CJ Vogel

The first media availability of the Texas spring football season is in the books! Gerry Hamilton and Bobby Burton will go live reacting to what they saw on the field here shortly. Welcome to the beginning of the 2024 season! View full news

The Longhorns have made the top six cut for St. Ignatius College Preparatory OL John Mills out of San Francisco, California. Mills is a top target on the Texas board and was previously on campus for the January 20 junior day. The four-star offensive lineman is expected back in Austin April 6 for the loaded Texas visitors weekend and has an official visit locked in for June 14-16. Kyle Flood has done a tremendous job to date in this recruitment. View full news

Come join us for the debut of On Texas Football's new live show, The Winning Drive with Coach Bob Shipley, Rod Babers and myself! Fun Texas draft to start the show off for all of us on episode number one. View full news

No. Niblack was a 20-30 snap guy who played in 12 games last year for Alabama. Funny enough, his 57 snaps against Texas were the most he played in a game the entire season.

At Alabama, Niblack played 327 of 779 possible snaps (41.9%). He lined up 50% inline, 38% in the slot and 11% outside.

Two big names as well

Tough to unseat a multi-year starter on the OL. But i anticipate a tough battle at LG. Kyle Flood will have a fun spring ball himself trying to piece this one together.

Spring football kicks off in just over 24 hours from right now. We have made it. It is here. Finally, we can sideline the hypotheticals and get to the real action on the field. For all of the excitement this offseason has built, there remains plenty of unforeseen turns before the end of the spring and many questions that are atop of the priority list when it comes to finding the true identity of this team. Practice No. 1 kicks off tomorrow at 9:00 a.m. I will be in attendance for the media availability of the first session. But beforehand, a quick idea of what I will be looking for when it comes to the spring season getting underway. *** 1. Can Sydir Mitchell Carry 373 Pounds? It truly is that simple of a question. This was probably the surprise of the roster update – aside from Savion Red at 240 pounds. Texas is banking on a continuation of elite interior defensive line play as they move into the SEC and Sydir Mitchell was expected to be a large piece of the puzzle here. If he can move well and be an impact guy, this is a moot point, but right now, it remains to be seen just how much he can contribute at that weight. 2. Ryan Wingo in Action Of course, the talk of the offseason has been the transfer portal additions at the wide receiver spot, but that won't stop me from being excited about the five-star wide receiver. Wingo was a star in San Antonio when I last saw him in person. He has the physical tools, a tremendous frame and speed that Sarkisian covets. Now it is about carving out his own role within the Texas offense. 3. Anthony Hill Jr. + LB2 The expectation coming into spring football is David Gbenda will be the man in the starting 11 for the Longhorns at the MIKE linebacker spot alongside Anthony Hill Jr. We saw the glimpses of Gbenda in 2023 where he made his most significant impact coming downhill in run fits and often as a blitzer chasing after the quarterback. The question is can he be relied upon in the passing game. Will we eventually see Morice Blackwell moved inside? How quickly can Liona Lefau and Derion Gullette make an impact here? And don't forget Alabama transfer Kendrick Blackshire for what he can do in this defensive scheme. 4. All of the EDGE's Texas has lacked that consistent game changer off of the edge for a couple of seasons under Sarkisian. However, we look at the EDGE room now in 2024 that is a strength on paper. You can expect Barryn Sorrell and Ethan Burke to take steps in their game from a year ago. You add UTSA star transfer Trey Moore and of course five-star Colin Simmons enters the fold as well. But don't sleep on guys like J'Mond Tapp, Billy Walton and Justice Finkley. And it would be found money for the Longhorns to get Colton Vasek completely healthy this spring as well. 5. Quinn Ewers and Arch Manning I mean it is kind of outrageous that the Heisman frontrunner and the former No. 1 overall player in the country come in at No. 5 on this list am I right? But hey, that just leads to the intrigue of this spring football season. Quinn Ewers physically will look a little stockier than what we saw in New Orleans for the Sugar Bowl. With the new WR corps, I want to know what the rapport looks like. Of course, with Arch, how is he progressing here as well. Plus, let us see the first couple of practices for early enrollee Trey Owens. A very talented and hyped up QB room for Sarkisian here. View full news

The madness is finally here! The NCAA Men's Basketball field of 68 has been released and now is your chance to join the On Texas Football bracket challenge! For the next couple of weeks there will be plenty of banter available surrounding the brackets as the men's tournament takes over the headlines in the sports world. Get ready for some trash talk and plenty of bragging rights as a result of the bracket group. Join the group here: https://fantasy.espn.com/tc/sharer?challengeId=240&from=espn&context=GROUP_INVITE&edition=espn-en&groupId=cbd215c3-5539-453f-a93d-eea93a42e5fb View full news

EDGE Lance Jackson has flipped his official visit date to June 14-16.

No Oklahoma in the tournament this year. Also, Indiana State misses the tournament as the 27th team in the NET rating - the highest rated team to miss the tournament. Committee gave UVA the nod based off program reputation.

Very favorable R64 draw for the Longhorns. Virginia flirted with the NIT after a loss to 10-Seed NC State in OT in the ACC tournament. Colorado State has four players averaging 10+ this season. Fun team from a competitive conference, though someone Texas should handle. The possible meeting with Rick Barnes and Tennessee is what intrigues me the most.

Again, Lake Travis, Texas, and the other nine schools that are planning on getting him on campus this spring have all done their due diligence here. Rushing to judgement blindly off of a one-sided story is likely not the best outcome.

Cordova's Hudl: https://www.hudl.com/video/3/17617963/6570d500dfe2e6117829bf40

Cordova tells me he also has a handful of unofficials for the upcoming month: March 23 – USC March 30 – Florida April 6 – USC April 13 – Tennessee

Four-star Lake Travis DL Gus Cordova to visit Texas for Spring Game Texas will receive an unofficial visit from 2025 Lake Travis defensive end Gus Cordova for the Texas spring game on April 20. Cordova has continued to be recruited by the Longhorns since his visit for the junior day in January and told me in February that the staff has continued to be actively pursuing him. The Lake Travis EDGE also locked in an official visit to USC for June 21-23. The next couple of months will be loaded with unofficial visits. Cordova told me last month he hoped to get up to as many as nine campuses in the months of March and April. View full news

Afternoon Longhorn Livestream is coming your way at 1:10 p.m. With the College Football Playoff expanding to 12 and eventually 14 teams, Rod Babers, Bobby Burton and I take a look back at Texas teams of the last 25 years to debate which teams would have made the cut. View full news

As we sit here on a beautiful Friday morning a handful of sleeps ahead of spring football kicking off it is worth the laugh to sit here and ponder over how spring break has changed for student athletes. The trips to South Padre or Destin has turned into a first class flight to Jamaica or Cancun. It is rather remarkable to sit here and reflect on how spring break has evolved in the NIL era. But regardless, one last opportunity for the team to sit back and relax prior to spring football kicking off on Tuesday. The Texas team will get back to the weight room Monday morning for one last lift before getting to work. Over the next month, the 15 practices will provide a sneak peak at the 2024 team for anyone interested. One of the most anticipated Pro Days in recent Texas history will take place Wednesday, March 20. For guys like Jordan Whittington, Jaylan Ford and Keilan Robinson, it is a massive opportunity to get in front of NFL scouts and executives for one last audition. However, no one will have a bigger opportunity to impress than Quinn Ewers who will be throwing live for the scouts in attendance. This is not an uncommon practice to see the current QB throw at Pro Days. Texas has had former QB David Ash throw for the last couple of years at Pro Days. Though with a future first rounder on roster at the moment, one extra chance to get in front of NFL personnel was something Sarkisian and Ewers did not want to pass up. Regardless, the next week should be very fun in regards to team coverage. The next month should be a blast when you add in recruiting coverage and the number of big visit weekends set to hit the 40 Acres. March Madness applies to more than just the hardwood. View full news