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5-star TE Mark Bowman note Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei 5-star TE Mark Bowman told OnTexasFootball late last night that he does plan to make an official visit to Texas, but hasn't locked in the date yet as the family is navigating the June scheduled. OTF believes the OV will be either June 13 or June 20, as of today. The 6-foot-4.5, 225-pound playmaking tight end is likely to come down to Texas vs. Georgia with Oregon a likely third team seriously in the race all the way until the end. Bowman's father has ties to the Lone Star State, and they have been in Austin for an unofficial visit in the last few months. The family is expected in Austin for UOV this spring as well. Bowman recently reclassified from the 2027 class to 2026. He holds more than 30 offers. He hauled in 32 receptions for 435 yards and eight touchdowns in 2024.

The Longhorns have found themselves in the top six for 2026 Hawaii OL Malakai Lee. The remainder of the top six includes USC, BYU, Michigan, Alabama and Georgia. The 6-foot-6-inch and 320-pound offensive lineman currently holds predictions to Michigan, but is another prime example of the work put in by the Texas staff on the out of state front.

Yahya Gaad commitment timeline update Just received word from Medina (Tenn.) South Gibson 2026 EDGE Yahya Gaad that he is pushing back his scheduled Thursday commitment until late January or early February. He plans to visit Texas again in late January (likely the 25th when Texas has junior day).

Note on Justus Terry OnTexasFootball has learned that 5-star freshman defensive lineman Justus Terry is expected to begin his college career practicing at the “Jack” or strong side defensive end position. Terry is weighing 272-275 pounds currently. He was around 260 pounds when he reported for bowl practices. He will likely transition into a 3/5 over time - likely year two in the program. Those in Austin are extremely high on where Terry is heading into the spring, and will go as a player.

National Signing Day occurred on Wednesday without fanfare for Texas coach Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns. That’s a good thing, considering the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class in the 2025 cycle was wrapped up before Texas took on Georgia in the SEC Championship on Dec. 7. The Longhorns haven’t recruited at their current pace since Mack Brown was stacking one elite class on top of another early in his 16-season tenure. The 1999 and 2002 cycles produced the nation’s top-ranked hauls, setting the foundation for nine consecutive seasons with 10 or more victories, two Big 12 titles and a national championship. With that said, Texas fans weren’t on Cloud 9 when Brown and his staff put the 2005 recruiting cycle to bed. When Brown sat down for the first time to break down a 14-man class in front of the assembled press 20 years ago, the questions had to do more with who the Longhorns didn’t get. Two elite out-of-state prospects — quarterback Ryan Perrilloux (Reserve, La./East St. John) and wide receiver Fred Rouse (Tallahassee, Fla./Lincoln) — spurned Texas at the last minute, choosing instead to stay closer to home and sign with LSU and Florida State, respectively. The Longhorns also lost a hotly-contested battle with Texas A&M for Alief Taylor tight end Martellus Bennett, one of the top prospects in the Lone Star State. When the dust settled, Rivals.com ranked the class No. 20 nationally. Scout.com was a little more generous, ranking Brown’s seventh full-cycle class No. 13, but the second-winningest coach in school history had to let it be known that he had “no disappointment in guys that don't come.” “Things have a way of working out and guys go to the places they need to go to for whatever reason,” Brown said on Feb. 2, a few weeks after Dusty Mangum’s walk-off field goal lifted Texas to a memorable Rose Bowl win over Michigan on New Year’s Day. “We’re excited about the ones we got.” Who the Longhorns got in 2005 made up arguably the best class Brown ever signed. From a pound-for-pound standpoint, it’s hard to argue against a class in which half of the recruits were drafted or played at least one NFL season. We’re not talking about fringe players, either. Cushioning the 11th-hour blows Texas suffered by losing Perrilloux, Rouse and Bennett were Colt McCoy, Quan Cosby and Jermichael Finley. Twenty years later, they’re still among the all-time best Longhorns to play their respective positions. McCoy, Finley, Jamaal Charles and Roy Miller were selected within the first three rounds of the NFL draft. Henry Melton transitioned to the defensive line late in his career and became a Pro Bowler with the Chicago Bears. Roddrick Muckleroy was a two-time All-Big 12 linebacker and a fourth-round pick of the Cincinnati Bengals in 2010. Chris Hall and Charlie Tanner were multiple-year starters along the offensive line, while defensive lineman Aaron Lewis started 13 games over the 2007 and 2008 seasons. The 2005 class proved that it doesn’t matter how a recruiting class looks on signing day if the signees themselves don’t develop. The program’s culture was at a place in 2005 where the 14 newcomers learned the standard immediately and what must be done to protect it daily. Sarkisian and Texas have almost all of the superbly talented 2025 class on campus right now, going through winter conditioning ahead of spring practice. The 22 signees who enrolled early are joining a program that’s made consecutive trips to the College Football Playoff semifinals thanks to outstanding player development. The conditions are as ripe as they were 20 years ago for the Longhorns to maximize their recruiting class. If the trend of exceptional player development continues, the 2025 class will have a historical significance long beyond a recruiting cycle. View full news story

I’m scattershooting this Sunday while wondering what happened to the original plaque President Richard Nixon presented to Darrell Royal and the 1969 Texas Longhorns after their thrilling 15-14 win over Arkansas. — After rushing for 1,456 yards and 14 touchdowns in his second season with the Atlanta Falcons, Bijan Robinson was named to the Pro Bowl for the first time last Monday. The winner of the Doak Walker Award in 2022, Robinson was selected to replace Saquon Barkley, who is gearing up to lead the Philadelphia Eagles into the Super Bowl against the Kansas City Chiefs. Next Sunday’s game features three former Longhorns: Moro Ojomo is in his second season with the Eagles, while Charles Omenihu and Xavier Worthy will play significant roles for the Chiefs. Robinson headlined the 2020 recruiting class for Texas, a group finalized on Feb. 5, 2020. Five years ago Wednesday, when the 2025 class will officially be recognized as the nation’s top haul on National Signing Day, Alfred Collins and Kelvontay Dixon put pen to paper to complete the program’s last full-cycle class under former coach Tom Herman. Herman only coached the group for one season. Thankfully, Steve Sarkisian's regime maximized what they inherited, using the class led by Robinson and Collins to build a championship-caliber foundation. — Only six of the 20 signees completed their collegiate eligibility on the Forty Acres. Still, the six who wore only burnt orange in their collegiate careers helped the Longhorns win 33 games in three seasons under Sarkisian, making the College Football Playoff semifinals twice and racking up a host of honors. Along with Robinson, Jahdae Barron (granted a release from the National Letter of Intent he signed with Baylor after Matt Rhule left for the NFL) was a national award winner, becoming the third Longhorn to win the Jim Thorpe Award. Robinson (unanimous All-American in 2022) and Barron (consensus All-American in 2024) are two of the four All-American selections the class produced (Collins was a second-teamer in 2024 and Jaylan Ford was a third-teamer in 2022). An Academic All-American and a finalist for the Campbell Trophy (the academic Heisman), Jake Majors started 57 games in a Texas uniform, more than any other Longhorn in history. If Majors and Vernon Broughton are taken in the 2025 NFL Draft, Texas could top the school-record 11 draft picks produced last spring; Barron and Collins are sure to join Robinson (first round in 2023) and Ford (fifth round in 2024) as draft choices to emerge from the 2020 class. — What about the 2020 signees who finished their careers elsewhere? Hudson Card, (Purdue) Kitan Crawford (Nevada), Andrej Karic (Tennessee) and Jerrin Thompson (Auburn) started for the Longhorns at some point before departing. Xavian Alford, Prince Dorbah and Troy Omeire helped Arizona State win the Big 12 championship and reach the CFP in 2024. Logan Parr also played in the CFP, helping SMU get into the 12-team dance as an All-ACC offensive lineman for the Mustangs. Ja'Quinden Jackson averaged more than five yards per carry in his last two college seasons as a running back at Utah (797 yards and four touchdowns on 161 carries in 2023) and Arkansas (790 yards and 15 touchdowns on 149 carries in 2024), respectively. It’s not the best class in school history. Still, a recruiting haul in which 20 percent of the signees become All-Americans with a projected NFL hit rate of 30 percent (assuming Barron, Broughton, Collins and Majors are drafted or make an NFL roster) is a tremendous group in today’s college football climate. — Kudos to Texas men’s basketball coach Rodney Terry, who recovered from the flu in time to coach the Longhorns to an 89-58 road win over LSU on Saturday. Terry said he was “down and out for about 36 hours” following last Wednesday’s 72-69 road loss to Ole Miss, unable to join the team until the night before the 31-point romp in Baton Rouge. Texas (15-7, 4-5 SEC) got 18 points from Tre Johnson and Tramon Mark and a 16-point, 10-rebound double-double from Kadin Shedrick. Terry credited the coaching staff for the Longhorns' sharp preparation before facing the Tigers in his absence and for the team bouncing back mentally from a loss to the Rebels that was there for the taking. — The most impressive aspect of Johnson’s performance wasn’t scoring in double figures for the 19th time in 20 games (he leads the SEC in scoring, averaging 18.9 points per game) or going 7-for-13 from the field (2-for-4 from 3-point range). The freshman recorded a season-high and team-leading five assists with only one turnover in 30 minutes. — Sources recently told OTF to start expecting more of 6-foot-7-inch sophomore forward Devon Pryor on the court. Pryor was on the floor for 21 minutes against LSU, scoring nine points on 4-for-6 shooting with a career-high six rebounds, four of which came on the offensive glass. — I love what Texas baseball coach Jim Schlossnagle said regarding the Longhorn pitchers after Saturday’s Alumni Game. When he was asked about the live arms Texas pitching coach Max Weiner ran out to the mound on a sun-splashed afternoon at UFCU Disch-Falk Field, Schlossnagle was quick to remind the assembled media that while being chock-full of fireballers in the SEC is a must, the goal is to throw strikes. “Nobody cares about how hard you throw ball four,” Schlossnagle said. — Freshman lefty Dylan Volantis tossed three with no earned runs allowed against the Longhorn pros who stepped into the box. The 6-foot-6-inch, 212-pounder allowed two hits and struck out three before he was lifted for UTSA transfer Ruger Riojas. Schlossnagle said the outing was the worst for Voltants "as far as controlling the strike zone.” — Riojas, who OTF has reported could be in the same role 2024 NCBWA Stopper of the Year Evan Ashenbeck was for Schlossnagle and Weiner at Texas A&M last season, as the team’s top reliever who can enter a game at any point to get the Longhorns out of a jam, made his Disch-Falk Field debut in style by retiring Tres Barrera, Kody Clemens of the Philadelphia Phillies and Zach Zubia, who plays in the Miami Marlins organization, in order. A Wimberley native, Riojas opened the second inning of his dominant three-frame outing by striking out David Hamilton of the Boston Red Sox. “He’s going to be a super-valuable arm,” Schlossnagle said. “He’s such a really good strike thrower.” View full news story

The Dallas Cowboys have hired their next running backs coach... and it is not Tashard Choice. A big win for the Texas Longhorns and Steve Sarkisian who are able to retain one of their top recruiters and position coaches on roster. Choice posted a "Hook 'Em" with his newborn last night on Twitter, which was likely his indication of announcing he would stay in Austin. Regardless, the news has officially broken and the Longhorn RB coach is remaining in Austin.

Four-star OOS OL locks in Texas OV date Clearwater (Fla.) High 2026 offensive tackle Samuel Roseborough has locked in an official visit date to Texas for June 20th weekend. Texas offensive line coach Kyle Flood was by the school Thursday to seethe 6-foot-5, 285-pound athletic and physical prospect. Roseborough visited Texas this season for the Mississippi State game, and Texas followed with an offer December 19. His mom relocated to Austin for a job recently. Roseborough plans to finish high school with his friends and teammates in the Sunshine State, as of this time. Texas joined Ohio State, Ole Miss and UCLA in offering this season. Prior offers include Florida, FSU, Auburn, Georgia, Michigan, Penn State, Missouri and Oklahoma, among others. June official visit dates ... June 6 Ezavier Crowell, RB, Jackson (Ala.) High OnTexasFootball ranking: 4-star++ June 13 Hezek Kent, TE/ATH, Brunswick (Ga.)High OnTexasFootball ranking: 4-star++ Felix Ojo, OT, Mansfield (Texas) Lake Ridge OnTexasFootball ranking: 4-star++ Toa Katoa, IOL, Euless (Texas) Trinity OnTexasFootball ranking: 4-star+ Zaden Krempin, IOL, Prosper (Texas) High OnTexasFootball ranking: 4-star Jalen Lott, CB/ATH, Frisco (Texas) Panther Creek OnTexasFootball ranking: 4-star++ June 20 Samuel Roseborough, OT, Clearwater (Fla.) High OnTexasFootball ranking: 4-star++ Nicolas Robertson, IOL, Klein (Texas) High OnTexasFootball ranking: 4-star+ Max Wright, IOL/OT, Melissa (Texas) High OnTexasFootball ranking: 4-star Jermaine Bishop, CB/WR/Ret, Willis (Texas) High OnTexasFootball ranking: 4-star++

With the Under Armour All-America Game and the Navy All-American Bowl complete, 247Sports and ESPN published their final player rankings for the 2025 cycle on Wednesday. — After the release of the Top247 for 2025 and the ESPN300, Texas still has the No. 1 recruiting class in the country according to the 247Sports Composite and the On3 Industry rankings. There were some noticeable moves in the final rankings from two of the four major sets of prospect rankings (On3 hasn’t released its final rankings while the final Rivals250 was published last week) regarding the historic haul assembled by Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns. — Texas had 15 signees ranked in the Top247, the most since 2010 when Mack Brown's staff landed 20 Top247 recruits. The same goes for the ESPN 300, which included 18 Longhorns, a total topped in recent classes only by 19 in 2018. — Cornerback Kade Phillips highlighted the Top247, finishing the cycle among the 32 five-star prospects in the class. The 6-foot and a 1/2-inch, 185-pounder with a personal best long jump of 24 feet 7 1/2 inches had his wing span measured at 6 feet 8 inches in San Antonio. Phillips is No. 23 overall in the Top247, joining safety Jonah Williams (No. 6), defensive lineman Justus Terry (No. 13) and wide receiver Kaliq Lockett (No. 21) as five-star prospects. — Along with the four five-star signees, the Texas class has 10 recruits ranked inside the top 100 in the Top247: defensive lineman Lance Jackson (No. 39), wide receiver Jaime Ffrench (No. 52), tight end Nick Townsend (No. 74), linebacker Bo Barnes (No. 78), cornerback Graceson Littleton (No. 81) and Michael Terry III (No. 85). —Justus Terry and Williams finished the cycle as two of 21 prospects ESPN ranked as a five-star recruit. Terry (8) and Williams (No. 9) were ranked among ESPN’s top 10 prospects. — The ESPN 300 included nine Longhorn signees among its top 100 prospects: Ffrench (No. 26), Lockett (No. 30), Michael Terry III (No. 31), Phillips (No. 33), Jackson (No. 67), Barnes (No. 84) and Littleton (No. 98). Townsend was ranked No. 125 in the ESPN 300. — The Top247 reflects the strength of the interior defensive line class for Texas. With Myron Charles (No. 138) and Josiah Sharma (No. 214) making the final Top247, the Longhorns are one of three programs along with Auburn and Georgia to land three Top247 defensive tackles in 2025 (Nos. 3, 17 and 24 at the position with Justus Terry, Charles and Sharma). — On the edge, Jackson and Smith Orogbo (No. 157) made Texas one of five programs (Georgia, Miami, Missouri and Ohio State are the others) to sign multiple Top247 edge defenders. — With Daylon McCutcheon (No. 190 in the Top247) joining Lockett and Ffrench in the final rankings, the Longhorns and Missouri were the only two programs to land three Top247 wideouts in 2025. 247Sports ranked Townsend as the No. 6 tight end in the class with Michael Terry III, expected to be a multi-purpose offensive player for Texas, ending the cycle as the nation’s No. 2-ranked athlete. — Running back James Simon (No. 198) is the other Longhorn signee who made the Top247. Orogbo (No. 105), safety Zelus Hicks (No. 114), quarterback KJ Lacey (No. 115), offensive lineman Nick Brooks (No. 142), McCutcheon (No. 147) Charles (No. 182), Simon (No. 298) and running back Rickey Stewart (No. 300) rounded out the ESPN 300 recruits in the Texas class. — ESPN ranked the following signees among the top prospects at their position in the class: Williams (No. 1 safety), Michael Terry III (No. 1 athlete), Justus Terry (No. 2 DT), Ffrench (No. 2 WR), Lockett (No. 3 WR), Townsend (No. 4 TE), Phillips (No. 6 CB), Jackson (No. 7 DE), Barnes (No. 10 OLB), Lacey (No. 10 pocket QB), Orogbo (No. 11 DE) and Hicks (No. 11 safety). View full news story

Euless (Texas) Trinity 4-star+ IOL Toa Katoa tells OnTexasFootball that he has locked in his Official visit date to Texas. Katoa is scheduled to visit the Longhorns June 13-15. The June 13th weekend also has Jalen Lott and Felix Ojo confirmed.

Does Texas need to address the tight end position when the spring transfer portal window opens in April? The answer is nuanced, but I don’t think the Longhorns' strategy will make or break the offense in 2025. Spring practice will be Jordan Washington’s opportunity to emerge as someone who can be counted on when the rubber meets the road in the fall. Steve Sarkisian has coached productive, NFL-caliber tight ends as a college coach (Austin Seferian-Jenkins at Washington, O.J. Howard and Irv Smith Jr. headline the tight ends Sarkisian worked with at Alabama and Ja’Tavion Sanders at Texas, with Gunnar Helm expected to be drafted in April). Washington has a chance to be the most complete tight end to play in Sarkisian’s offense. The 6-foot-4-inch 250-pounder with a basketball background was brought up during Friday’s “Longhorn Livestream” with myself, Rod Babers and Gerry Hamilton. Gerry mentioned how Langham Creek coach Todd Thompson used Washington as an in-line tight end, a sniffer and in the backfield. Sarkisian praised Washington’s ability to stretch the field, ball skills, and length when he introduced the 2024 signees who signed during that cycle's Early Signing Period. With 10.5-inch hands and a tremendous frame that’s already started to fill out, Washington has a chance to be an athletic, physical tight end north of 260 pounds who never has to leave the field. Nick Townsend won’t be on campus for spring practice, but the future in Jeff Banks’ room is bright with the two Houston-area products leading the way. If the staff knew Amari Niblack would move on after the season, Texas might’ve pushed harder for Purdue’s Max Klare, who transferred to Ohio State. The Longhorns could use another tight end on the roster, but it shouldn’t come at the expense of putting a playmaker around Arch Manning. If the Longhorns don’t find the right tight end in the portal, utilizing a sixth offensive lineman (a role Texas didn’t feature in 2024 as much as it did in 2022 or 2023) or Spencer Shannon emerging as a capable in-line blocker would allow Sarkisian to keep 12 personnel (one running back, two tight ends) as one of his featured groupings. Additionally, Sarkisian’s use of two-back sets and multiple-wide receiver packages means the Longhorns could pursue a transfer too good to pass up without feeling like they’re robbing Peter to pay Paul. In short, Texas shouldn’t pass on a proven running back or wideout in place of another tight end. Every offensive personnel decision must be executed with maximizing Manning’s time as QB1 in mind, which is why the Longhorns should approach spring practice and the portal window with an open mind. View full news story

— 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.