
(From Anwar)
Texas football coach Steve Sarkisian is not putting his head in the sand as relates to the lack of connection between quarterback Quinn Ewers and his receivers.
The passing game has struggled throughout this season. Sarkisian recently told the media he believed it was necessary to consistently attempt deep passes to keep opposing defenses honest. Bijan Robinson had 30 carries for 209 yards and one touchdown during a win against Kansas State. However, Sarkisian called 49 pass plays during a loss against Oklahoma State and 39 during TCU’s recent victory against Texas. Robinson carried the ball only 12 times for 29 yards during that loss.
Several players within Sarkisian’s locker room are frustrated with the team’s struggles on offense this season. Worthy has looked frustrated at times when Ewers’ pass attempts went incomplete. I was told other players on offense are also frustrated. In addition, multiple players on Sarkisian’s defense believed Texas could have defeated TCU with a better offensive performance.
To be clear, the frustrations within Sarkisian’s locker room do not mirror the insubordination that occurred last season. From what I can tell, nobody is ready to check out. Everyone is focused on winning the last two games. There have been whispers about certain players entering the transfer portal after the season. However, that is a natural occurrence and sometimes unhappy players are talked off the ledge after the season. I would not overreact to any rumors at this moment.
Nevertheless, Sarkisian held a private meeting with several key offensive players this week.
According to my sources, Sarkisian met with Ewers, Robinson, Worthy, Roschon Johnson, and Jordan Whittington to get his players on the same page. I was told Sarkisian challenged each player to step up during the final two games. My sources did not want to share the details of Sarkisian’s private meeting. However, Sarkisian specifically said he wanted Ewers to play better but is counting on everyone else to step up, too.
I was told everyone involved in the meeting has a good week of practice. Time will tell if that translates into on-the-field success against Kansas on Saturday.
“The reality of it is this,” Sarkisian said on Thursday. “We have an opportunity if we can win our final two games, there's an opportunity there that presents where we can be in the Big 12 Championship Game. I like to do that with the guys (discuss big-picture goals) because I don't like them to act like I'm not aware of what's happening. We're aware and I'm transparent with them. But then I turn right around and I drill right down to what's the most important thing and that's this week's game. And then what's the most important thing to this week's game, and that's today.
“In our world, we say it all the time, today is the most important day. Making sure that we have the focus, the mental intensity on today of what we're doing, what we're trying to accomplish, why it's important to accomplish these things, and what it can mean for Saturday.”
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Here is a small note worth passing on to everyone.
Signing Day is on December 21, the third Wednesday of that month. However, the last day of school before Christmas break for some students is on December 16. I touched base with the families of multiple Longhorn recruits and signing day may not have the same feel.
Some schools are discussing doing a signing day ceremony before the Christmas break. Others might have a ceremony after the holidays. A few are discussing opening up their doors for athletes of signing day with a small gathering. However, every player may not have the traditional experience of signing a scholarship in their school’s auditorium on signing day. Some athletes may simply sign their scholarship paperwork at home that day and have a private celebration.
It will be interesting to see how many schools figure out how to celebrate their athletes between now and signing day.
*****
(From Suchomel)
Not a lot new to report on 5-star linebacker Anthony Hill from what we were able to gather on Sunday, when his father told us it was a good visit to Texas on Saturday but no decision had been made and visits to A&M and/or Alabama were still possible.
We were able to connect with a couple more people who spent some time with Hill during his visit, and it doesn’t sound like Hill tipped his hand at all on where he might be leaning. One person compared Hill to a player like Malik Muhammad or even Derion Gullette in that he doesn’t talk much about his recruitment, and he does a good job of purposefully keeping people guessing.
In a recruitment where we’re forced to read between the lines, it can’t be a bad thing that Hill was wearing a Texas coat to school this week. It’s a small sign, but enough of those small signs can sometimes tell a story. From UT’s perspective, you would have liked to have seen Denton Ryan make a deep playoff run to occupy more of Hill’s weekends and make trips to other campuses more difficult, but that wasn’t in the cards with Ryan falling to Red Oak by one point in the opening round of the playoffs last week.
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Wide receiver Deandre Moore told Rivals.com this week that he had a really good visit to Texas last weekend, that he really connected with Brennan Marion and he likes the idea of catching passes from Arch Manning in college. Those are all positive developments, of course, but Moore also raved about his recent trip to Georgia.
The Louisville commitment is expected to be back on the Louisville campus this weekend for an unofficial visit (that’ll take some effort with Bosco playing Friday night and Louisville playing at 2:30 on Saturday).
Moore is another that’s saying all the right things about all the programs he’s looking at so it’s impossible to say where Texas fits in for sure, but one source told us he feels Georgia may have the inside track right now.
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Perhaps no recruit plays the game of offering coachspeak as well as Duce Robinson, the nation’s top tight end prospect. Robinson, out of Phoenix Pinnacle, was another who was on a UT official visit last weekend. He hasn’t commented publicly, but people who spent time with him said it appeared that he was really enjoying himself.
The two-sport standout did meet with the Texas baseball staff and there’s a feeling that those talks went well. Enough to put Texas up there in the talks with Georgia and Southern Cal? Hard to say right now but this one still feels like a bit of a longshot.
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Texas continues to look for additional help on the interior of the defensive line to go along with current commitment Sydir Mitchell. The staff has extended a few offers in recent weeks, including one to Roderick Pierce III, out of Chicago.
In exchanging a few messages with Pierce this week, the Wisconsin commitment and Michigan target (he’ll be in Ann Arbor this weekend) tells OB he will be taking a Texas visit, but he hasn’t locked in a date just yet.
Speaking of Sydir Mitchell, there were some rumblings that the New Jersey product and UT commitment might be renewing his interest with Georgia, but a source tells OB that Texas continues to feel good about its position with the space-eating defensive tackle.
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I mentioned it last weekend, but look for the December 16 weekend to be one last big recruiting push for the Texas staff. The Longhorns are targeting that weekend for many of their remaining official visitors and most of the current commitments will be back on campus as well (unless they’re playing for state championships that weekend).
If things go according to plan, Texas will have a chance to firm up any commitments that might be having any last-minute second thoughts, and it could be a tremendous opportunity for Texas with a player like Anthony Hill if the staff could get him to Austin the weekend before the early signing period.
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Texas OL commitment Payton Kirkland was unable to make it in to Austin last weekend as he had planned due to his flight getting cancelled. No big deal for Kirkland, who seems to be one of the Longhorns’ most solid commitments despite being an out-of-state guy.
Kirkland did watch the Texas game on TV and said he would have loved to have seen the Longhorns get the win, but he sees improvement in Sark’s second year.
“I was at Jaguars game and I heard this - teams go from losing a lot of games, to losing games by a little, to winning games. It’s a process. Give it another year and we’ll be there,” Kirkland said.
If you remember Kirkland’s recruitment, he actually listed a group of about five schools that he was considering shortly before he announced his pledge to Texas. The Longhorns weren’t even in that group of finalists but he said the consistent efforts of Kyle Flood and Sark won him over in the end.
“The craziest part of it is, I’ve never not been talking to UT. Coach Sark and Coach Flood have been there the whole time. They offered me early, as soon as they got to UT. I told them no early in my recruiting process, but we always kept in communication,” Kirkland said. “Even though I wasn’t considering them, coach Flood would still Zoom me and coach me up.”
So what led him to choose Texas before ever having visited the UT campus?
“Faith. None of the schools I was considering had that. After my official visits, you usually have a good idea where you want to be. None of those schools struck me as a place I want to be at. I live my life by faith and not by sight. I had never been to Texas, but I chose faith and stuck to it,” Kirkland said.
Kirkland will be in Austin for his official visit that aforementioned December 16 weekend. He’s one of UT’s most active recruiters.
“I talk to everybody. Duce Robinson, Ja'Kobi Lane, Ant Hill, Deandre Moore, Jelani McDonald. All of our targets, I talk to. Me, Arch (Manning) and Johntay (Cook) are probably the most active recruiters in our class,” Kirkland said. “We know about some of these guys, just waiting on them. I do enjoy the recruiting part of it.”
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(From Cole)
Cedric Baxter has been a hot topic in Texas recruiting. The four-star back out of Orlando has taken multiple visits to Florida State since committing to the Longhorns in August. Additionally, in-state programs Florida and Miami have remained in contact.
Still, in talking to Baxter and multiple sources, I get the sense that Texas should be able to hold onto Baxter’s commitment. Texas has done a great job of recruiting the blue-chip rusher and selling him on what his role and future will be on the 40 Acres.
Assistant coach Tashard Choice deserves a ton of credit here. He started recruiting Baxter when the Longhorns pledge was just starting his recruitment. The two have a strong bond and are very close. That relationship was key in Texas winning out for his commitment and remains crucial down the stretch of the process.
Baxter sees the opportunity to play right out of the gate at Texas with Bijan Robinson and Roschon Johnson set to depart Austin. Steve Sarkisian has let Baxter know to come in ready to go, and he’s fully prepared to grab the bull by the horns as soon as he steps onto campus in January.
Baxter plans on making it back to Texas in December. That happening would all but seal the deal. But even if that does not happen - Baxter mentioned the state title game potentially being a conflict - I still feel really good about Cedric Baxter being in this class. Sources believe it would take something like Choice leaving for a different staff to cause a change here.
It is also worth noting that Arch Manning and Johntay Cook have stayed on Baxter heavy. There are several factors working the Longhorns’ favor here, but we will be keeping a close eye on this situation. Especially if Baxter does end up on another campus this fall.
***
This week, OB will be on-site at a pair of playoff games in the Metroplex. I will be out to see 2024 five-star Colin Simmons, 2024 4-star Ka’Davion Dotson, and 2024 RB Caden Durham, among others, on Friday evening as Duncanville takes on Wylie.
On Saturday, I will be on-site for a heavyweight matchup between South Oak Cliff and Lovejoy. SOC is looking to repeat as state champs, while Lovejoy is looking to avenge last year’s loss and take the next step as a program.
Saturday’s battle will be played at Globe Life Field in Arlington and is headlined by the South Oak Cliff secondary -- which includes Texas commit Malik Muhammad -- and the Lovejoy wide receiver corps. SOC features five FBS DBs, while Lovejoy brings four FBS WRs to the table. Get your popcorn ready for that.
*****
(Ketch)
After finishing off the latest update of my personal Lone Star Recruiting Top 100 list for the 2023 class on Thursday, I thought I'd breakdown some of the work.
Expert a mini-update next month following the Texas state playoffs conclude and then final update in January/February once the final update of the list is completed before the second signing day.
Super Blue Chips Breakdown
Uncommitted: 2
Texas: 4
Oklahoma: 2
Louisville: 1
Notre Dame: 1
Ohio State: 1
Texas A&M: 1
USC: 1
Super Blue Chips By Conference
Uncommitted: 2
Big 12: 6
ACC: 1
Big 10: 1
Independent: 1
Pac-12: 1
SEC: 1
In a world where Texas and Oklahoma are considered SEC schools, it would like this:
SEC: 7
ACC: 1
Big 10: 1
Independent: 1
Pac-12: 1
Top 25 Breakdown
Uncommitted: 3
Texas: 6
Texas A&M: 4
Alabama: 2
Notre Dame: 2
Oklahoma: 2
TCU: 2
Baylor: 1
Louisville: 1
Ohio State: 1
USC: 1
Top 50 Breakdown
Undecided: 9
Texas: 10
Texas A&M: 5
TCU: 4
Notre Dame: 3
Oklahoma: 3
Alabama: 2
Baylor: 2
Clemson: 2
Arkansas: 1
Houston: 1
Louisville: 1
Michigan: 1
Ohio State: 1
Ole Miss: 1
Oregon: 1
Stanford: 1
Texas Tech: 1
USC: 1
Top 5 Biggest Risers
1. Austin Westlake Edge Colton Vasek (Committed to Texas)
I've told you guys for months now that my prospect crush on Vasek has been rising with every passing game during his senior season. When comparing him to No.1 overall prospect David Hicks, Vasek is far superior in quickness, burst off the edge and probably has a slight edge in violence upon impact. Hicks is a stronger player at the point of attack and is physically more prepared to play right away at the next level, but who you'd favor between the two probably come down to what you prefer... a strong-side bull or an edge playmaker.
2. Waxahachie CB Calvin Simpson-Hunt (Committed to Ohio State)
Last season, I kind of viewed CSH as a toolsy defensive back prospect that hadn't yet put it all together on the field as a player, but his performance levels as a senior this season has me buying whatever remaining stock on him I can get. I might even have him a little underrated at No.12 overall in the state.
3. North Mesquite wide receiver Cordale Russell (Committed to TCU)
It's the same exact situation that I had with Simpson-Hunt, as I was kind of underwhelmed by his game film as a junior, but he has me believing he's starting to put together all of his tools in a way that you can see the Sunday upside in him. A lot of schools that put Russell on the back burner in the spring and summer are probably regretting that decision after this season.
4. Red Oak safety Warren Roberson (Committed to TCU)
Check out his senior highlights from HUDL, which were released 10 hours ago. He's gone from a regular ol' four-star level prospect to a Billy Bowman look-a-like.
5. Crandall athlete Samuel Omosigho (Committed to Oklahoma)
I've always been a little cool on Ososigho because I can't quite figure out where I think he plays at the next level, but at some point I just can't take my eyes off of him from an explosive athlete standpoint. I'm not sure that he's a linebacker like he's listed in the database because his physical profile doesn't historically hit big at the next level, but it might be that he's another Jaden Greathouse-type of receiver prospect. The dude can play.
*****
(Keenan)
AJ Johnson, the number nine recruit in the country, did not commit during the early signing period.
Here’s the nationals update:
"Five-star guard AJ Johnson is the third-highest ranked uncommitted prospect left in the 2023 class. Things have been quiet in recent weeks after he had to cancel his official visit to Louisville due to an illness in the family, but here’s where I believe things stand at this time. As of today, Texas can be seen as the leader among the college options. Chris Beard has done a great job of recruiting him and has put the Longhorns in a good spot, but work still needs to be done as Johnson and the people around him would like to see Texas play with more pace this season."
It will be very interesting to see if Johnson reschedules his Louisville visit or adds any other official visits to programs that may have been in the background up until this point. Another significant route for Johnson would be to pursue pro options, and I believe those will be in play until the very end — G-League Ignite and overseas options specifically.
The struggles of Louisville as of late have made them seem like a further and further possibility. They’ve started the season 0-3 with losses to Bellarmine, Wright State, and Appalachian State, all by one point. This, mixed with the on-court success Texas has seen recently, make the Longhorns seem like a more plausible option for AJ if he does in fact go the college route.
**Career night for Ron Holland***
Ronald Holland went for a career-high 31 points as well as 11 rebounds in Duncanville’s victory over Brennan (San Antonio), 73-65. The Texas signee dominated in the 1-0 Panthers’ win, indicating his abilities and what he can be at the next level: a high-energy, high-motor type of player that can dominate the boards as well as fill it up in other categories. Not particularly known as a scorer, Holland was still able to do so in this game as he led the way for both teams in that stat.