(Ketch)
A few things to get us started...
* Two months ago, I mentioned in the War Room that there was a lot of burnt orange confidence with Jacksonville (Florida) Mandarin wide receiver Jamie Ffrench. In the last two weeks Ffrench has confirmed that the Longhorns are running No.1 as he heads to his slate of official visits that will help him decide on a final decision. I asked a source this week about the Ffrench recruitment and the confidence that exists and was told, "More so than ever. We're in better shape right now with Ffrench than we were with Ryan Wingo a year ago at this time. I think he knows what is about to happen in this recruiting class and it will involve peers of his that will only strengthen our position.
* The same Duncanville source that I spoke with about Collin Simmons this week mentioned that Arch Manning's spring game performance did nothing to hurt UT's recruitment of 5-star wide receiver Dakorien Moore. "(Moore) wants to play early and he cares about who will be playing quarterback with him in the 2025 and 2026 seasons. It's clear that (Manning) is going to be the face of college football. Who wouldn't want to play with Arch under Sark? Of course, he saw him in the spring game."
* I asked a source this weekend if there was any second guessing over making Isaiah Bond the No.1 desired wide receiver target from the Portal back in December/January and was told, "Not at all. He's coming from a completely different offense with a completely different quarterback," the source said. "Sark is going to make that work. He'll have a big season for us. He's way down any list of concerns."
* Had someone pump up Gunnar Helm to me this week by using this context: "We think we got the best tight end that was available in the Portal in (Amari) Niblack, but do you have any idea how many would have been after (Helm) if he had been in the Portal. It's no contest. He would have been the No.1 tight end if he had been the guy we got in the Portal."
****
(Anwar)
--- Everything remains quiet on the 40 Acres since players are not required to return until June 1. Most players are working with their respective position trainers and preparing for the grueling summer workouts. The team news will be a little slow until players are back on campus.
--- One source told me Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers is taking a few days off and enjoying a mini-vacation in New York City before he returns to Texas. I was told Ewers is determined to improve the timing with his receivers and will hold workouts with his wideouts next week in Dallas. I was not told which receivers will work with Ewers because the details have not been finalized. However, Ewers intends to take a leadership role and work with a group of unproven receivers at Texas.
--- Speaking of receivers, one person told me the staff is slightly concerned about that room. There is no panic. Instead, they are waiting for multiple guys to emerge as standout players.
I was told no receiver separated himself during spring football. The staff hoped one receiver would take the reins and emerge as the clear go-to receiver. They saw a group of good receivers compete during the spring. However, the staff wants at least one receiver to emerge as “great.”
Each receiver was given a list of things to work on before returning to campus in June. In addition, I was told the staff is optimistic Johntay Cook will become the next standout receiver at Texas, and they want him to take the next step during summer workouts.
Everyone inside the building remains optimistic about this room.
--- Some Longhorn fans expressed concern about the heat after learning Texas would play against Colorado State in the season opener.
Many people inside the building expressed excitement about the kickoff time.
Steve Sarkisian’s staff believes practicing in the summer heat last year made Texas into a team that was tougher than most of its opponents, and why Texas was able to close in the fourth quarter. In addition, they credit those summer workouts for Texas bullying Alabama on the road and pulling off a double-digit win in Tuscaloosa.
One person told me, “We can’t wait until Torre Becton [Longhorn strength and conditioning coach] gets a hold of their asses this summer.”
--- Here is a nugget to file away.
Texas recently acquired the verbal commitment of Port Neches-Groves guard Jackson Christian. Christian is a good run blocker but there are not many pass-protection highlights available.
I was told Texas feels good about the tackle position for the next two or three years. However, the staff is pursuing interior offensive linemen who excel at run-blocking to have success in the SEC. Sarkisian’s staff wants to run the ball effectively in the SEC and to run inside zone or off-tackle, they are pursuing athletic offensive linemen.
******
(Suchomel)
With the update of the Recruiting Board, I figured it would be a good time to go position by position and take a look at where things stand …
QUARTERBACK
Needs – 1 or 2
Commitments – 1
KJ Lacey – Texas commitment – Lacey seems as locked in as ever. Let’s see if he pops up on any other campuses in the fall. The only real question at quarterback is if Texas will offer Duncanville's Keelon Russell but that probably would have happened by now if that was in the plans.
RUNNING BACK
Needs – 2
Commitments – 1
Rickey Stewart Jr – Texas commitment – Stewart committed on April 6 and remains locked in.
James Simon – 70% (UP) – Simon will announce his decision on May 29. Texas, Texas A&M, Notre Dame, LSU and Alabama are in the mix. We liked where UT stood before his spring game visit and we really like were the Longhorns stand now.
WIDE RECEIVER
Needs – 3 or 4
Commitments – 0
Marcus Harris – 45% - Holding steady. There was a time when Texas felt like the clear leader. Now he’s a bit more open. Texas, Alabama and Oregon are the main contenders.
Tanook Hines – 30% (DOWN – I would have felt better about this one if he had been brought in for one of the April recruiting weekends.
Kelshaun Johnson – 65% (UP) – I’ve had Texas as the leader in this one for a while.
Andrew Marsh – 45% - He likes Texas. A lot. But he likes a lot of other schools too. I’d take the field right now.
Jaime Ffrench – 55% (UP) – He’s on record as saying Texas is his top school. Official visits will be huge in this one.
Kaliq Lockett – 45% (UP) - He doesn’t really talk about specific favorites but he does like Texas quite a bit. Hard one to predict confidently.
Daylan McCutcheon – 40% (UP) – He probably needs to be discussed more. Florida State, USC and Ohio State are also heavily involved. He likes Texas but the smart money is on the field.
Michael Terry – 20% (DOWN) – Texas isn’t really pushing here. Not right now anyway. We’ll see if that changes otherwise he’ll probably come off the board in the next update.
Jacorey Watson – 20% (DOWN) – Same story as Michael Terry.
Dakorien Moore – 45% (UP) – I keep going back and forth on whether or not Texas will flip him. He does seem very happy with his LSU commitment so I’ve got this one leaning slightly away from UT. (Update: Moore has decomitted from LSU ... So much for being happy with that commitment.)
TIGHT END
Needs – 2
Commitments – 1
Emaree Winston – Texas commitment – He spent three days in Austin in late April and really enjoyed that visit.
Kiotti Armstrong – 45% - I think this one likely comes down to either Texas or Texas A&M. Right now, I’d favor the field ever so slightly.
Keiundre Johnson – 20% (DOWN) – It’s been a while since he’s visited but we’ll leave him on the board for now.
Kaleb Edwards – 35% (UP) – He was at the spring game and will be back for an official visit. He doesn’t really name leaders but Texas is a legitimate contender.
Nick Townsend – 40% (UP) – He’s been a tough one for me to pin down. If Texas missed on Armstrong, this is a recruitment the Longhorns need to win. Schools like A&M and Bama are also heavily involved.
OFFENSIVE LINE
Needs – 4 or 5
Commitments – 1
Jackson Christian – Texas commitment – I’d had him on commit watch for about a month and he made it official this week.
Lamont Rogers – 40% - He likes Texas but he also likes schools like OU and Missouri. Mizzou might actually be the team to beat.
Michael Fasusi – 60% (UP) – He’s pretty open but this one likely comes down to Texas, OU or A&M in the end. I favor Texas as things currently stand.
Jordan Coleman – 55% (UP) – This one just makes sense for Texas.
Devin Coleman – 55% (UP) – Same as his brother. If Texas wants both, they’ll probably stick together.
John Mills – 55% (UP) – He loves Texas. Washington is UT’s biggest threat with Florida being a dark horse candidate. I continue to favor Texas.
Tyler Thomas – 45% - Holding steady here. Likely Texas or Texas A&M in the end. If Texas pushes during his OV next month, I could see UT wrapping this one up.
Nicolai Brooks – 35% (UP) – He did visit in April and will be back for an OV, but the smart bet would be on the field.
Juan Gaston Jr – 25% - Gonna be really tough to get him out of Georgia.
DEFENSIVE END
Needs – 2 or 3
Commitments – 1
Lance Jackson – Texas commitment – He’s about as solid as solid gets.
Smith Orogbo – 45% (UP) – He doesn’t tip his hand much but this just feels like a race that Texas can win.
Damien Shanklin – 35% (UP) – He’ll be coming in for an official visit so there’s a legit interest but Notre Dame may be tough to beat in the end.
Kamauryn Morgan – 45% (DOWN) – Things have been weirdly quiet with Morgan over the last six months or so. There was a time when this one looked pretty good for Texas but it seems to be trending away now.
Max Granville – 20% (DOWN) – He could probably be taken off the board at this point.
Carmello Brooks – 25% (DOWN) – If Texas decides to really push, the Longhorns could land him but that hasn’t quite happened yet.
Hayden Lowe – 35% (UP) – He’s coming in for an OV but the field would be the safe bet. Schools like Miami, Oregon, UCLA, USC and Georgia are also involved.
DEFENSIVE TACKLE
Needs – 3 or 4
Commitments – 1
Brandon Brown – Texas commitment – The Longhorns will have to fight to hold onto this one. He has OVs set to Texas, Tennessee and USC.
D.J. Sanders – 40% (UP) – Texas’ chances are improving, but still playing from behind a bit.
Chace Sims – 35% (UP) – If Kenny Baker decides to really push here, the percentage will shoot up quite a bit.
Dilan Battle – 20% (DOWN) – Another one that’ll probably come off the board on the next update.
Josiah Sharma – 35% (UP) – This dude’s ranking doesn’t match up with his offer sheet or visit list. Texas will get him in for an OV in June.
Zion Williams – 60% (UP) – Another one that just feels like it’ll go Texas’ way in the end.
Kevin Wynn – 35% (UP) – He’ll visit Texas in June but if Georgia pushes they’ll be tough to beat.
LINEBACKER
Needs – 3 or 4
Commitments – 1
Bo Barnes – Texas commitment – Big pick-up for Texas this spring.
Riley Pettijohn – 60% - It’s no slam dunk, but I’ve had Texas as the team to beat in this one for a while.
Jonathan Cunningham – 65% (UP) – He strikes me as a guy that could shut things down on or around his Texas OV in June.
Marco Jones – 35% (UP) – Tough one to handicap right now but he’ll take a Texas OV next month so he’s on the board.
Madden Faraimo – 35% (UP) – Some heavy hitters involved in this one, with schools like Texas, USC, Notre Dame, Ohio State and Washington all in pursuit.
DEFENSIVE BACK
Needs – 3 or 4
Commitments – 0
Dorian Brew – 40% - I can’t bring myself to go higher than this yet, not with Ohio State and LSU still hanging around.
Caleb Chester – 60% (UP) – I’ve liked Texas in this one ever since Chester visited this spring and raved about that trip.
Kade Phillips – 45% (UP) – Texas A&M, LSU and Texas are all standing out. In talking to him recently, LSU might be a sneaky play.
Sael Reyes – 35% (UP) – Weird recruitment … A&M is the team most feel will win out but he hasn’t scheduled an OV there.
Jonah Williams – 30% - He likes Texas, just not as much as some other schools.
Devin Williams – 35% - -He’s committed to Auburn but will take a Texas official visit next month. We’ll see how things look following that trip.
Aidan Anding – 40% (UP) – Texas, Miami, Arkansas and TCU visits coming up. If UT really pushes here, this feels like it could fall Texas’ way.
Dijon Lee Jr. – 30% (UP) – The odds are up because he’s talked about doing a mid-week visit to Texas in June, but then he dropped a top four on Thursday and the Longhorns weren’t included.
Last edited:
