- This morning marks the start of winter workouts for the Longhorns. After about three weeks off, they're back in the saddle in preparation for the 2024 season.

- CJ Vogel spoke this weekend of how impressionable new Texas linebackers coach Johnny Nansen was this weekend and that he hit it of well with many recruits.  I also heard rave reviews on both wide recievers coach Chris Jackson and running backs coach Tashard Choice.  The two of them, along with Nansen, were mentioned as coaches who stood out the most and made parents feel really good about where the program is heading.

- Texas may have landed a 2026 RB in Aledo's Raycine Guillory over the weekend, but another name to keep an eye on at the position is Forney's Javian Osborne. Running backs coach Tashard Choice offered him nearly a year ago and the two spent an ample amount of time together this weekend in Austin for the junior day as well. Osborne, who already holds offers in the double digits, was already high on Texas and this past weekend has only helped their chances more.

- It's still very early in the process for 2026 CB Braylon Edwards (Wilmer-Hutchins), but he was on campus Saturday for the first time. He checked in at 5-foot-10, 185-pounds and caught the attention of cornerbacks coach Terry Joseph and safeties coach Blake Gideon and they told Edwards they could envision him playing either position. Edwards will visit Texas A&M this upcoming weekend, followed by LSU on February 3rd. One other thing worth noting in this recruitment is that Edwards is the cousin of Jordan Johnson-Reubell.  

-  Dallas Kimball's Kevin Jacobs is a 2025 defensive back, but he spent a lot of time with Tashard Choice as well.  One thing Jacobs noted is that he felt Texas did a phenomenal job of explaining their plan for the future, both on the field with their play and off the field with their recruiting.  Jacobs said that, without a doubt, he will be returning.

We’ll be talking about…

- Savea

- Lance Jackson

- Raycine Guillory

- Junior Day

- Willie Gay

And more…

https://youtube.com/live/-K1wZDex_TU

OTF has confirmed this is not an indication of a commitment, however we do believe things are moving in the right direction here for the Longhorns.

Of course, Texas is in the market for interior defensive line help, and the 6-foot-4 and 305 lb Savea would be a welcomed addition to the Texas defense.

Texas earns its second verbal commitment following their Junior Day from Saturday, this time in the 2025 class.

Pleasant Grove EDGE Lance Jackson has announced his verbal commitment to Steve Sarkisian and the Texas Longhorns.

Jackson, a 6-foot-5 pass rusher spent most of his time with Texas DC Pete Kwiatkowski while on campus yesterday. The Longhorns made a run in his recruitment during the football season and were quick to green-light him for the class.

The 2025 class is now up to five members, as Jackson now joins Emaree Winston, KJ Lacey, Brandon Brown and Anthony Williams. Great start to the class.

– First, new co-defensive coordinator and LB coach Johnny Nansen made a really strong initial impact with a number of prospects. Texas hosted an impressive crop of linebackers on the visit, but his impact trickled down to prospects all over the defense. 2026 Bastrop DL Tiki Hola mentioned he was immediately able to connect with Nansen as the result of their Polynesian ties. We have talked about the impact Nansen will have in the Poly community and it is already started to have an affect. Nansen's impact made a strong impression yesterday.

– 2025 five-star LB Jonah Williams was someone we were expecting to make it to campus this week. He did not make the trip unfortunately.

– 2025 Pleasant Grove EDGE Lance Jackson is being recruited at BUCK by the Texas staff. The Longhorns made a really strong pitch to the 6-foot-5 pass rusher on Saturday. Jackson told me he had been to Austin for a camp and a game previously, but this visit really allowed him to take in the facilities in a slower environment. Jackson also said Pete Kwiatkoski was with him for almost his entire trip while on campus, should give you a nice idea of how much the Longhorns covet his ability. No other visits are planned at the moment as Jackson will turn focus to getting ready for his upcoming season on the mound.

– 2027 University High DB Davonrtae Kirkland is going to be a name to know. He has the tools to be a top five player in the state of his class and the Longhorns have him firmly on their radar. An offer was not extended on the trip, however, Kirkland said the Texas staff wants him to return for a visit in the near future. This kid is a stud.

– 2025 Cibolo Steele WR Royal Capell is one that I had on offer watch, however he left without an offer in hand. Capell told me Texas was impressed with his versatility. He was compared to Deebo Samuel when I was at Steele last week.

– 

- Missouri City (Hightower) 2025 four-star safety Kade Phillips had a good time on his visit.  He mentioned that the overall environment of the day was a major positive and that he was treated well. He will visit Texas A&M and Baylor next weekend.

- Henry Harris is a name to keep an eye on for the 2026 class.  The 6-foot-5, 180-pound wide receiver from San Marcos met with Texas wide receivers coach Chris Jackson for quite some time yesterday and it sounds like that made a strong impression on him.  Harris currently holds offers from California, Texas Tech and Texas State, but that should change this spring.  It's obviously very early in his recruitment and his stock should blow up in the near future.

- Prosper 2026 OT Zaden Krempin was one of many talented offensive linemen on campus yesterday and met up with Texas OL Daniel Cruz while there.  The two have trained with each other for the past two years and Cruz has been in his ear about the Longhorns. He said that, after visiting, he can easily see why Cruz decided to go to Texas.  Krempin already holds 14 offers from the likes of Florida State, Missouri, Texas A&M, Ole Miss and more.  He will visit Texas A&M and Arkansas next, with plans to return to Austin in the near future.  His current leaders are TCU, Texas A&M and SMU.

- QB recruiting seems to always happen very early and that's the case with Waco University 2027 prospect Savoy Nichols.  He already has the size, as he measured in at 6-foot-4, 172-pounds yesterday on campus.  Nichols met with both AJ Milwee and Tashard Choice and raved about both coaches, along with his visit.  He was invited back to take part in their first camp in a couple of months. Oklahoma, TCU, Nebraska, Baylor and Kansas are already showing interest, but he has no plans to visit elsewhere at this time.

Stay tuned.

And it was considered “successful”.

So how many commitments did the Longhorns grab? Five? Seven? Ten?

Nope. Just one emerged.

And it really should be no surprise to close onlookers of the program. That’s how Steve Sarkisian plays it.

When it comes to recruiting and Sark, patience isn’t just a buzzword, it’s a way of life.

Yet there are different ways to look at his patience.

Sark and running back coach Tashard Choice took that one commitment not from a player in the upcoming 2025 class, but a running back in 2026, Aledo’s speedy Raycine Guillory Jr.

Perhaps that’s how the Horns want to play it. Take a player who wants to sign two years from now, yet a pledge from a 2025 player is just too soon.

How does that jibe with Sark’s “patient”recruiting style?

Here’s how:

The immediate class needs more detailed introspection. While we all know a commitment two years from now doesn’t always stick, one in the ‘25 class is very likely to.

So Sark is actually playing the long game yet again. Better to be thorough on the front end, especially on decisions that will impact your program sooner.

It’s a simple, proven concept. And Sark’s not changing, not until he has truly surveyed the landscape, met with a multitude of recruits and is ready to pull the trigger.

Sark and recruiting, I just never get the feeling that he pushes the panic button.

He’s willing to play the long game. Always.

**
 

New scholarship offers for class of 2025:

ATH, Michael Terry Jr., San Antonio Alamo Heights

RB, Rickey Wright, Tyler Chapel Hill

OL Ryan Frodje, Cypress Bridgeland

OL, Connor Carry, Prosper

DL, Gustavo Cordova, Lake Travis

**
 

We’ll have more from junior day later today.