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Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian is on the podium this morning discussing the Longhorns' 4–0 start to the season. Looking for updates on Quinn Ewers and the health of DeAndre Moore as SEC play kicks off this weekend against Mississippi State. Texas remains the No. 1 team in the country entering the beginning of conference play. Notes and quotes in the comments.

A quick look at the true freshmen on roster and what the redshirt eligibility looks like four games in. Of course, the NCAA has allowed it for freshmen to appear in up to four games while retaining their redshirt status. Texas is in a position now due to their depth to make long term decisions with freshmen and whether or not the appeal to a redshirt fits what they want to do with each player long term. At the moment, the players at the four game threshold are: EDGE Colin Simmons WR Ryan Wingo CB Kobe Black RB Jerrick Gibson LB TyAnthony Smith DL Alex January P Michael Kern

Florida State WR commit Daylan McCutcheon has confirmed to OnTexasFootball he will visit the Longhorns for the Miss State game next week. McCutcheon took an OV to Texas in June and Chris Jackson has remained in contact briefly since his commitment to FSU in mid-July.

LSU DL commit Walter Mathis Jr. visit update OnTexasFootball spoke with a person close to the Walter Mathis Jr. (Savannah, Ga./Calvary Day). Mathis, 6-1.5 and 288 pounds, and family remain scheduled to make an unofficial visit this weekend for the Mississippi State game. This will be the first visit to Texas for the Peach State prospect. Mathis committed to LSU September 6, 2024. OnTexasFootball rates Mathis as a 4-star++ prospect.

The Longhorns are continuing to big game hunt and their efforts to flip targets committed elsewhere is still ongoing. I chatted briefly with five-star Mission Viejo CB Dijon Lee tells me a visit to Austin for a Texas game remains possible this season. Nothing is set in stone at the moment, but there have been conversations with the staff to get back for a game at some point this fall. Lee committed to Alabama since the end of June after what appeared to be a sneaky push by the Longhorns in this recruitment.

Other college games thread: Week 4 May as well get this going with Major Applewhite taking his South Alabama team to Appalachian State tonight on ESPN. SEC truly gets going this weekend: Florida @ Mississippi State Arkansas @ Auburn Vanderbilt @ Missouri Tennessee @ Oklahoma

Let’s go!

Texas vs. ULM Visitor List (List will expand) Jonah Williams, S, Galveston (Texas) Ball #AllGasNoBrakes Chris Stewart, WR, Pearland (Texas) Shadow Creek -2026 #AllGasNoBrakes Jalen Lott, WR/CB, Frisco (Texas) Panther Creek... 2026 4-star son of James Lott. Jamarion Carlton, EDGE, Temple (Texas) High - 2026 4-star Jamarion Vincent, DB, Waco (Texas) Connally - 2026 4-star Landen Williams-Callis, RB, Richmond (Texas) Randle - 2027 Note: Running backs coach Tashard Choice is recruiting the sophomore as heavily as possible right now.

I was on the road checking out a pair of central Texas programs with some talent last night – San Marcos and Lake Travis – for a little Thursday night action. It was not a close game and it looks like the drought may be over for Lake Travis in terms of developing some high-level D1 talent. While San Marcos will have to wait a year to get their best talent eligible for varsity play following the UIL's decision to suspend ten students for move-in violations. *** 2026 EDGE Buck Carter – Austin (TX) Lake Travis Carter was out this week with an ankle sprain, but he will visit Texas this weekend for their game against ULM. The 6-foot-6 edge rusher is off to a scorching start this season for Lake Travis and he was rewarded with an offer from TCU last week. Carter is very well put together and his tape showcases his ability to bend around the corner and get after the quarterback. Other trips this season might include TCU, Baylor and Kansas for games during the fall. I am not necessarily expecting an offer to come this week, but I do believe Carter is a candidate to receive an offer down the road. Carter holds offers from Tulsa, UNLV, TCU and North Texas early on. 2026 DL Ben Duncum – Austin (TX) Lake Travis The son of former Longhorn Duane Duncum, the Lake Travis junior has been able to string together a fine start to the season as well. Duncum holds a Tulsa offer at the moment, though Texas brought him onto campus last week for the UTSA game. Lake Travis played Duncum more over the center on Thursday night, to my surprise a bit. He currently stands 6-foot-6 and 255 pounds at the moment. 2026 LB Izayah Young – San Marcos (TX) High I was able to catch up with the San Marcos defensive star during the game last night. Young is on the JV this season after the UIL ruled he be ineligible after moving-in. Young holds eight offers right now – Tennessee, Baylor, North Texas, Texas State and UTSA among the notable. Young says he has been in contact with Texas recently and is a maybe to visit for the game this weekend. Young has also attended the Elite Camp at Texas the past two summers and is hoping his senior season will showcase the film necessary to earn an offer from other SEC programs. 2026 WR Henry Harris – San Marcos (TX) High Harris is out for the season after tearing his ACL in the spring game, however, he is one of the top area wide receivers in the 2026 class. Harris has visited Austin in the past and was a top WR in attendance for the Elite 11 when it toured in Austin. The 6–3 wide receiver holds offers from Texas Tech, Baylor, Cal and several others.

Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian meets with the media one final time before the ULM game this weekend. The No. 1 team in the country is back under the lights at DKR where another spectacle of an evening is expected. Notes and quotes in the comments below, plus an update on the QB situation.

Steve Sarkisian on his weekly call for the SEC Coaches Teleconference, said there has not been a starting quarterback named for the ULM game this Saturday evening. Sarkisian did mention Arch is doing very well with his first team reps and that the team today probably had its best practice of the week so far. No update on Ewers' health, or the health of Jaydon Blue, Tre Wisner or Jelani McDonald was provided during the time with media this morning. Sarkisian, of course, will speak with the local media one last time Thursday morning. But for now, no public announcement on the QB decision as of now.

Texas extended an offer to 2026 St. Augustine Prep (NJ) defensive lineman Damari Simeon Wednesday afternoon. The Longhorns continue to work in the northeast in the 2026 class as we have seen the Horns host OLB Luke Wafle and EDGE Jermaine Kinsler visit over the summer. Texas becomes the 19th offer for Simeon.

Injury note on Texas WR commitment OnTexasFootball spoke briefly with Texas 4-star++ wide receiver commitment Jaime Ffrench (Jacksonville, Fla./Mandarin) last night. Ffrench sustained a a finger injury in last Friday's win on a tremendous catch and run. Without going into too many details, the news OTF wants to relay to the fans is that Ffrench is only expected to miss 2-3 games. He is expected to play again this season for Mandarin High. Ffrench also told OTF that he will be in Austin for the Texas vs Georgia game, along with family members.

One of my favorite metrics for determining whether or not a defense or offense is efficient or living up to its ranking is points per drive. Of course drives can vary with short fields or needing to go 90+ yards. But for the most part, this statistic evens out over the course of a season. Three games into the season, there is finally enough data here to get an idea of good offenses and defenses in the SEC. For those wanting to see more of the Points Per Drive data, I suggest you visit https://www.bcftoys.com/2024-ppd/, it is one of my favorite sites for all CFB statistics. But here is a visual of the SEC teams through three weeks in 2024. A few takeaways: It truly is so bad in Gainesville right now. That Florida defense is abysmal. Also, Texas will be able to score and score plenty on Mississippi State even without Quinn Ewers at quarterback for that game to begin SEC play. Interestingly, Oklahoma and Georgia are showing similar statistics, great defense, mediocre offense. The difference is Georgia has played a road SEC game while Oklahoma has not left home and has played teams with a combined 2–7 record. Tennessee, Ole Miss and Texas are in a league of their own with both the defense and offense sitting inside the top ten nationally of points per drive so far this season. Alabama remains very good as well.

Texas HC Steve Sarkisian speaking with the media Monday after the win over UTSA. Texas will host ULM on Saturday night.

College football season begins to get real this week The 2024 college football season begins to get real this week. This is the weekend that college football fans will begin to see some separation among teams, and some on the Texas scheduled past and present. No. 6 Tennessee at No. 15 Oklahoma If the Vols go into Norman and handle the Sooners, as many expect, Tennessee becomes a legit contender for the CFP. An Oklahoma loss would set up a 7-5/8-4 type season for the Sooners in year three under Brent Venables. Tennessee remaining schedule: @ Arkansas Florida Alabama Kentucky Mississippi State @ Georgia UTEP @ Vanderbilt No. 11 USC at No. 18 Michigan A USC win and they become a legit CFP contender. A loss, and Michigan inches along and the Texas win looks even better. USC remaining schedule: Wisconsin @ Minnesota Penn State @ Maryland Rutgers @ Washington Nebraska @ UCLA Notre Dame No. 12 Utah at No. 14 Oklahoma State The Cowboys survived against Arkansas at home. The winner here has a leg up in the Big 12 race, and will be mentioned as a legit CFP contender. No. 24 Illinois at No. 22 Nebraska - Friday The Cornhuskers suddenly have a pretty good look at a 9-3/10-2 regular season with a win in Lincoln Friday night. Remaining scheduled for Nebraska: @ Purdue Rutgers @ Indiana @ Ohio State UCLA @ USC Wisconsin Iowa

Sunday morning Joseph Mbatchou update The Grayson High (Ga.) defensive lineman and OnTexasFootball 4-star+ prospect is back in Atlanta after making a 24 hour unofficial visit to Texas for the UTSA game. According to a locked in source, the visit went “great” with the 6-4, 280 pounder and his father. The Peach State budding star is very likely to be back in Austin October 19-20 for an official visit when the Horns host Georgia.

I chatted a bit with Michael Terry III after the big win over UTSA. His immediate reaction to the game: “It was definitely like no other (game), the atmosphere was crazy and everyone was hyped.” Terry is headed to a buddy’s lake house to enjoy the rest of the weekend. One Texas source indicated a lot of confidence after tonight in the hunt for the five star athlete.

Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian is on the podium following the big victory over UTSA. Of course a lot of questions will go in the direction of QB Quinn Ewers and his health moving forward. Notes and quotes in the comments below.

Texas has released its depth chart for the UTSA game.

Texas Commits TE Emaree Winston – Calhoun (GA) High TE Nick Townsend – Dekaney (TX) High LB Elijah Barnes – Dallas (TX) Skyline High RB John Simon - Shreveport (La) Calvary Baptist 2025 Uncommitted Prospects DL Joseph Mbatchou – Loganville (GA) Grayson ... Florida Commit ATH Michael Terry III – San Antonio (TX) Alamo Heights 2026 Prospects QB Cole Taylor – Pflugerville (TX) High RB Javian Osborne – Forney (TX) High TE Jaivian 'Scoop' Martin – Pflugerville (TX) High DB Jordan Davis – HSAA (TX) 2027 Prospects QB Peyton Houston – Shreveport (LA) Evangel Christian Academy

One day and some change before Texas takes the field at DKR for its first home game of the season. Of course, on top of the extravagant home field extracurriculars that will be on display under the lights, the Longhorns are expected to roll big in this one. A point of emphasis coming into this game will be starting quickly, do not let the hangover of the Michigan game loom and keep an inferior opponent on the field longer than they need to be. With that said, a handful of things I want to see as the Longhorns host the fighting Jeff Traylors Saturday evening. *** Pass Rush Getting Home Texas has been consistent in getting pressure on the quarterback through two weeks, even though the overall sack numbers look a bit bleak. Only Colin Simmons has been able to bring a quarterback down to the ground so far. While the numbers do not tell the whole story about their ability to impact the game, Saturday provides a great opportunity to stat pad a bit. UTSA allowed 24 pressures a week ago to Texas State. Former Longhorn Jaylen Garth allowed five pressures and a sack on his own at right tackle, a spot Texas was able to exploit a week ago. I predicted five sacks on Monday for the Longhorn defense and I am sticking with that call. Keep No. 3's Jersey Clean In all facets of the game, this is what needs to happen for the next two weeks really. Texas has been good at it so far, a shutout from the OL against Michigan bodes very well for any postseason awards, but it is week two and that should not really be the focus. SEC play is still weeks away and even beyond then, Texas cannot allow Ewers to take unnecessary hits against a UTSA or ULM. For Ewers, this also means to protect yourself when plays break down or improvisation needs to occur. Continued Communication The Texas secondary has been absolutely tremendous through two games. Four total interceptions from four different members of the Texas secondary and a complete shutdown of a 2023 top-20 passing offense in Colorado State. There has been great communication thus far with Michael Taaffe, Andrew Mukuba, Derek Williams leading the way back deep. UTSA currently sits at 60–40 pass-run split on the season, one of the highest in the country. If the plan is to keep UTSA out of the end zone on Saturday, that will need to happen by communication being on point. Running Game Texas State ran for 195 on 4.5 yards per carry a week ago, nothing earth shattering, but enough to provide some optimism for the Longhorn running game which has not quite hit the ground in stride to begin the season. The Texas running game has been efficient, though it has yet to be as explosive as years past. Against UTSA and ULM, I am hoping to see wide running lanes for Blue, Wisner and Gibson. The explosivity is what needs to rise and for Sarkisian, this game is set up to get that group on track. Ewers' Day Done in 3 Quarters Texas is one-for-one in these type of situations. The Longhorns took care of business against Colorado State to the point where Ewers was not needed late in the ballgame and Arch Manning was able to get some valuable game reps. That should be the case again on Saturday. Every rep, every throw, every second he is on the field in front of 90,000 fans is valuable for the Texas backup QB. Should something ever happen to Ewers, these are the moments that keep the Texas season on track if Manning's number is ever called. If everything goes well, you could also see Trey Owens get his first snap as well and that really would be great.

Note on 2026 4-star safety Zelus Hicks 2026 4-star safety Zelus Hicks (Carrollton, Ga./High) is set to announce his college commitment September 12. Hicks, 6-2'ish and 180, is down to Tennessee, Texas, Auburn, Georgia and Clemson. There is more chatter about Auburn, Texas and Tennessee as of this evening. Also as of Tuesday evening, the Longhorns feel like they are very much in the race for the Peach State star. Hicks made a visit to Texas this summer with his 7v7 team. Hicks has 32 offers to date, including ten from the SEC.

Texas HC Steve Sarkisian will speak with the media one last time ahead of Texas' meeting with UTSA at home on Saturday evening. The Longhorns come in as 35-point favorites for this matchup and are currently ranked No. 2 in the country.