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    Bobby Burton
    Here are the freshmen that truly caught my eye yesterday.
    Couple of things before I get to the list:
    First, I did not pick a certain number of players here. I didn't say only the top 5 or top 10. That's not an honest assessment of who caught my eye. These are truly the ones that got my attention.
    Second, if a player didn't make this list, it's not an indictment on them. Far from it. I just didn't see enough of them athletically that really caught my eye on day one. For example, Christian Clark and Jerrick Gibson both looked good physically, but I didn't see them do anything other than "look good" to really single either of them out.
    The List
    WR Ryan Wingo - early leader for most impressive true freshman IMO. Fluid, plus-sized athlete with excellent separation speed downfield (similar to AD Mitchell) and natural hands.
    WR Aaron Butler - quick, lots of short space burst and decent long speed, too. Natural pass catcher, even when hands are low and away from the body. An interesting mix between say Xavier Worthy and Johntay Cook IMO.
    TE Jordan Washington - this is how you want to draw up long-term TE prospects. Lanky, good athleticism, good ball skills, ability to add smart weight. Seemed focused mentally and coachable.
    OL Brandon Baker - clear-cut elite prospect. Not sure if he's super-sized to be a first-round pick but he's an NFL OL at either tackle spot IMO or even guard if he wanted. Excellent feet and body control. Naturally thick frame in both upper and lower body.
    OL Daniel Cruz - he "looks" different than every other OL on campus, which is saying something. He looks like he swallowed an oak barrel. Surprisingly quick for that type of body build.
    DL Alex January - attentive and focused in practice; good muscle mass, nice body weight for plus-sized player early in his career; abnormally quick with his hands for someone this early in their career.
    DE Colin Simmons - he's chiseled from different clay than most. One drill he showed quickness no one else on the edge has. Time will tell if he can play with the requisite toughness to get on the field early.
    DE Zina Umeozulu - his arms are looooooooooong. Also athletic. I know some have questioned his toughness out of the gate. But if he can overcome that, he has an elite tool set with length, quickness and speed.
    S Xavier Filsaime - I knew he had the speed and frame but he showed some advanced route/ball awareness on one play in particular.
     
    Gerry Hamilton
    Wednesday morning recruiting nuggets 
    If Texas fans are wondering who could be the next prospect to receive and offer from the Longhorns, time to take a look toward the Golden Triangle. OnTexasFootball was informed Tuesday night that the Texas staff is close to offering Port Arthur (Texas) Memorial 2026 LB Tai'yion "Tank" King. 
    King, 6-1.5 and 210'ish, is an instinctive downhill linebacker that has been a force for the Titans since his freshman year on varsity. King has 15 offers with Notre Dame being the most recent. Texas A&M is considered the team to beat headed into the spring. 
    King is expected to visit Texas Saturday prior to a 7v7 tournament in Round Rock. An offer could be made Saturday, or even prior. 
    Nightrydas 7v7 players visiting Saturday 
    P.A. Memorial LB Tai'yion King will be on hand, as mentioned above. He will be joined by 2026 Texas linebacker target Kosi Okpala. Okpala is a Texas lean at this time.
    Aldine (Texas) Nimitz 2025 LB Javar Thomas and Spring (Texas) Grand Oaks 2026 QB Grant Smith are two other names expected to visit from ther 7v7 team. 
    California Power 7v7 team visiting Friday
    OnTexasFootball has reported the details of visits Friday for Texas pledge Brandon Brown (Melbourne, Fla./Eau Gallie) and 2025 4-star offensive tackle Josh Petty (Roswell, Ga./Fellowship Christian School). 
    A former teammate of Ryan Wingo has also confirmed he will be visiting with California Power. Keenan Harris, 2026 safety, with 16 offers will be among those making the Texas visit Friday. The 6-2 and 190 pound safety/hybrid LB has not been offered by the Longhorns to date. 
    Top three Texas linebacker target Matai Tagoa'i (San Clemente, Calif./High) is a possibility to visit as well. 
    CJ Vogel
    Texas has extended an offer to 2026 American Heritage (FL) quarterback Dia Bell after an unofficial visit to campus Tuesday morning.
    Bell was on campus and attended the first practice of spring ball for the Longhorns this morning.
    It is certainly worth mentioning that Dia is the son of former NBA All-Defensive honoree Raja Bell who spent 12 seasons in the Association.
    With 25 offers under his belt now, Bell is touted as one of the most sought after recruits at the quarterback position in the 2026 class.
     
    Gerry Hamilton
    Two visits to Texas for 4-star out of state OT 
    When Texas offensive line coach Kyle Flood stopped by John F. Kennedy High in Cedar Rapids, Ia. in January it went without any fanfare. 
    That's because the name Nick Brooks was just a very talented prospect in the 2025 class that Texas offered March 1, 2023.
    Brooks, 6-7 and 345 pounds, had not been on campus and was seen as a true long shot. Brooks then committed to Iowa the in early September before backing off that pledge November 7. At the time, Georgia was considered the main competition. And while the Bulldogs remain the in the top 2 with Iowa, Texas has officially entered the race. 
    Brooks told OnTexasFootball Tuesday afternoon that he has two visits planned to Texas.
    "I'm going to visit Texas in April," Brooks told OTF. That visit is scheduled for the Spring Game April 20. 
    That will be the first of two visits with an official visit in June very likely.
    "I have an official visit scheduled to Texas, but I think I have to change it to another date."
    Texas was looking to lock in the June 21-23 visit weekend, but that is when Brooks is scheduled to be at Iowa. With Georgia scheduled for May 31-June 2, that leaves June 14-16 as the likely date for the Texas official visit. 
    The one-time Iowa pledge currently sports 31 offers. The offer list includes SEC teams Georgia, Texas, Alabama, Auburn, Florida, LSU, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Mississippi State and South Carolina. 
    CJ Vogel
    Texas took to the field Tuesday morning for the first practice of the spring window. While the media window concluded with the team mostly undergoing special team and individual drills, Steve Sarkisian peeled back the curtain just a bit in his press conference following practice.
    The NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Committee proposed three new rules for the upcoming 2024 season – with helmet communication being the No. 1 talking point of the bunch.
    During the post-practice press conference, Sarkisian mentioned how that rule change impacted the first spring practice window with a look ahead to how it might trickle down to the field in the fall.
    "A little different for Quinn and I this year is my ability to talk to him through the mic," Sarkisian said. "We were practicing that today. Having two years of experience and working together and now having that dialogue through the headset is going to be beneficial for us."
    The change to helmet communication has yet to be approved, however Sarkisian says he is preparing for the fall as if it will be green-lit. The rules committee will meet April 18 for possible approval.
    Sarkisian added Texas has been working with the NCAA and the SEC to get hands on helmet communication in the spring.
    For Sarkisian, experience with calling in plays through the headset at the NFL level allows for this transition to occur a bit smoother. While there is a learning curve for Ewers to overcome with the headset, Sarkisian says it is a two-way road when it comes to getting him up to speed.
    "I think it is just hearing (the call) as opposed to the signals. I still think he is going to look towards the sideline, yet hearing the call and communicating that with the pertinent information needed. I think the challenge for me is how much information is quality, good information and when does it cross the threshold of too much where it is a little paralysis by analysis."
    Sarkisian was the playcaller for the Atlanta Falcons in the 2017-18 where he was responsible for the play call communication getting to Matt Ryan and the offense. Of course there will be months of prep leading up to the fall with Ewers and Sarkisian through the helmet, but according to the Texas Head Coach, the two got off to a strong start.
    "I thought it felt really comfortable for him today in his first time out doing it," Sarkisian said.
    For folks who lean one way or the other when it comes to tempo with the helmet communication, Sarkisan says he believes it will enable offensive coordinators to do both.
    "I think you can do both, quite frankly," Sarkisian said. "It is a lot easier to say five words than signal five words, but yet you can give more information and have real dialogue to speed up and slow down. Hopefully I can give him some more information that allows him to play faster within plays as well."
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