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    Jeff Howe
    This week, I’m Scattershooting while wondering how much better Longhorn legend Eric Metcalf’s chances of making the Pro Football Hall of Fame would be if he hadn’t played in the NFL three decades before his time.
    Texas hasn’t produced three first-round picks in a single NFL Draft since 1980, when Johnny “Lam” Jones (No. 2 overall to the New York Jets), Johnnie Johnson (No. 17 overall to the Los Angeles Rams) and Derrick Hatchett (No. 24 overall to the Baltimore Colts) had their names called. With the NFL Scouting Combine in the books, the conditions are ripe for the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft to feature three Longhorns after what Jahdae Barron and Matthew Golden ran in Indianapolis (4.39 and 4.29 in the 40-yard dash, respectively).
    If I’m putting money down on the first Texas player picked in another noteworthy draft for coach Steve Sarkisian’s program, I’m more convinced to bet on Kelvin Banks Jr.
    Banks measured over 6 feet 5 inches tall and weighed 315 pounds with verified 33.5-inch arms, a wingspan of over 84 inches and 10-plus-inch hands. Those vitals should silence the crowd eager to kick him inside to guard at the next level.
    The Outland Trophy and Lombardi Award winner has a tailor-made skillset for playing tackle in the NFL in 2025, namely his elite track record in pass protection. Few lingering concerns should exist regarding Banks’ body, which lends itself to playing a premium position, either on the right or left side, where he started 42 games in a decorated career on the Forty Acres.
    — LSU’s Will Campbell topped Banks’ height (just shy of 6 feet 7 inches) and weight (319 pounds). Still, the top contender vying with Banks to be the first tackle selected in the draft, it’s verified that Campbell has shorter arms, a shorter wingspan and smaller hands than the Longhorns’ 2024 unanimous All-American.
    Banks is positioned to be the first Texas offensive lineman to go in the first round since Mike Williams in 2002 (No. 4 overall to the Buffalo Bills). That’s also the last time the Longhorns produced the first offensive lineman selected in the draft (it happened in consecutive drafts; the Arizona Cardinals used the No. 2 overall pick on Leonard Davis in 2001).
    Banks, Campbell, Missouri tackle Armand Membou and Alabama guard Tyler Booker are among the notable candidates to be the first lineman picked. I can’t see Banks being available after the San Francisco 49ers go on the clock for the No. 11 pick; lifetime Longhorn Kyle Shanahan could draft an immediate starter at right tackle who can move to the left side whenever Trent Williams decides to wrap up his Hall of Fame career.
    — I don’t want Andrew Mukuba’s 4.45 40-yard dash, which tied for the fifth-fastest time among safeties at the combine, to get lost in the shuffle of a newsworthy weekend for the Longhorns who were in Indianapolis.
    Mukuba only ran the 40 at the combine, opting to perform his other tests during his pro day on March 26. The 5-foot-11-inch, 186-pound Austin LBJ product showed he’s an impact player when healthy; recording better-than-expected verified speed should boost his stock.
    I’ll be surprised if Mukuba is on the board beyond the fourth round. His one season in a Texas uniform proved that safety is his best position, but he also played cornerback and in the slot at Clemson. His striking ability, nose for the football, and speed make him a candidate to be a core special teamer.
    — Mukuba, Golden and Isaiah Bond (his 4.39 clocking in the 40 would be getting more buzz if he hadn’t called his shot while making a run at Xavier Worthy’s record; he did, however, record the highest mph among the wideouts at the combine) headlined the program’s transfer portal haul for 2024. Those three — along with defensive linemen Jermayne Lole, Bill Norton and Tia Savea, running back Velton Gardner, tight end Amari Niblack, cornerback Jay’Vion Cole, linebacker Kendrick Blackshire (transferred to UTSA after spring practice), wide receiver/return specialist Silas Bolden and EDGE Trey Moore — helped Texas tie the school record for single-season wins (13) and reach the College Football Playoff semifinals for the second consecutive season.
    Is it the best portal class of the Sarkisian era? It’s the clubhouse leader among the four due to the group’s unmatched combination of quality and quantity compared to Sarkisian's other portal classes.
    — With that said, everybody in the 2023 group (wide receiver Adonai Mitchell, defensive lineman Trill Carter, cornerback Gavin Holmes, safety Jalen Catalon and punter Ryan Sanborn) contributed to the Longhorns winning the Big 12 and advancing to the CFP for the first time. The haul was light on numbers, but it was chock-full of productive players and void of notable blemishes (other than Catalon’s play and playing time declining severely after a leg injury in a loss to Oklahoma).
    It was feast (quarterback Quinn Ewers, linebacker Diamonte Tucker-Dorsey and cornerback Ryan Watts) or famine (wide receivers Agiye Hall and Isaiah Neyor and tight end Jahleel Billingsley) for the 2022 crop Texas recruited out of the portal.
    Keilan Robinson emerged as the crown jewel of the 2021 portal class. It was one in which the Longhorns took fliers on largely unproven commodities from then-Power Five programs (Robinson at running back and outside linebackers Ovie Oghoufo and Ray Thornton), players with known injury issues (linebacker Ben Davis) and small-school products (cornerback Darrion Dunn and linebacker Devin Richardson) to fill out the roster ahead of Sarkisian’s first season (Dunn signed under the previous regime, making his way to Texas from FCS McNeese State).
    — I don’t know exactly what Neal Brown’s role will be on Sarkisian’s staff. What I hope the former West Virginia head coach brings to the Longhorns are fresh ideas to help a running game that needs to be more diverse and dynamic in 2025 than it was in 2024.
    Raw numbers can get skewed when the sample size is 16 games. Still, Texas averaged 4.3 yards per rushing attempt last season, which isn't good, no matter what lens it's viewed through.
    It's the first time the Longhorns failed to average at least five yards per carry under Sarkisian. It also marked he program’s lowest output since 2018 (3.8 yards per attempt).
    Brown was a wide receiver for Hal Mumme at Kentucky, making his offense a direct descendent of the Air Raid. What separates Brown’s version of the Air Raid from others is his desire to run the football utilizing heavier personnel, whether it’s using a fullback, an extra running back, a sniffer or an extra tight end.
    The Longhorns will start replacing four departed starters along the offensive line in earnest when spring practice gets underway. Not to mention Texas needing to account for the losses of Jaydon Blue, Juan Davis and Gunnar Helm.
    Quintrevion Wisner and D.J. Campbell are the only key members of last season’s rushing attack returning in their same roles. Brown’s addition to the staff is coming at the perfect time if Sarkisian wants to revamp the ground game.
    Jeff Howe
    AUSTIN, Texas — On a night when the Texas men’s basketball team needed a win to keep its fading NCAA Tournament hopes alive, the Longhorns laid an egg in an 83-67 loss to Georgia at Moody Center on Saturday.
    Coach Rodney Terry’s team never led over 40 minutes of the team’s third consecutive loss. The Bulldogs led by as many as 27 points in the second half, shooting 51.8 percent from the field (29-for-56; 8-for-22 from 3-point range) and turning 13 turnovers by Texas (16-13, 5-11 SEC) into 16 points at the other end of the floor.
    After losing just five home games in the two seasons since the Longhorns left the Erwin Center for their new digs, the 16-point defeat (the second largest margin endured by Texas at Moody Center) marked the team’s sixth loss on their home floor this season. Just like his club’s forgettable 103-80 loss to Alabama on Feb. 11, the execution and effort put forth by Terry’s bunch on Saturday left a lot to be desired.
    The burnt orange faithful had to be disheartened to watch Longhorns suffer a lopsided loss to Georgia (18-11, 6-10) with their postseason fate on the line.
    Texas plays its final SEC road game against No. 24 Mississippi State on Tuesday (7 p.m., SEC Network) and wraps up the regular season at home against Oklahoma next Saturday (7 p.m., SEC Network). Unfortunately, Saturday's loss to the Bulldogs means winning both games won’t help the team's March Madness odds.
    When Was it Over?: When Georgia went on a 12-2 run in the first half after the Longhorns made it a one-point game, 9-8, with 12:19 on the clock. Devon Pryor’s tip-in with 9:39 left in the half cut the Texas deficit to six points, but that’s as close as Texas got to the lead the rest of the way.
    Top Offensive Performer: Shooting 44.2 percent from the field (23-for-52) and only getting 12 points from Tre Johnson (3-for-7 shooting with no official shot attempts in the second half) sums up the Longhorns’ struggles on that end of the floor. Jayson Kent scored 14 points off the bench on 4-for-7 shooting, including a 2-for-3 mark from beyond the arc with five rebounds. Arthur Kaluma scored 10 of his team-high 15 points in the second half; he shot 6-for-12 from the field (3-for-8 on 3-pointers), grabbed a team-high seven rebounds and dished out three assists.
    Top Defensive Performer: Kaluma had two blocked shots and two steals, but the nod goes to Pryor. The 6-foot-7-inch sophomore finished the night with three steals, a couple of which he took back the other way for transition points. With that said, Georgia guard Silas Demary Jr. led four Bulldogs in double figures with a game-high 26, and forward Asa Newell’s four offensive rebounds (11 total for Georgia) led to 19 second-chance points for coach Mike White’s team (the Bulldogs had a decisive edge in second-chance scoring, 19-6). It was far from an acceptable performance for a program that wants to be known for what it does on defense.
    Reason for Optimism: Jordan Pope (10 points on 4-for-9 shooting, 2-for-5 on 3-pointers, three assists and three rebounds) reached double figures in scoring for the first time since an 11-point outing against Vanderbilt on Feb. 8. It wasn’t enough to make up for the loss of Tramon Mark, who missed the game after injuring his back in Wednesday’s 86-81 overtime loss to Arkansas, but Pope scored all of his points in the second half in 20 minutes (17 more than Julian Larry).
    Reason for Pessimism: The sense of urgency from the local cagers was left wanting, and that’s putting it mildly. Texas produced a dud when it needed to snap a two-game losing streak in the worst way. Saturday’s loss felt a lot like the 84-69 thumping SEC cellar dweller South Carolina handed the Longhorns in Columbia last Saturday — Texas appeared to be going through the motions, waiting for something to happen rather than being the more aggressive, assertive team on the court from the opening tip.
    Modest Proposal: Johnson had a team-high four assists and did his best to find open teammates with the Bulldogs frequently trapping him and making it difficult for him to get loose on screens. Johnson’s unselfish nature and growth playing within a team concept will further boost his stock in the 2025 NBA Draft, even though he's already expected to be a lottery pick. Still, the season will end sooner than the Longhorns want it to if Johnson goes an entire half without officially putting up a shot. It seems to be more of an issue of the coaches doing whatever it takes to get Johnson the ball where he can do something with it rather than the likely SEC Freshman of the Year forcing the issue on offense.
    Biggest Question Before the Next Game: Will Texas fight to the death for 40 minutes? The Longhorns could be short-handed in Starkville on Tuesday, especially if Mark isn’t back in the lineup. Regardless, it should be more about pride than anything for Texas because there’s no point in worrying about the NCAA Tournament bubble. That should’ve been enough for the Longhorns to avoid Saturday's lackluster showing.
    Jeff Howe
    Hours after the news of Terry Joseph’s move to the New Orleans Saints went public, Texas football coach Steve Sarkisian has filled the vacant defensive coaching staff position with the architect of some of the top secondaries in school history.
    Sources told On Texas Football on Monday that the Longhorns have hired Duane Akina as their safeties coach, a move first reported by Anwar Richardson of Orangebloods. Most recently, the defensive coordinator at Arizona, the 68-year-old Akina was the Texas defensive backs coach under Mack Brown for 13 seasons (2001-13).
    Texas won the 2005 national championship, two Big 12 titles (2005 and 2009), a Rose Bowl (2004) and a Fiesta Bowl (2008) during Akina's first stint in Austin. The Longhorns also produced two Jim Thorpe Award winners under Akina: Michael Huff (2005) and Aaron Ross (2006).
    Akina coached some of the top defenses in school history, including the 2001 group, which led the nation in total defense (236.2 yards per game and 3.8 yards per play allowed). The four starters in Akina's first Texas secondary (Rod Babers, Ahmad Brooks, Quentin Jammer and Nathan Vasher) played in the NFL; Jammer was the No. 5 overall pick in the 2002 draft, while Vasher was a Pro Bowl selection and an All-Pro for the Chicago Bears.
    Jammer was one of six first-round picks Akina coached during his time with the Longhorns. Along with Jammer, Huff (2006) and Ross (2007), Michael Griffin (2007), Earl Thomas (2010) and Kenny Vaccaro (2013) were first-round picks; like Jammer, Thomas was a finalist for the Thorpe Award, headlining a 2009 Texas defense that led the nation with 25 interceptions.
    Huff, Ross and Griffin joined 2006 second-round pick Cedric Griffin and 2007 fifth-round selection Tarell Brown to form arguably the best defensive backfield in school history in 2005. Those five helped lead the charge on defense en route to the Longhorns winning their most recent national championship.
    Akina coached or recruited 15 NFL draft picks and eight All-Americans in his first stint on the Texas staff.
     
    Jeff Howe
    The Texas football program made several coaching hires and changes to the on-field and support staff official Thursday.
    The Longhorns publicly announced the additions of running backs coach Chad Scott, EDGE coach LaAllen Clark and cornerbacks coach Mark Orphey. Since Orphey was hired, OTF has reported that he was expected to coach the Texas cornerbacks.
    A Galena Park North Shore alum and most recently the cornerbacks coach at Rutgers for three seasons (2022-24), Orphey takes over the role previously held by defensive passing game coordinator Terry Joseph. A member of Steve Sarkisian's initial staff on the Forty Acres, Joseph is moving into the role previously held by Blake Gideon as the team’s safeties coach.
    Sarkisian also elevated Keynodo Hudson from a defensive analyst position to coaching the STAR (nickel) position under Pete Kwiatkowski. Hudson, whose time as a defensive administrative assistant at USC (2012-16) overlapped Sarkisian’s tenure as the Trojans’ coach (2014-15), joined the Longhorns in 2024 after one season as the cornerbacks coach at Ole Miss.
    Hudson was the Florida Atlantic cornerbacks coach for two seasons (2017-18) under Lane Kiffin before making coaching stops at Illinois (2019-20) and Western Kentucky (2021-22). Hudson was on the same defensive staff for the Hilltoppers as Texas defensive line coach Kenny Baker.
    Analyst Mike Bimonte is now the co-passing game coordinator and assistant quarterbacks coach. A former Rutgers quarterback and Delaware assistant coach, Bimonte has been on Sarkisian’s staff since February 2021.
    Jahmal Fenner added the director of player development title to his role as the program’s director of high school relations. Fenner’s new role came open after the recent departure of former director of player development Kevin Washington, who accepted an administrative position at Baylor.
    Errin Joe (director of scouting) and Josh Dunson (senior player personnel coordinator) are recent hires who were formally introduced on Thursday. The same goes for scouting coordinator Tanner Martin.
    A Georgia Tech alum, Joe was with the Yellow Jackets for the last six seasons. He was most recently the director of player personnel.
    Dunson worked in the Georgia Tech recruiting department in 2023 before joining the Memphis staff as director of recruiting.
    CJ Vogel
    By now I am sure most of yall have seen Bill Norton’s post on Twitter: 
    Well, unfortunately, it is not a return to Austin for a second season with the Longhorns. 
    I have confirmed that Norton is out of eligibility and is off to the pros. Right now, Norton’s focus is on the Texas Pro Day, not a return to Texas for 2025.
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