CJ Vogel

Officially eight days away from the beginning of spring football here in Austin. Our Gerry Hamilton has repeatedly echoed the sentiment that this spring season will be the most anticipated in Texas history and there is very little reason for me to not agree at the moment. Today, we will start with the offensive side of the ball when it comes to previewing spring football. One sentence summary of the offense: There are plenty of new toys around Quinn Ewers who returns for year three behind loaded, veteran offensive line. *** Quarterback Quinn Ewers is headed back up the weight roller coaster after a strong winter in the weight room. He returns to Texas for year three in the system and will enter the upcoming season as one of the favorites for the Heisman trophy. For Quinn this fall, the key for me is to hear about his total control of the offense. Take true leadership of the new faces at the WR spot and continue the path of development. As for Arch Manning, this will be the most we will get to see from the former five-star prospect in a Texas uniform. Manning will no longer have to wait for third team reps as we saw his freshman season. I am fully of the belief Manning would be able to succeed in the Texas offense should he be asked to this season. Should be another opportunity for development this offseason. Last Note: I have been told several times this offseason Ewers' command/leadership of the team has improved significantly since the conclusion of the season. Running Back There is no hiding the talent in this Texas RB room – something we have said for several years now. CJ Baxter and Jaydon Blue are expected to be the 1–2 punch though it is going to be very interesting to see how the rest of the room falls in place. What role does Savion Red carve out at 240 pounds? Can Tre Wisner increase some of his share in the room as well? Plus, what happen with the two freshmen and do they create some noise this spring. Regardless, a very fun room to look at and plenty of big time talent. Last Note: The path for any of the backup RBs to carve out a role for themselves heading into the spring is to become a plus in pass protection. That is the biggest weakness in this room. Wide Receiver The talk of the offseason has been surrounding the portal additions of Matthew Golden, Isaiah Bond and Silas Bolden. While only Bond and Golden will be on campus for the spring season, this room is going to have plenty of competition in what was expected to be a wide open target share. Johntay Cook is the leading incumbent from the 2023 team and is one guy I have penciled into the starting 11 at the moment. Of the early enrollees, there has been plenty of praise in direction of Ryan Wingo and should he get up to speed with the playbook and situational football in the spring, you can expect to see the new No. 5 on the field in the fall. One other Texas wide receiver I am keeping a close eye on is DeAndre Moore who will be entering his second year in the program. Matthew Golden was still receiving treatment on his foot as recently as the end of last week. Last Note: The speed in this room is going to be noticeable from the get-go. Question is now, which of these receivers will play unselfishly without the ball, something Texas has asked their WRs to do a lot under Sarkisian. Tight End You can expect to see Gunnar Helm as the first tight end used this spring. That goes for a number of reasons, but mostly the familiarity with the system. Helm has had a strong offseason and is up to 250 pounds currently. What is going to be very fun is the combination of Helm and Amari Niblack on the field together. There is an ideal balance of talent and skillsets between the two which will pose as a challenge for seemingly every defensive coordinator Texas faces this upcoming fall – first it will be Pete Kwiatkowski during the spring. Juan Davis is the slimmest of the bunch which gives me pause for a possible increase in his snaps this spring. Whereas, this will be a big spring in the development of Spencer Shannon. Niblack too was in a boot earlier this winter, though the belief is he will be good to go for the beginning of spring. Last Note: Nice complementary aspect with this unit here. Question turns to if there will be too much a tipped hand with personnel usage. Offensive Line The makeup of this offensive line is ideal for not only Quinn Ewers, but for Steve Sarkisian as his program enters the SEC. With four of five returning, there is plenty of familiarity and talent with this bunch. It should not be out of the range of possibility to see this unit in the Joe Moore Award finalist group next fall. Though for the spring, the question turns to which of the guys in the 2nd group challenge for a starting spot. Texas has plenty of depth here at the moment. With guys like Cole Hutson and Neto Umeozulu eager to get into the starting five, what movement do we see on the interior? Will there be true movement from Hayden Conner to right tackle to push Cam Williams? What about Brandon Baker or Trevor Goosby? So many options and possibilities here. Kelvin Banks is up to 325 pounds and DJ Campbell is coming down a bit in his own right. Last Note: On paper, this is the best Texas offensive line in the past 15 years. Should be a very strong spring season. View full news

I am a huge fan of Daylan's. He's a stud.

Nice new deal for a former Texas Longhorn defensive back! The Denver Broncos and DB Brandon Jones have agreed to 3-year deal worth $20M according to Jordan Schultz. Three former Longhorn defensive backs are now on roster for the Broncos – PJ Locke, Caden Sterns and now Jones. Quite the trio!

McCutcheon's Hudl: https://www.hudl.com/video/3/16099504/64fe64e05798110b68b20460 2023 Stats: 94 receptions, 1430 yards, 21 touchdowns

The Texas staff will receive an official visit from 2025 Lovejoy (TX) wide receiver Daylan McCutcheon in the month of June. McCutcheon has sporadically been in contact with the Texas staff, though communication has begun to increase over the last month, and as a result, he will officially visit the Longhorns during June 14-16 weekend. The top-100 prospect per the 247Sports composite has four officials locked in at the moment: Ohio State May 31, USC June 7, Texas June 14 and Florida State on June 21. Winter workouts were a busy time for McCutcheon who received visits from Mike Norvell and Ryan Day in consecutive days. As a result, this to me has the makings of a Ohio State-Florida State battle at the moment. However, there has been plenty of interest in the Longhorns in the past and an official visit to Texas might be able to swing things a bit. Of course it certainly does not hurt Texas' chances having former Lovejoy teammate Parker Livingstone in the fold and on roster at the moment as well. View full news

Good for Malcolm Brown!

That stream would be mighty entertaining any time I get to the green. Turns into hockey from there.

I’ll be a bit out of pocket today until the livestream this afternoon. Bachelor party golf outing this AM. trying to figure out how to putt.

He really likes Sark’s offense and the way wide receivers were used last year and developed. Maybe a Ryan Williams situation a bit from a year ago, but the difference is Ffrench is getting to campus.

That WR class would be special…

This is a really interesting bunch. Following up the 2024 class with another strong crop is going to be important for early SEC success. Landing a big time CB like Brew will go a long way for Texas.

That is my mindset as well, get the best you can. Don't overlook Texas – which Texas has not done with this staff, but if you find an instant game-changer elsewhere go get them. i.e Ryan Wingo, Brandon Baker, Arch etc.

Simons’ Hudl: https://www.hudl.com/video/3/16091617/657fb2040dc08d0e2c9a69b0 Sorry, just got off a flight.

2025 Calvary Baptist Academy (LA) running back James Simon has dropped a top seven list that includes the Texas Longhorns. I traded messages with Simon who also added he plans to visit Austin for the spring game on April 20. The Longhorns will be battling LSU, Miami, Notre Dame, Texas A&M, Alabama and Louisiana Tech in this recruitment. View full news

While the winter conditioning workouts may not be all too fun, the Longhorns sure are finding ways to enjoy themselves in the locker room this winter. With spring ball less than two weeks away, this team is growing very close with one another and this clip only furthers that take. If you’re unable to watch, click here to S’Maje Burrell’s IG: https://www.instagram.com/reel/C4OHylcuPPk/?igsh=MXdoZ3Y1bHI3YnJ2MQ== RPReplay_Final1709830537.mov

This was my view about a month ago. Think we will see more Bolden this fall than he’s getting love right now, of course not having a spring might be a slower start for him. But regardless, a dog!

Tremendous. Excited to see him in that aspect of the game.

I was thinking that exact same thing when I was writing this piece lol spoiled!

2025 LB Matia Tagoa’i out of San Clemente (CA) has been reported to lock in a Texas official for June 21-23.

We took a look at the early enrollees on both sides of the ball earlier this week, now it is time to take a look at the seven additions out of the transfer portal that are on campus for the spring. Of course, keep in mind that Oregon State WR Silas Bolden will arrive at the conclusion of the semester and enroll for June. *** WR Isaiah Bond Adding the former WR1 for Alabama is never a bad sign. In fact, I would argue it is a good one! Bond has tremendous top-end speed and could rival Jaydon Blue or anyone else for that matter as the fastest player on the Texas roster for the spring. Bond made it clear he came to Texas to improve his draft stock with a quarterback like Quinn Ewers. He will be prioritized in the lineup and by the end of spring, I would be a bit surprised if he has not separated himself as WR1 for the Longhorns heading into the summer. WR Matthew Golden Golden actually had his best game of the 2023 season against Texas which is ironically rather funny to me. Golden does not have that top-end elite speed, but he can still burn you if you are not careful. There is also great wiggle to his game and in short, close areas, he is a nightmare to bring down to the ground. For the spring, you can expect to see Golden with the first unit. TE Amari Niblack Texas tested an Alabama tight end transfer with great speed vertical ability once before – that did not work out so great. However, by all accounts, Niblack has been great since joining the Texas program. There were glimpses of a true TE1 last year while at Alabama. Some of the same route concepts that made Ja'Tavion Sanders such a threat last fall, will be used to free up Niblack in space in 2024. DT Tiaoalii Savea The addition of Johnny Nansen to that staff also helped Texas secure some defensive line depth with the addition of Savea. Following the NFL departures of T'Vondre Sweat and Byron Murphy, the interior DL is the biggest question mark on the team currently. While Savea won't be the full-time answer for either, at least not at the moment, he is expected to see large shares of the snap count and be a contributing factor in the run-game. EDGE Trey Moore Trey Moore has proven over the last two years he can really get after the quarterback. With 22.5 sacks in two seasons, Texas will be greatly appreciate adding him to their defensive end room. While that group looks awfully crowded on paper, I am of full belief we will see Moore in that top-two range for snap count come the fall at the EDGE spot. It certainly doesn't hurt that he came in with a tremendous mindset and approach to winter conditioning. LB Kendrick Blackshire – Transferred from Alabama Replacing Jaylan Ford is near the top of the priority list for the Texas defensive staff this offseason. Ford's smarts and ability to drop in coverage were qualities that are not easily replaceable, especially when joining a new conference. Blackshire comes in from Alabama with the expectation to get on the field, though it will be up to him to supplant David Gbenda and fend off Liona Lefau and Derion Gullette. If Blackshire shows an improvement in the passing game, there is a chance he finds himself a nice role on the Texas D. DB Andrew Mukuba – Transferred from Clemson Texas is adding a lot of experience and production in the backend of their secondary with the addition of Mukuba. The former Freshman All-American brings athleticism to the group that Texas did not have in 2023. On top of that, there is already familiarity with secondary members Michael Taaffe and Jahdae Barron as the trio trains together in the Austin area. It is my expectation to see Mukuba in the starting lineup come spring game time. View full news

This was a google search of every P5’s draft history and manual search through the years. Have yet to find one website with all of this info collected yet.