CJ Vogel

Starting today, the Longhorns will have four more weeks of winter conditioning before taking a week off for spring break then diving into the beginning of spring ball practice period. The new additions via the portal have been getting acclimated to the day to day life as a Texas football player and most importantly, the culture of the program. I was able to speak with a source around the program over the weekend to get an idea of how the new faces are acclimating with the team so far. *** Former Alabama LB Kendrick Blackshire has had a seamless transition since arriving on campus. Blackshire joins the Longhorn program which boasts several familiar faces from Blackshire's recruitment days back in the DFW area and time at Duncanville. The speed of former Alabama WR Isaiah Bond is immediately noticeable. That should not come as a surprise, but Bond has an extra gear that has folks excited here. Joining Bond in the wide receiving room is former UH pass catcher Matthew Golden. The former Klein Cain standout may not have that same initial burst as Bond, however Golden does possess the ability to change directions very well which has been evident thus far in workouts. Also, credit Jaydon Blue for getting Golden up to speed pretty quickly here. I have yet to hear a whole lot about Taioalii Savea since his arrival, but will dive in a bit this week. One of the first commits out of the portal was former Clemson DB Andrew Mukuba. The former Austin LBJ defensive back is back home where he has really fit in well with the DB room. I will dive into the mentality of the defensive back room a bit later when we start previewing spring ball, but Mukuba's business like approach to the game has trickled down. Mukuba has been working non-stop, whether it be team-led winter conditioning, or individual sessions off of the 40 Acres. We have talked about one year rentals for guys like Bolden and Bond at WR, that is the thought process from Mukuba has well as he hopes to hear his name drafted very early in the 2025 NFL Draft. View full news

What an awesome game. Patrick Mahomes will end up the greatest of all time when it's all said and done for him.

The potential for the 2025 class is there. Lots of early interest from this class, and it certainly helps the talent instate is high at key positions.

This builds off the SEC rankings post from Friday. Fun to discuss this far out with how much has changed from January 1.

Think Guillory has really nice potential here. Senior year will show a level that he’s yet to put on tape. Interesting to see what he prioritizes in his recruitment.

We are the champs! I had some fun during the series-clinching win to say the least

I am all aboard the Caleb Williams train. Nothing will deter me! Of course, I will be more than fine with being wrong here. But he comes off as a sure-fire deal to me.

Sitting on Chiefs preseason ticket 7/1 lol. Go Chiefs.

Ohio State has the best roster in the country in my eyes. The players that opted to return to school that could have gone pro give them the boost over Texas and UGA.

Should I change it to give the Horns a SOS boost 😉

What a wild turn of events coming from Ryan Day's program. As it looks currently, Buckeyes OC Bill O'Brien will head to Boston College to take over the head coaching job. To fill the void, UCLA Head Coach Chip Kelly is expected to make the jump down to offensive coordinator according to Pete Thamel of ESPN. What an unprecedented move here. New era of CFB. View full news

They did some remarkable work this offseason in the trenches. I love thier roster construction, secondary the only question mark for me.

LSU is an interesting one. Can their defense improve enough to mask losing a Heisman winning QB? Lots of questions there.

I have a hard time seeing Milroe get beat out. Unless Austin Mack makes tremendous strides this offseason.

Good stuff Gerry!

Bingo!

Good chance they find a diffference maker with this group as well.

You know it is the offseason when hypothetical rankings are the subject of conversation, but this is part of why I love college football as much as I do. My personal rankings of the SEC from today, February 9. I will present a case for each school with a brief summary of why their ranking made sense to me. These rankings won't please everybody, which means it's only a matter of time before I get an AP vote, right? Anyways, to the rankings of the SEC from more than 200 days away from kickoff. 1. Georgia Kirby Smart's squad comes in as the top dog in these rankings, pun absolutely intended. Of course, Carson Beck returning for UGA gains all of the headlines, however the return of Nazir Stackhouse and Will Brinson on the iDL give the Dawgs an edge over Texas or anyone else for that matter. Georgia added former UF running back Trevor Etienne in the offseason and the offense returns 76% of its production from a year ago per ESPN's Bill Connelly. I like the Dawgs to start the year. 2. Texas A third year quarterback behind an offensive line that returns four of five starters from a year ago. Let's not forget Sarkisian is the only College Football Playoff coach from 2023 to return to the same school. The ability to stop the run will be the biggest question mark in my eyes. However, Texas should be able to score with the likes of anyone in the country. Blue and Baxter lead the RB room and the talks of the portal additions at wide receiver have been the highlight of the offseason in Austin. 3. Ole Miss I absolutely love what Ole Miss has done this offseason. Perhaps a top five roster in college football? Adding Walter Nolen from the portal is the biggest win of the offseason for anyone in my eyes. Lane Kiffin also added former Manor standout Princely Umanmeilen (7.0 sacks) from Florida to pair with Jared Ivey (5.5 sacks) on the edges for the Ole Miss defense, both of whom are 6-feet-5-inches and 260-plus pounds. Offense will rarely be an issue under Kiffin and when you are able to snag former UNC OL Diego Pounds and two members of Washington's Joe Moore Award winning line, Julius Buelow and Nate Kalepo, the trenches are a massive strength for the Rebels in 2024. 4. Alabama The new era in Tuscaloosa may not be as rocky as some might expect. Listen, Kalen DeBoer has won every where he has been as a head coach. While Jalen Milroe may not be his prototypical match at quarterback, DeBoer will find a way to use mismatches to his advantage. The WR room of Ryan Williams, Jalen Hale, Kobe Prentice and Kendrick Law are enough to get by even after losing Bond and Niblack. The trench talent still remains in Tuscaloosa as well. To me, 9–3 is a safe bet. 5. Missouri Alright, it is time to fully respect what Eli Drinkwitz is doing at Mizzou. Albeit a very nasty game, a win over Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl to end the 2023 season signifies a lot of momentum remains in Columbia. Over 79% of offensive production returns in 2024, with RB Cody Schrader (1,627 yards and 14 TD) being the largest departure obviously. QB Brady Cook is back for the Tigers, as is Theo Wease, Mookie Cooper and All American Luther Burden. 6. Tennessee It is officially Nico Iamaleava season on Rocky Top and I am all for it. The bowl game was a good taste of what Iamaleave could bring, but let's see it for a full season. The Vols added TE Holden Staes and Tulane standout WR Chris Brazzell to the offense which will return Bru McCoy as well. Landing former LSU OL Zalance Heard was one of the biggest offensive linemen portal wins of the offseason. Six departures out of the DB room brings a bit of a question mark, however, I am big fan of Oregon State transfer CB Jermod McCoy. 7. Oklahoma I juggled with where to put Oklahoma for quite a long time. New offensive coordinator, new defensive coordinator, first-time starting QB and a brand new offensive line lead me to pause. A tough hill to climb while entering the SEC. I expect Venables' defense to lead the conversation in Norman this season. Billy Bowman Jr. and Danny Stutsman return and I love what Oklahoma has brought in on the defensive line and edges. My question is will Arnold and the OL be consistent enough to let the elite group of wide receivers impact games as we know they can. 8. LSU If the defense is not better than a year ago, LSU could be in some deep trouble once again. No longer is there a Heisman at the quarterback position to mask the deficiencies on the defensive side of the ball from a year ago. A brand new defensive coaching staff should be provide an improvement, but until then, I am not expecting LSU to be contending at this time. 9. Texas A&M Winning early for Mike Elko is going to be an important task, especially with how well Texas is cruising at the moment. When Conner Weigman is healthy, I think he has top-3 ability in the SEC. Though for A&M in 2024, my question belongs in the trenches and if the personnel brought in by the staff fits what they want to do. There will be 40 new players on campus come the fall, with 23 of them coming from the portal. Lots of turnover for the new era. 10. Auburn This is a must-win season for Hugh Freeze in Auburn. If it is not a must-win, it is at least a must-show improvement from a year ago. The issue is, I question if they have the quarterback to do so. Can Fr. QB Walker White unseat Payton Thorne? That will be interesting to me. Otherwise, I like what Auburn did in the portal and the Tigers are adding a pair of five-star wide receivers as well. Still, I see too many questions offensively. 11. Kentucky This is a team I am most prepared to be wrong about. I like Kentucky and I love the culture Mark Stoops has instilled for his program. Former five-star QB Brock Vandagriff should take over the reigns for the departed Devin Leary. Keeping Barion Brown was as big as any portal addition, though I love former UNT WR Ja'Mori Maclin here. Kentucky ranks 102nd in returning production per ESPN's Bill Connelly. 12. Florida The toughest schedule I have seen for a college football team could not have come at a worse time for Billy Napier. Asking Graham Mertz, who wasn't terrible in 2023, to overcome that feat is just too tall for me. But with where Florida sits right now, it won't matter anyways. The Gators got whooped in the portal and do not see a lot of help coming in, despite a small handful of recruiting victories. 13. South Carolina No more Spencer Rattler for the Gamecocks in 2024. QB LaNorris Sellers is the man penciled in to start for next season. I question who will be available to throw the ball to for Norris. WR Juice Wells transferred to Ole Miss and WR coach Justin Stepp just took the job at Illinois. It could be an upsetting season for the Gamecocks this fall unless some serious portal work is done in April. 14. Mississippi State First year under Jeff Lebby might not produce the results the Miss State fanbase is hoping for. There will be an adjustment period to getting the adequate talent on campus for Lebby and his crew. Right now, I just don't see Mississippi State having the talent to compete. The biggest question mark to me for a Lebby scheme is can you play complementary football, in year one of a new system that is a tall task. 15. Arkansas I was amazed Pittman kept his job in Fayetteville this offseason. It certainly does not help that QB KJ Jefferson (UCF) and RB Rocket Sanders (South Carolina) departed for the portal this offseason. Maybe Bobby Petrino is the fix? But it feels like nothing more than a prayer for dying head coaches in the SEC. 16. Vanderbilt Vandy is recruiting better and will have solid talent on the roster this year. They have been more competitive in recent seasons as well, but at the end of the day, they are still Vanderbilt and lack the dogs in the trenches that make game altering plays. That's the biggest issue and until they address that, it will remain an issue in 2024. View full news

The final segment of the In The Pipeline series takes a deeper look at the revamped secondary. Whether it be via the portal or the high school ranks, the Texas secondary room has turned a new leaf as the move to the SEC nears. One thing is for sure: Texas added a ton of athleticism and speed in these position rooms since January 1. Cornerbacks On Roster: Terrance Brooks, Malik Muhammad, Gavin Holmes, Warren Roberson, Wardell Mack, Santana Wilson, Kobe Black Coming Soon: TBD For 2024: What was a bit of a question mark in 2023, now becomes a strength of the team in 2024. Texas should not have to wait very long to name their starting cornerback duo for next season as both Brooks and Muhammad return. Gavin Holmes was solid in his rotational snaps a year ago, there is no shortage of confidence from him as well which is a great sign to push the competition envelope. I expect we see Warren Roberson in 2024, the staff likes his athleticism. Where the freshmen group fits in is interesting to me. Lots of length and speed joining the room, but which of the bunch is physically ready and mentally prepared for college ball? The spring will give us a better idea. Beyond: Terry Joseph's room has reloaded the depth necessary at corner. Texas also likes to rotate at this spot and get a number of guys snaps in just about every situation during the season which bodes well for getting youngsters acclimated. Right now, the vision is very bright for 2025. It is no guarantee that Brooks departs or returns, but either way, there will be capable bodies and what should be a CB1 in Muhammad by the time he becomes a junior. The 2025 recruiting cycle is interesting to me, if Texas can land Dorian Brew, the rich get richer, however if not, where does that next envelope-pusher come from for the competition of the room? STAR On Roster: Jahdae Barron, Jaylon Guilbeau, Austin Jordan Coming Soon: TBD For 2024: How big was it that Jahdae Barron opted to return for the Texas defense? I'll answer that: huge. Barron received solid draft grades, right around the 5th or 6th round is where I had heard he was expected to go, however he comes back to Austin looking to carry out a fully healthy campaign for one last go-round. The addition of Andrew Mukuba provides versatility to the secondary, but I see Barron remaining close to the ball where his IQ makes the biggest difference in his game. We saw a lot of Guilbeau his freshman season before injury derailed his development. Does he stick around after spring ball? I like Austin Jordan, but wonder what impact he will have during his time on campus. Beyond: When Jahdae departs, this position becomes a bit of a question mark for me. Which of the freshmen get run at STAR this spring? That might be the indicator of what happens here if I am being honest. I would like to think Jaylon Guilbeau finds his role here and thrives. He has great instincts around the football and will be entering his senior season in 2025, but I question his health overall. Jordon Johnson-Rubell projects as a deep safety, his size is not a great match here, but I love his football IQ and think he could play that Quandre Diggs-nickel role if asked. A bit of a question mark moving forward. One thing I would love to see is Jelani McDonald take over this role. He already fits the build of a hybrid safety and linebacker and at STAR you get the best of both worlds with his skillset. Safety On Roster: Derek Williams, Michael Taaffe, Andrew Mukuba, Jelani McDonald, Xavier Filsaime, Jordon Johnson-Rubell Coming Soon: TBD For 2024: Yes please! This is a fun unit. There is a tremendous combination of experience and youth combined with plus athleticism and an increased level of speed on the field. Adding Andrew Mukuba to the roster was huge. A three-year starter with big time accolades helps the Longhorns add a piece they were missing here. Derek Williams is my pick to join him in the starting lineup for the beginning of the season. Taaffe will get run as will freshman Xavier Filsaime. How much? That is to be determined because that role will not be handed over easily with Jelani McDonald in the way. Regardless, a healthier and more complete looking DB room entering 2024. Beyond: I would expect Mukuba to depart after the season and potentially Taaffe. Best part of this room is its youth. We have talked about is expected to be an improved on-field product next season, though what isn't mentioned is the youth in which this room is expected to take in. Derek Williams, Xavier Filsaime, Jelani McDonald and Jordon Johnson-Rubell as the safeties over the next 2-3 years sounds like a dream for Blake Gideon. Development will be key, but there is plenty of raw talent to build upon at the moment. View full news

It's viewed as the RB of the defense. Injuries and wear and tear are significantly higher at LB than other positions, so that makes a lot of sense.

Will get Jerry’s thoughts here as well, but the five I have my eyes closest in 2025 are Bo Barnes, Pettijohn, Cunningham, Javar Thomas and Nasir Wyatt out of Mater Dei. It’ll be interesting to see how the cards play out. But a very strong ‘25 crop. Don’t forget Kamauryn Morgan at SOC for EDGE too