CJ Vogel

Quinn had a head start and held off the protoge

Yes

It's giving Neto a chance to win the spot. Two consecutive practices with Umeozulu at LG isn't by accident. Gives Texas the chances to find its best five OL and cross-train Hayden Conner in the meantime.

Bobby Burton, Gerry Hamilton and I sit down this week's edition of The State of the Program sponsored by Adam Loewy and the Loewy Law Firm. View full news

Listen to Ewers here.

Texas is five practices into spring football now – two practices have concluded with full pads. The Longhorns will practice again on Friday, but there will be no media availability then due to the Texas Relays this weekend. On top of another smooth practice, there was a part of me that felt comfort in the direction of the program that resulted in what I heard off the field from David Gbenda and Quinn Ewers. Before I get into that part of things, I will share a couple of notes that stood out from practice this morning. *** I watched a lot of the tight end group today. It is rare to hear Jeff Banks in a complementary mood but there was praise from the special teams coordinator and tight ends coach at times today. First, on the individual sled where Amari Niblack, Spencer Shannon and Jordan Washington each received a congratulatory remark from Banks for getting the drill correct on the first go-round. As Amari Niblack continues his climb up the Texas depth chart, it is certainly noteworthy that the QB that is consistently throwing to him in routes on air is Quinn Ewers. Arch Manning is often lined up with Juan Davis and Jordan Washington during his rounds. *** There has been some talk about wide receivers having to slow down for passes on deep balls on twitter. Listen, in situations that don't warrant high-speed precision like routes on air, it is difficult to hit a guy perfectly in stride 40-yards down the field on each given throw. The deep ball has looked much better this spring and I will leave it at that rather than nitpicking if a receiver catches it on his backshoulder or out in front. One part of practice I really liked was Quinn Ewers and Arch Manning literally racing one another to get to the individual QB drill about 130 yards away from where they were on the field during special teams. It is little things like that that stands out to me. *** I think Colton Vasek has a real shot at contributing this year. While the path to the field is not necessarily a walk in the park, he has looked great in spring ball so far. He is lengthy, athletic and can bend. I think there is more athleticism here than Ethan Burke and the frame continues to build. Buy stock now. *** But to part of today that I enjoyed hearing about: It is noteworthy that David Gbenda was the first player from the defensive side of the ball to speak with the media this spring. The elder statesman in the room has the respect of the coaching staff and his teammates. Gbenda mentioned Barryn Sorrell, Jahdae Barron, Michael Taaffe and himself as leaders on the defensive side of the ball early on. Derion Gulllette and Tyanthony Smith were singled out as two youngsters who were standing out to him. Of course, Smith was the lone linebacker in the 2024 class this past cycle. The other part of Gbenda's time with time with the media that stood out to me was his remarks when I asked him about motivation he took from the Sugar Bowl. Gbenda told me straight up he was "pissed off" about the loss. Being what he called "12 inches" short of playing for a title, has stuck with him through the winter and into today. That sentiment is echoed throughout the rest of the program as well. *** As for Quinn Ewers, I sensed calm and confident version of Ewers. Multiple times Ewers brought up how comfortable he was in Sarkisian's system as a third year player. Ewers also spoke about his decision to return to school. Citing he did not want to rush the decision or his time in college after skipping his senior season to enroll at Ohio State, then not playing as a true freshman and eventually transferring over to Texas. This is the first time I got the sense Ewers was completely at peace with his surroundings. Ewers mentioned he had an idea midway through the 2023 season that he would return to Texas for another season. A week following the Sugar Bowl, Ewers had bought in completely to returning and eventually made the decision about 10 days after. As for leaders on the offensive side of the ball, Ewers named Jake Majors in the middle of the offensive line and Johntay Cook as the most experienced returning wide receiver on roster – certainly worth mentioning. View full news

Yep, I expect Mitchell to hit the portal here soon.

Time to bring the heat to the Tuesday night Longhorn Livestream! Spring practice updates, the latest on visitors and rule changes galore from the NFL level. View full news

Big time prospect. Texas won't have a shortage of OL targets this cycle.

You’re absolutely right. I’m of the belief KJ wants to be at Texas. I’d be surprised at this point to see another QB offer extended unless the staff has reevaluated the position and switch courses on who they believe is the better prospect.

I chatted a bit with KJ Lacey over the weekend following his performance at the Elite 11 which earned him an invitation to the Finals in California later this spring. The Texas commit visited campus Monday where he was able to spend time with Steve Sarkisian and the staff after taking in a spring practice during the morning hours. While programs like Oregon, Auburn and Ole Miss have continued to recruit Lacey over the last six months, Lacey reaffirmed his commitment status to me. Lacey added he has three trips planned for the spring and summer months – all of which to Texas (April 6, April 20, June 21-23 OV). No visits planned anywhere else at the moment and Lacey said he hopes to keep it like that. "My commitment is still really strong," Lacey said. "I have been talking to them all the time, getting everything right about the official visit part and when I am going to visit, plus who I need to be recruiting." Lacey has put on his recruiting hat a bit for the Longhorn 2025 class. He mentioned three wide receivers that he will be courting to Texas as the cycle progresses: Dakorien Moore, Jaime Ffrench and Kaliq Lockett. As for the commits in the class, Lacey said he is beginning to build a strong relationship with Emaree Winston as well. The two talk and text often throughout the week. The next time Lacey does make it to campus, his recruiting skills will be put to the test. Wide receivers Kaliq Lockett, Jaime Ffrench and Kelshaun Johnson will all be in attendance. Plus guys like John Mills and Tyler Thomas as well on the offensive side of the ball. All in all, a good visit to Austin for Lacey. I won't say there is nothing to worry about because Texas will need to continue recruiting through the whistle, but Texas is where Lacey wants to be at the moment and he reiterated that to me on Sunday. View full news

The athleticism for Katoa is superb even with this weight. Has more movement skills than Cam Williams did at this weight which leads me to believe you might see him at guard.

Katoa's Hudl: https://www.hudl.com/video/3/17897403/65669aa63dec5904cc9032ca

Texas has extended an offer to 2026 Euless Trinity OL Toa Katoa this afternoon. A name that might be familiar to the board is one that Texas fans should certainly keep an eye on now. Katoa, a 6-foot-5 and 375-pound trench monster is slated to be on campus April 13 for what is turning into a bit of a 2026 day on campus. Texas is officially in the game for Katoa, though the Longhorns have been high on him prior to the extended offer. This will be a recruitment to keep a close eye on. View full news

Dallas Cowboys Executive Vice President Stephen Jones spoke about Texas RB Jonathon Brooks this morning at the Owners Meetings which are currently underway now in Orlando. Of course, Dallas is familiar with Texas prospects having drafted LB DeMarvion Overshown a year ago and with former Longhorn Paxton Anderson, the grandson of Jerry Jones, now employed by the franchise. The Cowboys did not re-sign Tony Pollard this offseason, though they did agree to a one-year deal with RB Rico Dowdle. Regardless, the Cowboys will be in the market for a running back come the draft.

The deep ball is what made Daniels so special in 2023. I think Russell has that in his game, though there needs to be a continued improvement in the short-intermediate range.

The Elite 11 took place on Sunday at Austin Westlake HS a few miles from downtown Austin. Of course, the big name in attendance was Texas commit KJ Lacey who received an invitation to the Elite 11 Finals in California later this summer. Elite 11 Finals invites: KJ Lacey, Kevin Sperry, Keelon Russell Lacey of course stuck around in Austin Monday morning for the spring practice. 2027 Shreveport (LA) QB Peyton Houston also stuck around to view practice this morning. Houston holds six offers at the moment – Louisiana Tech, Ole Miss, TCU, Texas Tech, Texas A&M and Grambling State. But here are my biggest takeaways from the day of throwing: *** KJ Lacey I really enjoy watching KJ Lacey in action. He has a smoothness to his game that is evident when you watch him in person. More so than anything, when Lacey is outside of the pocket he really has a natural release on passes down the field when he rolls to either side of the field. Lacey is a pure thrower and displayed plenty of arm talent. Like Quinn Ewers, I question his fast ball, but when he gets in a rhythm you rarely see misses on passes down the field. On top of anything else that happened on the field Sunday for Lacey, he confirmed he is locked in with the Longhorns and is looking forward to his three additional trips to Austin this spring/summer. Keelon Russell – SMU Commit The drills yesterday really allowed for me to get an idea of Russell as a thrower of the ball. I know he is a playmaker and can create explosive plays as a QB. Russell did well yesterday, well enough to earn MVP of the Elite 11 festivities. I will add I think there is a bit more life on passes thrown by Russell than others in attendance. He has a big arm and certainly uses his frame to his advantage as a quarterback. Russell has some fine tuning to do on the technical side of things, but he has plenty of potential. 2026 Jake Fette – Del Valle (El Paso) HS For my money's worth, Fette had the most impressive arm of anyone in attendance. The El Paso native debuted as a 5-star on the initial On3 2026 recruiting rankings. The ball truly zips out of his hand upon release. Fette told me he is very high on TCU and Texas Tech for the time being. The Tech staff has done a fine job of evaluating early and prioritizing him so far. Fette told me Texas did not stop by in the winter, however he is expecting AJ Milwee to make the trek west this spring to see him throw in person. 2027 Weston Nielsen – Bastrop HS I was able to watch Nielsen in person for a weight session earlier this offseason where I got a first glance at his athleticism. This might sound a bit out of the blue, but Nielsen reminds me of former Westlake QB Cade Klubnik, just a notch or two lower on the athleticism scale. Nielsen will need to improve his footwork in the pocket, but his arm talent is undeniable at this age. Nielsen will camp with the Longhorns on June 1 – Milwee stopped by Bastrop this winter and will return in the spring to see him throw. He currently holds 11 offers. View full news

Not all the time, hasn't normally been the case at Texas.