I know it's easy to focus on the losses more than the wins in life, but as it relates to what has happened to Texas football, I'd stress that the focus needs to be on the wins.
Specifically, the addition of Alabama transfer wide receiver Isaiah Bond is a major win. A critical win. A potentially transformative win.
Isaiah Bond is a big, big deal.
Don't ask me, ask Steve Sarkisian, who jumped on a plane for Atlanta the moment that Bond entered the Portal so that he could give him an in-person sales pitch before bringing him in for a visit this weekend. Sarkisian reportedly was aching for a no-doubt-about-it
impact WR1 to emerge in the Portal and had held off on guys like Juice Wells and Deion Burks because he was looking for a player that could give him more than any other wide receiver in the Portal.
It was a risky call, but it paid off this week in a big way and suddenly Sarkisian has a stacked wide receiver room, complete with proven difference makers and young, emerging talent. While Bond, Matthew Golden and Johntay Cook are looking like the top three of the moment, Sarkisian might have the most talented group of second-team players in the country when you consider the recruiting wattage that true freshmen Ryan Wingo and Aaron Butler, along with second-year players DeAndre Moore and Ryan Niblett, bring to the table. None of this even includes Oregon State star Silas Bolden, who is listing the Longhorns as his leader coming out of this weekend's visit.
What remains on the wish list? Nothing has changed, as it likely looks like this in a perfect world: (1) TE, 2 (DT), (1) LB and (1) DB.
The options right now to address those positions appear mostly likely to be:
a. Raid the Alabama, Arizona and Washington rosters, along with any other school that has a coaching change at the top. The Longhorns already addressed the WR need with an Alabama departure. They could address the linebacker position with Kendrick Blackshire (another Alabama departure). The talent pool is limited everywhere else, but impact players are available on these rosters if players decide to test the waters.
b. The Spring window is April 16-30 and you better believe that the Longhorns will be using this window to fill the remaining needs here if it at all possible. In fact, I have a sense that one of the DT spots will almost certainly come from a spring transfer unless needs are filled before then.
The bottom line is that the 2024 roster construction is an ongoing process and that's not likely to change by the end of the month.
For now, enjoy the satisfaction of knowing that possibly the most important need in 2024 has been filled this weekend with Sarkisian's No. 1 dream target.
No. 2 - A look at the updated Scholarship Board ...
No. 3 - A Portal Reminder ...
To continue the discussion from earlier on Sunday, always keep in mind the following about players that the Longhorns want to target in the Portal.
a. Grad transfers are the best. From what I'm told, these guys get through the academic approval process fairly quickly.
b. Younger players are easier to get into school than older players who might have a lot more hours of credit under their belt and find themselves trying to navigate a much trickier academic approval process.
One source that I communicated with on Sunday mentioned that the tricky academic approval process has already kept the Longhorns from signing a handful of players that he believed they would have already signed.
It's just something that the Longhorns have to deal with that not every school they are competing against has to.
No. 4 - Portal Names to Know and Speculate About ...
Tight Ends
Alabama's Amari Niblack - The early word that I have on Sunday afternoon is that this probably won't happen, but this kid is going to be a wanted man after catching 20 passes for 327 yards and 4 touchdowns this season as a sophomore with the Tide. A former mid-four star receiver who was recruited by now-Texas A&M wide receivers coach Holomon Wigging, Niblack was an Alabama lifer who committed in the summer of 2021 after a strong performance at Tide's summer camp.
Stanford's Benjamin Yurosek - He's been a name that the Longhorns have kicked the tires on, but there hasn't been a show of urgency towards the former All-Pac 12 tight end who has 108 receptions, 1,342 yards receiving and 5 touchdowns in his career. Visited Georgia this weekend.
Defensive tackles
Arizona's Bill Norton - The 6-6, 325-pound Norton transferred from Georgia to Arizona and emerged as one of the best nose-tackles in the Pac-12. Led all Wildcats defensive linemen with 30 tackles. Still has his COVID year that would allow him to come back for one more season. This is what new Texas linebackers coach/co-defensive coordinator Johnny Nansen said less than a month ago, "He better come back. He doesn't have a choice."
Linebackers
Alabama's Kendrick Blackshire - Visited the Longhorns this weekend and would definitely add experienced depth to the linebacker room and give the special teams a plus-player.
Arizona's Jacob Manu - He's not in the Portal at the moment, but with Jedd Fisch heading to Washington, the 2023 first-team All-Pac 12 player might find himself thinking about what it might be like to join his former defensive coordinator and position coach in Austin. Recorded 116 tackles, 6.5 sacks and 9.5 tackles for loss in 2023. He's a super bright kid who will have the academic transfer profile (Class of 2022) that might make a move to Texas really easy. New linebackers coach/co-DC Johnny Nansen freaking loves him.
Defensive Backs
Washington's Jabbar Muhammad - The Longhorns are in the mix and could receive a visit before he makes a decision, but there's a sense that the Longhorns have some hurdles to overcome, while battling Oregon and Alabama (among other schools) for his services. The Longhorns did an in-home visit this weekend with Terry Joseph on Saturday, as did Oregon, but the vibe that I'm getting is that the Longhorns are in need of some good bounces to go their way.
No. 5 - Let's talk about Akina's return ...
It's pretty bad ass that the former Longhorns defensive back Yoda is heading back to Austin for an analyst role within Steve Sarkisian's program. His resume speaks for itself. He should be in the Texas Hall of Honor at some point.
Being able to tap into his wealth of knowledge will make for a valuable asset to the program.
That being said, we need to make sure that the response to this isn't similar to the one given to Gary Patterson, which was keen on wanting to give him more credit for success than he deserved and at times undermining the coaches mostly responsible for the success on the field.
We all know that the secondary needs to play at a higher level next season and if that happens, it's not likely going to have a ton to do with a coach that can't get on the field and give out his expertise the way that he once did when he was cranking out All-Americans on the 40 Acres left and right. He'll potentially help with strategies, player evaluation, game plans ... all sorts of behind-the-scenes stuff. He's just not going to be coaching on the field.
The football program is better with his presence in the building, but let's not go crazy with expectations that he can fix the issues that exist. For better or worse, those responsibilities belong in other hands.
No. 6 - Week 2 in Ann Arbor ...
Whatever kind of team the Longhorns face in week two when they travel to face the defending national champions, it won't remotely look like the team that won a national title six days ago.
That point was emphatically made on Sunday when starting quarterback JJ McCarthy and starting running back Blake Corum announced that they would be going to the NFL, joining defensive lineman Kris Jenkins, guard Zak Zinter and linebacker Junior Colson as Wolverines that have turned pro since Monday.
It's very possible that they'll soon be joined by head coach Jim Harbaugh, which would leave the program up to a talent exodus similar to what we've seen in the last week at Alabama and Washington.
From a quarterback standpoint, it's possible that Michigan will pull someone from what remains in the Portal, but the current depth chart looks like this:
Jayden Denegal (Jr.) - 5 career passing attempts
Alex Orji (Jr.) - 1 career passing attempt, 21 career rushing attempts
Davis Warren (Sr.) - 14 career passing attempts
A lot of Michigan fans believe that Orji will emerge as the starter and while there's no question that he's a talented athlete who can hurt you with his feet, he's still a major project from a passing standpoint.
Surely, this roster will make some eventual adjustments, but there's only so much that can be done at this point. If Harbaugh leaves, this team might not warrant being ranked in the Top 25 in September, when it's all said and done.
No. 7 – Updated UT Portal Departure Whereabouts …
Offense
QB: Maalik Murphy (Transferred to Duke)
QB: Charles Wright (Transferred to Appalachian State)
WR: Isaiah Neyor (Transferred to Nebraska)
WR: Casey Cain (Transferred to UNLV)
OL: Sawyer Goram-Welch (Transferred to Coastal Carolina)
Defense
DL: Trill Carter (Transferred to Auburn)
DL: Kris Ross (Undecided)
DB: BJ Allen Jr. (Transferred to North Texas)
DB: Jalen Catalon (Transferred to UNLV)
DB: X'Avion Brice (Transferred to North Texas)
DB: Kitan Crawford (Visiting Nevada this weekend)
DB: Jerrin Thompson (Transferred to Auburn)
DB: Larry Turner-Gooden (Transferred to San Jose State)
No. 8 – BUY or SELL …
(Buy) It might only be by slim margins, but I believe the passing game could be better. The running game should be fairly similar.
(Sell) Xavier Worthy did that about 15 times during the last three years and every time someone asked about it, I was told that old people need to stop trying to read into everything a young person does with their social media.
(Sell) I wish I had more optimism for you.
(Sell) I think he'd likely want prefer going to a place that is better situated to allow him to be WR1. Had the Longhorns not added Isaiah Bond, my answer would be different.
(Buy) I haven't looked at the UM roster yet, but Sark is ruthless.
(Sell) I'm not really worried about the talent in the secondary.
(Buy) In a better version of Ewers, I trust.
(Buy) It's going to be a thing until it's not a thing.
(Sell) I love the options at edge and I think the interior group will be beefed up before the summer. Of course, there will be a decline from 2023, but I'm not convinced that it's going to be the downfall of things.
(Sell) Until he proves he can survive an entire season, I'm going to mentally expect Arch Manning to start a game or two. I've just seen it happen too much in the last decade.
(Buy) He's my dude.
(Sell) It's very possible that the Portal is going to end up adding between 7-10 players for the 2024 year and that's kind of in the sweet spot for a top 5-10 team. If it happened to be me, I might take a few more, but the make-up of the roster that exists is critical to the decision-making.
(Buy) Yes, I do believe so.
(Yes) By Tuesday.
No. 9 – Scattershooting on anything and everything …
... The Texas women's basketball team missed Rori Harmon in Manhattan this week against a very good No.12 Kansas State squad. Just like against Baylor, the Longhorns seem to have enough in the tank to challenge the borderline elite teams, but they are missing the straw that stirs the drink.
... My gut tells me that the Texas men's basketball team is going to be playing in the NIT.
... Kudos to the Texans ... the real NFL team in Texas. Yes, I am a bitter Cowboys fan. No, I do not want to talk about it.
... CJ Stroud is the truth. Dak Prescott is not.
… Christian Harris had some kind of game for the Texans, finishing with 8 tackles, a sack, a quarterback hit, 2 TFL, 1 INT, 1 pass defensed and a touchdown.
... This is worse than Philly fans booing Santa Claus.
... Kevin de Bruyne is back ... he has hair ... and the rest of the league is in real trouble.
... For fans of The Office...
15 best tidbits from Brian Baumgartner's 'Office' oral history, 'Welcome to Dunder Mifflin'
Learn about everything from episode inspo to fan mail from Barack Obama.
mashable.com
... Nothing made me laugh more this weekend than this.
... Humans occasionally have fine moments.
No. 10 - The List: Best Movie Dogs ...
This is such a tough and competitive category that I had to break this list into two parts.
Forgive me for forgetting or not listing your favorite dog.
Let's get to it.
Cartoons/Animated
10. Nana (Peter Pan)
9. Rowlf (The Mupper Movie)
8. Lady (Lady and The Tramp)
7. Slinky Dog (Toy Story)
6. Pongo and Perdita (101 Dalmations)
5. Gigit (Secret Life of Pets)
4. Dug (Up)
3. Tramp (Lady and The Tramp)
2. Copper (The Fox and the Hound)
1. Snoopy (Snoopy Come Home/Peanuts movie)
Real Dogs in Movies
Honorable mention: Mr. Beefy (Little Nicky), Harvey (E.T.), Chopper (Stand by Me), Beethoven (Beethoven), Frank (Men in Black), Buddy (Air Bud), Jack (The Artist), Bruiser (Legally Blonde), Willie (Patton), Hercules (The Sandslot), Daisy (John Wock), Milo (Mask), Verdell (As Good As It Gets), Hooch (Turner and Hooch) and Sam (I Am Legend)
10. Winn-Dixie (Because of Winn-Dixie)
9. Fred (Smokey and the Bandit)
8. Brandy (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood)
7. Old Yeller (Old Yeller)
6. Brinkley (You've Got Mail)
5. Rin Tin Tin (The Man from Hell’s River )
4. Toto (The Wizard of Oz)
3. Lassie (Lassie Come Home)
2. Marley (Marley & Me)
1. Baxter (Anchorman)
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