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For the first time in program history, the University of Texas football team has claimed the No. 1 spot in the Associated Press preseason poll. The Longhorns enter the 2025 season with sky-high expectations following back-to-back appearances in the College Football Playoff, boasting a loaded roster and one of the most talented depth charts in the nation. *** Texas Penn State Ohio State Clemson Georgia Notre Dame Oregon Alabama LSU Miami Arizona State Illinois South Carolina Michigan Florida SMU Kansas State Oklahoma Texas A&M Indiana …

Young players - ones who have yet to play meaningful snaps in a game for Texas or are freshmen - with developmental “arrows up” following Saturday’s scrimmage and the early portion of camp: WR Parker Livingstone DB Graceson Littleton RB Christian Clark QB KJ Lacey DE Zina Umeozulu TE Jordan Washington DB Xavier Filsaime OL Nate Kibble TE Nick Townsend LB Bo Barnes DB Kade Phillips WR Daylan McCutcheon ** There is another group worth watching, older players who are either new to the roster or have made significant strides to become more regular pieces to the Texas puzzle. - DE Brad Spence - DT …

Out of state recruiting hit rate While the Texas staff and Longhorn Nation awaits the Tuesday announcement of 4-star+ EDGE Jake Kreul (Orlando, Fla./IMG Academy), it's the perfect time to take a snapshot of out of state recruiting. This morning, the quick look is pure and simple. It's the out of state official visitors hit rate for schools that are in the top nine of the industry 2026 class rankings. There is a caveat to be clear, schools didn't push for or go all in on all these prospects that officially visited. With that said, it's still a quality snapshot at the hit rates for various programs in the cycle. Texas Longhorns ... Out of state off…

Following a busy weekend in Austin, where the first fall camp scrimmage drew significant attention, one of the most notable developments has been the return and involvement of running back CJ Baxter. The third-year back was a full participant in the scrimmage and, according to multiple accounts, exceeded expectations with both his performance and usage. While Texas implemented a quick whistle in certain situations, one of the standout moments — already well-documented here at OTF — was Baxter’s goal-line touchdown run, an area that has been a persistent challenge for the Longhorn offense in recent seasons. Perhaps most encouraging was the fact that Baxter was practic…

OTF percentage on Jake Kreul While the Texas football team is taking center stage for good reason right now, Steve Sarkisian and staff could add to the 2026 recruiting class Tuesday. IMG Academy EDGE rush specialist Jake Kreul is scheduled to announce his decision around 4pm Tuesday. As this is published Sunday morning, OnTexasFootball would put the percentage at 80% for the Longhorns over Ole Miss and Oklahoma. Jake Kreul profile ... Height: 6-2 Weight: 223-225 range Wingspan: 78 Hand size: 10 Played at Orlando's Bishop Moore High prior to transferring to IMG Academy. 2022 at Bishop Moore (freshman): 49 tackles, 7 TFL's and 7 sacks …

A few more scrimmage notes Some more scrimmage notes that have trickled in since last night. * Offense was bland for vast majority of scrimmage. A little jet sweep looks, but not as much pre-snap motion Saturday as Sark has in game plans and in-game * Offensive line has somethings they need to clean up. Still need to be more physical in the run game consistently at G-C-G. The source believes defense will likely carry Texas at Ohio State, then the OL and offense will have three games to gel plus the off week headed into the Florida game. * Defensive speed off snap really sped up Arch first couple of series. Arch slowed down as the scrimmage progresse…

Given that so much occurred yesterday, I think a solid recap by position is in order. But first the injury updates. Both Cole Brevard and Nick Brooks went down with injuries during the scrimmage. Brevard later returned to the scrimmage. Brooks did not. But was later seen without any ice, crutches, etc., while walking with a slight limp. Tight end Emaree Winston did not participate in the scrimmage. He injured his shoulder earlier in the week and is expected out for a couple of months. Wide receiver Emmett Mosley V did not participate in the contact portion of practice but was suited out on sidelines. He is nursing a lower leg injury. Qua…

Some more odds and ends... ** Special teams: Punt returners were DeAndre Moore followed by Ryan Niblett. Kick returners were Tre Wisner (deep guy) and Niblett. Both field goal kickers (Will Stone and Mason Shipley) missed makable attempts. Stone missed two or three. Again, more than one person in attendance mentioned punter Jack Bouwmeester as one of the more pleasing aspects of the scrimmage. ** Notes on the younger players: - DB Xavier Filsaime filled a hole and stopped Tre Wisner short of the goal line. Filsaime seems to be moving up the depth chart some, or at least solidifying himself as a key back-up. - RB Christian …

A source tells me the freshman offensive tackle left the facility following the scrimmage on his own accord. Brooks was unable to finish the scrimmage Saturday morning. For what it is worth, I was told Brooks “looked fine” leaving the facility. No brace, no crutches, no boot. View full news story

- One of the first things mentioned to me by multiple sources was the size and athleticism of this team. Two different people made comments on how big, fast and fluid the team (as a whole) is. - Another day, another rave for the defense. They were as advertised again today and made multiple big-time plays. - Defensive tackles Cole Brevard and Alex January were the starters today. Brevard did get a little banged up, but came right back in and continued to play the rest of the scrimmage. - One source made the remark that the DTs are all “massive.” - The offense got into a third and long on the first drive of the scrimmage and linebacker Ty…

The first scrimmage of fall camp gets going here in the next couple of hours. Scrimmages last roughly two hours. Under Sark, the team typically starts with special teams (punts and kickoffs) when they’re inside DKR like they will be this morning. Then they typically go 1s vs 2s to start things off before moving to 1s vs 1s and 2s vs 2s, each in multiple eight-play spurts. After that, it’s time for 1s vs 1s and 2s vs 2s. As part of that session, they focus on situational pieces, including red zone before closing with kicking. Again, that’s the “typical” order of operations for a Sark-led training camp scrimmage. But he’s also known to change it up at ti…

OTF is told that freshman tight end Emaree Winston is out with an injured shoulder that will likely require him to miss at least a couple of months of this season. Winston did not participate in today's scrimmage. The injury came earlier in the week. Winston, a Georgia native, was off to a terrific start in Austin, splitting reps with blue chipper Nick Townsend and holding his own. It's a tough loss from a depth standpoint but Texas still has portal transfer Jack Endries and redshirt sophomore Spencer Shannon who started today's scrimmage with the 1s. Jordan Washington started the second half of scrimmage alongside Endries.

Before you read further, please understand that all of the below is sourced material. No OTF staff member was at the scrimmage. ** The first big offensive play of the scrimmage came on a successful wheel route to WR Parker Livingstone. And Cedric Baxter scored the first TD of the scrimmage on a goal-line run... ** But... The Livingstone play actually came on the third series of the scrimmage. In the first two series, the Texas defense did not allow a first down. Both TyAnthony Smith, who was inserted on a third and long, and Colin Simmons, registered sacks. The defense absolutely suffocated the offense early. ** Prior…

Sark Era Recruiting: Ten biggest wins; five biggest losses Texas is headed to a fifth straight top 5 recruiting class. That means there have been some massive recruiting wins on the trail in the Sark era, and for different reasons. But with any program and class, there are also some very tough losses on the trail in the same time. While no singular loss may cost Texas a National Championship or the ability to play for one, there are some that may have helped or would help push Texas over the top. That is true for any program, to be clear. OTF takes a look at the 10 biggest wins, some that just missed and the five biggest losses of the Sark era to start y…

Friday Recruiting Nuggets *** A decision is heading is coming August 12 for 2026 IMG Academy EDGE Jake Kreul with Texas, Ole Miss and Oklahoma being the final contenders. Based off of conversations this week, Oklahoma has all but conceded this race for the 6-foot-3-inch edge rusher. This was a recruitment earlier in the cycle that was headlined by the efforts of Oklahoma and Florida, though it has since shifted over the last month to the Longhorns becoming a significant player. As things sit today, I am leaning towards more good news for the Longhorns in their 2026 class. *** Some game visit news! Only six true home games on the slate fo…

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…

Gerry Hamilton and I recorded a video report earlier today that will air here within the hour. But I wanted to bring you guys a little more color to the discussion. Here's how I personally rank the freshman so far (based on what we've heard and seen): 1. DB Graceson Littleton 2. OL Nick Brooks 3. DL Lance Jackson 4t. TE Emaree Winston 4t. TE Nick Townsend 6. QB KJ Lacey 7. DL Josiah Sharma 8. WR Daylon McCutcheon 9. DL Justus Terry 10. LB Bo Barnes ** Some notes... - Gerry and I actually had four of the same top five. Gerry flip-flopped Sharma and Jackson from my ranking. - Kade Phillips and J…

As CJ reported on Tuesday, Michael Taaffe sported a green non-contact jersey in practice. Of note, Taaffe is seeing more and more action at nickel in an effort to get the best five DBs on the field simultaneously. This is at least partially influenced by the fact that Derrick Williams has looked really good in his return from injury. Remember, Williams was the starter last season ahead of both Jelani McDonald and Andrew Mukuba prior to injury. ** The fight for the back-up quarterback spot is really heating up. Matthew Caldwell has brought a level of stability and professionalism to the back-up role that Trey Owens must match. Owens, as a thro…

Texas' path to back-to-back No. 1 classes Steve Sarkisian and staff have a path to back-to-back No. 1 classes after a strong last 20 days of July. There is only one thing that can currently keep Texas from making another run at the top class - if the Longhorns only sign 23 or 24 prospects. If Texas signs 26 or 27 in December, a top 3 class is a lock, and No. 1 will be in play. So the question is how can Texas ascend to challenge once again for the top spot. We take a look to begin Wednesday. August 12 could move Texas up two or three spots ... Four-star EDGE Jake Kreul (Orlando, Fla./IMG Academy) is set to announce his decision August 12. Texas is consi…

A little more on Andre Cojoe injury. I’m told that Andre Cojoe’s injury occurred during Saturday’s practice and that he was wearing a knee brace at the time. Sometimes players go without knee braces and it costs them dearly, but that was not the case with Cojoe. ** I have heard that Zina Umeozulu has picked up where he left off this spring before being sidelined by a broken hand. I know folks like to talk about true freshmen Justus Terry and Lance Jackson. But Umeozulu has been plenty good himself. He is truly challenging for playing time. View full news story

The 2024 recruiting class with portal transfers added A member of the OnTexasFootball community made a post about what the 2024 recruiting class would look like with two 2024 recruits added that have transferred to Texas. Those two additions would be Freshman All-American Maraad Watson and freshman starter at Stanford Emmett Mosley V. The Texas 2024 recruiting class when signed was ranked No. 5 or 6 depending on the service. While Watson and Mosley V were ranked as high 3-star's coming out of high school, the additions of both to the program make the class look even deeper with future NFL Draft picks and starters/two-deep players headed into year two. The…

AUSTIN, Texas — Losing Andre Cojoe to a season-ending knee injury early in training camp was a disappointing development for the redshirt sophomore right tackle and the Texas offensive line. “Hate that for him,” Steve Sarkisian said regarding the 6-foot-6-inch, 335-pound Cojoe’s injury after Tuesday's practice. “He’d been working hard to get himself in a competitive state.” Cojoe, who, like “a lot of other guys who've had injuries in the past,” Sarkisian said, will be supported by everyone in the organization while preparing for a return to the field in 2026, was competing with sophomore Brandon Baker to be the No. 1 right tackle. While the 6-foot-4-inch, 308-po…

AUSTIN – Texas is officially one full week into fall camp for its 2025 season. A well-deserved recovery day is in store for Wednesday afternoon, with the Longhorns returning to the field Thursday in preparation for the first scrimmage of the fall on Saturday. Based off of returns out of Austin early in camp, the defense is getting the better of the offense through these first few practices. However, that is to be expected according to Steve Sarkisian. "Historically for me, surely your defense better be ahead of your offense," Sarkisian said Tuesday following my question about gauging the progress of both sides of the ball early on in camp. "And we are. I th…

Two transfers signed with Texas this winter yet never made it to spring ball: defensive tackle Travis Shaw and linebacker/edge Brad Spence. Both had lingering injuries from the previous season. Both had surgeries this off-season. Based on what I have been told from early camp feedback, both will be very key contributors to this year’s defense. ** I am told that Shaw has been one of the better defensive tackles so far this training camp and is definitely expected to find his way into the lineup. Shaw, who is all of 6-foot-5, 342 pounds, is one of the team’s largest players and will be a key player against opponents like Florida who focus heavily on…

Health Updates Following Tuesday's Full-Padded Practice *** Steve Sarkisian spoke with the media Tuesday evening after getting off of the practice field for the first full-padded practice of fall camp. • WR Ryan Wingo "Remains a day away" according to Sarkisian. Wingo was absent from practice late last week due to dehydration. Sarkisian says they are aiming for Thursday to be a full return to practice for the Texas WR. • RG DJ Campbell Campbell was back at practice Tuesday and participating with the offensive line. OnTexasFootball has learned that DB Michael Taaffe was in a green non-contact jersey Tuesday evening. No comment was made …