Now, if Muhammad does decide to join the Ducks, there is another name from another program to keep an eye on.

Jim Harbaugh is reportedly headed to Los Angeles today for a 2nd in-person interview with the Chargers. A deal is within "strikiing distance" per Zach Barnett of FootballScoop.

Should Harbaugh depart, a name passed on to me to keep an eye on in regards to a possible portal entry is CB Will Johnson. 

Johnson was the Defensive MVP of the National Title game and a former five-star prospect out of Grosse Pointe, Michigan.

But Oregon is expected to host him this week and the Ducks have gone from a major player in this recruitment to his potential leader.

Muhammad is expected to make a decision by no later than Jan. 30.

The Longhorns have already inked eight players in the NCAA transfer portal, the latest coming earlier today from Tiaoalii Savea, a 6-foot-4, 305-pound defensive tackle from Arizona.

Three wide receivers combine for 220+ career receptions. Add in Amari Niblack and the Longhorns may not skip a beat after sending four pass catchers to the NFL from a year ago.

Andrew Mukuba brings over 30 career starts and Freshman All American accolades.

Off the edge, Trey Moore's 22.0 sacks over the last two seasons puts him in an elite category among pass rushers around the country.

Now Texas is adding depth at positions of need with the addition of Kendrick Blackshire out of Alabama and the most recent news of Tiaoalii Savea from Arizona. Both will be a part of the rotation and allow for a sigh of relief for each position group heading into the spring.

Really impressive work thus far, and the expectation is that the Longhorns add to this list before fall camp begins.

Texas earns its eighth overall commitment in the month of January, this time from former Arizona defensive lineman Tiaoalii Savea! Savea visited over the weekend for an official visit and despite leaving campus without shutting things down, it does not take long before seeing a decision come.

The Longhorns have been looking to replace the departures of T'Vondre Sweat and Byron Murphy to the NFL Draft and Trill Carter who is now at Auburn.

Savea recorded six tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks last year at Arizona. The Longhorns are adding another capable piece to their defensive line for the 2024 season to go along with Alfred Collins, Vernon Broughton and a number of younger prospects.

Nice addition for the Longhorns here.

At 8:00 AM CST, join Blake Munroe, Bobby Burton and CJ Vogel as we discuss the latest Longhorns news, including recruiting, the portal, team discussion and much more. 
 

Today’s special guest is Pleasant Grove Head Football Coach/Athletic Director Josh Gibson. Coach Gibson obviously knows a thing or two about new Texas commit Lance Jackson, so he will go in depth on what type of player the Horns are getting. 
 

Texas hired a new defensive analyst with the addition of William Gay. Plus the portal pursuit carries on with the recruitment of Jabbar Muhammad. Rod and I also get to talking about how an increase of swagger can help the Texas secondary with on-field play. 

Special thank you to our sponsor John Donovan at Longhorn Wealth Management Group for supporting this week's Talkin' Ball!

The weekend allowed for the Longhorns to get their 2026 class started with the commitment of Aledo RB Raycine Guillory Jr., though some of the top in-state prospects in the state for the class were able to meet with the Texas staff and see campus. A few updates on some important sophomores that were on campus: 

***

A pair of Temple (TX) prospects made the trip down i35 for the Junior Day – DL Jamarion Carlton and DB Jason Bradford.

Bradford is a 6'2" defensive back with tremendous fluidity. I have watched him a few times in person in training sessions and each time he has been better than before. High upside with offers from Oklahoma State and Texas State.

The Temple staff is also very high on Jamarion Carlton as well. Five offers in the books already – Nebraska, UNT, SMU, Baylor and Houston.

*** 

Texas hosted 2026 Panther Creek WR Jalen Lott, formerly of Lovejoy. Lott spent plenty of time with Coach Steve Sarkisian on the visit with one-on-one time in his office. Jalen is the son of Texas Hall of Honor inductee James Lott for those unfamiliar. I think there is five-star potential here.

*** 

Another WR to be on notice for is 2026 San Marcos Henry Harris. The 6-foot-5 wide out from San Marcos plays like he is 6-feet tall. He is quick and can move very well. Add Harris to the offer watch list as the Longhorn staff continues out of the trail in the open window.

***

Texas has not offered a 2026 quarterback so far. Sarkisian is quite picky with his quarterback prospects and likes using the "We are only recruiting you" approach at the quarterback position.

Right now, Tampa (FL) QB Will Griffin is the one I am keeping my eyes on the closest for the 2026 QB picture. Griffin arrived Friday night and spent all of Saturday with the Texas staff, including Steve Sarkisian.

Griffin, a 6-foot-3 gunslinger, is the No. 4 quarterback in the class per 247Sports composite.

Timu spent last season as the assistant defensive line coach for the San Diego Chargers. He played at the University of Washington and three seasons in the NFL at linebacker for the Chicago Bears.

Timu was recruited to Washington by current Texas linebackers coach Johnny Nansen while on Steve Sarkisian's staff in Seattle.

A quick recap, to the best of my knowledge, of the names from the 2025 class that visited campus on Saturday that currently hold an offer in hand:

Quarterback

– KJ Lacey visited campus on January 13th and will be back on January 27th. No other 2025 QBs were on campus.

Running Back

• Mater Dei RB Jordon Davison
• Chapel Hill RB Rickey Stewart**
• Southlake Carroll RB Riley Wormley 

Texas is prioritizing Davison and he was able to earn some 1-on-1 time with Coach Sarkisian on the trip. Stewart was offered on the trip and was rather emotional when discussing his reaction to being offered.

Wide Receiver

• Shadow Creek WR Carterrius Brown
• Lancaster WR Emmanuel Choice
• Dekaney WR Tanook HInes
• Hitchcock WR Kelshaun Johnson
• SA Brandeis WR Jaden Perez
• Tomball Memorial WR Ashton Ansley
• Shadow Creek WR Jacorey Watson

Jacorey Watson was unable to stay too late, but was on campus. One to watch here is Kelshaun Johnson, the speedy playmaker has risen up the priority list as of late.

Tight End

• Jasper TE Kiotti Armstrong
• Dekaney TE Nick Townsend

Texas has Emaree Winston in the fold at the moment in the 2025 class, but hosted two very talented prospects out of the Houston area.

Offensive Line

• Prosper OL Connor Carty** 
• Port Neches Grove OL Jackson Christian
• Bridgeland OL Ryan Fodje** 
• St. Ignatius College Preparatory (CA) OL John Mills
• Bridgeland OL Jonte Newman
• Mesquite Horn OL Lamont Rogers
• DeSoto OL Byron Washington

A familiar group of names were on campus this weekend. Texas is leading the pack for Byron Washington at the moment. Kyle Flood offered Ryan Fodje and Connor Carty on their trips. As for John Mills, he arrived Friday night and was able to stick around all day for the junior day.

Defensive Line

• Spring DL Floyd Guidry
• Cy Fair DL Landon Rink
• Denton Guyer DL Xavier Ukponu

No defensive line coach on campus did not stop a handful of Texas offers from seeing campus.

Defensive End

• South Oak Cliff EDGE Kamauryn Morgan
• Pleasant Grove EDGE Lance Jackson
• Summer Creek EDGE Chad Woodfork
• Lake Travis EDGE Gus Cordova**

Texas offered 6-foot-5 Lake Travis edge rusher Gus Cordova on the visit this weekend. Kamauryn Morgan said Texas was in his top five as well, plus the Longhorns earned a commitment from Lance Jackson.

Linebackers

• Shadow Creek LB Anthony Williams
• McKinney LB Riley Pettijohn
• Dallas Skyline LB Elijah Bo Barnes
• IMG Academy LB Gavin Nix
• South Oak Cliff LB Jayden Shelton

Anthony Williams was doing some hard recruiting for the Longhorns behind the scenes on the visit. Johnny Nansen was also out last week to see Elijah Bo Barnes in person and was able to double-dip by getting him onto campus for the visit.

Defensive Backs

• Conroe CB Dorian Brew
• Westgate (LA) CB Jaboree Antoine
• Shadow Creek CB Cobey Sellers
• Fort Bend Marshall CB Caleb Chester

Brew stuck around campus until about 6:30 p.m., a great sign for Texas' chances to make up ground. OTF has been told the Texas staff was a big fan of Caleb Chester on the visit as well. Plus, Austin has been a common destination for Jaboree Antoine over the last few months too.

Athletes

• Alamo Heights ATH Michael Terry III**
• Chapel Hill ATH Demetrius Brisbon 

Michael Terry III was quick to add Texas to his top group following the trip – Texas, TCU and Texas Tech. The offer of Rickey Stewart was a big moment for Brisbon when on campus as well.

** Indicates player received an offer on the visit.

Savea is expected to be a mid-term enrollee. All mid-term enrollees at Texas must enroll by Jan. 30 at the very latest.

Texas has already added seven players from the NCAA's transfer portal. Besides Savea, Texas also continues to recruit Washington cornerback Jabbar Muhammad. Muhammad visited Texas with his parents on Wednesday and Thursday and visited Alabama over the weekend. He is expected to return to Washington to collect his belongings this week and visit Oregon while in the Pacific Northwest.