THREE THINGS WE LEARNED
1. Texas continues to sit in a good spot with RB Jordon Davison
Of all the talent that was in Austin for UT’s junior day earlier this month, 2025 running back Jordon Davison may have been the biggest name. A five-star prospect who is ranked No. 13 nationally, Davison is the type of prospect that can headline a recruiting class, and he’s been a regular visitor to the UT campus. In fact, with Davison having made multiple stops in Austin over the course of his recruitment, the junior day visit wasn’t necessarily about showing him something he hadn’t seen previously. The trip was more about Davison continuing to build relationships with the UT staff.
“I’ve been out there so many times so it was just going there and getting around the coaches again,” Davison said.
Davison has actually been to the Texas campus so many times that he’s lost count of the exact number of trips. He just knows he likes what he sees every time he shows up.
“The direction the program is trending and the development coach (Tashard) Choice has with his players,” Davison said when asked what keeps him coming back to Texas. “(Choice) is very consistent. He always does his best to improve my game and it’s small things he does.”
Choice has done a phenomenal job with the Mater Dei product, but as a national recruit, Davison said there are a handful of coaches from around the country he’s bonded with.
“Coach Tony Alford (Ohio State), coach Locklyn at Oregon, coach Choice (Texas) is one of those guys, and I’m still building a relationship with Trooper (Texas A&M),” Davison said. “Me and coach McGee (Georgia) have a great relationship too.”
The 5-11, 203-pound Davison visited Texas A&M last weekend and he’s scheduled to be at Oregon this coming weekend. His plan is to take some official visits in the spring and summer before committing before his senior season begins. Davison hasn’t officially listed any schools as favorites, but the belief is that Texas and Ohio State are setting the pace for the five-star runner.
2. The 2024 Texas class awards go to …
The second signing day is a little more than a week away and while there’s not much action for the Longhorns, we thought we’d hand out some quick awards to UT’s 2024 recruiting class.
Biggest surprise – As usual, the surprises tended to happen later in the cycle. Wardell Mack flipping his commitment on a random Sunday in November was a bit of a surprise, but nobody could have seen the commitment of wide receiver Aaron Butler coming in until the very last moment. Texas went from not even being on his radar to signing him on the last day of the early signing period.
Biggest win – Has to be the addition of Colin Simmons. Elite talent and an in-state player from a powerhouse program.
One that got away – Micah Hudson would be a logical choice but Texas wound up with a strong receiver group when you combine high school recruiting and the portal, so I’m going to go with linebacker Justin Williams. Elite talent at a position where the Longhorns could have used another player.
Early contributor (offense) – This is actually a pretty tough choice because there isn’t a huge need for any of the incoming freshmen to be instant contributors. I guess I’ll go with running back Christian Clark, but the top two spots on the depth chart are pretty well established.
Early contributor (defense) – I expect he’ll be brought along pretty slowly but the coaches will want to get Colin Simmons on the field to see what he can do.
Most underrated – I still think Alex January should have been a four-star.
Don’t sleep on – People don’t mention him enough, but punter Michael Kern is a guy who could very well win the starting job as a true freshman.
3. RB Tradarian Ball enjoyed his latest visit to Texas.
Texas High running back Tradarian Ball was another attendee of UT’s junior day on January 20. It was a return visit for the 2026 standout and Ball continues to hold Texas (and Tashard Choice) in high regard.
“I took a lot away from (the visit). I feel good being around some of the other recruits in my class,” Ball said. “Of course, being around coach Choice, he’s a great coach in my opinion, probably one of the best coaches in the game.”
During the most recent visit, Ball said he got a more thorough look at what Texas has to offer, including elements that extend beyond the football field.
“We actually got a chance to look around the whole school, got to see the whole point of view, what you get out of the school football-wise, scholarship-wise, grades,” Ball said.
Up next, Ball is scheduled to be at Texas A&M this weekend. As for his Texas visit, Ball said the UT coaches told him they’ll develop him at a high level should he pick the Longhorns.
“Really their message is that when you come here, you’re going to have to be an animal, be a dog. It’s more than football,” Ball said. “You’re going to graduate and they’re going to get you to the NFL.”
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TWO QUESTIONS
1. What are UT’s chances with DB Cobey Sellers?
Oklahoma insiders have put in predictions for the Sooners to win out for cornerback Cobey Sellers. That very well may wind up being true, but Sellers says those picks are premature and people shouldn’t pay attention to them.
Sellers has been a regular visitor to the UT campus and was back again this month.
“It was good. I got to connect with coach (Terry) Joseph again. We had a meeting. It was good talking to him one-on-one,” Joseph said.
The message from Joseph centered on Joseph’s coaching philosophy and the things he does to get his cornerbacks ready to play in the NFL. Joseph’s efforts are a big part of the reason Texas is in the mix for Sellers.
“Right now, it’s Texas, Oklahoma and Georgia. A&M is creeping up there,” Sellers said of schools standing out.
The 6-0, 170-pound Sellers was at OU last weekend and might hit Texas A&M this weekend. He said he loved the aggressive style of defense that Texas played last year (“That’s how I want to play”) and his teammate and UT commitment Deuce Williams is working on getting him to Austin.
“He’s more of a laid-back dude, but he’s like ‘Bro, we’ve got to do it, stick together.’ I’m like, ‘if it falls in the right place, let’s do it,’” Sellers said.
2. Where does Texas stand with offensive lineman John Turntine?
North Crowley 2026 offensive lineman John Turntine III doesn’t yet have a Rivals ranking, but he’s certainly a name worth knowing. Turntine has an offer sheet that includes Texas, Texas A&M, Oregon, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Miami, Georgia and Arkansas, among others. Turntine made a return visit to the UT campus for junior day and he said he loved the overall experience.
“It was great. This was like my second time out here, third time. I got to see the campus and the weight room and the facilities they have. It was a great experience,” Turntine said. “I got to talk to coach (Kyle) Flood a little bit. He was just basically telling me with all the exposure I’m getting, just enjoy it, to let it all in and explore my options. He was basically just telling me to enjoy it.”
Turntine said his recruitment has really started to heat up this spring, which has been a pleasant surprise. The Longhorns are one of the schools that are recruiting him the hardest.
“Definitely Texas. They’ve been one of the top schools showing me the most love,” Turntine said. “OU. Miami, because they’re the first program to give me a scholarship. A lot of schools are talking to me and trying to get to know me and I’m trying to get to know them.”
Texas’ recruiting efforts are paying off early on, as is the closeness that Turntine said he witnessed between the Texas coaches and players.
“I love to see that they’re all like a family. You can tell that they care about their players,” Turntine said. “They’re all about their business and they all love each other.”
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ONE PREDICTION – Your Super Bowl winner is …
Since my next 3-2-1 will be after the Super Bowl, I’ll go ahead and make my pick this week. The 49ers are slight favorites in the game and while Brock Purdy has shown to be a surprisingly good quarterback this year, there’s no way in hell I’m picking against Patrick Mahomes in a big game.
Give me the Chiefs, 27-24.
