THREE THINGS WE LEARNED
1. Things are starting to take shape for Riley Pettijohn
McKinney linebacker
Riley Pettijohn has narrowed his focus down to five schools – Texas A&M, Texas, Florida State, Ohio State and USC – with key visits on the horizon. The McKinney standout will be in Austin on April 6 for an unofficial visit and then will return again for his official visit in mid-June.
Pettijohn, a Rivals100 member, last visited UT for the Longhorns’ junior day in January, where he first got acquainted with new Texas linebackers coach Johnny Nansen.
“I was on the phone with him (on Saturday),” Pettijohn said this weekend before the Under Armour Camp in Arlington. “I got to catch up with him. I like him a lot. He knows a lot about football.”
The plan for Pettijohn is to make a decision sometime this summer and he said there are a few elements he’s looking for in his future choice.
“Just develop me as a player and a person, academics, and an NFL opportunity,” Pettijohn said.
The 6-3, 200-pound Pettijohn says all five schools on his list are even and he doesn’t have an actual pecking order. These upcoming visits will be big for one team separating from the pack, he said.
“That’s big because I'm not going to narrow it down anymore,” Pettijohn said. “I'm just going to make a decision after the OVs and unofficial visits.”
As for Texas, Pettijohn said he likes the direction of the UT program, and it doesn’t hurt having former McKinney teammate Xavier Filsaime in Autin.
“I like that they're in the SEC now and where their defenses is headed,” Pettijohn said. “They played good last year, but I feel like going to play better this year.”
The contact with Nansen has focused on keeping Pettijohn close to home and preparing him for football beyond his college days.
“(His message is) that it'd be good, that I'm close to home, that Xavier is there and just him being able to develop me as a player,” Pettijohn said.
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2. 2026 OL John Turntine is an elite prospect
Last weekend’s Under Armour camp featured some star-studded 2025 offensive line prospects, but 2026 standout
John Turntine can more than hold his own. The North Crowley standout, who already holds a ridiculous offer sheet, was in Austin for UT’s junior day earlier this year and said it was a great experience overall.
“When I was in Texas, just every time I got to take Texas, it's always a great time because Texas, they promote their program, they stand on what they stand on,” Turntine said. “They're trying to win a national championship. They're going to get there, and they're doing everything they can to get there. They're just really a great program to me and I'm just still learning a lot of stuff about them a lot of stuff about every other college too.”
The 6-5, 303-pound Turntine is keeping an open mind since he has 19 months before he can sign a letter of intent, but the Longhorns are definitely a team that will receive strong consideration. He’ll visit Texas on either April 6 or April 13.
“I don't have a list of yet but if I did have a list they would be up there – them, OU, SMU, TCU - because a lot of these Texas schools show me love. Really right now I'm just exploring my options,” Turntine said. “I have all these offers, but at the end of the day I’m just going to end up at one school so wherever is the best for me, that's where I'm going to go.”
Turntine’s father played at TCU and while there’s an appeal with the in-state schools, he said he’s open to going anywhere in the country that can develop him. He and Texas OL coach Kyle Flood have already developed a solid bond.
“All these coaches, including coach Flood, we’re still building relationships since it’s still early in my process, but Coach Flood shows love every time I go out there and every time I see them,” Turntine said.
3. My kids are showing me that I need better friends
This week is spring break for all of my kids, including my son, who is a freshman in college. It dawned on me last week when discussing their whereabouts over their break that I grew up around the wrong friends.
My son is home from college for the week just enjoying time with his friends and his girlfriend. Probably won’t see him much, which is expected. My oldest daughter, a senior in high school, is heading to Port Aransas later this week to spend a few days down there with some girlfriends (one of the girls’ mom is going with to keep watch).
It’s my two youngest daughters that are really living it up.
My middle daughter, a sophomore, is in Port Aransas for the second time in the past few weeks. She’s spending the entire week there, staying in a condo that one of her friends’ parents own (apparently it’s one of two condos that the family owns in Port A). She’s having the time of her life, but …
It’s our youngest that really takes the cake. Quinn, our 12-year-old, is currently in Croatia with her friend and her friend’s mother. Thanks to the incredible generosity of this family, Quinn has been able to experience travel over the last two spring breaks that even I will probably never experience. Last year, they spent over a week on guided tours of Guatemala and Honduras. This year, they’re spending more than a week traveling in Slovenia, Bosnia, Montenegro and Croatia. The plan, thanks to this amazing family, is to take Quinn and her friend on annual spring break trips until they graduate high school … in five years. What an amazing experience for our daughter and my wife and I are so thankful that her friend’s family has included her in these journeys. And we might be just a bit jealous.
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TWO QUESTIONS
1. What’s the latest with Lamont Rogers?
Mesquite Horn offensive lineman
Lamont Rogers has been a tough one to project because he mostly stays away from the media spotlight. In talking to Rogers over the weekend, he maintains that he’s pretty open, but a round of upcoming visits could help his picture come into focus to some degree.
Rogers has official visits scheduled to Missouri, LSU, Oklahoma, Texas and Texas A&M. He’ll take spring unofficial trips to Missouri, LSU, Tennessee, Alabama, Texas and Texas A&M. The plan is for him to be at a UT practice on March 29 and then return again on April 6.
Which schools are standing out for the big fella?
“All of them,” Rogers said. “I’d say after I take these spring unofficial visits I’ll be able to narrow it down.”
The 6-8, 305-pound Rogers has been in regular contact with Kyle Flood, including doing some Zoom calls where the two parties break down film.
“They have a winning culture,” Rogers said of Texas. “They had a great season last year. They’re just going to keep doing what they’ve been doing. Coach Flood, he’s a great guy, a great teacher. I’ve been doing meetings with him that are really cool.”
When it does come time to cut his list or make a final decision, Rogers said he’ll simply go with a place where he feels most comfortable.
“Relationship with the coach, I’d say,” when asked what factors will be important for him. “Talking to the players, seeing their mindset about the coaches and how they feel about the coaches. And just do I fit in there?”
Keep an eye on Missouri in this one. I wouldn’t necessarily put the Tigers ahead of any other school at this early stage, but Rogers singled out the efforts by the Mizzou staff and the relationships he’s built with those coaches.
2. Will Texas be a factor for Ty Haywood?
Denton Ryan offensive lineman
Ty Haywood is set to finally see the Texas campus for the first time.
“(April) 20 for the (Texas) spring game and then after that I will plan my OV down there to go back again,” Haywood said. “I’m trying to see facilities and all that. I’ve already got a pretty good relationship with the coaches so I’m just trying to get down there to see the place.”
Haywood has a group of schools that he’ll visit officially and unofficially, including Texas, Texas A&M, TCU, Alabama and Oklahoma. He says there will be others beyond those as well. It’s still a bit up in the air as to how much of a factor Texas will be in this one, but Haywood says he does like that UT has had recent success with players from his high school, including Anthony Hill.
“Denton Ryan and Texas have this thing going on so far, getting most of our players to go to Texas. Besides that, they’re a pretty good program,” Haywood said. “They’re one of the best ones out there and I’m trying to be a part of a great program football and academic-wise.”
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ONE PREDICTION – Texas lands Boobie Feaster, and …
From the “way too early predictions” file, I’m going to go ahead and do the ridiculous and make a prediction for a current high school freshman. A lot can and will happen before DeSoto wide receiver Boobie Feaster picks a school, but there’s not a program I’d put above Texas right now so let’s go ahead and formally enter a prediction that the standout pass-catcher eventually commits to UT.
While we’re in the business of making predictions, Texas currently has five commitments for the 2025 cycle. We’ll obviously see some additions to that list in the coming months, but the guess here is that we’ll see a subtraction from the list as well (no, I’m not talking about KJ Lacey).
Craig Meyer
