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Last week, I said I would check in to see how the coaches retreat went. I’m told it started near Town Lake. That’s where all the coaches gathered and were placed in groups. Their goal? Row to the other side of the lake and back. I’m told it was near impossible and it took all of an hour. Coaches had an issue synchronizing their strokes, one of the boats almost tipped, etc. It was a near disaster. But that was the whole point of Coach Dave O’Neill, the rowing coach, who led the exercise. It was a lesson about how tough it can be to make a group of individuals into a team, about how there may be 5 or 6 doing things right, but all it takes is one to …

The SEC preseason media poll has been released after SEC Media Days concluded on Thursday. Here's where Texas landed in the voting: 1.) Georgia 2,519 (88 champion votes) 2.) Texas 2,449 (57) 3.) Ole Miss 2,004 (6) 4.) Texas A&M 1,967 (5) 5.) LSU 1,961 (2) 6.) Alabama 1,930 (3) 7.) Oklahoma 1,914 (2) 8.) Tennessee 1,320 9.) Florida 1,217 10.) Missouri 1,105 11.) South Carolina 956 12.) Auburn 936 13.) Vanderbilt 751 14.) Kentucky 546 (1) 15.) Mississippi State 467 16.) Arkansas 262 Preseason All-Conference team (Texas only) Full preseason All-Conference team HERE Offense: Arch Manning -- 2nd team …

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…

OTF is on the Road this morning at Georgetown High checking out two of Texas’ most recent 2026 offers — RB Jett Walker and OL Kaden Scherer. Georgetown took care of business last week with a victory over Centennial and will take on Frisco Lone Star this upcoming weekend in round two of the playoffs. OL Kaden Scherer, a current Stanford commit, will officially visit Texas this weekend vs. Arkansas. RB Jett Walker is expected officially visit as well. View full news story

Recent Discoveries on 2026 Texas Recruiting, Transfer Portal and Hoops in Maui *** Texas has added back-to-back Austin area commits who were previously committed to P4 programs over the last 48 hours. Both OL Kaden Scherer and RB Jett Walker earned their Texas offers, took official visits and quickly opted to join the Longhorn class all in about a two week span. The Longhorns continue to hunt for pieces to fill out the class as well. After the additions of the Georgetown duo, plus TE Charlie Jilek, Texas has its sights set on LB Rocky Cummings, OL Brysten Martinez, EDGE Jamarion Carlton, DL Richard Anderson and DB Josiah Vilmael. Perhaps a new nam…

Additional Bowl Practices Benefitting Longhorns *** As part of being a program of honor and opting into playing a bowl game this December, the Texas Longhorns receive a valuable 15 additional bowl practices and full live game against another power four opponent. That time on the practice field, and additional game will go a long way for players on the developmental track. *** Freshman DB Jonah Williams This is a no-brainer. Williams is set to participate on the diamond this spring once again for the Longhorns and Jim Schlossnagle. With that said, the spring football development will be halted as he works to contribute for the reigning SEC reg…

"Boom!" In the words of Bobby Burton! Texas has earned a commitment from 2027 TE JT Geraci out of Don Bosco Prep in Ramsey, New Jersey. Geraci becomes the third commit in the 2027 class, joining DB Greedy James and WR Easton Royal. The 2027 tight end is listed at 6-foot-5 and 230 pounds. He was honored as an All-Bergen County and All-Northeast team for his 2026 performance. Geraci chose the Longhorns over a top five of Alabama, Notre Dame, Ohio State and Vanderbilt. View full news story

Blake Gideon Formally Added to Texas Staff *** It is official from the university – Blake Gideon has been hired as the passing game coordinator and secondary coach. Gideon was back on campus Thursday per a source as well. Today, the school formally announces his return to the defensive staff. Gideon was on campus from 2021 to 2024 before heading to Atlanta to be the Georgia Tech defensive coordinator in 2025. After just one year, he returns back to Austin following the hiring of Will Muschamp as the Longhorns' new defensive coordinator. From Steve Sarkisian: “It’s awesome getting Blake back. He did great things for us during his four y…

With the addition of defensive lineman Elijah Ali, Texas will likely finish the 2026 recruiting class with 23 signees. Add in 19 portal transfers, and the Longhorns will have 42 new faces in the 2026 season. That’s roughly half of the entire roster. ** Four of the high school recruits are defensive linemen: Ali along with James Johnson, Jamarrion Carlton and Richard Wesley, although Carlton and Wesley will start at defensive end. Texas also added two interior DLs from the portal, Ian Geffrard and Zion Williams. That group retains Hero Kanu, Alex January, Maraad Watson, Josiah Sharma, and Myron Charles. On paper, Texas should be good - or…

Huge week ahead for Texas basketball Headed into last week, the goal for the Texas Longhorns was to get a road win out of the contests at Auburn and Oklahoma. Mission accomplished. That win Saturday in Norman has set the tables for Texas the rest of the way. And this week now becomes the most important of the season. That's because Texas is at home for two games in which the Longhorns will be favored to win, with the understanding that both games will be battles. Texas (13-9, 4-5) hosts South Carolina (11-11, 2-7) Tuesday at 6pm CT on the SEC Network. And on Saturday, it's Chris Beard's return to Austin. The Longhorns and Ole Miss (11-10, 3-5) tip Saturda…

Texas mid-week hoops report: NBA and Swain; portal needs The Texas Longhorns have a week of some rest for the legs, while still practicing prior to game prep late in the week ahead of the trip to Missouri. Member of the staff have also been on the road evaluating prospects in multiple classes with a focus on 2027. NBA and Dailyn Swain ... There have been plenty of NBA scouts through Austin this season, and in attendance at Texas games. The word OTF received Tuesday is the NBA scouts keep ascending the 6-8 junior wing/guard higher and higher on boards. There is a thought currently around the program that Swain is at least 50-50 to be a first round pick if he f…

Best Class Scenario (first for 2027) It's time to break out the first best class scenario for the 2027 cycle. After most of January on the road for the Texas staff, there are some prospects that were offered and immediately ascended towards the top of the board at various positions. And there was also more evalutions on the OnTexasFootball side when comparing some prospects. The first Best Class Scenario for the 2027 cycle is the Texas class currently, intel learned and my opinion on the best prospects in the cycle Texas is trying to recruit. As is always the case, the industry rankings will catch up with a lot of prospects later this spring. And also as always…

Thoughts & observations from Spring Practice 1 I'm going to open with the most important thought. My thoughts and observations from a 40 minute media viewing window in no way equal 2026 season wins and season results. So much more than just the talent on field creates the season the Texas fan base desires. The 1-85 roster talent is at an elite level, to be clear. And quite frankly, as it should be with Texas' position in the NIL world. With that said, there are some positions with less to prove as expected. Thoughts & observations from Monday ... Arch Manning clearly not 100%, as expected. He wasn't expected to be moving around like "athletic Ar…

Sark said it best in yesterday’s post-practice media session. This team has all of the pieces to the puzzle. Now Sark, his coaching staff and the players themselves have to do the real work of putting it all together. The talent, the ability, it’s all there. How far they go in 2026 will be determined by how well they coalesce as a team. In that vein, Sark mentioned again that he kick-started the team’s “Culture Wednesdays” this semester as opposed to waiting until his usual summer time. Part of that change comes because of the change to the portal rules which used to allow transfers following spring ball. But the more important part is that Sark c…

Former Texas linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. is a mainstay in mock NFL Drafts that predict the first two rounds. Hill has been as high as late first round in some projections, but mostly has stuck in the Round 2. On Tuesday morning, ESPN's Field Yates put out his Rounds 1 and 2 mock. Here's where he has Hill: Round 2, Pick 41 -- Cincinnati Bengals Yates: "Cincinnati's linebacker corps really needs help; Hill has as much splash play production as any linebacker in the class. He racked up 17.0 sacks and seven forced fumbles in three seasons, with natural movement skills defending the pass as well." Tuesday marks the Longhorns' Pro Day, so we'll see if the …

Dailyn Swain enters NBA Draft while maintaining eligibility Dailyn Swain announced he is entering the 2026 NBA Draft while maintaining his college eligibility, which would keep the door open for a potential return to Texas for a final season. The 6-foot-8, 220-pound versatile wing/forward is a projected/possible first round pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. Swain’s agent Richie Beda of WME has been in constant contact with the Texas staff, and they are all in lock step in this process. He has to go through the draft process to get the proper and wanted feedback. Swain took a huge step as a player in the 2025-26 season moving up draft boards in 2026. …

Monday Recruiting: Weekend returns The Texas Longhorns hosted a number of visitors over the last week of spring practice and the spring practice showcase Saturday. OnTexasFootball brings the latest news and notes we have compiled. Noah Roberts The Chandler (Az.) Basha 4-star+ running back was on campus this weekend with his family. Texas sits in a solid spot, but Michigan is right there. An OV to Oregon is also on the books. OTF take: Texas is a slight leader here, but NIL will definitely play a factor. Brock Williams The 4-star++ tight out out of Illinois is a solid Texas lean over Georgia, with Ohio State running a distant third. As muc…

My Texas 2026 NFL Mock Draft *** The NFL Draft kicks off in 48 hours where a solid contingency of Longhorns are hoping to hear their names called over the three day run of picks. Texas has had 31 players selected in the NFL Draft over the past three seasons. While this group of guys is not expected to be as deep as the previous years, it will still be fun to watch multiple Lifetime Longhorns hear their names called this weekend. My explanations and predictions for where Texas' Draft Hopefuls hear their names during the Draft: *** *** Cincinnati Bengals Select LB Anthony Hill Jr. Round 2, Pick 41 I have a hard time seeing Hil…

We are nearing the month of May, which means the spring football sessions across the country are all over. As a result, I wanted to get a heat check on the opponents Texas will face this fall with a quick position by position look at the best players and units on the schedule. *** Offense: Ohio State I don't believe the quarterback is as impactful as he gets credit for, but I believe in the surrounding talent. And there is plenty of surrounding talent. Defense: Oklahoma I think you could make the argument that every room on the OU defense is in the conversation for being a top 3 room in the SEC going into the season. Quarterback:…

The ACC spring meetings are taking place this week. And conference officials are squawking about various aspects of their preferred view of college football’s future. Couple of notes: - ACC coaches favor and will push for a 21-day style pre-season training spread over the entire spring and summer as opposed to the current 15-day spring practice window. It’s a potential rule change that will get some attention from SEC coaches during their spring meeting in two weeks. I could see this one passing, though part of the problem is summer school for athletes. Athletes notoriously take heavy summer courseloads, so they can take fewer classes in season. - The ACC a…

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. …

I briefly spoke with the nation’s No. 1 CB prospect John Meredith III after he made it home from his official visit. Here’s a quick recap in Meredith’s own words: JS: What was the highlight? JM3: “Everything. It felt good. Everything was really, really good, I enjoyed myself the most.” JS: Did you learn anything new or get to see anything new that you didn’t know about on your previous trips to Austin? JM3: “No, it just felt like home. Everything was new, I had a great time, me and coach O (Orphey) had a great connection, me and the boys had fun. I was just seeing stuff for what it was.” Meredith also told OTF he still intends to commit befor…

Texas Longhorns NCAA Tournament resume: Pretty strong in actuality After the 0-3 start to SEC play, the Texas basketball team has won four of the last six in conference play and are building a strong NCAA Tournament resume. The Longhorns will host Arkansas Wednesday with a chance to add another Quad 2 win to the resume. This morning, OTF takes a look at the current Texas NCAA Resume and whats in front of the Horns with nine games remaining in the regular season. Texas current resume ... No. 25 in NCAA NET Quad 1: 4-6 (wins over Texas A&M, Missouri, @Oklahoma in SEC play) Quad 2: 2-1 Quad 3: 1-0 Quad 4: 8-0 Ken Pomer…

The media session on the first day of spring practice has concluded. I will be bringing you some notes from the defensive side of the ball, while our @Jeff Howe will discuss Arch Manning and the offense shortly. *** First and foremost, phenom early enrollee Justus Terry was limited today. I do not know the extent of the limitation, but he was off to the side to begin practice. Colton Vasek also was up on that field. *** Depth Charts on Day 1 First Team: EDGE Colin Simmons DL Hero Kanu DL Alex January EDGE Ethan Burke LB Anthony Hill Jr. LB Liona Lefua STAR Wardell Mack DB Michael Taaffe …

Some notes from day one: - The QB room is loaded. Arch Manning has a chance to be a special player. His arm strength, footwork and ball placement are all well ahead of normal would-be first-year starting QB. Trey Owens continues to impress with his arm strength and relative accuracy. KJ Lacy is a departure from the other two. He’s significantly smaller, but moves smoother and is extremely accurate for his age. Really liked the way he looked from a timing perspective. The college game didn’t seem too fast for him out of the gate. - Tre Wisner has switched to jersey no. 5. He also looks like he’s added a little weight to his frame, even from two mon…