If you had to pick, say, five recruits in this class (2025) that are most important to Texas (either because of position, player ability, perception, or whatever criteria you want), who would those be?
I’m starting with KJ Lacey because of the position (QB), having him as a ringleader for the class, his talent and the fact that Texas is going to have to fight to hang onto his commitment. Second would be Dakorien Moore because of his talent, and it would help stall some of the early momentum LSU has built. Same with Jonah Williams, who is a terrific talent but it would also keep him away from Texas A&M. Give me five-star OL Michael Fasusi as a guy who could come in and replace Kelvin Banks. Lastly, I’ll take David Sanders Jr.. Yes he’s a second offensive tackle, but that dude is just freakishly talented.
Does portal count? If so, can you please give your 3-5 portal players the Longhorns have a chance to land?
To me, it seems like wide receiver and defensive line should be top priorities, followed by tight end. If I’m focusing on those positions (although Texas could also take a defensive end and/or DB), the guys I’d focus on are …
DT Jamaree Caldwell (Houston) – He visited over the weekend and this one feels like it’s a matter of when he’ll commit to Texas, not if.
WR Liberty WR CJ Daniels (Liberty) – He visited Texas on Sunday, has already visited Auburn and Florida, and is expected to see Oregon soon.
WR Silas Bolden (Oregon State) – He has a busy visit schedule of Texas, Arizona, Washington and USC (in order) so lots of wiggle room in that one.
TE Benjamin Yurosek (Stanford) – He’s been eerily quiet since entering the portal in mid-December, but this one makes a lot of sense with UT’s need, academic reputation and the success Texas had with Yurosek’s former Stanford teammate Ryan Sanborn.
Biggest surprise in the 2024 class as of now? Either someone you thought would have been a Horn who isn’t … or someone who did sign with us that you did not think we’d get …
Good question. There really weren’t many guys Texas didn’t get that were big surprises. There were moments very early where the Longhorns looked good for guys like Ory Williams or Selman Bridges, but of the guys that committed elsewhere, we pretty much knew it wouldn’t be Texas by the time they decided.
As for guys that committed to Texas, wide receiver Aaron Butler would be the biggest surprise. It was pretty clear in the final days that the Longhorns would win that one, but a couple weeks before Butler signed, he wasn’t even on UT’s radar. Ryan Wingo’s recruitment held some mystery but I felt like we had a pretty good read on that one. Wardell Mack was always a tough one to track because he rarely did interviews, so the timing of his flip was certainly unexpected.
One of the bigger surprises was how Colin Simmons completely shut things down once he committed to Texas. I expected the Longhorns to have to sweat that one out until the end, but Simmons never wavered.
Talk about 2025 Texas TEs. I like Bear Tenney, just for the name if nothing else. There is a lot of talk of Kiotti Armstrong, but also Keiundre Johnson. Ketch has the latter rated the highest, but he is discussed the least.
So which of the three come to Texas, or are leaning that way, and which is the best? I like Armstrong's size. What differentiates the three? With Sanders gone, Texas is a TE wasteland.
Kiotti Armstrong is a man-child at the high school level. He’s a bit of a throwback tight end in that he’s not quite the elite athlete in the receiving game, but is well-rounded. Keiundre Johnson is interesting because his junior film is probably 80 percent of him lining up as a stand-up rusher. Even with that, you can see his explosiveness and speed on one play where he takes a handoff for a long touchdown. Bear Tenney has a great frame, good speed and is easily the most skilled of the three as a receiver.
As for which of the three might wind up at Texas, it’s tough to say this early. Getting Tyanthony Smith should help with Kiotti Armstrong, but Texas has been behind on that one. Kiotti Armstrong might hit the UT junior day on January 20, so that would be a big development if he shows.
Junior Day list?
I actually started working on this today. I need to hit up a bunch of 2026 guys but here are some of the names who have confirmed so far that they’ll be in attendance.
RB Jordon Davison – Mater Dei (maybe)
RB Deondrae “Tiger” Riden - DeSoto
WR Jacorey Watson – Pearland Shadow Creek
WR Kelshaun Johnson – Hitchcock
WR Carterrious Brown – Seguin
WR Emmanuel Choice - Lancaster
TE Emaree Winston – Calhoun (maybe)
TE Kiotti Armstrong – Jasper (maybe; might go to Miami)
OL Jonte Newman – Bridgeland
OL Marcus Garcia – Denton Ryan
OL Jordan Coleman – Cedar Hill
OL John Mills – SF (CA) St. Ignatius
DL Carmello Brooks – Katy Paetow
DT Landon Rink – Cy Fair
DT Xavier Ukponu – Denton Guyer
DT Devin Coleman – Cedar Hill
LB Anthony Williams – Pearland Shadow Creek
LB Riley Pettijohn - McKinney
LB Jayden Shelton – South Oak Cliff
CB Cobey Sellers – Pearland Shadow Creek
CB Caleb Chester – Fort Bend Marshall
S Jonah Williams – Galveston Ball (maybe)
ATH Nick Townsend – Spring Dekaney (maybe)
ATH Lance Jackson – Pleasant Grove
2026
RB Tradarian Ball – Texas High
Do you think Texas have better luck with landing the elite In State players this recruiting cycle than last?
I do, but it’s off to a bit of a weird start. I expect Texas to recruit better in-state than they did last year, but early on, there aren’t many of the truly elite players in state that are favoring Texas. The two best players in the state have already committed to out-of-state programs. You would think Texas would see some returns from the 2023 season, and joining the SEC, but we haven’t seen it yet with in-state guys.
Here is putting you on the spot. Who do think will be the first commitment for the 2026 class? Out of state or a Texas boy?
With the way things are trending with both in-state and out-of-state recruiting, the smart bet is probably on an out-of-state guy. But I’ll go with an in-state player, maybe a running back that Tashard Choice has a longstanding relationship with.
Will there be another influx of portal entries anytime soon?
Of Texas guys entering the portal? The window actually closed last week. Graduate transfers can still enter their names at any time. The next wave will probably be during the spring window in April.
I know the uptick of intensity is good for business but with the long season we just had and about to be longer seasons with Texas being a perennial playoff attendee, NSD1, NSD2, The Portal windows, NIL, junior days and of course the worse step-child ever, this board etc etc…how do you guys keep personal time/family time and a healthy work-life balance?
It’s never been easy, and it’s getting harder and harder if I’m being honest. As my kids are getting older, it’s hard to find time (weekends especially) for things like college visits, their sporting events, etc. And taking vacation time has pretty much become a science … you try to pick a spot here and there when you won’t miss an event but with football season, camps, official visit weekend, signing days, junior days, etc. it’s damn near impossible to find a free week.
Who do we have on the radar DT wise?
In 2024, it’s really down to Baylor commitment Alex Foster at this point. There are a handful of names in the 2025 cycle, including recent commitment Brandon Brown. Zion Williams, Xavier Ukponu, D.J. Sanders, Floyd Guidry and Dilan Battle are some in-state guys with offers.
Not recruiting, but was Trey Owens' injury Saturday confirmed as an ankle sprain? Have some battered fan syndrome memories of Maalik Murphey's injury in his last high school game.
Texas QB commitment Trey Owens tells me he that he had a ligament sprain in his ankle but he should be fine by the time he moves up to Austin next week.
Where is Texas with:
Andrew Marsh
DJ Jackson
Jonah Williams
Chad Woodfork
Elijah Barnes
Lamont Rogers
Ty Haywood
Lots to unpack there. Texas is in the mix for Andrew Marsh but probably not leading. A&M is heavily involved and he’s going to thoroughly evaluate a lot of schools. In fact, he’ll be at Nebraska next weekend for a visit.
I’m assuming you mean DT DJ Sanders? That dude has pretty much been a ghost. Let’s see if he hits any campuses this month. Hopefully he’ll hit some camps and recruiting events in the spring to get a better feel on him.
Jonah Williams might be in Austin for the junior day, so that’ll be important to monitor. He’s visited UT a few times and his brother lives in Austin so Texas has a lot going for it. A&M will be a big factor there.
Chad Woodfork likes Texas but that one feels like it’ll take a while to sort out.
Elijah Barnes was a late offer for Texas, but he seems to like UT quite a bit. He told me this week he’s still sorting out his visits, so he’s not sure if he’ll be at UT’s junior day.
Lamont Rogers is also figuring out his junior day plans this week. Texas is in the mix there but Oklahoma seems to be in the best spot early on.
Ty Haywood has been tough for me to reach. I hit up someone close to him this week to get an update on his January visit plans but haven’t heard back yet.
Honestly, with most of these 2025 guys, things will really start heating up later in the spring and definitely in the summer when guys start taking official visits.
Sark, and a few other coaches, are still very pro building your team from high school recruiting. Obviously, Sark can and will plug and place, as needed, with portal players, too. Other coaches, like Elko, Venables, and Sanders, seem to be far more attached to the portal approach. The two systems don’t seem to be compatible, long term, as the portal truly undercuts the long term development associated with building ground up, over time, with high school recruits. Where do you see this process settling out and when do you think that might happen?
Simply put, you’d much rather be in a position that Sark has Texas in. I feel very strongly about that. If a coach is having to go to the portal for 10 or 15 players (or more), that tells me that his program has a lot of holes and just hasn’t recruited good enough talent from the high school ranks. As you said, the top programs in the country will pick and choose a few portal contributors here or there but programs like Georgia, Alabama and Ohio State are using elite high school players as the overwhelming foundation of their programs. Sark and Texas have been doing the same thing in recent years with back to back to back elite recruiting classes.
Any elite kickers on the radar to replace Bert after this coming season?
After watching Michael Kern in warmups for the All American Bowl, I think we’re good to go at punter, but haven’t seen anything about kicking specialists. If Will Stone can get his accuracy in check, he could be the guy after Bert.
Bert could still use a COVID year, so he could have two years left if he wants. That gives the staff a bit more time to figure out his replacement. I’m not sure what direction Texas will go there but Jeff Banks has shown that he doesn’t mind offering scholarships to special teams players, including kickers, punters and deep snappers. If they can find a truly elite one in the next couple recruiting cycles, I would think they’ll use a scholarship there. If not, they can always hit the portal, as they did with Ryan Sanborn this year.
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