Jeff Howe

I'm with Schloss. I hope the team takes the Tarleton State loss and moves forward with a renewed sense of urgency. The alternative would be less than ideal.

AUSTIN, Texas — When Texas coach Jim Schlossnagle analyzes fifth-ranked Auburn ahead of the second-ranked Longhorns’ three-game weekend road series against the Tigers, he sees a lot of similarities to the squad he coaches every day. “Auburn has an awesome team,” Schlossnagle said on Thursday before departing UFCU-Disch Falk Field for the airport. “They actually remind me a lot of our team and some of the best teams we've had — that I've coached.” It starts on the mound, where Texas (18-2, 2-1 SEC) and Auburn (18-2, 3-0) rank among the nation’s leaders in team ERA (the Tigers are second with a 2.26 while the Longhorns are fourth with a 2.67) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (Auburn’s 5.34 leads Division I while Texas is currently ninth with a 3.63). Ruger Riojas (4-0, 2.05 ERA) and Jake Marciano (3-0, 0.93) square off in Friday’s series opener, pitting two of the nation’s top starting pitchers against each other. “He throws a boatload of strikes with multiple pitches,” Schlossnagle said of Marciano, who has only walked two batters in 29 innings while firing 42 strikeouts, 13 of which have been looking (the third-most in the SEC). “He's got a really, kind of loose body, loose arm. The fastball — it's not like some super high-velocity fastball — it gets on you. It's relentless strikes.” Schlossnagle said Marciano, a sophomore lefty who went 4-2 with a 6.08 ERA in 15 appearances as a freshman at Virginia Tech last season, controls the running game so well that it’s tough to envision the Longhorns doing a lot of damage with men on base. Even though Texas enters the series boasting one of the most productive offenses in the country (12th with a .560 team slugging percentage, 15th with an average of 1.8 home runs per game, 17th with a .324 team batting average, 18th with a .442 team on-base percentage and 19th with an average of 9.5 runs scored per game), Schlossnagle wants to see how the bats bounce back against the Tiger arms after a forgettable performance in Tuesday’s 6-1 loss at to Tarleton State, one Schlossnagle described as “beyond brutal.” A first-inning solo home run by Carson Tinney and a two-out single to right field by Josh Livingston in the bottom of the ninth were the only hits Texas scratched out. The Longhorns struck out 12 times, left nine runners on base and went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position. “The at-bats were horrific,” Schlossnagle said. “They pitched well. Ethan Mendoza, yesterday, said the one right-hander for them — I think the third pitcher — that's the best pitcher we've seen all season. At least he felt. When a guy in the box is saying that. The guy was going 95, 96 (mph) with two breaking balls. I think he had walked like nine guys in 11 innings. Our plan was to make him throw strikes and he threw nothing but strikes. “We didn't do a really good job with the right-handers they threw out there,” he added. “We kept chasing balls on the first-base side of home plate, pulling off the breaking balls. It's more about, as a team, sticking with our approach that we've had all year of using the whole field to hit.” After taking Wednesday to reflect on what happened Tuesday, and making a trip to Round Rock to get some infield work on the dirt and grass at Dell Diamond, Schlossnagle would like to think the loss to Tarleton State will ensure Texas is locked in when facing an Auburn club that’s a “national championship-caliber team that's playing well and playing with a lot of confidence" after opening SEC play with a road sweep of Missouri and recording a 9-2 rout of No. 3 Georgia Tech at home on Tuesday. “Everything in life happens for you, not to you,” Schlossnagle said. “Maybe we'll look back on that and say, 'Wow, what an experience that was,' and we learned from it and got better. Or the opposite. “Hopefully, it's not the opposite.” View full news story

The play that made Stonie Clark a legendary lifetime Longhorn:

https://stoniesteacakes.com/

Not yet.

He was 370 pounds of granite. That's the best way I could describe him to those who aren't familiar with him. Just a rare body type.

I know Sark and Kyle Flood have touted wanting big humans, but Leonard Davis and Mike Williams were big, talented and could move people. Those two were prime examples of the copycat nature of football, as they came along at a time when everyone was trying to recreate the second version of the "Great Wall of Dallas" that helped the Cowboys win Super Bowl XXX. I found this graphic that shows how massive the group that helped pave the way for Emmitt Smith to become the NFL's all-time rushing leader was when the Cowboys played the Steelers at the end of the 1995 season:

As we celebrate big Longhorns, an honorable mention goes to Keondre Coburn, who was listed at 348 pounds on the 2020 roster (he was down to 322 by the 2023 combine). Also, a shoutout to Chris Nelson is warranted. He wasn't the heaviest Longhorn ever (played right around 300 pounds during his career), but he made the belly rub a fan favorite celebration in 2018.

Ian Geffrard has a chance to be one of the most uniquely impactful Texas players in the Steve Sarkisian era. The 6-foot-5-inch Arkansas transfer is listed on the spring roster at 378 pounds, making him the heaviest Longhorn in Sarkisian’s six seasons as head coach. Targeted out of the transfer portal to give Will Muschamp an imposing over-the-ball presence whenever the Longhorns decide to utilize an odd front on defense, Geffrard isn’t just a big body who can occupy blockers. “You don't see a lot of guys at that weight moving this well,” Hero Kanu said after the team’s first spring practice on March 9. “We played against Ian last year and we saw him on tape. We were like, 'Dang! That's a big man right there!’ "He's doing a heck of a job.” Geffrard wouldn’t be the first physically imposing Longhorn to make his presence felt in a big way. Still, if he gets anywhere close to giving what five other historic Texas-sized linemen contributed during their respective careers, Geffrard would leave an indelible impression at the end of his lone season as a Longhorn. — Stonie Clark, DL, 1992-95 The 6-foot-1-inch Clark was listed on the 1994 roster at 343 pounds. That weight might’ve raised a few eyebrows in 2026, but Clark’s listed weight put him in rarified air more than 30 years ago. Clark’s listed weight was down significantly (to 320 pounds) as a senior in 1995, when he served as a captain for a Texas squad that captured the final Southwest Conference championship. Still, Clark became a Longhorn legend as a junior. In the Red River Shootout, Clark smacked Oklahoma’s James Allen just shy of the goal line on fourth-and-goal late in the game, finishing a play that linebacker Robert Reed started by forcing Allen to cut back toward the pursuing Texas defense to clinch a thrilling 17-10 victory at the Cotton Bowl. — Leonard Davis, OL, 1997-2000 Originally a defensive lineman for the Longhorns, Davis switched to the other side of the ball when Mack Brown came to town. Davis’ career took off from there, culminating with consensus All-America honors in 2000, the same season in which he was a finalist for the Lombardi Award and the Outland Trophy. The 6-foot-6-inch Davis, who was listed at 365 pounds on the 2000 roster, tipped the scales at 370 pounds at the NFL Scouting Combine in 2001. A Longhorn Hall of Honor inductee in 2016, Davis went on to become a three-time Pro Bowl selection and an All-Pro offensive lineman during his 12-year NFL career after the Arizona Cardinals made him the No. 2 overall pick in the 2001 draft. — Mike Williams, OL, 1998-2001 A consensus All-American in 2001, the 6-foot-6-inch Williams was listed at 345 pounds as a senior. Williams weighed in at 375 pounds at the combine in 2002, a few months before the Buffalo Bills selected him with the fourth overall pick in the draft. Unlike most elite NFL offensive line prospects who come into the league after playing left tackle in college, Williams played right tackle for the Longhorns, where he protected the blind side of left-handed quarterback Chris Simms. After a failed position conversion to left tackle for the Bills, Williams was cut in 2006. After spending the 2007 and 2008 seasons out of football, Williams, who weighed over 400 pounds at one point, made a successful comeback in 2009. Williams signed with Washington, got his weight down to under 340 pounds, made the team and started eight games before an issue with blood clots ended his career ahead of the 2010 season. — T’Vondre Sweat, DL, 2019-23 There were rumblings that Sweat’s weight was closing in on 400 pounds at one point in his Texas career. Regardless, the 6-foot-4-inch, 362-pounder had a tremendous senior season for the Longhorns, winning the Outland Trophy and being named a unanimous All-American while helping Texas win the Big 12 and reach the College Football Playoff in 2023. Sweat, who was 366 pounds at the combine, maintained the foot quickness and athleticism he displayed on the basketball court in high school as he added weight to his frame. No player Sarkisian inherited from the previous regime benefited more from the coaching change than Sweat. Forced to mature while playing for Bo Davis, Sweat realized his potential with the Longhorns before the Tennessee Titans took him in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft. — Cameron Williams, OL, 2022-24 Before Geffrard’s arrival, Williams was the heaviest player by listed weight in the Sarkisian era. The 2023 roster listed the 6-foot-5-inch Williams at 369 pounds, making him the biggest of the big humans Texas landed in the historic 2022 high school offensive line haul. Williams started one game in 2023 before he took over for Christian Jones at right tackle in 2024. Williams shed weight after a late-season knee injury, dropping down to 317 pounds by the time he showed up at the combine ahead of the 2025 draft. A shoulder injury delayed Williams’ NFL debut with the Philadelphia Eagles, who picked him in the sixth round of the draft (No. 207 overall). Nevertheless, Williams eventually suited up and logged his first snaps as a pro in Week 18 of the 2025 season. View full news story

I’ll have more later, but Schloss said he’s not at the point where he’s going to force Jonah to pick football or baseball. Schloss said the reason Williams is at Texas is because he and Sark told him he could do both and that plan as of now, according to Schloss, hasn’t changed.

AUSTIN, Texas — Ahead of No. 2 Texas traveling to Auburn for a critical SEC baseball series, coach Jim Schlossnagle told reporters on Thursday at UFCU-Disch Falk Field that two-sport athlete Jonah Williams’ shoulder surgery earlier this week “went great.” Williams, who was injured during the 2025 football season while playing safety for the Longhorns, has been absent from Schlossnagle’s lineup since exiting a 14-2, run-rule victory over USC Upstate on 6. A late-inning dive for a ball in the outfield led to Williams going under the knife, ending his sophomore season after appearing in eight games. “He definitely needed it,” Schlossnagle said. “We did get a chance to talk to him and his parents and the doctor. There's no question, once they got in there, there's no chance that he was able to survive through a season and be ready for football, much less play baseball. "I’m glad Jonah is getting some clarity.” While on the mend, Schlossnagle has encouraged Williams to go “all in” on football. Schlossnagle, who’s been in contact with Steve Sarkisian and regarding Williams’ spring plans, wants Williams to focus on learning Will Muschamp’s defense and getting reacquainted with coach Blake Gideon, who spearheaded the football program’s recruitment of Williams before leaving the Forty Acres to accept a position as Georgia Tech’s defensive coordinator for the 2025 season. “Sark and I have spoken and he can now go, really, all in,” Schlossnagle said. “I encouraged him to go all in on being a great teammate in football, learning the defense, just being over there all the time. He's more than welcome, obviously, and I want him in our dugout during the games, but he doesn't need to be at our practices or do anything like that.” Schlossnagle made it clear that Williams is “still a two-sport athlete.” There have been discussions between Schlossnagle, Sarkisian and football general manager Brandon Harris about Williams continuing to pursue both sports at Texas, with Schlossnagle saying that Sarkisian and the football program are “100% supportive of him being a baseball player next January.” Schlossnagle remains “super supportive of him being a football player." Although the Texas faithful will continue debating whether Williams would be better off picking one sport over the other, Schlossnagle said he and Sarkisian are staying true to their word, having told Williams during the recruiting process that he could play both sports for the Longhorns. “The reason he's at Texas is because we told him he could be a two-sport athlete,” Schlossnagle said. “When I was at (Texas) A&M, we told him the same thing. So did LSU. So did Ohio State. I probably shouldn't say this, but sometimes people are like, 'Yeah, we want him at Texas! We want him to be a two-sport guy!' And then, when he gets here, 'go pick.' Well, that's not the deal. You don't get to pick. He gets to pick. Usually, in my experience — I've coached a lot of them — they eventually pick. But this is a unique one. This guy is really good. I don't know what kind of football player he is; I know what kind of baseball player he can be. Everybody needs to get off his back. This guy loves Texas. He loves football and he loves baseball. He's all in on his teammates. He needs to do a better job himself of getting prepared for each sport, and he's learning that as a young, amateur player, but we need to be more supportive of him and less critical." View full news story

That's it for Sean Miller and the Texas players from Portland.