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Arch Manning wasn’t among the 13 quarterbacks selected in the 2025 NFL Draft. Nevertheless, the rising redshirt sophomore poised to lead a Texas team with national championship aspirations was mentioned as much as the baker’s dozen who were picked over the draft’s seven rounds, as the potential No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 draft. Monday’s Touchdown Club of Houston luncheon wasn’t the first time Steve Sarkisian has been asked about Manning’s future on the Forty Acres. Still, the question wasn’t about Manning handling being the Longhorns’ backup quarterback. Instead, Sarkisian was asked during a fan Q&A at the Bayou City Event Center if he had “a sense whether” Manning would be at Texas one year or two years, since he’s eligible to enter next year’s draft. “Here’s what I hope,” Sarkisian said as nervous laughter broke out throughout the room. “I hope he's got a really hard decision to make on — about Jan. 21. That means he played a long time, that means he probably had a really good season, and that means that he's trying to figure out, 'Do I want one more year in the burnt orange? Or is it time to go to the NFL?' “I hope it's a really, really hard decision,” he added. “I hope it's not a no-brainer to come back to school.” The discussion of Manning becoming the third No. 1 overall pick in his family (Peyton Manning in 1998 and Eli Manning in 2004) after one season as QB1 for the Longhorns is acceptable post-spring practice fodder. Any prolonged draft speculation falls somewhere on a relevance spectrum between writers, reporters, and publishers openly pining for Manning to be the quarterback of the future for the team they cover and content mills farming for clicks. The expectation has long been for Manning to spend at least two seasons at the wheel of Sarkisian’s offense. Regardless, it would be a surprise if Sarkisian isn’t asked about the length of Manning’s stay in Austin several times before Texas opens the 2025 season on the road in a Cotton Bowl rematch with reigning national champion Ohio State on Aug. 30. Longhorn fans are fortunate to follow a football program covered by media outlets (OTF among them) wise enough to avoid giving in to the temptation to drive pointless narratives involving the 6-foot-4-inch, 222-pound quarterback with the potential to help Texas secure the program’s first national title since 2005. The same goes for ESPN’s Matt Miller and NFL.com's Lance Zierlein, who did their respective parts to stamp out the idea that Manning is destined to headline the 2026 draft. “I won’t be doing any draft work on Arch for 2026,” Miller wrote. “He’s probably a 2027 player. He could be a 2028 player.” Zierlein pointed out two notable facts: Peyton and Eli Manning "both played four years of college ball,” he wrote, and Arch Manning has the earning potential through NIL deals to put off the NFL until he and his family decide it's time to go. “Why do people think Arch is going to be in the 2026 draft?” he wrote. The circus might slow down, but it won’t stop. For Texas fans already tired of opposing fans and the football media anxiously awaiting Manning’s departure, heeding Sarkisian’s advice should help maintain everyone’s sanity and enjoy what could be an unprecedented era of Longhorn football. “Let’s let this guy go play this year,” Sarkisian said. “Let's let him have fun, finally getting his opportunity to be the starting quarterback for the Texas Longhorns. It's been a lifelong dream for this guy to do this. “It's finally his time,” he added. “I hope he can just have an opportunity to enjoy it and enjoy it the right way because, like a lot of guys from our team, he's been dreaming about this his whole life, and now he gets an opportunity to go do it. “I just want to make sure that we all support him in this journey.” View full news story

Wanted to give you all a chance to get some final spring ball questions off before we move into the heart of recruiting on the 2025 calendar. 15 spring practices have come and gone and we have a pretty good understanding of what took place this spring. Drop any and all questions you may have regarding the spring roster and practice sessions! Will try to get to them all!

Wanted to get a quick thread up to follow where Texas coaches were at on the recruiting trail this week. Spring ball has officially concluded and the coaches have taken to the road to catch prospects from across the state.

The Texas Longhorns have produced the following NFL Draft picks at each position: QB: 1 RB: 3 WR: 4 TE: 2 OL: 4 DL: 4 EDGE: 1 LB: 1 CB: 2 S: 1 Back to back years of setting the school record for Draft picks in a given year. Plus, what I am expecting to be a preseason No. 1 ranking and a freshman class that ranked No. 1 in the country last recruiting cycle. The program is in a very healthy place.

There won't be a hotter ticket in Austin, Texas, this weekend than that of the series occurring at Disch-Falk Field. Jim Schlossnagle and the No. 1 ranked Texas Longhorns are set to host Texas A&M for a three-game set this weekend, first pitch at 7 p.m. on SEC Network. Live thread for game one of the series.

Texas hosted 2027 Pflugerville Weiss WR Tre Moore for the second time in as many weeks this morning. Moore, a 6-foot-3-inch wide out, is the son of former Oklahoma quarterback Eric Moore. The Austin-area playmaker now boasts 22 offers and has steadily been climbing the recruiting rankings since the release of the 2027 class. I would keep close tabs on this one. Moore is a freaky athlete.

Texas P Michael Kern has entered the NCAA Transfer Portal, CBS Sports the first to report. Kern, an upcoming sophomore, had won the job as a true freshman in 2024, though the staff opted to go a different direction in 2025 with the addition of Jack Bouwmeester from Utah. Texas is up to 12 portalers and currently sits with 83 scholarships.

A thing about a guy like me, I will rank anything. Any sport, any topic, any debate, I want to be a part of it. With that said, I wanted to start the conversation on Draft Day of my five favorites at each position this cycle: *** Quarterback Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders Miami QB Cam Ward Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart Ohio State QB Will Howard Texas QB Quinn Ewers I give Sanders the nod for his ability to play constantly under pressure. Yes, some self sacks were evident in 2024, but rarely does a top of the draft quarterback go to a place where protection is plentiful and I will roll the dice with the quarterback who put up numbers with guys like me protecting him all season long. As for Ewers, too many questions about the long ball, his mobility in the pocket and overall ceiling for me. Running Back Boise State RB Ashton Jeanty Ohio State RB TreyVeon Henderson North Carolina RB Omarion Hampton Ohio State RB Quinshon Judkins Iowa RB Kaleb Johnson If Jeanty does not have a very solid NFL career, there should never be a reason to draft a RB in the first round ever again. Fortunately for Texas, Jaydon Blue will be the fifth running back draft in three years. What a run. Wide Receiver Arizona WR Tetairoa McMillan Missouri WR Luther Burden Texas WR Matthew Golden Ohio State WR Emeka Egbuka Iowa State WR Jaylin Noel Tet McMillan screams Mike Evans to me. Big body with 4.5 speed and great hands. I love a height mismatch that can move. As for Luther Burden over Matthew Golden, 1800 yards in the last two seasons of SEC play gets the nod. Burden recorded 4.41 speed as well and I would argue he is just a bit better after the catch that Matthew Golden. Tight End Penn State TE Tyler Warren Bowling Green TE Harold Fannin Jr. Michigan TE Colston Loveland Miami (FL) TE Elijah Arroyo Texas TE Gunnar Helm For folks who have not seen Tyler Warren play football, you are in for a treat in the NFL. Helm gets the nod over LSU's Mason Taylor for me. The athleticism after the catch and sure-handedness all season long proved to be a huge weapon in the Longhorn offense. The most prolific single season for a Texas tight end in program history finds himself a new home in the late 3rd/early 4th. Offensive Tackle Texas OT Kelvin Banks LSU OT Will Campbell Missouri OT Armand Membou Oregon OT Josh Conerly Jr. Ohio State OT Josh Simmons For three years we watched Banks dominate at left tackle. Against first rounder after first rounder. He is the best tackle in this draft an time will prove that to be correct. Interior Offensive Lineman NDSU OL Grey Zabel Alabama OL Tyler Booker Ohio State OL Donovan Jackson Georgia OL Tyler Wilson Arizona OL Jonah Savaiinaea Zabel absolutely dominated the Senior Bowl and was my favorite prospect in attendance after the three days in Mobile. Defensive Line Michigan DL Mason Graham Oregon DL Derrick Harmon Ole Miss DL Walter Nolen Michigan DL Kenneth Grant Ohio State DL Tyliek Williams The Texas offensive line took both Michigan defensive linemen to the woodshed week one in Ann Arbor. Perhaps the best showing of the season from the Texas OL unit. Alfred Collins could end up going as DL5–DL8 on Friday night. EDGE Room Penn State EDGE Abdul Carter Marshall EDGE Mike Green Georgia EDGE Mykael Williams Ohio State EDGE JT Tuimoloau Tennessee EDGE James Pearce I don't love this edge class outside of the top three. Miss me with both Texas A&M edges, especially Shemar Stewart who folks are fawning over despite having zero production at any point in his entire collegiate career. I am not very high on James Pearce either, I believe his body limits his overall ceiling. But Abdul Carter would be my pick if I possessed 1.1. Linebacker Georgia LB Jalon Walker Alabama LB Jihaad Campbell Oklahoma LB Danny Stutsman UCLA LB Carson Schwesinger Ole Miss LB Chris Paul Jr. Jalon Walker was maybe pound for pound the best defensive player Texas faced this entire season and fortunately, the Horns won't have to see him in Athens next fall. I know many will see Stutsman and laugh, but he is a darn good football player and checks every box of the measurables and interview process. Cornerback Texas CB Jahdae Barron Notre Dame CB Benjamin Morrison Michigan CB Will Johnson East Carolina CB Shavon Revel Kentucky CB Maxwell Hairston Jr. Barron won the Thorpe for a reason. Now, he has 4.39 speed to fall back on and the production at multiple positions to boast versatility at several positions in any NFL secondary. I think folks sleep on Benjamin Morrison a bit out of Notre Dame. A true man-to-man cornerback will be a nice get for years at the next level. Safety Georgia S Malaki Starks Texas S Andrew Mukuba Notre Dame S Xavier Watts Penn State S Kevin Winston Jr. South Carolina S Nick Emmanwori If Andrew Mukuba had about ten more inches on his frame, he would be the undisputed top safety in this class. Instead, the frame works against him and he is seen as an undersized option for the NFL. Nick Emmanwori tests like he was made in a lab, but the football side of things needs to improve.

Several Texas players will be made available to the media Thursday morning following practice No. 14. Texas practiced inside of DKR for its second to last session of the spring. Fan Fest will take place Saturday morning with a practice preceding the festivities at DKR.

Texas is up to nine portal additions since the conclusion of the 2024 college football season with a majority of those imports coming from a cozy path to a starting gig at their previous schools. Utah P Jack Bouwmeester Arkansas LB Brad Spence Purdue DL Cole Brevard North Carolina DL Travis Shaw Ohio State DL Hero Kanu Stanford WR Emmett Mosley V Cal TE Jack Endries Maryland DL Lavon Johnson Syracuse DL Maraad Watson We have consistently seen the Longhorns target, attract and acquire game-changing talent via the portal since the evolution of the world of NIL and the transfer portal. This year remains no different. There has been a bit of a wrinkle with this year's portal additions than in previous cycles – a firmer approach to finding multi-year contributors. WR Emmett Mosley V and DL Maraad Watson were both true freshman last fall, while guys like TE Jack Endries, DL Lavon Johnson and LB Brad Spence each have the ability to be multi-year guys. All five are projected to be starting-level players for the Longhorns are key positions this upcoming fall. Texas wanted to do just this last year with Matthew Golden, though the incredible ascent on the field resulted in that plan falling just a bit short. However, I think the Texas staff is more than pleased with how it ultimately worked. Still, Steve Sarkisian spoke about the efforts of General Manager Brandon Harris and the Texas player personnel staff have done in the portal. Identifying, inquiring once in the portal and executing visits efficiently have left Texas in a prime position to once again end a season in the conversation as the country's top team. "Brandon (Harris) – you know when we came on here four and a half years ago, was really in kind of a grunt role," Sarkisian told reporters Tuesday morning. "His name wasn't in the news. His role wouldn't make him a whole lot of money. And over time, like most people in our organization, you earn trust, right? And you earn trust by doing your job really well. In his time here, he's kind of grown in the organization with more and more responsibilities. I've got a lot of faith in Brandon that he's going to execute his job really well." On January 19, 2025, it was revealed that Harris signed a contract extension with the Texas Football program with the title of General Manager. The extension of Harris allows for the oversight of the Texas program to remain clear when it comes to personnel decisions and roster construction. All in all, the move is something Sarkisian believes in. "I love building our roster, something that I take a lot of pride in," Sarkisian said. "I think Brandon and I are aligned really well on the vision for what we want our roster to look like, and numbers in certain position and body types and character and all those things." Beyond the efforts of Harris, Sarkisian also singled out John Michael Jones, the Longhorns Director of Player Personnel, as someone who has grown in his role over the years to help assemble a roster that will compete at a national level. "And so I trust those guys to assemble things to put in front of me that we can make really good decisions on on the people we bring into our program, whether they're high school, whether they're college transfer portal guys," Sarkisian said. We have talked about the continuity on the field with the core pillars of coordinators Pete Kwiatkowski, Jeff Banks and Kyle Flood remaining in place, as well as Director of Football Performance Torre Becton. But off the field, the continuation of work with Brandon Harris, JM Jones and key pieces in the backend have helped the Longhorns remain aligned in the roster construction aspect of the game. From balancing specific position groups to projecting scholarship numbers in each room and of course now the check books, the Texas staff is continuing to approach college football's free agency period with an aggressive, yet precise approach that has overall been a resounding net positive. "You know, whether it's how we how we execute our our publicity rights and sharing that with our players, and balancing our roster and balancing our books, because that's all part of what we do now," Sarkisian said. "The brand is very bright."

Texas will be hosting 2026 St. Thomas K Michael Taylor II this weekend for the Fan Fest and final practice of the spring. Taylor was at Texas A&M last weekend and LSU on April 12. However, he visited the Longhorns on April 4 where he took in a practice under the lights. With Gaston Gramatica now committed to USF, Texas will look to add a kicker prospect to its June official visit list.

Texas is hosting 2026 Cambridge Christian School K Gaston Gramatica for a spring practice Monday morning. Gramatica currently has an official visit scheduled with the Longhorns for the weekend of June 13. The Longhorns hosted Southlake Carroll K Gavin Strange this weekend, yet they did not set an official date on the trip. Gramatica is the guy in 2026 for Jeff Banks.

2026 Prosper OL Zaden Krempin is on campus this afternoon. Krempin was on campus April 5 and returns for a quick midweek trip. He will officially visit the Longhorns on June 13. The focus here is to get as much one-on-one time with Kyle Flood and the staff as possible. Official Visits May 30 – LSU June 6 – SMU June 13 – Texas June 20 – Michigan

Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian is meeting with the media this morning for his final availability of the spring. The Longhorns were on the field at Denius for practice No. 13 of the spring, leaving just a one last tune up on Thursday ahead of the Fan Fest on Saturday. The expectation on Saturday is that the Longhorns will practice in the morning of the 26th in the bubble before heading over to DKR for the festivities with the fans. For Sarkisian – all notes and quotes will be in the comments down below.

2027 Dripping Springs OL Hudson Whitenight will be back on campus this Saturday for the Longhorns’ spring fan fest. The trip back to campus will mark Whitenight’s second trip to the 40 Acres in as many months after he attended the Longhorn City Limits event on March 29. Texas has yet to offer Whitenight, but that could change this weekend. I’ve been told Ohio State has begun picking up interest in the Dripping Springs offensive lineman who now holds offers from Nebraska and Arizona State.

… is officially in the portal. The Syracuse DL was a Freshman All-American in 2024. Texas is expected to be involved.

Now in the portal.

Texas offensive lineman Malik Agbo has entered the NCAA Transfer Portal, first reported by On3. Agbo, a former four-star recruit, was often used as a jumbo offensive lineman for the Longhorns during his time on campus or in a fullback in short-distance situations. In three seasons of play time, Agbo saw 171 total snaps. Best of luck to the PNW native!

2026 Prosper OL Zaden Krempin will return to campus next week for an unofficial. Krempin will be on campus April 22 for a couple days and take in some of the final spring practices ahead of the Longhorns' fan fest. The Prosper offensive linemen is looking to focus on a more intimate meeting with the coaches, away from the buzz of the crazy junior days. Krempin has an official visit set to Texas for June 13–15.

Texas will be hosting an availability on Wednesday morning with a group of players. Last week media heard from QB Arch Manning and RB Tre Wisner. Today, we are expecting some guys on the defensive side of the ball – perhaps Anthony Hill Jr., Michael Taaffe and/or Colin Simmons. Will post some nuggets from the availability in the comments below.

Just over two weeks before the NFL Draft kicks off. We are entering a busy stage right now for a lot of the Texas Draft hopefuls. As a result, a quick thread to help follow along where each draftable Longhorn will be visiting over the next few weeks, as well as any news that may break regarding each Draft Hopeful.

Texas hosted 2026 Hun School (N.J.) OLB/EDGE Luke Wafle for an unofficial on Monday and Tuesday. Wafle has been on Texas radars for a while, mentioning Kyle Flood was his original contact with the Horns, then made a trip over in July for the Pool Bash before becoming more acquainted with the staff. Wafle was able to take in a spring practice on Monday where he was able to get a close look at the OL/DL one on ones. Texas has not ventured up to New Jersey too often, but Wafle is one to closely monitor. Luke’s older brother, Owen, signed with Michigan out of high school, though transferred to Penn State in January.

Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian is back in front of the local media Monday morning, discussing the Longhorns’ spring practice through nine sessions so far. The Longhorns were active on Saturday, going through a live scrimmage-like portion of practice in front of a number of big time recruits. Updates from the head coach in the comments down below.

2026 DB Davon Benjamin to Visit Wednesday OTF has learned Texas will be hosting 2026 Oaks Christian (California) safety Davon Benjamin for an unofficial visit on Wednesday. Benjamin, a 6-foot, 185-pound, is currently ranked as the No. 4 safety in the country and a top 35 player in the country per the 247Sports Composite ranking. There are currently no official visits set for Benjamin.