(Ketch)
* It's been a very trying week on the 40 Acres as the Longhorn football program worked in overdrive to maintain the roster following the end of the season and the closing of the Portal 5 days after the final game. Although the Longhorns don't often get a lot of attention for their work in retention, they've been the best in the nation at it over the last few years and there will be a sense of pride that Texas was able to fend off numerous NIL outreaches from programs across the nation to the entire roster. From what I know, at least 2-3 dozen meetings took place between players on the roster and Texas NIL representatives, with the Longhorns walking away feeling like they were able to fend off the wolves for the most critical players on the roster.
* I haven't heard any projections for what it will cost for the Longhorns to keep their roster together, but it won't be inexpensive. One year after no UT players on a national semifinalist roster cracked the million dollar mark in NIL earnings, the highest-earning Texas players (think All-Americans and future high-level NFL draft prospects) soared past the million mark and will make 2-2.5 times the high amounts from last season.
* Texas being able to keep Trey Moore out of the NFL Draft or the Portal was seen as a major victory within UT's inner circle. It seems like at various times over the last few weeks Moore has learned to heading to the NFL, but the Longhorns were able to convince him that one more season in Austin could send his NFL Draft stock to the moon, all while he earns high-level NIL revenue. There was some sweating on this one.
* One source to me this week: "Thank goodness Arch (Manning) and his family don't care about NIL even close to what others do because I think if he wanted to test it, he could make $10 million this year alone in the Portal. Someone would give it to him. He's not a problem for us at all. Thank God."
*****
(Anwar)
* Texas had several offensive players who were juniors and seniors officially part ways with the program this week. Each player decided to enter the NFL Draft. Longhorn QB Quinn Ewers, RB Jaydon Blue, WR Isaiah Bond, WR Matthew Golden, WR Silas Bolden, TE Gunnar Helm, LT Kelvin Banks, LG Hayden Conner, C Jake Majors, RT Cam Williams, and WR Silas Bolden announced this week that they intended to pursue a professional career. In addition to those departures, running backs C.J. Baxter (ACL and LCL) and Christian Clark (Achilles) are recovering from injuries.
I was told the staff believes they have enough talent on the roster to succeed in the 2025 season. However, they will spend the offseason working with their offensive players to ensure they have guys ready to step in. The staff understands they have a lot of work to do.
* One source told me they do not blame Ewers for the loss against Ohio State. “He wasn’t the reason we lost,” I was told. “We were capable of winning that game. We can’t blame him for the drops by receivers or guys jumping offsides. He wasn’t a star during that game, but he did enough for us to win.”
* One source told me the staff has realistic expectations of Arch Manning as a starter in 2025. I was told, “Look, we are not worried about Arch. But we’re not naïve enough to think he will not have some growing pains. It will be part of the process.” In addition, I was told one point of emphasis will be making sure Manning learns how to slide and avoid contact during the offseason. The staff did not like the number of times Manning fumbled after contact during the 2024 season.
* I asked about the offensive line departures and was told the staff has confidence in left tackle Trevor Goosby and guard DJ Campbell. They do not believe there will be a significant drop in productivity with the recent departures. The biggest concern is replacing the production of center Jake Majors. That is the biggest question the staff intends to figure out during the offseason.
* Speaking of Goosby, I asked multiple people behind the scenes if there was ever any concern their left tackle would enter the transfer portal. We heard multiple teams were trying to entice Goosby to hop into the portal and get paid. “That’s an easy answer,” one person told me. “UT took care of him. He was one of their biggest priorities after the season. UT made sure he didn’t have a reason to leave.”
* Multiple people told me to keep an eye on guard Neto Umeozulu throughout the offseason. The staff believes Umeozulu has developed physically and is a person they expect to take a huge step forward during winter conditioning and spring football. Everyone behind the scenes seems to be excited about his potential.
* I was told the hardest receiver to replace will be Matthew Golden. Longhorn receiver Isaiah Bond was limited this season due to an ankle injury and finished with 540 receiving yards and five touchdowns in 14 games. Bond only had 100 or more receiving yards in one game this season (103 and two touchdowns against UTSA). The staff believes they have quality receivers on the roster who can replace Golden and Bond. However, I was told they will keep a close eye on the transfer portal during the offseason.
* Ewers is expected to spend the next few weeks rehabbing his ankle and allowing his oblique strain to heal before participating in the NFL Scouting Combine. He is not expected to participate in the Senior Bowl. However, Ewers will participate in the combine, UT’s Pro Day, and work out individually for NFL teams.
*****
(Alex)
* Just a quick note to pass along about player health and Anthony Hill Jr. in particular. As Texas Longhorns players begin their winter conditioning regimen, we've been told that Anthony Hill is one player who will be out of workouts as he is recovering from a previously unreported AC joint sprain. Per a source with knowledge of the situation, Hill has been playing through the injury dating back to November. He was able to manage it from game to game, but many fans noticed that Hill wasn't quite as effective as usual through the last part of the season, and this surely had very much to do with it. The good news is the injury will heal with a good chunk of time off, and Hill is expected to be 100% for spring football.
*****
(Suchomel)
* Texas is believed to be in a strong position for Aledo wide receiver Kaydon Finley, but the Longhorns are going to have to put in some work on this one. Finley, the son of Jermichael Finley, was at Texas A&M’s junior day last weekend. He won’t be at UT’s junior day on January 25 and instead will visit Notre Dame. A&M went by Aledo on Thursday and Finley said he’s actually met the Aggie coaches about five or six times already and he’s been to A&M twice for visits.
* Finley did say he’ll “for sure” be taking an official visit to Texas and he expects the UT staff to come by during the January contact period and again later in the spring.
* Being the son of Jermichael Finley can only help UT’s chances in the chase for Finley, a Rivals100 member, right? Finley said it’s really not a factor. He said there are plenty of other reasons he likes Texas but his dad’s history with the school isn’t one of them. And, he said, his dad is on board with any school that Kaydon wants to attend.
* Could safety Isaiah Williams wind up joining his former Fort Bend Marshall teammate Caleb Chester as Texas Longhorn? There’s a good chance. Williams will be in Austin on January 25 for the Longhorns’ junior day and he’s excited to be back on campus to reconnect with the coaches. Texas has done a good job in this one and Williams has seen everything UT has to offer, so it’s really about relationships at this point for the Rivals250 member. As of now, the UT visit is the only one on the schedule for Williams, although he did say he’d like to get out to places like Missouri, Texas A&M and Oklahoma at some point in the spring.
* Williams has an official top five of LSU, Missouri, Oklahoma, Ohio State, and Oklahoma that he dropped back in October. He said those five schools are still in a good spot, but he’s open to the idea of others moving into his top group. Visits this spring and summer will be big, but there’s not a school I’d put above Texas at this point. “I know they’ve had a busy season, but I’ll talk to (Blake) Gideon every now and then,” Williams said. “They had a tough season, tough L. I’ve had a good relationship with them since my freshman year. I’m just growing off of that.”
* Texas doesn’t usually push for commitments at junior days but if you’re looking for a sleeper candidate to commit next weekend, keep an eye on defensive lineman Yahya Gaad. The Medina (TN) product first visited Texas for the Kentucky game and things began trending UT’s direction after that trip. He’ll be back for the junior day on January 25. Gaad has already taken a junior day visit to Ole Miss and he’s going to Florida State this weekend. If Texas pushes for a commitment while he’s in Austin later this month, an early decision is a possibility. If things stretch out past this month, this one will likely shape up to be a Texas-Georgia battle.
* What did Gaad see on his first visit to Texas that pretty much won him over? According to him, everything. “The football program in itself, the coaching staff, the city, the fans, the culture there. Everything about it, honestly,” he said. “It checks all the boxes.” It hasn’t quite been two months since Gaad’s first visit to the Forty Acres, but he’s anxious to get back. “I’m stoked. I’ve been looking forward to getting back out there.”
* OL Breck Kolojay won’t be able to make it in for UT’s junior day but Steve Sarkisian and AJ Milwee are expected to be at IMG Academy on January 30 and Kolojay, who has visited Texas a couple of times already, said he’ll be at a UT spring practice in a couple of months with his parents.
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