"Just a Bit Outside" is brought to you by:
ESM owner Brandon is a longtime Orangebloods member @Txbaseball22 . Elite Sports Media has THE BEST in Longhorn memorabilia anywhere. You can find memorabilia from UT legends such as Vince Young, Ricky Williams, Sam Ehlinger, Cat Osterman and Ivan Melendez. He also works with current Longhorns such as Quinn Ewers and Xavier Worthy.
This week ESM is extremely proud to announce a future signing with star Longhorn wide receiver AD Mitchell!
Mitchell has been turning heads from the moment he arrived on campus from Georgia. And if you listened to the Modcast this week, you know that I think AD Mitchell is due for a breakout season. This is an exciting opportunity to get his autograph while you can.
If there is some kind of memorabilia you're looking for, please reach out to Brandon - he can probably get it.
You can reach Brandon via email at esmsportsut@gmail.com, or on facebook at Elite Sports Memorabilia if you have any questions or would like to place an order.
Social Media
Facebook Elite Sports Mem
Twitter @EliteSportsMem
Tik Tok elite sports mem
IG Elite_Sports_Memorabilia_UT
EBAY STORE:
Ebay Elite Sports Memorabilia UT
JOIN THE GROUP:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/elitesportsmemorabilia/?ref=share_group_link
===========================================================================
We now know most of Texas’ football schedule for it’s first year in the SEC, and hang on to your Stetson’s because next season is going to be a doozy.
The conference unveiled the opponents for next season during a special event on the SEC Network this evening (Wednesday). The opponents are now known, but the dates and times will come out at a later date (likely next year).
SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey lived up to his words when he told reporters last month that the conference was trying to have some competitive balance while also getting some traditional matchups.
"I think I've been clear about honoring traditional rivals so I'm excited about that,” Sankey said. “We understand the priorities. (We will) definitely to the extent we can (schedule secondary rivals)."
Texas’ first season in the SEC will feature road games against traditional rivals Arkansas and Texas A&M – as well as the annual matchup against OU in Dallas.
Let’s take a look at each of the conference opponents:
OU: This game will definitely stay with the traditional second Saturday in October at the State Fair.
OU will likely be breaking in a new quarterback next season. Dillon Gabriel can technically take his COVID year redshirt next season and play again, but if he has the type of year that many are expecting from him, then he could be in line for a decent draft position.
You can expect a lot of turnover along the offensive line with the entire side of the unit being redshirt seniors this year. Center Andrew Raym is a senior and right guard and tackle are redshirt juniors.
Defenisvely, you expect a Venables led team to be pretty stout. Sophomore Linebacker Dasan McCullough transferred in from Indiana where he earned Freshman All-America honors last year – so he will definitely be back for the start of SEC play.
Safety Billy Bowman may be the best player on OU’s team and he’s only a junior this year so it’s possible he could come back, but he may also be headed to the NFL draft with another good year this season.
Danny Stutsman is in the same category. The junior linebacker racked up a whopping 125 tackles as a sophomore last season. Whether he plays in the SEC in 2024 could depend on what he’s hearing about his draft prospects.
All in all, Texas fans know what they’re going to get when they show up at the State Fair in October – cold beer in wax cups, the best damn corn dogs on the planet and an all out brawl between two teams who really don’t like each other. This time, the SEC title is in play.
A&M: The rivalry is back on for the first time since Justin Tucker booted the Aggies out of the Big 12 in 2011.
All that’s happened since then is Tucker has proven himself to be the greatest kicker of all time … and the Aggies hired Jimbo Fisher.
Texas fans will recognize many of the names wearing maroon during next year’s matchup because a lot of those guys were recruited by UT.
Jimbo will have plenty of talent on the offensive side of the ball. Connor Weigman is a very talented quarterback. He had a nice freshman season taking over in the final five games. He should win the starting job again this year (although senior Max Johnson will have something to say about that). Give him another season of experience and he could really be hitting his stride by the time Texas travels to College Station.
Evan Stewart, the ultra-talented wide receiver, will be entering his final season at A&M next year (assuming he doesn’t portal out of there – which may be a big assumption). Stewart has already displayed skills that will make him a coveted NFL target. I have to assume his junior season will be his last at A&M.
The offensive line will be very experienced by the time Texas plays A&M. Trey Zuhn started all 11 games at left tackle last year as a redshirt freshman. You don’t do that in the SEC without some kind of skills. Left guard Kam Dewberry was one of those who got away from Texas and ended up in Collieville (don’t judge – we all make some questionable decisions in life). He will definitely be back next year.
The two question marks about whether they’ll play another year in College Station are juniors Bryce Foster and Reuben Fatheree. Foster may already be the best center in college football which means he may skip off to the NFL after this season. Fatheree was a freshman All-American and could also be tempted to declare for the draft.
I should also mention incoming freshman running back Rueben Owens a) because of his talent and b) because of his incredible nickname, “Black Unicorn.”
Defensively, the Aggies are absolutely loaded with 5-star defensive linemen. Shemar Turner and Walter Nolan are two of the best. Turner is a junior so he may not back it back to A&M in 2024, but Nolan is a Sophomore and provided he doesn’t portal out, he’ll be back next season.
ARAKANSAS: Younger fans may not appreciate this rivalry as much as older Texas fans do, but trust me, there may be no fan base who hates Texas more than Arkansas. Growing up, I always looked forward to these games … and they were always a battle.
I could be tainted by the fact that my grandfather is from Arkansas. But as he would have told you before he passed, he got out of there as soon as he could. He moved to Austin to go to UT where he stayed until the Great Depression hit and he was forced to go to work. Still, he was damn proud of his time at UT and remained a fan the rest of his life. The Arkansas game was always a big one.
The biggest question mark surrounding next year’s trip to Fayetteville will be whether KJ Jefferson will still be in at quarterback for the Hogs. The redshirt junior could play again next season due to the COVID year. However, he definitely has NFL draft potential, as evidenced by ESPN’s Jordan Reid listing him in a “one to watch” category for the 2024 draft, along with Texas’ Quinn Ewers.
Texas fans who haven’t suffered from selective amnesia will remember Jefferson as the quarterback who led Arkansas to the 40-21 trouncing of Texas the last time the two teams played in 2021. I know it’s a game Hudson Card would like to forget.
Assuming Jefferson is gone, Arkansas will have a new quarterback under center when the two old rivals hook up. True freshman Malachi Singleton is the most likely to take over in 2024. Rivals rated him as a four star and the number five dual threat quarterback in the class. He won the starting job in high school as a freshman so he has a lot of game reps at that level.
Redshirt junior Jacolby Crisswell is another option at quarterback next year. Crisswell transferred in from North Carolina where he was stuck behind Drake Mayes.
Arkansas’ depth chart is actually LOADED with redshirt junior and senior transfers this season which means they could be an experienced, tough team in 2023 … but an inexperienced squad in 2024. Still, you have to expect that head coach Sam Pittman will have them playing a tough brand of football.
GEORGIA: Are you not happy with this Longhorn fans? This is definitely the marquee conference matchup at DKR next year. This is why you change conferences in the first place … so that you can replace home matchups against Iowa State or Kansas State with games against Georgia.
I do find it funny that Georgia has never played a game against A&M in College Station, despite the Aggies being in the conference for 12 years. Now, Texas gets the Bulldogs at home in their first season.
I could very well break down the talented players who Georgia will bring with them to Austin, but instead, I’ll just give you a link to their roster.
Just take a look at where Georgia finished in the recruiting rankings over the past couple of years:
2023: 2
2022: 3
2021: 5
2020: 1
Seriously, the whole damn team is good.
Quarterback Carson Beck could go pro with a huge year this season, but he could come back for 2024 as well. And even if Beck does move on, sophomore Brock Vandagriff will be ready to take over.
If you want some good news, the Bulldog defense is loaded with upperclassmen this season. The bad news? Go back and look at the recruiting rankings above. Georgia is the definition of they don’t rebuild, they reload. Plus, they’re still going to be coached by Kirby Smart who is as good a defensive mind as there is in college football.
FLORIDA: The last time Texas and Florida played each other in football (1940), Pearl Harbor was just some Navy base in Hawaii and the U.S.S. Arizona still floated.
If Sankey was serious about providing competitive balance to the conference schedule, he may have done Texas a favor by adding UF to the slate.
The Gators went 6-7 under first-year head coach Billy Napier last season. That just won’t cut it in Gainesville. If they have a similar season this year, I’m not sure Napier gets a third season, meaning UF will be in a complete rebuild mode come 2024.
UF’s prospects of turning things around don’t look good this year. They’ll be relying on former Wisconsin quarterback Graham Mertz to lead them. The junior quarterback had his best season as a starter last year, and still only managed a 135.0 QB rating.
The Gators' defense wasn’t much better (97th in total defense). Princely Umanmielen (that name should ring a bell for you recruiting junkies) may be the best player on the Gator defense. The Manor, TX native totaled 4.5 sacks in his first full season as a starter. Umanmielen is just a sophomore this year. In fact, the entire defense is a young unit so they should be more experienced by the time they take on Texas next year.
On the upside, my Dad is a Florida alum, getting ABD on his doctorate at UF. I’m hoping I can take him to Austin for the game.
MISSISSIPPI STATE: I was going to call this the Cole Patterson bowl but since Cole has now left Orangebloods for Rivals, I’m going to go back to Jackie Sherrill.
Sherrill, who led Texas A&M through its heyday in the ‘80s, took over at Mississippi State in 1991. As fortune would have it (for Sherrill), there was a home and home scheduled with Texas in ’91 and ’92.
In 1991, the Bulldogs beat Texas at home 13-6. Despite being the defending SWC champions, the Horns were not very good that year – they went 5-6 and got coach David McWilliams fired.
The next year, with John Mackovic now in charge, Mississippi State came to Austin for the rematch. Sherrill, leaving nothing to chance, had a bull castrated on the practice field prior to pump his boys up.
I’m not sure if it was the gruesome gambit or the fact that Texas was still not very good, but Mississippi State won the game 28-10.
These days, there is a new head coach in Starkville after the tragic passing of former head coach Mike Leach.
Former defensive coordinator Zach Arnett is taking over the team. Arnett was considered a rising star in the college coaching ranks prior to getting the job. He runs a 3-3-5 defense, which he learned under his mentor Rocky Long. (Arnett played for long at the University of New Mexico and coached under him for nine years at San Diego State.)
The Bulldogs had one of the better defenses in the SEC last season and with a roster full of seniors, they should be able to be even better this season. The good news for Texas is that means they will have a depleted roster in 2024.
I honestly don’t know what to expect out of Mississippi State offensively. Kevin Barbay takes over as offensive coordinator (although no one can ever replace Leach). The Nederland, TX native has spent time coaching at Appalachian State and Central Michigan.
Mississippi State’s website touts the fact that Barbay’s offenses the last two seasons have averaged 448.01 yards per game, which ranks in the top 20 nationally.
Senior quarterback Will Rogers owns the SEC record for career completions – but this will be his last year on campus. Vanderbilt transfer Mike Wright is listed as a senior but assuming he doesn’t win the gig this year, could return as a COVID redshirt senior for 2024. A number of younger quarterbacks are also on the roster, but I’m not sure any of them will strike fear in the hearts of any defenses.
KENTUCKY: It’s Stoops vs. Texas – again.
What Mark Stoops has been able to do at Kentucky is nothing short of remarkable. In more than 100 seasons of football, the Wildcats have just 22 seven-win seasons. Mark Stoops is responsible for six of those. That ties him with another coach you may have heard of, Bear Bryant.
Stoops wins with defense. The Wildcats finished last season 12th in total defense. Those Stoops boys know a thing or two about that side of the ball.
But as good as Stoops has been, he’s also limited in what he can do in Lexington. Reloading does not exist at Kentucky … at least not with any sport other than basketball. Stoops has hit the transfer portal hard in order to shore up the losses he’s had to the NFL.
Devin Leary transferred to UK to replace Will Levis at QB this year (Levis was a second-round pick of the Tennessee Titans). Leary is a damn good quarterback and he should have a lot of success playing in blue. But the good news for Texas is that Leary will be off to the NFL himself after this season and there isn’t anybody on the roster after him that will scare you.
By the way, Texas leads the all-time series against Kentucky 7-6. The last game was in 1951, which Texas won. The coach of that KU team? That’s right … Bear Bryant.
VANDERBILT: I'm not sure how it came to be, but Nashville has become the bachelorette party capital of the world.
Fortunately for Texas, the Commodores are playing like they've been attending a few too many of those shindigs. Vandy's over/under for this year is about 3.5.
Unfortunately for Texas, Vandy leads the all-time series against UT, eight games to three. There's work to do.
NON-CONFERENCE SLATE:
We already knew most of the non-conference schedule for next year. The Michigan game in the Big House is the big one. That was originally slated to be played in Austin, but was moved to be a road game in order to give Fox a marquee game with Texas as compensation for allowing UT to move to the SEC a year early. Remember, Fox doesn't have the rights to any SEC games so they're losing out on getting to show UT & OU games.
However, because the SEC is only going to an eight-game conference schedule, Texas had to find an extra non-conference opponent for next year - and it had to do it in fairly short order.
Lost in all of the SEC hullabaloo was the fact that Texas filled out the fourth non-conference spot with ULM.
One of the more interesting aspects of the ULM game is that it's already scheduled for September 21st. That means there won't be the typical SEC non-conference game in November.
That leaves a pretty heft Texas home slate for next season.
2024 TEXAS FOOTBALL SCHEDULE:
HOME:
Aug. 31 – Colorado State – DKR (time & television TBD)
Sep. 14 – UTSA – DKR (time & television TBD)
Sep. 21 - ULM - DKR (time & television TBD)
Georgia – DKR (time & television TBD)
Florida - DKR (time & television TBD)
Kentucky - DKR (time & television TBD)
Mississippi State – DKR (time & television TBD)
AWAY:
Sep. 7 – Michigan – Michigan Stadium (Fox – time TBD … but bet money it will be the Big Noon game on Fox - 12 ET)
Oct. 12 – OU – Dallas (time & television TBD)
Nov. 29 – Texas A&M – College Station (time & television TBD) (***LIKELY DATE***)
Arkansas – Fayetteville, AR (time & television TBD)
Vanderbilt- Nashville (time & television TBD)
HEARTBREAK IN PALO ALTO
There’s just no other way to put it. The Texas Longhorn 2023 baseball season came to a sickening end.
With two outs in the bottom of the ninth and the game tied at six apiece, Stanford’s Drew Bowser hit a pop fly which should have been a routine, sending the game into extra innings.
But as the ball skied into the air, Texas’ left fielder, Dylan Campbell and center fielder Eric Kennedy both looked at each other and knew both had lost it in the twilight.
“I'm pretty sure that I probably saw what everyone else saw,” said second baseman Jack O’Dowd. “Solid off the bat and then about 10 feet into the air, (the) ball just disappears. Next time everyone saw it, it was on the ground.”
That the Longhorn season came to an end with a thud in the outfield is an especially cruel twist of fate.
Dylan Campbell has been Texas’ best defensive player on a team that is among the best in the nation in fielding percentage. He regularly makes catches that would make Willie Mays blush. Campbell’s fielding has been so impressive, it actually outshone his 38-game hitting streak, in my opinion.
But it was the last put-out chance, of perhaps his Longhorn career, that fell impotently in front of him.
“Me and EK couldn’t see the ball off the bat,” Campbell told KXAN’s Roger Wallace. “That was just very fortunate on their end that it happened like that. I guess we’ve just got to move forward. There’s nothing we can do about it now, it’s over.”
Our very own King of Ping, @DustinMcComas described how hard it can be to play that kind of pop-up in Stanford at that time of day.
Head coach David Pierce felt bad for his team.
“It's unfortunate that our game ended like that,” Pierce said. "Our players played their hearts out, definitely deserved better. Unbelievable heartbreaker."
This is a Texas team that, quite frankly, played above their talent level. Yet, the Horns found a way to come together as a team. Their sum was greater than their individual parts.
"It was such a fun season," O'Dowd said. "The way that we started, in some ways it was fun because it made for a really, really great story when we started to get it going. Once we got it going, we were all rolling together and it was great, we kept that going. When we hit bumps again, we just kept moving through it. It was great to see the team come together."
The Horns just didn’t have enough pitching to make it back to Omaha. Pierce had his Friday starter in place in Lucas Gordon, but spent much of the year trying to figure out the rest of the rotation. But as the temperatures started heating up, so did Lebarron Johnson Jr. who cemented his place as the number two starter, and an elite talent.
Beyond that, there were far more question marks than answers. Zane Morehouse figured to be a weekend starter when the season started, but struggled in the role and ended up in the bullpen. Eventually, he found his way there and became a solid reliever – albeit an inconsistent one.
Texas was inconsistent at the plate as well. They were a team capable of scoring runs in bunches. They hit .293 as a team and their 91 home runs for the season was the second-best mark in UT history.
And yet, they were a team whose bats sometimes went cold (especially on the road). The Longhorns stranded 17 runners on base in Palo Alto – to go along with 28 strikeouts during their two losses to Stanford.
Nobody who watched this team throughout the season would have said they were one of the eight best teams in the country. And yet, they found a way to come together and play as a team. That’s why they were just a twilight pop fly away from ending up in Omaha for a record 39th time.
Heartbreaking.
TWEETS OF INTEREST:
Texas’ loss to Stanford in baseball helped the Cardinals lock up the Director’s Cup for the most successful collegiate athletics department in the country. Texas was the two-time defending champion of the Director’s Cup, but Stanford had won it 25 years in a row before that. Now it heads back to Palo Alto. Still, Texas being able to say every team made it to the postseason is something everyone in Bellmont can be proud of.
Peyton and Eli gave a motivational speech at Notre Dame and it is a good example of what you can expect to see from Arch while he’s on campus. The Mannings know how to put in the work to be the best.
Of course this feels like the right time to bring up the excellent reporting from @Anwar Richardson in last week’s War Room that Quinn Ewers has rededicated himself and is doing everything he can to be the quarterback everyone expects him to be.
You think Houston isn’t excited to be in the Big 12 and hosting UT at home this season?
Colorado is just waiting patiently (for now) to find out what the Pac-12 can deliver for its media rights deal. If it doesn’t match what the Big 12 has already delivered, you can expect the Buffaloes to come charging back to the Big 12.
If you haven’t had the chance to check out Joel Klatt’s conversation with Deion Sanders, do yourself a favor and give it a listen. It is easy to see why Coach Prime is such an effective recruiter.
I keep telling you guys, Deion is going to be a thorn in UT’s side when it comes to recruits. He’s comin’.
ESM owner Brandon is a longtime Orangebloods member @Txbaseball22 . Elite Sports Media has THE BEST in Longhorn memorabilia anywhere. You can find memorabilia from UT legends such as Vince Young, Ricky Williams, Sam Ehlinger, Cat Osterman and Ivan Melendez. He also works with current Longhorns such as Quinn Ewers and Xavier Worthy.
This week ESM is extremely proud to announce a future signing with star Longhorn wide receiver AD Mitchell!
Mitchell has been turning heads from the moment he arrived on campus from Georgia. And if you listened to the Modcast this week, you know that I think AD Mitchell is due for a breakout season. This is an exciting opportunity to get his autograph while you can.
If there is some kind of memorabilia you're looking for, please reach out to Brandon - he can probably get it.
You can reach Brandon via email at esmsportsut@gmail.com, or on facebook at Elite Sports Memorabilia if you have any questions or would like to place an order.
Social Media
Facebook Elite Sports Mem
Twitter @EliteSportsMem
Tik Tok elite sports mem
IG Elite_Sports_Memorabilia_UT
EBAY STORE:
Ebay Elite Sports Memorabilia UT
JOIN THE GROUP:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/elitesportsmemorabilia/?ref=share_group_link
===========================================================================
We now know most of Texas’ football schedule for it’s first year in the SEC, and hang on to your Stetson’s because next season is going to be a doozy.
The conference unveiled the opponents for next season during a special event on the SEC Network this evening (Wednesday). The opponents are now known, but the dates and times will come out at a later date (likely next year).
SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey lived up to his words when he told reporters last month that the conference was trying to have some competitive balance while also getting some traditional matchups.
"I think I've been clear about honoring traditional rivals so I'm excited about that,” Sankey said. “We understand the priorities. (We will) definitely to the extent we can (schedule secondary rivals)."
Texas’ first season in the SEC will feature road games against traditional rivals Arkansas and Texas A&M – as well as the annual matchup against OU in Dallas.
Let’s take a look at each of the conference opponents:
OU: This game will definitely stay with the traditional second Saturday in October at the State Fair.
OU will likely be breaking in a new quarterback next season. Dillon Gabriel can technically take his COVID year redshirt next season and play again, but if he has the type of year that many are expecting from him, then he could be in line for a decent draft position.
You can expect a lot of turnover along the offensive line with the entire side of the unit being redshirt seniors this year. Center Andrew Raym is a senior and right guard and tackle are redshirt juniors.
Defenisvely, you expect a Venables led team to be pretty stout. Sophomore Linebacker Dasan McCullough transferred in from Indiana where he earned Freshman All-America honors last year – so he will definitely be back for the start of SEC play.
Safety Billy Bowman may be the best player on OU’s team and he’s only a junior this year so it’s possible he could come back, but he may also be headed to the NFL draft with another good year this season.
Danny Stutsman is in the same category. The junior linebacker racked up a whopping 125 tackles as a sophomore last season. Whether he plays in the SEC in 2024 could depend on what he’s hearing about his draft prospects.
All in all, Texas fans know what they’re going to get when they show up at the State Fair in October – cold beer in wax cups, the best damn corn dogs on the planet and an all out brawl between two teams who really don’t like each other. This time, the SEC title is in play.
A&M: The rivalry is back on for the first time since Justin Tucker booted the Aggies out of the Big 12 in 2011.
All that’s happened since then is Tucker has proven himself to be the greatest kicker of all time … and the Aggies hired Jimbo Fisher.
Texas fans will recognize many of the names wearing maroon during next year’s matchup because a lot of those guys were recruited by UT.
Jimbo will have plenty of talent on the offensive side of the ball. Connor Weigman is a very talented quarterback. He had a nice freshman season taking over in the final five games. He should win the starting job again this year (although senior Max Johnson will have something to say about that). Give him another season of experience and he could really be hitting his stride by the time Texas travels to College Station.
Evan Stewart, the ultra-talented wide receiver, will be entering his final season at A&M next year (assuming he doesn’t portal out of there – which may be a big assumption). Stewart has already displayed skills that will make him a coveted NFL target. I have to assume his junior season will be his last at A&M.
The offensive line will be very experienced by the time Texas plays A&M. Trey Zuhn started all 11 games at left tackle last year as a redshirt freshman. You don’t do that in the SEC without some kind of skills. Left guard Kam Dewberry was one of those who got away from Texas and ended up in Collieville (don’t judge – we all make some questionable decisions in life). He will definitely be back next year.
The two question marks about whether they’ll play another year in College Station are juniors Bryce Foster and Reuben Fatheree. Foster may already be the best center in college football which means he may skip off to the NFL after this season. Fatheree was a freshman All-American and could also be tempted to declare for the draft.
I should also mention incoming freshman running back Rueben Owens a) because of his talent and b) because of his incredible nickname, “Black Unicorn.”
Defensively, the Aggies are absolutely loaded with 5-star defensive linemen. Shemar Turner and Walter Nolan are two of the best. Turner is a junior so he may not back it back to A&M in 2024, but Nolan is a Sophomore and provided he doesn’t portal out, he’ll be back next season.
ARAKANSAS: Younger fans may not appreciate this rivalry as much as older Texas fans do, but trust me, there may be no fan base who hates Texas more than Arkansas. Growing up, I always looked forward to these games … and they were always a battle.
I could be tainted by the fact that my grandfather is from Arkansas. But as he would have told you before he passed, he got out of there as soon as he could. He moved to Austin to go to UT where he stayed until the Great Depression hit and he was forced to go to work. Still, he was damn proud of his time at UT and remained a fan the rest of his life. The Arkansas game was always a big one.
The biggest question mark surrounding next year’s trip to Fayetteville will be whether KJ Jefferson will still be in at quarterback for the Hogs. The redshirt junior could play again next season due to the COVID year. However, he definitely has NFL draft potential, as evidenced by ESPN’s Jordan Reid listing him in a “one to watch” category for the 2024 draft, along with Texas’ Quinn Ewers.
Texas fans who haven’t suffered from selective amnesia will remember Jefferson as the quarterback who led Arkansas to the 40-21 trouncing of Texas the last time the two teams played in 2021. I know it’s a game Hudson Card would like to forget.
Assuming Jefferson is gone, Arkansas will have a new quarterback under center when the two old rivals hook up. True freshman Malachi Singleton is the most likely to take over in 2024. Rivals rated him as a four star and the number five dual threat quarterback in the class. He won the starting job in high school as a freshman so he has a lot of game reps at that level.
Redshirt junior Jacolby Crisswell is another option at quarterback next year. Crisswell transferred in from North Carolina where he was stuck behind Drake Mayes.
Arkansas’ depth chart is actually LOADED with redshirt junior and senior transfers this season which means they could be an experienced, tough team in 2023 … but an inexperienced squad in 2024. Still, you have to expect that head coach Sam Pittman will have them playing a tough brand of football.
GEORGIA: Are you not happy with this Longhorn fans? This is definitely the marquee conference matchup at DKR next year. This is why you change conferences in the first place … so that you can replace home matchups against Iowa State or Kansas State with games against Georgia.
I do find it funny that Georgia has never played a game against A&M in College Station, despite the Aggies being in the conference for 12 years. Now, Texas gets the Bulldogs at home in their first season.
I could very well break down the talented players who Georgia will bring with them to Austin, but instead, I’ll just give you a link to their roster.
Just take a look at where Georgia finished in the recruiting rankings over the past couple of years:
2023: 2
2022: 3
2021: 5
2020: 1
Seriously, the whole damn team is good.
Quarterback Carson Beck could go pro with a huge year this season, but he could come back for 2024 as well. And even if Beck does move on, sophomore Brock Vandagriff will be ready to take over.
If you want some good news, the Bulldog defense is loaded with upperclassmen this season. The bad news? Go back and look at the recruiting rankings above. Georgia is the definition of they don’t rebuild, they reload. Plus, they’re still going to be coached by Kirby Smart who is as good a defensive mind as there is in college football.
FLORIDA: The last time Texas and Florida played each other in football (1940), Pearl Harbor was just some Navy base in Hawaii and the U.S.S. Arizona still floated.
If Sankey was serious about providing competitive balance to the conference schedule, he may have done Texas a favor by adding UF to the slate.
The Gators went 6-7 under first-year head coach Billy Napier last season. That just won’t cut it in Gainesville. If they have a similar season this year, I’m not sure Napier gets a third season, meaning UF will be in a complete rebuild mode come 2024.
UF’s prospects of turning things around don’t look good this year. They’ll be relying on former Wisconsin quarterback Graham Mertz to lead them. The junior quarterback had his best season as a starter last year, and still only managed a 135.0 QB rating.
The Gators' defense wasn’t much better (97th in total defense). Princely Umanmielen (that name should ring a bell for you recruiting junkies) may be the best player on the Gator defense. The Manor, TX native totaled 4.5 sacks in his first full season as a starter. Umanmielen is just a sophomore this year. In fact, the entire defense is a young unit so they should be more experienced by the time they take on Texas next year.
On the upside, my Dad is a Florida alum, getting ABD on his doctorate at UF. I’m hoping I can take him to Austin for the game.
MISSISSIPPI STATE: I was going to call this the Cole Patterson bowl but since Cole has now left Orangebloods for Rivals, I’m going to go back to Jackie Sherrill.
Sherrill, who led Texas A&M through its heyday in the ‘80s, took over at Mississippi State in 1991. As fortune would have it (for Sherrill), there was a home and home scheduled with Texas in ’91 and ’92.
In 1991, the Bulldogs beat Texas at home 13-6. Despite being the defending SWC champions, the Horns were not very good that year – they went 5-6 and got coach David McWilliams fired.
The next year, with John Mackovic now in charge, Mississippi State came to Austin for the rematch. Sherrill, leaving nothing to chance, had a bull castrated on the practice field prior to pump his boys up.
I’m not sure if it was the gruesome gambit or the fact that Texas was still not very good, but Mississippi State won the game 28-10.
These days, there is a new head coach in Starkville after the tragic passing of former head coach Mike Leach.
Former defensive coordinator Zach Arnett is taking over the team. Arnett was considered a rising star in the college coaching ranks prior to getting the job. He runs a 3-3-5 defense, which he learned under his mentor Rocky Long. (Arnett played for long at the University of New Mexico and coached under him for nine years at San Diego State.)
The Bulldogs had one of the better defenses in the SEC last season and with a roster full of seniors, they should be able to be even better this season. The good news for Texas is that means they will have a depleted roster in 2024.
I honestly don’t know what to expect out of Mississippi State offensively. Kevin Barbay takes over as offensive coordinator (although no one can ever replace Leach). The Nederland, TX native has spent time coaching at Appalachian State and Central Michigan.
Mississippi State’s website touts the fact that Barbay’s offenses the last two seasons have averaged 448.01 yards per game, which ranks in the top 20 nationally.
Senior quarterback Will Rogers owns the SEC record for career completions – but this will be his last year on campus. Vanderbilt transfer Mike Wright is listed as a senior but assuming he doesn’t win the gig this year, could return as a COVID redshirt senior for 2024. A number of younger quarterbacks are also on the roster, but I’m not sure any of them will strike fear in the hearts of any defenses.
KENTUCKY: It’s Stoops vs. Texas – again.
What Mark Stoops has been able to do at Kentucky is nothing short of remarkable. In more than 100 seasons of football, the Wildcats have just 22 seven-win seasons. Mark Stoops is responsible for six of those. That ties him with another coach you may have heard of, Bear Bryant.
Stoops wins with defense. The Wildcats finished last season 12th in total defense. Those Stoops boys know a thing or two about that side of the ball.
But as good as Stoops has been, he’s also limited in what he can do in Lexington. Reloading does not exist at Kentucky … at least not with any sport other than basketball. Stoops has hit the transfer portal hard in order to shore up the losses he’s had to the NFL.
Devin Leary transferred to UK to replace Will Levis at QB this year (Levis was a second-round pick of the Tennessee Titans). Leary is a damn good quarterback and he should have a lot of success playing in blue. But the good news for Texas is that Leary will be off to the NFL himself after this season and there isn’t anybody on the roster after him that will scare you.
By the way, Texas leads the all-time series against Kentucky 7-6. The last game was in 1951, which Texas won. The coach of that KU team? That’s right … Bear Bryant.
VANDERBILT: I'm not sure how it came to be, but Nashville has become the bachelorette party capital of the world.
Fortunately for Texas, the Commodores are playing like they've been attending a few too many of those shindigs. Vandy's over/under for this year is about 3.5.
Unfortunately for Texas, Vandy leads the all-time series against UT, eight games to three. There's work to do.
NON-CONFERENCE SLATE:
We already knew most of the non-conference schedule for next year. The Michigan game in the Big House is the big one. That was originally slated to be played in Austin, but was moved to be a road game in order to give Fox a marquee game with Texas as compensation for allowing UT to move to the SEC a year early. Remember, Fox doesn't have the rights to any SEC games so they're losing out on getting to show UT & OU games.
However, because the SEC is only going to an eight-game conference schedule, Texas had to find an extra non-conference opponent for next year - and it had to do it in fairly short order.
Lost in all of the SEC hullabaloo was the fact that Texas filled out the fourth non-conference spot with ULM.
One of the more interesting aspects of the ULM game is that it's already scheduled for September 21st. That means there won't be the typical SEC non-conference game in November.
That leaves a pretty heft Texas home slate for next season.
2024 TEXAS FOOTBALL SCHEDULE:
HOME:
Aug. 31 – Colorado State – DKR (time & television TBD)
Sep. 14 – UTSA – DKR (time & television TBD)
Sep. 21 - ULM - DKR (time & television TBD)
Georgia – DKR (time & television TBD)
Florida - DKR (time & television TBD)
Kentucky - DKR (time & television TBD)
Mississippi State – DKR (time & television TBD)
AWAY:
Sep. 7 – Michigan – Michigan Stadium (Fox – time TBD … but bet money it will be the Big Noon game on Fox - 12 ET)
Oct. 12 – OU – Dallas (time & television TBD)
Nov. 29 – Texas A&M – College Station (time & television TBD) (***LIKELY DATE***)
Arkansas – Fayetteville, AR (time & television TBD)
Vanderbilt- Nashville (time & television TBD)
HEARTBREAK IN PALO ALTO
There’s just no other way to put it. The Texas Longhorn 2023 baseball season came to a sickening end.
With two outs in the bottom of the ninth and the game tied at six apiece, Stanford’s Drew Bowser hit a pop fly which should have been a routine, sending the game into extra innings.
But as the ball skied into the air, Texas’ left fielder, Dylan Campbell and center fielder Eric Kennedy both looked at each other and knew both had lost it in the twilight.
“I'm pretty sure that I probably saw what everyone else saw,” said second baseman Jack O’Dowd. “Solid off the bat and then about 10 feet into the air, (the) ball just disappears. Next time everyone saw it, it was on the ground.”
That the Longhorn season came to an end with a thud in the outfield is an especially cruel twist of fate.
Dylan Campbell has been Texas’ best defensive player on a team that is among the best in the nation in fielding percentage. He regularly makes catches that would make Willie Mays blush. Campbell’s fielding has been so impressive, it actually outshone his 38-game hitting streak, in my opinion.
But it was the last put-out chance, of perhaps his Longhorn career, that fell impotently in front of him.
“Me and EK couldn’t see the ball off the bat,” Campbell told KXAN’s Roger Wallace. “That was just very fortunate on their end that it happened like that. I guess we’ve just got to move forward. There’s nothing we can do about it now, it’s over.”
Our very own King of Ping, @DustinMcComas described how hard it can be to play that kind of pop-up in Stanford at that time of day.
Head coach David Pierce felt bad for his team.
“It's unfortunate that our game ended like that,” Pierce said. "Our players played their hearts out, definitely deserved better. Unbelievable heartbreaker."
This is a Texas team that, quite frankly, played above their talent level. Yet, the Horns found a way to come together as a team. Their sum was greater than their individual parts.
"It was such a fun season," O'Dowd said. "The way that we started, in some ways it was fun because it made for a really, really great story when we started to get it going. Once we got it going, we were all rolling together and it was great, we kept that going. When we hit bumps again, we just kept moving through it. It was great to see the team come together."
The Horns just didn’t have enough pitching to make it back to Omaha. Pierce had his Friday starter in place in Lucas Gordon, but spent much of the year trying to figure out the rest of the rotation. But as the temperatures started heating up, so did Lebarron Johnson Jr. who cemented his place as the number two starter, and an elite talent.
Beyond that, there were far more question marks than answers. Zane Morehouse figured to be a weekend starter when the season started, but struggled in the role and ended up in the bullpen. Eventually, he found his way there and became a solid reliever – albeit an inconsistent one.
Texas was inconsistent at the plate as well. They were a team capable of scoring runs in bunches. They hit .293 as a team and their 91 home runs for the season was the second-best mark in UT history.
And yet, they were a team whose bats sometimes went cold (especially on the road). The Longhorns stranded 17 runners on base in Palo Alto – to go along with 28 strikeouts during their two losses to Stanford.
Nobody who watched this team throughout the season would have said they were one of the eight best teams in the country. And yet, they found a way to come together and play as a team. That’s why they were just a twilight pop fly away from ending up in Omaha for a record 39th time.
Heartbreaking.
TWEETS OF INTEREST:
Texas’ loss to Stanford in baseball helped the Cardinals lock up the Director’s Cup for the most successful collegiate athletics department in the country. Texas was the two-time defending champion of the Director’s Cup, but Stanford had won it 25 years in a row before that. Now it heads back to Palo Alto. Still, Texas being able to say every team made it to the postseason is something everyone in Bellmont can be proud of.
Peyton and Eli gave a motivational speech at Notre Dame and it is a good example of what you can expect to see from Arch while he’s on campus. The Mannings know how to put in the work to be the best.
Of course this feels like the right time to bring up the excellent reporting from @Anwar Richardson in last week’s War Room that Quinn Ewers has rededicated himself and is doing everything he can to be the quarterback everyone expects him to be.
You think Houston isn’t excited to be in the Big 12 and hosting UT at home this season?
Colorado is just waiting patiently (for now) to find out what the Pac-12 can deliver for its media rights deal. If it doesn’t match what the Big 12 has already delivered, you can expect the Buffaloes to come charging back to the Big 12.
If you haven’t had the chance to check out Joel Klatt’s conversation with Deion Sanders, do yourself a favor and give it a listen. It is easy to see why Coach Prime is such an effective recruiter.
I keep telling you guys, Deion is going to be a thorn in UT’s side when it comes to recruits. He’s comin’.
Last edited:
