THREE THINGS WE LEARNED
1. Texas’ running back recruiting took an interesting turn
Texas recruiting fans were thrown a bit of a curveball when Rivals.com’s Adam Gorney reported in his Rumor Mill column that the Longhorns were “all but eliminated” in the race for five-star running back Jordon Davison. Texas had fallen behind Ohio State in that race … that much was known. But to find out the Longhorns were essentially non-factors for the Mater Dei product was an unexpected revelation.
In checking around on Monday, I think you can pretty much call time on this one as it relates to Texas. Word is that Davison is no longer considering Texas at all, but sources also indicated that it might have been the Longhorns who pulled the plug on this one and chose to focus their running back recruiting efforts elsewhere. This might turn into a case of saving face ... “you can’t fire me, I quit!” ... but it doesn’t really matter in the end. What you need to know here is that Davison is now focused on four schools – Ohio State, Oregon, Alabama and Michigan. For what it’s worth, I don’t believe there are hard feelings on either side, so it’s probably safe to label this one a sort of mutual parting of ways.
Texas, of course, has one running back commitment from Rickey Stewart Jr and the Longhorns are expected to take one more back in this class, with James Simon the leading candidate to fill that second spot. Which leads us to …
2. James Simon is hoping for a May decision
With Monday’s news that Texas was shifting its focusing away from Jordon Davison and vice versa, it got me wondering if things might be close to coming to an end with James Simon, who was in Austin for the Orange-White game. The answer … yes and no.
Simon told OB on Monday that he has internally narrowed things down to two or three schools. The Shreveport (LA) Calvary Baptist Academy product said he hasn’t put out a list publicly and probably won’t, but I think it’s safe to assume the Longhorns are one of the last schools standing. Also, Simon said he’s looking to wrap up his recruitment sometime in May, so we should have a final answer on his decision in the near future.
In looking back at his recent UT visit, Simon said he enjoyed everything about the trip, but mostly it was his time with the Texas staff that really stood out.
“I would say it was definitely the meetings I had with each coach and especially the game itself. But mostly the meetings, the talks with coaches I met with, the head coach, coach (Tashard) Choice, and Brandon Harris,” Simon said.
Of note … Choice will be by Simon’s school tomorrow for a spring evaluation visit.
“I’ve gone everywhere. Really I just need to think about it, level everything out, the pros and cons and see what’s best for me,” Simon said.
3. Texas impressed Rivals100 tight end Brock Harris on his visit on Friday
One of the country’s top prospects in the 2026 class, tight end Brock Harris, was in the state of Texas last week and took the time to visit Texas, Baylor and TCU before competing in the Rivals Camp Series event in Dallas. Harris, out of St. George (UT) Pine View, met with Jeff Banks during his UT visit, picked up a Texas offer and enjoyed the visit overall.
“It was great. I really liked the place, really liked the tight ends coach,” Harris said. “I definitely want to come back for a game. I’m excited to get an offer from them.”
He and his family are still working on plans, but Harris said they’ve already discussed returning for the Longhorns’ home game against Georgia in October.
Harris said he liked what he heard from Banks on his visit, including talks of how the Longhorns use their tight ends.
“Really good (vibe). He’s really passionate,” Harris said. “I like the way he gets the ball to the tight end all the ways he uses them. I’m definitely really excited.”
The 6-6, 225-pound Harris currently ranks No. 35 on the 2026 Rivals100 and he’s holding roughly 30 offers. Texas is suddenly a strong contender.
“They’re definitely high. I don’t have a list in my head right now but they’re definitely high, for sure,” Harris said.
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TWO QUESTIONS
1. Can Texas flip Jonte Newman?
Bridgeland offensive lineman Jonte Newman committed to Texas A&M on April 19, but that one may not be completely dead yet. In talking to Newman this weekend, he did seem pretty happy with his pledge but also said he’d still be taking other official visits, including one to Texas.
“I just want to get the official visit feel. That’s a one-time opportunity and I just want to go to different schools and see how I feel,” Newman said.
Newman said he has a really good relationship with the new Texas A&M staff and likes their energy, but he also likes the bonds he’s built with the Texas staff and the direction the UT program is heading.
“Coach Flood and coach Sark are very good coaches. Texas, they went off last year and I think they’re going to be very good this year,” Newman said. “So that’s definitely a place I want to visit.”
Texas A&M will host Newman on an official visit before his scheduled UT visit, so we’ll see if the trip to Austin still happens after he spends a weekend in College Station. Newman said his final decision will ultimately come down to whichever school and football program can best prepare him for his future.
“It’s just really where I fit in the most and where I think is going to polish my game and make me go to the next level,” he said.
Along with Texas A&M and Texas, Newman is planning to visit TCU and USC.
2. Could Peyton Houston be a quarterback Texas eventually offers?
As a 2027 prospect, quarterback Peyton Houston is still a freshman in high school but he’s already on the radars of several college programs. Houston is holding roughly 15 offers and many other programs, including Texas, have hosted him for visits. In fact, Houston was in Austin this spring to take in a UT practice.
“We went and sat in a team meeting. It’s a lot of the same plays we run at Evangel,” Houston said. “We went to their practice and it was high energy, getting prepared for the SEC. Me and coach (AJ) Milwee have a great connection. I just loved practice.”
This was Houston’s second time visiting Texas and he’s developed a strong connection with the UT staff.
“I love how coach Milwee coaches the quarterbacks hard and the energy he brings to practice. He’s the reason that the quarterbacks, honestly, compete how they compete in games,” Houston said. “Coach Sark is just a great coach, learned from Saban. That’s why the team is where they are now.”
Houston said Texas is “definitely one of the top ones” at this early stage of his recruitment. He understands that UT is very selective in its QB offers, but is hopeful one will come his way at some point.
“They said they want to watch me in my spring game. They’re going to come to a couple practices and depending on how I do there, they could offer me,” Houston said.
Houston plans to be back in Austin for a camp in June.
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ONE PREDICTION – All of OB will be perfectly behaved next week
My wife loves hiking. I'd rather be in front of a TV. She loves to do crazy $#*^ like jumping out of airplanes. I don't like getting on a 6-foot stepladder. She grew up snowboarding in Colorado. I grew up near the Texas coast. She’s a book nerd, a craft nerd. I rarely read and HATE when she drags me to Hobby Lobby or Goodwill. Basically, she and I are complete opposites in a lot of ways. Hell, she hates sports. I’m not sure she could even find her way to Orangebloods.com if she had to (maybe that’s a good thing). It's amazing we've made it 22+ years.
Earlier this year, I was mapping out a couple of weeks where I could try to get away from my crazy OB family and next week was one that didn’t seem too hectic. I love Vegas. She’s not really a fan. But we had free flights and a free room, so it’s off to Vegas we go for a few days. As a bit of a compromise, we’re going to spend one day hiking in the Valley of Fire State Park (shoot me some recommendations if you’ve got them!) before hitting the Strip for a couple of days for some good food, some people watching, some cocktails and hopefully to not give away too much money to the Vegas casinos.
My prediction is that you all will behave while I’m gone. No shenanigans while I’m gone, amirite OB?!?!?!
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