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    CJ Vogel
    Officially eight days away from the beginning of spring football here in Austin. Our Gerry Hamilton has repeatedly echoed the sentiment that this spring season will be the most anticipated in Texas history and there is very little reason for me to not agree at the moment.
    Today, we will start with the offensive side of the ball when it comes to previewing spring football.
    One sentence summary of the offense: There are plenty of new toys around Quinn Ewers who returns for year three behind loaded, veteran offensive line.
    ***
    Quarterback
    Quinn Ewers is headed back up the weight roller coaster after a strong winter in the weight room. He returns to Texas for year three in the system and will enter the upcoming season as one of the favorites for the Heisman trophy. For Quinn this fall, the key for me is to hear about his total control of the offense. Take true leadership of the new faces at the WR spot and continue the path of development.
    As for Arch Manning, this will be the most we will get to see from the former five-star prospect in a Texas uniform. Manning will no longer have to wait for third team reps as we saw his freshman season. I am fully of the belief Manning would be able to succeed in the Texas offense should he be asked to this season. Should be another opportunity for development this offseason.
    Last Note: I have been told several times this offseason Ewers' command/leadership of the team has improved significantly since the conclusion of the season.
     
    Running Back
    There is no hiding the talent in this Texas RB room – something we have said for several years now. CJ Baxter and Jaydon Blue are expected to be the 1–2 punch though it is going to be very interesting to see how the rest of the room falls in place. What role does Savion Red carve out at 240 pounds? Can Tre Wisner increase some of his share in the room as well?  Plus, what happen with the two freshmen and do they create some noise this spring. Regardless, a very fun room to look at and plenty of big time talent.
    Last Note: The path for any of the backup RBs to carve out a role for themselves heading into the spring is to become a plus in pass protection. That is the biggest weakness in this room.
     
    Wide Receiver
    The talk of the offseason has been surrounding the portal additions of Matthew Golden, Isaiah Bond and Silas Bolden. While only Bond and Golden will be on campus for the spring season, this room is going to have plenty of competition in what was expected to be a wide open target share. Johntay Cook is the leading incumbent from the 2023 team and is one guy I have penciled into the starting 11 at the moment. 
    Of the early enrollees, there has been plenty of praise in direction of Ryan Wingo and should he get up to speed with the playbook and situational football in the spring, you can expect to see the new No. 5 on the field in the fall. One other Texas wide receiver I am keeping a close eye on is DeAndre Moore who will be entering his second year in the program.
    Matthew Golden was still receiving treatment on his foot as recently as the end of last week.
    Last Note: The speed in this room is going to be noticeable from the get-go. Question is now, which of these receivers will play unselfishly without the ball, something Texas has asked their WRs to do a lot under Sarkisian.
     
    Tight End
    You can expect to see Gunnar Helm as the first tight end used this spring. That goes for a number of reasons, but mostly the familiarity with the system. Helm has had a strong offseason and is up to 250 pounds currently. What is going to be very fun is the combination of Helm and Amari Niblack on the field together. There is an ideal balance of talent and skillsets between the two which will pose as a challenge for seemingly every defensive coordinator Texas faces this upcoming fall – first it will be Pete Kwiatkowski during the spring.
    Juan Davis is the slimmest of the bunch which gives me pause for a possible increase in his snaps this spring. Whereas, this will be a big spring in the development of Spencer Shannon.
    Niblack too was in a boot earlier this winter, though the belief is he will be good to go for the beginning of spring. 
    Last Note: Nice complementary aspect with this unit here. Question turns to if there will be too much a tipped hand with personnel usage.
     
    Offensive Line
    The makeup of this offensive line is ideal for not only Quinn Ewers, but for Steve Sarkisian as his program enters the SEC. With four of five returning, there is plenty of familiarity and talent with this bunch. It should not be out of the range of possibility to see this unit in the Joe Moore Award finalist group next fall. Though for the spring, the question turns to which of the guys in the 2nd group challenge for a starting spot.
    Texas has plenty of depth here at the moment. With guys like Cole Hutson and Neto Umeozulu eager to get into the starting five, what movement do we see on the interior? Will there be true movement from Hayden Conner to right tackle to push Cam Williams? What about Brandon Baker or Trevor Goosby? So many options and possibilities here.
    Kelvin Banks is up to 325 pounds and DJ Campbell is coming down a bit in his own right. 
    Last Note: On paper, this is the best Texas offensive line in the past 15 years. Should be a very strong spring season.
     
    Gerry Hamilton
    California 4-star EDGE locks in Texas official visit
    The Texas Longhorns in the Steve Sarkisian era will have a strong recruiting footprint in the state of California. And the 2025 cycle may end up defining that more than any other since Sarkisian has been in Austin. 
    On Monday, 4-star EDGE Hayden Lowe (Westlake Village, Calif./Oaks Christian) told OnTexasFootball that he has a pair of visits to Texas set up, including an official visit in June. 
    Lowe, 6-4 and 240, told OTF that he will be in Austin April 6 for the big visit weekend around Texas spring practice. And that will be the first of two visits. 
    The Oaks Christian standout defender also informed OnTexasFootball that he has an official visit locked the weekend of June 14-16. 
    Texas has been in contact with Lowe for months, and offered February 16 of 2023. 
    Lowe enters the spring with 26 offers. That list includes SEC programs Texas, Texas A&M, Tennessee, Alabama and Oklahoma. The offer list also includes USC, Oregon, Washington, UCLA, Michigan, Notre Dame and Miami (Fla.). 
    The Los Angeles area prospect enters his senior season with 100 tackles, 24 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks. He posted 29 tackles, seven tackles for loss and two interceptions in eight games in 2023. 
    CJ Vogel
    The Texas staff will receive an official visit from 2025 Lovejoy (TX) wide receiver Daylan McCutcheon in the month of June.
    McCutcheon has sporadically been in contact with the Texas staff, though communication has begun to increase over the last month, and as a result, he will officially visit the Longhorns during June 14-16 weekend.
    The top-100 prospect per the 247Sports composite has four officials locked in at the moment: Ohio State May 31, USC June 7, Texas June 14 and Florida State on June 21.
    Winter workouts were a busy time for McCutcheon who received visits from Mike Norvell and Ryan Day in consecutive days. As a result, this to me has the makings of a Ohio State-Florida State battle at the moment. However, there has been plenty of interest in the Longhorns in the past and an official visit to Texas might be able to swing things a bit.
    Of course it certainly does not hurt Texas' chances having former Lovejoy teammate Parker Livingstone in the fold and on roster at the moment as well.
    Bobby Burton
    Of the 31 recruits currently slated to make official visits in June, here is the position breakdown:
    QB - 1
    RB - 1
    WR - 7
    TE - 3
    OL - 7
    DL - 5
    LB - 3
    DB - 4
    The Horns actually have more than 31 official visitors lined up, but 31 is the current public number.
    For example, running back Jordon Davison of Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei and receiver DK Moore of Duncanville are both expected to visit but have yet to announce their specific dates, so they are not included in the total number as yet.
    **
    How many scholarships will Texas use this year? It depends on roster attrition, some to the NFL and some to the transfer portal.
    A good rule of thumb is to start with the number 20 and work your way up or down from that number based on attrition.
    **
    The plan for DT recruiting seems pretty clear.
    Cast a much wider net.
    Texas is not only canvassing the state of Texas for the top players, including the most recent offer to Chace Sims of Richmond Randle, but the Horns have put their hook in the water across the entire country.
    The Horns currently have DL offers out to players from: Georgia, Alabama, Florida, Indiana, Tennessee, California, Illinois, Mississippi, Pennsylvania and Maryland, as well as Texas.
    In other words, Steve Sarkisian is making sure that new DL coach Kenny Baker takes a vastly different approach than Bo Davis.
    Gerry Hamilton
    A dozen Texas targets that will be national and rivalry battles 
    The Texas Longhorns will compete in more national recruiting and regional rivalry battles in the 2025 cycle than ever before. Some of that is Texas continuing to expand the national recruiting footprint, and some of it is the top tier national talent in state at several positions. 
    OnTexasFootball looks at a dozen recruiting battles in the 2025 cycle that will cover both scenarios.
    Michael Fasusi, OT, Lewisville (Texas) High 
    The OnTexasFootball 5-star left tackle will be one of the key recruiting battles for Texas in the cycle. Is Fasusi a "must win"? Nope, not with John Turntine III right behind him in the 2026 cycle at the same position. Make no mistake though, Texas wants Fasusi badly. And so does Oklahoma and Texas A&M. And that alone makes for a tremendous recruitment to follow. Texas and Oklahoma is where the decision will likely come from ultimately. They have been the top two for months. The Aggies have ample pressure in the 2025 cycle to win key in-state battles on the offensive line as it's the position in need of the most help in the program. 
    Brandon Brown, DL, Melbourne (Fla.) Eau Gallie
    The OnTexasFootball 4-star and Texas pledge will make the visit rounds nationally with California Power 7v7 program. That includes a Texas visit March 22 prior to a June official visit (14-16). The Longhorns will have to play keep away against powerful recruiting programs in USC, Tennessee, Florida (multiple family members played at UF), Miami and others. These are the battles one signs up for on the defensive line in SEC land. 
    Dakorien Moore, WR, Duncanville (Texas) High
    The OnTexasFootball 5-star and LSU pledge will be back in Austin April 20 for the Texas Spring Game. The day that the news hit that Keelon Russell was planning to attend the Spring Game with Jeff Banks making the invitation, it was expected that Moore would also be in Austin. There will be visits and flirting with Ohio State, USC and a couple of others, but make no mistake this is a Texas vs. LSU recruiting throw down. 
    Dorian Brew, CB, Conroe (Texas) High
    Dorian Brew has all the makings of a true national recruiting battle. His father ran track at LSU, and was an Olympian. His mother is in the Ohio State Hall of Fame (track). He has Texas all in on wanting to keep him home. USC is in it. Texas A&M is working to be truly in the hunt. He was expected to commit to Ohio State January 24 before backing off that date and slowing the process down. All the makings of a big time national recruitment. And Texas fully understands it. 
    Jordon Davison, RB, Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei
    Texas has been in a good position for the SoCal running back for about a year. With that said, this is a national battle with Alabama, Ohio State and Oregon taking mighty swings. Steve Sarkisian and Tashard Choice will have Texas in position to ultimately win, but the spring and June visits will very much be a national recruiting battle. 
    Jaime Ffrench, WR, Jacksonville (Fla.) Mandarin
    Texas has won some key and big recruiting battles in Central Florida and at IMG Academy in the last two classes. The 2025 cycle and Jaime Ffrench is something different, however. This is an area, Jacksonville, where Texas hasn't had success to date in the Sunshine State. And Ffrench is a Sunshine State receiver with Ohio State trying to beat out Florida State and Miami, with Texas trying to pull the upset. This is a gird up your loins type recruitment for fan bases locked into Ffrench. 
    Zion Williams, DL, Lufkin (Texas) High
    A Lufkin High/East Texas recruiting battle for a defensive lineman with SEC size. That means Texas and Texas A&M will swing away at each other. And then there is LSU, having former Texas defensive line coach Bo Davis adding more intrigue. This is a stick the chest out recruitment, without question. And what is the role of Jamarkus McFarland at TCU. He's distantly related to Williams, and was one of the most memorable Texas vs. Oklahoma recruitments of the Mack Brown/Bob Stoops era. 
    Riley Pettijohn and Elijah Barnes, LB's from DFW
    Riley Pettijohn putting a 10.98 FAT 100 meters on the board at 210'ish pounds amped up his recruitment even more. All the national players will battle it out. Texas vs. USC vs. Ohio State vs. FSU vs. Texas A&M for Pettijohn. Barnes will be Texas vs. Alabama vs. Ohio State vs. LSU vs. Texas A&M vs. FSU. Texas enters the spring in a pretty good position for both. If Texas won both, that would be a serious DFW recruiting flex by Sarkisian and staff. 
    Jonte Newman, Jackson Christian and Tyler Thomas
    Texas is locked in a trio of offensive line battles that are very key in the region. As mentioned above, Texas A&M has little margin for error in the 2025 cycle on the offensive line. The Aggies need to walk away with two of the three mentioned above. Texas would like to do the same, as of today. Oklahoma has serious interest in in Jonte Newman, and LSU is going to make a run at Tyler Thomas. 
     
     
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