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— I think Texas needs to add another interior defensive lineman in the spring transfer portal window, even after landing Ohio State’s Hero Kanu on Wednesday. Kenny Baker and Pete Kwiatkowski need as many options as possible to adequately replace more than 1,900 snaps with the departures of Vernon Broughton, Alfred Collins, Jermayne Lole and Bill Norton. Of equal importance, for me, is giving playing time to the program’s three true freshmen (Myron Charles, Josiah Sharma and Justus Terry) by choice, not force. For years, the Longhorns were stuck in a vicious cycle of throwing young players into the deep end, hoping they’ll swim. Steve Sarkisian’s regime broke the cycle at quarterback and along the offensive line, and the transfer portal can fill gaps in the talent pipeline at a time when attrition rates are high. Texas signed five defensive linemen in the 2022 and 2023 cycles: Aaron Bryant, Jaray Bledsoe, Sydir Mitchell, Kris Ross and Zac Swanson. None of those guys are on the 2025 roster, but the portal additions of Kanu, Cole Brevard and Travis Shaw means Alex January and Melvin Hills Jr. aren’t solely tasked with making up for the outgoing tackles. It’s easier to be known as a good developmental program when players get an appropriate amount of time to develop. After playing behind four veteran tackles throughout the season, January only logged five snaps (according to Pro Football Focus) in the Cotton Bowl against Ohio State. Still, he made an impact, recording a PFF single-game grade of 67.7, the second-best of his true freshman season. That’s one example, but it’s important because January could be the only defensive line recruit between three recruiting classes (2022-24) considered a hit. Bringing in one more interior defensive lineman would give the Longhorns more time to let January, Hills and the three true freshmen grow into their roles and earn their playing time. — I think the 2024 group of incoming wide receivers (Jaime Ffrench, Kaliq Lockett and Daylon McCutcheon enrolled for the spring semester) can get the position to a point where it becomes much less reliant on the transfer portal. Texas hit a grand slam with Xavier Worthy in the 2021 class. Excluding Worthy, however, how things have played out for the eight other wideouts recruited by the Longhorns over three cycles (2021-23) is why Sarkisian and Chris Jackson will be on the hunt for a difference-maker in the spring portal window. Sarkisian didn’t recruit Jaden Alexis, Casey Cain or Keithron Lee. Nevertheless, they’re three of five wideouts (Brenen Thompson and Savion Red signed in 2022) who joined the program during Sarkisian’s first two seasons. Combining for 16 receptions and 280 yards, three of the five lasted one or fewer seasons on the Forty Acres and none of them occupied a roster spot in 2024. Combine the production of Johntay Cook (16 catches, 273 yards and two touchdowns in 16 games) with what those five did and the numbers (32 receptions for 553 yards and two touchdowns) fall short of what DeAndre Moore Jr. put up in 2024 (39 catches, 456 yards and seven touchdowns). When Sarkisian’s staff hits on a wide receiver recruit, they hit it big. Ffrench, Lockett and McCutcheon will compete with Aaron Butler, Freddie Dubose and Parker Livingstone for roles alongside Moore and Ryan Wingo (and presumably Ryan Niblett) during spring practice. Those odds favor Texas developing a homegrown receiving corps capable of maximizing Arch Manning’s time behind center. — I think the Longhorns need a few pieces besides an interior defensive lineman or a dynamic wide receiver when the spring transfer portal window opens on April 16. Texas could answer some major depth chart questions during spring practice. Still, I don’t want the staff to leave anything to chance if there's an opportunity to improve the roster. Kicker, interior offensive line, cornerback, safety and running back could be addressed in the portal. There might not be upgrades available in the portal, or the NIL price tag could make certain acquisitions unattainable, but those are the areas of concern that need to be addressed if they’re not answered by the end of the spring game. The running game and Manning’s running ability could positively affect the offense’s productivity in the red zone. That said, Sarkisian's lack of trust in the field goal unit by the end of the season compounded the issues (a 79.7 scoring rate in the red zone in 2024 was the program's worst under Sarkisian). Ideally, Bert Auburn or Will Stone grabs the bull by the horns and wins the job outright in the spring. If the answer to the kicking inconsistencies isn’t on the roster, Texas doesn’t need to roll the dice and play with fire in 2025 if there’s a suitable option in the portal. Besides the interior defensive line and wide receiver, the kicking situation might be the most critical area the Longhorns need to assess before the spring window opens. View full news story

Ohio State transfer DL Hero Kanu has committed to Texas. Kanu, 6-5 and 305 pounds, has two years of eligibility remaining.

Texas has extended an offer to 2027 five-star EDGE Richie Wesley. Wesley, a 6-foot-5-inch, 250-pound edge rusher, attends Sierra Canyon in California and is currently ranked as the No. 3 overall player in the country in the early composite returns. The Longhorns become the 18th school to extend Wesley an offer as the Texas staff continue their five-star search on the recruiting trail at the moment. Offers for Wesley Arizona State Cal Colorado State Florida State Georgia Miami Minnesota Oklahoma Oregon San Diego State SMU Tennessee Texas A&M UCLA USC Washington Washington State

Mobile, Alabama — the home of the 2025 Senior Bowl and where j will be lying my head for the next couple of nights. Originally, five Longhorns were expected to participate for the week of workouts and on-field activities in front of scouts, coaches and executives ahead of the NFL Draft in April. However, only Barryn Sorrell is listed on a Senior Bowl roster at the moment. Andrew Mukuba, Alfred Collins, Gunnar Helm and Vernon Broughton had all accepted invitations to the Senior Bowl, though due to the length of the Texas senior, they will not be active this weekend in Mobile. Regardless, I will keep this thread active for updates on opponents Texas faced this season, as well as how Sorrell is performing in front of the NFL scouts.

A name to know ... one of the nations best According to a longtime source in the Midwest, the Texas Longhorns are expected to jump all in on 2027 4-star++ OT Maxwell Hiller (Coatsville, Pa./Area High). Hiller, 6-5 and 300-pounds, received a visit from offensive line coach Kyle Flood Monday. The source tells OTF that the Texas Longhorns will be very much in the thick of the race. In fact, Texas will be in the top 2, if not the favorite when offering. Texas' competition will be Penn State for sure. An unofficial visit this spring is expected.

Sources have told OTF that Ohio State defensive lineman Hero Kanu took an unexpected visit to campus over the weekend. He arrived in Austin on Saturday evening and remained on campus through Sunday. He recently entered the portal and will have two years of eligibility remaining. A highly coveted four-star recruit out of Santa Margarita Catholic High School (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.), Kanu originally chose the Buckeyes over the likes of Georgia, Alabama, OU, Notre Dame and more. The 6-foot-5, 305-pounder posted 14 tackles and a sack over his last two seasons in Columbus. He is originally from Germany, where he was a standout soccer player, but moved to the U.S. in 2020.

For those who didn’t catch the news, Mark Bowman reclassified today from the 2027 to the 2026 class and he’s expected to be the No. 1 tight end in the rising senior class. On Texas Football expects Bowman’s decision to come down to either Texas or Georgia. Obviously, this is a massive recruitment for the Longhorns.

Five Longhorns and Draft hopefuls have accepted their invitiation to the Reese's Senior Bowl this year. Those Longhorns include: TE Gunnar Helm EDGE Barryn Sorrell DL Vernon Broughton DL Alfred Collins DB Andrew Mukuba I will be making the trip to Mobile, Alabama for two days of practice next week and will updates accordingly from those Longhorns in attendance, as well as tidbits from scouts and event coaches. Another year of solid representation for Texas in the Senior Bowl. I believe it will be aired on NFL Network and NFL+ next week for those interested.

On February 14th, the Longhorns will take the field at Globe Life in Arlington for the first time under new Texas Head Coach Jim Schlossnagle. With just 21 days away from that first pitch, I spoke to a couple of sources to see where things stand. Pitching: Two players in particular have carved out starting roles on the mound. LHP Jared Spencer (Indiana State) looks to be your Friday starter, while LHP Luke Harrison will take the Saturday slot. Spencer has been particularly impressive from what I've been told, with multiple people raving about his abilities. As for Harrison, it sounds like pitching coach Max Weiner has helped him come on really strong (get ready for one heck of a breaking ball). Sunday and the weekday starter(s) are still up in the air at this time. As for Ruger Riojas, I'm told that he's the best all around pitcher on the staff. Look for him to have a very similar role to what Evan Aschenbeck had for Texas A&M last season. He's hands down the best reliever, but may not be seen as a closer. True freshmen Drew Rerick, Jason Flores and Dylan Volantis should all see playing time on the mound this season as well. Fan favorite Ace Whitehead is still battling back from surgery recovery and there is no timetable for his return. Projected Lineup: Catcher - Ryan Galvan 1B - Kimble Schuessler 2B - Ethan Mendoza 3B - Adrian Rodriguez SS - Jalin Flores LF - Easton Winfield CF - Will Gasparino RF - Max Belyeu It wasn't long ago that we weren't sure who will take the starting roles at 1B, 3B and CF, but I've been told that Schuessler, Rodriguez and Gasparino have came on strong. As for Rodriguez, it sounds like he's the best freshman position player out of the bunch at this point. The staff loves that he's a switch hitter and have full faith in him, despite being new on campus. Jonah Williams: In case you missed my update on Williams from yesterday... One source close to the baseball program told me that there is no definitive timetable for Williams return. “I’m not sure. Hoping to be cleared for some stuff and we’ll go from there,” said the source. Williams is doing certain work outs trying to balance being in both baseball and football shape at the same time. He also works with both the football and baseball staff at different parts of the day. As for where he’ll end up on the diamond, I’ve been told that will all work itself out as he continues to get healthier. On the mound or in the outfield are the two options, but the quicker path to earlier playing time will be pitching… for now.

We’ve been getting A LOT of Jonah Williams questions lately, so I spoke with some sources regarding where things currently stand with him. Williams, an early enrollee, will be a two-sport athlete on the Forty Acres. He’ll attempt to balance both football and baseball, which is no easy task. Toward the end of football season, Williams fractured his clavicle on his left arm. Both staffs do not want to rush him and have been working to rehab that injury as efficiently as possible. One source close to the baseball program told me that there is no definitive timetable for Williams return. “I’m not sure. Hoping to be cleared for some stuff and we’ll go from there,” said the source. Williams is doing certain work outs trying to balance being in both baseball and football shape at the same time. He also works with both the football and baseball staff at different parts of the day. As for where he’ll end up on the diamond, I’ve been told that will all work itself out as he continues to get healthier. On the mound or in the outfield are the two options, but the quicker path to earlier playing time will be pitching… for now.

New 4-star DB from Georgia on the radar OnTexasFootball 4-star 2026 CB/nickel Jalen Williams (Marietta, Ga./Kell) tells OnTexssFootball that members of the Texas Longhorns staff have reached out to him and said they are stopping by the school next week. Williams, 6-foot and 165-pounds, has been one of the most popular prospects by college coaches in the Greater Atlanta area since the end of the 2024 season. Williams has picked up January offers from Texas A&M, Arizona State, Vanderbilt and NC State; along with serious interest from many others. The offer list also includes Auburn, Tennessee, Ole Miss, Missouri, Kentucky, North Carolina, Duke and Pittsburgh. Williams posted 39 tackles, eight PBU's, 4 TFL's and 2 INT's in 2024.

Starting a quick tracker of the portal entries we see start to file in with the turn of the calendar to December. Signing day will garner a lot of excitement, but these will be some names to keep an eye on in the ever-changing landscape of college football.

Texas has been busy on the trail recently with defensive back offers and Wednesday afternoon they add another. 2026 North Crowley DB Aaron Bradshaw has received an offer after a visit from Steve Sarkisian and the Texas staff this morning. Bradshaw was an important piece for North Crowley's defense en route to a state championship this season whilst defeating Duncanville, Allen, Westlake and Coppell. Texas becomes the 11th school to offer the 6-foot-3-inch, 185-pound safety originally from Fort Worth. Offers Include: Arizona State Grambling State Memphis Pitt Michigan State Texas Tech Tulsa UTEP UTSA West Virginia

The Texas coaching staff is on the road in DFW this afternoon and have extended a new offer to a 2027 defensive lineman. 2027 Cedar Hill Jalen Brewster has reported an offer from The University of Texas. Brewster is listed at 6-foot-4-inches and 300 pounds and now has collected offers from both Texas and Texas A&M in the last 72 hours. Oklahoma is going to be a team to watch here early on, but the Longhorns continue to make in-state defensive line recruiting a priority. Offer List: Arizona State Baylor North Texas Oklahoma Penn State Texas Texas A&M Texas Tech UTSA

A pair of recruiting updates on this Friday morning. *** A 2026 defensive lineman to keep tabs on moving forward is 2026 IMG Academy Preston Carey. The 6-foot-4, 290-pound defensive lineman told OTF last night he has been hearing recently from Texas DL Coach Kenny Baker. Carey is originally from the northeast and offensive coordinator Kyle Flood has already played a role in this recruitment. As of now, an offer has yet to be reported by Carey, but he mentioned last night that the Texas staff has been pushing to get him down to campus for a visit. On top of that, over 40 schools have already extended an offer to the IMG Academy defensive lineman. For now, this remains one to file away. *** Coaches on the road. – QB Coach AJ Milwee is on the road in Florida currently. Milwee stopped by 2026 Texas QB commit Dia Bell Thursday afternoon. – The Longhorns also have Chris Gilbert on the road this week. Gilbert has typically been used on the road in place of Pete Kwiatkowski, though my assumption is he is taking place of Tashard Choice for the end of the week as Choice welcomed in a new member of the family earlier in the week. – Kwiatkowski actually accompanied Steve Sarkisian to Temple High School on Thursday to visit with EDGE rusher Jamarion Carlton, who is expected to be on campus for the January 25 Junior Day. *** – Two offensive linemen were confirmed earlier in the week for the Junior Day as well. 2026 Prosper OL Zaden Krempin and 2026 Flower Mound OL Drew Evers joins the offensive line group for the Junior Day festivities.

Texas cornerbacks coach Terry Joseph is at North Shore High School in Houston, Texas this afternoon. On the trip, he offered 2026 DB Chace Calicut, a 6–3, lengthy defensive back. Calicut has been a popular name dating back to the summer when he first started popping off on the recruiting trail. The Longhorns become the 23rd school to offer Calicut. In my eyes, Calicut is a safety long-term. Lots of range in this prospect and athleticism is fun on the film.

A look at the grades from Pro Football Focus for the Longhorns in the 2024 season. 16 total games and north of 1,000 snaps on both sides of the football. Let's see how the Longhorns stack up. I will start by snap leaders, then add the offensive or defensive grade for the season in parenthesis afterwards. I will add just the players north of 100 snaps on the season, anyone who wants to see specific players below that snap threshold, let me know and I will add them in the comments. Offense 1,169 possible offensive snaps. 1,067 – LG Hayden Conner (70.9) 1,054 – TE Gunnar Helm (62.8) 1,042 – C Jake Majors (72.7) 975 – RT Cameron Williams (67.4) 935 – LT Kelvin Banks (86.0) 901 – QB Quinn Ewers (72.7) 854 – WR Matthew Golden (74.0) 809 – RG DJ Campbell (68.3) 624 – RB Tre Wisner (80.8) 618 – WR Ryan Wingo (64.6) 527 – WR Isaiah Bond (68.9) 522 – WR DeAndre Moore (65.0) 429 – RB Jaydon Blue (73.2) 409 – TE Juan Davis (42.2) 389 – OG Cole Hutson (61.7) 319 – OT Trevor Goosby (62.6) 253 – WR Silas Bolden (73.8) 233 – QB Arch Manning (88.0) 127 – RB Jerrick Gibson (71.1) 114 – WR Johntay Cook (69.9) Defense Out of 1,066 defensive snaps this season. 972 – CB Jahdae Barron (90.8) 897 – CB Malik Muhammad (71.7) 867 – LB Anthony Hill Jr. (72.9) 829 – DB Michael Taaffe (87.9) 712 – DB Andrew Mukuba (90.0) 690 – CB Jaylon Guilbeau (66.1) 674 – EDGE Trey Moore (75.0) 651 – EDGE Barryn Sorrell (71.4) 592 – DL Alfred Collins (87.2) 589 – DL Vernon Broughton (86.1) 506 – LB Liona Lefau (63.9) 477 – DB Jelani McDonald (71.8) 472 – EDGE Colin Simmons (82.5) 471 – DL Jermayne Lole (74.8) 324 – EDGE Ethan Burke (64.6) 314 – LB David Gbenda (81.7) 290 – CB Gavin Holmes (64.8) 259 – DL Bill Norton (61.7) 202 – LB Morice Blackwell Jr. (56.1) 110 – CB Kobe Black (67.5) 98 – DB Derek Williams Jr. (74.8) 94 – DL Alex January (63.2)

I wanted to throw some of these stats into one place for y'all to check out and start some conversation since the conclusion of the football season has arrived. Will update some additional notes in the comments later on, but there are a few that really stood out to me and I will try to divvy it up via player. *** Matthew Golden – Golden was the 5th highest rated deep ball receiver in the SEC and the 10th highest in the country. Pretty darn good. WR Isaiah Bond – On the flip side, Texas had very little success throwing to Isaiah Bond. Bond had just two receptions on 14 targets beyond 20 yards downfield. One of which coming in week two against Michigan on 3rd & 13. But that is a 14.3% completion rate when targeting one of the fastest players in college football. EDGE Trey Moore – Moore really flipped a switch after the second bye week. Check these 2nd half numbers out beginning with the Florida game on Nov. 9. First 8 Games: 16 pressures, 0 sacks, 0.5 tackles for loss, 6 total tackles, 1 fumble recovery Final 7 Games: 20 pressures, 6.5 sacks, 10.0 tackles for loss, 3 forced fumbles, 17 total tackles, 1 fumble recovery Running Backs – Texas running backs Tre Wisner and Jaydon Blue each ranked in the top ten for missed tackles forced amongst SEC running backs, per PFF. 70 – Dylan Sampson 58 – Jarquez Hunter 46 – Raheim Sanders 45 – Tre Wisner 41 – Ja'Quinden Jackson 37 – Jaydon Blue 35 – Johnnie Daniels 33 – Sedrick Alexander 32 – Demie Sumo-Karngbaye 32 – Jadan Baugh – Texas running backs Tre Wisner and Jaydon Blue each ranked in the top three of receiving yards amongst SEC running backs. 365 – Jaydon Blue 311 – Raheim Sander 311 – Tre Wisner 275 – Cash Jones 263 – Josh Williams OL Numbers – Hayden Conner (1,067) and Jake Majors (1,042) played the two most snaps of any offensive lineman in the country for 2024. – RT Cam Williams ended up with the most penalties of any Power 4 offensive lineman in the country (16). – LT Kelvin Banks (89.8) had the 4th highest pass protection grade of any P4 offensive lineman per PFF. Rushing Success by Direction: Look at the average yards per attempt to the left side of the OL vs. the right side. EDGE Colin Simmons – The freshman EDGE rusher led, or tied for the lead, all freshmen in: Sacks: 9 Hits on the QB: 14 Batted passes: 3 Run Stops: 31 Tackles: 32 Forced Fumbles: 3 CB Jahdae Barron – Per PFF, the longest reception Jahdae Barron allowed in man coverage this season was 9 yards. Insane. – Barron was also the highest graded (91.8) defensive back in the country with at least 100 snaps.

Texas Offers 2027 DB Duvay Williams The Longhorns have continued to make a splash on the west coast by extending an offer to 2027 Junipero Serra (Calif.) CB Duvay Williams. Williams is listed at 6-foot-1 and 155 pounds, so a bit on the lighter side. The Longhorns become his 20th offer. Williams also boasts a 10.92 100m time that he ran last spring. So, as a sophomore in high school, he was already clearing 11 seconds. Fast.

Texas dips into 2028 for an early offer Texas has extended an offer to 2028 Orange Lutheran (Calif.) ATH Marcus Fakatou. The Longhorn staff is out on the road today and made the stop out west at Orange Lutheran. On the trip, the Longhorns offered Fakatou, a 6-foot-6-inch and 265-pound defensive lineman. Despite being in the class of 2028, Fakatou has already earned 18 offers. Offer List: Alabama Arizona Arizona State Auburn BYU Michigan Missouri Nebraska Notre Dame Oklahoma Oregon San Diego State SMU Texas USC Utah Washington

Penn State wide receiver Omari Evans has entered the NCAA Transfer Portal. Evans, originally from Killeen Shoemaker high school in central Texas, has one year of eligibility remaining after spending three seasons with Penn State. In those three seasons, Evans saw a combined 782 snaps on offense, including 417 in 2024. The veteran wider receiver has elite speed, and was a state finalist in the long jump his senior season at Killeen. In 2024, Evans recorded 415 yards on 21 receptions for 19.8 yards per catch. He had five total touchdowns on the season. The big play ability is there, six of Evans' 21 receptions went for 25 or more yards including three over 45. Baylor was an offer out of HS as well, so will be worth monitoring moving forward for the Longhorns out of the portal.

Quinn Ewers is officially headed to the NFL Draft. No more wondering, it is official.

Is returning for 2025!