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Holtz on DKR https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-11-22-sp-477-story.html

Easy answer to me is Zina imo. It's huge for the depth of the defense we kept him at UT. I'm curious how Filsaime comes along with Gideon back

First and most importantly, OTF has been the best in the business from the very beginning. And yet, you continue to grow and improve as time goes on. I’m not sure if it’s just the hiring of @Hank South, but I’ve noticed a really clear and impressive ramp-up in content quality and quantity lately. Hiring Hank gives the staff more flexibility to really address the topics they know and are passionate about, and it also makes the staff much more versatile and deep. Finally, the long-form analysis pieces have become a key part of OTF’s value proposition as a website. The YT channel has been impeccable from the very start, but I’m starting to see @Bobby Burton’s vision for the site too. Yall never cease to impress. Kudos to the whole staff for stepping it up even more. The results are obvious. I can’t wait to see how this community continues to grow and evolve.

Nice stuff Jeff 🤘

I want to see as many guys as possible face tough decisions on whether to be a part of next year's draft. That would mean Texas likely put a number on the wall in 2026.

Of the guys in the "Now of Never" group, who are you banking on to break through and claim a bigger role for themselves? — Kobe Black — Xavier Filsaime — Jordon Johnson-Rubell — Wardell Mack — Zina Umeozulu

I see quite a few 2027 draft prospects on that list - nice job Jeff!

This has been an exercise I've done every spring because it's fun to see the sense of urgency some guys show when they realize their time is getting short (see Ryan Niblett last season). With that said, there aren't that many guys left from the '24 class and the nature of the transfer portal/NIL/revenue sharing means the 2026 season will likely be the last one in a Texas uniform for a lot of guys in this group.

Historically, I’ve viewed Texas players entering their third year in the program as guys facing now-or-never situations. You can step up and solidify your place on the depth chart or you run the risk of a younger player surpassing you to claim your spot. While there have been instances where guys like John Harris and Tope Imade come out of nowhere as seniors and depart the Forty Acres with a bang, they’re the exception to the rule. A player’s true junior or redshirt sophomore season has been, for all intents and purposes, a contract year. That’s literally the reality for the members of the 2024 recruiting class who remain in the program in 2026. Third-year college football players are now more like NFL rookies. Programs must decide whether to exercise their option to bring the player back for another season (likely, at a higher dollar figure than what the player previously earned) or be OK with them testing the waters to see what they can get on the open market. How things played out for the 2023 high school signees during the winter transfer portal window should give the crop of third-year Longhorns a road map for how things might play out. Anthony Hill Jr. and Malik Muhammad had good enough junior seasons to follow through with their expected departures for the 2026 NFL Draft. Arch Manning was always coming back, barring something unforeseen, and Trevor Goosby flirted with beginning his NFL career after one season as a starter. Still, both will be back as redshirt juniors, positioned to be high picks in the 2027 draft. Although Jelani McDonald, Derek Williams Jr. and Ryan Niblett are among those who chose to return to Texas, CJ Baxter (Kentucky), Liona Lefau (Colorado), DeAndre Moore Jr. (Colorado) and Quintrevion Wisner (Florida State) decided to finish their college careers elsewhere. With NIL and revenue sharing a part of roster construction that's out in the open for public consumption, Steve Sarkisian admitted during his pre-spring practice conference on Feb. 23 that it’s a two-way street when it comes to the tough decisions that must be made in the portal window. “I'd love for them all to stay, and I'd love for them all to finish what they started here with us, but contrary to, maybe, popular belief, our money isn't endless here either,” Sarkisian said. “We have to make real decisions — where we're trying to spend the money on the players that we have to try to put together a championship roster, but yet not lose sight of how powerful our culture is. Those are difficult decisions to make.” There’s no right or wrong way to group the 2024 signees when trying to figure out where they stand heading into a fork-in-the-road season regarding their football careers. So, I broke them down into four categories: NFL Bound — Barring something unexpected happening, a sure-fire NFL draft pick in 2027 — Colin Simmons It’s pretty simple: If the All-American edge defender stays healthy and the combination of Will Muschamp and LaAllan Clark gets the most out of him that they can, Simmons should be one of the first players off the board in the 2027 draft. Proven Commodity — Established, starting-caliber player with more to prove before the NFL becomes a realistic option — Brandon Baker — Ryan Wingo The goal for Baker and Wingo should be to position themselves as McDonald did after the 2025 season, where he had a legitimate stay-or-go decision to make. Baker and Wingo could come back in 2027 and be featured in more prominent roles. Or they could decide to strike while the iron is hot, if in fact it heats up. But those scenarios aren’t sure things for either of them right now. Bonafide Contributor — NFL future aside, this group is made of pieces who’d be hard to replace if something happened to them — Alex January — Ty’Anthony Smith January will once again be a key part of a deep, talented interior defensive line rotation that figures to pack more of a punch than the 2025 group if Maraad Watson is healthy and Ian Geffrard allows Muschamp to bounce between playing even and odd fronts. With Smith, his immediate future will be determined by his ability to keep making splash plays while playing more consistent, down-to-down football in a new scheme. Now or Never — If you haven’t solidified your role yet, it’s time to make your move — Kobe Black — Xavier Filsaime — Jordon Johnson-Rubell — Wardell Mack — Zina Umeozulu This group has a few guys (namely Black, Filsaime and Umeozulu) who could become significant contributors in 2026 and foundational pieces in 2027. Volatility exists, though, meaning they could get passed up by incoming transfers or younger players on the roster if they fail to convince the coaches to give them more snaps. View full news story

You have mayonnaise on your chin.

That would have to be Aggie uniforms.

No kidding! Speaks to the depth of the history of Longhorn DBs

Those are some tough cuts! 🤘

I'm interested to see which position groups Texas does NOT have the #1 player in the state.

Ryan Wingo is No. 6. Also, GJ Kinne's Texas State offense should be a solid test for Will Muschamp's defense in the opener:

How do you think Rod did?

Rod and I broke it down on the last edition of "Football Theory," which drops every Thursday on the OTF YouTube channel and on our podcast platforms.

I want to thank Rod for talking about Major Applewhite long enough for me to shoehorn in a Roger Roesler mention!

Let's hear it for year-round storytelling

This video dropped on the YouTube channel and on our podcast platforms in the last couple of days. Did CJ and Rod get it right?

Come on @Gerry Hamilton. Live Live Healthy vs Live Life Happy 😂

Hard to not be excited about this one.

Atkinson and Smoke both look like grown-ass men