Jeff Howe

I’m #TeamForeman forever!

Today, Tinney was named Perfect Game USA's Co-National Player of the Week and the Buster Posey National Collegiate Catcher of the Week.

Here's the release from UT: Texas Longhorns Sam Cozart, Anthony Pack Jr. and Dylan Volantis earned invitations to participate in the 2026 USA Baseball Collegiate National Team Training Camp this summer. The prestigious camp features 56 of the premier non-draft eligible college players, participating in three days of exhibition contests against teams from the Appalachian League followed by a five-game Stars vs. Stripes intrasquad series. The Collegiate National Team, which will be named on July 5 after the conclusion of Training Camp, will then compete in the inaugural World Collegiate Baseball Championship at Taichung City Intercontinental Baseball Stadium in Taichung City, Taiwan, from July 11-15. USA Baseball will announce the full Collegiate National Team and Training Camp roster at a later date. A 6-foot-6, 260-pound right-hander, Cozart has posted a 6-0 ledger with a 1.59 ERA and eight saves in 20 appearances. The All-SEC First Team selection has registered a 0.64 WHIP and a .112 batting average against over 45 1/3 frames. A High Point, N.C. native, Cozart has totaled 66 strikeouts, while issuing just 12 walks. Among Division I hurlers (min. 45 inn.), the freshman sits first in WHIP and third in ERA, trailing only UC Santa Barbara's Jackson Flora (1.03) and USC's Mason Edwards (1.49). In SEC play, Cozart paced all pitchers (min. 25 inn.) in ERA (1.01) and WHIP (0.64), while tallying a co-league-high seven saves. A 5-foot-10, 190-pound outfielder, Pack Jr. slashed .360/.479/.559 with seven home runs and 45 RBI during the regular season. His team-best 20 stolen bases are the most by a Texas freshman since Drew Stubbs swiped 28 bags in 2004. In SEC action, Pack Jr. led all qualifying hitters in batting average (.400) and on-base percentage (.511). The SEC Freshman of the Year also tied for second in hits (44), tied for third in walks (23), tied for fifth in doubles (10) and stolen bases (12), and finished sixth in OPS (1.111). Pack Jr. became the first SEC freshman to hit .400 in league play since Mississippi State's Jake Mangum accomplished the feat in 2016. A USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award semifinalist, Volantis has notched an 8-1 record and a 2.05 ERA, which ranks first in the SEC and sixth nationally. Meanwhile, the sophomore boasts the conference's third-lowest WHIP and 12th-best mark in the country. His 105 strikeouts are the third-most in the SEC and tied for the 17th-most nationally. The All-SEC First Team honoree has held opposing hitters to a .188 clip over a team-high 74 2/3 innings. As of May 19, Volantis paces all active Division I hurlers (min. 75 inning) in career ERA (2.01). The complete list of Longhorns who have previously participated with the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team is below. 2024: Max Belyeu 2021: Aaron Nixon, Tanner Witt 2013: C.J Hinojosa 2011: Corey Knebel, Hoby Milner, Eric Weiss 2007: Jordan Danks 2006: Preston Clark 2005: Drew Stubbs, Kyle McCulloch, 2004: J. Brent Cox, Drew Stubbs, Taylor Teagarden 2003: Huston Street 2002: Huston Street 2001: Ryan Hubele, Omar Quintanilla 1999: Phil Seibel 1996: Kip Harkrider 1992: Calvin Murray 1989: Kirk Dressendorfer 1985: Curt Krippner 1984: Greg Swindell 1982: Mike Brumely, Mike Capel 1981: Burk Goldthorn, Spike Owen 1979: Kevin Shannon 1974: Rick Bradley, Keith Moreland, Richard Wortham

I love that almost National Treasures autos are on-card. I’m hoping losing the NFL license means Panini will go all in on making their collegiate products top notch.

Skenes stopped hitting when he got to LSU. Ohtani is a once-in-a-lifetime type of player. There are always exceptions. I was speaking more about guys at Texas and prospects coming from high school to college.

I get developing a skill set. The more he does that, the better off he’ll be in the NFL. But on critical downs, I want him running toward the football, not away from it.

Oct. 2, 1993 Texas 55, Rice 38 Bert Emanuel was the quarterback for Rice. Some guy named Anthony Holmes ran for two touchdowns for the Longhorns (I wonder whatever happened to him?). That day was all I needed to understand where my allegiances resided when it came to college football in the state of Texas. Whatever doubt was left, Stonie Clark erased it on the goal line against OU the next season.

Texas has had guys recently like Trey Faltine and Tanner Witt who could’ve done it, but I can’t see anybody doing both at the level Brooks did. Guys are too specialized at a young age to pick one or the other that guys talented enough to do it don’t develop the skills like they should, and the universal DH in MLB has killed off the need for pitchers to hit.

My first favorite Longhorn in any sport!

Along with those, any time I can get the 🐐's name (Kieschnick) published in an article, my 9-year-old self enjoys it!

I enjoyed working with Barton Simmons (now Vanderbilt's GM) at 247Sports. But man, when I had Brian Perroni go back in and change Elliott's ranking to a four-star after the Top247 was finalized, I was rightfully ripped a new one (and, FWIW, I told Perroni to blame me if he got any flak for changing the ranking).

I'll continue to emphasize the importance of Texas having homegrown prospects at quarterback, left tackle and EDGE. It's a positive factor in building the 2026 roster that isn't discussed enough. You can think of recruiting now as NFL teams that hit on draft picks. Yes, you have to pay for elite players. But an established relationship is more conducive to negotiating a deal all sides deem fair (and that's before getting to the uniqueness of Arch's situation, relative to other quarterbacks of his ilk). It would've cut way deeper into the allocated funds in January if Texas had to go on the open market to get anything close to what it has in Arch, Goosby and Simmons.

Published Monday morning, Jordan Scruggs’ first contribution to OTF listed the 10 most wanted recruits left on the board for Texas in the 2027 cycle. In the transfer portal/NIL era of college football, four of the 10 prospects jumped out as arguably the most important remaining targets for the Longhorns: — Ismael Camara, OL, Gilmer — Marcus Fakatou, DL, Chatsworth (Calif.) Sierra Canyon — Jabaarrius Garror, EDGE, Mobile (Ala.) Vigor — Bryan Swanson, OL, Dallas South Oak Cliff Understanding how championship-caliber rosters are built in college football today highlights the importance of these four prospects, especially when looking at how Steve Sarkisian’s organization constructed the 2026 squad. While the Longhorns had the resources to get virtually everything they needed during the transfer portal window, high school recruiting taking care of three premium positions (quarterback, offensive tackle and edge rusher), with Arch Manning, Trevor Goosby and Colin Simmons occupying those roles, allowed the staff to focus on other areas of need. Including defensive linemen, players at four of the five most lucrative positions in the NFL come with a steep price tag in the transfer portal. Texas has the wherewithal that few other programs have to acquire talent. Still, if the Longhorns’ must-have list included a top-tier, premium-position talent other than Cam Coleman, they might not have had the luxury of souping up the running back room with Raleek Brown and Hollywood Smothers. If Goosby had left for the NFL, it would’ve driven up the price for Melvin Siani (or another tackle on the open market) or, potentially, caused the pool at another position of need to shrink until the tackle need was fulfilled. There’s no guarantee that the high school pipeline will always be the answer to filling premium positions. Nevertheless, if Texas uses high school recruiting to prioritize quarterbacks and players on both sides of the line of scrimmage who disrupt and protect the most important position on the field at an elite level, Sarkisian’s program has a good chance to remain a step ahead of the pack when future portal windows open. *** DeShon Elliott's name probably wouldn't jump to the top of the list of all-time great Longhorns worthy of induction into the College Football Hall of Fame when his time comes to enter the pool of candidates, even though he meets the criteria (an NCAA-recognized first-team All-American honor). With that said, Elliott’s 2017 season is in the record books as arguably the best season by a Longhorn defensive back routinely omitted from the discussion for such an honor. Only six Texas defenders have intercepted more passes in a single season than the six Elliott snagged in 12 games (he was one of several players who opted out of the Texas Bowl against Missouri, which was a win at the end of Tom Herman’s first season as coach). A Jim Thorpe Award finalist, Elliott is in an exclusive group of Texas defensive backs to be named a unanimous All-American, joining Johnnie Johnson (1978 and 1979), Jerry Gray (1984), Quentin Jammer (2001) and Michael Huff (2005). Whether Elliott joins what's likely three-fourths of DBU's Mount Rushmore in the Hall of Fame down the road or not (Johnson was inducted in 2007, Gray in 2013 and Huff in 2025), the fact that he has a chance to be an active NFL player when he’s 10 seasons removed from the end of his collegiate career (the other requirement for a player to be considered for induction) is an accomplishment in and of itself. Elliott was offered early by Charlie Strong’s staff, one of two tremendous early evaluations on defense in the 2015 cycle (the other was Charles Omenihu, who, like Elliott, is still an active NFL player). At the time, it wasn't certain if Elliott would stay at safety or eventually spin down from safety to linebacker, but he made plays on the back end when he was healthy enough to see the field. After battling through injuries in two seasons under Strong, Elliott blossomed in his lone season as a safety in Todd Orlando’s defense. I’ve enjoyed Elliott’s career arc immensely after getting myself into hot water at 247Sports for circumventing the chain of command to ensure he finished the 2015 cycle as a four-star recruit. I believed in Elliott as a prospect enough to stick my neck out (which, in hindsight, was a reckless move) and, after departing the Forty Acres with a bang, he’s become a quality NFL player as he enters the last season of a $12.5 million extension he signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers last summer. *** Anthony Pack Jr. was named SEC Freshman of the Year on Monday, a well-deserved honor for what’s on pace to go down in the record books as one of the best freshman seasons for a position player in the history of the Longhorn baseball program. Texas has had four players named Baseball America’s National Freshman of the Year (Greg Swindell in 1984, Kirk Dressendorfer in 1988, Brooks Kieschnick in 1991 and Dylan Volantis in 2025), all of whom were full-time or part-time pitchers. The only thing Pack has done on the mound is torment whoever has toed the rubber for the opposition, entering the SEC Tournament leading the Longhorns in batting average (.360), doubles (16) and stolen bases (20). He’s on pace to be the first freshman to lead the Longhorns in batting average since Erich Weiss hit .348 in 2011. Pack is also in the running to be the first Texas freshman to hit .360 or better (minimum two plate appearances per game) in a season since Omar Quintanilla hit .367 in 2001. He’s six doubles shy of Quintanilla’s freshman school record (22). Eight stolen bases ahead of Adrian Rodriguez for the team lead, Pack is likely to be the first freshman to lead the Longhorns in stolen bases with 20 or more since Drew Stubbs swiped 28 bags in 2004. “Fearless” is the word Jim Schlossnagle has most used to describe how Pack has approached his first season of college baseball. It’s appropriate, considering Pack’s steady ascent throughout the season, which saw him be consistent enough to lead all SEC hitters in batting average (.400) and on-base percentage (.511) during conference play. View full news story

I'll only do it if, once in a while, I can rip a box of junk wax on a livestream. 1990 Score baseball would be good. Scott Bryant's rookie card, Keith Moreland's last licensed card and, obviously, chasing the Bo Jackson bat/shoulder pads card and Frank Thomas rookies!

Pack, Robbins, Volantis, Tinney and Cozart. It's hard to find five players who've meant more to their team than those guys have meant to Schloss and Texas in 2026.

First-Team All SEC OF: Aiden Robbins SP: Dylan Volantis RP: Sam Cozart Second-Team All-SEC Catcher: Carson Tinney OF: Anthony Pack Jr. SEC All-Freshman Team OF: Anthony Pack Jr. RP: Sam Cozart

Aiden Robbins is the SEC Newcomer of the Year. One of the best and most impactful incoming transfers in any sport on the Forty Acres in the portal era.

Anthony Pack Jr. has been named the SEC Freshman of the Year. It's the second consecutive season a Longhorn has been voted the SEC Freshman of the Year by the league's coaches after Dylan Volantis took home the honor in 2025.