Jeff Howe

I hope Texas holds out as long as possible before going the sponsor route. With that said, I get that we're in a different time in college sports. As a wise man once said, everybody's got a price:

For this week’s OTF Sideline Debate, we asked the staff: If Texas had to pick a sponsor jersey patch, who would you go with and why? — I spent my first year at Texas in Dobie Dormitory. It was in that same exact dorm where Dell Technologies was born just a couple of years prior. I like and appreciate the university’s relationship with Humann, because it started at UT, for much the same reason. No company is more UT than Dell. Any Texas team should be proud to be associated with it because of what it represents. — Bobby Burton — The sponsor I could see on the Texas Longhorns’ football jersey is a tough one. It would likely be an extremely successful alumnus, and one of those has already been used by an OTF team member. One could be a big grocery store chain, which has also been used by an OTF team member. So, you get down to whether Texas put a Google or similar type patch on a football jersey? Or could it be a SpaceX or Tesla or something similar? I’m not sure I actually have the answer on this one. I feel like the OTF team has come up with a number of the companies that I would have used for this story. I know which one it won’t be: Double Eagle. — Gerry Hamilton — The most fantastical pick for this question would be Tesla. In an attempt to complete Tesla’s move from Silicon Valley to the ATX, Elon Musk (the world’s first trillionaire) is ready to invest heavily to rehabilitate, associate and identify his brand with the most recognizable brand in Austin. Tesla is currently Austin’s second highest-ranking Fortune 500 company, behind Dell Technologies, and this would be a great way to let the world know that Tesla is now undeniably a Texas company. Tesla wants to be more mainstream and expand their demo to the American middle class; this move could help them do both. — Rod Babers — I didn’t want to double up and I also wanted to pick a hypothetical sponsor that was started by Longhorn grads. So, I went with Pluckers, which was unofficially established on the Forty Acres in the early 1990s before the brick-and-mortar store was opened on West Campus in 1995. As someone who grew up in Austin, I never realized how spoiled I was, with dozens of Pluckers locations around me until I moved to DFW and had to make much further drives. Pluckers is already ingrained in the athletic department and supplies fans with handfuls of coupons for five free wings after Texas wins at home. Even though those usually end up in the junk drawer for a few years and are rarely used, it’s a good gesture. Pluckers will often cater junior days and recruiting events. Hank and I have hit the Pluckers on Rio Grande during on-campus events a few times, too. While I don’t think a restaurant will ever be under consideration for a jersey sponsor, a Pluckers one would check two important boxes as an Austin-based restaurant started by Longhorn grads. — Jordan Scruggs — It would have to be a company that, like the Texas football program, is steeped in tradition, is recognizable to the public and synonymous enough with the Longhorns that such a transition to putting the company’s logo on a jersey wouldn’t look too out of place. AT&T is headquartered in Texas and, for starters, is already a major corporate partner with the university and the athletic department. AT&T was previously sponsored the Red River Shootout and the Longhorns have played in the Cotton Bowl 23 times (more than any bowl game in program history), with three of those appearances coming under companies that are now under the AT&T umbrella (two trips with Southwestern Bell as the title sponsor and one under the SBC banner). While seeing a corporate logo on a Texas football jersey would be a shock to the system, a Fortune 500 sponsor would ease the transition. — Jeff Howe — Yeti was born in Austin in 2006, built by two brothers who wanted a cooler that could survive a Texas tailgate. Now it’s a billion-dollar brand and the unofficial equipment of every hunter, fisherman, and Friday night (and Saturday) parking lot in the state. Even better: Yeti’s already on the sideline. Those coolers behind the bench? Yeti. The tumblers in every coach’s hand? Yeti. Rugged, premium, homegrown, and burnt orange looks great on that logo. They don’t need Texas football only for exposure. They’d do it because it fits. That’s the sponsor you want. — Marcus Myers — Lamborghini! Why not? It’s become synonymous with Texas Recruiting already across a couple of sports. Plus, there is something about The University of Texas, the city of Austin and the history of the athletics department that exudes luxury, power and identity. To which Lamborghini does just as well. With one of the most iconic logos in the world, it already looks like a Longhorn if you squint hard enough. The luxury supercar brand would immediately tower over the Lumber Liquidators or Woodside Energy’s of the world and continue Texas’ pursuit of becoming the ultimate ‘it’ school in all of America. — CJ Vogel — For me, it's H-E-B. I think it's one of very few companies that would limit complaints about having a patch on a Texas jersey at all (for the record, I’m anti-patch on jerseys). Everybody loves H-E-B and H-E-B is a good representation of Texas as a whole. I don't know about adding red to burnt orange, though. — Hank South View full news story

I had Masunas at 33. It's nice to have guys who don't need to touch the football to make an impact on an offense in which a lot of guys need the ball in their hands.

Agree. That's why I put Baker at No. 18 on my ballot.

Not me. But I had him 22nd, which was his second-highest placement on a ballot.

Here's how the voting shook out among the OTF staff as far as the highest and lowest places on the ballots for these guys: No. 30 — Laurence Seymore High: No. 24 Low: NR No. 29 — Derek Williams Jr. High: No. 21 Low: NR No. 28 — Derrek Cooper High: No. 23 Low: No. 32 No. 27 — Brad Spence High: No. 22 Low: NR No. 26 — Nick Townsend High: No. 19 Low: No. 35 No. 25 — Justus Terry High: No. 19 Low: NR No. 24 — Zina Umeozulu High: No. 12 Low: NR No. 23 — Michael Masunas High: No. 22 Low: No. 33 No. 22 — Kade Phillips High: No. 16 Low: No. 30 No. 21 — Brandon Baker High: No. 13 Low: No. 29

We'll have a companion video published today to go along with this week's piece.

Each of the On Texas Football staff members ranked our Top 40 players on the Texas football roster for our inaugural Top 40 on the 40. All of our selections were compiled and averaged out to produce an overall Top 40. Each Thursday in July, we’re releasing the list, 10 players at a time, along with a video breaking down the selections. Last week, we started with Nos. 40-31. This week, we’re breaking down Nos. 30-21. No. 30 — Laurence Seymore Seymore’s addition to the roster filled a glaring hole after Texas failed to solidify one of the two open guard spots with a transfer. The second-team All-American (Football Writers Association of America) from Western Kentucky reportedly hit the ground running in summer conditioning. Still, the offensive line will be better if Seymore wins the job by the Sept. 5 season opener against Texas State, rather than getting the nod by default. No. 29 — Derek Williams Jr. Williams showed flashes in spring practice of being the player he was before he injured his knee in a win over Oklahoma midway through the 2024 season. After flirting with the transfer portal, Williams has the inside track to be a starting safety in Will Muschamp’s defense, which highlights the position if he’s got the versatile pieces to do so. No. 28 — Derrek Cooper Should a true freshman RB3 be this close to a spot among the top 25 players on the roster? That speaks to the impact Cooper made in the spring, when he reportedly showed surprisingly sharp pass-protection skills. Cooper also brought a much-needed physical edge to the running game. No. 27 — Brad Spence One of the Longhorns’ best natural pass rushers, Spence could be a true chess piece for Muschamp around the line of scrimmage. With Anthony Hill Jr. off to the NFL, Spence is one of several players who will be counted on to take some of the pass-rushing burden off Colin Simmons. No. 26 — Nick Townsend Townsend is said to be closing in on 260 pounds while remaining one of the top pound-for-pound athletes in the program. The challenge for Townsend is how soon he can channel his physicality, athleticism and ability to make things happen with the ball in his hands into becoming a consistent playmaker on offense. No. 25 — Justus Terry In a limited role as a true freshman, Terry flashed the potential to be the kind of interior disruptor the defense missed after back-to-back seasons with Byron Murphy and Alfred Collins in that role. After undergoing surgery to address an upper-body injury that kept him out of the Citrus Bowl, Terry has a big preseason ahead as he looks to crack a deep, talented defensive line rotation. No. 24 — Zina Umeozulu The Texas staff fought hard to keep Umeozulu out of the portal. Voted as high as No. 12 on OTF staff members’ ballot, Umeozulu should be in for a heck of a battle with Lance Jackson for the snaps made available with Ethan Burke’s eligibility expiring after the 2025 season. No. 23 — Michael Masunas The Longhorns need guys on offense like Masunas, who don’t need to touch the ball to impact the game? Can the Michigan State transfer be the same kind of blocking presence Geoff Swaim and Andrew Beck were on the Forty Acres? Whether he’s that level of blocker or not, Masunas should allow Steve Sarkisian to get back to a running game that can rely on a tight end getting a consistent push as an in-line blocker or on the move in Sarkisian’s split-zone concepts. No. 22 — Kade Phillips After a tremendous true freshman season, it felt like the coaches challenged Phillips in spring practice (Kobe Black was working ahead of him in the spring game). Phillips has the tools to be everything Muschamp would want in a No. 1 cornerback. The change to more aggressive, man-to-man coverage could be what the doctor ordered to unlock Phillips’ immense talent. No. 21 — Brandon Baker Not only did Baker turn heads with his performance after moving inside to guard ahead of spring practice, but his attitude and his embracing the move set the tone for the spring and summer in Kyle Flood’s room. If Baker has the kind of season he and the coaches believe he’s capable of, he’ll have a stay-or-go decision after the season regarding his NFL future. View full news story

Those three would probably be the three I'd be deciding between for a first-team all-time Texas offensive line. I don't think people realize that Mike Baab was one of the best high school offensive linemen the state has ever produced and played more than a decade in the NFL.

It’s a good question, and he’s someone I consider strongly when making such a list. What puts the other guys over the edge is that you’ve got guys who simply accomplished more ahead of him. Bob McKay and Justin Blalock played on the two best offenses in school history, won national championships and were more decorated than guys like Davis, Mike Williams, Doug Dawson, etc. Jerry Sizemore was a two-time unanimous All-American. He’s a no-brainer. Banks is also a no-brainer. The most decorated offensive lineman in school history. I favor Dan Neil over Davis as the first man out.

I'm not saying I'm right, but my Mount Rushmore of Texas offensive linemen would be: Kelvin Banks Jr., Justin Blalock (over Dan Neil), Bob McKay and Jerry Sizemore