For each position, we will take a look at what the expected look will be for the 2024 season then a peak behind the curtain for what the position will gain and/or lose beyond the upcoming season.

Quarterback

On Roster: Quinn Ewers, Arch Manning, Trey Owens

Coming Soon: KJ Lacey

For 2024: It was never any secret what the position was going to look like when word around Quinn Ewers started to turn towards No. 3 returning for another season in Austin. The job is his, but he is going to be pushed very hard behind the scenes by a redshirt freshman Arch Manning and the incoming freshman, Trey Owens. Texas is entering the SEC with a top five quarterback in the country and a more than capable QB2. 

Beyond: Quinn Ewers is in the conversation for being the top quarterback off the board for the 2025 NFL Draft. Should Ewers depart, as is the consensus thought right now, Texas is expected to begin the Arch Manning era in Austin. The former No. 1 overall player in the 2023 class got a little taste of game action last fall where he had some 'wow' moments, but in very limited setting. KJ Lacey will join the fold as well, battling with Trey Owens for that QB2 role. I would expect to see Manning on campus for at least two years before departing for the NFL Draft.

Running Back

On Roster: CJ Baxter, Jaydon Blue, Savion Red, Tre Wisner, Christian Clark, Jerrick Gibson

Coming Soon: 2025 commit(s), 2026 Raycine Guillory Jr. 

For 2024: Talent is bountiful in the running backs room at the moment. Perhaps the deepest position room on the entire roster going into the 2024 season. The 1-2 punch of Baxter and Blue is very encouraging and figures to be a massive part of the Texas offense next fall. An extra year in the weight room should be noticeable for Baxter next year as he takes over the bell-cow role. The change of pace component in Jaydon Blue's game excites me; he possesses a level of speed that might not be matched by the rest of the room. Question is, what role does Savion Red play for the upcoming year? Can Tre Wisner scrap out a piece as well? Do the freshman lap anyone ahead of them? All good questions which we will get an idea about beginning in March.

Beyond: Tashard Choice has set this group up to be in the conversation for the best running back room in the country. It is likely the Longhorns could  run back the same unit in 2025, with Baxter entering his draft eligible season and Blue coming back for his senior season. What then happens to the backs behind them? Regardless, Texas has two freshmen backs in Jerrick Gibson and Christian Clark that already have folks buzzing inside of the facility. Texas should not be dry of talent at the running back spot any time soon.

The Texas Longhorns 2025 class is currently ranked inside the top 10 with a handful of commitments. 

Steve Sarkisian and staff hosted Junior Day January 20, and spent the month of January evaluating the 2025 class with more offers extended. 

With the calendar turning to February, OnTexasFootball takes a first look at the 2025 Best Class Scenario. The number of players listed at 28, with a combination of 22-24 of this group a lock to be a fourth straight top 10 class. 

Important to note, this list of prospects will change as Texas moves along in the 2025 cycle. 

Quarterback (1)

K.J. Lacey, Saraland (Ala.) High #AllGasNoBrakes
Recruiting Ranking: OnTexasFootball 4-star
Note: Steve Sarkisian and A.J. Milwee made a visit to Saraland High last Tuesday. 

Running back (1-2)

Jordon Davison, RB, Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei
Recruiting Ranking: OnTexasFootball 4-star
Note: Attended Texas Junior Day January 20. 

Rickey Stewart, RB, Tyler (Texas) Chapel Hill
Recruiting Ranking: OnTexasFootball 4-star
Note: Texas offered at Junior Day January 20. Steve Sarkisian and Tashard Choice made a stop at Chapel Hill in January. 

Wide receiver (2-3)

Dakorien Moore, Duncanville (Texas) High - *LSU commit
Recruiting Ranking: OnTexasFootball 5-star
Note: Texas will recruiting the LSU commit through the whistle. 

Kelshaun Johnson, WR, Hitchcock (Texas) High
Recruiting Ranking: OnTexasFootball 4-star
Note: Attended Texas Junior Day January 20. Steve Sarkisian and Blake Gideon were by the school in January.

Marcus Harris, WR, Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei
Recruiting Ranking: OnTexasFootball 4-star
Note: Scheduled to make official visit to Texas the last weekend in June. 

Tight end (2)

Kiotti Armstrong, TE, Jasper (Texas) High
Recruiting Ranking: OnTexasFootball 4-star
Note: Attended Texas Junior Day January 20. Scheduled to make visit around spring practice March 22.

Emaree Winston, TE, Calhoun (Ga.) High #AllGasNoBrakes
Recruiting Ranking: OnTexasFootball 4-star

Offensive line (5)

Michael Fasusi, OT, Lewisville (Texas) High
Recruiting Ranking: OnTexasFootball 5-star
Note: Steve Sarkisian, Kyle Flood and Tashard Choice made a school visit last week. An official visit the last weekend of June is tentatively scheduled.

Jonte Newman, OT, Cypress (Texas) Bridgeland
Recruiting Ranking: OnTexasFootball 4-star
Note: Attended Texas Junior Day January 20. Kyle Flood made a school visit last Thursday.

Tyler Thomas, IOL, Dickinson (Texas) High
Recruiting Ranking: OnTexasFootball 3-star
Note: Kyle Flood made a school visit in January. Planning last weekend in June official visit.

John Mills, IOL, San Francisco (Calif.) St. Ignatius
Recruiting Ranking: OnTexasFootball 4-star
Note: Attended Texas Junior Day January 20. Planning June official visit.

Jackson Christian, IOL, Port Niches (Texas) PN-G
Recruiting Ranking: OnTexasFootball 4-star
Note: Attended Texas Junior Day January 20. Steve Sarkisian stopped by PN-G in January. 

Defensive line (4)

Brandon Brown, DL, Melbourne (Fla.) Eau Gallie #AllGasNoBrakes
Recruiting Ranking: OnTexasFootball 4-star
Note: Brown is expected to visit Texas in March around a spring practice. 

Zion Williams, DL, Lufkin (Texas) high
Recruiting Ranking: OnTexasFootball 4-star
Note: New Texas defensive line coach Kenny Baker stopped by Lufkin last Wednesday.

Josiah Sharma, DL, Folsom (Calif.) Folsom
Recruiting Ranking: OnTexasFootball 4-star
Note: Texas offered last week. Has ties to state of Texas, and used to live in Arlington. 

Floyd Guidry, DL, Spring (Texas) High
Recruiting Ranking: OnTexasFootball 4-star
Note: Attended Texas Junior day January 20. Kenny Baker stopped by Cy-Fair last Tuesday.

-Or-

Landon Rink, DL, Cypress (Texas) Cy-Fair
Recruiting Ranking: OnTexasFootball 4-star
Note: Attended Texas Junior day January 20. Kenny Baker stopped by Cy-Fair last Tuesday.

EDGE (2-3)

Lance Jackson, Texarkana (Texas) Pleasant Grove #AllGasNoBrakes
Recruiting Ranking: OnTexasFootball 4-star

Kamauryn Morgan, Dallas (Texas) South Oak Cliff
Recruiting Ranking: OnTexasFootball 4-star
Note: Attended Texas Junior day January 20.

Linebacker (3-4)

Riley Pettijohn, McKinney (Texas) High
Recruiting Ranking: OnTexasFootball 4-star
Note: Attended Texas Junior Day January 20.

Elijah Barnes, Dallas (Texas) Skyline
Recruiting Ranking: OnTexasFootball 4-star
Note: Attended Texas Junior Day January 20. 

Anthony Williams, Pearland (Texas) Shadow Creek #AllGasNoBrakes
Recruiting Ranking: OnTexasFootball 3-star

Jonathan Cunningham, Fort Worth (Texas) North Crowley
Recruiting Ranking: OnTexasFootball 4-star
Note: Attended Junior Day January 20. Texas offered last week. A spring practice visit is expected. 

Defensive back (3-4)

Dorian Brew, CB, Conroe (Texas) High
Recruiting Ranking: OnTexasFootball 4-star
Note: Attended Texas Junior Day January 20. 

Jonah Williams, S, Galveston (Texas) Ball High
Recruiting Ranking: OnTexasFootball 4-star
Note: Oklahoma considered the team to beat due to football/baseball combination.

Cobey Sellers, CB, Pearland (Texas) Shadow Creek
Recruiting Ranking: OnTexasFootball 4-star
Note: Attended Texas Junior Day January 20. Oklahoma considered the team to beat. 

Athlete (1)

Nick Townsend, LB/EDGE, Houston (Texas) Dekaney
Recruiting Ranking: OnTexasFootball 4-star
Note: Not as publicized as others, but a player Texas likes a lot. 

TE Emaree Winston was at UCF this weekend where Gus Malzahn made it a point to spend time with him during their trip together to the Knights' basketball game.

DL Brandon Brown was with his 7-on-7 team at USC over the weekend as well for a quick unofficial visit. Fortunately for Texas, that same 7-on-7 team will be in the Austin area in a little over a month where he will be able to visit with the Texas staff.

QB KJ Lacey was able to stop by the Reese's Senior Bowl on Saturday, a bit of a sigh of relief for Texas as there were reports expecting him to make it to Oxford to visit Lane Kiffin and the Ole Miss program.

Nothing is expected from either of the three at the moment, but this is the fight the Longhorns will continually be putting up against as the cycle continues.

Harris is likely to become the team’s general manager or whatever terminology Steve Sarkisian opts to call it, a role which was expected to be held by Billy Glasscock prior to his move to Ole Miss last week. Harris has been a steady, trusted force in the recruiting department for the Longhorns under Sark.

Jones is expected to become the director of player personnel. Jones has been a behind-the-scenes figure for Texas for several years. The team’s successful walk-on program can be partially attributed to his efforts beginning several years ago.

**
The Texas coaches are off this week. Many will be out of the office. Some are taking mini vacations, some are going to see family, etc.

But as always, recruiting never stops this time of year.

**

There was a time when the first Wednesday in February was complete chaos for Texas and every other college football team. Not anymore.

It’s almost crazy to consider the Horns will have a completely quiet second signing day.

**
The current litigation between the University of Tennessee, the states of Tennessee and Virginia, and the NCAA are focused around illegal recruiting inducements.

The NCAA doesn’t want financial inducements to play a role in recruiting. The states of Virginia and Tennessee say that’s a ridiculous rule.

What other “job” do you get where money is not a factor in your decision?

And that’s the issue. The NCAA is clinging on to the idea that this is not about a job, it’s about education. The problem is, it’s actually about both for many of these young athletes.

The NCAA can’t have its cake and eat it, too.

I talked to a legal expert about this over the weekend. They say there’s no question the NCAA will lose this fight, too. 

The Texas Longhorns staff is coming off an extremely busy couple of months on the recruiting front. 

January brought a Junior Day with around 150 combined prospects in the 2025 and 2026 classes in Austin. 

The staff wrapped up the month with a number of new offers being made in 2025 and 2026, mostly out of state. 

OnTexasFootball gets the week going with some Monday morning recruiting nuggets.

Recruitments Texas can win

Rickey Stewart, RB, Tyler (Texas) Chapel Hill

The Longhorns offered the one-time SMU verbal January 20 at Junior Day. Texas can win this one with a big push, and Steve Sarkisian was by Chapel Hill in January. There has been some Texas chatter in the last few days with Baylor also in play. Stewart’s teammate and friend Demetrius Brisbane Jr. has already flipped from SMU to Baylor. 

Kelshaun Johnson, WR, Hitchcock (Texas) High

The explosive wide receiver is considered a Texas lean headed into the spring. Johnson attended Junior Days at Texas and Texas A&M in January. The offensive scheme, the quarterback room and Texas trajectory are key reasons why every program is chasing the Longhorns. A decision is expected prior to his senior season. 

Kiotti Armstrong, TE, Jasper (Texas) High

The 6-foot-5, 250-pound Southeast Texas tight end is considered a Texas lean headed into the spring. He made Junior Day visits to Texas A&M and Texas in January. He will head back to Texas March 22 with his 7v7 team prior to a tournament in the Austin area. Armstrong currently plans to make June official visits and announce a decision around the start of the 2024 season. 

OL John Mills planning June OV

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

Mills attended the Texas Junior Day January 20, and is planning to make an official visit in June. He has spoke with Texas OL coach Kyle Flood about visit dates. Mills also attended the Florida Junior Day January 27. Washington (a number of family members were athletes at UW) and Michigan also remain very much in the mix. Nebraska is working to make a push as well. 

Speaking of June official visits, the last weekend of the month will be the big visit weekend for the Longhorns. Two prospects already expected to make official visits that last weekend are Lewisville (Texas) High’s Michael Fasusi and Dickinson (Texas) High’s IOL Tyler Thomas.

One more note

Hightower (Texas) High 2025 CB/DB Kade Phillips attended Texas Junior Day January 20 with hopes of an offer. That has yet to happen. Phillips was back on campus at Texas A&M Saturday. This recruitment is looking like a Texas A&M vs. LSU final barring a major change.

And today I would like to thank Longhorn Wealth Management Group for sponsoring the show!

https://youtube.com/live/XwHh6t5yyNM

New Texas defensive line coach Kenny Baker made a trip to Lafayette (La.) Friday to meet with signee Melvin Hills. 

Hills, 6-3 and 280-pounds, had been eager for the first conversation since Baker was announced January 30.

“I talked to Coach Baker Friday,” Hills told OnTexasFootball. “He came to see me. We were talking about how the program will be with him.”

Baker told the Lafayette Christian Academy standout what the plans would be for him early on at Texas.

“He told me that I’m an important factor with my pass rush. He said I would play end most likely to start, and then move into the interior depending on how much weight I put on.”

The first impression of Baker was a positive one. 

“I like his attitude and energy. When I talked to him, he seemed like a real guy. A God first guy.”

Up next will be a discussion with Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian. That could happen this week.  

Hills remains in the fold for the Longhorns headed into the conversation with Sarkisian. 

Melvin Hills by the numbers

Hills played his senior season 265-270 pounds. Since the season ended, he’s been locked in on adding quality weight to his frame. 

He finished his three year varsity career with 168 tackles, 36.5 tackles for loss and 20.5 sacks. That included 80 tackles, 19.5 tackles for loss and 14.5 sacks as a senior. 

DALLAS – Dave Campbell’s Texas Football and Whataburger are proud to honor the best and brightest stars in Texas high school football with the announcement of the 2023 Whataburger Super Team. Texas high school football fans across the state cast more than 1.7 million votes on TexasFootball.com, and 40 outstanding athletes from all parts of Texas rose to the top to be named with this unique honor.

The Texas Longhorns 2024 class had five players make the list: 

Colin Simmons, DL, Duncanville (Texas) High

Xavier Filsaime, DB, McKinney (Texas) High

Kobe Black, DB, Waco (Texas) Connally

Tyanthony Smith, Utility, Jasper (Texas) High

Freddie Dubose, Utility, Spring Branch (Texas) Smithson Valley

Armstrong, 6-foot-5 and 250 pounds, attended Texas Junior Day January 20. He also received a school visit from head coach Steve Sarkisian and tight ends coach Jeff Banks in January. 

“Coach Sark told me to go out there and handle my business,” Armstrong said today. “And keep developing.”

Former Jasper High teammate and good friend Tyanthony Smith has had a strong message for Armstrong since getting settled in at Texas. 

“He likes it a lot,” Armstrong said. “He told me Texas is where he needs to be.”

Texas A&M Junior Day visit

Armstrong attended Junior Day at Texas A&M January 13. Getting to spend time on campus with the new staff was key. 

“I liked it a lot,” he said. “Being able to be around the new staff. How they treat me and that they will try to develop me as a person and not just a football player.”

Visit plans in March

Armstrong is expected to make an unofficial visit to Texas March 22 prior to a 7v7 tournament in Round Rock the 23rd and 24th. 

A visit to Texas A&M in March is also a possibility. 

Armstrong currently has 28 offers. That includes SEC programs Texas, Texas A&M, Alabama, LSU, Oklahoma, Auburn, Florida, Ole Miss, Arkansas and Mississippi State.