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AUSTIN, Texas — Texas was out of sorts for large stretches of Tuesday’s 84-75 win over South Carolina. Nevertheless, the Longhorns overcame a forgettable offensive first half (8-for-26 shooting) and turnovers and defensive lapses in the second half to exit Moody Center with a victory over the Gamecocks in a must-win game. Dailyn Swain scored 15 of his team-high 22 points in the second half (10 rebounds for his fifth double-double of the season, with three assists and two steals), while Tramon Mark scored 15 of his 18 points over the last 20 minutes of play. Texas (14-9, 5-5 SEC) remained KenPom.com’s No. 34 team after the win, maintaining the Longhorns’ case to stay on the right side of the NCAA Tournament bubble (Texas entered Tuesday’s game as one of Joe Lunardi’s last four teams in the field of 68). Here are three takeaways from a win the Longhorns had to grind out: 1. Along with Swain making clutch plays at both ends of the floor and Mark finding his groove offensively in the second half, Texas got a big lift from Cam Heide (12 points, five rebounds and two assists), who delivered arguably his best performance as a Longhorn. He drilled back-to-back 3-pointers to break a 50-50 tie midway through the second half, but his defensive effort, including the three rebounds he grabbed down the stretch, kept him on the court. With Matas Vokietaitis (12 points on 3-for-8 shooting and nine rebounds) unable to get into a flow offensively (four turnovers) before fouling out, and Jordan Pope (three points on 1-for-6 shooting in 26 minutes) struggling, Heide’s offensive output was a godsend. 2. Even though Simeon Wilcher (seven points, four assists and two rebounds) dealt with foul trouble throughout the game, he led a productive night by the Longhorn bench. It’s the second game in a row Wilcher has come up big off the bench after scoring 10 points with two rebounds, two assists, a block and a steal in 22 minutes in last Saturday’s 79-69 road win over Oklahoma. Wilcher, Chendall Weaver and Lassina Traore combined for 17 points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals, helping the Texas bench outscore South Carolina’s (17-15). It’s how they scored, however, that made a difference on Tuesday: Weaver knocked down a big corner three at the 6:36 mark of the second half to extend the lead and Traore scored all five of his points at the foul line (5-for-6), positively contributing to the team’s 29-for-36 performance on free throws. 3. It was two made free throws by Traore that allowed the Longhorns to take their first lead of the game with 4:36 remaining in the first half. A dismal 1-for-10 start put Texas in a hole to open the game, one from which it spent most of the night trying to emerge. The Longhorns eventually got there, in part, by making an effort to attack the basket and force the issue with paint touches after missing five 3-pointers before the first media timeout of the first half. The defensive lapses and sloppy sequences aside, the slow start (the Gamecocks led by as many as nine points in the first half) could be chalked up to Miller’s squad feeling the impact of playing a fourth SEC game in 11 days. Thankfully, Texas gets a day off on Wednesday and two full days to get ready for Ole Miss on Saturday. Chris Beard’s return to the Forty Acres since he was fired in January 2023 should make it an emotionally charged affair. The Longhorns know they need to be better on Saturday than they were on Tuesday. A couple of days to catch their breath after winning three of their last four should help the cause. View full news story

Broadcast channels released for 2026 Texas Baseball *** Several of the Longhorns marquee games have received homes for national broadcasts in 2026. Eight games will be hosted on the national scale for the Horns. – March 28-30 series vs. Oklahoma ... SEC Network Thursday, April 2 vs. South Carolina ... SEC Network Friday, April 10 vs. Texas A&M ... SEC Network Saturday, April 11 vs. Texas A&M ... ESPN2 Saturday, April 25 vs. Vanderbilt ... SEC Network Sunday, April 26 vs. Vanderbilt ... ESPN2 Sunday, May 3 vs. Mississippi State ... ESPN Sunday, May 10 vs. Tennessee ... ESPN2

Going to add some clips and all-22 views of my favorite Arch Manning throws from 2025. Really the only takeaway from all of this is 2026 is going to be a really fun year if Arch spins it similarly to the end of 2025, which I have no reason to believe he won't. Anyways, should be a fun thread. Feel free to add your own!

Mitchell Turner (Louisville, Miss./High) is easily one of the top 2027 defensive lineman I have seen on tape in this cycle. Kenny Baker offered Sunday, and I think it’s a tremendous offer. Not ranked in the industry now, will end up high on national rankings. The 6-3, 275-pounder is a 4-star++ for OnTexasFootball (meaning top 75 level prospect in the country).

Texas only leaves the state three times in 2026, quite the flip from the trips to Columbus, Athens, Gainesville, Starkville and Lexington in 2025. On the horizon, however, are four massive trips that are all full of intrigue. My ranking of those road games from an excitement are as follows: 4. at Missouri Nov. 7, 2026 Don't get me wrong, this is going to be a fun matchup to revisit. The Longhorns have not been to Columbia, Missouri since 2011 where a measly 5 points were put on the scoreboard by the fellas in burnt orange and white. Now, the game is rekindled for the first time since the 2017 Texas Bowl. Missouri's $250M stadium renovation should be completed by the beginning of the 2026 season as well. I would bet this place is bumping – and cold – in early November. 3. at Tennessee Sept. 26, 2026 Pretty hard to put Neyland and Tennessee at three. The faux outrage over the Real UT will lead the conversation, but the Manning family battle will be a fun side conversation for the game as it builds up. This game coming the first weekend of SEC play is going to be a great test for Texas. I will be very much awaiting the kickoff time for this game, that will maximize the environment and test for Arch Manning. 2. at Texas A&M Nov. 27, 2026 This game being the final weekend of the year and having as much impactful on the College Football Playoff and SEC Championship as we have seen over the last two years has been spectacular. Texas will return to the field where they shut out the Texas A&M offense in 2024. Of course, no other words are needed when it comes to building this game up, or the subsequent environment. Plenty of reason for excitement here. 1. at LSU Nov. 14, 2026 We know the return to Kyle Field will be under the lights, and Texas can expect the exact same when they take the trip to Baton Rouge in mid-November. Of course, kickoffs under the lights are basically all LSU gets for its home games anyways, but the hype around Kiffin vs. Sarkisian and Sam Leavitt vs. Arch Manning is going to be spectacular. On top of Texas not receiving the return game of the home and home from the 2019-20 series, this game is one Texas fans will travel for, and it will be one that everyone in Louisiana will be prepared for. Without question my No. 1 most anticipated road game of the year for 2026.

Good news baseball fans, @Jeff Howe, @Blake Munroe and myself will be firing up Bases Loaded this week as the season inches ever so close to returning over at the Disch. Until then, I wanted to share a few takeaways from the Alumni Game from Saturday afternoon. *** First and foremost, the pitching that we had been hearing so much about showed up. Of course, the weather wasn't great for anyone, with temperatures hovering around 40º-45º, it was undoubtedly cold. – One of the young arms we have heard a lot about is RHP Brett Crossland. He was on the hill early in this one and displayed a wicked breaking ball. The 6-foot-5, 255-pound pitcher Crossland got Drew Messinger looking with that breaking ball in one of the more impressive outings of the day. – RHP Sam Cozart was sitting in the mid-90s for most of his outing. A positive sign. He went 4 1/3 innings pitched of scoreless ball. – RHP Max Grubbs is one of those high-profile arms that Texas will rely on out of the pen in 2026. He got in trouble in the 7th inning, allowing two runs on a single by junior catcher Andrew Ermis. Grubbs hung a fastball which was sent back to RCF for a 2-run single. – Speaking of catchers, of course it is going to be Carson Tinney who sees the majority of starts behind the plate, but the Longhorns have plenty of depth at the catchers spot. Ermis and freshman Presley Courville provide plenty of possible solutions at the spot this year. Tinney ended up with a base hit in the contest. – With Jonah Williams still getting acclimated back to live pitching, the starting outfield trio look liked this: LF – Ashton Larson CF – Aiden Robbins RF – Anthony Pack Jr. The belief is Robbins will spin over to right, and Pack will end up in left when Williams returns to the lineup in centerfield. – Stanford transfer Temo Becerra ended up starting at SS for the Horns. Adrian Rodriguez is still recovering from a hand issue which should not have him shelved for much longer. At 3B, Texas trotted out Wichita State transfer Josh Livingston. Livingston had 26 home runs and a 1.002 career OPS for the Shockers. – As expected, it was Casey Borba at first base. While it was mentioned a week ago that Borba could be someone who gets time at each of the corner infield spots, the likely destination to begin the season will be at 1B. Borba had a double and scored a run in the game as well.

2027 DL Donivan Moore includes Texas in Top 6 *** Texas makes the cut for one of the top defensive linemen in the country for the class of 2027. Donivan Moore, a top defensive lineman out of Hueytown (Ala.), included the Longhorns along withOle Miss, Auburn, Ohio State, Alabama and LSU in his top six as of Friday afternoon. The 6-foot-4, 275-pound defensive lineman is currently ranked as a top-75 prospect in the country according to the 247Sports composite rankings.

A quick update on the recovery process for offensive lineman Andre Cojoe. The 6-foot-6, 335-pound offensive lineman began running for the first time earlier in the week. Obviously, it was a great sign to see Cojoe with his helmet in hand during bowl practices, but obviously his athletic participation only extended to off-field stretching. Now, he is beginning to inch back towards extended running and conditioning. Cojoe tore his ACL back in fall camp in August. The update I posted last week mentioned he is about four months and change removed since the injury. I don't believe Cojoe will be a full participant in the spring, but this is very much a positive to get him back for the summer conditioning months.

2026 EDGE Damaad Lewis Remains on Texas’ Radar *** Our @Gerry Hamilton broke the news earlier this week that Texas would be hosting 2026 DL Elijah Ali for an official visit this weekend. Well, Texas may not be done in the 2026 class. EDGE Damaad Lewis remains on the radar for the Horns, he tells me. LaAllen Clark has remained in contact with the Myers Park HS (Charlotte, NC) prospect over the last couple of weeks. Lewis dropped a final five back in August, which consisted of Texas, Texas A&M, Washington, NC State and USC. While an official visit is not currently locked in yet, it is something being discussed. The final signing day begins February 4th. View full news story

Texas hosting a 2026 class OV this weekend BREAKING: Texas is scheduled to host 2026 defensive lineman Elijah Ali (Downey, Calif./St. Pius X) this weekend. Kenny Baker and a Texas staff member were by the high school in early January to watch the 6-foot-4, 285-pound athletic lineman workout, and the were impressed with what they saw. Ali's recruitment slowed down and went the direction of sleeper after he was suspended for the majority of his senior season to due to transfer rules in the state. San Diego State has an offer out the Ali.

Texas has found a new Director of Scouting per a report from Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports. Steve Sarkisian has named Kevin Mashack as the next Director of Scouting for the Texas Longhorns. Mashack, a Miami, Florida native, returned to Tennessee State University in the summer of 2023 for his third stint with the Tigers, where he served as Director of Football Recruiting. Mashack spent more than 13 years at TSU across three tenures (2007–2013, 2015–2021, and 2023), holding roles that ranged from student assistant and video coordinator to position coach and recruiting leader. Between his TSU stints, Mashack worked three seasons in the NFL with the Jacksonville Jaguars (2013–2015) as a scouting assistant in player personnel. He later moved into college personnel leadership roles, serving as Director of Player Personnel and High School Relations at Indiana in 2021 and Director of Player Personnel at Texas A&M in 2022 under Jimbo Fisher. Now, he joins the Longhorns on Steve Sarkisian's staff.

Mo Portal Mo Problems The new portal thread for the OTF community.

Some updates for the team as the month of January begins to turn to February. The full team, to my knowledge, is in Austin. That includes portal additions and of course all of the HS class. The HS class all moved in about 2.5 weeks ago on January 9-10. Now, things all are in the hands of Torre Becton and his staff. Winter workouts have begun for the Texas Longhorns. Of course, the ice storm has made things a bit trickier, but ultimately the team has been working out in the weight room and should get going even more on the field for mat drills + conditioning as the days continue. With the coaches on the road to see 2027 and 2028 prospects, they won't see much of the team for the next week or so. That of course is when Torre Becton's staff comes into play. Texas is looking to replace a lot of leadership – and I have heard the names of importance for the winter include Arch Manning, Trevor Goosby, Connor Robertson and Ryan Wingo on offense. For the other side of the ball, TyAnthony Smith, Colin Simmons, Hero Kanu and Jelani McDonald are going to be where you sit the leadership start. I had long wondered what the vocal leadership component would look like for Texas, but believe they will be in good hands, even with 40+ new faces on campus from the portal and high school ranks. Early enrollee updates should be coming over the next week or so, as their familiarity with the day to day process increases.

Easton Royal Update: Sark, Chris Jackson & Jabbar Juluke at Brother Martin Steve Sarkisian, Chris Jackson & Jabbar Juluke were at Brother Martin High in New Orleans today to see Easton Royal. The trio of Texas coaches met with Easton, his mom and another member of his circle earlier today. According to a source very close to the recruitment, Texas knocked it out of the park. Per a source in the New Orleans area, Texas feels better about this recruitment than ever after last weekend's two day visit and the school visit today. Texas fully understands that LSU, Florida, Miami and others will keep pursuing one of the nations top prospects. But, again, there is a lot of confidence right now on the Texas side.

2028 Klein Oak RB Micah Rhodes dropped a top three Thursday afternoon of Texas, Oklahoma and Texas A&M. Rhodes is currently ranked as the 40th ranked prospect in the country for the class of 2028 and the No. 3 RB in the country Per the 247Sports Composite. According to a few conversations this afternoon, Oklahoma is the school to beat the moment. A decision is likely to come soon as well.

Texas will host some 2027 defensive prospects Saturday/Sunday --- Texas offered Kingwood High 2027 LB Cade Haug yesterday. The 6-2, 210-pounder with 4.58 speed tells OTF he will be in Austin Saturday. Junior HUDL: http://www.hudl.com/video/3/19809596/6732aa00a70f69d818f45ced

Texas Has Hired Garrett Cox to be New Defensive Analyst *** Garrett Cox is expected to be hired on staff at Texas, per 247Sports’ Matt Zenitz. Cox spent 2025 Georgia under Kirby Smart and alongside Will Muschamp as a defensive analyst. Previously, Cox had seen stints with TCU, Michigan, Tennessee, and Alabama where he worked closely with the linebacking unit. Given the hiring of Muschamp as the new defensive coordinator, Cox marks the first of a couple expected analyst hires under Muschamp in the defensive room. Muschamp already has worked with CB coach Mark Orphey in the past at South Carolina, and coached new defensive backs coach Blake Gideon while both were at Texas.

Mansfield Summit EDGE Cameron Hall became the fourth prospect to join the 2027 Texas recruiting class when he committed to the Longhorns on Wednesday. The 6-foot-3-inch. 235-pound Hall is the first high school defensive prospect to commit to Texas since Steve Sarkisian hired Will Muschamp as the program’s defensive coordinator in December. Hall picked the Longhorns over recent offers from Arkansas, Kentucky, Nebraska, Stanford and Wisconsin. He included Texas among his top 12 schools on Nov. 27, a group that included Arizona State, Baylor, LSU, Michigan, Ohio State, Ole Miss, Oklahoma, SMU, TCU, Texas A&M and Texas Tech. After recording 40 tackles, six tackles for loss, four sacks and two forced fumbles as a sophomore, Hall racked up 46 tackles, 18 tackles for loss and 10 sacks as a junior. He was named District 3-5A DII Defensive Player of the Year, an award voted on by the district's head coaches. Hall joins tight end JT Geraci (Ramsey, N.J./Don Bosco Prep), Manvel cornerback Karnell “Greedy” James and wide receiver Easton Royal (New Orleans, La./Brother Martin) in the 2027 recruiting class. View full news story

2028 WR Dillon Mitchell Receives Texas Offer *** Texas WR coach Chris Jackson is among the Longhorn coaching staff in Houston today extending offers to 2027 and 2028 prospects. Jackson stopped by state runner-ups CE King Tuesday afternoon and extended an offer to 2028 WR Dillon Mitchell. Mitchell is widely considered one of the fastest players in the entire country. He boasted a wind-aided 10.17 100m time in the spring of 2025 and was in Virginia two weekends ago competing in an indoor track invitational. Mitchell attended the Texas-UTEP game at DKR last fall as well. "It feels good to receive an offer (from Texas)," Mitchell told OTF. "It means a lot. I was extremely surprised to get (offered) today." Notable Offers Arkansas Arizona Auburn Florida Florida State Georgia Kentucky Tennessee Texas Texas A&M Texas Tech

Texas Offers EDGE Ezekiel Ayangbile *** Texas has offered 2027 Langham Creek edge rusher Ezekiel Ayangbile on Tuesday morning. Steve Sarkisian, Kenny Baker and Jeff Banks delivered the good news Tuesday morning to Ayangbile in person at Langham Creek. Ayangbile has been on campus to Texas multiple times, once for the April 28th Fan Day, and again for the June 1st Elite Day in 2025. *** Additionally, Texas offered OLB Jhadyn Nelson at Langham Creek as well. Nelson, a 6-foot-3-inch, 210-pound edge rusher and line backer reported the offer the same time as Ayangbile. Over the last week, Nelson has received offers from Miami, Mississippi State, SMU, Houston, Nebraska, TCU and Texas Tech.

Houston Area Corner Reports Texas Offer *** Mark Orphey has returned from the west coast and has joined the Texas contingency in Houston. Following a trip to Cypress Springs, the Longhorns have extended a new offer 2027 Cy Springs CB Kameron Roberson. Roberson is listed at 6–1 and 185 pounds. Over the last week, Roberson earned offers from Iowa, Tulsa, Oregon State, Northwestern, TCU and Vanderbilt. Roberson was a member of the Cy Springs 2025 4x100 state champion relay squad, which included Houston signee Paris Melvin.

We're waiting for the postgame press conference to start after Texas snapped a two-game losing streak with a blowout win over No. 21 Georgia at Moody Center on Saturday, 87-67. Sean Miller's Longhorns are now 12-8 overall and 3-4 in SEC play. Each of those three wins has come against AP Top 25 opponents.