(Anwar)
* Texas football coach Steve Sarkisian recently told the media that running Jaydon Blue is still an asset and a weapon for his team after his running back fumbled twice against Mississippi State. Sarkisian said he chose to protect Blue’s confidence by pulling the starter after the second fumble this past Saturday. To Sarkisian’s credit, he refused to throw Blue under the bus. However, the staff has spent this week trying to determine if a change at running back is necessary heading into Texas-Oklahoma.
I was told the staff is heavily considering making Tre Wisner the No.1 running back next week because they are concerned about Blue’s ball security. Blue fumbled twice in 2023 (Wyoming, fumble/loss; Washington, fumble/loss), plus two fumble/losses against Mississippi State. I was told the alarming aspect to the staff is Blue has fumbled four times, resulting in turnovers, on only 131 carries, which is one fumble every 33 carries. That is an incredibly high number behind the scenes. Wisner has a chance to become the lead running back from now on.
* Sarkisian did not waste any time motivating his players to face Oklahoma. I was told Sarkisian showed his team the t-shirts that were made after Oklahoma defeated Texas this season. He showed his players a t-shirt that read, “Oklahoma only fears God. Texas fears Oklahoma.” That was a quote by Danny Stutsman and a direct shot at the Longhorns after last year’s victory.
* Sarkisian’s message was simple. Texas might be highly ranked, but Oklahoma currently has the Golden Hat. Sarkisian told his players they better focus this week and they owe Oklahoma a little payback for what occurred last year. I was told Sarkisian’s message was received.
* One goal the staff has is to avoid the slow start against Oklahoma that hurt Texas last season. Quinn Ewers threw an interception on the second play of the game in 2023. Five plays later, Oklahoma scored and led 7-0. Texas trailed Oklahoma by 10 points early in the second quarter and was forced and did not tie the game until midway through the fourth quarter. The staff wants to start fast this year and keep the pressure on Oklahoma.
* In addition, the staff is also preparing for Oklahoma backup quarterback Casey Thompson. The Sooner staff has buried Jackson Arnold and Thompson might be Oklahoma's best quarterback option this season. Sarkisian's staff is not leaving any stones unturned as they prepare for Texas-Oklahoma.
* The Longhorns are taking a lot of pride in applying quarterback pressure and rarely having to blitz this season. One person told me, “When you have 11 guys who are fast, you don’t have to.” Sarkisian’s staff is pleased they have been able to minimize coverage breakdowns that can occur through blitzing because they have players who can get to the quarterback.
* The transfer portal may not open until December 9, but I was told some players have asked their representatives to put out feelers to see which schools might have an interest if they decide to find a new home in two months. One person who represents prominent athletes told me at least one college athlete that Longhorn fans would recognize asked him to examine their options. I was asked not to reveal the athlete’s name to prevent making his life more difficult with his current staff. However, just know some players are not waiting until December to see if they might find a home in Austin next season.
*****
(Suchomel)
* I kicked the tires this week on Michael Terry to see if there’s anything new with the Alamo Heights standout. Per one person, there really aren’t any new, major developments. But this source feels that’s a good thing for Texas. “I kind of feel that one’s Texas until it’s not. I’ve heard nothing to sway me off of Texas,” this person said. Terry’s expected back in Austin for the Georgia game in a couple of weeks. Nebraska (and Oregon to a lesser extent) is still hanging around, but most signs in this one continue to point to Austin. “It’s the kind of local school, the plusses of the offense, they have Arch. Nebraska has Raiola but this one just feels like Texas,” the source said.
* With the Longhorns being off this weekend, the Texas coaches will be on the road seeing some of their top targets and commitments. That includes Steve Sarkisian. After seeing Jonah Williams on Friday morning, Sark will be in Hitchcock shortly after lunch to check on Texas A&M wide receiver commitment Kelshaun Johnson and Nebraska DL commitment Malcolm Simpson. Both players are planning to be in Austin for the Georgia game in a couple of weeks. Simpson visited Texas when the Longhorns hosted Louisiana-Monroe. I’m told the Longhorn staff received Simpson’s transcripts last week so we’ll keep an eye on this one for a potential offer. If an offer comes, we expect Simpson to flip his commitment from Nebraska to Texas.
* We mentioned this week that Ohio State linebacker commitment Riley Pettijohn is a maybe to attend the Texas-Georgia game. Per someone close to Pettijohn this week, that visit isn’t “confirmed” but is definitely being discussed. Getting the McKinney standout on campus would obviously be a nice development, but I’m on record as saying I wouldn’t get too excited just yet. One source I talked to this week was in agreement. “Based on talking to people around him, I would not expect a flip at all,” the source said. “There are going to be some people going to the game who just want to see a game that could impact the championship.” That’s kind of how I see it as well, but perhaps this is a small step towards other steps that really turn into something. That’s if he shows up, of course.
* Lucas Lovejoy wide receiver and current Florida State commit Daylan McCutcheon attended last week’s Texas game against Mississippi State (we say current because we don’t expect that to hold long-term). McCutcheon and people close to him this week said he’d rather focus on his season and not talk about the UT visit, and we’ll of course honor those wishes. That being said, we like UT’s position in this one more and more. I predicted in my 3-2-1 that Texas would flip McCutcheon. After publishing that, I heard from a source that McCutcheon is likely to be back for the Georgia game if it works with his schedule.
* One Dallas-area source told me this week that the “writing was on the wall” with McCutcheon eventually moving away from his Florida State commitment. Other sources this week expressed extreme confidence in UT’s position for the Rivals100 receiver.
* - A note to file away … LSU defensive tackle commitment Zion Williams has told some other recruits, including Texas commitments, that he’s planning on being in Austin for the Georgia game. Williams didn’t take a UT official visit in the summer so that’s still a possibility. I’ve reached out to Williams for confirmation/clarification but haven’t heard back just yet.
* I was asked during our Recruiting Hour show on OB Live which 2026 player is a can’t miss for Texas. My answer … 5-star OT John Turntine. I had asked that same Dallas-area source on what he’s hearing on Turntine, and it’s a positive report for the Longhorns. “Everything I’ve heard points towards Texas. I honestly couldn’t even give you a real number two,” the source said. “I don’t know who that would be. There’s a feeling it will be Texas whenever it happens.”
* 2026 Fort Bend Marshall safety Isaiah Williams released a top five of Texas, OU, Missouri, Ohio State and LSU on Wednesday. In talking to some people this week, there’s some thought that Texas and OU lead the pack, with the Longhorns holding the lead right now.
