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    CJ Vogel
    We are 29 days away from the beginning of spring practice. As we continue to inch closer and closer to the highly anticipated start of the next era of Texas Football in the SEC, there remains a number of high priority boxes that remain unchecked at the moment.
    Over the next four weeks, I will be taking a look at some of the biggest team needs going into spring ball based off conversations I have had with folks around the program. Today, we begin in the secondary.
    ***
    It was seven weeks ago when Michael Penix threw for 430 yards in the College Football Playoff against the Texas defense. A night where it felt like he could do no wrong, Penix torched a Texas secondary who had been suspect seemingly all season long. 
    Texas has seen some attrition from the secondary room in those past seven weeks, and while the nucleus of the rotation remains the same, an influx of talent with fresh faces arriving this semester was needed.
    I had a conversation with someone close to the program last week who mentioned there was not enough swagger in the Texas secondary last year. It is a topic that Rod and I have explored on Longhorn Livestreams over the past month, however, now I am hearing it from the inside.
    There is a lot of confidence with this unit and it has been showing thus far in organized throwing sessions and offseason workouts. I don't think anyone will find it surprising that defensive backs like to talk. It is part of the position to have that confidence and approach to the game that results in jawing a bit during practice. 
    That conversation about the DB room left me with the impression the on-field play will be much improved in large part because of the mindset in the room now. The return of Terrance Brooks and Malik Muhammad starts this conversation. I would be remiss if I did not include Gavin Holmes here in this conversation as well. I have also heard that adding Andrew Mukuba to the room has also brought an extra gear out of Jahdae Barron.
    I expect to see a different and unrestrained Derek Williams. Despite a great freshman campaign, no spring ball kept Williams from really playing as loose and free as he would have with an extra 15 practices under his belt. 
    This room is confident. There is more chirping from their side of the ball and an aura to return to the illustrious Defensive Back U title to the Texas defense which has seemingly been tossed to the wayside over the last decade. As we head closer to spring ball, expect to hear about this topic as a goal for the secondary in future updates.
    Bobby Burton
    A little bit of NIL news from behind the scenes.
    The Texas One Fund continues to put its best foot forward to raise NIL funds for Texas student-athletes.
    I'm told the group is working on a major charity gala set for mid-May.
    And the venue will be...
    DKR. The actual field itself.
    Chris Del Conte began reaching out to major donors late last week.
    **
    Speaking of the One Fund, the group is beginning to attract the interest of a few companies for sponsorships, among them Benchmark Bank, Covert Auto Group and Ticket City. Hat tip to those companies for their sponsorships.
    One Fund is doing a nice job of reaching out to multiple levels of fandom IMO.
    Whether it's corporate sponsorships, tailgates at the Sugar Bowl like the one at Manning's (thanks Rick!), or cultivating large donors in unique ways like the gala mentioned above, it's nice to see all Texas fans pulling in one direction when it comes to creating better teams.
    **
    At the town hall last week, Chris Del Conte was asked about whether or not he would be scheduling Big 12 opponents for football in the future.
    Del Conte stopped short of saying no.
    But he articulated the theory that it's unlikely the Horns will play any Big 12 teams unless those teams are willing to only play in DKR.
    The Horns would be unlikely to play any home-and-home series with any Big 12 team. And therein lies the rub.
    Texas won't be playing any Big 12 teams, unless it's in a bowl game or the CFP.
    **
    His prerogative not to schedule Big 12 opponents should not be taken as a desire to lighten the non-conference schedule overall.
    Del Conte is telling folks that the Horns should be playing the Ohio States, Michigans and Notre Dames in non-conference play moving forward and will look to schedule such teams well into the future.
     
     
    Gerry Hamilton
    Monday Morning Recruiting Nuggets 
    Spring practice for Texas is officially less than a month away. While the Longhorns on the field will be the focus in March and April, the staff is beginning to make a push to get top targets in 2025 back on campus around spring practices and the spring game. 
    The visitor lists are beginning to build with many of the top targets yet to finalize plans or release their spring visit dates. 
    With that said, it’s time to start your Monday morning off with some OnTexasFootball recruiting notes and nuggets.
    Elijah Barnes and Texas
    OnTexasFootball continues to feel good about where the Longhorns sit with the Dallas (Texas) Skyline linebacker. 
    Barnes, 6-2 and nearing 230 pounds, has a March 22 visit planned to Ohio State. He’s also looking at March/April visits to Texas, Oklahoma, LSU and possibly Texas A&M. 
    Nebraska and Oregon are potential June OV’s, along with Texas for sure. The Longhorns June visit weekend hasn’t been locked down. Look for the last weekend in June to be that date targeted by the staff. 
    On the Texas side, it’s both Johnny Nansen and Jeff Banks that the DFW area star communicates with. 
    “We haven’t really gotten into that (June OV date) yet,” Barnes told OnTexasFootball Sunday. “I will be back in April.” 
    Barnes is on the track for this spring for Skyline High competing in the 4x100, 4x200 and open 100 meter. Barnes sports a 77-inch wingspan and 9.5 inch hands. 
    Jacorey Watson spring visits
    The Shadow Creek High 2025 wide receiver has four schools he plans to visit in the spring. 
    “I’m going to get to Texas A&M, Texas and LSU again and probably Missouri,” Watson told OnTexasFootball. 
    Watson, 6-1 and near 180, has been in communication with receiver’s coach Chris Jackson within the last week.
    “We chopped it up a little bit last week. He wants to see me in the spring (spring practice) at receiver. He’s never really seen me play receiver since I played QB last season, He said he can’t wait to see me play receiver (in person).” 
    Watson is scheduled to be fully released in the next couple of weeks after a foot injury mid-way through the 2023 season, and surgery that followed. He will not participate in track this season, but instead focus on spring football. 
    Watson has one tentative official visit set up in June as well. He’s scheduled to make an OV down the road to Houston June 14-16. 
    April visits scheduled 
    April 6:
    John Mills, IOL, San Francisco (Calif.) St. Ignatius
    Attended Texas Junior Day January 20, and will make official visit June 14-16. The April trip will be his fourth since June of 2023. Michigan and Washington are the main competition right now. 
    April 13-14:
    Major Preston, CB/DB, Hopewell (Va.) IMG Academy
    Texas offered January 30. Blake Gideon is in consistent communication. 
    Spring Game April 20:
    Michael Terry, ATH, San Antonio (Texas) Alamo Heights
    Texas, TCU and Texas Tech the top 3 currently. 
    Rickey Stewart, RB, Tyler (Texas) Chapel Hill
    Texas leads large over Baylor, SMU and Oklahoma State.
    Gus Cordova, DL, Austin (Texas) Lake Travis 
    Texas, Texas A&M and Oregon the three talked about the most. 
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