New Texas defensive line coach Kenny Baker hit the road immediately after officially being announced by Texas. 

OnTexasFootball provides the latest news and notes on defensive line recruiting to go with your Friday lunch. 

Kenny Baker’s known school stops since Tuesday

Landon Rink, Cypress (Texas) Cy Fair High
Texas offer: Yes
Father Shane Rink played on the defensive line at Texas, and is the defensive line coach at Cy-Fair High. Rink attended Junior Day’s at Texas A&M, Texas and Oklahoma in January. 

Floyd Guidry, Spring (Texas) High
Texas offer: Former DL coach Bo Davis offered December 19. 
Guidry attended Junior Day January 20. He’s gone from one Power 5 offer (Texas Tech) before the 2023 season to 14. He will attend Houston Junior Day February 3. Texas A&M jumped in with an offer last week. 

Chace Sims, Richmond (Texas) Randle
Texas offer: No
Texas invited the 6-3, 285-pounder to January 20 Junior day, but he did not attend. Sims will be at Texas A&M Saturday, and TCU and SMU Sunday. 

Carmello Brooks, Katy (Texas) Paetow
Texas offer: Yes
The 6-3, 270-pounder is a continued evaluation by the Texas staff. 

Zion Williams, Lufkin (Texas) High
Texas offer: Yes
Williams skipped Texas Junior Day January 20 to go to LSU. Texas, LSU, Texas A&M will be in an impactful East Texas battle with Oklahoma, Alabama, Georgia, etc… in the mix. 

Dilan Battle, Mansfield (Texas) Timberview
Texas offer: Yes.
Michigan, Texas, LSU, Alabama and Oklahoma were mentioned most throughout the season. Battle is scheduled to be at Florida this weekend. His father lives in Michigan, which could be impactful in an eventual decision. 

Xavier Ukponu, Denton (Texas) Guyer
Texas offer: Yes
Attended Texas Junior Day January 20. He also attended Texas A&M Junior day last weekend, and is scheduled to be at Florida this weekend. 

Two new offers this week

Josiah Sharma, Sacramento (Calif.) Folsom
Texas offered: February 1. 
Texas Co-DC and LB coach Johnny Nansen made the offer while at Folsom High. Nansen will be very key in the Longhorns’ recruiting efforts in California. Sharma backed off a Washington verbal December 27 after the coaching change. Oregon offered Thursday as well. Karen DeBoer is all in at Alabama. 

Myron Charles, Port Charlotte (Fla.) High
Texas offered: January 31
Texas TE and special teams coach Jeff Banks made the offer while hitting schools in the Southwest area of the Sunshine State. Charles, 6-5, 275, is one of the top defensive tackle prospects in the 2025 cycle. Florida and Miami received the most mention during the season. 

One DL commitment

Brandon Brown, Melbourne (Fla.) Eau Gallie #AllGasNoBrakes
Steve Sarkisian, Jeff Banks and Tashard Choice made a stop at Eau Gallie early in the week, which shows how valuable the 6-1.5, 285 pound explosive disruptor is to the Longhorns. Brown is expected to make a visit to Texas for a spring practice around a 7v7 tournament in the Lone Star State. A late June official visit is also expected. 

More names to know

Ethan Utley, Nashville (Tenn). Ensworth 
Texas offer: Yes
Texas Junior Day visit: No
Texas was in top two prior to Bo Davis’ departure to LSU. 

Gus Cordova, Austin (Texas) Lake Travis
Texas offer: Yes
Texas Junior Day visit: January 20
Texas A&M, Texas, Oregon three of the schools mentioned most right now. 

D.J. Sanders, Bellville (Texas) High
Texas offer: Yes
Texas Junior Day visit: No
Steve Sarkisian stopped by the school two weeks ago. Some schools like more on OL long term. 

Jyon Simon, Jacksonville (Fla.) Raines
Texas offer: Yes
Texas Junior Day visit: No
Expected to stay closer to home. Texas hasn't made a push since the coaching change. 

*OnTexasFootball expects this list of offers to expand more in Florida and into Georgia in the coming weeks. 

While Sark is mulling those options overall, I am hearing that two individuals are expected to receive a bump in title and responsibility: Brandon Harris and John Michael Jones.

Harris has been the Director of Recruiting for the Longhorns during Sark’s entire tenure in Austin. He recently went on the road when the Horns were down a staff member due to the departure of Bo Davis. Harris is seen as a trusted member of Sark’s circle.

Jones, a Texas grad and long-time staffer who worked for the team prior to Sark’s arrival, has been the team’s Assistant Director of Player Personnel. Jones has been a do-it-all type for the Horns behind the scenes. He’s not a name many will be familiar with but he knows the system as well as anyone.

Prior to Glasscock’s departure, a restructuring was thought to be under way. Glasscock was likely going to be elevated to a GM-like role (yet possibly not that exact title).

Time will tell what Sarkisian decides to do overall, but OTF expects Harris and Jones to be part of Sark’s solution.

OnTexasFootball begins Friday morning with some notes and nuggets. 

New DL offer Josiah Sharma has Texas ties

On Thursday the Longhorns extended an offer out west to 6-5, 300-pound defensive tackle Josiah Sharma (Folsom, Calif.). Linebackers coach Johnny Nansen met with Sharma and the Folsom coaching staff and extended the offer shortly after. 

A two-way player for his school, Sharma has seen a flurry of offers come in lately from programs such as Alabama, Washington, Oregon, Ole Miss and more. 

The Texas one, however, caught his attention. 

Sharma is originally from the Lone Star State and living here for years before moving to California. Not to mention he has family in Austin as well. 

Now the three-star prospect plans to head to campus soon for a visit. 

"I used to live in Arlington," he said. "All my family is in Texas, so absolutely, 100-percent I'm visiting." - Blake Munroe

Texas offers North Crowley 2025 fast riser

Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian and running backs coach Tashard Choice stopped by North Crowley Thursday. 

Junior linebacker Jonathan Cunningham caught the eye of new Texas Co-DC and linebackers coach Johnny Nansen early in his tenure. And Sarkisian officially extended an offer Thursday. 

"It’s a honor to receive an offer by Texas,” Cunningham said. “Not too many of high school players get this opportunity to go compete at the next level. Getting an offer from Texas and being from Texas is a blessing in disguise."

Cunningham, who is 6-3, 190, has been gaining national traction in January. Texas joins Miami, Utah, SMU, TCU, Houston, Arkansas and Oregon State in offering. That list is expected to grow to 20+ by the end of the spring evaluation period. - Gerry Hamilton

Kenny Baker on the road

There has been a constant theme amongst the early responses from recruits in regards to new Texas DL Coach Kenny Baker:

Energy and relatability.

Baker stopped by DFW yesterday to see Dilan Battle and Xavier Ukponu in person for the first time. Baker is now up to seven visits on the trail as a member of the Texas Longhorn staff:

1. Xavier Ukponu
2. Dilan Battle
3. Chace Sims
4. Landon Rink
5. Zion Williams
6. Floyd Guidry
7. Carmello Brooks 

We posted the quote from Landon Rink that mentioned the high energy Coach Baker brought to the meeting on Tuesday. I am here to echo that sentiment following conversations with several other prospects Baker has visited. 

Xavier Ukponu mentioned specifically that he felt like he could relate very well to Baker and mentioned the two had a lot in common. It has been a very strong start to the recruiting trail for the former Miami Dolphin assistant. It is worth noting that just one of Baker's visits has been accompanied by another Texas Coach – Sarkisian joined him to see Dilan Battle at Mansfield Timberview. - C.J. Vogel

Blake Gideon in Arizona 

Texas returned to Desert Edge, AZ this week to see 2025 CB Jamar Beal-Goines, this time with Blake Gideon who followed up Terry Joseph's visit from last week.

Texas still has yet to offer Beal-Goines, but there have been discussions on getting the 6-foot cornerback to campus for a visit. No discussion about the Arizona corner would be complete without mentioning his speed, which has become more of a priority with the Texas staff over the last cycle. Beal-Goines boats 10.6 speed in the 100m.

Oregon, USC, Arizona, Michigan State and Texas A&M have offered in the last week. - CJ Vogel

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As a sophomore, Henderson passes for 2,025 yards, 28 TD and just four interceptions.

Oregon, Texas A&M, Miami, Texas Tech, Penn State, TCU and more have offered as well.

Linebackers coach Johnny Nansen stopped by Folsom High School to see Sharma and offered while there.

Alabama, Washington, Ole Miss, USC, Arkansas and California are some of Sharma's early offers.

Texas offered 2025 LB Jonathan Cunningham. The 6-foot-3, 195-pounder possesses high-end instincts, arm length and ability to pursue the ball sideline to sideline. 

Of course, new stops will be highlighted in the comments, but an overview of where we have seen the Texas coaches stop thus far.

***

Steve Sarkisian

• Mansfield Timberview HS – 2025 DL Dilan Battle

• Lewisville HS – 2025 OL Michael Fasusi

• North Crowley – 2025 LB Jonathan Cunningham

• North Crowley – 2026 OL John Turntine

Tashard Choice 

• Lewisville HS – 2025 OL Michael Fasusi

• North Crowley – 2025 LB Jonathan Cunningham

• North Crowley – 2026 OL John Turntine

• Aledo – 2026 Texas RB commit Raycine Guillory Jr.

Chris Jackson 

• Parish Episcopal HS – Wednesday

Pete Kwiatkowski

• Fenwick HS (Ill.) – 2025 DL Nathaniel Marshall

Kenny Baker 

• Denton Guyer HS – 2025 DL Xavier Ukponu (expected)

• Mansfield Timberview HS – 2025 DL Dilan Battle

Johnny Nansen 

• Los Alamitos HS (Calif.) – 2026 CB Andre Johnson

Hudl: https://www.hudl.com/video/3/18139572/657216a70dc04c057410c241

Blake Gideon  (Wednesday)*

• Mountain Pointe HS (Ariz.) – 2025 DB Rylon Dillard-Allen

• Mountain Pointe HS (Ariz.) – 2025 DL Kaleb Jones

• Desert Edge HS (Ariz.) – 2025 CB Jamar Beal-Goines

Texas offensive line coach Kyle Flood stopped by Lewisville (Texas) High to see 5-star left tackle Michael Fasusi. Steve Sarkisian and Tashard Choice were also by Lewisville High. The conversation with Fasusi and his father were considered positive for the Longhorns. The weekend of June 28-30 is already beginning to set up as the big official visit weekend for Texas, which will be the final official visit for a number of prospects prior to announcing commitments before senior seasons begin. OnTexasFootball expects Fasusi to make his official visit to Texas the last weekend of June, as of today. 

Texas remains in a good position with the 6-foot-4, 300-pound tackle with elite body quickness. 

Floyd Guidry meets with Kenny Baker

Spring (Texas) High 2025 defensive lineman Floyd Guidry was visited by new Texas defensive line coach Kenny Baker earlier this week. The 6-foot-1.5, 280-pound explosive lineman came away impressed with the first meeting. 

“He’s an amazing coach,” Guidry said. “He knew what he was talking about. He told me we were going to stay connected, and he wants me to visit for a spring practice.” 

Guidry was offered by Texas December 19. That offer was made by former DL coach Bo Davis. Guidry and family followed up by attending Texas Junior Day January 20. 

Guidry, who recorded 26 tackles for loss and six sacks as a junior, is scheduled to be at Houston Junior Day February 3. 

New defensive line prospect on the radar

Richmond (Texas) Randle 2025 defensive tackle Chace Sims also received a visit from new Texas defensive line coach Kenny Baker Tuesday. 

“Man, he was great,” Sims said. “Great guy. He was telling me how he was new from the Miami Dolphins. Him having an NFL background is amazing.”

Texas invited the 6-foot-3, 290-pounder to Junior Day January 20. Sims did not attend, but a visit for a spring practice is a strong possibility. The Longhorns have not offered Sims to date.

Sims plans to visit Texas A&M Saturday, and TCU and SMU Sunday. He holds offers from TCU, Houston, Kansas, SMU, Arizona and Texas Tech.

Texas swinging away at Tyler Thomas 

Texas offensive line coach Kyle Flood was also by Dickinson (Texas) High to see 2025 target Tyler Thomas. Texas remains in a solid position with the 6-foot-5, 315-pounder. The Longhorns hosting Thomas the last weekend in June is likely. The new Texas A&M is also making a push.