(Anwar)
* The loss of running backs coach Tashard Choice to the Detroit Lions is considered a significant blow behind the scenes. Not only was Choice viewed as an excellent coach and team leader, but he was also a key recruiter, especially in Georgia. That state was successfully navigated by Choice during recruiting, which makes replacing him difficult, though not impossible, according to my sources.
* One NFL source told me that Choice wanted a larger role in game planning and putting together the offense. Additionally, he desired to work with the offensive line, an opportunity he will have in Detroit.
* Texas wanted Choice to remain on staff, but Detroit was determined to hire him.
How much?
Detroit paid Choice’s buyout of $850,000 to hire him.
* I was informed that Sarkisian is currently assembling a list of candidates. As of Thursday, it was too early to determine which coaches Sarkisian will target.
* However, I have not yet heard either former Texas running backs coach Stan Drayton or Oregon running backs coach Ra’Shad Samples heavily mentioned as candidates. When the Dallas Cowboys pursued Choice a few weeks ago, neither was viewed as a frontrunner for the role.
* Hopefully, for Texas fans, Sarkisian has the same success replacing Choice as he did in finding Blake Gideon’s replacement.
I was told Mark Orphey interviewed in Austin on Monday and immediately emerged as Sarkisian’s top choice. Orphey aced the interview, and his ability to recruit in Houston was a huge selling point.
* According to my sources, it is unclear if Orphey will coach safeties or cornerbacks at Texas. I was told Orphey can coach both positions. However, Sarkisian’s primary goal was to hire Orphey, and he will eventually determine which positions Terry Joseph and Orphey will coach after securing his commitment.
*****
(Alex)
- Just one quick note after catching up with some sources about the Texas wide receiver room this week: Texas did not address the wide receiver position during the first transfer portal window, but that does not mean that bringing in one more WR is off of the table. In fact, I was told that the plan as of right now is actually to bring in one more WR when the spring window opens. I was not told who the target player is (or if there is even a target player in mind) but was told that they'll focus on someone suited to play in the slot as the dedicated depth at that position is thinner behind Deandre Moore than it is perceived to be among the outside receivers. Stay tuned.
*****
(Cody)
* I caught up with one person close to the football team and one more outside source this weekend and asked them about a few different things including the offensive line. It's no secret that Texas made a run at Emmanuel Pregnon (USC to Oregon) and Pat Coogan (Notre Dame to Indiana), but came away empty-handed during the early Transfer Portal window.
I asked the source where they thought the OL room sits as spring practices are approaching next month. I was told Neto Umeozulu is going to get the opportunity at Left Guard with RS Sophomore Jaydon Chatman competing for snaps behind Umeozulu.
* I was also told to expect the freshman Nick Brooks (6-8 360) to begin working behind Trevor Goosby at Left Tackle, our earlier expectations were that Brooks may compete at Right Tackle with Brandon Baker.
* On Trevor Goosby, I was told he, along with a few other players were battling through some sickness the last week or so, but that the goal for Goosby is to put on between 5-10lbs of good weight before next season. Speaking to a separate source on the NFL Draft side of things, I asked if he had watched Goosby at all while evaluating Cam Williams and Kelvin Banks. I was told "Don't be surprised" if he ends up in the first round of some way-too-early 2026 mock drafts this summer. The source added, "The way he came off the bench so late in the season at both Left and Right Tackle against quality opponents, really caught my eye".
*****
(Suchomel)
With the first release of the 2026 Recruiting Board, I thought I’d go through each player on the board and give my thoughts on where things stand. Let’s dive in …
Quarterback
Needs – 1
Commitments – 1
Dia Bell - Plantation (FL) American Heritage – Texas commit – Once again, the Longhorns locked up an elite QB early on.
Running Back
Needs – 1 or 2
Commitments – 0
Javian Osborne – Forney – 50% - I had Texas at about 65% before the news of Tashard Choice’s departure. Osborne will keep an open mind with the new hire but things are more unpredictable now.
KJ Edwards – Carthage – 50% - Similar story to Osborne, although I had him a few percentage points lower than Osborne before the Choice news hit.
Ezavier Crowell - Jackson (AL) – 20% - UT’s odds were fairly low before the Choice news. Crowell has cancelled his Texas official but we’ll see if the new coach can get him back on board.
Wide Receiver
Needs – 3 or 4
Commitments – 1
Chris Stewart - Pearland Shadow Creek – Feels like there are some moving parts in this one after talking to Stewart recently. Call it 50/50 on if he sticks in this class.
Kayden Dixon-Wyatt - Santa Ana (CA) Mater Dei – 40% - He’s visited Texas a bunch and really likes the Longhorns, but no OV set up as of this week.
Kaydon Finley – Aledo – 50% - I’ve thought for a while this one wasn’t the lock people were making it out to be. Now there’s confidence on the Notre Dame side. Texas will have to earn this one.
Jordan Clay - San Antonio Madison – 45% - I’d have this one higher if he and Texas had locked in an OV, but that hasn’t happened. Baylor is a major threat.
Jabari Mack - Destrehan (LA) – 40% - He told us recently that Texas and Texas A&M were his top two but you know LSU isn’t going to go away without a fight.
Naeem Burroughs - Jacksonville (FL) Bolles – 35% - The Longhorns are among his favorites but this one will be a dogfight.
Michael Brown - Spring Legacy – 30% - He’s visited UT a bunch, including last month, but I want to see if Texas pushes for an OV in June.
Tight End
Needs – 2
Commitments – 0
Mark Bowman - Santa Ana (CA) Mater Dei – 45% - I’m not saying it’s a two-team race, but I’d be surprised if the choice was anyone other than Texas or Georgia.
Heze Kent - Brunswick (GA) – 35% - Still trying to get a clear read on this one, but he does have a Texas OV set for June.
Luke Sorensen - Anaheim Servite – 35% - He a handful of official visits set up, including one with Texas.
Kaiden Prothro - Bowden (GA) - 30% - He'll visit Texas in June but getting him away from Georgia (or that region) won't be easy.
Offensive Line
Needs – 5 or 6
Commitments – 1
Maximus Wright – Melissa – Texas commitment - The writing had been on the wall with this one for a while.
Felix Ojo - Mansfield Lake Ridge – 65% - He’s officially down to eight but Texas is leading the pack.
John Turntine III - North Crowley – 55% - People freaked out a bit when he didn’t attend UT’s junior day but the Longhorns are still in a strong position.
Zaden Krempin – Prosper – 60% - Maybe I’m crazy but this one just feels like it’s going to happen. He loves Kyle Flood and has some ties to the program through friends.
Pupungatoa Katoa - Eluess Trinity – 55% - There’s some chatter on programs like SMU but I’m betting on Texas right now.
Nicolas Robertson – Klein – 55% - Could come down to a Texas-Texas A&M battle but he’s been in Austin a bunch so I favor the Longhorns.
Drew Evers - Flower Mound – 45% - He’s pretty open so I don’t know which team I’d call the leader but he does like Texas a lot and has visited UT multiple times.
Samuel Roseborough - Clearwater (FL) – 35% - He has the Longhorns high on his list and has been pro-Texas on social media so I might be underselling this one a bit.
Samuelu Utu - Orange (CA) Lutheran – 35% - I don’t know a ton about Utu just yet but he did tell OB this week that he has a Texas official visit set up for June.
Defensive End
Needs – 2 or 3
Commitments – 0
Jamarion Carlton – Temple – 60% - He says he’s open and while I believe him, I’m picking Texas in the long run.
Payhton Porter – Melissa – 50% - A guy that doesn’t get talked about enough, Texas is in a solid spot here if the staff pushes.
Shaun Scott - Santa Ana (CA) Mater Dei – 30% - He did visit Texas recently so I might be underselling UT’s chances but this feels like it’ll be a national recruitment.
Bryce Perry-Wright - Buford (GA) – 40% - There’s a part of me that wanted to put Texas over 50 percent but there’s too much competition so I’ll be a bit more conservative for now.
KJ Ford – Duncanville – 25% - This one looked pretty good for a while but seems to be trending away from Texas.
Defensive Tackle
Needs – 2 or 3
Commitments – 0
Jaimeon Winfield – Richardson – 40% - Another one that I might be underselling but I need to feel Winfield out some more.
Tiki Hola – Bastrop – 50% - I’d have this one higher if he had a Texas official visit set up. If that doesn’t change soon this percentage will plummet.
Dylan Berymon – 40% - Monroe (LA) Ouachita – He’ll hit UT in June and I could see Texas really surging after that OV.
"Deuce" Geralds - Suwanee (GA) Collins Hill – 25% - He’s visited Texas once and talked the Horns up when I spoke with him, but this one is feeling like a longshot at this point.
Valdin Sone - St. George (VA) Blue Ridge – 35% - He visited UT fairly recently and picked up an offer. I expect Texas to get an OV and this one feels like the Longhorns could be a major player for the young man who is still new to football.
Linebacker
Needs – 3 or 4
Commitments – 0
Tyler Atkinson - Loganville (GA) Grayson – 35% - He REALLY likes Texas and has visited multiple times so I might be a bit low on this one, but he’ll also be a national recruitment.
Kosi Okpala - Mayde Creek – 45% - He does like Texas quite a bit but out-of-state schools could be a factor in this one, as well as A&M.
Tai'Yion King - Port Arthur Memorial – His story is similar to Okpala in that he likes the two big in-state schools but programs like Notre Dame are also involved.
Anthony Davis - Loganville (GA) Grayson – 30% - He’s visited UT a couple of times and should return for an OV, but the competition in this one will be pretty tough.
DaQuives Beck – Carthage – 45% - This one’s pretty simple for me … if Texas pushes the Longhorns will be a big threat, but that’s somewhat up in the air right now.
Defensive back
Needs – 3 or 4
Commitments – 0
Jalen Lott - Frisco Panther Creek – 60% - Not a lock despite his ties to Texas, but this one does look pretty good.
Chace Calicut - North Shore – 70% - He’s been pretty open about Texas being his leader, including after the recent junior day visit.
Isaiah Williams - Fort Bend Marshall – 55% - Dude really likes Texas and has been a regular visitor to the UT campus. We’ll see what direction the new safeties coach goes but if he pushes, this one makes sense.
Brock King - Port Arthur Memorial – 65% - If Terry Joseph wants him, it feels like this one gets done.
Blake Stewart - College Park (GA) Woodward Academy – 35% - He’s visited Texas a couple of times already. This one might get interesting because he could commit this spring before he OVs.
Aaron Bradshaw - North Crowley – 55% - A fairly new offer, Texas is in a good spot in this one following his recent junior day visit.
Jermaine Bishop Jr. – Willis – 50% - Not the easiest guy to read but he did really enjoy his Texas junior day visit. He’s a guy that could wind up on either side of the ball.
Blaine Bradford - Baton Rouge (LA) Catholic – 25% - I could see Texas getting an OV here but there’s still a lot of work to be done with this 5-star.
Specialist
Needs – 1
Commitments – 0
Gaston Gramatica
Tampa (FL) Cambridge Christian – 45% - A bit of a guessing game on this one because Gramatica has been tough to track down, but Jeff Banks doesn’t miss on a lot of these types of offers.
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