(Ketch)
* According to a university source that I strongly trust, it's unlikely that Texas head coach Rodney Terry's fate was strongly impacted by UT's win over Texas A&M in the SEC Tournament on Thursday afternoon. "The season may hang in the balance of what happens (today), but CDC (Chris Del Conte) isn't making a major decision based on the conference tournament. Making the Tournament is not his goal as an athletic director. I don't know what he's going to do, but I would wager the decision is made and if he's going to make a change, he's already doing the things that he does when he goes into hunting mode."
* It was stressed to me that if Texas makes the Tournament and if Texas were to extend its stay into the second weekend of the Tournament, Terry would almost certainly get a third season unless Del Conte feels like he has an upgrade lined up and ready to go behind the scenes. When I asked if a desired upgrade was lined up and ready to go, I was told, "Nothing is settled in concrete yet."
* There seems to be more buzz about hiring an expensive NBA head coach without a buyout to replace Terry if he's let go than there is to hire an expensive college head coach with a buyout.
* The Longhorns will not be able to hire the kind of head coach you can feature on a billboard without a commitment bordering on the $5 million per year ballpark for NIL. Not all of that money is going to come from the NIL that the school pays out as part of the NCAA settlement that is in the works. I'm told that there is still a lot of work behind the scenes to ensure that Texas doesn't foolishly enter discussions with a billboard target, only to not have the wagon full of gold that will be required to compete with elite programs for the talent that will be needed to compete for championships.
* The good news on the Texas NIL front is that stuff is getting done. The bad news is that there's still a significant shortfall and there remains a ton of work to do. If the NCAA settlement were to not go through, every school in the country is going to have some ridiculous issues on that front.
* "All in right now," is what one source told me this week when I asked about the short-, intermediate and long-term goals of the football program. "If Sark can make this year's team better at the cost of some hurt feelings, **** those feelings. Ohio State didn't win a title last year by worrying about a freshman's feelings."
*****
(Anwar)
* Texas receiver Ryan Wingo had 29 receptions for 472 yards and two touchdowns as a freshman last season. The crazy part is that Wingo put up those impressive numbers despite a limitation that nobody knew about until this offseason. Wingo has been limited in practice recently due to his offseason surgery. What needed to be repaired? Wingo’s vision. According to my sources, Wingo recently had Lasik surgery to improve his vision. I was told Wingo’s vision was "horrible" and that surgery was necessary to correct it.
* Why did it take so long for this to be discovered? I was told Wingo was dropping passes at an alarming rate during winter conditioning. Wingo eventually told the staff that he could not see the ball until it was close to his body and struggled to track it in the air. The staff had Wingo see an optometrist, and that is when everyone discovered the receiver had very bad eyesight.
* By the way, Wingo’s eyesight was tested last year and everything seemed fine. Either Wingo’s vision had a rapid decline or something was missed during last year’s exam. It looks like Wingo will be able to clearly see those passes from Arch Manning this year.
* The winter workouts continued this week, and I was told the staff is happy with the work ethic and intensity during each session. According to my sources, Texas strength and conditioning coach Torre Becton is “kicking their ass,” but players are embracing the challenge.
* I asked one source if any players have stood out since winter conditioning and immediately was told freshman offensive lineman Nick Brooks has been fantastic. Brooks was listed at 385 pounds in high school. It was hard to know if Brooks would struggle with his weight in college. However, the staff is thrilled to see Brooks currently at 350 pounds. I was told the staff loves Brooks’ ability to move at that size and weight.
* In addition, I was told Brooks has less than 20 percent body fat.
* Here is a nugget to file away for future use: According to my sources, Texas freshman quarterback KJ Lacey has been “slinging the rock” during winter conditioning. “That dude can freaking throw the ball,” one source said. That is not an indictment on any other Longhorn quarterback. Arch Manning and Trey Owens are looking good during the offseason. However, Lacey has hit the ground running, and there is a lot of excitement about his future.
* Another freshman who has stood out has been freshman receiver Daylan McCutcheon. The staff loves his football IQ and tenacity. Meanwhile, the other young freshman receivers are getting a lot of reps during winter conditioning.
****
(Suchomel)
With our latest update of the 2026 Recruiting Board, I thought I’d go through each player on the board and give a little more detail on any movement, up or down. Let’s dive in …
QUARTERBACK
Needs – 1
Commitments – 1
Dia Bell - Plantation (FL) American Heritage – Texas commitment – Other teams aren’t going to throw in the towel on a player as talented as Bell, but he’s given no reason to believe he’s not locked in with Texas.
RUNNING BACK
Needs – 1 or 2
Commitments – 0
KJ Edwards – Carthage – 55% (UP) – I’ve said for a while Texas can’t afford to miss on both Edwards and Javian Osborne, and it’s Edwards that is trending up. This one likely comes down to Texas or Texas A&M in the end.
Javian Osborne – Forney – 35% (DOWN) – We’ll know soon if Texas will remain a factor for Osborne when he settles on a school for that June 13 visit. Texas remains in play but has fallen off quite a bit.
Ezavier Crowell - Jackson (AL) – 40% (UP) – He’ll visit Texas this spring and again in the summer for an official visit, so this one’s obviously on an uptick. Bama will be tough to beat but one person I spoke with recently said not to discount Texas at all.
WIDE RECEIVER
Needs – 3 or 4
Commitments – 1
Chris Stewart - Pearland Shadow Creek – Texas commitment – He’s still technically committed, but he does have a total of five official visits scheduled, including one to Texas. Keep an eye on SMU and Arizona State in this one.
Kayden Dixon-Wyatt - Santa Ana (CA) Mater Dei – 40% - This one’s holding steady. Texas will get an OV but the most recent chatter has Ohio State holding the edge.
Kaydon Finley – Aledo – 50% - Finley doesn’t give much away … at all … and he’s not even planning to drop a list of favorites. Notre Dame has some confidence but Texas will get its shot during an OV in late June.
Jordan Clay - San Antonio Madison – 40% (DOWN) – His June weekends are full so Texas won’t be getting an OV unless something changes.
Jabari Mack - Destrehan (LA) – 45% (UP) – He told us fairly recently that Texas and A&M are his top two but LSU will be a factor.
Boobie Feaster – DeSoto - 35% (UP) – He’s new to the board so technically he has to get an “UP” designation, but the chances of Feaster to Texas are on the decline from where they were about a month ago.
TIGHT END
Needs – 1 or 2
Commitments – 0
Mark Bowman - Santa Ana (CA) Mater Dei – 35% (DOWN) – Texas was a leader in this one at one point, but Georgia is currently the team to beat.
Heze Kent - Brunswick (GA) – 35% - Texas will get an official visit but Kent’s a tough guy to read.
Luke Sorensen - Anaheim Servite – 35% - He’ll take a Texas official visit but word behind the scenes is that Miami is the current leader.
Kaiden Prothro - Bowden (GA) – 30% - Texas will get a visit. So will Georgia. The Dawgs can’t take ALL of the tight ends, right?
OFFENSIVE LINE
Needs – 5 or 6
Commitments – 1
Maximus Wright – Melissa – Texas commitment – Wright is about as locked in as you can be.
Felix Ojo - Mansfield Lake Ridge – 65% - I’ve got Texas holding steady as the leader but schools like Ohio State, Michigan and Oklahoma are going to make this a battle.
John Turntine III - North Crowley – 55% - Texas is still in a good spot and is one of UT’s three scheduled OVs. Getting him on campus this spring would be nice, and Turntine has said that might happen.
Zaden Krempin – Prosper – 55% (DOWN) – Texas is still in a strong spot here, but Krempin is evaluating A LOT of other options so his percentage dips a bit.
Pupungatoa Katoa - Eluess Trinity – 50% - The big fella likes Texas and will take an OV, but don’t sleep on schools like SMU or Oklahoma.
Nicolas Robertson – Klein – 55% - Things are pretty quiet here so no movement, but June visits to Texas and Texas A&M will be key.
Drew Evers - Flower Mound – 35% (DOWN) – Texas isn’t on his calendar for an official visit so this one is trending away.
Samuel Roseborough - Clearwater (FL) – 35% - He’s on the radar but we’ll take him more seriously if he sets up an official visit.
Samuelu Utu - Orange (CA) Lutheran – 50% (UP) – He hasn’t said this publicly, but we’ve heard it could be Texas and USC battling it out.
Breck Kolojay - IMG Academy – 35% - He doesn’t have an OV set up with Texas but will visit this spring.
DEFENSIVE END
Needs – 2 or 3
Commitments – 1
Jamarion Carlton – Temple – 40% (DOWN) – Will Texas bring him in for an OV? That will obviously impact this percentage but nothing set up yet.
Payhton Porter – Melissa – 35% (DOWN) – If Texas pushes, this percentage will go way up.
Shaun Scott - Santa Ana (CA) Mater Dei – 35% (UP) - He visited Texas for junior day but things have been quiet since then.
Bryce Perry-Wright - Buford (GA) – 40% - He likes Texas a lot and the Horns could pull this one off, but the competition will be tough.
Zavion Griffin-Haynes - Rolesville (NC) – 30% (UP) – He’ll take a Texas visit this spring so he’s new to the board. No UT OV set up just yet.
JaReylan McCoy - Tupelo (MS) – 30% (UP) – Same story as Griffin-Haynes. He might be tough to get out of Mississippi.
Dre Quinn - Norcross (GA) Greater Atlanta Christian – 30% (UP) – He’s scheduled to take a Texas visit this spring but he has a lot of OVs set up to schools other than UT.
Trenton Henderson - Pensacola (FL) Catholic – 30% (UP) – He’s like Quinn above … will see Texas this spring but his OV calendar is pretty full and no Texas OV is set at this point.
Khamari Brooks - Bogart (GA) North Oconee – 35% (UP) – He’ll take a Texas OV in June but the competition is tough in this one with USC, Georgia, Alabama and Clemson also in the hunt.
DEFENSIVE TACKLE
Needs – 2 or 3
Commitments – 0
Jaimeon Winfield – Richardson – 50% - I might be underselling this one but Winfield never talks so it’s hard to get a clear read on what he’s thinking.
Tiki Hola – Bastrop – 40% (DOWN) – If Texas pushes and brings him in for an OV, this percentage shoots up.
Dylan Berymon - Monroe (LA) Ouachita – 50% (UP) – He told OB recently that it’s Texas and USC leading the race.
"Deuce" Geralds - Suwanee (GA) Collins Hill – 25% - He spoke highly of Texas when we’ve talked to him, but not much going on with this one.
Valdin Sone - St. George (VA) Blue Ridge – 35% - I’ve probably got this one a bit too high, unless he sets up another Texas visit.
Cam Brickle - IMG Academy – 35% (UP) – He’s set to visit Texas this spring so we’ll have a better feel on where the Longhorns stand following that trip.
LINEBACKER
Needs 3 or 4
Commitments – 0
Tyler Atkinson - Loganville (GA) Grayson – 30% (DOWN) – He actually likes Texas quite a bit but the competition in this one is going to be tough.
Kosi Okpala - Mayde Creek – 45% - This one’s holding steady. The fact that he has a Texas OV set up and not an A&M OV might be a good sign.
Tai'Yion King - Port Arthur Memorial – 45% - Texas is in a solid spot but Texas A&M and Notre Dame are also in the hunt.
Anthony Davis - Loganville (GA) Grayson – 30% - He really likes Texas but has a handful of visits set up and none to Texas. He did say he might give Texas a fall OV.
DaQuives Beck – Carthage – 35% (DOWN) – This one is trending away but could swing back if Texas pushes.
Talanoa Ili - Kahuku (HI) – 30% (UP) – He told OB he’s pretty open but word behind the scenes is that Oregon is out in front.
Calvin Thomas - Cypress Ranch – 55% (UP) – This guy’s stock is on the rise and the Longhorns are a very strong contender.
DEFENSIVE BACK
Needs – 3 or 4
Commitments – 0
Jalen Lott - Frisco Panther Creek – 55% (DOWN) – Him taking other visits this spring (LSU, Oregon) isn’t the best of signs, but Texas is still going to be a strong factor in this one.
Chace Calicut - North Shore – 60% (DOWN) – I still like Texas here but Calicut doesn’t have any spring visits to Texas set that we’re aware of and he did just visit Washington.
Isaiah Williams - Fort Bend Marshall – 40% (DOWN) – If Texas pushes, this percentage shoots up above 50%.
Brock King - Port Arthur Memorial – 50% (DOWN) – We’ll see if the new DB coaches make him a priority. If they do, Texas should land him.
Blake Stewart - College Park (GA) Woodward Academy – 35% - He has visited Texas a couple of times on his own dime but let’s see if he’s brought in for an OV.
Aaron Bradshaw - North Crowley – 55% - I kept this one steady but it really depends on if the new DB coaches make a push.
Jermaine Bishop Jr. – Willis – 50% - He’s a man of few words but in our messaging with him he’s always been very positive about Texas.
Blaine Bradford - Baton Rouge (LA) Catholic – 25% - He does have visits set to Texas for the spring and a June OV, but beating LSU might be tough.
Donovan Webb - Frisco Panther Creek – 35% - He’s new to the board but we need to see him make his way back to Austin to go much higher than this.
Camren Hamiel - Goodyear (AZ) Desert Edge – 40% (UP) – New offer and he has plans to visit Texas in late April. This one feels like the Longhorns could be a big factor assuming that visit goes well.
Samari Matthews - Cornelius (NC) Hough – 35% (UP) – I might be underselling UT on this one after Matthews was so quick to set up an OV after Texas recently offered.
Justice Fitzpatrick - Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas – 30% (UP) – Fairly recent offer and he’s set to see Texas a couple of times so the Horns are trending up.
SPECIALIST
Needs – 1
Commitments – 0
Gaston Gramatica - Tampa (FL) Cambridge Christian – 50% (UP) – He’s set to take a Texas official visit so that seems to bode well for UT. South Florida also involved.
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