(Ketch)
A few things to get us started...
* I know this isn't something that a lot of you will want to read, but the word I received on Wednesday is that Texas felt like they had won Lewisville 5-star offensive lineman Michael Fasusi as lunch time rolled around. What happened? No one has specifically offered up the details at this point. It feels like wound is still very fresh.
* One thing I was told is that Fasusi's mother wasn't as big of a hurdle for Texas to overcome as the friend who is going to join him at Oklahoma as a preferred walk-on.
* One of the things that is definitely complicates some of these discussions is the number of cooks in the kitchen from a representation standpoint. It's very possible that when moving forward, there will be a much greater sense of need to eliminate the number of cooks in the kitchen on the players side. When NIL first rolled around in 2021, most discussions occurred directly between the NIL reps and the parents. Depending on the recruitment, there are simply more people involved - ranging from agents, lawyers, runners, trainers and outright hustlers. It's a complicated web out there in these NIL streets.
* Texas plans to very, very active in the Portal. All focus outside of Justus Terry is on the Portal. There's a sense that the unused Fasusi money (and possibly the money dedicated towards Terry) will be used to help attract the biggest targets in the Portal. Texas will be very aggressive.
* Look for the Longhorns to target at least 3 defensive tackles in the Portal. It is viewed as the most significant need.
* Never say never, but I was given an immediate thumbs down from one source when the news of Kentucky wide receiver Barion Brown entered the Portal on Thursday. That being said, he profiles like Matthew Golden and has the kind of speed that Steve Sarkisian covets. Even after a very disappointing season, Brown has game-changing talent. If he has entered the Portal last year, he likely would have been a Horn.
*****
(Ketch/Suchomel)
* Wednesday was mostly uneventful, with little drama surround UT’s committed guys and Michael Fasusi sticking with his Oklahoma pledge. Next up is an announcement from 5-star DT Justus Terry on Friday at 11 a.m. CST.
* We continue to hear that there’s a quiet optimism on the side of Texas as announcement day nears. One source was pretty damn confident on Thursday afternoon, but after what happened with Fasusi on Wednesday I'm not sure that anyone inside the Texas bubble will stand on a table for truthful transparency in ant recruitment that is ongoing. "I trust nobody," one source told me.
* From the Texas side of things, they believes the NIL package that is in front of Terry is putting a lot of pressure on a Georgia side that hasn't gone as far as Texas has with any recruit or player it has ever had in its program, including other 5-star defensive linemen in the 2025 recruiting class. If Texas doesn't land Terry, it won't be because they didn't try to obliterate its competition from an NIL investment standpoint. You can't make someone take your money, but we're talking about a sum of money large enough that Texas feels like it will be very tough to turn down.
* In checking with a source close to the Georgia program on Thursday, the thought in Athens is that Georgia is “most likely” going to be the pick. Auburn is thought to be in play as well, as is Alabama to a lesser degree, but our sources believe this will be a choice out of one of the two programs playing in the SEC Championship Game.
* Terry has done a good job of keeping everyone guessing and giving mixed signals, and that applies to NIL as well. OB believes that the Longhorns have presented the most attractive NIL offer – possibly by a decent margin – and that’s a big part of the reason for confidence in Austin. Some in Georgia feel that NIL isn’t as big of a factor as it’s being made out to be because Terry apparently has already turned down some NIL opportunities as a high schooler.
* One person this week told us that Georgia operates similarly to Texas in that the UGA program has a soft cap that it prefers to not go over with NIL offerings. Texas, as we’ve noted, as shattered that ceiling with Michael Fausui and now with Terry. Georgia might need to do the same, but we’re told the backing is there since Georgia basically decided against ponying up money for guys like Kevin Wynn and Jeramiah McCloud.
* Lastly, we were told that Terry’s family would prefer him closer to home, which would seem to favor Georgia and Auburn. It’s not a factor that’s a deal-breaker for Texas by any means, but it’s a bit of a hurdle that the Longhorns would have to overcome.
*****
(Suchomel)
* Most everyone had new Texas commitment Michael Terry penciled in a future Longhorn going back to the summer. While everyone wound up being right, Terry said following his Signing Day announcement that he really didn’t come to a final decision until early this week. His decision came down to Texas and Nebraska and Terry said there were just too many positives with Texas, including playing in Steve Sarkisian’s offense.
“Really just not passing up a great opportunity. With them being one of the top schools in the SEC, it’s a once in a lifetime thing. I just couldn’t pass it up” Terry said. “Nebraska’s a great school, but it came down to me and my family talking about the pros and cons.
“They have a really advanced offense. I want to be a part of something like that. They find ways to get their people the ball.”
* Terry said the Texas coaches haven’t talked to him about a specific position, but he did mention that he’s excited to learn under wide receivers coach Chris Jackson to work on that part of his game. He’s also excited to be a part of a highly-ranked recruiting class.
“It just shows that a lot of people want to do great things at that school. When you have a lot of great people going to one school, it makes everyone else want to get better,” Terry said.
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(Anwar)
* Kelvin Banks has participated in practice this week, but people behind the scenes are not feeling good about the odds of him playing on Saturday. I was told Banks is dealing with a high ankle sprain and is not close to 100 percent in practice. Banks has received a limited amount of first-team reps this week, followed by treatment on the ankle after practice. It appears that Banks will be a game-time decision.
* Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers is fighting through a high ankle sprain, too. However, one person told me the difference between them is that Ewers was able to finish playing against Kentucky after sustaining the injury, while Banks was unable to return after sustaining the injury against Texas A&M.
* We will need to monitor Banks during warmups before Texas plays against Georgia in the SEC Championship Game.
* Everyone inside the building is optimistic that backup left tackle Trevor Goosby will step up if Banks is unable to play on Saturday. I was told the staff was happy with Goosby’s performance against Texas A&M. In fact, one person told me Goosby received a B+ grade from the staff for his performance against the Aggies. They thought Goosby had a mean streak and met their expectations. If Banks cannot play, Sarkisian and his staff have a lot of confidence in Goosby.
*. Longhorn quarterback Quinn Ewers will fight through a high ankle sprain and another injury on Saturday. I was told Ewers reinjured his oblique last week and has received treatment after practice throughout the week. Ewers will start against Georgia. Nevertheless, the goal is for Ewers to become as healthy as possible between now and Saturday.
* Longhorn receiver DeAndre Moore is still battling turf toe. Moore practiced this week and is expected to play against Georgia.
* The players treated their game against Texas A&M as another SEC contest during practice last week. I was told they were nearly the same this week. There has not been any talk of getting revenge for the loss against Georgia this year. “It has been just about business,” one person told me. “But trust me, they know.”
* I know some Longhorn observers believe Michael Fasusi was never coming to Texas. However, here is what I learned this week: One person close to the situation told me Fasusi was expected to announce his commitment to Texas around 9 a.m. on Wednesday. That was the expectation behind the scenes. Once Fasusi pushed back the announcement, it became apparent to the staff that he was likely going to sign with Oklahoma. Everyone behind the scenes is satisfied with their efforts to recruit Fasusi.
* I jokingly told the source if Fasusi enters the transfer portal a year later, like Micah Hudson, the staff could make another run at him. I was told that would not happen. “If we recruit you hard and you pick another school, we’re not going to save you if you decide to leave,” one person said. That person used their decision not to pursue Evan Stewart after he decided to leave Texas A&M and enter the transfer portal. Texas did not re-recruit Stewart, who eventually signed with Oregon.
