Nevertheless, the Longhorns overcame a forgettable offensive first half (8-for-26 shooting) and turnovers and defensive lapses in the second half to exit Moody Center with a victory over the Gamecocks in a must-win game. Dailyn Swain scored 15 of his team-high 22 points in the second half (10 rebounds for his fifth double-double of the season, with three assists and two steals), while Tramon Mark scored 15 of his 18 points over the last 20 minutes of play.

Texas (14-9, 5-5 SEC) remained KenPom.com’s No. 34 team after the win, maintaining the Longhorns’ case to stay on the right side of the NCAA Tournament bubble (Texas entered Tuesday’s game as one of Joe Lunardi’s last four teams in the field of 68).

Here are three takeaways from a win the Longhorns had to grind out:

1. Along with Swain making clutch plays at both ends of the floor and Mark finding his groove offensively in the second half, Texas got a big lift from Cam Heide (12 points, five rebounds and two assists), who delivered arguably his best performance as a Longhorn. He drilled back-to-back 3-pointers to break a 50-50 tie midway through the second half, but his defensive effort, including the three rebounds he grabbed down the stretch, kept him on the court.

With Matas Vokietaitis (12 points on 3-for-8 shooting and nine rebounds) unable to get into a flow offensively (four turnovers) before fouling out, and Jordan Pope (three points on 1-for-6 shooting in 26 minutes) struggling, Heide’s offensive output was a godsend.

2. Even though Simeon Wilcher (seven points, four assists and two rebounds) dealt with foul trouble throughout the game, he led a productive night by the Longhorn bench. It’s the second game in a row Wilcher has come up big off the bench after scoring 10 points with two rebounds, two assists, a block and a steal in 22 minutes in last Saturday’s 79-69 road win over Oklahoma.

Wilcher, Chendall Weaver and Lassina Traore combined for 17 points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals, helping the Texas bench outscore South Carolina’s (17-15). It’s how they scored, however, that made a difference on Tuesday: Weaver knocked down a big corner three at the 6:36 mark of the second half to extend the lead and Traore scored all five of his points at the foul line (5-for-6), positively contributing to the team’s 29-for-36 performance on free throws.

3. It was two made free throws by Traore that allowed the Longhorns to take their first lead of the game with 4:36 remaining in the first half. A dismal 1-for-10 start put Texas in a hole to open the game, one from which it spent most of the night trying to emerge.

The Longhorns eventually got there, in part, by making an effort to attack the basket and force the issue with paint touches after missing five 3-pointers before the first media timeout of the first half. The defensive lapses and sloppy sequences aside, the slow start (the Gamecocks led by as many as nine points in the first half) could be chalked up to Miller’s squad feeling the impact of playing a fourth SEC game in 11 days.

Thankfully, Texas gets a day off on Wednesday and two full days to get ready for Ole Miss on Saturday. Chris Beard’s return to the Forty Acres since he was fired in January 2023 should make it an emotionally charged affair.

The Longhorns know they need to be better on Saturday than they were on Tuesday. A couple of days to catch their breath after winning three of their last four should help the cause.

***

Our @Gerry Hamilton broke the news earlier this week that Texas would be hosting 2026 DL Elijah Ali for an official visit this weekend. 

Well, Texas may not be done in the 2026 class. 

EDGE Damaad Lewis remains on the radar for the Horns, he tells me. 

LaAllen Clark has remained in contact with the Myers Park HS (Charlotte, NC) prospect over the last couple of weeks. Lewis dropped a final five back in August, which consisted of Texas, Texas A&M, Washington, NC State and USC.

While an official visit is not currently locked in yet, it is something being discussed. The final signing day begins February 4th.

The 6-foot-3-inch. 235-pound Hall is the first high school defensive prospect to commit to Texas since Steve Sarkisian hired Will Muschamp as the program’s defensive coordinator in December.

Hall picked the Longhorns over recent offers from Arkansas, Kentucky, Nebraska, Stanford and Wisconsin. He included Texas among his top 12 schools on Nov. 27, a group that included Arizona State, Baylor, LSU, Michigan, Ohio State, Ole Miss, Oklahoma, SMU, TCU, Texas A&M and Texas Tech.

After recording 40 tackles, six tackles for loss, four sacks and two forced fumbles as a sophomore, Hall racked up 46 tackles, 18 tackles for loss and 10 sacks as a junior. He was named District 3-5A DII Defensive Player of the Year, an award voted on by the district's head coaches.

Hall joins tight end JT Geraci (Ramsey, N.J./Don Bosco Prep), Manvel cornerback Karnell “Greedy” James and wide receiver Easton Royal (New Orleans, La./Brother Martin) in the 2027 recruiting class.

The following Longhorns underwent postseason surgery for various ailments and "are expected back 100 percent healthy by the season," the school said: safety Xavier Filsaime (shoulder), offensive tackle Trevor Goosby (shoulder), wide receiver Emmett Mosley V (ankle), linebacker Ty’Anthony Smith (shoulder) and wide receiver Ryan Wingo (wrist).

From College Station to Austin!

Texas lands former Texas A&M freshman offensive tackle Jonte Newman out of the transfer portal.

Newman, originally out of Bridgeland High in Cypress, Texas, makes the move from the Aggies to the Longhorns after just one year. Newman had committed to the Aggies pretty early in his recruitment after being pursued heavily by Texas and many others.

Now, Kyle Flood and Steve Sarkisian get an additional offensive tackle piece for the depth of the offensive line with a very toolsy option.

The first way is Coleman's contested catch ability down the field.

According to Pro Football Focus, Coleman faced 11 contested targets on passes thrown to him 20 yards or more down the field as a sophomore. Coleman caught nine of them, contributing almost exclusively to the 10 receptions for 323 yards and three touchdowns he recorded on deep balls.

For context, Coleman’s production on contested deep balls in 2025 was better than Lil’Jordan Humphrey's (seven receptions on 11 targets) or Colin Johnson's (six receptions on 10 targets) in 2018. Coleman was also better than what the offense got from Matthew Golden (seven receptions on 10 targets) in those situations in 2023.

Given Arch Manning’s prowess throwing the ball down the field (26 for 65 for 934 yards with 13 touchdowns, three interceptions and a PFF grade of 91.5 on pass attempts of 20 yards or more beyond the line of scrimmage) without a receiver with Coleman’s ability to win 50/50 balls, the 2026 offense could feature the best downfield passing attack of the Sarkisian era.

The second is Coleman’s ability to win against man coverage.

Coleman’s PFF grade of 79.1 against man coverage (14 receptions for 163 yards and two touchdowns on 18 targets) was better than any Texas wideout posted in 2025 (Kaliq Lockett’s grade of 76.7 came on just five targets, making Parker Livingstone’s grade of 70.1 the closest to Coleman among the receivers who were regulars in the rotation). The only Longhorn wide receiver with a better single-season grade against man coverage under Sarkisian is Xavier Worthy’s 82.3, which he earned as a freshman in 2021, when he caught 14 balls for 319 yards and four touchdowns on 21 targets against man coverage.

When Coleman hits the field for his first practice, he’ll immediately become the best wideout Sarkisian has had at Texas on 50/50 balls and arguably the best he’s had at being able to win against man coverage. What the Longhorns lost with the departures of Livingstone (a threat down the field) and DeAndre Moore Jr. (arguably the best wideout in Chris Jackson's room working against man coverage when healthy) has been replaced with one player (one with the potential to be selected in the top half of the first round of the NFL draft).

Two areas that have been hit or miss for the Texas passing attack under Sarkisian should be remedied upon Coleman’s arrival to the extent that they become strengths for the Longhorns in what should be Manning's last season at the controls.

***

A huge addition to the portal class comes in Saturday evening!

Texas lands one of the top linebackers in the 2026 portal window with the addition of former Pitt LB Rasheem Biles. 

The Longhorns were desperately in need of top linebacker talent and they get it following the visit of Biles on Saturday. 

Massive for addition for Will Muschamp’s defense as they continue to build heading into year one

Shipley escaped the accident with the help of a worker nearby but he was severely burned in the process. Shipley was care-flighted to Dell-Seaton Hospital in Austin and is currently undergoing the first of what will likely be several surgeries ahead.

Please pray for Jordan and his family, as well as his dad Bob Shipley, who is on the way to the hospital to be with Jordan and his family now.

Thank you.

Mascoe was an All-Big Ten Honorable Mention in 2025 and was recruited by Mark Orphey originally to Rutgers. 

Nevertheless, Manning led Texas with 155 yards and two touchdowns in Wednesday’s 41-27 win over Michigan in the Citrus Bowl. But it was Clark’s 105-yard effort on 20 carries that paced the Longhorn rushing attack, which churned out 235 yards, one yard shy of a season high (236 yards against Sam Houston).

Clark’s 22-yard burst over the right side of the line on his first carry set the tone for the biggest day of the redshirt freshman’s young career. He gained some much-needed confidence right out of the gate.

His ability to be patient and then to stick a foot in the ground to get vertical (with a gear he didn’t show earlier in the season) made Clark the right man to get the baton from Quintrevion Wisner as the lead dog in the Texas running game.

It’s fair to wonder if Clark should’ve gotten more carries throughout the season. Regardless, he rose to the occasion in such a manner that the Longhorns might consider allocating resources elsewhere in the transfer portal if they view Clark as someone who can handle a more significant role. (Running back will still be a top priority, but could Clark be a key rotational piece around a true No. 1 runner?)

***

The Texas (10-3) offensive line didn’t dominate the Wolverines at the point of attack. Seven of the Longhorns’ 33 official rushing attempts were stopped at or behind the line of scrimmage, and Manning’s 60-yard game-clinching touchdown run elevated the rushing yardage total.

Still, even with Michigan (9-4) recording five tackles for loss on Wednesday, Kyle Flood’s group ended the season by allowing seven total sacks against seven ranked opponents. The Wolverines became the Longhorns' second ranked foe this season to come up empty trying to sack Manning (Vanderbilt was also shut out in the sack department).

Whether Trevor Goosby comes back or not, Wednesday’s game made for a solid sendoff for a group that’s going to lose D.J. Campbell, Cole Huston and possibly Connor Robertson.

***

It’s a shame Emmett Mosley V (five catches for 51 yards) was injured late in the first half and couldn’t return. He displayed impressively strong hands and the kind of decisiveness in the quick game that could make him a more versatile weapon than he got a chance to show he could be in his first season with the program.

***

If the Citrus Bowl is the last game for Jack Endries as a Longhorn, it was one in which he made a difference. His five receptions for 35 yards included a touchdown catch that saw him impressively hang onto the ball after getting popped in the end zone.

***

It wasn’t always pretty on defense, especially throughout the third and into the fourth quarter when Michigan started to control the game. A big part of that was Bryce Underwood (199 yards passing, 77 yards rushing, three total touchdowns and two interceptions) taking advantage of available, open throws underneath, eating into a 9.3 to-go distance on third down (a 4-for-15 night on third down) to set the Wolverines up for a 5-for-6 night on fourth down.

But when the dust settled, Texas finished plus-2 in the turnover margin (3-1) thanks to a pair of big second-half interceptions by Ty’Anthony Smith (a game-high nine tackles, a tackle for loss and a quarterback hurry) and a red-zone pick by Wardell Mack.

***

Colin Simmons (one sack and two tackles for loss) impacted the game, especially when he could pin his ears back and attack the Wolverines' tackles. His season-long total of 12 sacks as a sophomore ties him with Tony Degrate (1984), Kiki De Ayala (1981) and Steve McMichael (1977) for eighth on the school’s single-season list (with 21 career sacks, Simmons’ next one will move him into a tie for 12th place on the program’s career charts).

***

While I’m thrilled that the Longhorns got the win and developed a lot of guys during bowl season who will be expected to take on more significant roles in 2026, three things must change before the start of next season:

— Even though the officiating left a lot to be desired on Wednesday (including two controversial Michigan touchdowns confirmed by the ACC crew after going under the hood for a review), a season-high-tying 12 penalties for 104 yards isn’t how I wanted this team to end the season. I don’t know what Steve Sarkisian needs to do to fix the penalty problem, but Texas must find a way to play cleaner, more disciplined football next season.

— Outside of Mason Shipley’s 2-for-2 night on field goals (43 and 51 yards, respectively), the kicking game was a disaster. It took the Longhorns entirely too long to stop kicking the ball to Andrew Marsh (163 all-purpose yards, only 10 of which came on offense) and Ryan Niblett’s fumble on a kickoff return, which set up Michigan’s first touchdown, was the only turnover of the game.

The offense and defense did enough to overcome the net negative contributions from the special teams, a phase of the game in which entirely too many penalties were committed through 13 games.

— I appreciated the effort of guys like Smith, Mack, Graceson Littleton (six tackles and a pass breakup), Warren Roberson (five tackles and a pass breakup), Kade Phillips (eight tackles, two tackles for loss and a pass breakup), Bo Barnes (three tackles, a tackle for loss and a sack) and Jelani McDonald (seven tackles), who threw their bodies around in the name of making plays (Roberson came painfully close to forcing a touchback on Underwood's fourth-quarter touchdown run and Mack's interception was preceeded by a sudden move to cornerback with Roberson and Kobe Black unavailable at the time). Still, the challenge for Will Muschamp will be to maximize a dynamic pass rush while tightening up coverage and eliminating the easy throws, of which there were too many available for Underwood on Wednesday.

***

The unsavory aspects of Wednesday’s game aside, Texas rides into the offseason with a 10th win on the strength of a monster game from Manning, with changes afoot to help the Longhorns get back into the College Football Playoff.

With that as the backdrop, I’ll worry about the transfer portal and how Muschamp will fill out the defensive staff after savoring this one for a bit.

The 2025 season didn’t play out the way Longhorn fans wanted it to or hoped it would. Thankfully, an undermanned squad of fewer than 70 scholarship players gave everyone something to feel good about heading into 2026.