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It’s Monday. Usually by Monday after a game, I’ve emotionally and intellectually moved forward more in my week. What do I mean? Typically by Monday I’m still thinking some about the last game, but I’m also fully ready to move forward to the next one. But this win over Michigan is leaving a lasting glow, something about it is resonating. I’ve been thinking this morning about just why that is. Here’s what I believe: First, Texas didn’t just beat the defending national champs. They beat the you-know-what out of them. That, in itself, inspires a level of awe and demands some introspection. Second, no team in college football goes on the road…

I was asked a question last night by a friend. He asked if a certain player, who did not play against UTSA, was in the "doghouse". I didn't know the answer for sure, so we checked with a couple of sources, and no, said player is definitely not in the doghouse. But that inquiry led to a few more questions. The answers resulted in a curious observation: I was told there are currently not any players in the doghouse with the Texas coaching staff. Sure, there are players who Texas coaches would like to perform better, become more physical or more dialed in, or simply raise their level of play - that's only natural - but none of them are coming from a …

Just four games into the 2024 season, and the Longhorns have already outperformed preseason expectations. At no point did I think Texas would be ranked the No. 1 team in the nation, not even in a single week, much less in consecutive weeks. While that is the big picture item that has surprised most of us, a number of smaller improvements have actually led the Horns to this point. These are key contributing factors we’ve seen through four games: - QB play and the room generally. Quinn Ewers has improved year over year yet again. Arch Manning is more than good enough to steer the ship in emergency situations. - Jaydon Blue has accepted the mantle as…

Let's get the obvious injury situation out of the way. I am told quarterback Quinn Ewers is expected to make his return against Oklahoma. I'm also told that Ewers could have gone against the Bulldogs had the QB situation been dire. I know the tweet of ESPN's Pete Thamel used the term "70 percent", but Ewers thought he could go against Mississippi State if called upon. ** Overall, the Longhorns escaped the Mississippi State contest relatively healthy. There were no injuries sustained during the game that should limit any Longhorn against Oklahoma. Michael Taffee's injury was described as a stinger. And Texas really liked the fact that they didn't h…

This game is clearly setting up as a referendum on Sark vs Venables. ** Texas lost just two games a year ago. One of them, of course, was to Oklahoma. Avenging that loss, not for the team alone but also for Steve Sarkisian, too, is part of the equation this weekend. ** In five days, I hope to see a Texas team firing on all cylinders. On offense and defense. The Sooners are likely to make it harder on the Texas O in this game, at least early on. Remember, the Sooners were clearly ready for Texas during the first quarter of last season’s contest, intercepting Quinn Ewers’ very first pass. That sort of game prep is something Brent Ven…

The time has come for the game we all circled in the preseason - Texas vs Georgia. No. 1 vs No. 5. In the ABC primetime television slot. Only in the preseason, we thought Georgia would likely be the number one team in the country. And in the preseason, it was the Bulldogs who were favored by the folks in Vegas. Now, the Horns are the nation’s top team and a 3.5-point home favorite. ** Yesterday, I watched the entire Georgia-Mississippi State game after recording it Saturday. Georgia’s offensive gameplan was a departure from what I’ve seen previously. Instead of attempting to establish the run first and foremost, the Bulldogs went to the air e…

This is Quinn’s team. Sark has said that multiple times. But… It’s only Quinn’s team until it’s not. ** For two consecutive weeks, Quinn Ewers has wilted under pressure. Yes, the Georgia pass rush was overwhelming, getting to Ewers multiple times. But too often Ewers either exacerbated the problem or failed to react quickly enough to counteract the rush in the best way possible to help his offense. Similar things happened against Oklahoma. Ewers has looked timid, unsure, slow-footed, slow-thinking, and unwilling to step into the pocket and play in the traffic, all while either throwing off of his back foot or not even taking a full step …

Caesar’s went ahead and put up a line two weeks ahead of time. In Vegas, the Longhorns are favored by 17.5 points over Florida. Florida plays arch-rival Georgia this weekend in Jacksonville. For comparison, the Bulldogs are favored by 20.5 over the Gators. ** Texas must use this week to get healthy and to work on a few things. Pass protection is chief among them. The Horns have given up 11 sacks in the last two weeks. The seven sacks to Georgia is almost understandable. The Horns were overwhelmed at times by superior athletes. But giving up four sacks to Vandy rings alarm bells. Teams from here on are going to try to light up Quinn Ewers…

We talked in the preseason about how much more “physical” the SEC is as a conference than the Big 12. Well, I think I understated that importance. All you have to see for proof is the vast number of injuries across the conference. While most will mention the QBs, and rightfully so given Texas may face two back-ups over the next two weeks, it’s really the week-in, week-out wear and tear on a team’s entire roster. It’s just not like other leagues. I watched the Georgia-Florida game on Saturday. I watched South Carolina overwhelm the Aggies. I watched parts of Ole Miss-Arkansas and Tennessee-Kentucky. There was not a single game where a potentia…

Texas continues to use the portal smartly. Last night, former UNC defensive lineman Travis Shaw announced his pledge to Texas. Shaw, who is 6-foot-5, 335 pounds, has played three seasons for the Tar Heels, logging 300+ snaps this season, his best campaign yet in Chapel Hill. The former five-star prospect will fill a key hole for Texas next year, and that’s playing over the nose of the ball, similar to fellow portal transfer Cole Brevard from Purdue. Shaw gives the Horns four pledges from the portal overall this winter, and all four are starter-level players. Adding these level of players to an already strong roster will only reinforce the idea that Texas sh…

Texas securing Steve Sarkisian for another season certainly led the news cycle this weekend. It’s notable because Texas officially extended its two-time college football playoff coach. But what is more important to me is this: It shows that Sark definitely “wants” to be at Texas. As noted in the original report from Brett McMurphy of the Action Network, Sark easily could have tested the NFL waters but declined invitations to interview. That feels like a coach who knows what he wants, that remains entirely focused on the task at hand, that has a plan in place to get to where he wants to take the Texas program. ** General Manager Brandon H…

For those wondering why the Texas offense wasn’t “better” in 2024 than 2023, I think it’s pretty clear that you have to look at the absence of a player like Xavier Worthy. Worthy led the Kansas City Chiefs in receiving in the AFC Championship last night with six catches for 85 yards and a touchdown. He also had two carries for 16 yards. Isaiah Bond was expected to be a reasonable facsimile of Worthy in the ‘24 Texas offense. Bond was exactly that at the start of the season, but his ankle injury lingered, and the Texas O lost some of its punch with it. Who can be that sort of speed merchant for the 2025 Texas offense? There are no obvious answers curren…

There was a lot of coaching news over the weekend. Let’s start with Tashard Choice, the Texas RB coach who was the object of Jerry Jones and the Cowboys’ attention. Clarence Hill, who is a friend who has covered the Cowboys for decades, reports that Choice is unlikely to take the Cowboys job because of significant differences in pay between the Cowboys and Longhorns. As we’ve stated previously, position coaches in college are sometimes compensated more heavily because they are not only coaches but also recruiters. Such is the case with Choice. Choice also happened to tweet out an image of his newborn girl, Amya, last night with the message “Hook’Em” as…

All things considered, yesterday was a pretty darn good day for Longhorn fans. Xavier Worthy scored the first two touchdowns ever by a Longhorn in a Super Bowl, while also leading all receivers in catches (8) and yardage (157). Granted, it was in a losing effort. But the performance cements Worthy as a fixture in KC's future. From game 10 on, Worthy became the Chief's go-to weapon on offense. Then there's the Longhorn women's basketball team. Led by sophomore Maddie Booker, the Longhorns defeated no. 2 ranked South Carolina 66-62. I watched the game in its entirety. The win was no fluke. The Horns routinely beat South Carolina inside, playing better interio…

In case you missed it, here are a couple of important notes from my conversation with Athletic Director Chris Del Conte. - With no spring game, there will be a fan fest of sorts on April 26. - The new indoor practice facility is “scheduled” to be open in June/July of next year. - CDC will look at replacing the turf with grass after the new practice facility opens. - Even if the House Settlement passes, Texas plans to continue to have a walk-on program within its football team. So if it goes to 105 roster spots, Texas will still use a portion of those spots for walk-ons. - He is very interested in - and a proponent of - the idea of increasing the n…

I’m hearing the Longhorns will likely be getting some good recruiting news this week. I can’t 100-percent promise it’s going to happen - the minds and timing of young people often change - but we’re prepping for it. ** Texas currently sits at 22 commitments for the class of 2025. The reclassification of Georgia safety Zelus Hicks brought the Horns to 22. Following his reclassification, Hicks has visited a couple of different places the last two weekends. But now he is set to visit Texas for the Kentucky game. Outside of Georgia OL Nick Brooks, who visited Auburn with several teammates a couple of weeks back, and Lance Jackson, whose brother plays …

I thought Arkansas would be a major trap game for Texas. But this Texas team proved me wrong. Or maybe Arkansas isn't all that good even though they beat Tennessee a month ago. Whatever the case, Texas continues to be a consistently good football team. And I think that consistency is what has separated Texas from every other SEC team this season (except for maybe Texas A&M). The Horns have been consistently good, particularly on defense. Of all the games Texas has played this year, the Horns have really only had one stinker -- Georgia. But look at all the two-loss teams, from Georgia, to Ole Miss, to Alabama, to Tennessee. All of them have had…

There’s a problem with the Texas defense… for opponents. Texas is the no. 1 defense in the country. But the fascinating aspect of this defense is that it’s not just any single overwhelming player who is leading the charge. Instead, it’s a collection of players coming at opponents in a variety of ways, and from all three levels of the defense. Texas not only has Colin Simmons. They have Trey Moore, too. Texas not only has Barryn Sorrell setting the edge. There’s Ethan Burke, too. Alfred Collins is joined by Jermayne Lole who is now rivaling Moore, Andrew Mukuba and Isaiah Bond as the team’s most important off-season portal addition. At linebac…

For churchgoers, it’s the “Sunday After”. That’s when you see that friendly Aggie and just give them that knowing 17-7 smile. (Don’t lie. I know some of you did that yesterday!) For others, it’s the Monday After. So for those of you headed to an office today, when you’re at the water cooler, it might just be a little fun to rib an Aggie. Please give them just a small smirk for me. 😉 ** I will have more after the show this morning. I will have some specific thoughts on the game and where this puts Texas more firmly in the playoff picture. Suffice to say, I think there is no way Texas drops below 7 if the Horns were to lose in Atlanta. …

I listened to Steve Sarkisian’s press conference on Sunday afternoon. You could hear the disappointment of the loss in his voice. But, per usual, Sark was fairly even-keeled overall. Not too high, not too low. So here’s Sark’s plan over the next few days: He said he’s going to give the players a quick mental and physical rest. The players will not have practice Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday. That will give he and his staff time to break down the Clemson film and start piecing together a gameplan before practice resumes. Simultaneously, the transfer portal opens today. Texas will likely be dealing with some incoming and outgoing issues. ** …

It’s Christmas-time and Texas is still in the hunt for the national championship. For the second year in a row. I’m more convinced than ever that Steve Sarkisian is building a juggernaut in Austin. Here’s why: Texas dispensed with the ACC champ by two touchdowns on Saturday. The Horns ran the ball with relative ease, the defense stood up when called upon, and physically the team was the clear superior of an opposing program who has won two national championships in the last decade. To me, Texas is not merely “back”. Texas is flourishing, growing and building. This year and into the future. Texas has a chance to be the next great college footb…

The team arrived in Atlanta yesterday afternoon. CJ is already on the ground there, and I’m headed that way this morning right after Coffee & Football. There will be a couple of media availabilities over the next two days prior to Wednesday. The first begins at 8:30 Eastern this morning and CJ will be there. Some news and notes: - Texas now has four mid-termers practicing with the team. Three high school products, Michael Terry, Justus Terry and Lance Jackson, and one portal enrollee, Cole Brevard. Brevard was asked to step in as a much-needed practice body over the next week or two. With all of the transfers on the DL, Texas needs Brevard to run p…

Several Texas football players are headed to New Orleans this week to work with quarterback Arch Manning. Some players flew in yesterday. Some are getting in later today. It's been a very busy couple of weeks for Texas players, especially the skill positions. Across the board, they have been working a lot, specifically with individual positional trainers. So now it's time for everyone to get together, and that starts in New Orleans later today, where Arch will host the crew. Expected to join Arch in New Orleans are Cam Coleman, Ryan Wingo, Emmett Mosley, and more. ** Want to know why all those other leagues want to pool revenue? This sin…

The all-sport dominance by the University of Texas is truly something to behold… and cherish. With the comeback win last night, the Texas baseball team punched its ticket to Omaha. Texas has a chance to become the first school to ever win baseball and softball national titles in the same year. ** The baseball game didn’t end until about 11:30 last night. But the Horns made it worth staying up for. The finish included a two-out, bases-loaded, eighth-inning double from Adrian Rodriguez who knocked in two runs to give the Horns a 6-5 lead. Reliever Sam Cozart tossed the final two innings in dominating fashion, striking out four and never allowing an …

This is a big week for the Longhorns. Texas could see a number of recruitments fall its way (or fall another way). But the most impactful news this week will likely come out of Washington, DC, where lawmakers are expected to produce a mark-up of the Protect College Sports Act. As currently written, the bill gives significant preference to Texas Tech, Sacramento State, and dozens of others, over Texas, Texas A&M, Michigan, Ohio State, etc. How does it give preference? In numerous ways: As currently written, the vote of Sacramento State on pooling of rights has the same value as that of Texas. Yet the value of Texas’ media rights are almost infi…