Hate the 49ers but funny as hell. Also a hell of a leader to go calm Purdy down.
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US Central Command (Centcom) said in a statement the casualties were caused by a drone attack at a base in northeast Jordan, near the Syria border.

US President Joe Biden said that the attack was carried out by "radical Iran-backed militant groups".

This is the first time US soldiers have been killed in the region after Hamas's 7 October attack on Israel.

There have been attacks on US bases in the region but so far there have been no casualties reported by the US army.

The White House said Mr Biden was briefed Sunday morning on the attack by US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and other officials.

"While we are still gathering the facts of this attack, we know it was carried out by radical Iran-backed militant groups operating in Syria and Iraq," Mr Biden said in a statement.

We have made progress, in 2024 we have a southern bitch stating this. Back in the day, they were only southern bastards.

btw, hey Cole, this is what progress looks like.

THREE THINGS WE LEARNED

1. Texas continues to sit in a good spot with RB Jordon Davison

Of all the talent that was in Austin for UT’s junior day earlier this month, 2025 running back Jordon Davison may have been the biggest name. A five-star prospect who is ranked No. 13 nationally, Davison is the type of prospect that can headline a recruiting class, and he’s been a regular visitor to the UT campus. In fact, with Davison having made multiple stops in Austin over the course of his recruitment, the junior day visit wasn’t necessarily about showing him something he hadn’t seen previously. The trip was more about Davison continuing to build relationships with the UT staff.

“I’ve been out there so many times so it was just going there and getting around the coaches again,” Davison said.

Davison has actually been to the Texas campus so many times that he’s lost count of the exact number of trips. He just knows he likes what he sees every time he shows up.

“The direction the program is trending and the development coach (Tashard) Choice has with his players,” Davison said when asked what keeps him coming back to Texas. “(Choice) is very consistent. He always does his best to improve my game and it’s small things he does.”

Choice has done a phenomenal job with the Mater Dei product, but as a national recruit, Davison said there are a handful of coaches from around the country he’s bonded with.

“Coach Tony Alford (Ohio State), coach Locklyn at Oregon, coach Choice (Texas) is one of those guys, and I’m still building a relationship with Trooper (Texas A&M),” Davison said. “Me and coach McGee (Georgia) have a great relationship too.”

The 5-11, 203-pound Davison visited Texas A&M last weekend and he’s scheduled to be at Oregon this coming weekend. His plan is to take some official visits in the spring and summer before committing before his senior season begins. Davison hasn’t officially listed any schools as favorites, but the belief is that Texas and Ohio State are setting the pace for the five-star runner.

2. The 2024 Texas class awards go to …

The second signing day is a little more than a week away and while there’s not much action for the Longhorns, we thought we’d hand out some quick awards to UT’s 2024 recruiting class.

Biggest surprise – As usual, the surprises tended to happen later in the cycle. Wardell Mack flipping his commitment on a random Sunday in November was a bit of a surprise, but nobody could have seen the commitment of wide receiver Aaron Butler coming in until the very last moment. Texas went from not even being on his radar to signing him on the last day of the early signing period.

Biggest win – Has to be the addition of Colin Simmons. Elite talent and an in-state player from a powerhouse program.

One that got away – Micah Hudson would be a logical choice but Texas wound up with a strong receiver group when you combine high school recruiting and the portal, so I’m going to go with linebacker Justin Williams. Elite talent at a position where the Longhorns could have used another player.

Early contributor (offense) – This is actually a pretty tough choice because there isn’t a huge need for any of the incoming freshmen to be instant contributors. I guess I’ll go with running back Christian Clark, but the top two spots on the depth chart are pretty well established.

Early contributor (defense) – I expect he’ll be brought along pretty slowly but the coaches will want to get Colin Simmons on the field to see what he can do.

Most underrated – I still think Alex January should have been a four-star.

Don’t sleep on – People don’t mention him enough, but punter Michael Kern is a guy who could very well win the starting job as a true freshman.

3. RB Tradarian Ball enjoyed his latest visit to Texas.

Texas High running back Tradarian Ball was another attendee of UT’s junior day on January 20. It was a return visit for the 2026 standout and Ball continues to hold Texas (and Tashard Choice) in high regard.

“I took a lot away from (the visit). I feel good being around some of the other recruits in my class,” Ball said. “Of course, being around coach Choice, he’s a great coach in my opinion, probably one of the best coaches in the game.”

During the most recent visit, Ball said he got a more thorough look at what Texas has to offer, including elements that extend beyond the football field.

“We actually got a chance to look around the whole school, got to see the whole point of view, what you get out of the school football-wise, scholarship-wise, grades,” Ball said.

Up next, Ball is scheduled to be at Texas A&M this weekend. As for his Texas visit, Ball said the UT coaches told him they’ll develop him at a high level should he pick the Longhorns.

“Really their message is that when you come here, you’re going to have to be an animal, be a dog. It’s more than football,” Ball said. “You’re going to graduate and they’re going to get you to the NFL.”




TWO QUESTIONS

1. What are UT’s chances with DB Cobey Sellers?

Oklahoma insiders have put in predictions for the Sooners to win out for cornerback Cobey Sellers. That very well may wind up being true, but Sellers says those picks are premature and people shouldn’t pay attention to them.

Sellers has been a regular visitor to the UT campus and was back again this month.

“It was good. I got to connect with coach (Terry) Joseph again. We had a meeting. It was good talking to him one-on-one,” Joseph said.

The message from Joseph centered on Joseph’s coaching philosophy and the things he does to get his cornerbacks ready to play in the NFL. Joseph’s efforts are a big part of the reason Texas is in the mix for Sellers.

“Right now, it’s Texas, Oklahoma and Georgia. A&M is creeping up there,” Sellers said of schools standing out.

The 6-0, 170-pound Sellers was at OU last weekend and might hit Texas A&M this weekend. He said he loved the aggressive style of defense that Texas played last year (“That’s how I want to play”) and his teammate and UT commitment Deuce Williams is working on getting him to Austin.

“He’s more of a laid-back dude, but he’s like ‘Bro, we’ve got to do it, stick together.’ I’m like, ‘if it falls in the right place, let’s do it,’” Sellers said.

2. Where does Texas stand with offensive lineman John Turntine?

North Crowley 2026 offensive lineman John Turntine III doesn’t yet have a Rivals ranking, but he’s certainly a name worth knowing. Turntine has an offer sheet that includes Texas, Texas A&M, Oregon, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Miami, Georgia and Arkansas, among others. Turntine made a return visit to the UT campus for junior day and he said he loved the overall experience.

“It was great. This was like my second time out here, third time. I got to see the campus and the weight room and the facilities they have. It was a great experience,” Turntine said. “I got to talk to coach (Kyle) Flood a little bit. He was just basically telling me with all the exposure I’m getting, just enjoy it, to let it all in and explore my options. He was basically just telling me to enjoy it.”

Turntine said his recruitment has really started to heat up this spring, which has been a pleasant surprise. The Longhorns are one of the schools that are recruiting him the hardest.

“Definitely Texas. They’ve been one of the top schools showing me the most love,” Turntine said. “OU. Miami, because they’re the first program to give me a scholarship. A lot of schools are talking to me and trying to get to know me and I’m trying to get to know them.”

Texas’ recruiting efforts are paying off early on, as is the closeness that Turntine said he witnessed between the Texas coaches and players.

“I love to see that they’re all like a family. You can tell that they care about their players,” Turntine said. “They’re all about their business and they all love each other.”




ONE PREDICTION – Your Super Bowl winner is …

Since my next 3-2-1 will be after the Super Bowl, I’ll go ahead and make my pick this week. The 49ers are slight favorites in the game and while Brock Purdy has shown to be a surprisingly good quarterback this year, there’s no way in hell I’m picking against Patrick Mahomes in a big game.

Give me the Chiefs, 27-24.

People that get in the fast foiod drive through line and then get to the window and to want to scan their app for reward points and pay with a credit card. If you're going to that much trouble just order on the app. to start.

People at restaurants with a turnstyle waiting line, when you're in line for 20 minutes and the person get's to the order taker and only then starts looking at the billboard menu to decide what they want to eat.

People who come upon friends at the grocery store and decide to have a conversation in the middle of the aisle while blocking both directions. People will stack up behind them and they continue to babble oblivious to the crowd waiting to get by them.. Just move off to the side and talk as long as you want.

People who are on the phone while trying to check out anywhere. Hang up the damn phone, checkout and call the person back. It's just public rudeness.

People that wear pajamas on an airplane when they're over 8 years old.

Old stand byes

Keepers of the speed in the left lane of traffic
People on the phone in a public restroom
Any dumbass aggy that yells WHOOP at everything.


Not a complete list but plenty to chew on...fire away.

Whenever there are some struggles on a football field, basketball court, baseball diamond, or any playing arena in sports, the "why" is often a convoluted mess.

After watching the Longhorns drop an extremely important overtime game to Houston at home, I went back and rewatched in order to find the "why". What I found, is that the answer is pretty simple. The Longhorns aren't doing the basics.

I think that we would all agree that the most crucial datapoints that dictate whether or not you are successful on the hardwood are as follows (at least when I was playing in college):

Turnovers (#8 in the Big 12)
Rebounding (#10 in the BIg 12)
Free throw attempts (#13 in the Big 12)
Free throw percentage (#9 in the BIg 12)

There can be an endless number of reasons as to why teams struggle in these areas, so let's start with turnovers.


Turnovers

Texas has no offensive identity under Rodney Terry. You typically find that teams are either really good in transition, half-court, and if you're really good offensively, both.

Texas REALLY struggles in the half court.

It's hard to wrap your head around because when you look at how this roster is structured, Texas should be really good running half court sets. The Longhorns rank 2nd in the Big 12 in three point percentage, but 9th in three point attempts. They slow the game down too much, and offensively there is no rhythm or flow. There isn't a real sense of urgency or purpose in the details of what makes good half court offenses. Setting good screens. Screeners reading their defender. Primary ball handlers committing to what the defense gives them, etc.

So when you have no offensive identity, you struggle at the doing the basics, there is no rhythm, flow, or purpose to what you're doing, what you have is a discombobulated mess inside of 10 seconds on the shot clock and hope that Abmas, Disu, or Hunter can bail you out by either getting to the line, or getting an open look. Having to make split second decisions at the end of the shot clock leads to.....you guessed it, turnovers.

Of course, there is a lot of individuality when it comes to turnovers. It's not all on the coaching staff. Players have to be more decisive with the ball in their hands, and have to execute with a sense of urgency. For all we know behind the scenes, Rodney Terry could be preaching to these guys to do things the right way and it's an execution issue, but that's a double edged sword. In my opinion the buck stops with the head coach. This is why Chris Beard is so successful wherever he coaches. He is FANATICAL about fundamentals, and playing with maximum effort on every possession. This Longhorn team doesn't have that identity. They look like they aren't playing with confidence, and they look indecisive which is why I'm not surprised that they give up offensive possessions at a pretty staggering clip.

This team could be a dominant transition basketball team if they would decide to commit to an offensive identity. Max Abmas is one of the most dangerous high pick and roll guards in the country, and from a scoring perspective is one of the most prolific scorers in college basketball history.

If I'm Coach Terry: Get the ball up the floor quickly, high screen and role, let your playmakers make plays. Texas has an athletic front court that is more than capable of getting up and down the floor, and Dylan Disu provides a floor spacing element that you need to take advantage of.

Example: Texas could get looks like this all day. I'm not saying it has to be Abmas launching a 25 footer on every possession, but this team could be a phenomenal team in transition if they commit.

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Rebounding

Oh rebounding. It's a subtle art.

It has more to do with effort than anything else. I saw countless possessions where the ball goes up, 4 guys turn their heads and say a quick prayer that the ball might bounce their way. There is so reason why Texas should be getting statistically dominated on the boards. This goes back to details and basic shell (if you're a former player, I know how much you hated shell drill). You drop your ass, get your elbows out, and drive your legs in to the offensive player, creating enough space for you to locate the ball and secure it. When I think of the truly great rebounders in Texas Basketball history like James Thomas, Damion James, Jericho Sims etc, there was a physical element to the way that they played that made you feel all warm and fuzzy. They asserted themselves with physical dominance in every game they play. Texas doesn't have that guy right now, regardless of Dillon Mitchell's potential.

Rebounding isn't rocket science. Texas needs to play harder and with a greater sense of urgency. It's not hard to fix.

If I'm Coach Terry: For every offensive rebound you give up in a game, you're going to run after practice. Take pride in playing with effort and intensity.

Example: Watch the players in white all turn their head.

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Free Throw Attempts

The majority of free throw attempts in the college game come from transition (what I alluded to earlier), and in the paint of course. Texas takes a LOT of midrange shots which analytics will tell you is a poor shot considering that percentages are historically lower at the mid range. That being said, Texas has quite a few rostered players that are efficient inside the arc, especially Abmas who is elite. Dylan Disu primarily works around 10 feet, Dillon Mitchell (who played his best game as a longhorn in my opinion) doesn't really have an identity outside of playing off high screen and roll and getting easy dunks with the occasional mid range jump shot that isn't anywhere near consistent enough. The only personnel that Texas has rostered that could actually be effective at getting to the line due to the way the offense is structured and lack of transition opportunities are Shedrick, Disu, Mitchell, Abmas, and Hunter.

Guess who are the top 5 at free throw attempts on the roster?

Considering that Shedrick gets around the same minutes as Weaver, you have a problem on your hands. You have your front court primarily playing around 10-15 feet with no dominant presence in the paint, and a back court that doesn't really get to the paint.

In the game of percentages, this doesn't bode well for a Texas team that already struggles with an offensive identity.

If I'm Coach Terry: I'm starting Kaden Shedrick and Dylan Disu together. This provides more rebounding, better interior defense, floor spacing, and enough size to operate in the paint with more efficiency.

Example: Dylan Disu is an effective mid range player, but this is a poor shot in my opinion. You have nobody in the paint, everybody is standing and watching, with no type of off-ball action on the opposite side of the floor. The result is a 18 foot contested mid range jump shot which from a percentage perspective, is a bad shot.

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Free Throw Percentage

This comes down to practice, and getting enough attempts in game. Shoot free throws in practice, if you miss, you run. Simple as that. Making free throws is not rocket science.

If I'm Coach Terry: We're all getting on the line after practice, and we run for every free throw missed.

Example: Not needed.



Conclusion, and what's Next?

The aforementioned comes down to coaching. We'll see what comes out of the next couple of games, but Texas NEEDS a win on Saturday in Fort Worth. TCU comes in at #25 as of this morning, The Horned Frogs are on a two game win streak after winning AT Oklahoma State, and AT Baylor in overtime. A name to keep an eye on in this one, is former A&M transfer Emanuel Miller who is in his fifth year. This guys is a S.T.U.D.


Thanks for reading!

Wes

Is for real

Worth the Watch

J6 Was a Fed Op

The Video Unravels It


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As college football is close to entering a month-long dead period from February 5 through March 3, I thought it would be a good time to look at the state of in-state recruiting for the 2025 class as in-person visits are about to be on hold.

Let's start with the Top 10 in the current Rivals rankings...



Dakorien Moore - The 5-star receiver committed to LSU in August and seems more committed today than he was when he originally pledged to the Tigers. If the Longhorns are going to shake him from his commitment, it'll eventually have to start in earnest by getting him on campus.

Devin Sanchez - This one got away from the Longhorns last season and by the time he committed to Ohio State this month, Texas wasn’t even a factor.

Jonah Williams - The Longhorns are making up ground, but still trail the likes of Texas A&M and Oklahoma. Get. This. Kid. On. Campus. ASAP.

Michael Fasusi - Texas and Oklahoma are the teams to beat, even if the likes of Oregon, Texas A&M, USC and Ohio State keep knocking on the door.

Andrew March - There's some thought that the Aggies have emerged as a leader in his recruitment, especially after he visited A&M for its Junior Day last week. His sister is an A&M grad, so you can see why the Aggies have made a move, but Texas, LSU and USC are among the schools still heavily in the mix. March has been on the 40 Acres numerous times and one of the things that needs to happen in March is getting him back on campus.

Dorian Brew - A move-in from the Ohio area, the Buckeyes are heavy favorites for the speedy cornerback, but the Longhorns had him on campus last weekend and have given him some food for thought. The longer this recruitment goes on, the better the chances get for Sark and Co.

D.J. Sanders - It's tough to say where Sanders' recruitment sits because he hasn't been overly active in the recruiting process yet. The Longhorns will be expected to be in the middle of his recruitment, along with A&M, LSU and Oklahoma.

Adrian Wilson - The Pflugerville Weiss star has been committed to Oregon since the summer, but the Aggies are making a real push and the Longhorns were able to get him on campus last weekend, so it might be that his recruitment is just beginning in earnest right now.

Kaliq Lockett - Ohio State and LSU are the current top two, while the Aggies might be in the third spot. The Longhorns have offered and he's visited multiple times in the last 18 months, but there's a lot of work to do.

Michael Riles - The Longhorns are probably a betting favorite for the Port Arthur defensive lineman and it could turn into a Texas vs Texas A&M battle when it's all said and done.

Now let's look at the next 10 ...



Ty Haywood - Visited the Aggies this weekend for a Junior Day after not making it down to Austin last weekend for the UT Junior Day (as scheduled). Look for this to shape up into a Texas/Texas A&M/Oklahoma battle.

Kiotti Armstrong - After visiting Texas, Texas A&M and Miami in the last few weeks, it's safe to say that his recruitment is firmly underway. The Longhorns might have some momentum in this recruitment, but there's still a ways to go.

Riley Pettijohn - The Longhorns are in very good shape after he visited last weekend, but Florida and Michigan are among the schools he'll continue to explore in the spring. Texas might be a slight betting favorite.

Daylan McCutcheon - The Longhorns aren't really heavily in the mix at this point.

Lamont Rogers - After visiting Texas last weekend, he took in Norman this weekend (along with his father) and he'll visit LSU next weekend. It's hard to know exactly where the Longhorns sit inside of his unofficial top three, but getting him back on campus with his entire family will be critical.

Deindrae "Tiger" Riden - Wasn't able to make it to Texas last weekend, but the Longhorns will get him back on campus at some point. Is scheduled to visit A&M next weekend before the dead period kicks in. SMU is also heavily involved, but this could turn into a Longhorns/Aggies battle in the end.

Chad Woodfork - The Longhorns are probably the betting favorite because Texas is the only school he's visited multiple times thus far. It's not completely clear who the No. 2 school would be. Maybe Texas Tech.

Michael Terry - The Longhorns offered the talented athlete at last week's Junior Day and the Longhorns are among his top three. It might be safe to call Texas a betting favorite.

Kamauryn Morgan - Consider the Longhorns a betting favorite at this point, especially after his Junior Day visit last weekend. He's scheduled to visit both SMU and Baylor before the dead period, but the real competition is probably Texas A&M.

Jacorey Watson - The Longhorns are in his top three, along with LSU and Ole Miss. The Tigers are probably the betting favorite.

Three thoughts from all of this ...

1. The Longhorns have a lot of work to do in the 2025 class among the truly super blue chip prospects in the state. Among the top five players in the state, only Fasusi is a guy you'd suggest the Longhorns probably lead for at the moment and it's possible that the Sooners have a slight edge in that one.

2. Things look a lot better when you look at the prospects raked 11-20. It's possible that the Longhorns could sign more top-25 prospects than they did in the 2024 class, but maybe fewer 5 stars.

3. Texas will need to kill it out of state again in 2025.

No. 2 - A few more thoughts on Kenny Baker ...

* The word on the street is that Baker knocked it out in his interview with Sarkisian, which might help explain why Sarkisian isn't worried about Baker as a recruiter.

* While I will confess that I never heard a lot of anti-Bo Davis stuff while he was on the coaching staff, I have been a bit caught off guard by the number of people who have reached out to tell me that it was probably time for a change to occur. No one has said anything truly terrible, but it kind of feels like it might do everyone some good to hit the reset button.

* There's a feeling that Baker might be inexperienced as a recruiter, but that his willingness to give it his all in that department could generate better results in recruiting along the defensive line, which strongly suggests that there are people behind the scenes who felt like Davis could have used a rocket up his backside in that department (see section 3).

* It was pointed out to me on Sunday that it's pretty important for the Longhorns that Alfred Collins finds the light switch for an entire season and that perhaps he's a guy that needs a new voice in order to get the best out of him.

No. 3 - Say it ain't so, Bo ...

With the departure of Bo Davis to LSU, the Longhorns know they've lost a guy who developed the hell out of T'Vondre Sweat and Byron Murphy over the course of the last three seasons. In fact, you can add Keondre Coburn, Moro Ojomo and Barryn Sorrell to the list of guys he did really good developmental work with.

Outside of Coburn, none of the five were notable national-level recruits, yet Davis did real work with them.

Of course, none of those players were recruited by Davis and it's the area of recruiting that the Longhorns know needs to improve with new defensive line coach Kenny Baker.

Take a look at the hows and whys of the discussion...

2021

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One of the very first recruits of the Sarkisian Era in Austin was Abiara, who stuck around for one season, realized that it wasn't happening for him in Austin and hit the Portal less than 15 months after signing with Texas. For those wondering, Abiara finished his sophomore season at SMU this season with 5 tackles and 1.4 tackles for loss.

2022

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This is the class that will define Davis' time in Austin and was highlighted by the following:

* One national-level prospect (Bledsoe), who only played 80 snaps in the regular season and ranked 26th on the team in @Alex Dunlap's market-share rankings.

* An out-of-state low four-star that is played one single snap in the 2023 season.

* An out-of-state high three-star prospect, who played 46 snaps last season and didn't create a single piece of production in his second season.

* An in-state high three-star prospect that didn't make it all the way through his second season.

Thus far, this group of players has been pretty dreadful. One guy is done and the three that remain have barely displayed a strong pulse when given game time. A big part of the Longhorns needing Trill Carter a year ago and multiple defensive linemen through the transfer portal this year is that this class has been a complete swing and a miss going into year three.

2023

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Davis' only addition following the 2022 group was a risky out-of-state large human, who wasn't a consensus national-level prospect by the four major recruiting services, although you'd have to say he was the highest-rated out-of-state prospect that Davis signed in three full recruiting cycles. Mitchell is a player that the Longhorns have hopes for after playing 10 snaps in the regular season last year, but he's still a fairly big project.

2024

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Davis' parting gift was two more high three-stars, although January is someone I think is better than that and certainly rated as the best player available at his position in the state of Texas.

The bottom line is that zero true super blue chips in three recruiting cycles isn't good enough, especially for a program that ranks fourth in the nation in total super blue chips on the roster and is regarded as one of the top programs for NIL in the entire country. Even Texas DC Pete Kwiatkowski ran circles around Davis in recruiting, serving as the lead recruiter for several super blue chip edge prospects on the roster.

As Baker comes into the program, the expectations are that the bar has to be raised.

Much higher.

No. 4 - Discussing the Class of Beef ...

When you see the turnover that takes place at almost every position on the field, it seems almost impossible that there hasn't been a single departure by Kyle Flood's 2022 Class of Beef as each player begins to head into his third season in Austin.

Typically, the next 12 months is right about the time when most offensive linemen start to find the light switch, if it's ever going to happen. Let's take a look at the prognosis of each player coming out of the 2023 season.

Kelvin Banks: What a blessing this young man has been for the program. Played 932 total snaps in 14 games this season and will remain the anchor of the entire offensive line through the 2024 season before he likely heads off to the NFL. The question surrounding Banks is whether the Longhorns will have someone truly ready to replace him when the 2025 season arrives.

D.J. Campbell: The former five-star prospect made good in his second season and finished with 831 total snaps in 14 games at right guard. He's not quite a star, but the expectations will be that he takes that next step in 2024 and 2025.

Cam Williams: Everyone is waiting to see what the big fella looks like now that the right tackle position is open for him to take. Although he played only 126 snaps in 14 games, hopes are high that he's on the verge of becoming a plus-starter for his final two seasons.

Cole Hutson: Here's where the first set of question marks really pop up with the players in the class. After serving as the primary player at right guard in 2022, Hutson found himself boxed out by Campbell at right guard this season and played only 126 snaps this season. With Hutson and Campbell each having two seasons of eligibility remaining, it's hard to figure out where the path to playing time comes in the next 24 months. Hutson will have starting aspirations before his career is over and he's a great option to have coming off the bench if there's a need. Will that be enough for Hutson? There's no way to get away from the fact that he's somewhat boxed out at the moment. Is there any way that he could redshirt in the next two seasons in an effort to buy him the 2026 season after Campbell graduates?

Neto Umeozulu: Here's another player that I have more questions than answers with, but the fact that he redshirted in 2022 gives him a lot more options than Hutson. Although many of us have wanted Umeozulu to take the left guard job away from Hayden Conner, the truth of the matter is that Umeozulu hasn't remotely played well enough in his 54 reps in 14 games to suggest that he warranted more. Per Dunlap's grading, Umeozulu was allowing disruption once every 9.40 snaps this season, which easily ranked as the worst number among the nine linemen that played as many reps as he did. He's got a LOT of work to do before he's pushing Conner out of the way. So, is 2024 just a growth year for Umeozulu before he takes over for two seasons after Conner departs? Would the coaches actually bench a senior with 1,500 career snaps under his belt if Umeozulu can close the gap? How much better would Umeozulu need to be in order to see him jump a player that has started 27 games in the last two seasons? The good news is that it makes sense that Umeozulu will see all of this out because his brother literally just joined the program and if possibly not starting in 2024 was truly an issue, you'd think this past window would have been the one to leave in and he stayed.

Conner Robertson: It feels like we learned that Robertson can play at this level based on his 117 snaps this season, but we haven't really learned if he's going to be a plus player. Like Umeozulu, it's very possible that he's set to be a two-year starter beginning in the 2025 season once Jake Majors departs. Of course, there's a good chance that he could have one hell of a battle on his hands with Daniel Cruz for that position. The good news is that with three seasons of eligibility, there's plenty of time for him to show some patience ... unless ... Cruz starts taking reps away from him in 2024.

Malik Agbo: By the end of the season, Agbo played 100+ more snaps at tight end than he did along the offensive line, which called into question whether he was still an offensive lineman (partly because he changed his number to 80) instead of a tight end. Looking ahead to 2024, it seems like he's THE jumbo tight end, which means that he has a definite role within the offense. Beyond that jumbo tight end position, I don't quite know what to make of him and his future. Is he ever going to start at tackle? I have some real doubts.

No. 5 - Three thoughts on the edge position ...

a. The added presence of Trey Moore coming through as a transfer has me wondering whether or not we might see a battle between Ethan Burke and Barryn Sorrell for the starting defensive end position opposite the edge spot that Burke thrived in for parts of the season in his first year as a starter. In terms of frames, Burke was listed at 6-6, 257 pounds coming into the season, while Sorrell tipped the scales at 6-4, 261 pounds, so it's not like there's anything physically (on paper) that Burke can't handle at defensive end. If you weren't going to make that move, why would you even bring in Moore (who has 2 seasons of eligibility remaining) with Colin Simmons coming into the program?

b. A 1-2 punch of Sorrell and Burke would represent a major upgrade at the defensive end position from the 1-2 punch of Sorrell and Justice Finkley from 2023, as Sorrell and Burke ranked seventh and eighth on the team in Dunlap's market-share rankings, while Finkley ranked No. 17 (as a sub replacement level player). Meanwhile, adding Moore as the starter to the edge position gives the Longhorns the top playmaker in college football last season in terms of sacks and tackles for loss. That would allow true freshman Colin Simmons as the primary back-up at the edge position in his first season on the 40 Acres.

c. Third-year players Justice Finkley and J'Mond Tapp have some work to do if they want to carve out large roles in the 2024 defense ahead of the players mentioned above, especially when you consider that both ranked as sub-replacement level players last season. Given that Finkley played 226 snaps in the regular season, we're not talking about a small sample size. Tapp's sample size (93 regular season snaps) is smaller, which is worrisome when you consider that he didn't play in the playoff game against Washington. Both have to take significant strides in 2024 and they'll both know it.

No. 6 - Beating the math ...

One of the things that got a little lost in last week's discussion of super blue chips on the national level that importantly relates to the Longhorns are the following two truths:

a. The Longhorns aren't missing on Sark's super blues.
b. Texas has a 4.0% transfer rate when it comes to consensus super blues since 2020.

Both are pretty staggering numbers that warrant some inspection. Let's take a look at the list (minus incoming players):

QB Quinn Ewers
QB Arch Manning
RB CJ Baxter
WR Johntay Cook
OT Kelvin Banks
OG D.J. Campbell
OG Neto Umeozulu
LB Anthony Hill
CB Terrance Brooks
CB Malik Muhammad
S Derek Williams
Nickel: Jelani McDonald

* Of the 12 consensus super blue chips that Sarkisian has landed between 2022-24, 75% project as starters and eventual NFL players going into the 2024 season, which is important to note because super blue chips typically "hit" at that kind of rate as rates between 35-60% (depending on the position and ranking).

* Of the three consensus super blue chips that aren't starting, two are on the two-deep (Manning and Umeozulu) project as multi-year starters beginning in 2025 and the other one (McDonald) is entering his second season.

* The only other returning consensus super blue chip is Alfred Collins and he also projects as a starter/future NFL player.

* The only departure among consensus super blue chips players signed since 2020 is Ja'Quinden Jackson, who signed under Tom Herman and left before Sarkisian took over.

Guys, these numbers are pretty incredible.

No. 7 – Updated Texas Scholarship Board …

A few notes...

a. The Longhorns are currently sitting at 89 scholarship players after the commitment of Tiaoali Savea this week, which means that the Longhorns will probably need between 5-7 pieces of attrition to occur if Steve Sarkisian still wants to bring in a few more additions through the Portal.

b. No, Bert Auburn is not on scholarship.



No. 8 – BUY or SELL …

PaulieD said:

b/s RT rights the Mens BB ship, wins our last B12 tourney, and squeaks into the Dance (I know lotsa koolaid)

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(Sell) Texas isn't winning the Big 12 Tournament.

bevojp said:

B/S. Rodney Terry set Texas fans back 10 years for crying about horns down.

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(Sell) That'll be forgotten in a few weeks.

Buena Vista Horn said:

Texas gets a transfer portal addition from Michigan

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(Buy) Just a gut feeling, but maybe not until the spring.

Weller 12 said:

B/S SMU to the ACC opens up DFW to more recruiting pressure similar to what happened when A&M moved to the SEC.

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(Sell) Maybe for the remaining Big 12 schools, but I don't think it will really impact the Longhorns much.

MauiHorn said:

B/S Preseason, UT football is the favorite to win all but one of their games.

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(Buy) Maybe all 12.

Miamihorns said:

B/S Kenny Baker, due to his incognito coaching status, immediately has more pressure on him than any other position coach

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(Sell) I think there will be more pressure on Terry Joseph and Blake Gideon to improve the secondary.

HappyMikeWatkins said:

B/S - Without Texas and Oklahoma, the Big 12 drops significantly in level of prestige...almost to the point of being part of the "Group of 5" conferences.

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(Sell) It'll be a solid group of five and maybe the best power conference outside of the SEC and Big 10.

gridskipper said:

B/S Terrance Brooks leaves his mark as one of the great Texas DBs and the name J. Muhammad becomes just footnote in the annals of Texas recruiting history

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(Sell) I suppose it depends on what you mean by one of the great defensive backs. Does that mean he ends his career as an all-American? I'll sell that.

TxMarmot said:

B/S: Before Texas officially moves to the SEC this summer, Ketch will use the combination of "soak" and "BYU" at least one more time in a thread title.

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(Buy) You know me too well.

P Brady said:

Does Texas have a shot for the DT at Michigan who could possibly put his name in the portal ?

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(Buy) Yes, if he puts his name into the Portal. IF...

grumpy horn said:

Starting NT will be over/under 320 pounds next year and more than 1 year as a D1 starter.

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(Buy) Yes.

longhornmjc said:

The UT-Georgia ticket will be the hardest & most expensive ticket in DKR history

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(Sell) Higher than 2006 Texas/Ohio State? It'll be close, but I'm going to say no.

majoratx said:

We’ll recognize Kenny Baker in a year or two as a pleasant surprise and DL recruiting upgrade over Bo Davis.

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(Buy) Leap of faith!

SouthAustinHorn said:

B/s Michigan CB Will Johnson is legitimately in play for Texas.

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(Buy) IF he ends up in the Portal... IF.

No. 9 – Scattershooting on anything and everything …

... I can't tell if Lamar Jackson is the Joel Embiid of the NFL or the modern-day Tony Romo in the NFL, but watching him not get over the line against the Chiefs was tough to watch.

... Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs reminding us that they are unbeatable is just mind-blowing. Basically ... the regular season didn't matter in the AFC.

... New rule: I love the Taylor Swift cut-aways, but can we reserve them only for big moments? Otherwise, leave that lady alone.

... I'd feel a lot better about Charles Omenihu reaching the Super Bowl if he hadn't been suspended earlier this season following an alleged domestic violence incident.

... TCU/Baylor was one hell of a triple-overtime game on Saturday. The Horned Frogs have some guts, man. Texas will have its freaking hands full on Saturday.

... I'm a little worried for the fighting Rodney Terrys on Monday night with Houston coming to town. The Coogs can hoop, man.

... Luka Doncic dropping 73-10-7 on Friday night warrants an atta-boy. All of that on 33 field goal attempts? Truly sensational stuff.

... LeBron vs. Steph on Saturday night was pretty fantastic theater.

... It's really kind of hard to put into words the fast array of feelings I'm sorting through with the announcement that Jurgen Klopp will leave Liverpool at the end of the season. I love the man. He never lets me down. I wish the guy was my dad... or a brother... or a best friend. I've legitimately been emotional about it. I don't think I can compare it to anything else I have ever felt as a sports fan.

... Ding dong, the witch is dead.
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... What are the mathematical odds of pulling this off without being in an accident? All you need is for one uncontrollable variable to go sideways and ... death?
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... I watched my first WWE Royal Rumble in at least 20 years on Saturday night, mainly because Chad Hastings reminded me that it was free if I owned a subscription to Peacock. Some thoughts ...

a, Generally speaking, I had a pretty good time. I might watch Wrestlemania in a few months.

b. I felt like there were very few surprises. For instance, there was no way that Roman Reigns was going to lose the belt in a 4-way match and it be the third-to-last match on the card. The dude has almost gone a full presidential cycle without losing the belt and I'm supposed to believe that it would happen in a prelim match?

c. None of these dudes are Stone Cold or The Rock. It feels like the entire WWE is missing a star among stars.

d. Logan Paul should not be carrying a belt, but I get why he is. Kevin Owens carried him in that match like a total pro.

e. You could see Cody Rhodes beating CM Punk coming from a mile away. It just made sense. The WWE has totally lifted Rhodes into a belt-claiming position after back-to-back Royal Rumble titles. The runway has been cleared for him to take the belt off of Reigns at Wrestlemania.

f. The best part of the entire deal was watching everyone come out to their theme songs, especially for the women's Rumble.

No. 10 - George Michael Top 10 Songs ...

I found myself listening to the Elton John/Georgia Michael live version of "Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me" and decided that it had been too long since I had done a deep dive on Michael ... one of the truly great voices of his generation.

So, this weekend turned into George Michael Weekend. Here are a few things I found myself thinking ...

a. At his very best, Michael is truly one of the giants of his era, but he has fewer great songs than you'd expect him to have. I found myself wondering why all weekend. I wish he had recorded more.

b. Why didn't he ever make a true R&B album? I really wish he'd leaned into this genre a little more. No, I don't consider "Faith" to be an R&B album. I found this NY Times article that discusses him not recording R&B music in America, but there's no real explanation as to why.

Let's get on with the list ...

Honorable Mention: Jesus to a Child, I Want Your Sex, Somebody to Love, If I Told You That, Heal the Pain, Hand to Mouth, KiIller/Papa Was a Rolling Stone, Amazing, Outside, Fastlove, Monkey, A Different Corner and I Knew You Were Waiting

10. Everything She Wants

It was a tight battle for the No. 10 spot, but I had to go with a Wham song... a trend on this list.

9. Last Christmas

I'll admit it, I listen to this song about 500 times each December.

8. Freedom! 90

I've seen the video to this song at least 10,000 times.

7. Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go

It's about as 80s of a pop song as any 80s pop song has ever been. Its presence in Zoolander means it will always stay in the top 10.

6. Praying For Time

I wish Michael had more of this in his catalog.

5. Father Figure

I'm tempted to rank this one slightly higher ... it's an all-time banger.

4. One More Try

I freaking love this ballad. I wish he had an album with nothing but 10 of these on it.

3. Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me

You can make a strong case that this song should be No. 1. If that's your position, I won't argue with you.

2. Faith

I struggle to rank this song because I don't know if it showcases him the best, but there's no getting around the fact that it's the song that made him a superstar.

1. Careless Whisper

It's been my favorite George Michael song since I was eight years old. It's been almost 40 years, so you're probably not changing my mind.

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Anyone know of any good spots to fish in the area? Been looking to get back into it. Thanks!

This beautiful woman one day walks into a doctors office and the doctor is bowled over by how stunningly awesome she is. All his professionallism goes right out the window...
He tells her to take her pants, she does, and he starts rubbing her thighs.
"Do you know what I am doing?" asks the doctor?
"Yes, checking for abnormalities." she replies.
He tells her to take off her shirt and bra, she takes them off. The doctor begins rubbing her breasts and asks, "Do you know what I am doing now?", she replies, "Yes, checking for cancer."
Finally, he tells her to take off her panties, lays her on the table, gets on top of her and starts having sex with her. He says to her, "Do you know what I am doing now?"
She replies, "Yes, getting herpes, genital warts and chlamydia - that's why I am here!"

A gorgeous young redhead goes into the doctor's office and said that her
body hurt wherever she touched it.
'Impossible!'
says the doctor. 'Show me.'
The redhead took her finger, pushed on her left shoulder and screamed,
then she touched her elbow and screamed even more. She pushed her knee
and screamed; likewise she touched her ankle and screamed. Everywhere
she touched made her scream.
The doctor said, 'You're not really a redhead, are you?'
'Well, no' she said, 'I'm actually a blonde.'
'I thought so,' the doctor said, 'Your finger is broken.'

Guy is sitting in his doctor's office awaiting some test result. The doctor walks in with a folder in his hand a a solemn expression on his face
"Well doc," he asks "what's the diagnosis?"
The doctor sits down at his desk
"Well, I've got some good news and some bad news. What do you want first?"
The man takes a deep breath and asks for the good news.
"Well, they're going to name a disease after you"

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Gonna be every f’n year!

Please see and comment. NSIAP

The Big 12's new-look, 16-team schedule was announced on Tuesday with the integration of Arizona, Arizona State and Utah as well as the return of Colorado into the league.

The Big 12 said in November that this schedule, featuring nine conference games, prioritizes geography, historic matchups and rivalries. The Big 12 joins the Big Ten in continuing to play nine conference games. The SEC and ACC both have adopted an eight-game league schedule for 2024.

BYU will travel to Utah on Nov. 9, the first time since 2010 that a rivalry that has been played 101 times will be a conference game. The two last met in 2021.


Arizona will host Arizona State on Nov. 30 for the Territorial Cup, a rivalry since 1899, and Baylor will play at Houston on Nov. 30 for the first time since 1995 when they were both Southwest Conference members. The Sunflower Showdown between Kansas and Kansas State will be on Oct. 26.

EDITOR'S PICKS​

• 
  

  Predicting realignment: Which conferences will dominate in 2024-25?
  13dJohn Gasaway​

The first conference matchup will be in Fort Worth on Sept. 14 when UCF visits TCU, kicking off the 29th season of the league, but the first without Texas or Oklahoma. While the schedule has been decided for weeks, several games have yet to be determined whether they'll play on Thursday, Friday or Saturday. Two games have been confirmed for the Friday after Thanksgiving: Oklahoma State at Colorado and Utah at UCF. Two games featuring new conference opponents -- Baylor and Utah on Sept. 7 and Arizona at Kansas State on the weekend of Sept. 14 -- are considered nonconference matchups since they were previously scheduled.

Television selections for the first three weeks of the season will be made by ESPN and Fox this summer and will be announced accordingly.

The league's championship will be on Dec. 7 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

So, back in October True Power sold my account to Discount Power and didn’t tell me. When I didn’t receive any correspondence regarding my November bill, I logged into True Power and it said I had a zero balance. The next day, Discount Power shuts my power off. After spending two hours on the phone, they couldn’t prove that they ever actually sent the correspondence. My wintertime electric bill went from $160 with True Power to over $400 with Discount Power…with the same kilowatt hours charge of 11 cents. The amount of extra “fees” is almost $200!

Aside from my screaming “do not use Discount Power”, I need some advice on good electric providers without a lot extra fees.

. . . a Marshall, Texas boy:

Christian Jones looked good and came in for lots of positive mention. T'Vondre ha kind of a tough day, but rushing the passer is not likely to be his strong suit anyway

Cliffs Notes: The Longhorns went toe to toe with one of the best teams in college basketball on Monday night for 45 minutes, but just couldn't quite get over the hump in a 76-72 overtime loss.

The Participants: NR Texas (14-7, 3-5 Big 12) and No.4 Houston (19-2, 6-2 Big 12)

Pre-Game KenPom Rankings: Texas (No. 36) and Houston (No. 1)

Game MVP: We'll split the honors tonight because Dillon Mitchell (16 points and 10 rebounds) and Max Abmas (20 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists) carried the team in the second half and into overtime.
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Second-Half Surge: After falling behind 41-30 early in the second half, the Longhorns went on an 24-7 run that completely turned the game on its head, giving the Longhorns a 54-48 lead with 8:20 left in the game.

Thing You Need to Know: The Longhorns probably win this game if Abmas gets a little help in the backcourt, but Tyrese Hunter and Ithiel Horton combined for 8 points on 3 of 8 shooting.

R-e-b-o-u-n-d-i-n-g: The Longhorns were out-rebounded 46-36 and allowed 15 offensive rebounds, which proved to be big in the final 5 minutes of the second half and overtime.

Hometown Boy Goes Off: The real MVP of the game was Houston senior guard and Manor native Jamal Shead, who scored a game-high 25 points, grabbed 8 rebounds and dished out 4 assists in front of a lot of friends and family.

Missing Person's Alert: For most of the first half Dylan Disu was just nowhere to be found, as he missed six of his first seven shots from the floor and only scored 2 points and grabbed 2 rebounds in the first half.

Slow Start: The Longhorns went 13+ minutes of the first half without a single player making more than a single bucket from the floor and at no point in the first half did the Longhorns get to the free throw line.

Tracking down History: After moving into 4th place on the NCAA' all-time 3-point shots made list a couple of weeks ago, Max Abmas knocked down 2 of 8 shots from downtown today to move within 19 of third-place Travis Bader (Purdue 2010-14).

Tracking down History II: Abmas came into tonight's game as the No.14 all-time leading scorer in the history of the college game, trailing former Kansas star Danny Manning by 38 points for 13th place all-time, which means that he'll go into his next game needing only 19 points to pass Manning.

ESPN Bracketology: This latest update was from Saturday morning. Losing the last two games probably means that the Longhorns won't be in the Tournament in the next update. It makes the game on Saturday against a very good TCU game paramount, as the Longhorns can't afford to slip into a 3-game losing streak.



The Current Big 12 Standings...

I hope you Lefties and Never Trumpers are proud of where The Big Guy AND the Left have taken our country.