Huge Shout-Out to @notbeowulf - He Delivered Big-Time on His Offer to the Board - Thanks a Million Sir!
- By mortgagehorn
- Inside the 40 Acres
- 48 Replies
Recently there was a thread asking if you have done business or received business on Orangebloods.
In that thread @notbeowulf offered to get any OB looking for a GM Car or Truck a "Dealer Code" for a discount.
I told him that my best friend, who I'm closer with than my own brother, was looking to get a Chevy ZR2 With the Duramax Diesel engine and had found the exact one he wanted at a dealership.
He replied instantly said he just needed a birthday an zip code.
Within minutes he texted me the "Dealer Code".
When my buddy went to pay for it he gave them the "Dealer Code" and boom another $500 off the sales price.
Not only was @notbeowulf nice enough to send the code, he went the extra-mile, and had me text him a pic of the sticker and the sales contract to make sure they were being fair and not sticking him on some other part of the contract.
After reviewing he said it a very good deal.
He even checked the system to see if there were any additional discounts from Costco.
Bottom line @notbeowulf had no skin in the game, delivered the "Dealer Code", checked their pricing, and looked for additional savings - that was awesome.
It's guys like @notbeowulf that make this board more than a Longhorn Sports Site - it makes it a community!
Thank you very much sir and have an amazing 2025!
Sincerely,
MH
In that thread @notbeowulf offered to get any OB looking for a GM Car or Truck a "Dealer Code" for a discount.
I told him that my best friend, who I'm closer with than my own brother, was looking to get a Chevy ZR2 With the Duramax Diesel engine and had found the exact one he wanted at a dealership.
He replied instantly said he just needed a birthday an zip code.
Within minutes he texted me the "Dealer Code".
When my buddy went to pay for it he gave them the "Dealer Code" and boom another $500 off the sales price.
Not only was @notbeowulf nice enough to send the code, he went the extra-mile, and had me text him a pic of the sticker and the sales contract to make sure they were being fair and not sticking him on some other part of the contract.
After reviewing he said it a very good deal.
He even checked the system to see if there were any additional discounts from Costco.
Bottom line @notbeowulf had no skin in the game, delivered the "Dealer Code", checked their pricing, and looked for additional savings - that was awesome.
It's guys like @notbeowulf that make this board more than a Longhorn Sports Site - it makes it a community!
Thank you very much sir and have an amazing 2025!
Sincerely,
MH
Ketch's 10 Thoughts From The Weekend (Texas tracks OSU down, still chasing UGA...)
- By Ketchum
- Ketch's 10 Thoughts From the Weekend Archive
- 156 Replies
Nobody else on the schedule - whether they were the defending national champions or the entirety of the first season in the SEC or the champions of the Big 12/ACC - could exit the field after the final whistle believing with a straight face that they were the better, more talented team.
That's what collecting super blue chip talent can get you when you have a lot of it and when Texas entered the 2024 season, it trailed only Ohio State, Georgia and Alabama for the most high-end recruiting/Portal talent in all of college football.
Before we go any further, I should probably explain once again what a super blue chip prospect is, considering I invented the term and can't suppose that everyone reading this has retained the created definition of the term at this point. A super blue chip high school prospect is anyone who ranks as a high four- or five-star player or a top 25 Portal player in the four major recruiting services. For the purpose of separating the men from the boys, I created what I call a consensus super blue chip prospect, which is any prospect/Portal player that is ranked as a super blue chip by two or more of the four major rankings services.
Six months ago, Ohio State entered the season with a nation-high 29 consensus super blue chips. Georgia was right behind with 28, while the first team post-Nick Saban Alabama team featured 25. In a span of mostly three recruiting windows (2022-2024), Steve Sarkisian had positioned the Longhorns to enter last season with 19, which was more than double the number LSU (9) was working with ... just in case you needed some added context.
Ladies and gentlemen, the data collection isn't entirely complete because three of the four major recruiting services still have their final set of recruiting rankings to release, but the Longhorns have closed the gap.
In fact, it's possible that the only team that the Longhorns won't have completely tracked down going into the 2025 season is ... Georgia. The Buckeyes and Tide have been caught from behind, as I have a working top-5 looking like this going into the final release of rankings from non-Rivals recruiting outlets:
1. Georgia (25) 2. Texas (20) 3. Ohio State (19) 4T. Alabama (18) 4T. Oregon (18)
The gap to the next tier of schools behind those five is fairly vast, but we'll wait until all of the rankings are final before we lay all of the evidence on the table. Trust me when I tell you that these five schools have significantly separated from the pack. Frankly, the data is startling.
The only school I can find at the moment with more than 10 is LSU, which has used a very strong Portal class to push its way to 13 consensus super blue chips and slide into the sixth spot nationally after ranking 10th in 2024.
There will be plenty of time to lay out the full scope of the national map, but for right now, let's ...
a. Marinate on the fact that the Longhorns have almost climbed the mountaintop nationally.
b. Take a look at how the Longhorns got to second nationally.
Total number of super blue chips: 21
Transfers: (1) 2024 DE Trey Moore (UTSA - 247/On3)
2025: (7) DE Lance Jackson (Rivals/On3), WR Kaliq Lockett (Rivals/247/ESPN), DB Jonah Williams (Rivals/247/On3/ESPN), DT Justus Terry (Rivals/247/On3/ESPN), Michael Terry (247/ESPN), CB Kade Phillips (On3/ESPN) and WR Jaime Ffrench (Rivals/ESPN)
(Note: QB KJ Lacey (Rivals) and DE Smith Orogbo (On3) all are ranked as a super blue chip prospect by one service and could still emerge as players to add to the consensus list when 247, On3 and ESPN finalize their rankings in the next two weeks.)
2024: (5) DE Colin Simmons (Rivals/247/On3/ESP)), OL Brandon Baker (Rivals/247/On3/ESPN), WR Ryan Wingo (Rivals/247/ESPN), CB Kobe Black (Rivals/247/On3/ESPN) and DB Xavier Filsaime (Rivals/247/On3/ESPN)
2023: (6) QB Arch Manning (Rivals/247/On3/ESPN), LB Anthony Hill (Rivals/247/On3/ESPN), RB Cedric Baxter (Rivals/247/On3/ESPN), DB Malik Muhammad (Rivals/247/On3/ESPN), S Derek Williams (247/On3/ESPN) and Ath Jelani McDonald (247/On3)
2022: (2) OL DJ Campbell (Rivals/247/On3/ESPN) and OL Neto Umeozulu (On3/ESPN)
2021: None
Transferred Out/No Longer in the Program: (2) 2023 WR Johntay Cook (Rivals/247/On3/ESPN) and 2022 CB Terrance Brooks (Rivals/On3)
Transfer Rate: 7.7%
Headed to/In the NFL: (4) 2021 OL Kelvin Banks (Rivals/247/On3/ESPN), 2023 Transfer WR Adonai Mitchell, 2021 TE Ja'Tavian Sanders (Rivals/247/On3/ESPN) and 2021 WR Xavier Worthy (On3/ESPN)
No. 2 - A 2025 Winter Portal Overview ...
How well or how poorly has Texas done in the Portal this off-season?
Well, of the 28 players that have earned consensus Portal super blue chip status (named a top-25 Portal prospect by at least two services), the Longhorns haven't signed any of them. Hell, they really only made a strong play with three of them, at least as far as official visits are concerned.
But, what does that tell us? Let's see if we can break the code to a degree.
Here's a list of the players that were named to multiple top-25 lists from the major recruiting services: Rivals, 247, On3 and ESPN
Unanimous Top 25 Selections
* Miami quarterback Carson Beck (Via Georgia - Rivals No.1, 247 No.1, On3 No.1 and ESPN No.2)
* Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer (Via Washington State - Rivals No.2, 247 No.2, On3 No.2 and ESPN No.1)
* Auburn wide receiver Eric Singleton Jr. (Via Georgia Tech - Rivals No.5, 247 No.4, On3 No.3 and ESPN No.4)
* Missouri defensive end Damon Wilson (Via Georgia - Rivals No.9, 247 No.5, On3 No.18 and ESPN No.14)
Analysis: Just four guys were unanimous. That should tell you a lot about the high-end quality that came out in the first Portal window of the year. It's hard for me to see any of these four players tipping the scales of the national title picture in 2025, but if there's anyone that might get into the playoffs among this group, I suppose it's Beck ... who I'm not even sure if better than pretty good at the highest major college levels.
Three-time top-25 Selections
* Georgia wide receiver Zachariah Branch (via USC - Rivals No.3, 247 No.6 and ESPN No.10)
* Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman (Via Oregon - Rivals No.6, On3 No.5 and ESPN No.19)
* Nebraska defensive end Williams Nwaneri (Via Missouri - Rivals No.7, 247 No.19, ESPN No.16)
* Florida State wide receiver Duce Robinson (Via USC - Rivals No.8, 247 No.7 and ESPN No.18)
* LSU wide receiver Barion Brown (Via Kentucky - Rivals No.10, 247 No.22 and ESPN No.9)
* Texas A&M wide receiver Kevin Concepcion (Via NC State - Rivals No.11, On3 No.7 and ESPN No.17)
* Nebraska wide receiver Dane Key (Via Kentucky - Rivals No.15, 247 No.13 and ESPN No.8)
* Oregon running back Makhi Hughes (Via Tulane - Rivals No.21, On3 No.4 and ESPN No.7)
* Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza (Via Cal - Rivals No.1, 247 No.15 ESPN No.25)
* LSU wide receiver Nic Anderson - Via OU - (247 No.14, On3 No.12 and ESPN No.13)
* Washington cornerback Tacario Davis (Via Arizona - (247 No.16, On3 No.9 and ESPN No.12)
Analysis: Say what you want to about this group of players, but it didn't really move UT's needle. Of course, the Longhorns would have had an interest in Zachariah Branch if not for his NIL asking price and the fact that he was packaged with his brother. Other than that, this isn't a group that Texas did more than kick the tires on. It is important to note that two of UT's biggest foes (Georgia and Oregon) in a 2025 national title battle signed players from this group.
Two-Time Top 25 Selections
* Texas A&M (oops) wide receiver Micah Hudson (Via Texas Tech - Rivals No.4 and 247 No.20)
* Auburn quarterback Jackson Arnold - (Via OU - Rivals No.12 and ESPN No.22)
* LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane - (Via Va. Tech - Rivals No.14 and ESPN No.11)
* Oregon offensive tackle Isaiah World (Via Nevada - Rivals No.16 and 247 No.24)
* Oregon offensive guard Emmanuel Pregnon (Via USC - Rivals No.18 and 247 No.11)
* Kentucky offensive lineman Joshua Braun (Via Arkansas- Rivals No.20 and On3 No.24)
* Ole Miss defensive end Princewill Umanmielen (Via Nebraska - Rivals No.24 and 247 No.9)
* LSU defensive end Patrick Payton (Via FSU - (247 No.3 and ESPN No.15)
* Colorado defensive tackle Jehiem Oatis (Via Alabama - (247 No.17 and ESPN No.6)
* Ohio State tight end Max Clare (Via Purdue - (On3 No.8 and ESPN No.24)
* Texas Tech defensive tackle Lee Hunter (Via UCF - (On3 No.13 and ESPN No.20)
* Duke quarterback Darian Mensah (Via Tulane (On3 No.16 and ESPN No.3)
* Notre Dame wide receiver Malachi Fields (On3 No.25 and ESPN No.25)
Analysis: Oregon signed two more from this group, which gives it four of the top 28 consensus Portal prospects. Only LSU signed as many. Pregnon and Clare were two players that the Longhorns wanted, but weren't able to close the deal with after getting them on campus.
The bottom line is that outside of Oregon's work in the Portal, it's hard to see where much of what happened so far in the 2025 cycle will impact the national championship picture. Ohio State, Georgia and Notre Dame each landed a single consensus top-25 prospect. It's not ideal if you're Texas to be shut out of the top guys in an entire Portal window, but it also doesn't look like a killer because of the overall makeup of the Texas roster.
Bring on the spring ...
No. 3 - Junior Day Analysis...
Who showed up?
That's really all that mattered in my mind on Saturday. We know that commitments in February are pretty meaningless. We know that Steve Sarkisian and his staff prefer to truly go all gas, no breaks in the summer (and even then they don't mind chasing into the fall). We know there's no reason to pull any fire alarms with regards to recruiting. Hell, we also now know that Sarkisian was sick and wasn't even able to attend the only major hosting day of 2025 thus far.
So, who showed up?
Let's take a look at the 2026 attendees by their LSR Top 100 rankings ...
No. 2 - WR - Jalen Lott - Frisco Panther Creek
No. 4 - DE - Jamarion Carlton - Temple
No. 5 - OT - Felix Ojo - Mansfield Lake Ridge
No. 7 - RB - Javian Osborne - Forney
No. 9 - RB - K.J. Edwards - Carthage
No. 13 - S - Chace Calicut - Houston North Shore
No. 14 - LB - Tank King - Port Arthur Memorial
No. 17 - DT - Jaimeon Winfield - Richardson
No. 18 - LB - Kosi Okpala - Houston Mayde Creek
No. 19 - LB - DaQuives Beck - Carthage
No. 24 - Ath - Jermaine Bishop Jr. - Willis
No. 27 - OT - Zaden Krempin - Prosper
No. 28 - S- Isaiah Williams - Fort Bend Marshall
No. 30 - CB - Brock King - Port Arthur Memorial
No. 32 - OT - Maximus Wright - Prosper
No. 36 - OT - Drew Evers - Flower Mound
There's absolutely nothing wrong with getting five of the state's top 10 and 10 of the state's top 20, especially when you consider that the Longhorns are probably the betting favorite with the majority of those players.
The state's No. 1 prospect John Turntine III didn't show up, but there's no reason to be concerned in that recruitment. You'd love to see Texas involved with Houston quarterback commit Keisean Henderson, but not at the expense of endangering the commitment of Dia Bell, so that situation kind of is what it is. Yes, you'd also like to have Aledo wide receiver Kaydon Finley on hand, but the Longhorns should ... should ... be fine there. Personally, I'd love to see the Longhorns going after Frisco Lone Star running back Davian Groce (No. 6 on the LSR), but it's clear that the Longhorns are prioritizing Edwards and Osborne at the position, which is completely understandable.
Therefore, there's not a lot to nitpick with the in-state visit list. Notches were put on the belt. Now the goal will be to get each of them back on campus at least a couple of times during the spring leading up to the official visit season.
If you were going to nitpick anything, you'd probably have liked to have seen a few more out-of-state super blues, but the focus seems to have been on the key in-state targets in both 2026 and 2027. Considering Sarkisian was on the sidelines sick and unable to attend, it's probably a lucky break that the Longhorns didn't have an important out-of-state prospect wasting a visit on a weekend when the head coach can't be heavily involved.
No. 4 - Weekend UT football randomness ...
... With Penn State hiring Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles to the tune of 9.3 million (with added bonuses) over three years, the cost of keeping coordinators is going up. Texas defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski is scheduled to make $1.9 million in 2025 and $2.0 million in 2026. I wonder how long it takes for him to receive a raise? Credit to Penn State because they are going for it in 2025.
... For some reason it occurred to me that I had no sense of how high former Texas star Quan Cosby had climbed in the minor league baseball ranks before coming back to Texas in 2005 as a football player ... so I looked it up. Cosby played four years of minor league baseball and made it to the Class A Midwest League before deciding to hang up his glove. In 119 games at the age of 21 in 2004, Cosby produced a triple slash of .249/.305/.352
... Yes, I looked up Ricky Williams' minor league stats while I was at it and he finished with a triple slash line of .211/.265/.261 in his career before focusing on football following his senior season at Texas. He finished with fewer career home runs (4) than Cosby did by one.
... You just know that this has to eat A&M fans up. They thought Jonah Williams was in the bag for them at one point and now he's wearing burnt orange and clowning the Aggies on social media. I love that the A&M rivalry is back in such a way that it leads to this kind of smack talk on social media.
... Say what you want about Tom Herman, but he left Sarkisian with six NFL defensive tackles that held down the fort at the position for the last four seasons. Kind of incredible to think about.
... Longhorns in ESPN Draft expert Matt Miller's Top 50: Kelvin Banks (No. 8), Jahdae Barron (No. 16), Matthew Golden (No. 17), Cam Williams (No. 44) and Quinn Ewers (No. 49). Gunnar Helm, Jake Majors and Andrew Mukuba are all ranked in the top five of their respective positions.
... Can I admit that it’s nice to be a few thousand words into my column this week and the subject of Quinn Ewers hasn't come up once?
No. 5 - UT's 1st-Year SEC Results going into the home-stretch ...
I thought it would be interesting to take a sport-by-sport look at how the Longhorns have compared in year one of the SEC vs. how each sport finished in its final season in the Big 12.
Completed Men's Athletics
Cross Country (4th in the SEC, 31st nationally) 2023 (3rd in the Big 12, 7th nationally)
Football: 2024 (2nd in the SEC, 4th nationally) 2023 (1st in the Big 12, 3rd nationally)
Ongoing Men's Athletics
Swimming and Diving: 2024: (1st in the SEC, 1st nationally) 2023: (1st in the Big 12, 7th nationally)
Basketball: 2024: (10th in the SEC, NR nationally), 2023 (7th in the Big 12, NR nationally)
Baseball - TBA
Golf - TBA
Tennis - TBA
Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field - TBA
Completed Women's Athletics
Soccer: 2024 (1st in the SEC, 21st nationally) 2023 (4th in the Big 12, No.18 nationally)
Volleyball: 2024 (2nd in the SEC, 11th nationally), 2023 (1st in the Big 12, 1st nationally)
Ongoing Women's Athletics
Basketball: 2024 (2nd in the SEC, 7th nationally), 2023 (2nd in the Big 12, 5th nationally)
Beach Volleyball - TBA
Golf - TBA
Rowing - TBA
Softball - TBA
Tennis - TBA
Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field - TBA
If you're wondering how all of this impacts UT's pursuit of winning the Director's Cup in year one in the SEC ... so was I. According to the unofficial Director's Cup Updates on Twitter, the Longhorns still have an excellent shot at taking home the prize, but the school's point total is down from this exact time a year ago and the battle between Texas and Stanford should be razor tight.
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No. 6 – Is Rodney Terry in the process of saving his job?
I'll confess ... I thought the Longhorns were toast at halftime on Saturday against Texas A&M.
I just didn't believe.
Yet, after a 22-point comeback that finished with the Longhorns beating a legit top four seed in the NCAA Tournament and moving to 3-4 in conference play through seven games ... I might be starting to believe ... a little. Two Q1 wins in a week will do that to a person.
This weekend's two road games loom large on the momentum front, as visiting Chris Beard and Ole Miss will hardly be a walk in the park and neither will Saturday's visit to Baton Rouge against arguably the worst team in the conference. Honestly, a 1-1 week will do just fine, especially with Arkansas at home in the days that follow. A 2-1 record in the next three games will get Texas to 5-5 in conference play with 8 games to go.
It's starting to feel like this team is going to do enough to get to the NCAA Tournament. How this season will ultimately be remembered will be determined once it gets there. If Tre Johnson can get on a heater, Texas could be a Sweet 16 team with the right draw and a little luck.
We're still a long way from that point, but at least this season has some dreams inside of it and not just a non-stop pile of car crashes. Considering where things stood just seven days ago, that feels like a win.
No. 7 – BUY or SELL …
(Buy) Of course, there will be a learning curve. He still has to do a number of firsts. He has to make his first road start. He has to make his first OU start. He has to make his first SEC road start. He has to make his first start against a ranked team. I think the biggest thing for him is simply going to be accumulating the reps needed to allow him to settle into peak form. That takes time and we might not see that peak until 2026. Still, I expect him to be very good right away. He's not a baby as he enters his third season.
(Sell) I've heard nothing on that front in two days, which feels like a sign of sorts.
(Sell) Why would Steve Sarkisian want to invite that distraction when he doesn't need it? Now I could totally see Chris Del Conte hiring him in some ambassador role. Hell, I think I expect that to happen.
(Sell) The Mannings did not send Arch to Texas so that he could be David Ash 2.0.
(Triple Sell)
(Sell) More like $30 million ... or more.
(Sell/Buy) Zoe Saldana is the star of that movie and she should have been in the Best Actress category. As it stands, Mikey Madison's performance in Anora is my favorite at this point of those nominated for Best Actress. As for Williams, he can be anything he wants to be.
(Buy) I'll buy Russell and have felt that way for 12 months. You might have Dakorien Moore right now if that decision had been made. I'm not sure I would trade Dia Bell for Henderson.
(Sell) Never gonna happen. That's Sark's BOY.
(Buy) They beat Ohio State and Georgia.
(Sell) The last thing you want to do with the current bug/flu is give it to someone else. Hell, the second-to-last thing you want to do is get out of bed.
(Sell) He hasn't even played a single game snap in two years, which is the same amount of snaps that you and I have played.
(Buy) He could easily be next.
(Sell) I wouldn't hope. He didn't leave on a whim. He's done playing college football and I don't believe he's enrolled in classes right now.
(Buy) 1,000-percent.
(Buy) I think there will be real disappointment if they don't.
No. 8 – Scattershooting all over the place …
... That was a gutsy win for the Texas women at Ole Miss on Sunday after a pretty grueling game against Tennessee on Thursday night had followed a trip to Newark on Monday, especially with Aaliyah Moore staying at home in Austin with an injury. Down 7 in the 4th quarter? Yeah, that was super gutsy to pull that out.
... I'm kind of done being a Cowboys fan. At some point, enough has to be enough. Oh, I know I will always be a Cowboys fan to some degree, but I have zero desire to care about them right now. What have I gotten back for all of the energy, heart and soul I've given this franchise for the last three decades since I was a student at Texas? Just angst. Just constant agony. Just a bunch of Jerry gaslighting us every year with words about how much he cares when the evidence suggests he doesn't care more about winning than he does about his family's vanity. Don't get me wrong, I'll likely still watch the games, but my investment level will be at a 1 on a 1-10 scale moving forward. Could that change? Maybe. Will it change? I doubt it. This has been in the making for a long time.
... Dan Snyder hating Washington's success in the playoffs almost makes Washington's run in the playoffs tolerable.
... Houston vs. Kansas at The Phog was some kind of college basketball game. Crazy to see KU get its cornbread taken from them by the Cougars. I can't imagine there's been a better college basketball game all season. The Tennessee/Auburn game didn't come within a 50-foot pole of Houston/Kansas in terms of quality, even if it was a nail-biter.
... The 76ers have to blow it up and trade Joel Embiid. Damnit.
... Kobe Bryant died five years ago today. Has it really been that long? I hope his family has found peace.
... Three of the four division leaders in the NHL are from Canada - Toronto, Winnipeg and Edmonton. That feels right. One of them needs to win the title ... soon.
... Congrats, Madison Keys. Cool story.
... Premier League Randomness: Just keep handling your business, Reds. 34 points out of the final 48 available should be enough to do it. The top 5 will almost certainly make the Champions League and if I had to guess, the order of 3-5 will end up like this: City, Newcastle and Bournemouth. Yup, I think Chelsea are in real trouble and I think Bournemouth are playing the second best football in the league right now behind Liverpool. Next week's showdown between the Reds and Cherries should be a hell of a lot of fun. I did not see Spurs getting taunted in their own house by Jaime Vardy on Sunday, yet here we are. That was a damn gutsy performance by West Ham.
... It never gets old...
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... I watched The Apprentice this weekend and I think Jeremy Strong's performance as Roy Cohn might be the best, most electric piece of acting in all of 2024-25. I was pretty pro-Kieran Culkin for Best Supporting Actor for his performance, but I'm Team Strong following the weekend.
... Phil Collins talking about his eight favorite drummers of all-time was worth 12:47 of my time.
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No. 9 – The List: Michael McDonald
I don't know about the rest of you, but I've been on a little bit of a Yacht Rock vibe ever since HBO's "Yacht Rock: A Dockumentary" came out a few months ago.
This week it occurred to me that I've never done a Top 10 for the big daddy of the genre ... Mr. Michael McDonald.
Can there really be a debate about the No. 1 spot? It feels like a slam dunk, but we're going to find out. Let's get on with it!
Honorable Mention: It Keeps You Runnin', Minute by Minute, Here to Love You, Love Can Break Your Heart, Obsession Blues, Hallelujah and Nothin' but a Heartache
10. Love TKO
It's not as good as the Teddy Pendergrass original, but if you've ever wanted to make a baby while playing a Michael McDonald song, you'd be hard-pressed to top this cover. McDonald doing 1970s Philly soul song is just what my soul needed this weekend.
9. Long Haul
There's a good chance you've never heard this song before because it's from a 2013 album he did with guitarist Robben Ford, but this the great blues duo we never knew we needed.
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8. Yah Mo B There
Two things. I love James Ingram. Like I LOVE him. I also think this scene from 40-Year-Old Virgin is timelessly hilarious.
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7. Sweet Freedom
This hit from the Running Scared soundtrack has been called the last great yacht Rock song before the genre found its end in the late 80s.
6. I Can Let Go Now
McDonald told Rolling Stone of the song, "Within 10 minutes of sitting at the piano, the song evolved. It came from a personal experience. I always wrote in the third person back then. I didn’t really write about my own feelings as much as feelings I observed other people expressing. I had been in a relationship and it didn’t end well. Not that it ended terribly or anything, but it had run its course. When I ran into this person six or seven months later, I was pleasantly surprised to realize that she had forgiven me and that she was genuinely friendly and happy and even asked how I was doing in my new relationship.
“I made some attempt to apologize again for the way things had gone down with us. She made the comment, ‘Oh, that’s OK. Don’t worry about it. It was tough for a while for me and I didn’t understand, but I got to a point where I can let go now.’ The minute she said that, I thought, ‘There’s a song in there.’ That’s how sensitive I am. The first thing I thought of was, ‘That sounds like a song to me.’ So that song just came from that statement, and literally the music just fell out of the sky."
5. On My Own
The joint with Patti LaBelle is the best duet of his career. This song is my jam.
4. You Belong to Me
Did you know that Carly Simon wrote the song? Rolling Stone magazine reported that McDonald said of the song, "She came up with a lyric immediately and sent back this beautiful handwritten lyric, which I wish I still had today. And we went in and cut the song and I pretty much sang it the way she wrote it. It became one of the songs that, for me as a writer, had a lot of legs. It got covered a lot. More so than other songs of mine. And I really credit Carly’s lyric with that."
3. I Keep Forgettin' (Every Time You're Near)
The song's genre is listed as "Quiet Storm" on Wikipedia, named after Smokey Robinson's 1975 song "A Quiet Storm." Is that basically another way of saying Yacht Rock? Did Smokey get robbed?
2. Taking It To The Streets
My favorite What's Happening episode is what introduced me to The Doobie Brothers. Re-run dropping the tape recorded because he was jumping up and down in the front row never stops being funny.
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1. What a Fool Believes
It's widely regarded as the best Yacht Rock song of all-time. Crazy to think he sat down with Kenny Loggins and changed everything about the future direction of his career. It's the only choice for the No. 1 spot.
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No. 10 - And Finally...
I wanted to take a moment at the end of the column this week to have a conversation with you about the future of Orangebloods.com.
One of the things I've spent a lot of time thinking about in the last two months is the future of Orangebloods and my vision for it in the coming days, weeks, months and years. While I love the work that we produce as an Orangebloods team, I think there are tweaks and changes that we can make that can lift us to higher levels.
While I have an idea of some of the changes I plan to make, I want your feedback as well. Therefore, on Monday I'm going to pin a link to a survey I'd like all Orangebloods subscribers to participate in. It'll be a chance to sound off on our content, moderation, etc ... I've found your feedback in these surveys to be incredibly insightful, so I'm looking forward to reading your feedback.
This is your to get anything and everything off your chest. Every word will be read.
As we shake a few things up a little on our end, I hope the changes will provide new levels of value to your subscription. We will not be stagnant. We will not sit still. We will continue to challenge ourselves to reach new heights. We will strive to make your daily experience on the site as enjoyable and fulfilling as possible. These are vows that I am passionately committed to delivering on.
In a recent Sporting News Mock Draft, UT has a WR that's making a Top 10 move...
- By oktexan
- Inside the 40 Acres
- 8 Replies
Texas WR shockingly shoots into top-10 on latest NFL Mock Draft - and it isn't Matthew Golden
Story by Liam Willerup
Texas WR shockingly shoots into top-10 on latest NFL Mock Draft - and it isn't Matthew Golden
Now with the college football season over as the Ohio State Buckeyes walked away as winners of the 12-team College Football Playoffs, the attention shifts to the 2025 NFL Draft as players are beginning that process already with the East-West Shrine Bowl and Senior Bowl practices both underway. Along with that process comes the release of NFL Mock Drafts, as now the draft order is all but set for 2025 with only the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs to be determined for the final two selections.
A program expected to see a plethora of their players come off the board in April's NFL Draft is the Texas Longhorns. From offensive tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. to defensive back Jahdae Barron, three or more Longhorns haven't been selected in the first round of the NFL Draft since 1980. In the recent edition of the Sporting News 2025 NFL Mock Draft, a prediction has been made for an unlikely Longhorn to make his climb into the Top 10.
Mocked eighth overall to the Carolina Panthers, Sporting News projects they'll look to add the big-play threat of Isaiah Bond to be a top option for the former top overall selection Bryce Young. Here's what they had to say about the pick and fit:
"The Panthers can do well for themselves by going with the best defensive player available after some historic issues stopping the run, containing the pass, and giving up points. But they also need to keep pushing Bryce Young forward with a speedy big-play threat, and it helps that he has a good previous rapport with Bond from Alabama before his transfer."
While Bond never eclipsed over 700 yards in three seasons between Alabama and Texas, the deep threat abilities of Bond would complement the existing Panthers receiver room well. If Bond does end up being selected in the Top 10, he'd be the highest-drafted receiver from the Longhorns since Roy Williams went seventh overall in 2004.
The Spec's Weekly football recruiting thread (1/19-1/26)
- By Suchomel
- Inside the 40 Acres
- 299 Replies
Slow start to the week on Twitter. BTW, no, Boobie will not be in Austin next weekend.
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Elon Addresses Far Right German Party and Urges Germany To Move On From “Past Guilt”
- By Prison Mike.
- The Longhorn Corral
- 100 Replies
Hadn’t seen it posted here and was curious what yalls thoughts were? I’m not offering an opinion one way or the other. Just interesting timing given the last week of accusations for him.
www.forbes.com
Elon Musk Addresses Germany’s Far-Right AfD Party In Surprise Rally Appearance—Amid ‘Nazi Salute’ Controversy
The world’s richest person has heaped praise on the Alternative for Deutschland party in recent weeks ahead of the country’s upcoming election.
www.forbes.com
OT: Diane
- Inside the 40 Acres
- 24 Replies
Who's there?
Diane.
Diane who?
I'm Diane to come in, open the door.
@drunk randoke @PaulieD @mirvin @mln59 @HuffTex @OBJuan @BattleshipTexas @PDPickens @Smootus @venivedivici @BevoVII @meeotch @trayzg @smileartisan @T-Sipper 1972 @41to38 @orangepill @sprintdammit
Selena Gomez - got roasted
- The Longhorn Corral
- 30 Replies
Actress Deletes Humiliating Anti-Trump Video, But The Internet Is Forever: WATCH
Selena Gomez deleted a video of herself crying about illegal aliens being deported.
www.outkick.com
Talk about being dumb. Trump deporting murderers and rapist and she cries. She doesn’t know about all the Angel Moms who lost their children to illegals?
Hollywood is clueless.
PLEASE READ: Orangebloods Subscriber Survey - Your chance to sound off!
- By Ketchum
- Inside the 40 Acres
- 203 Replies
Guys, we want your feedback. We crave your feedback.
As part of some changes we want to make to the site in 2025, I've created this survey that focuses on all aspects of Orangebloods. It will take a few minutes to complete and is built into four sections.
1. General OB questions.
2. Football content/coverage
3. Football recruiting content/coverage
4. Baseball/Basketball content/coverage
All of this information will be used to help steer is in some future decisions we'll be making. I will share some of the data with you when we're done. Thanks in advance!
www.surveymonkey.com
As part of some changes we want to make to the site in 2025, I've created this survey that focuses on all aspects of Orangebloods. It will take a few minutes to complete and is built into four sections.
1. General OB questions.
2. Football content/coverage
3. Football recruiting content/coverage
4. Baseball/Basketball content/coverage
All of this information will be used to help steer is in some future decisions we'll be making. I will share some of the data with you when we're done. Thanks in advance!
2025 Orangebloods Subscriber Survey
Take this survey powered by surveymonkey.com. Create your own surveys for free.
Top 2026 running back predictions..
- By Adam Gorney
- Inside the 40 Acres
- 9 Replies
Texas could be loading up:
n.rivals.com
Predicting where the top uncommitted RBs in the 2026 Rivals250 will sign
Four-star running back KJ Edwards is ranked No. 34 in the 2026 Rivals250 and looks to be leaning toward Texas.
