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The Longhorns are on the road, taking on the Cougars after winning a three-game road series with then-No. 5 Auburn over the weekend. A couple of lineup notes for tonight: — Jason Flores is making his first start on the mound since a forgettable outing against Lamar on Feb. 17. — Carson Tinney is getting the night off with a quick turnaround (Texas starts a three-game SEC series at home against OU on Thursday). — With Tinney out, Andrew Ermis is behind the plate. Anthony Pack Jr. is hitting in the No. 2 spot in the lineup, which where Tinney has been in recent weeks.

-- Compared to the last two years of Texas pro days that have resulted in program records at the NFL Draft, this year's event didn't have as much fanfare with the Longhorns not currently expected to produce a first round pick. With that being said, all 32 NFL teams, including Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer, were in attendance. -- Next year's pro day could be an all-timer on the Forty Acres when you sit down and look at it. Arch Manning, Trevor Goosby, Colin Simmons, Jelani McDonald, Cam Coleman, and Hero Kanu will likely draw the most buzz -- all of which could be first-round picks. Then you have others that could play their way into high draft consideration like Ty'Anthony Smith, Raheem Biles, Bo Mascoe, Melvin Siani, Ryan Wingo, Emmett Mosley, Hollywood Smothers, Raleek Brown ... shall I continue? I would expect we see a multitude of NFL head coaches and GMs on the sidelines of next year's pro day. -- The biggest question mark entering today was how Ethan Burke would perform after getting snubbed by the NFL Combine. I don't think he did anything that hurt his stock. His demeanor and personality is one that should appeal to NFL clubs, too. He's calm and collected off the field but flips a switch in between the lines. "The combine's not the end of the world," Burke told reporters this afternoon. "I have today. Go out and prove myself. Continue to work hard and get some more time." Burke told me he clocked in the 4.9s on the 40, and I saw 15 bench reps and a 29'' vertical from his testing. He also requested non-fried Chick-Fil-A from the catering team so he's working on the figure. -- I thought Michael Taaffe boosted his stock. He's a much better athlete than people have given him credit for. He clocked a 4.5 at the Combine (he says hand times were 4.46), so you weren't going to catch him running the 40 at Pro Day. But he did have a 34.5'' vertical and 10-2 broad jump. Props to him for catching passes for Matthew Caldwell today as well. He didn't have to do that but wanted to help his teammate. He also laid out for a deep post, which I'm not sure I would advise him doing one month out from the draft, ha. -- Travis Shaw looks like he slimmed down a good bit from the season. He and Cole Brevard were big men moving on the 40-yard dash. I couldn't catch their times off to the sideline but they both looked in good shape. -- Matthew Caldwell is impressive. He's a great athlete (34'' vertical, 10-8 broad jump, ran a 4.62 in the 40) and he can rocket some passes. He probably had some throws he wished he could have gotten back, but he also had a walk-on WR, a safety, and Jack Endries all cycling through routes. Think there was so physical exhaustion setting in towards the end of the session. I talked to his dad on the sideline who says the Texans are very interested in Caldwell in possibly in UDFA situation. Sark brought up Matt Cassel today when talking about Caldwell. He's going to get a shot. May not make a roster, but has the physical makeup and arm talent to at least make it interesting if given a chance. My thought: if Graham Mertz can get drafted -- ahead of Quinn Ewers no less -- I think there's a spot for Caldwell in some capacity in the pros. I'll have more on Caldwell tomorrow. -- Jack Endries only helped himself today imo. It's not a super strong TE year in the draft and he's going to benefit from it. The biggest thing he has to show teams is his blocking ability, which he's been focusing on in the offseason. He's been working out with Carsen Ryan and Chase Roberts from BYU, Germie Bernard from Alabama, and De'Zhaun Stribling from Ole Miss in preparation for the draft. Endries is also close friends with potential No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza from their time together at Cal. "He doesn't need any tips," Endries said of talking to Mendoza about the draft process. "He's like the social media child at this point. He's on LinkedIn, TikTok, Instagram all this stuff. I've kind of just seen him be this way for four years before. I know that this how he acts. He has almost a formula when he's talking. Shoutout to players, shoutout to coaches, shoutout to the other team ... I think it's something to add to my own game plan. Do what he does pretty much. He gets all the media attention." -- I could see Malik Muhammad being a guy that goes earlier than expected. Teams know what he is as a player, but needed confirmation on the testing and physical attributes. He's now given them that -- 4.42 40, 39'' vertical, 10'10'' broad jump. -- Seems like there's a lot of interest from the Cowboys in Anthony Hill Jr. -- I felt like we spotted just about every player from the 2026 Texas team in attendance to show support. That's a good sign of strong program culture. -- Next up names we heard from the pro day participants included Brad Spence, Kobe Black, Graceson Littleton, and Nick Townsend (a future first-rounder per Jack Endries). Probably more I'm missing but I'll have more content tomorrow on today's festivities.

We noted last week this was in the works.

We'll keep all things spring football here for this week. Longhorns are returning to the field today.

Sean Miller’s Texas squad spent Sunday away from the court after advancing to the Sweet 16 with Saturday’s NCAA Tournament second-round win over Gonzaga. The downtime allowed Jordan Pope to get treatment for an ankle injury he sustained late in the 74-68 win over the Bulldogs, which allowed the Longhorns to reach the second weekend of March Madness for the first time since 2023 and the second time since 2008. “With Jordan, I think we’ll be fine,” Miller said Monday during a Zoom call with reporters. “We didn’t do anything yesterday, so we weren’t together, but he’s gotten treatment and moving forward.” A source told On Texas Football on Sunday how close it could get Pope “to 90-95 percent will come down to Sunday through Wednesday." Texas (21-14) doesn’t travel until Tuesday for its West Regional semifinal at San Jose’s SAP Center against No. 2 seed Purdue on Thursday (6:10 p.m. CT, CBS). The Longhorns will be on the court for practice Monday afternoon, giving Pope more time to rest before putting his ankle to the test against a veteran backcourt led by Braden Smith, who broke Bobby Hurley’s NCAA record for career assists (1,091 after Sunday’s 79-69 second-round win over Miami) in Purdue’s (29-8) first-round rout of Queens. “You go and break that record, I think that says everything about his ability to pass, play-make, make his teammates better,” Miller said of Smith. “He’s one of the best in the game and a big, big part of why Purdue is so great offensively.” The fifth all-time NCAA Tournament meeting between Texas and the Boilermakers will feature two of the most experienced backcourts in the country. Smith and Fletcher Loyer have played a combined 294 collegiate games (147 each), which actually falls short of the 305 combined games played by Pope (134) and Tramon Mark (171). Pope is averaging 11 points, 2.3 assists and 1.3 rebounds per game in the Longhorns’ three NCAA Tournament victories. Although his 7-for-22 mark from beyond the arc is behind the pace at which he’s converted 3-point shots throughout the season (36.9 percent through 35 games), Pope’s clutch 3-pointer with 1:29 left in a 79-71 first-round win over BYU is one of several big-time plays Texas has gotten from the Oakland, Calif., native during the team’s unlikely run to the Sweet 16. “I don't know if there's too many guards that are playing in the Tournament that are playing at a higher level than Jordan Pope,” Miller said after Pope scored 17 points on 7-for-18 shooting (3-for-8 from 3-point range) with three assists and no turnovers in the win over Gonzaga. “He means a lot to our team. What he's really mastered is that he controls the game and he's our point guard, but he adds such a strong scoring punch that he can change the game from the 3-point line.” View full news story

2027 Langham Creek and recent Texas Tech commits tells OTF that he will still take his official visit to Texas on the weekend of June 5. Nelson committed to Texas Tech last Wednesday, a commitment that has been paraded around as a key NIL win for Texas Tech. Regardless, the Houston native will be in Austin the first weekend of June.

With the series even after last night's 7-6 win, the Longhorns will send Dylan Volantis to the mound looking to take the three-game series from the Tigers. First pitch is at 2 p.m. on SEC Network Plus.

I'm on a Zoom call with Sean Miller ahead of Texas taking on Purdue in the West Regional semifinal on Thursday (6:10 p.m., CBS). This will be the only time Miller or the Longhorns meet with the media before Tuesday's departure for San Jose.

After cruising to a first-round win over Missouri State on Friday, top-seeded Texas looks to advance to the Sweet 16 with a win over Oregon today at Moody Center. It's a 5 p.m. tip on ESPN.

The Longhorns open a three-game SEC road series tonight against the fifth-ranked Tigers. Things will get started momentarily on SEC Network Plus.

After last night’s walk-off loss, the Longhorns will try to even the series with the Tigers at 6 p.m. on SEC Network Plus.

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

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

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

Dailyn Swain isn’t thinking about Tuesday’s NCAA Tournament First Four game in Dayton, Ohio, against NC State being his last in a Texas uniform if he decides to enter the 2026 NBA Draft. That’s what Swain said during a press conference at Dayton’s UD Arena on Monday, one day before the Longhorns and Wolfpack meet for the second time this season. The SEC Newcomer of the Year and a second-team All-SEC selection, Swain’s stock as a potential first-round pick has risen throughout a season in which he currently leads Texas (18-14) in points per game (17.7), rebounds per game (7.5), assists (104), steals (55) and minutes per game (32). “I'm just focused on finishing the season as good as we can as a team, playing as hard as I can for my seniors and all the guys who won't be able to play anymore and trying to make a deep run for Coach (Sean) Miller in his first year here at Texas and letting the country know how good a coach he is,” Swain said. “That's the main thing, really.” According to ESPN Research, the 6-foot-8-inch, 225-pound Swain is the only player from a major conference program (ACC, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC) who currently leads their team in five major statistical categories. A finalist for the Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award, Swain is currently projected to go in the first round of the draft in Jeremy Woo’s pre-March Madness mock draft for ESPN.com. While writing that “evaluators are mixed on his upside, but it's the type of chance a team might take in this range,” Woo has the Minnesota Timberwolves selecting Swain with the No. 29 overall pick. Sources have indicated to OTF that if Swain gets assurances from a team that he’ll be selected in the first round, he’s expected to forgo his final season of eligibility and declare for the draft. With that said, it's not a forgone conclusion that Swain is gone. Along with a likely significant NIL deal headed his way if he returns to the Forty Acres for his senior season, Swain, who doesn’t turn 21 until July 15, could significantly improve his draft position by waiting until 2027 to enter a draft that’s currently expected to be less top-heavy while lacking the depth of the 2026 class. Whether Swain is at Texas or is on an NBA roster for the 2026-27 season, Sean Miller is proud of the growth he’s seen from Swain, who has evolved from a wiry 6-foot-7-inch, 176-pound, 18-year-old freshman at Xavier into a well-rounded forward with a legitimate future in the NBA. “He's just gotten better. Same coach, same strength coach, structure — I think he's really bought in,” Miller said on Monday. “He listens, he learns. We've had amazing support from his mom and family. They allow us to coach Dailyn, hold him accountable and Dailyn has worked hard to develop his shot, develop his body. I think his ability to pass and handle the ball, something that he had a good starting point on, he's really taken that to a very high level. “There aren't too many players that play college basketball that had a better overall season than Dailyn did.” View full news story

After Tuesday’s 68-66 win over North Carolina State in the First Four in Dayton, Texas made the quick trip to Portland, Ore., ahead of its NCAA Tournament first round game against BYU at Moda Center on Thursday (6:25 p.m., TBS). Coach Sean Miller and three of the Longhorns’ top players — Dailyn Swain, Tramon Mark and Jordan Pope — will be a part of the pregame press conference before tangling with the Cougars. Miller, who has guided Texas (19-14) further than last year’s squad by advancing out of Dayton in his first NCAA Tournament game with the Longhorns, said after the win over the Wolfpack that, with the First Four behind them, “there's power in playing a game in this tournament.” “I've referenced it three or four times, where sometimes a player or a team is not themselves,” Miller said. “I don't want to say jitters, but March Madness looms big. We fought literally from game one when we played Duke in Charlotte to make this tournament, and finally, you're here and now you're close to advancing. "I think our nerves sometimes can settle through Game 1," he added. "You can gain confidence. You already have one game to your advantage, but we're going to have to play a really good team and we're definitely going to have to play better than we played tonight. We know that. But we get that opportunity. That's the thrill of it." OTF will have updates from the press conference as the Longhorns make their way to the podium in Portland. View full news story

TARLETON STATE vs. No. 2 TEXAS Date: March 17, 2026 Where: UFCU Disch-Falk Field Time: 6:30 p.m. Stream/TV: SEC Network+ Radio: The Zone AM-1300 Live stats: texas.statbroadcast.com PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUP Tarleton State RHP Brendon Carter (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. Texas RHP Hudson Hamilton (0-0, 9.00 ERA) THE MATCHUP — Coming off a series win over Ole Miss to begin Southeastern Conference play, No. 2 Texas hosts Tarleton State at UFCU Disch-Falk Field for the first time in nearly 30 years. The Longhorns lead the all-time series over the Texans, 4-0. In the most recent meeting, Texas notched an 11-8 victory on Feb. 11, 1997. THE EYES OF TEXAS ARE UPON YOU — Heading into week six, Texas is ranked No. 2 by all five major outlets, trailing only consensus No. 1 UCLA. In the Southeastern Conference's preseason poll voted on by the league's 16 head coaches, the Longhorns were picked second behind defending national champion LSU. Texas was one of four programs to receive a first-place vote, joining LSU, Mississippi State and Arkansas. SCORCHING START — The Longhorns are off to their best 19-game start in 21 years. Texas finished the 2005 season with a 56-16 ledger, capturing its sixth national championship. The 2026 Longhorns are one of only six Texas teams to begin 18-1 or better, joining the 1977, 1979, 1980, 1982 and 2005 squad. Through 19 contests, the Longhorns have outscored their opponents, 189-53. Texas has run-ruled its opposition on six occasions, including three times in the last eight games. Prior to SEC-Opening Weekend, the Longhorns matched a program record, mounting double-digit tallies in six straight contests for the first time since 1940. As of March 16, the Longhorns rank 10th in OPS (1.025) and 15th in average (.335) nationally. On the mound, Texas has posted the country's third-best ERA (2.54) and fourth-best WHIP (1.04). Meanwhile, the Longhorns' .986 fielding percentage is fifth-best in all of Division I Baseball. MASTERING MIDWEEKS — Texas is 4-0 in midweek games, registering three run-rule wins in those contests. Last season, the Longhorns went 9-2 in midweeks. Since 2020, Jim Schlossnagle's clubs have notched a 56-10 (.848) ledger in midweek games, winning 28 of the last 31 contests. OWN THE DISCH — Since UFCU Disch-Falk Field opened in 1975, Texas has gone 1,675-428-3 (.796) at home thanks in large part to Longhorn Nation. As of March 16, Texas has entertained 107,494 fans at home, the sixth-highest mark in the country. In 2025, the Longhorns drew 250,757 fans to UFCU Disch-Falk Field, the sixth-highest attendance nationally. Against Texas A&M, Texas set a new three-game series attendance record at UFCU Disch-Falk Field, with 23,680 tickets sold.

If there’s a silver lining to No. 2 Texas losing Jonah Williams to season-ending shoulder surgery, it’s that the Longhorns have been without him since he was injured while diving for a ball late in a 14-2, run-rule win over USC Upstate on March 6. Williams, who hit .304 in an eight-game, truncated sophomore season, was expected to be a big piece of the puzzle in 2026. After Texas (18-1, 2-1 SEC) routed Ole Miss on Sunday, 8-2, to win the team’s first SEC series of the season, Jim Schlossnagle brought up how Williams’ health created a question mark for the Longhorns at the plate. “His legs are fine,” Schlossnagle said, referring to Williams’ previous hamstring troubles, on top of the shoulder issue that carried over from football season. “He's just trying to figure out what we're going to do moving forward with his shoulder and if that's going to allow him to play.” Williams won’t play again for Texas until 2027 while rehabbing what sources told OTF on Monday is a rotator cuff injury. Nevertheless, Schlossnagle and the Longhorns have had several players step up to take advantage of the opportunity Williams’ misfortune created, which needs to remain the trend as SEC play continues. 1. ANTHONY PACK JR. Williams’ injury recovery in January opened the door for Pack to win the starting job in right field on opening day. The 5-foot-10-inch, 190-pound freshman, whose high school home baseball field lacked an outfield, which has added a different dimension to learning how to properly patrol the outfield at UFCU Disch-Falk Field, has manned both corner outfield spots. Where Pack has most cushioned the blow of Texas losing Williams is at the plate. Pack ranks among the team’s offensive leaders through 19 games with a .354 batting average (second), a 1.096 OPS (fourth), 22 runs scored (third), 23 hits (fifth), five doubles (second), 23 RBI (second), 40 total bases (fifth), four home runs (sixth) and seven stolen bases (first). “Pack is one of those special freshmen. There aren't many of them,” Schlossnagle said. “There's usually about 15 to 20 in the SEC every year that get 50 at-bats or more and have an impact when they do that. We had Adrian (Rodriguez) last year. When I was at (Texas) A&M, (Gavin) Grahovac and (Caden) Sorrell, those guys were superstar freshmen. Now, Pack is on that list.” 2. JAYDEN DUPLANTIER Hitting .333 in 18 games (27 at-bats), Duplantier’s nine hits are two shy of tying his single-season career-high of 11, which he set while playing 34 games (43 at-bats) as a freshman in 2023. A reliable option as a pinch-runner and late-inning defensive substitution, Duplantier’s role should continue to grow with Williams on the shelf. 3. ASHTON LARSON The LSU transfer drew the early-season starting assignments in left field while Williams was working his way back into the lineup. Larson has skins on the wall in SEC play; he led the Tigers in batting average (.337) during conference play in 2024. Injury issues limited him to 34 games (five starts) during LSU’s national championship-winning season in 2025, but Larson has a role for the Longhorns in an outfield platoon with Duplantier, unless one of them separates and earns more playing time or someone else steps up and joins the mix. 4. MADDOX MONSOUR The freshman from Carrollton, Ga., is hitting .429 with two home runs and three stolen bases in limited action. Monsour entered Sunday’s win over the Rebels after two base-running mistakes led Schlossnagle to remove Larson from the designated hitter spot, going 1-for-1, stealing a base and scoring a run to help the Longhorns secure the win and the series victory. There’s no guarantee that Monsour’s positive performance will lead to more opportunities. Still, Schlossnagle is excited about Monsour's potential, which seems high enough to get him into the battle with Duplantier and Larson for playing time. “I love Maddox,” Schlossnagle said. “Maddox is awesome on the bases. His aggression on the bases and how he runs the bases is incredible. I just want to see the same aggression at the plate. We had a conversation about that last (Saturday) night after his at-bat... You don't have to swing at the first pitch; you just have to be ready to hit. I felt like he was super passive. He's been pretty passive in his at-bats. He has a lot of value: he can play shortstop, he can play all three spots in the outfield, he can really run, but to be a more effective college player, you've got to give us something at the plate.” View full news story

Viewing windows into two spring practices aren’t enough to tell us everything about the 2026 Texas Longhorns. Nevertheless, the time afforded to the media to take stock of the Texas position groups provides a good snapshot of positional depth across the roster. One thing I’ve always tried to identify is which position groups have talented depth. Those are position groups that can bring In reserves for starters with minimal decline in ability, potential, or production. The best recent example is the 2022 running back room on the Forty Acres. With the Doak Walker Award winner (Bijan Robinson) leading the way, Tashard Choice’s room in his first season coaching the Longhorn running backs included Robinson, Roschon Johnson, Keilan Robinson, Jonathan Brooks and Jaydon Blue. Those players who shared a backfield for one season at Texas were selected in the first, fourth, fifth, second and fifth rounds over three NFL drafts, respectively. That’s the best-case scenario for a position group aiming to boast talented depth. Right now, I think four position coaches can rightfully claim they’ve got talented depth in their room. 1. DEFENSIVE LINE Even if Justus Terry doesn’t exclusively fit in with Kenny Baker’s group, the fact that the defensive line can go through drills unaffected by the absences of Terry or James Johnson (both of whom are on the mend) says a lot about the unit’s depth. It would be hard to find a better four-man group in the country than Ian Geffrard, Alex January, Hero Kanu and Maraad Watson. There’s a chance all four of them could be drafted in 2027, or January and Watson could return for the 2027 season as potential early-round picks in 2028. Regardless, Watson spending time practicing playing closer to the ball is the kind of move that could allow Baker and Will Muschamp to mix and match combinations based on certain situations to ensure the four lead dogs in the pack have enough gas in the tank for the fourth quarter of games and, hopefully, a deep run in the College Football Playoff. Considering there are four players with realistic NFL futures headlining the group, Baker and the Longhorns can continue to let Myron Charles, Josiah Sharma and Zion Williams develop behind them. Texas also doesn’t need Johnson or Terry to rush back from injury because of the quality and quantity at the point of attack. This group might not have the ceiling of the 2023 group, which featured four linemen who went in the first three rounds of the 2024 (Byron Murphy went 16th overall and T’Vondre Sweat was the 38th pick) and 2025 (Alfred Collins was picked 43rd overall and Vernon Broughton was selected with the 71st pick) drafts. Thankfully, it doesn’t need to repeat that level of draft success to play a pivotal role in the Longhorns' competing for a national championship. 2. WIDE RECEIVER Emmett Mosley V and Ryan Wingo weren’t on the field for either media window during the first week of spring practice. Still, they’ve got spots secured within Steve Sarkisian’s circle of trust as two of the four wideouts on the 2025 squad who were targeted more than 40 times (94 targets for Wingo, 49 for DeAndre Moore Jr., 48 for Mosley and 44 for Parker Livingstone, according to Pro Football Focus). Considering the 31-target difference between Livingstone and the wide receiver with the fifth-most targets last season (Daylan McCutcheon with 13), there are six scholarship wideouts (McCutcheon, Sterling Berkhalter, Jermaine Bishop Jr., Kohen Brown, Kaliq Lockett and Chris Stewart) competing for the last spot in the rotation. And if the buzz Bishop generated last week carries over to padded practices after spring break, that could leave five of Chris Jackson’s scholarship players to duke it out for whatever targets are left over after the top four wide receivers get fed. The sense of urgency among Jackson’s charges should be sky high. Anything less won’t cut during what must be an insanely competitive spring, with Sarkisian, Jackson and the other offensive coaches doing whatever it takes to maximize what’s expected to be Arch Manning’s final campaign as a Longhorn. 3. EDGE Brad Spence spending time with the EDGE group and the linebackers in spring practice is a sign that Muschamp wants to put Spence’s natural pass-rushing ability to good use. Colin Simmons is going to draw enough attention to get pass rushers playing alongside him in favorable matchups and cleaner paths to the quarterback. Spence is one of the players who can take advantage of those situations, but he’s not the only one. Lance Jackson, Smith Orogbo, Zina Umeozulu and Colton Vasek have flashed playmaking ability throughout their Texas careers. Keep in mind that after Muschamp was hired, the staff avoided losing Umeozulu and Vasek to the transfer portal, showing their value to the program. Even though six defenders are competing for opportunities to get after the quarterback, Jamarion Carlton and Richard Wesley look the part physically. It isn’t a hot take to think one or both of the true freshmen could log high-leverage snaps by the time the 2026 season is in the books. 4. RUNNING BACK There was a time last season when Quintrevion Wisner, C.J. Baxter and Christian Clark were dealing with or recovering from injuries. That left Jerrick Gibson and James Simon to pick up the slack. By the time the Longhorns were preparing to face Michigan in the Citrus Bowl, three of those five runners had entered the transfer portal. Michael Terry III had already moved over from wide receiver for depth purposes by that point. Wanting to avoid similar pitfalls in 2026, Sarkisian and Jabbar Juluke left nothing to chance in the offseason when rebuilding the running back room. Raleek Brown and Hollywood Smothers were two of the best available running backs in the transfer portal. Derrek Cooper was one of the top high school running backs in the 2026 recruiting cycle. Those three, along with the returns of Simon and Terry, the late-cycle addition of Jett Walker and whatever becomes of Ryan Niblett's role, give the Longhorns seven scholarship backs, a group with a good mix of experience, youth, proven production and high upside. Considering Baxter and Clark were coming off major injuries at this time last year, it’s remarkable how the position has been almost entirely turned over and is better positioned for success, with more margin for error based on the early returns from spring practice. View full news story

Elite EDGE rusher KJ Green has set an official visit to Texas for June 5-7. He was on campus at Texas over the weekend.