(Ketch)
* There's a very real sense that the Longhorns are closing in on a commitment from 5-star edge Colin Simmons. If you're wondering about when it might happen, circle the second week in July. That's not exact, but it's a ballpark time frame I was given.
* Part of the reasoning for committing in July might center on Simmons simply looking to take some pressure off of his shoulders.
* Don't be surprised if it ends up being a Texas vs. Texas A&M battle for Simmons in November/December. I was told that the motivation at A&M to keep Simmons away from Texas is significant and that the motivation will grow to higher levels if/when Simmons commits to Texas. One source told me that the sting from the Anthony Hill recruitment (and loss) still stings and that they will be hell-bent on returning the favor.
* Top three schools for likely Rivals 5-star Brandon Baker (in order): Texas, Ohio State and Nebraska. It's not the only reason for his current lean to Texas, but make no mistake about it, he's very interested in the NIL prospects at Texas.
* Something to just file away... if Georgia is one of the top one or two schools for a prospect, don't expect Texas to engage. It sounds like "It's Georgia" has taken on entirely new meaning. "UGA has an energized group of donors and idiots, alike,:" the source said. I don't know why, but that cracked me up enough that I thought I would share this specific comment.
* If there is one kid that the staff wants to win so bad that they can taste it (outside of Colin Simmons)... I was told that name is Kobe Black. Good news about that... the second week of July could be a possible commitment window for the state's top cornerback. I'm not sure Texas could be better positioned.
(Anwar)
* The biggest area of concern among Longhorn observers has been this team’s ability to generate a pass rush in 2023. Barryn Sorrell led the team with 5.5 sacks. This is the most of any returning pass rusher on the unit led by defensive line coach Bo Davis. Bryan Murphy II is second with one recorded sack last season. Texas football coach Steve Sarkisian is trying to address that need.
Sarkisian recently hired former NFL defensive lineman Jacquies Smith as a pass rush coach, according to my sources. Smith spent four seasons in the NFL, playing for Tampa Bay, Detroit, Arizona, and Oakland. According to ESPN.com, “Smith saw action in 27 games for the Bucs in 2014 and 2015, with 18 starts. He recorded 13.5 sacks during that span, second only to Gerald McCoy and the most of any Bucs' edge rusher at that time. He was released in 2017.”
Before Smith, Sarkisian hired former Wisconsin coach Paul Chryst as an offensive analyst.
* Speaking of the defensive line, one source told me Sorrell is “balling” during summer conditioning. There are high hopes within the building that Sorrell will have a breakout season. So far, Sorrell continues to excel and is emerging into one of this team’s defensive leaders.
* I was told to keep a close eye on Hayden Connor for the remainder of the offseason. According to my sources, the staff wants Connor to compete against Jake Majors to start at center this season. Connor would provide the staff with something they desire, which is a player who is bigger, stronger, and could potentially generate more push on the offensive line. Connor started at center for the Orange Team during the spring game. The starters played on the White Team. Connor played primarily at center but received snaps at right guard at left guard.
* In addition, that battle at center could become intense if Connor Robertson fully recovers from offseason wrist surgery and can compete for playing time during training camp. Taking the center job from Majors may not be an easy task. However, keep an eye on that position for the remainder of the offseason because the Longhorn staff wants this year’s offensive line to be bigger than last season's.
(Suchomel)
* Jasper linebacker Tyanthony Smith told OB at the State 7v7 Tournament that he was down to Texas A&M and USC, meaning the Longhorns and the Sooners have been eliminated. In talking to Smith, he had nothing but good things to say about UT and Jeff Choate, and he said Choate told him that he’ll continue to recruit him until National Signing Day. There’s been a lot of sudden changes in this one over the course of the last six months, so I wouldn’t rule out the possibility of Smith popping in for a UT visit in the fall if things come together, but Texas is out of the race … for right now.
* Kicked the tires with a source on offensive lineman Eugene Brooks, who told Rivals.com this week that he’s essentially down to Texas and Oklahoma. Multiple sources indicated that the feel is that the Longhorns are out in front with a decision expected sometime in July. Player development, a strong relationship with Kyle Flood and UT’s academic reputation are all weighing in UT’s favor. It doesn’t sound like this one’s a done deal yet so Texas will need to keep plugging away, but Texas is in a good spot heading down the home stretch.
* A few commitment announcements set for Saturday …
* Lovejoy wide receiver Parker Livingstone has had his July 1 timeline in place for a while, and he’s sticking to that plan. The talented pass-catcher officially has a top five of Texas, Arkansas, South Carolina, LSU and Texas A&M. Livingstone did cancel his scheduled official visits to Arkansas and LSU to give himself a bit of breathing room in the month of June. He’s visited those spots previously so I wouldn’t necessarily completely rule them out but if you subscribe to the theory that players rarely commit to places they didn’t officially visit, this one would seem to be a Texas/South Carolina battle.
The UT staff has done a tremendous job in this one throughout, especially since Chris Jackson came aboard. Jackson has shown Livingstone how he could be used, how he’d have a chance to play early with potentially four upperclassmen receivers leaving the roster after the 2023 season, and most importantly, he’s shown Livingstone that he’s one of UT’s biggest priorities on the Texas wide receiver board.
Add it all up, and I feel confident that Texas will be the pick. We should have our answer at some point on Saturday afternoon.
* Rivals100 safety Jordon Johnson-Rubell trimmed his list to four and has set a commitment time for 2 p.m. on Saturday. There’s actually some mystery to this one prior to the IMG Academy standout’s announcement on the Rivals.com Youtube channel. Most signs have pointed towards Johnson-Rubell coming home to his Texas roots and playing for the Longhorns but there’s enough smoke floating in the air that we’re paying close attention as the week winds down. TCU, Michigan, Texas and Ohio State are the four that remain but we don’t expect TCU or Michigan to be a factor.
* Coming out of his Texas visit a couple weekends ago, Warner told OB that the Longhorns had emerged as the leader. He did follow that UT visit up with trips to Washington and Kansas and he really raved about the KU trip. Oregon State also heavily involved. With Texas having some other big fish nibbling at the line, don’t expect UT to have room for this one at this time.
* A quick note on quarterback Julian Lewis … There’s still a lot of chatter that the all-everything 2026 QB will reclassify to the 2025 group (there’s even been some 2024 talk … crazy) and one person we spoke with this week said Lewis is highly unlikely to go to a school that took a highly-regarded QB in the class immediately before him. If he does reclassify, as one person still expects, that would put him right behind Arch Manning’s class, which would probably all but eliminate Texas. If he stays in the 2026 class, that will put him right behind recent UT commit KJ Lacey, which would also seem to be a no-go.
* I connected with a source this week who had accompanied a top prospect on multiple official visits in June. I thought it was interesting the difference in recruiting tactics used by Texas versus some other programs, per this person. (Summarizing) … “At Texas, the coaches are like, ‘Hey, coach X, Y, and Z at that school do a great job and run a great program. But here’s what we have to offer and here’s why we feel Texas is the best option for you. At other schools, they try to throw dirt on Texas to build their program up.”
(Alex)
I was able to catch up with a source this week within another Big 12 program in a recruiting and personnel leadership role, and was interested to hear his thoughts on the following topics:
* On taking transfer portal players versus taking traditional high school recruits: "You have to do both of course, but the advantage with the transfer portal guys is that high school guys can leave, they can portal right out. The ones who transfer in either have to sit a year or be a grad transfer, so it's far less likely you lose them."
* On if you need to strike quickly when targeting transfer portal players before other schools snatch them up: "Can you believe there is actually a job that we have to do (in our program) called 'pre-portaling" now? Yes, of course you can't come into the opening (of the portal) with your **** in your hand, you have to have things buttoned up well before. One of our big rules, though, is not to take any one-year transfers when we have two guys at the same position (in the program) who we think are starters or close to being starters."
* On if there are any other rules like that: "Yes, if they lead with NIL, if they lead with what they are looking for money-wise, we don't recruit them. Fourth or fifth question, that is fine, that is just the state of things right now. But if they LEAD with money, that kid is going to transfer out."
* On Colin Simmons: "What do you want me to say? You've seen him, right? I will tell you this -- more schools than you know THINK they really are in on the guy. A lot of different schools feel really confident about him, so it's something to keep in mind before anyone starts thinking they are the leader."
* On Freddie Dubose Jr.: "He's a great kid, just a great kid and he's a great ball player. I know it will surprise you but (his WR coach) coached (a VERY well-known NFL star receiver) and he's seen everybody. This is a bad year in Texas for a lot of receivers outside a few of the top guys -- and Freddie is one of them. (His WR coach) said he's the most impressive wide receiver he's seen from the state of Texas this year."
* On Daniel Cruz: "He's the best interior OL in Texas. He should have been one of the first offers for any school, because even though he's not a prime-time tackle-type, he is as safe as they come as an eval."
* On Nate Kibble: "Yeah that was a surprise (that Texas took him). That was out of the blue for us to see that."
* On Kobe Black: "We didn't even mess with him, I think Texas has a good shot there."
* On Alex January: Love the frame, 6-3 1/2, 285 or 290 pounds as a sophomore, we were super in on him after his sophomore season. Still are, but his junior year was underwhelming. His body is still a little doughy and you wonder if he has that dog (in him) or if he just rolls out of bed and is able to play ball the way he does. He might be a package-guy with (Colin Simmons). But do this for me, go look at Sterlin Brooks from North Crowley and tell me why you should offer January over that guy." (Here is Sterlin Brooks' HUDL for anyone who wants to take him up on that.)
* On Zina Omeozulu: "Do you remember Preston Smith and Za'Darius (Smith) when they were coming out (of college) and we saw them (at the Senior Bowl) and we said they had everything but just wished they were a little more explosive? Well, it turned out they developed in that way at the NFL level, but I kinda see Zina the same as a high schooler going into college. Great SDE frame that you want, great leader, great kid, can you just get a little more explosiveness out of him? Can he play in space in the SEC to the field? Because, if he can't, do you really trust him to set the edge on the boundary?" He's a developmental guy for me who I really like, I just don't have any idea how that development is going to go or how his body will grow. He could be an amazing player and he could also be a disappointment."
* On Myles Davis: "He looks fast on his HUDL but that HUDL reel is deceptive, he's not that fast. He's got a great body type but his verified speed is just OK even though he's had good enough track times. He's a stiff mover, can't flip his hips and takes bad angles."
* On Selman Bridges: "Really long and physical but he's too wiry. Teams are telling him he needs to play safety, but if he moves there, you have a new projection on your hands. We don't know about his contact skills or how he'll fill into his frame, which obviously affects recovery speed."
(Aaron/Zach)
* Texas parted ways with pitching coach Woody Williams on Thursday which means Texas will have a new pitching coach for the third straight season. It’s believed that David Pierce and the man he hired one year ago did not see eye-to-eye and that Williams was lacking in the recruiting department. The initial belief is that there will not be an outside hire to replace Williams. Philip Miller, who currently serves as a Special Assistant to the Head Coach, is expected to be moved back into an on-field coaching role, while the pitchers will be handled by Chris Gordon (Coordinator of Hitting and Pitching Development) and David Pierce. This could be subject to change, but as of now here is what we believe the coaching staff will look like:
David Pierce
Steve Rodriguez (paid assistant who can leave campus to recruit)
Philip Miller (paid assistant who can leave campus to recruit)
Caleb Longley (paid assistant who can leave campus to recruit)
Chris Gordon (Coordinator of Hitting and Pitching Development)
* RHP Tanner Witt had a very rough summer debut with the Chatham Anglers in the Cape Cod League -- 1 IP, 5 ER, 6 H, 3 BB, 1 K. There was talk from those who saw the outing mentioning that Witt’s arm action looked different and not in a good way. It’s safe to say that Witt is still trying to find his old form after undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2022. MLB Pipeline recently had Witt ranked 76th on its draft prospect ranking list which would place Witt in the third round. There’s always a possibility an MLB team may still fall in love with the potential and projection of Witt, but he loves Texas and there is a real feeling that he is a guy that could come back for another year. Based on what we are hearing, the OVER on 76 is where things are trending, and it’s starting to feel like Witt very well could be back at UFCU Disch-Falk Field in 2024.
* There has not been much action on the transfer portal front for Texas over this past week. There is still time left for some important additions to be made, but as of now, we are hearing that Texas is not even being mentioned by many of the higher-profile names in the portal. There’s still time to fix that, but it’s not ideal so far when you compare it to a school like TCU that landed two-way star Payton Tolle and is rumored to be in the mix for Tennessee RHP Chase Burns.
(Keenan)
* Finally, Texas basketball was on a roll this week – they offered several players, including Kuol Atak and local kid Josiah Moseley (Stony Point HS in Round Rock). The Class of 2024 is still wide open, and after some of the unfortunate events of the Class of '23's enrollees, it'll be of the utmost importance for Rodney Terry to close on some of the nation's best prospects. Below is the recruiting board and all offers for the 2024 Class, in order of national rank"
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