Plenty of updates on top targets and a breakdown of the March and April unofficial visit dates, as well as June officials.

Texas finished the 2023 season ranked as the No. 12 ranked scoring defense (18.9 PPG). Having to replace Jaylan Ford, Byron Murphy, T’Vondre Sweat and Ryan Watts won’t be easy, but there is promise here.

One sentence summary of the offense: Plenty of opportunities for folks in the front seven to carve out snap share of their own in 2024, it starts this spring.

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Defense Line

Replacing T’Vondre Sweat, Byron Muprhy and even Trill Carter will prove to be a large task for new Texas DL coach Kenny Baker in year one. Luckily, there are bodies here, the question becomes how much will you be able to rely on each individual body? Alfred Collins and Vernon Broughton have the most run time of any in the room. The addition of Tiaoalii Savea is big as well in terms of getting bodies who can defend the run.

Texas must see Jaray Bledsoe and Aaron Bryant turn into rotational pieces this fall – Bryant was at the end of the year to be fair. Can Alex January impress the staff in his first spring? And for Sydir Mitchell, the question is at 372 pounds, can he play at that weight. I am holding out hope but am not entirely encouraged.

Last Note: What was the biggest strength of the Texas defense in 2023 is now its biggest question mark.

Defensive End

Returning Ethan Burke, Barryn Sorrell and Justice Finkley is very encouraging. But adding UTSA transfer Trey Moore and five-star Colin Simmons can turn this room from a solid department to a strength of the team. This is five-man rotation I am expecting to see in the spring make most of the noise.

Other questions include what does J’Mond Tapp turn into heading into year three? Is Colton Vasek finally healthy enough to see a full two months of ball? Zina Umeozulu and Billy Walton serve as great depth and developmental pieces as well.

Last Note: I love the makeup of this room, but now it is about turning pressures into sacks and creating those negative plays off the edge.

Linebacker

I won’t lie to you, this is a position that has seen an increase in skepticism since the end of the season for me. Yes, Anthony Hill Jr. has the tools and makings of an eventual All-SEC player, but who else will join him as reliable pieces in this room? I don’t quite know right now.

David Gbenda had plenty of encouraging moments in 2023 but there is vulnerability in the passing game and teams already targeted him when he had extended snaps a year ago. The Longhorns added Kendrick Blackshire out of the portal, but again, he has his limitations at 263 pounds when dropping into coverage.

Out of this group, I am the most bullish on Liona Lefau and believe by the end of fall camp we could see him as the second linebacker on the field next to Hill come week one.

Last Note: I don’t want to overlook S’Maje Burrell or Derion Gullette either. But right now, there are questions marks at the LB spot that I think stretch beyond the depth side of things.

Nickel

Jahdae Barron put together a masterclass at the position a year ago and returns for what should be one final go-round as a Longhorn. Luckily for Texas, this position has plenty of depth and could allow for some movement for Barron to other spots on the field. Both Barron and Jaylon Guilbeau have cross-trained at outside. Austin Jordan is back for year three in the system as well and if worse comes to worst you could potentially see Andrew Mukuba spun down from the safety spot.

True freshman Wardell Mack has been receiving some run here in offseason workouts.

Last Note: At the end of the day, this spot was a strength on the field with Barron’s intelligence in 2023 and should continue to be reliable for PK’s scheme in 2024 and beyond.

Cornerback

Count me in as a huge believer in the Texas cornerback room for 2024. This spring should be very fun for all involved, though most specifically for guys like Malik Muhammad and Terrance Brooks who will be going against an elite WR group. Gavin Holmes will certainly benefit from this as well. Holmes had a solid 2023, and I have been told this offseason he has brought an incredible mindset to offseason workouts to take an extra leap in the spring.

I am very curious to see how Warren Roberson performs this spring. Roberson is incredibly twitchy and has enough length to be problematic at the line of scrimmage. That then leads me to freshmen bunch of Kobe Black and Wardell Mack and what kind of run they get early. Not expecting a whole lot this early, but I do believe they will benefit from the level of talent they will face on a day to day in camp.

Last Note: Plenty of talent on to be optimistic about the future of this unit. Big leaps are in order for the two returning starters.

Safety

What was probably the most concerning part of the 2023 roster has had a completely face-lift and is now in a position to be the most improved position on the team headed into the SEC. Led by Andrew Mukuba out of the transfer portal and a second year Derek Williams, this unit has significantly more athleticism than a year ago. Add in the ever-so important Michael Taaffe, and I am once again a believer in this position group.

Early enrollee Xavier Filsaime has arguably made the most noise of anyone who made it to campus at the turn of the semester. There is a lot of promise from the McKinney native. Jordon Johnson-Rubell is up to 190 pounds already. He has a tremendous football IQ which leads me to think he will be a viable option at either the centerfield S spot, or a potential move to nickel later on.

OnTexasFootball touched base with a number of Texas offers and targets in the 2025 cycle Monday. We get Tuesday started with some nuggets and notes from the various conversations. 

Dorian Brew, CB, Conroe (Texas) High

The 6-2, 197 pound cornerback with 10.7 FAT 100 meter speed told OnTexasFootball last night that he has an official visit locked in to Ohio State June 21-23. He also said he believes his Texas visit date is locked in, but a family member has those details. That date is likely to be June 14-16. 

Brew will be on the road this weekend with a trip to Oregon. He also plans to attend the LSU Spring Game April 13, and will be on campus at Ohio State this spring as well. A visit to Texas in April is also likely. The Longhorns Spring Game date of April 20 is a possibility.

Ohio State, Texas and LSU continue to be the three schools that are consistently talked about with a pari of sources close to the recruitment. Brew's father was an All-American sprinter at LSU, and an Olympian. His mother is in the Ohio State Hall of Fame (track and field). 

John Mills, IOL, San Francisco (Calif.) St. Ignatius 

The OnTexasFootball 4-star offensive lineman remains a top target for Texas at guard in the 2025 cycle. Mills, 6-6 and 325 pounds, has added two more official visits to his calendar. OnTexasFootball broke the news a while back that Mills would visit Texas June 14-16, as well as Washington May 31-June 2. 

Mills told OTF Monday night that he will officially visit California May 23-26, and USC June 21-23. Florida, Nebraska, Michigan and a couple of others are also in play for official visits. 

Mills will also be at Texas April 6 for the Longhorns big visit weekend around spring practice. His spring unofficial visit schedule is packed with Nebraska March 23, California March 30, Texas April 5-6, Michigan April 7-8 and Washington April 13. 

Jarquez Carter, DL, Newberry (Fla.) High

One of the first week in March offers by Texas defensive line coach Kenny Baker made a visit to Miami (Fla) last weekend. Carter, 6-2 and 280 pounds, will be at UCF March 15, and plans to visit Florida State, Tennessee and Ohio State in March. He also has Alabama and Colorado Spring Game (April 27) in April. 

Carter didn't rule out a visit to Texas, but there is not a date being targeted as of Monday afternoon. 

Derry Norris Jr., DL, Port Orange (Fla.) Spruce Creek

OnTexasFootball continues to hear that a spring visit to Texas is likely by the 6-3, 270 pound versatile defensive lineman. This is a recruitment to watch for the Longhorns if they make a big spring push. 

The current April 6 visitors list on the defensive line includes Chace Sims (Richmond, Texas/Randle), Floyd Guidry (Spring, Texas/High) and Xavier Ukponu (Denton, Texas/Guyer). 

Alief (Texas) Hastings EDGE Smith Orogbo was offered by area recruiter Jeff Banks January 22, 2024. Since that time, he has built a relationship with the Texas staff - Banks, Pete Kwiatkowksi and Steve Sarkisian. 

Orogbo, 6-5 and 215 pounds, told OnTexasFootball Monday night that he has locked in a visit to Texas April 6. That will be one of two big visit weekends around spring practice next month. 

Orogbo has one official visit scheduled, SMU May 17-19. He also plans to make unofficial visits to Oklahoma state and Nebraska for the Cornhuskers Spring Game. USC is another likely visit destination. 

The Houston area fast riser enter his junior season with one offer - Arkansas State. Since that time, he has added 29 offers. That offer list includes 21 Power 5 offers. SEC programs that have offered are Texas, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Florida, Missouri and Arkansas. USC and Miami have also offered.

Today, we will start with the offensive side of the ball when it comes to previewing spring football.

One sentence summary of the offense: There are plenty of new toys around Quinn Ewers who returns for year three behind loaded, veteran offensive line.

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Quarterback

Quinn Ewers is headed back up the weight roller coaster after a strong winter in the weight room. He returns to Texas for year three in the system and will enter the upcoming season as one of the favorites for the Heisman trophy. For Quinn this fall, the key for me is to hear about his total control of the offense. Take true leadership of the new faces at the WR spot and continue the path of development.

As for Arch Manning, this will be the most we will get to see from the former five-star prospect in a Texas uniform. Manning will no longer have to wait for third team reps as we saw his freshman season. I am fully of the belief Manning would be able to succeed in the Texas offense should he be asked to this season. Should be another opportunity for development this offseason.

Last Note: I have been told several times this offseason Ewers' command/leadership of the team has improved significantly since the conclusion of the season.

Running Back

There is no hiding the talent in this Texas RB room – something we have said for several years now. CJ Baxter and Jaydon Blue are expected to be the 1–2 punch though it is going to be very interesting to see how the rest of the room falls in place. What role does Savion Red carve out at 240 pounds? Can Tre Wisner increase some of his share in the room as well?  Plus, what happen with the two freshmen and do they create some noise this spring. Regardless, a very fun room to look at and plenty of big time talent.

Last Note: The path for any of the backup RBs to carve out a role for themselves heading into the spring is to become a plus in pass protection. That is the biggest weakness in this room.

Wide Receiver

The talk of the offseason has been surrounding the portal additions of Matthew Golden, Isaiah Bond and Silas Bolden. While only Bond and Golden will be on campus for the spring season, this room is going to have plenty of competition in what was expected to be a wide open target share. Johntay Cook is the leading incumbent from the 2023 team and is one guy I have penciled into the starting 11 at the moment. 

Of the early enrollees, there has been plenty of praise in direction of Ryan Wingo and should he get up to speed with the playbook and situational football in the spring, you can expect to see the new No. 5 on the field in the fall. One other Texas wide receiver I am keeping a close eye on is DeAndre Moore who will be entering his second year in the program.

Matthew Golden was still receiving treatment on his foot as recently as the end of last week.

Last Note: The speed in this room is going to be noticeable from the get-go. Question is now, which of these receivers will play unselfishly without the ball, something Texas has asked their WRs to do a lot under Sarkisian.

Tight End

You can expect to see Gunnar Helm as the first tight end used this spring. That goes for a number of reasons, but mostly the familiarity with the system. Helm has had a strong offseason and is up to 250 pounds currently. What is going to be very fun is the combination of Helm and Amari Niblack on the field together. There is an ideal balance of talent and skillsets between the two which will pose as a challenge for seemingly every defensive coordinator Texas faces this upcoming fall – first it will be Pete Kwiatkowski during the spring.

Juan Davis is the slimmest of the bunch which gives me pause for a possible increase in his snaps this spring. Whereas, this will be a big spring in the development of Spencer Shannon.

Niblack too was in a boot earlier this winter, though the belief is he will be good to go for the beginning of spring. 

Last Note: Nice complementary aspect with this unit here. Question turns to if there will be too much a tipped hand with personnel usage.

Offensive Line

The makeup of this offensive line is ideal for not only Quinn Ewers, but for Steve Sarkisian as his program enters the SEC. With four of five returning, there is plenty of familiarity and talent with this bunch. It should not be out of the range of possibility to see this unit in the Joe Moore Award finalist group next fall. Though for the spring, the question turns to which of the guys in the 2nd group challenge for a starting spot.

Texas has plenty of depth here at the moment. With guys like Cole Hutson and Neto Umeozulu eager to get into the starting five, what movement do we see on the interior? Will there be true movement from Hayden Conner to right tackle to push Cam Williams? What about Brandon Baker or Trevor Goosby? So many options and possibilities here.

Kelvin Banks is up to 325 pounds and DJ Campbell is coming down a bit in his own right. 

Last Note: On paper, this is the best Texas offensive line in the past 15 years. Should be a very strong spring season.

The Texas Longhorns in the Steve Sarkisian era will have a strong recruiting footprint in the state of California. And the 2025 cycle may end up defining that more than any other since Sarkisian has been in Austin. 

On Monday, 4-star EDGE Hayden Lowe (Westlake Village, Calif./Oaks Christian) told OnTexasFootball that he has a pair of visits to Texas set up, including an official visit in June. 

Lowe, 6-4 and 240, told OTF that he will be in Austin April 6 for the big visit weekend around Texas spring practice. And that will be the first of two visits. 

The Oaks Christian standout defender also informed OnTexasFootball that he has an official visit locked the weekend of June 14-16. 

Texas has been in contact with Lowe for months, and offered February 16 of 2023. 

Lowe enters the spring with 26 offers. That list includes SEC programs Texas, Texas A&M, Tennessee, Alabama and Oklahoma. The offer list also includes USC, Oregon, Washington, UCLA, Michigan, Notre Dame and Miami (Fla.). 

The Los Angeles area prospect enters his senior season with 100 tackles, 24 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks. He posted 29 tackles, seven tackles for loss and two interceptions in eight games in 2023. 

McCutcheon has sporadically been in contact with the Texas staff, though communication has begun to increase over the last month, and as a result, he will officially visit the Longhorns during June 14-16 weekend.

The top-100 prospect per the 247Sports composite has four officials locked in at the moment: Ohio State May 31, USC June 7, Texas June 14 and Florida State on June 21.

Winter workouts were a busy time for McCutcheon who received visits from Mike Norvell and Ryan Day in consecutive days. As a result, this to me has the makings of a Ohio State-Florida State battle at the moment. However, there has been plenty of interest in the Longhorns in the past and an official visit to Texas might be able to swing things a bit.

Of course it certainly does not hurt Texas' chances having former Lovejoy teammate Parker Livingstone in the fold and on roster at the moment as well.

QB - 1

RB - 1

WR - 7

TE - 3

OL - 7

DL - 5

LB - 3

DB - 4

The Horns actually have more than 31 official visitors lined up, but 31 is the current public number.

For example, running back Jordon Davison of Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei and receiver DK Moore of Duncanville are both expected to visit but have yet to announce their specific dates, so they are not included in the total number as yet.

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How many scholarships will Texas use this year? It depends on roster attrition, some to the NFL and some to the transfer portal.

A good rule of thumb is to start with the number 20 and work your way up or down from that number based on attrition.

**

The plan for DT recruiting seems pretty clear.

Cast a much wider net.

Texas is not only canvassing the state of Texas for the top players, including the most recent offer to Chace Sims of Richmond Randle, but the Horns have put their hook in the water across the entire country.

The Horns currently have DL offers out to players from: Georgia, Alabama, Florida, Indiana, Tennessee, California, Illinois, Mississippi, Pennsylvania and Maryland, as well as Texas.

In other words, Steve Sarkisian is making sure that new DL coach Kenny Baker takes a vastly different approach than Bo Davis.

The Texas Longhorns will compete in more national recruiting and regional rivalry battles in the 2025 cycle than ever before. Some of that is Texas continuing to expand the national recruiting footprint, and some of it is the top tier national talent in state at several positions. 

OnTexasFootball looks at a dozen recruiting battles in the 2025 cycle that will cover both scenarios.

Michael Fasusi, OT, Lewisville (Texas) High 

The OnTexasFootball 5-star left tackle will be one of the key recruiting battles for Texas in the cycle. Is Fasusi a "must win"? Nope, not with John Turntine III right behind him in the 2026 cycle at the same position. Make no mistake though, Texas wants Fasusi badly. And so does Oklahoma and Texas A&M. And that alone makes for a tremendous recruitment to follow. Texas and Oklahoma is where the decision will likely come from ultimately. They have been the top two for months. The Aggies have ample pressure in the 2025 cycle to win key in-state battles on the offensive line as it's the position in need of the most help in the program. 

Brandon Brown, DL, Melbourne (Fla.) Eau Gallie

The OnTexasFootball 4-star and Texas pledge will make the visit rounds nationally with California Power 7v7 program. That includes a Texas visit March 22 prior to a June official visit (14-16). The Longhorns will have to play keep away against powerful recruiting programs in USC, Tennessee, Florida (multiple family members played at UF), Miami and others. These are the battles one signs up for on the defensive line in SEC land. 

Dakorien Moore, WR, Duncanville (Texas) High

The OnTexasFootball 5-star and LSU pledge will be back in Austin April 20 for the Texas Spring Game. The day that the news hit that Keelon Russell was planning to attend the Spring Game with Jeff Banks making the invitation, it was expected that Moore would also be in Austin. There will be visits and flirting with Ohio State, USC and a couple of others, but make no mistake this is a Texas vs. LSU recruiting throw down. 

Dorian Brew, CB, Conroe (Texas) High

Dorian Brew has all the makings of a true national recruiting battle. His father ran track at LSU, and was an Olympian. His mother is in the Ohio State Hall of Fame (track). He has Texas all in on wanting to keep him home. USC is in it. Texas A&M is working to be truly in the hunt. He was expected to commit to Ohio State January 24 before backing off that date and slowing the process down. All the makings of a big time national recruitment. And Texas fully understands it. 

Jordon Davison, RB, Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei

Texas has been in a good position for the SoCal running back for about a year. With that said, this is a national battle with Alabama, Ohio State and Oregon taking mighty swings. Steve Sarkisian and Tashard Choice will have Texas in position to ultimately win, but the spring and June visits will very much be a national recruiting battle. 

Jaime Ffrench, WR, Jacksonville (Fla.) Mandarin

Texas has won some key and big recruiting battles in Central Florida and at IMG Academy in the last two classes. The 2025 cycle and Jaime Ffrench is something different, however. This is an area, Jacksonville, where Texas hasn't had success to date in the Sunshine State. And Ffrench is a Sunshine State receiver with Ohio State trying to beat out Florida State and Miami, with Texas trying to pull the upset. This is a gird up your loins type recruitment for fan bases locked into Ffrench. 

Zion Williams, DL, Lufkin (Texas) High

A Lufkin High/East Texas recruiting battle for a defensive lineman with SEC size. That means Texas and Texas A&M will swing away at each other. And then there is LSU, having former Texas defensive line coach Bo Davis adding more intrigue. This is a stick the chest out recruitment, without question. And what is the role of Jamarkus McFarland at TCU. He's distantly related to Williams, and was one of the most memorable Texas vs. Oklahoma recruitments of the Mack Brown/Bob Stoops era. 

Riley Pettijohn and Elijah Barnes, LB's from DFW

Riley Pettijohn putting a 10.98 FAT 100 meters on the board at 210'ish pounds amped up his recruitment even more. All the national players will battle it out. Texas vs. USC vs. Ohio State vs. FSU vs. Texas A&M for Pettijohn. Barnes will be Texas vs. Alabama vs. Ohio State vs. LSU vs. Texas A&M vs. FSU. Texas enters the spring in a pretty good position for both. If Texas won both, that would be a serious DFW recruiting flex by Sarkisian and staff. 

Jonte Newman, Jackson Christian and Tyler Thomas

Texas is locked in a trio of offensive line battles that are very key in the region. As mentioned above, Texas A&M has little margin for error in the 2025 cycle on the offensive line. The Aggies need to walk away with two of the three mentioned above. Texas would like to do the same, as of today. Oklahoma has serious interest in in Jonte Newman, and LSU is going to make a run at Tyler Thomas. 

Texas Longhorns ended the regular season in style Saturday with a convincing beat down of arch-rival Oklahoma 94-80 behind a career-high 30 points by junior guard Tyrese Hunter. 

Texas (20-11, 9-9) also earned the No. 7 seed in this weeks Big 12 Tournament with the win Saturday coupled with TCU's upset home loss to UCF. That means Texas will take on No. 10 seed Kansas State (18-13, 8-10), who has a hint of NCAA Tournament life with a Big 12 Tournament run after a home win over Iowa State Saturday. 

Should Texas beat Kansas State Wednesday at 6 p.m. central, the Longhorns will take on No. 2 seed Iowa State Thursday. 

The Longhorns head into the Big 12 Tournament playing their best ball of the season, arguably. Texas is for sure playing the best offensive ball of the season having scored 80 or more points in four straight games - 81 in win at Texas Tech, 81 in win over Oklahoma State, 85 in loss at Baylor and 94 in win over Oklahoma. 

OnTexasFootball takes a look at the rankings and scenarios headed into the Big 12 Tournament. 

Texas NCAA Tournament seeding scenarios

The Longhorns are going to be a No. 7 or No. 8 seed barring a run to the Big 12 Tournament Championship Game. The majority of bracketology projections have Texas as a No. 8 seed, currently. 

Joe Lunardi has Texas a No. 8 seed. One projection (Jerry Palm), has Texas a No. 9 seed. 

NCAA Men’s Basketball NET Rankings (March 1)
Texas is No. 25 in NCAA NET after the weekend college games The Horns moved up 15 spots in the last two weeks from No. 40 prior to the win in Lubbock.

The Longhorns are 5-9 in Quad 1 games, 3-1 vs. Quad 2, 5-1 vs. Quad 3 and 7-0 vs. Quad 4. 

T-Rank 
Texas is No. 20 in Bart Torvik’s rankings currently, up from No. 23 prior to the win over Oklahoma. 

2024 Ken Pomeroy College Basketball Ratings
Texas checks in at No. 23 after being No. 25 prior to the Saturday win, and action in college basketball.