(Anwar)
* Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers is enjoying another great week of practice. Ewers has consistently completed passes throughout spring practice and I was told he excelled again this week.
* Due to Ewers’ consistency throughout the offseason, many people inside the building believe the quarterback is destined for a breakout season. I was told the only thing that should prevent Ewers from having a spectacular season is an injury. One person told me that Ewers operated at around 70 percent after missing two games because of a clavicle sprain injury. It is hard for any player to operate 100 percent throughout the season. If Ewers is at least 80 percent healthy, people behind the scenes believe Ewers can have a record-breaking year.
* Ewers’ favorite receiver throughout spring football has been Matthew Golden. I was told they have a great connection. The connection between Ewers and Isaiah Bond is still a work in progress. Nobody seems to be concerned about it in April. For now, Golden is the receiver Ewers has the best connection with.
* I inquired about freshman WR Ryan Wingo. Multiple people confirmed that Wingo is the real deal. They are not sure how much playing time Wingo will receive this season. However, I was told, “At worst, Wingo is going to be unreal for Arch (Manning) next season. Sark loves him.”
* But … I received one critique about Ewers during spring practice. Apparently, the staff is trying to push Ewers into becoming more of a vocal leader. They have been working on Ewers becoming more vocal since last season. Those behind the scenes are pushing Ewers to speak up more. However, they understand he is a quiet player who does not talk much.
What I heard coincides with Sarkisian’s comments about leadership in March.
“We were talking about this as a staff,” Sarkisian said. “I don't know necessarily if we have just one dominant voice on this team. I don't know if we have Rochon Johnson, as an example. But I do think we have more positive quality voices on this team. I think our leadership is now kind of more all-encompassing, and that's what you like. I'd much rather have multiple people that lead in a positive way, [with] different voices at different times, than relying on one or two voices. Because when those one or two voices aren't on that day, who's leading?
* Texas sophomore running back CJ Baxter is the No.1 guy at the position, but Jaydon Blue is one of the most improved players on the team, from what I was told. Blue is bigger and faster this year through Texas’ GPS monitoring. In addition, there is a belief that Blue could emerge as one of the top four running backs available in the 2025 NFL Draft. Baxter is not in jeopardy of losing his position, but the staff feels great about the 1-2 combination.
* Multiple people raved about this offensive line this week. One person told me they believe this unit has a chance to become one of the best offensive lines in UT history.
* Cam Williams is viewed as an upgrade over Christian Jones. Williams was not a starter last year because he had too many “brain farts”, according to someone close to the situation. The good news for Longhorn fans and staff members is that Williams has eliminated those mental mistakes.
* Find yourself someone who loves you like people behind the scenes love Neto Umeozulu. I was told Umeozulu is a “people mover” during spring practice and he is pushing hard to take Hayden Connor's position.
* One person told me this offensive line is so good, that Sarkisian can be bailed out of tough in-game coaching situations with the run game.
* Of course, the success of this offensive line during the spring means there are concerns about the defensive line. Nobody wants to see the defensive line get pushed around. Honestly, if the defensive line was winning every battle, the staff would question the offensive line. I would suggest you simply file this note for future use and monitor how the defensive line performs the rest of spring football.
*****
(Ketch)
* As a follow-up to what Anwar wrote above about Quinn Ewers, my sources have also been raving about his work this spring. In fact, one of my sources was hesitant to talk about Ewers because he didn't want to risk being some sort of jinx. "I was one of his biggest detractors two years ago and he's proved me wrong. Totally wrong." the source said. "I'd rather not heap a bunch of praise on him right now. Just take my word for it. His growth as a player hasn't stopped."
* One person told me this week that Arch Manning has made considerable strides from where he was 12 months ago. "If Maalik Murphy hadn't already transferred, I think he would have after the spring. He's doing the small details right. I think the only things really missing are consistent explosives in every practice, but he's working with a lot of new players at wide receiver. It's just a timing issue more than anything else."
* One person told me this week that the staff expects more from Johntay Cook than he's given consistently through the first half of camp. "I've seen some of the season projections for him and he's not there yet," one source said.
* One source made sure to single out Kelvin Banks this week. "It's crazy to think how young he is and how much we probably take him for granted. He just shows and performs every day. It's more than his immense talent. That guy has the kind of attitude that you wish you could give to everyone on the team."
* "D.J. Campbell is a better player," one source mentioned. "I don't know how to quantify it, but a year ago he was still making the transition from high school and now it feels like he's taking the step towards being a Sunday kind of player.
* I'm told that the Longhorns will have an interest in signing a defensive tackle in the Portal, but only if it's someone who is a clear upgrade from what is already on the roster. "We've got guys, we need something better than that or we'll stick with what we have."
* Arizona defensive tackle transfer Tia Savea is having a solid camp, but there's some speculation that he might be more of a rotational player more than a true candidate to start. "He's had a good camp, but I don't think he's head and shoulders above what we already had. He's better than Trill Carter, but more like Trill than he's like the two guys that just left.
* Kobe Black is having an excellent first half of spring practices.
*****
(Suchomel)
Here's a full breakdown of the 2025 and 2026 prospects that we've confirmed will be in town this weekend for the program's recruiting event. It's a pretty massive list.
2025 Prospects
QB KJ Lacey – Saraland (AL) – Texas commitment – Lacey visited UT a couple of weeks ago and was at Auburn last weekend to watch a scrimmage. He’ll get another look at Texas on Saturday and is set to return for the spring game. The Auburn visit is always going to be noteworthy, but he feels pretty locked in based on my conversations with him.
RB - Jordon Davison – Santa Ana (CA) Mater Dei – This one has taken some dramatic turns of late. Ohio State had surged into the lead, only to have Michigan poach OSU’s running backs coach. That opened the door for schools like Texas and Oregon, and put Michigan in the race. This week, Ohio State hired Oregon RB coach Carlos Locklyn, who already had a strong relationship with Davison. In fact, the hiring of Locklyn may have strengthened OSU’s position more than it was before the RB coaching carousel began. Texas will have another chance to impress this weekend but OSU looks like the leader.
RB - Rickey Stewart Jr – Tyler Chapel Hill – A former SMU commitment, the Ponies are still involved but Texas looks pretty good here. Baylor is also in the mix but Stewart decommitting from SMU shortly after Texas offered can’t be a bad sign for the Longhorns.
WR - Dakorien Moore – Duncanville – LSU commitment – He was on the UT campus last week for Texas Relays (not football related). He’ll return on Saturday and he’ll be back for the Orange-White game on April 20. Moore remains committed to LSU but this one is a soft commitment at best. LSU, Oregon and Ohio State are all still very much in play. Saturday’s visit could be a big step forward for the Longhorns.
WR - Jaime Ffrench –Jacksonville (FL) Mandarin – The one-time Alabama commitment will take his first Texas visit this weekend. He’ll then return in June for an official visit. Ohio State has moved into a strong spot here but I would expect Texas to close that gap starting this weekend.
WR - Kaliq Lockett – Sachse – Lockett’s been busy this spring with visits to places like Florida State, Ohio State and Penn State. Along with Saturday’s UT visit, he’s also planning to hit Texas A&M and LSU. Texas, USC, LSU and Florida State are set to receive official visits. Lockett maintains that he’s wide open and he isn’t going to drop any formal list of favorites, but those schools getting multiple visits are obviously strong players. Lockett’s very familiar with UT’s recent run of success with WRs on the roster and WR recruiting, so this weekend could make a big impression on him.
WR - Kelshaun Johnson – Hitchcock – The speedy playmaker from Hitchcock has been a regular visitor to the Forty Acres. Official visits are scheduled for Arkansas, Texas Tech, Texas and USC but it’s those last two that everyone should really be paying attention to. This one likely comes down to the Longhorns or Trojans.
OL - John Mills – San Francisco St. Ignatius – This will be Mills’ fourth visit to Texas. His official visit will mark visit No. 5. Mills has a top six of Texas, Washington, Nebraska, Florida, USC and Cal. I continue to like UT’s chances over the field in this one.
OL - Lamont Rogers – Mesquite Horn (maybe) – Rogers was scheduled to visit Texas last week and then again this coming weekend. He didn’t make it in last week, and a source tells OB he’s a maybe for Saturday. Rogers does have a UT official visit set up but this feels like a weekend where Texas needs to get him on campus to reaffirm that visit and solidify its spot as one of his top schools.
OL - Tyler Thomas – Dickinson – It’s been a while since he was on campus so getting him back in town ahead of his official visits should only help UT’s already solid standing.
OL - Jordan Coleman and OL Devin Coleman – Cedar Hill – He and his brother both have official visits to Texas set up for June. Other regional schools like OU, SMU and Baylor are also heavily involved. The Colemans don’t tip their hand much, but Texas is a major contender, maybe even the betting favorite.
DL - D.J. Sanders – Bellville – Sanders visited Texas A&M last weekend. He’ll be in Austin on Saturday, then will hit Baylor and Michigan. He’s a guy that keeps things very private so it’s hard to gauge who is really standing out. A&M is a strong contender but Texas is one of the schools being strongly considered.
DL - Xavier Ukponu – Denton Guyer – He was at Texas A&M last weekend. Texas this weekend. He’ll discuss an official visit with Texas while on campus on Saturday. If that gets set up, Texas should be a major threat in this one but the defensive tackle pecking order is still a bit cloudy.
DL - Chace Sims – Richmond Randle – A fairly new offer for Texas, he’s still a bit of an enigma as far as where his recruitment might head. Maybe this weekend will provide some clarity.
DL - Smith Orogbo – Hastings – Orogbo plays things pretty close to the vest and claims he’s wide open, so getting him on campus should put Texas in a strong position to make the cut as he starts to narrow his focus. We should have a better read on him after this weekend.
LB - Riley Pettijohn – McKinney – There’s still some work to be done in this one but I like Texas’ position over some out-of-state schools like Florida State and USC. The Trojans are a sneaky play here but Texas should be able to hold them off over the long haul.
LB - Elijah Barnes – Dallas Skyline – This one continues to look good for Texas and this weekend should only improve UT’s chances.
DB - Kade Phillips – Missouri City Hightower – Some tough competition for this explosive athlete but the fairly recent Texas offer really moved the needle. Phillips will return for an OV in June and the Longhorns look pretty good here.
DB - Jonah Williams – Galveston Ball – The good news … Texas will get him on campus on Saturday. The bad news … he has a bunch of OVs set up and none to UT. Let’s see if that gets changed following this weekend’s trip to Austin. If Texas gets him to take an official visit, the Longhorns have a puncher’s chance. If not, that’s pretty telling.
DB - Dorian Brew – Conroe – I don’t have a great read on this one but Ohio State sure makes sense. Let’s see if Texas can lock him in for an official visit.
2026 Prospects
QB - Troy Huhn – San Marcos (CA) Mission Hills – This guy has visited UT a few times already and he holds a Texas offer. Don’t sleep on him being a QB take for the Longhorns in the 2026 cycle.
DL - Bryce Perry-Wright – Buford (GA) – One of the country’s top prospects. Getting him on campus is a big first step of many steps that will need to be taken.
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