CJ Vogel

I wanted to throw some of these stats into one place for y'all to check out and start some conversation since the conclusion of the football season has arrived. Will update some additional notes in the comments later on, but there are a few that really stood out to me and I will try to divvy it up via player. *** Matthew Golden – Golden was the 5th highest rated deep ball receiver in the SEC and the 10th highest in the country. Pretty darn good. WR Isaiah Bond – On the flip side, Texas had very little success throwing to Isaiah Bond. Bond had just two receptions on 14 targets beyond 20 yards downfield. One of which coming in week two against Michigan on 3rd & 13. But that is a 14.3% completion rate when targeting one of the fastest players in college football. EDGE Trey Moore – Moore really flipped a switch after the second bye week. Check these 2nd half numbers out beginning with the Florida game on Nov. 9. First 8 Games: 16 pressures, 0 sacks, 0.5 tackles for loss, 6 total tackles, 1 fumble recovery Final 7 Games: 20 pressures, 6.5 sacks, 10.0 tackles for loss, 3 forced fumbles, 17 total tackles, 1 fumble recovery Running Backs – Texas running backs Tre Wisner and Jaydon Blue each ranked in the top ten for missed tackles forced amongst SEC running backs, per PFF. 70 – Dylan Sampson 58 – Jarquez Hunter 46 – Raheim Sanders 45 – Tre Wisner 41 – Ja'Quinden Jackson 37 – Jaydon Blue 35 – Johnnie Daniels 33 – Sedrick Alexander 32 – Demie Sumo-Karngbaye 32 – Jadan Baugh – Texas running backs Tre Wisner and Jaydon Blue each ranked in the top three of receiving yards amongst SEC running backs. 365 – Jaydon Blue 311 – Raheim Sander 311 – Tre Wisner 275 – Cash Jones 263 – Josh Williams OL Numbers – Hayden Conner (1,067) and Jake Majors (1,042) played the two most snaps of any offensive lineman in the country for 2024. – RT Cam Williams ended up with the most penalties of any Power 4 offensive lineman in the country (16). – LT Kelvin Banks (89.8) had the 4th highest pass protection grade of any P4 offensive lineman per PFF. Rushing Success by Direction: Look at the average yards per attempt to the left side of the OL vs. the right side. EDGE Colin Simmons – The freshman EDGE rusher led, or tied for the lead, all freshmen in: Sacks: 9 Hits on the QB: 14 Batted passes: 3 Run Stops: 31 Tackles: 32 Forced Fumbles: 3 CB Jahdae Barron – Per PFF, the longest reception Jahdae Barron allowed in man coverage this season was 9 yards. Insane. – Barron was also the highest graded (91.8) defensive back in the country with at least 100 snaps.

This is a beat down.

Maybe the best first half of the season. That was very well done from the offensive side of the ball.

Georgia WR Anthony Evans will stay in the SEC. After entering the portal earlier in the offseason, Evans became someone to monitor for the Longhorns as he checked off the boxes for speed and special teams ability. However, the speedster from Judson, Texas, will be headed to Starkville to join Jeff Lebby's offense for 2025.

I think Sam Darnold is kind of where I am leaning for Ewers. Great quarterback when on plan. Struggles to succeed when protection fails or there is a need to create on the fly. Obviously the story of the Rams/Vikings games was the 9 sacks allowed, that played a similar role to the losses Texas suffered this season as well. I look at a Rams/Niners/Dolphins to take Ewers. Someone familiar with Sarkisian/Ewers but has a QB for 2025 to allow him to develop a year before being thrown in the fire.

Jahdae Barron's comment on Ewers' announcement post on IG.

Quinn Ewers is officially headed to the NFL Draft. No more wondering, it is official.

Hmm.

Big, big news for the Longhorns secondary. Beyond just play on the field, Taaffe will be huge for the continuity of the culture in the locker room and behind the scenes. Taaffe was a 2nd team All-American as well. Now, it is all about finding his running mate in the back end. Will it be a healthy Derek Williams Jr., Jelani McDonald, or a young cat. We will see, but what a return for Texas.

Is returning for 2025!

Another from Penn State.

Texas did not offer out of HS. He held 27 offers and took officials to Rutgers, Vanderbilt and Penn State. The PSU OV was later in the season, whereas the other two were in the summer.

Penn State wide receiver Omari Evans has entered the NCAA Transfer Portal. Evans, originally from Killeen Shoemaker high school in central Texas, has one year of eligibility remaining after spending three seasons with Penn State. In those three seasons, Evans saw a combined 782 snaps on offense, including 417 in 2024. The veteran wider receiver has elite speed, and was a state finalist in the long jump his senior season at Killeen. In 2024, Evans recorded 415 yards on 21 receptions for 19.8 yards per catch. He had five total touchdowns on the season. The big play ability is there, six of Evans' 21 receptions went for 25 or more yards including three over 45. Baylor was an offer out of HS as well, so will be worth monitoring moving forward for the Longhorns out of the portal.

Former USC offensive lineman Emmanuel Pregnon has made his decision. Pregnon is staying in the B1G and on the west coast after committing to Oregon. The Longhorns hosted Pregnon for a visit over the weekend, though the Ducks come away with the recruiting victory and their third portal offensive lineman of the offseason so far. There are a number of ways to look at this, including the possible return of DJ Campbell as reasons for why this recruitment went a different direction. We will see how it shakes out for Texas.

Hook 'Em forever, Dave. Thank you for sharing that and my deepest condolences. Life is precious.

He never had interest in Texas. Likely headed to Ann Arbor.

Texas graded as the 19th best offense in 2024 per PFF. The Longhorns were the 4th ranked defense. Special teams ranked 26th.

5 Highest rated defensive players: CB Jahdae Barron (90.8) DB Andrew Mukuba (90.0) DB Michael Taaffe (87.9) DL Alfred Collins (87.2) DL Vernon Broughton (86.1)

5 Highest rated offensive players: QB Arch Manning (88.0) LT Kelvin Banks (86.0) RB Tre Wisner (80.8) WR Matthew Golden (74.0) WR Silas Bolden (73.8)

A look at the grades from Pro Football Focus for the Longhorns in the 2024 season. 16 total games and north of 1,000 snaps on both sides of the football. Let's see how the Longhorns stack up. I will start by snap leaders, then add the offensive or defensive grade for the season in parenthesis afterwards. I will add just the players north of 100 snaps on the season, anyone who wants to see specific players below that snap threshold, let me know and I will add them in the comments. Offense 1,169 possible offensive snaps. 1,067 – LG Hayden Conner (70.9) 1,054 – TE Gunnar Helm (62.8) 1,042 – C Jake Majors (72.7) 975 – RT Cameron Williams (67.4) 935 – LT Kelvin Banks (86.0) 901 – QB Quinn Ewers (72.7) 854 – WR Matthew Golden (74.0) 809 – RG DJ Campbell (68.3) 624 – RB Tre Wisner (80.8) 618 – WR Ryan Wingo (64.6) 527 – WR Isaiah Bond (68.9) 522 – WR DeAndre Moore (65.0) 429 – RB Jaydon Blue (73.2) 409 – TE Juan Davis (42.2) 389 – OG Cole Hutson (61.7) 319 – OT Trevor Goosby (62.6) 253 – WR Silas Bolden (73.8) 233 – QB Arch Manning (88.0) 127 – RB Jerrick Gibson (71.1) 114 – WR Johntay Cook (69.9) Defense Out of 1,066 defensive snaps this season. 972 – CB Jahdae Barron (90.8) 897 – CB Malik Muhammad (71.7) 867 – LB Anthony Hill Jr. (72.9) 829 – DB Michael Taaffe (87.9) 712 – DB Andrew Mukuba (90.0) 690 – CB Jaylon Guilbeau (66.1) 674 – EDGE Trey Moore (75.0) 651 – EDGE Barryn Sorrell (71.4) 592 – DL Alfred Collins (87.2) 589 – DL Vernon Broughton (86.1) 506 – LB Liona Lefau (63.9) 477 – DB Jelani McDonald (71.8) 472 – EDGE Colin Simmons (82.5) 471 – DL Jermayne Lole (74.8) 324 – EDGE Ethan Burke (64.6) 314 – LB David Gbenda (81.7) 290 – CB Gavin Holmes (64.8) 259 – DL Bill Norton (61.7) 202 – LB Morice Blackwell Jr. (56.1) 110 – CB Kobe Black (67.5) 98 – DB Derek Williams Jr. (74.8) 94 – DL Alex January (63.2)

They can play the game.

Texas Makes Top 5 for Tiki Hola The Longhorns have made the cut for Bastrop (Texas) High DL Tiki Hola. Hola has been on campus upwards of five times during the 2024 calendar year, and as a result the Longhorns make the top five with USC, Oregon, SMU and Notre Dame. This spring seasons is going to be really important for Hola. Can he continue to grow into his frame? That will be the big question.