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    CJ Vogel
    Bobby Burton, Gerry Hamilton and I got together to discuss the most important Texas Longhorns players heading into 2024, talk the latest in 2026 QB Recruiting and more on this week's State of the Program!
    Give it a watch and let us know where you are leaning on this topic of most important Longhorns for 2024.
     
    Gerry Hamilton
    One of the top defensive targets for the Texas Longhorns in the 2025 class is returning to Austin in April.
    McKinney (Texas) High linebacker Riley Pettijohn tells OnTexasFootball that he will make an unofficial visit for the Texas Spring Game April 20. 
    That will be the last of five spring visits for the 6-2, 210 pound defender out of the DFW area. 
    Pettijohn will visit Florida State March 23, Ohio State March 30, USC April 6, Texas A&M April 13 prior to Texas April 20.
    Headed into January, Texas and Florida State were the two schools mentioned first and second according to a source close to the recruitment. USC was the third. A January 27 Junior Day visit to Texas A&M moved the Aggies into the top group. Ohio State's Ryan Day visited McKinney High the same day in January as Steve Sarkisian. 
    OnTexasFootball continues to hear the Longhorns are in a very good position headed into the spring visits.
    Spring Game visitor list:
    Emaree Winston, TE, Calhoun (Ga.) High #AllGasNoBrakes 
    OnTexasFootball ranking: 4-star
    Riley Pettijohn, LB, McKinney (Texas) High
    OnTexasFootball ranking: 4-star
    Michael Terry, ATH, San Antonio (Texas) Alamo Heights
    OnTexasFootball ranking: 4-star
    Texas, TCU and Texas Tech the top 3 currently. 
    Rickey Stewart, RB, Tyler (Texas) Chapel Hill
    OnTexasFootball ranking: 4-star
    Texas leads large over Baylor, SMU and Oklahoma State.
     
    CJ Vogel
    We continue trekking forward closer to the beginning of spring football. It is getting ever so close, but first, there remains some topics that need to be discussed.
    Today, that topic is with the reload going on in the wide receiver room and how Steve Sarkisian and Chris Jackson might be able to deploy the new group of weapons.
    ***
    For this exercise, I wanted to take a look into a number of categories from the 2023 season – alignment by position (slot vs. outside), average distance of target, yards after catch and drop rate. Of course, numbers will be limited for Johntay Cook who is expecting to make a leap into the rotation fully for the first time as a Longhorn this fall, and there won't be official numbers on Ryan Wingo – more so just an education guess based off of high school tape.
    But to the numbers we go, starting with overall receiving numbers.
    Isaiah Bond           – 48 rec., 668 yards, 4 TD, 13.9 YPC Matthew Golden   – 38 rec., 404 yards, 6 TD, 10.6 YPC Silas Bolden          – 54 rec., 746 yards, 5 TD, 13.8 YPC Johntay Cook        – 8 rec., 136 yards, 0 TD, 17.0 YPC Following the departures to the NFL and the transfer portal after the 2023 season, Texas had just eight career receptions returning to the field among seven wide receivers expected to be on roster (four of which true freshmen). Of course, the additions to this room have been well-document as they should be. Texas is adding big time talent with a wealth of experience.
    The questions as posed at the top is now, how will Texas use it?
    First, a look at alignment should give an idea of how each WR was used at previous stops. We know Texas wants position-less wide receivers on roster, but this will give an idea of each player's strength so far.
    Alignment:
    Isaiah Bond           – Slot (58.6%) | Out wide (40.9%) Matthew Golden   – Slot (34.5%) | Out wide (65.5%) Silas Bolden          – Slot (18.8%)  | Out wide (80.8%)   Johntay Cook       – Slot (17.8%)  | Out Wide (82.1%) Biggest number here is Isaiah Bond's usage from the slot. I was a bit surprised to see Silas Bolden's split. However, if you watch Bolden's tape from Oregon State, he does not play small on the outside. He can go get just about anything and has a much larger catch radius than his frame might insist.
    Ironically, Johntay Cook's most impactful plays, the 50-yard reception against Baylor and Worthy's long TD vs. Alabama, came when Cook was lined up on the interior as well.
    Average Distance of Target:
    Isaiah Bond           – 12.8 yards Matthew Golden   – 8.3 yards Silas Bolden          – 12.2 yards Johntay Cook       – 11.1 yards A fair balance of distance per target across the board here. The outlier being Matthew Golden who was not targeted down the field often and instead used much more in the quick, short game while at Houston.
    Yards After Catch Per Reception
    Isaiah Bond           – 4.6 yards Matthew Golden   – 5.9 yards Silas Bolden          – 5.1 yards Johntay Cook       – 8.3 yards Nothing too crazy here. Though you can see the shorter distance of target for Golden plays into his favor a bit in this category. Johntay's long reception vs. Baylor and catch from Arch Manning help him, though obviously without the same volume.
    Drop Rate
    Isaiah Bond           –  3.6% (two drops) Matthew Golden   – 13.3% (six drops) Silas Bolden          – 3.9%  (two drops) Johntay Cook       –  11.1% (one drop) Golden's drop rate might be a bit of a concern. He was not targeted down the field very often, leading me to believe there may be some concern with the quick routes here. Otherwise, a drop rate below 5.0% is consider good in the college ranks. AD Mitchell's drop rate of 1.8% last season was considered elite.
    ***
    So where does this lead us? After seeing Ryan Wingo get run in the slot during the All American week and again on his tape, it would not surprise me to see him used there at times to begin his college career. He is that much of a mismatch on the field to just throw out wide.
    I do think you will continue to see Isaiah Bond in the slot. But the interesting part is Silas Bolden. The gadget term gets used often due to his height, but he is a true receiver and has proven to produce at high levels of ball when thrown outwide. This is the versatility that Texas will get to deploy next fall.
    Five really talented wide receivers that will get to torment defenses any chance they can. Steve Sarkisian and Chris Jackson will be salivating this spring when getting to test out the new wheels of the offense.
     
     
    Gerry Hamilton
    Wednesday Morning Recruiting: Familiar last name on the Texas radar
    Another Goosby on the Texas radar
    Trevor Goosby is one of the up and coming offensive lineman in the Texas program with a strong possibility to be the next left tackle for the Longhorns after Kelvin Banks departs for the NFL following the 2024 season. The Longhorns are now seriously recruiting the next Goosby. Melissa (Texas) High 2026 6-5.5 shooting guard Austin Goosby is having a terrific sophomore season on the hardwood, and continues to grow with 6-7/6-8 not out the question. Rodney Terry and staff are now in contact with the Goosby camp. And so is Kansas, Duke and a growing list of others. Goosby has offers from Florida State and Texas A&M currently, but that list will expand in the spring. Goosby will likely make a visit to Texas for the Oklahoma State game. 
    Jaimie Ffrench and Texas
    Spoke with a long time source in the Jacksonville (Fla.) area last week, and on Monday. The word out of Jamie Ffrench's camp is that the 5-star wide receiver prospect in 2025 is planning to make a visit to Texas this spring. The Longhorns offer French (Jacksonville, Fla./Mandarin) January 29. While that is seemingly very late to the party for a coveted national prospect that was a one-time Alabama commitment, the source said Ffrench is going to take a look at Texas. Florida State got Ffrench on campus twice in January. He de-committed from Alabama January 14. If/when Ffrench gets on campus, this recruitment will truly begin for Texas. 
    The weekend of April 6 is when Texas would ideally like to get Ffrench on campus. That is setting up to be Texas' offensive recruiting weekend in April (along with the spring game April 20). Dickinson (Texas) High 2025 OL Tyler Thomas and San Francisco (Calif.) St. Ignatius IOL John Mills are scheduled to be back on campus April 6. Lewisville (Texas) High 5-star OT Michael Fasusi is also targeted for April 6. Fasusi and family will make a visit to Texas this spring. 
    Could a second IMG Academy 2025 prospect visit in April? 
    EDGE pass rusher London Merritt (Atlanta, Ga./IMG Academy) told OnTexasFootball Tuesday that he is a maybe to visit Texas this spring. Merritt, 6-2 and 235 pounds, has more than 30 offers. The list includes Alabama, Clemson, Florida, Ohio State, North Carolina and a number of others. Texas has offered. Merritt has been on campus at Miami, Florida State and Florida in recent weeks. He has an official visit scheduled to Ohio State in June. 
    Another Atlanta native and 2025 prospect Texas is working to get on campus is Jontae Gilbert (Atlanta, Ga./Douglass). The 6-1, 180 pound cornerback has 30 offers, including the Longhorns. Tashard Choice has been working this recruitment for a while, and is now getting an assist from the defensive staff. Clemson was the hot team early in this recruitment. South Carolina and Texas are receiving mention behind the scene as having legit opportunities. A June official visit to South Carolina is a lock. 
     
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