Jeff Howe

It was fun to crunch the numbers on Sark's recent history with running backs. The backs Texas has sent to the NFL in the last few years were productive college players who got to the league with plenty of tread left on their tires.

Texas coach Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns have a lot of reasons to push their chips to the middle of the table for OTF 5-star running back Derrek Cooper (Fort Lauderdale, Fla./Chaminade-Madonna). The need for a running back was a high priority before Ezavier Crowell (Jackson, Ala.) made the call for Alabama in late June on the heels of Carthage’s KJ Edwards committing to Texas A&M. While the cupboard is stocked for the 2025 season, the Longhorns could be without Quintrevion Wisner and CJ Baxter in 2026 if things break the right way for the program’s running back tandem from the 2023 signing class. The 2026 class could be a one-back haul for Texas, which would make it a recruiting coup of sizeable proportions if Sarkisian and Chad Scott can land arguably the nation’s best runner in the 6-foot-1-inch, 205-pound Cooper. Florida State, Georgia, Miami and Ohio State are the competition the Longhorns face for Cooper, who’s scheduled to announce his college choice on July 20. While 247Sports has Cooper ranked as an athlete (the second-best in the nation, according to the 247Sports Composite), the On3 Industry from On3/Rivals has Cooper ranked as the country’s No. 3 running back. He’s an elite prospect who could play on either side of the ball in college, but Texas and the other schools pursuing Cooper would rather hand him the football or throw it to him rather than ask him to tackle opposing ball carriers. According to Chaminade-Madonna coach Dameon Jones, that’s the right call when it comes to Cooper’s future. Jones told The Athletic last summer that teams had stopped recruiting Cooper to play defense ahead of his junior season. He recorded 46 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, four sacks, two forced fumbles and an interception while helping his team claim Florida’s Class 1A state championship, but he can change the game even more on offense. “When you see him run the ball, you’ll see why,” Jones said of Cooper, who ran for 905 yards (7.3 yards per carry) and 13 touchdowns in 15 games. “He killed it in the spring. He’s not an easy tackle. He’s big, fast and strong.” How Sarkisian showcases running backs in his offense is arguably the biggest reason why the Longhorns are a tremendous fit for Cooper. According to Pro Football Focus, Wisner was one of seven FBS running backs to finish the 2024 season with at least 200 rushing attempts (226) and 50 targets (57, the eighth-most among running backs nationally). Wisner’s 283 intended touches (combined rushing attempts and targets) are the second-most in the Sarkisian era, slightly behind the 286 intended touches for Bijan Robinson in 2022 (257 carries and 29 targets). Wisner was used a lot once he emerged as the bell-cow in the backfield. Still, his intended touches paled in comparison to how often usage was funneled to Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty (408 intended touches, including 375 rushing attempts), Arizona State’s Cam Skattebo (346), North Carolina’s Omarion Hampton (324) and Texas Tech’s Tahj Brooks (321). Even in a 16-game season, one football was enough for Wisner to rack up almost 1,400 yards from scrimmage (1,064 rushing and 311 receiving) and for Jaydon Blue to record 193 intended touches (135 carries and 58 targets, which ranked seventh among FBS running backs, according to PFF). Gunnar Helm also caught more passes (60) than any tight end in any season in school history, and Matthew Golden’s 58-catch season further exemplified how Sarkisian’s offense can feature a running back without running them into the ground. Although one Longhorn running back has recorded 200 or more intended touches in each of Sarkisian’s four seasons, a second Texas running back has had 100 or more intended touches in those campaigns. Jonathon Brooks (216 intended touches) and Baxter (164) crossed those thresholds in 2023, while Robinson and Roschon Johnson did it in 2022 (286 intended touches for Robinson and 115 for Johnson) and 2021 (226 for Robinson and 108 for Johnson). With the Longhorns on the hunt for a game-changing running back and Cooper searching for a program that can help him maximize his football future, one of the finest football prospects in America choosing to play in an offense from which five running backs have been picked over the last three NFL drafts could be a match made in heaven. View full news story

Shoutout to Maurice Gordon, for playing defensive tackle at about 250 pounds in 2001.

Well, I didn't leave my most recent port of call on my own accord. Thankfully, Bobby and the OTF crew had a place for me. I haven't been this happy in a long, long time.

That one hurt.

Yes. High hopes for Flores.

It's a trend that's growing on me.

Let the record show that Blake and I made it through a live show, together, without being self-muted!

A first-rounder, too.

I don’t believe it was injury related. I think he just ran out of gas.

The draft starts on Monday. The signing deadline is Aug. 1.

Yes. He could be the Friday guy.

Two livestreams since I got back from vacation, two shows without muting myself! I’m on a roll!

Thank you for the kind words, ArmyHorns! The arrow is pointing up for the OTF brand and I'm thrilled that you're a part of the community!

No, but the immediate priority is the upcoming draft.

The press release from UT on Duru: Declan Duru Jr. has signed an Athletic Scholarship Agreement (ASA) to play basketball next season at The University of Texas, head coach Sean Miller announced Wednesday. Duru, who spent the last five years with Real Madrid in the program’s youth development system in Spain, will join the Longhorns as a true freshman for the upcoming 2025-26 season. Duru (6-9, 225), a forward who is originally from Munich, Germany, played for Real Madrid B and the Real Madrid U19 team last season. He played in seven contests for Real Madrid U19 in 2024-25 and averaged 12.0 points and 5.4 rebounds in 25.0 minutes per game while converting 49.2-percent (29-59) from the floor, including a 41.9-percent mark (13-31) from three-point range. Duru also saw action in 17 games for Real Madrid B and averaged 7.5 points and 5.5 rebounds in 20.8 minutes per contest. Duru recently helped his native Germany post a 6-1 record and earn a silver medal at the FIBA U19 World Cup in Lausanne, Switzerland (June 28-July 6). He reached double figures in scoring in six of the seven games and averaged 11.4 points and 5.1 rebounds in 28.6 minutes per contest while converting 52.4-percent (22-42) from the floor. The previous summer, Duru paced Germany to a 7-0 mark and the gold medal at the 2024 FIBA U18 EuroBasket Championship in Tampere, Finland. During the 2023-24 season, Duru helped the Real Madrid U18 team win the Euroleague Basketball Next Generation Tournament. He also paced the Real Madrid U16 team to a pair of Spanish Championships in 2022-23 and helped the Real Madrid U14 squad claim the Spanish Championship in 2021.

What will be interesting is how the staff uses Riojas next season. We mentioned leading up to the season how Schloss and Max Weiner envisioned utilizing Ruger the way they used Evan Aschenbeck at A&M, which is to say he was a true stopper. However, the lack of a reliable No. 3 starter forced Ruger into the rotation and Jared Spencer’s injury kept him there.

Duru has signed his ASA with Texas. He’s officially a Longhorn.

Lewis Obiorah has signed an Athletic Scholarship Agreement (ASA) to play basketball next season at The University of Texas, head coach Sean Miller announced Wednesday. Obiorah, who spent last year playing at Barking Abbey Basketball Academy in London, will join the Longhorns as a true freshman for the upcoming 2025-26 season. Obiorah (7-1, 245), a center from London, England, played for head coach Rikki Broadmore at Barking Abbey in the Elite Academy Basketball League (EABL), which features the top under-19 players in the country. Obiorah earned EABL championship finals MVP honors while leading Barking Abbey to the EABL championship last year. He averaged 10.7 points, 9.6 rebounds and 3.7 blocks per game during the 2024-25 season. Obiorah will be competing with Great Britain’s U20 National Team at the FIBA U20 EuroBasket Championship Division B on July 11-20 in Yerevan, Armenia. The above is a press release from the University of Texas.