(Ketch)
* I've continued to work the phones, DMs, emails... you name it... and no rock I've tried to look under has produced any strong suggestion that there's anything to worry about with Steve Sarkisian and Alabama. Two different Alabama sources have told me in the last hour that Washington's Kalen DeBoer and Florida State's Mike Norvell are the two names that are at the forefront of what they are hearing from their own sources.
* What this Alabama coaching search has done more than anything else with regards to Sarkisian is significantly elevate agent Jimmy Sexton's ability to leverage the success of this season and the Saban departure to create the best set of terms possible for his client (Sarkisian). Multiple sources have confirmed all day that Sarkisian is going to come out of this with one of the best contracts in college football. From the Texas side of this, there's a sense that they want to give Sarkisian a contract that leaves no doubt about the school's commitment to him, while at the same time not doing something stupid like the Aggies did with Jimbo Fisher.
* The word on the street is that one of Texas' strongest advocates for Sarkisian to stay in Austin comes from his own wife. One Alabama source texted me today that "Austin >>>>>> Tuscaloosa when it comes to his wife."
* One source indicated this weekend that if Quinn Ewers had any doubt at all about Sarkisian's plans to continue in Austin, he could have waited through the weekend before announcing and it's not an accident that he didn't wait.
* While we still wait for a final decision on Jahdae Barron on whether he will return to Texas for the 2024 season, the number I was given midweek as a guesstimate of his return to Texas was higher than 50% and less than 85%. We should know something in the next 24-48 hours.
* One of the things to keep in mind with the Portal as things currently stands is that most of the players in the Portal at this stage of the game are probably depth guys more than they are impact starter guys. A good example of that is Liberty wide receiver CJ Daniels, who visited Texas last weekend and into Monday. The feeling I got in talking to people about Daniels is that they would have liked to have added him to provide depth at the position, but he wasn't automatically going to come in and take a starting job away from anyone, which means that the Longhorns don't really have any kind of an itch to get into an NIL war with Auburn or anyone else over him. I believe the same thought process is in play for Oregon State wide receiver Silas Bolden, who is scheduled to visit Texas this weekend. The Longhorns would love to potentially land Bolden, but the NIL Brinks truck won't likely be backed up any banks.
* Daniels is apparently slated to visit LSU this weekend after visiting Auburn, Florida and Texas. I don't have a sense of where things stand in his roster. I understand that he really liked the Texas visit, but I haven't heard from anyone that the Longhorns are closing in on a commitment.
* One name to keep an eye on with regards to the Alabama roster is soon-to-be-junior wide receiver Isaiah Bond. The streets are full of discussion that Bond considered entering the Portal before the deadline passed this month, a rumor that was confirmed by Kyle Henderson of Bama Football on Youtube on Wednesday. Bond would be considered the opposite of someone like Daniels because he would be viewed as a possible impact transfer instead of simply a depth transfer. The entire country will be looking to poach from that Alabama roster over the course of the next month, but Bond would be a dream come true for the Longhorns. Three different unconnected sources mentioned Bond's name to three different Orangebloods staff members on Thursday.
* As the Longhorns continue to look through the Portal for players that might be able to improve the roster in 2024, expect the evaluating to continue into the spring, as there is a pretty open acknowledgement that not everyone they might approach will be able to enroll this semester, which means that there will likely be a couple of June arrivals.
* I'm told it's still very possible for players on the Alabama roster that would want to transfer to Texas can still do so in time to be here for the spring semester.
* I've mentioned this on the board, but I want to reiterate that the Longhorns wanted to keep Bo Davis, but it seems that the decision-makers (which certainly includes Steve Sarkisian) didn't want to keep Davis with a new contract that would place him on higher wages than coaches on the Texas staff that he was purposefully slotted behind this season because of the trickle down impact that might occur. It doesn't mean that the Longhorns didn't want to keep Davis, but there simply wasn't a blank checkbook for Davis and that would likely be true of any non-coordinator on the staff.
* One of the names I've been told that Sarkisian will have an interest in is Alabama defensive line coach Freddie Roach, who worked with Sarkisian, Jeff Banks and Kyle Flood in 2020 in Tuscaloosa. The Longhorns want an A+ recruiter with this new hire and Roach has personally been the primary or secondary recruiter on 6 different five stars and a number of other national Top 100 prospects that the Tide have landed since arriving in 2020.
*****
(Alex)
* It's all buzz this far out, and all-star games could change things, but it's becoming pretty clear that Byron Murphy will be the first Longhorn drafted in the 2024 NFL draft. One NFL area scout told me he was going to go in the first round, an agent told me the same, and one scout that works year-round for one of the all-star games, and is very plugged in, even said he could see Murphy going in the Top 15-20 picks. "I'm not saying he's Aaron Donald, but you hear that comp tossed around."
* I spoke with a personnel director at a major Texas university about the fallout from the Nick Saban retirement about if he was going after any members of the Bama football team.
* Not all schools are going to go poaching. This personnel man said "Not actively, running out of time to get kids into school." Of course, when a coach retires, is fired or leaves for another school, players on the roster get a 30-day transfer window opened for them at that time. The Alabama roster (including its most recent class) is going to get targeted from all sides as the program scurries to recalibrate following the biggest shockwave possible.
* He did say something interesting about Texas: "I'd definitely expect (Texas) to go after (WR Isaiah) Bond, though." This person said that Bond was widely thought of to be testing the transfer waters and that Texas was quietly after him in the initial transfer period. We'll be following closely what we begin to hear about Bond from the Texas side in the coming days and weeks to see if his very strong "expectation" is correct.
* The other interesting thing from this conversation was that we talked a little bit about the possibility of Jahdae Barron coming back to Texas. This source said not to be surprised if schools begin to show interest in investigating if Jaylon Guilbeau (who would go back to being the assumed backup nickel corner; and who has been impressive at Texas in spurts while healthy) might be open to entering the portal in the second phase following spring ball (April 15-30th).
* I talked to a contact on the NFL media side of things about where he thought the Longhorns were going to end up getting drafted: "There's the Day 2 guys - Ja'Tavion Sanders, Worthy probably falls to Day 2. AD Mitchell is in a peculiar situation because of the rise of Franklin (Oregon), Bryan Thomas (LSU) and there's Coleman from FSU who's always been a little higher up boards, and some people would prefer them (over Mitchell). All three of those skill guys (Franklin, Thomas, Mitchell) should go Round 2, I think. One of those four will end up at the end of Round 1, the big bodied dudes - but it's probably Coleman. Sweat, that's obvious. I don't want to compare him to Terrence Cody (pick 57 in 2010), but he could have a draft spot like his. Some people have the same questions about his weight, is what I mean. With Jonathan Brooks, with how the class is built, if you'd have asked me 2 months ago, I'd say Top 60, but you have to look at the medicals. Look at Kendre Miller, do you have to eat a year? You have Corum who's already recovered from his (ACL), Braelon Allen (Wisconsin) is only just now about to turn 20. So, I think he falls out of Round 2 because that's where the RBs without medicals questions are going to go - end of Round 2. On film he's the best back, it's just tough with the injury."
* "Christian Jones is a Round 4 or Round 5 guy. Whittington is interesting based on how he shows at the Senior Bowl but he'll be sometime on Day 3, Jaylan Ford feels like a Round 4 guy," he said when I asked about the others.
*****
(Suchomel)
* 5-star wide receiver Ryan Williams was quick to decommit from Alabama once Nick Saban’s retirement was announced. He also quickly set up a Texas A&M visit for this weekend. The Aggies will try to make things interesting and have an extreme outside shot since they did just hire Williams’ main recruiter at Alabama (Holmon Wiggins) but A&M is definitely playing catch-up to Auburn and Texas heading into this weekend’s visit.
* Alabama is not expected to be a factor for Ryan Williams. This isn’t expected to be a situation where a new coach is brought in and Williams decides to stick with his original decision. This one is expected to come down to either Texas or Auburn in the end.
* In checking with an Auburn source, there’s a high level of confidence in the Tigers’ chances with Ryan Williams. In fact, the person I talked to said people in the Auburn program felt like they were going to flip Williams before Saban retired. Texas will get Williams in for an official visit the weekend of January 26 and will have its chance to really move the needle on that visit. Texas QB commitment and Williams’ high school teammate KJ Lacey is planning to be in Austin for Williams’ official visit, so that’s a development that could certainly help Texas’ chances. Lacey will be in Austin this weekend as well.
* With Bo Davis leaving for LSU, you can probably close the book on Texas and defensive tackle Alex Foster. The Baylor commitment told OB this week that Davis’ departure “most likely” knocks Texas out of his recruitment since Davis was the only UT coach Foster was communicating with. I told Foster I’d circle back after a new DT coach is in place to see if the new coach makes contact, but it looks like this one is pretty much dead.
* Five-star 2025 RB Jordon Davison told OB this week that he’s realistically considering about eight schools. In talking to sources, we’re told this is (was) really a three-team race between Texas, Ohio State and Alabama. If we’re assuming Bama will slide with the Saban news, this one is really a two-team race between the Longhorns and Buckeyes. Davison is debating between those two schools for a visit next weekend, so wherever he winds up visiting could be a sign.
* Alabama transfer linebacker Kendrick Blackshire told us early in the week that he was planning to visit Texas. We heard mid-week that the visit wasn’t set in stone, but Blackshire told OB again on Thursday afternoon that he was still coming in for a visit. There are reports that the former Duncanville standout will also visit Ole Miss, but Blackshire hasn’t confirmed any other visits to us when we’ve asked.
* 2025 five-star OL Michael Fasusi will drop a list of favorites pretty soon. Texas will make the cut. One school that is surging a bit in this one is Texas A&M. Fasusi wasn’t really feeling the previous A&M staff but said the new coaches have done a much better job recruiting him since they arrived in College Station. Fasusi will actually visit A&M this weekend. He’s a maybe for UT’s junior day on January 20.
* Fasusi said he hears regularly that he’s very similar to Kelvin Banks at this stage of his development. He said he loves the comparison. “I watch Kelvin. I don’t know him much, but he could be like a mentor football-wise. Just going up there (to Texas) and taking over his position, that would be an honor.”
* An updated look at the confirmations that have come in for next weekend’s Texas Junior Day. For those wondering, yes, we’re expecting a commitment to come out of that event. Maybe multiple.
RB Jordon Davison – Mater Dei (maybe)
RB Deondrae “Tiger” Riden – DeSoto
RB Wesley Yarbrough – Crosby
RB Riley Wormley - Southlake Carroll
WR Jacorey Watson – Pearland Shadow Creek
WR Kelshaun Johnson – Hitchcock
WR Carterrious Brown – Seguin
WR Emmanuel Choice – Lancaster
WR Ashton Ansley – Tomball Memorial
TE Emaree Winston – Calhoun (maybe)
TE Kiotti Armstrong – Jasper (maybe; might go to Miami)
TE Bear Tenney - Lucas Lovejoy
OL Byron Washington – DeSoto
OL Michael Fasusi - Lewisville (maybe)
OL Lamont Rogers – Mesquite Horn
OL Jonte Newman – Bridgeland
OL Marcus Garcia – Denton Ryan
OL Jordan Coleman – Cedar Hill
OL John Mills – SF (CA) St. Ignatius
OL Connor Carty – Prosper
OL Jackson Christian – Port Neches-Groves
DL Carmello Brooks – Katy Paetow
DL Kamauryn Morgan – Red Oak
DT Landon Rink – Cy Fair
DT Xavier Ukponu – Denton Guyer
DT Devin Coleman – Cedar Hill
DT Kevin Oatis – Hattiesburg (MS)
LB Anthony Williams – Pearland Shadow Creek
LB Riley Pettijohn - McKinney
LB Jayden Shelton – South Oak Cliff
LB Javar Thomas – Houston Nimitz
CB Cobey Sellers – Pearland Shadow Creek
CB Caleb Chester – Fort Bend Marshall
S Jaboree Antoine – New Iberia (LA) Westgate
S Jonah Williams – Galveston Ball (maybe)
S Sael Reyes – DeSoto (probable)
ATH Nick Townsend – Spring Dekaney (maybe)
ATH Lance Jackson – Pleasant Grove
ATH Demetrius Brisbon – Tyler Chapel Hill
2026
RB Tradarian Ball – Texas High
WR Jaylen Pile – Dallas Parish Episcopal
WR Chris Stewart – Pearland Shadow Creek
CB AJ Marks – IMG Academy
ATH London Smith – Waco University
*****
Here's a look at the updated scholarship board of of Thursday afternoon (still counting Barron on the roster until he says otherwise)...
