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(Anwar)
Texas football coach Steve Sarkisian inherited a quarterback room filled with tension when he arrived in Austin.
Casey Thompson and Hudson Card were the passers battling for the No.1 spot. Thompson played well during the second half of an Alamo Bowl victory before Sarkisian arrived. Card was the quarterback who shined in practice and many believed had a higher ceiling. The quarterbacks were cordial. However, neither quarterback embraced the other.
After Thompson transferred to Nebraska, Quinn Ewers battled against Card for the No.1 spot last season. The quarterback room did not have the same tension that previously existed. Nonetheless, Ewers and Card were two quiet quarterbacks with a working relationship.
The quarterback room is different in 2023.
According to those inside the building, there is currently zero tension in the quarterback room among the three main passers (Ewers, Arch Manning, and Maalik Murphy). I was told this is the first time in Sarkisian’s tenure that each quarterback has a true friendship with the other.
Apparently, each quarterback enjoys spending time with the other, they joke around and support one another. I was told Sarkisian has a sense of relief because Ewers does not have to deal with any tension inside that room this year. A portion of the togetherness inside that room can be attributed to Ewers being more comfortable in the system and his emergence as a leader.
Sarkisian has praised the growth of Ewers to multiple people behind the scenes. I was told Sarkisian believes Ewers has progressed in his knowledge of the game, pocket presence, and as a passer.
He echoed what I was told when asked about Ewers earlier this week.
“I think from a quarterback standpoint, Quinn had a really good winter,” Sarkisian said. “It’s like anything, he was essentially a true freshman this time last year for us. And, so there's a lot on his mind. It's like when the gears are moving, but there's no WD 40 in there. Those gears were grinding. It felt that way for him pretty much all year long.
“This winter, it just feels natural. He's throwing the ball well. I think he's emerging as a leader. I'm watching him break the team down. I'm watching him do those things, which is positive. And I think what he's done, he's serving for Arch and he this is what it looks like, and this is how to go about your business.”
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During last week’s War Room, I mentioned six players who stood out during winter conditioning. Those guys were defensive lineman Byron Murphy II, Edge Barryn Sorrell, defensive lineman Jaray Bledsoe, and defensive back Morice Blackwell Jr. stood out during winter conditioning, while Ethan Burke and Terrance Brooks were trending upwards.
Building on that, three players who blew away the staff and are viewed as players they expect to have great seasons.
T’Vondre Sweat
DJ Campbell
Byron Murphy II
Those players gave “freakish” performances during running and lifting in the offseason. Apparently, they blew away their teammates and the belief is each player will emerge as eventual NFL draft picks.
Last season, Texas linebacker Jaylan Ford exploded and emerged as an All-Big 12 First-Team selection. I asked Ford which players on this year’s team could have a similar season and Murphy was the first person he named.
“One guy that it seems like I don't think people talk about is Byron Murphy,” Ford said. “He's incredible. The stuff I've seen him doing this winter, for his size to be that fast and strong, definitely thought that stood out for me. I can't wait to see how that translates.
“I think Barryn Sorrell, he's a really hard worker. I that Jahdae Barron is improving, Even though he had a good year. I think David Gbenda is going to have a good year vendor. I think he's really worked hard. I'm really happy for him to get his chance. He was behind De-Mo (DeMarvion Overshown) and he finally is getting his chance to go out there and shine.”
*****
Texas receiver Xavier Worthy had a less-than-ideal sophomore season for a multitude of reasons. Most Longhorn observers are well aware of what happened last season.
Even though the relationship between Worthy and the program was strained at times last season, Sarkisian and Worthy have been on the same page this offseason. Sarkisian caught the attention of this fan base when he informed everyone Worthy played half of last season. He said Worthy was in a cast for the past eight weeks but practiced at full speed on Monday.
“Well, I think anytime you're a receiver, and you're playing with a broken hand, and that's a pretty important aspect of your game, and that guy never wanted to sit out or not play,” Sarkisian said. “He came to work. He fought through it. There were days in practice where we purposely didn't throw him balls just to take some of the pressure off of it. But I think we're going to see a version of Xavier Worthy that's going to be dramatically different now that he's healthy.”
It was the first time Sarkisian explained Worthy’s performance last season.
I asked Sarkisian toward the end of last season about Worthy’s noticeable frustrations and the coach offered his support without revealing the injury.
“Well, I think the one thing about Xavier is this … he's a highly competitive young man,” Sarkisian said. “From the moment he arrived on our campus, he came to work. He came to work to earn an opportunity to play came to work to become a starter. He came to work to be the best receiver he could be, whether that was in our conference or the country. I think the guy's got a high sense of competitiveness and drive to be the best and he works that way every day. So, sometimes when you don't get the actual result of it, that can become a sense of frustration. I would much rather have a receiver that's frustrated that he didn't contribute more to a win than a guy who's content going on the field and playing and the ball not coming his way because I think he values his ability to get open. I do, too. I get it.
“Again, addressing the passing game is going to be a critical component to what we do, but [it’d] be hard to find a guy in his first two years of college football at the Power Five level who's got 21 touchdown catches in two years. So, he's been off to a pretty good start, but I think his best days are ahead of him.”
Sarkisian might be right.
Worthy is earning back the trust back from the players and staff. I was told Worthy is consistently in Sarkisian’s office discussing football and watching film. Worthy has continued his reputation of being one of the first players to arrive and practice and the last to leave. In addition, I was told Worthy has tried to show his teammates that he is all chips in this season.
His efforts have been noticed by the Longhorn staff, and Worthy was allowed to break down the team huddle during winter conditioning.
*****
Texas football coach Steve Sarkisian mentioned that receiver Isaiah Neyor was limited in practice on Monday.
Neyor sustained an ACL injury in August that prevented the Wyoming transfer from participating in the 2022 season. He was expected to start last season and create a solid receiving duo with Xavier Worthy. Instead, Worthy led the Longhorn receivers with nine touchdowns, while Jordan Whittington, the second-leading scorer in that room, had one touchdown. They were the only receivers who caught touchdown passes last season (tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders had five).
I was previously told that Texas pursued receiver AD Mitchell after he decided to transfer from Georgia because of concerns about Neyor’s availability this offseason. Even after Neyor is eventually cleared to play, the addition of Mitchell gave Texas insurance - and a potential upgrade - in case the recovering receiver does not resemble the player who stood out at Wyoming.
Unfortunately, we may not have that answer this spring.
According to my sources, Neyor is expected to be a limited participant throughout spring practice this year. I was told they are happy with his recovery but Sarkisian does not want to risk a setback during the spring.
One person told me, “He already knows the play. That’s not a problem. We just need to get him healthy.”
Unless there is a change of plan, Texas will slowly work Neyor back into the rotation.
*****
(From Suchomel)
While there’s still work to be done, most recruiting observers feel Texas is in the driver’s seat for Rivals100 running back Jerrick Gibson. I personally have my FutureCast pick in for the Longhorns.
If those predictions hold true over the course of the summer, when Gibson is expected to announce, the question then becomes who might be the second running back that Texas secures in the 2024 cycle?
There are a host of in-state candidates, including San Antonio Veterans Memorial standout James Peoples. The 5-11, 192-pound Peoples has been a regular visitor to UT for recruiting events and he’ll be back in tow for the Orange-White game. Interestingly, a couple out-of-state programs will be getting multiple visits this spring/summer.
Peoples tells OB that he’ll be visiting Ohio State soon. He’ll also be taking an unofficial visit to Alabama and will attend OU’s spring game. Peoples tells us that he’s also in the process of scheduling a couple official visits – to Oklahoma and Alabama.
Getting the Rivals100 member on campus for UT’s Orange-White game is a positive development for Texas, but it does feel like the Longhorns will need to secure one of his official visits to truly factor into this one.
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John Tyler 2024 running back Derrick McFall visited Texas last weekend and tells OB that it was a good visit overall. McFall listed UT’s facilities and culture as the things that stood out.
“They are high on my list,” McFall said of Texas following the visit.
The 5-11, 180-pounder did follow up his Texas visit with a trip to Texas A&M and OB believes the Aggies are being more aggressive in their pursuit, thus likely sitting ahead of Texas in this race.
I expect Texas will be able to get McFall back on campus for an official visit if the coaches decide to push. McFall did say the UT coaches let him know that they want him badly, but I look for other backs to be stronger possibilities to be a part of UT’s class.
******
Speaking of regular visitors to the UT campus, I’m not sure offensive lineman Ory Williams has missed a Texas recruiting event over the past couple years.
The San Marcos standout will be back on the Forty Acres for UT’s Junior Day on March 25, and he already has plans for a Texas official visit in June. He actually has an unofficial visit set up with Florida for this weekend, but as of Wednesday night he said that trip is up in the air.
“I have an official with Texas (June) 23-25. We’re setting that up. And possibly one with Georgia (June) 13-16. A couple other schools I’ve been talking to (about visits) but haven’t set those up yet,” Williams said.
Williams has routinely said that he’s keeping things open and considering all options. He told us this week he’ll likely release a top 10 in either may or early June. The Longhorns will definitely make the cut, due in part to Williams’ strong relationship with Kyle Flood.
“It’s definitely building relationships,” Williams said about the repeated trips to UT. “Me and coach Flood are very cool, I think, on a personal level. I just want to continue to build that with coach Flood and Sark.”
And what does Williams like so much about Flood?
“When it comes down to coaching O-line, he’s really technical,” Williams said. “That’s what I like about him.”
If the number of visits a prospect take is the best indicator of what a player is going to wind up, Texas would appear to be in great shape with the 6-8, 310-pound Williams.
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The recruitment of wide receiver Freddie Dubose hit an unfortunate road block last year when Dubose tore up his knee, but he’s nearly back to full strength (he’s participating in track and field this spring) and the contact with Texas coaches has picked back up. New UT receivers coach Chris Jackson has been in touch.
“Coach Jackson, I’ve talked to him quite a bit. We’re starting to build a relationship, more and more as we talk,” Dubose said. “I’m still trying to get a feel for him, see what kind of person he is. But as of the conversations we’ve had already, I can tell he’s a great coach, genuine about what he does, wants players to do well.”
Dubose said Tennessee and Baylor are the two programs that have been the most consistent with their recruiting efforts, even during his injury. He’s planning spring visits to Tennessee, Penn State, TCU, Texas A&M and Texas. Most likely his visit to UT won’t be for the Longhorns’ junior day as Dubose said he’d like to visit when things aren’t so crowded to get a more thorough experience.
He’s planning to drop a top five this summer, and Texas will almost certainly make the cut if the staff makes Dubose a priority in the coming months. Dubose said he’d like to commit at Smithson Valley’s pep rally before the team’s first game.
******
2025 wide receiver Taz Williams is already a hot recruiting commodity with about 25 scholarship offers. The Red Oak standout has a busy spring planned.
Williams will visit Georgia Tech on March 17, Georgia March 18 and Alabama on March 20. In April, he’ll visit TCU, Ohio State, Notre Dame and Michigan. All of those programs have offered besides Georgia Tech. Texas also has not offered yet, but Williams is hoping that changes this spring. If it does, another trip down to Austin will be put on the calendar.
“I talked to (WR coach Chris Jackson) a couple weeks ago, had a nice conversation,” Williams said. “He said he’s going to come check me out in the spring, check me out and see me in person.”
Williams is originally from Pittsburgh (PA) so he doesn’t really have any strong ties to the programs in the state of Texas. He’s planning to drop a list of favorite schools soon – probably 12 programs – and said Texas making the cut will largely depend on whether or not the Longhorns have offered at that time. He does like what he’s heard from Jackson so far and his hopeful the UT offer will come when Jackson comes by the school this spring.
“He’s a really cool dude. I didn’t expect him to be as chill as he was since he’s coming from the NFL,” Williams said. “I asked him about couple of their players, like Johntay Cook. He said he’s an alpha dog and he’s already a leader coming in.”
****
(Cole)
UA Dallas is set for Sunday at Arlington Martin, and OB will be on-site. Jason and I will provide coverage throughout the day and afterwards as several Longhorns prospects will be in attendance. Here’s a preview of the players in action.
Kobe Black-- One of the top defensive back targets on the board for Texas. Battling Oklahoma State, Texas A&M, and others. Was on campus for junior day in January.
Corian Gipson - Another top defensive back target that was also on campus in January. A&M, Alabama, and LSU are in the mix.
Taylor Tatum - Has seen his stock soar after a big junior season. Was on campus in January. Michigan, Alabama, A&M, and Georgia are others to watch.
Payton Pierce - Remains a top target at inside linebacker. Made it in for junior day but is set to see a host of different programs this spring. Oklahoma and Ohio State appear to be the biggest challengers.
Aeryn Hampton - a former Texas (and Baylor) commit, Hampton is already off to an interesting recruitment. He is high on both Alabama and the Longhorns.
Selman Bridges - One of the most-impressive looking prospects that Texas is after. The 6-4 corner has legit speed and intriguing versatility in the secondary. Texas is in a good spot but others are in the picture.
Terry Bussey - Arguably the most dynamic player in Texas, Bussey can play either side of the ball on the next level at WR or DB. The Longhorns are battling A&M, Alabama, and LSU for the multi-spot standout.
Bryant Wesco - Wesco grabbed a Texas offer after his junior season and is one of the hottest receiver prospects in Texas.
Daniel Cruz - Cruz has emerged as perhaps the top target for Texas at offensive line. He has been a regular to the 40 Acres.
Blake Ivy - Another prospect that was on campus in January, Ivy has long been a target for Texas. A&M is also in the picture.
David Kabongo - Kabongo grabbed an offer in the summer and visited during the fall. Likely a safety on the next level.
Derrick McFall - A dynamic athlete that also runs track, McFall is being recruited to play running back. He just recently visited Texas and the Aggies.
Tyanthony Smith - Smith is a top linebacker prospect that made his debut into the Rivals250 at the latest rankings update.
Nigel Smith - The defensive lineman out of Melissa remains a target, but Ohio State, Oklahoma, and Notre Dame appear to be in best position.
Dakorien Moore - Moore is already one of the premier receivers in the state, regardless of class. Texas is in the mix early, along with Alabama, LSU, Oklahoma, and several others.
Deondrae Riden - Another 2025 prospect, Riden was offered in January after a strong sophomore campaign. He rushed for five touchdowns in DeSoto’s final two games to win the state title.
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