB Tre Wisner - Florida State - earned 1st team over a talented sophomore. RB Jerrick Gibson - Purdue - 2nd team RB Christian Clark - South Carolina - 3rd team WR DeAndre Moore - Colorado -1st team outside receiver WR Parker Livingsto…

With the Protect College Sports Act headed for the trash heap, it’s time to ponder what the future of college football will look like in the coming years. Will the SEC and Big 10 break away and create their own set of rules? I think that’s where this is headed. And I believe that’s where it should head absent federal law. But, I’ll take it a step further. I think logic dictates that it may also be time to look at a football-basketball only breakaway. Those are the two sports driving 95-97pct of athletic department revenue. So why are we trying to shoe-horn every other sport into the same bucket? I think that’s where this whole thing gets mess…

The NCAA transfer portal has opened. There has already been a scurry of activity. As of this morning, Texas is expected to host between 10 and 13 portal prospects this weekend. The Longhorns may try to sign as many as 15 to 18 players overall during the near month long process. Nearly every position on the roster is targeted for improvement or reinforcement. ** Two high profile offense players Texas will recruit include Auburn wide receiver Cam Coleman and Louisville running back Isaac Brown. Coleman is expected to be a battle with A&M and Alabama. Brown entered the portal with a no-contact tag and Texas appears to be the front-runne…

I see we are all getting a lot of Friday work done by the memes and AI photos in the portal thread. So in the meantime, as we countdown the minutes to margarita Friday, fire away some team questions! For the next two hours I'll be on the thread answering whatever I can. View full news story

Friday AM Update: Texas basketball and Rodney Terry The Texas basketball staff is business as usual, as of late last night. The staff is scheduled to have meetings this morning with portal recruiting and high school recruiting the No. 1 topic. Obviously, everyone and anyone around the program knows and understands what is going on. The Longhorns are currently in the final two for 5-star power forward Koa Peat (Gilbert, Az./Perry) along with Arizona State. The decision is considered a toss up right now. He is the younger brother of NFL offensive tackle Andrus Peat. Andrus Peat chose Stanford over Texas, USC and others coming out of high school as a 5-star …

Last night the Longhorns held a scrimmage before starting their Easter break and I checked with some sources to see how everything has gone up to this point.. Generally speaking, I'm told that the defense is shining bright, while the offense is a work in progress. "The offense is still working through growing pains, but there's a lot of promise," a source told OTF. "The defense is looking good. They will make the offense so much better going at it in practice." --- Obviously expectations for quarterback Arch Manning are through the roof, but fans need to remember that he's still young. He shows flashes of greatness, but then will turn around and make …