(From Anwar)
* None of the decisions by Texas Longhorn football players came as a surprise to anyone who follows the team.
Texas receiver Xavier Worthy, running back Jonathon Brooks, and defensive tackle Byron Murphy II announced they intended to skip their respective senior seasons and enter the NFL Draft. In addition, Texas defensive lineman Alfred Collins is expected to announce his intent to return.
Longhorn receiver Adonai Mitchell, quarterback Quinn Ewers, and tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders are the other underclassmen we are waiting to make an official announcement.
Mitchell is expected to enter the draft, while Ewers is expected to return. In addition, I was told Sanders would love to play for Texas in 2024, but his draft stock is so high that the people within his camp have advised him not to risk an injury and enter the NFL Draft. Sanders is expected to meet with Sarkisian before the weekend, and an official announcement should occur soon.
* Most college football observers are aware of the January 15 deadline for juniors to apply for the NFL Draft. However, the “soft deadline” is Friday. The soft deadline is for players who received a first or second-round draft grade from the College Advisory Committee and want to participate in the Senior Bowl. That is why some college football players announced their respective decisions this week.
* LSU coach Brian Kelly is interested in Bo Davis, but multiple sources said money will be the determining factor in the Texas defensive line coach’s decision. One LSU source said Kelly knew he was going to overhaul his defensive staff in November. Kelly recently fired four defensive assistant coaches, including his defensive coordinator. LSU is currently on the hook for over $5 million in buyouts. Davis is under contract through the 2024 season and is earning $1 million annually.
Those close to the situation in Baton Rogue said Davis has been mentioned as a candidate to coach the defensive line at LSU. Kelly is expected to hire a defensive coordinator before adding a position coach. Right now, this situation is seemingly in a holding pattern.
*****
(Ketch)
* An important deadline is approaching Friday, as all players from SEC schools that want to enter the Portal, transfer to an SEC school and still be eligible for the 2024 season must enter by the end of Friday, based on the rules of the SEC. Any player that enters the Portal in 2024 after this deadline will not have immediate eligibility within the SEC. The Longhorns should have a good idea of what it will lose through the Portal because the best players that enter will want to play in the SEC this season.
* There was some smoke that Jaydon Blue might enter the Portal, but I had sources tell me on Thursday that things are good with Blue and he will return to the Longhorns in 2024.
* I'm told that the Longhorns continie to kick the tires on various Portal players, but I'm not sure that there's anyone that they are all-in on.
* Georgia defensive back Julian Humphrey was a player that was getting the "kick the tires" treatment, but he reportedly returned to UGA after the Dawgs steped up their NIL game a little. I'm told that the money wasn't too crazy, but that it was an improvement from what had existed previously.
* There is a sense that David Gbenda will return in 2024.
* One source I spoke with on Wednesday didn't seem overly concerned about the Longhorns losing Bo Davis.
*****
(Suchomel)
What remains of the 2024 recruiting picture changed this week with Dominick McKinley flipping his commitment from Texas A&M to LSU, and Terry Bussey announcing that he has a final four that doesn’t include Texas.
Let’s take a look at what’s left …
* Things could be shaping up well for current Baylor commitment Alex Foster to wind up in UT’s class. The Bo Davis situation could throw a wrench into things but Foster told us this week that he’s still expecting Steve Sarkisian and Davis to do in-home visits sometime this month. No date had been set up as of Monday. Once Foster took his Texas OV in December, the feeling has always been that the Longhorns would be able to flip him if they pushed into January. With other guys coming off the board, Texas should have room here if the staff wants Foster to fill that addition interior DL spot.
* Recently reclassified wide receiver Ryan Williams will take his Texas official visit on January 27. While the Longhorns obviously have a shot, people who spent time with Williams at Under Armour AA week in Florida feel Alabama is most likely to hold onto his commitment, with Auburn having an outside shot of flipping him. Texas isn’t thought to be a serious threat, per some people, but let’s see if the staff can move the needle once Williams visits later this month.
* Speaking of 5-star WRs, Ryan Wingo told us this week that there was some back and forth in his head in the last few days of his recruitment, but he’s glad he ultimately stuck with Texas instead of a last-minute flip to Missouri.
“(Missouri) started hitting me up a few days before (NSD). Just getting back in contact with them, they’re great people, great coaches,” Wingo said. “Them hitting me back up, I kind of did a little second guessing but I think I made a good choice of staying with my gut, staying with Texas.”
* A big part of UT landing Wingo’s commitment (and holding onto it) was Chris Jackson’s experience as an NFL player and an NFL coach.
“I think coach Jackson is going to be able to mold me into an NFL receiver,” Wingo said. “He’s seen them come in, has coached them so he knows what it is. That’s a coach you want to play for, someone who knows what it looks like, what it takes. I think that’s the biggest thing for me. He played in the NFL, coached in the NFL.”
* Wingo is obviously impressive physically at 6-2 and verified speed, but it was his technical work that had QB Trey Owens raving this week.
“I got better at running routes my junior year, coming into my senior year. I worked with a trainer, coach Terry Fenton, probably the best trainer in the country in my opinion,” Wingo said. “He’s been on me about every single little thing. We’ll spend a whole hour working on a release, just one release. I think just being able to get that technical stuff from a coach, someone who really wants you to succeed, has been really good.”
* Speaking of Trey Owens, he said the speed down in San Antonio was an adjustment he had to make, just like he will when he gets to UT. The good news is that Owens hasn’t shown any issues of struggling with the jump in competition.
“It’s faster footwork, your drops and stuff like that. You just have to throw it where the DB isn’t. It’s pretty simple for me,” Owens said. “Like if they’re going to run a fade and they’re even, you have to throw back shoulder. There’s always a way you can throw a ball, you just have to execute it every single time.”
* Punter Michael Kern will enroll at Texas in the summer, where he’ll immediate begin competing for the starting punting job. He says he’s prepared, both physically and mentally.
“I’m excited. I go to a school like St Thomas (Aquinas) where it’s a big college prep school. It’s pretty similar to college schools. Players from LSU and Miami come back and say that we almost train as hard as we did in college as we did in high school. I think it’s going to prepare me pretty well,” Kern said. “I think mentally I’m pretty prepared because I’ve already played on ESPN three years in a row. I know how to deal with pressure. My dad kicked so he teaches me things to think about and what not to think about.”
* Rivals.com national recruiting analyst Adam Gorney was in Orlando for the Under Armour All-America practices. We picked his brain on the UT commitments that participated in the game …
Xavier Filsaime – He could be the number one safety in the country. He filled out physically. He was basically playing corner all week and he can really turn and run. Does he have the length of KJ Bolden? No, but he hit and he’s a great looking kid.
Kobe Black – Kobe Black is very long. They didn’t throw to his side very much all week, which is a compliment to a cornerback. He looks like he could grow into a safety but at that size, he could be a massive cornerback with long arms.
Jordon Johnson-Rubell – He was better than expected. Very active during the practices, very physical too. He looked better than a lot of safeties in the class.
Jerrick Gibson – It’s hard with running backs at these events because they just don’t do a whole lot. He’s got a big frame and a big lower half so he’s not going to be able to be tackled easily. He’s not going to run away from people, but he has speed and can make something happen.
Colin Simmons – Honestly, and I hate to say this, but he looks like a skinnier Will Anderson. I wish he would have worked out to see how physical he could be. We know he’s fast off the edge. It’s disappointing that he had a high ankle sprain but we still think he’s a five-star.
Zina Umeozulu – I think he needs a year to get going. He’s long and lean. He didn’t really dominate during the week but I think down the road, once he gets bigger, he has the length to be special.
Daniel Cruz – Big, strong kid. He didn’t mind mixing it up. He looks good, not a ton of bad weight. We’ll see how he handles the speed up the middle but he can be a really powerful kid.
*****
(Aaron/Zach)
* The players are back on campus going through individual practices. Full team practices will begin on January 26th ahead of the February 16th opener against San Diego.
*. Former Texas Pitching Coach Woody Williams was hired by the University of Houston this week. Williams will serve as Director of Pitching Strategy and development for the Cougars in 2024. Texas parted ways with Williams after the 2023 season with David Pierce deciding to take on a larger role with the pitching staff. Houston will host Texas April 12-14 for a conference series.
*Duke transfer 1B Luke Storm has finally arrived in Austin. Despite already being committed to Texas, Storm spent the fall semester in class at Duke for academic reasons. Storm is a switch-hitter who is expected to be the regular first baseman for the Longhorns. Storm had an OPS of .905 across two seasons with the Blue Devils.
*RHP Lebarron Johnson Jr. was named a Second Team Preseason All-American by Perfect Game. Other notable names include…
1st Team:
- Tyson Neighbors - Kansas State
- Anthony Silva - TCU
- JJ Wetherholt - West Virginia
2nd Team:
- Lebarron Johnson Jr - Texas
- Payton Tolle - TCU
- Gavin Kash - Texas Tech
3rd Team:
- Carson Benge - Oklahoma State
