CJ Vogel

Hudl: https://www.hudl.com/video/3/19770901/6505a83b6899990b6441eb2f

While I was hoping to get an idea of the current landscape of 2026 DL Tiki Hola's recruitment while on the road at Bastrop High this morning, I wanted to get a first look at what could end up being a very special quarterback coming through the ranks in central Texas. 2027 QB Weston Nielsen has seen his recruitment really pop over the last few weeks. After starting the final eight games of the regular season, the cat is out of the bag with the CenTex gunslinger. Nielsen received his offer from Oregon on September 24, then received nine offers in the months of January and February. Texas made two stops by Bastrop during the contact window to evaluate Nielsen as well. The first was Steve Sarkisian on the first day of the contact window, January 12, and then the second was a solo visit from AJ Milwee two weeks later. Milwee was able to watch the 2027 quarterback throw in workouts as well. We know the Texas staff is rather peculiar when it comes to quarterback recruiting. Sarkisian is not loose with quarterback offers regardless of the talent crop, nor on-roster depth. Texas will have the shortest trek of any major D1 program to keep tabs on the 6-foot-3 quarterback during his development. The Bastrop staff is expecting the Longhorn staff to return to campus again to watch Nielsen throw during the spring. Should be interesting to follow with the local kid. View full news

He’s extremely athletic for his size. Really like how he projects and of course Texas is in a strong spot early.

first stop this off-season for Sarkisian was to Bastrop.

Surprising how much talent those 2015 and 2016 classes brought in despite the results on the field.

The Latest on 2026 Four-star Bastrop DL Tiki Hola Made the quick drive over to Bastrop to catch a workout this morning. There is plenty of talent coming up that I will get into later in the week, but 2026 defensive lineman Tiki Hola is the prize at the moment in Texas circles. Hola visited Texas during the January 20 Junior Day, and while Texas had yet to make a hiring at the DL spot, Hola spent a lot of time with Coach Johnny Nansen and came away from the afternoon with rave reviews. "I loved it," Hola said of his time on campus. "I got to meet with Coach Sark and talk to him for a little bit. I got to know him a little bit and he got to know me a little bit. Plus the basketball game, it was just a fun day in general." The 6-foot-3 and 280-pound defensive lineman has become one of the jewels in the Austin area for the 2026 cycle and Texas is going to be a player here. Coach Sarkisian stopped by in the winter to catch a workout and is expected to return in the spring – most likely with Coach Kenny Baker. "(Coach Sarkisian) is a great coach," Hola said. "But he is more than coach, he is a great person in general. He tries to genuinely get to know you and get a good conversation out of you." Coach Baker had not yet been hired when Hola visited Austin, but the big takeaway from the trip was actually the time he spent with coach Johnny Nansen. Hola was originally born in California before moving to Bastrop at a young age, plus he is cousins with former Alabama LB Henry To'oto'o. Texas has been a player here for a while. The initial offer came last June following a camp during the summer. Since January, Auburn, Miami, Nebraska, Texas A&M and USC have all gotten involved. Recruiting is really beginning to take off for Hola, yet the spring visit schedule is completely wide open. He mentioned a possible return to Austin for a spring practice or two, but has nothing locked in for Texas or anyone else for the time being. This was my first time watching Hola in workouts and I was thoroughly impressed. For someone as big as he is at that age, there is so much fluidity in movements and plenty of flexibility. Hola played over the ball straight up last year, though you can expect many coaches to recruit him as a future 3-tech or 4i, which is more right over the guard/inside the tackle. One of the better interior defensive linemen in the state and only a 35-minute drive from campus. View full news

It is Combine week! Eleven Longhorns are going to Indianapolis where on-field drills will get started on Thursday. But before they get started, be sure to check out this week's Talkin' Ball with Rod and I as we talk where the Texas Draft hopefuls can improve their stock and a return down Memory Lane – Indy style for Rod with some stories from his time at the NFL Combine. View full news

Big time player!

Autry's Hudl: https://www.hudl.com/video/3/16281475/654991e3688e3509745166f7

A second offer this afternoon has been extended to a defensive lineman out of the deep south. Texas is dipping into Alabama to offer current Auburn defensive end commit Malik Autry. Autry, a 6-foot-6 and 320-pound interior defensive lineman, has been committed to Auburn since February of 2023. He received his offer from the Longhorns this afternoon from Coach Kenny Baker as the Longhorns continue their pursuit of having a deeper foothold in the SEC territory. View full news

Still the top RB from a number of notable NFL Draft experts: - Matt Miller - Daniel Jeremiah - Bucky Brooks Plenty of others as well. Credit to J-Brooks!

Positive news for Jonathon Brooks according to Ian Rapoport. Recovery from the ACL injury is going according to plan and the former Texas running back should be cleared by training camp.

I would love to see it happen.

He's a great athlete, but EDGE is a much higher ceiling for Jackson.

Would be quite the switcharoo lol

That lower body looks strong.

It's great for guys like Watts, Whittington and Robinson. We talked about it a bit on the Longhorn Livestream last year, but if guys like Jahdae and Alfred Collins weren't enticed by NIL to comeback, that would have been two less chances for those three aforementioned players to get drafted.

They are going to complement each other very well.

The on-field tests at the 2024 NFL Combine begin on Thursday, meaning it is time to make some money for the Texas draft hopefuls in attendance. As we know, there will be 11 Longhorns in Indianapolis this weekend to perform in front of NFL Scouts and Executives. With less than two months from the NFL Draft, the Combine poses as one last master interview opportunity before Pro Days. More specifically, which one drill means the most for each of the Texas combine attendees? *** RB Jonathon Brooks – Interviews Brooks is still recovering from his ACL injury and won't be participating in on-field drills unfortunately. RB Keilan Robinson – 40-yard Dash The Combine is a great chance for Robinson to put some big testing numbers on paper here. While I find it a bit of a climb to get into the Draft, Robinson has plenty of tape here to suggest he can make a roster from a special teams perspective. WR Adonai Mitchell – 40-yard Dash If AD Mitchell can put a low 4.5 of 4.4 time together at the combine, he will be a first round pick. He has the hands and the tape to put his name in the mix already, an elite 40 will put him over the top and into the first round. WR Xavier Worthy – WR Gauntlet We know Worthy is going to test well in the 40 and there will be good enough times in the agility stations. It is time for Worthy to silence doubters about his hands and put on a show in the gauntlet. WR Jordan Whittington – 20-Yard Shuttle Not performing at the Senior Bowl means this week gets even more important for J-Whitt. I have no doubt Whittington will perform well in the wide receiver drills with the quarterbacks, but I do wonder how his numbers will stack up testing wise, more so in the short distance and quick agility testing. TE Ja'Tavion Sanders – Bench Press Listen, I don't think Sanders has questions surrounding how strong he is, more so with his level of physicality. At the pro level, there must be a balance of production in the run and pass games at the tight end spot and Sanders putting up a big number on the bench can help alleviate those concerns about his willingness as a blocker. OL Christian Jones – Bench Press Starting 48 career games at the collegiate level has been huge for Jones' development. With the soccer background, I expect the testing times to be good enough. Question then turns to strength and the bench press can help his case. DL T'Vondre Sweat – Weigh-in It feels simple, but Sweat raised some question marks at the senior bowl weekend when he opted against the weigh-in. We know the tape will back up anything else that might be questioned on the field, but right now it is all about getting to a playing weight that NFL scouts feel appropriate. DL Byron Murphy – 3-Cone Drill There won't be many question marks with Murphy at the combine. He will put up big numbers on bench and I expect he surprises people in the broad jump. Murphy can really make some money and cement himself in the 1st round with a stellar three-cone drill. LB Jaylan Ford – 60-yard Shuttle I had this conversation over the weekend about the comparison of Jaylan Ford to Demarvion Overshown. While Overshown was the more athletic prospect, Ford had a deeper bag of statistics and on-field accomplishments. If Ford can put together any sliver of testing times that mirror that of Overshown, he will be a 3rd-4th round pick to me. Starts with the sideline to sideline speed. DB Ryan Watts – 10-Yard split in the 40 I wanted to get a bit more specific for Watts rather than saying just the 40. Of course we know how important showing off the top-end speed will be for Watts at the Combine. He has the analytical numbers that help his case for long distance speed, but the NFL needs quick burst more than anything – especially at DB. View full news