Zina & Ffrench in the portal

[Los Cuernos]

Wow.

[tommym]

Makes sense, with both. Zina following neto.

[chennups]

that hurts.  ffrench was supposed to be the 1a WR of the class.  got passed up by lockett and mccutcheon.  zina also had potential too--great sack against michigan.  this is what i hate most about the new ear of college football--not getting to see the recruits you followed reach their potential @ Texas.  

[Bobby_Batronic]

I think it’s safe to say at this point in the proceedings that “All In” is a lot closer to “Getting It Pushed In.” There’s still time to manage the situation with well selected second and third choices, but it looks like our process is decidedly broken from acquisition to retention. 

We’ve got a week to evaluate, tamper, cajole and spend our a$$es off. 

[utx2]

Guess Texas looking at Oklahoma state rush end might have been a factor.   I wouldn’t let Zina go myself but I’m not coaching.   Maybe Boom steps in again 

[Thisrowyellssorry]

More bothered by Zina than Ffrench but it does seem our roster will thin in this new portal age. Hope we finish strong this window.

[Mark Futrell]

I see it very differently than most....Fans are jumping on Texas, Sark and The Staff. If a Freshman came to Texas and expected to start and contribute as a Freshman, then his expectations are out of whack. There is a huge disconnect with many of these 4 and 5 Star High School Recruits. It starts with their Attitudes and Entitlement. Give me a kid who is Poor, Smart, Hungry and has the Desire to the Best everyday and with those traits he will out compete most 4 Stars. This is not a NIL or Portal Problem, this a problem with the kid. I'm beginning to lose patience with many of these kids who run from challenges and adversity. This from Tom Brady:

 

[Steamboat Willie]

Texas lost one developmental piece and one player who simply didn’t work out. Umeozulu is a legitimate SEC level athlete with long term upside, but in the short term he was unlikely to play much because Texas already has elite edge talent ahead of him. In 2026 he probably would have been a 15 to 20 snap player with the chance to become more down the road. Ffrench, on the other hand, showed almost nothing in his freshman season at a position with an extremely high bust rate. There was no real indication he was going to become a meaningful contributor, so keeping him would have meant holding onto a bad investment.

Ultimately this came down to money and opportunity. Texas chose not to keep paying players who were unlikely to provide immediate value, and those players believed they could find more playing time and better financial situations elsewhere. Losing them costs some depth, but it also saves money and clears roster space so younger players are not blocked and coaches are not trying to justify past decisions. Both players are expected to land at Power 4 schools, but Umeozulu is the one with the best chance to become a contributor.

[Big Tex]

The career stats that we're losing with these two players:

• Zina: 13 tackles, 2 sacks
• Ffrench: 1 catch for 6 yards

Granted they would have better stats if they got more playing time, but we're not losing much production. They can probably get a lot more playing time elsewhere which will also help them develop. Good luck to both young men.

[Guts]

I wouldn’t want to overpay for a non contributer either 

[Bobby Burton]

I like Zina a lot. I expect Texas to keep communication going.

[Chop]

Could this approach burn bridges with recruits and coaches in HS?