(Ketch)
* Let's start off with some Portal discussion. The Texas coaching staff and the football program as a whole seem much better aggressively planned than in previous seasons and I think it's going to likely lead to the best Portal class that the Longhorns have signed since the beginning of the Portal era.
* A couple of important notes that need to be understood. The Texas coaches know of players that haven't yet entered the Portal, but are leaning towards doing so, but there are also names that keep entering the Portal that have changed some tentative previous planning. It has made some of the plan-making very ... *dramatic pause* ... fluid.
* Keep in mind that there is probably a large list of players that will eventually hit the Portal, but they haven't yet entered because they don't want to be bothered non-stop by recruiters or they've been asked by the schools they are planning to transfer into to wait until the end of the Portal window to officially enter so that those schools don't have to hang on for dear life once other schools learn about the looming entry into the Portal.
* As we go through each position, let's start with the quarterback position. YES, ARCH MANNING IS HAPPY AND NOT GOING ANYWHERE. I REPEAT FOR THOSE OF YOU IN THE VERY BACK ... ARCH MANNING IS HAPPY AND NOT GOING ANYWHERE. All eyes will remain on Maalik Murphy, but there's no true sense of what his final decision will be once this season is over. There's still a lot of hope that he will remain with the Longhorns, but everyone seems to understand that patience is a practice that is more easily talked about than executed.
* A couple of notes on the running back side of things. First, I haven't heard of the Longhorns being in the mix with any of the running backs that have hit the market from the sources that I've communicated with. Second, there is speculation out there on the Portal streets from non-Texas sources that things could get interesting after the bowl season. One set of rumors that we heard from a non-Texas source last week was that Jaydon Blue might test the Portal waters and if he was to leave, Boise State star Ashton Jeanty (originally from Frisco Lone Star) might come in. I've come across nothing of substance that would suggest there's anything true about this rumor (Jeanty has pledged to return to Boise this week), but I wanted to cite it to give you an example of the kind of stuff we're coming across on a daily basis.
* Speed, speed and more speed. The Longhorns are looking for game-breakers to replace the anticipated loss of Xavier Worthy. This is perhaps the most fluid of the position groups that the Longhorns are targeting because of what might still happen with new names entering the Portal and names that have continued to enter the Portal by the day. Yes, there is very definite interest in South Carolina transfer Juice Wells, but I've been told not to go completely all-in on the Wells hype train because there are other names that could hit the Portal that would possibly rank higher on the internal wish list. Sit tight and keep an eye on that Portal doorway.
(p.s. - One name to keep an eye on is Houston wide receiver Matthew Golden, who entered the Portal on Thursday evening.)
* It's been very quiet on the tight end front thus far and that would seem to continue to indicate that things look very promising for the Longhorns as it relates to the return of both Ja'Tavion Sanders and Gunnar Helm in 2024. If we start to see the Longhorns targeting TEs in the Portal, that will be a big tell about the future of Sanders.
* There's nothing to see on the offensive line side of things, which shouldn't be a shock when you consider the young depth itching to get on the field and the fact that Kyle Flood hasn't had an interest in the transfer market since he arrived.
* The defensive line is paramount to what the Longhorns would like to accomplish in the Portal. While there's a lot of speculation about the A&M interior defensive linemen that have hit the Portal, I get the sense that there may be other names that haven't yet hit the Portal that the Longhorns could be waiting on to see whether they come in or not. It would be a shock at this point if the Longhorns don't end up with at least one interior player through the Portal. As it specifically relates to former A&M defensive tackle Walter Nolen, I've been told that it's not likely to happen for a number of reasons.
* There is growing buzz around the Longhorns and former UTSA star edge player Trey Moore, who led the nation in sacks (14) this season. In fact, a few predictions in other networks are already coming in for Moore to end up at Texas. So, what's the deal? Yes, this is a situation that no one should be blind to, but Moore is going to have quite a few suiters and there is speculation that his recruitment will go into January. Also, this cannot be stressed enough ... Colin Simmons is expected to compete for a starting spot at one edge position and if the Longhorns look to sign Moore, it would be for the other edge/defensive end spot in the defense (think potential competition for Barryn Sorrell and Justice Finkley at the JACK position).
* Linebacker is considered a position that the Longhorns absolutely want to address in the Portal, but I haven't really heard of any definitive names at this point.
* You can write former Clemson starting safety Andrew Mukuba in ink as far as I'm concerned. He's expected to be in Austin next weekend for an official visit. It would be a surprise if he's not a Longhorn in January. Depending on numbers, it certainly wouldn't be a surprise to see the Longhorns add a second defensive back before the dust settles.
* My guess is that a potential Portal class looks like this:
WR
WR
DT
DT
Edge
LB
DB
* I continue to hear that the Longhorns need more in the world of NIL. How much more? If the Longhorns are going to do what they want to do, we're talking $6-$10 million more. There's hope that more high-level donors will emerge that haven't previously existed and there's also hope that Texas AD Chris Del Conte will ask/seek/allow Foundation donors to turn a small percentage of their annual donations into the Texas One Fund. There's a sense that Del Conte opening up access to the Foundation fundraising would achieve a lot, if not everything, that the Longhorns are trying to achieve in fundraising.
*****
(Anwar)
* Longhorn fans who were optimistic that Texas freshman safety Derek Williams would not serve his first-half suspension against Washington are going to be disappointed. Williams was ejected for targeting during the second half of Texas’ Big 12 Championship victory against Oklahoma State. I asked the Big 12 if it meant Williams would serve his suspension in the first half against Washington in the Sugar Bowl.
“Yes,” a Big 12 spokesperson told me. “Any second-half targeting suspension is served in the next game, which can be the postseason or the first game of the next season.”
The next game for Texas is on January 1 against Washington. That means Williams will not play in the first half.
* Here is something I uncovered this week that is relevant to Texas, along with the other playoff teams. The deadline for players to enter their names in the transfer portal window is January 2. A player can enroll in a school after that deadline, but their name must be in the portal before the deadline. I asked the NCAA on Thursday if Longhorn players will receive an extension because their team is in the playoffs.
The answer is yes. Here is the NCAA’s response to my email:
“New transfer windows for Football Bowl Subdivision and Football Championship Subdivision football will include a 30-day window beginning the Monday after FBS conference championship games. For student-athletes on teams that compete in the postseason (for example: College Football Playoff, FCS championship, bowl games) there will be an additional five-day transfer window following the contest.”
Yes, Longhorn players will receive an additional five days to enter their names in the transfer portal following this team’s last game. The Sugar Bowl is on January 1. The National Championship is on January 8. The first day of class at UT is on January 16.
* In addition, I was told some players are hesitant to enter the transfer portal because Texas is in the playoffs. Some players do not want to miss out on a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to win a national championship. Meanwhile, the Longhorn staff is hopeful the extra time will give them a chance to convince players they want to remain at Texas and reexamine their options after the spring game.
* Former South Carolina receiver Juice Wells is a player the Longhorns are keeping an eye on. As Ketch stated on Thursday, UT is keeping an eye on Wells, and I was told there is a possibility he could visit Austin next weekend. However, Texas is seemingly kicking the tires at this moment.
* So far, nothing has changed as related to the future of Texas receiver Adonai Mitchell. It appears Mitchell is still learning toward entering the NFL Draft after this season. The deadline for underclassmen to declare is January 15.
* Speaking of, there is nothing new on Quinn Ewers’ announcement. ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported a decision could be announced this week. However, it appears everyone inside the building would not mind if Ewers held off his decision for a few weeks.
*****
(Suchomel)
* Before we get to some individual notes, look for it to be a fairly eventful recruiting weekend on the weekend of December 15. Texas is expected to have some official visitors in town, both in the way of high school players and transfers, but there will also be a good number of the Longhorns’ current commitment class in town for a recruiting gathering on December 16.
* Texas running back Jerrick Gibson will be one of the players in town next weekend. Florida had been trying to get the IMG Academy product on campus this weekend for an official visit, bug Gibson’s father told us early in the week that the trip would not be happening. He’ll now head to Austin next weekend and will actually stay in Austin following that visit to take advantage of an NCAA rule that allows incoming freshmen to participate in bowl practices.
* We reported a few weeks ago that Alabama was still aggressively pursuing Texas commitment Aeryn Hampton, and that Hampton was keeping the lines of communication open. The Crimson Tide finished second to the Longhorns when Hampton committed to Texas (for a second time) on July 7, and Nick Saban was in Daingerfield this week to do a school visit. The good news for Texas … Daingerfield remains alive in the playoffs after knocking off an undefeated Newton team last week. The Tigers will now take on an undefeated Tidehaven team on Thursday night. Hampton told OB recently that his only focus was on winning a state title and recruiting wasn’t really a concern of his at this time … if you’re a Texas fan you should probably root for Daingerfield to keep playing for one more week.
* We’re officially less than one week out from Kobe Black’s decision. Not much new to report on the Waco Connally product from what we wrote last week. Texas remains in a very strong position. Interestingly, there was some confidence on the Oklahoma State side last week, but we’re still fully expecting this one to go UT’s way next week.
* Texas put an offer on the table for Utah commitment Hunter Andrews this week. The versatile athlete told OB on Wednesday that the UT staff has told him he could pick either linebacker or tight end should he side with the Longhorns. Andrews has, respectfully, declined to do say too much about his Texas interest out of his appreciation for the Utah staff, which is admirable. He did tell us that a visit to Texas for December 15 was a possibility. Utah is obviously working to shut that visit down. If that trip happen, I’d put him squarely on flip watch … late offers taking visits this late in the process is a strong indication of late movement.
* The tug of war for Xavier Filsaime continues. Texas will go in-home tonight and an official visit for next week is expected as of now. Word out of Gainesville is that Florida has settled on its new DB coach and he’s already recruiting behind the scenes. A formal announcement is expected soon. That new coach (likely joined by Billy Napier and Austin Armstrong) will go in-home with Filsaime next week. That visit, of course, could move the needle back in Florida’s favor. This has been a tough one for me to read and it’s had some back-and-forth, which may not be done yet. Like Hunter Andrews, if Filsaime does visit Texas next week, you have to like UT’s chance for a late flip.
* It’s going to be a busy final stretch for Tampa Carrollwood Day defensive end/linebacker Solomon Williams. Williams tells OB that Steve Sarkisian and Pete Kwiatkowski will be in town for an in-home on Monday. Alabama will be on Tuesday and A&M and Oregon will be in “later that week.” In kicking the tires on this one, nobody I’ve talked to seems to have a clear read on how it’s going to turn out. Williams has said for a while that he’s close to a decision and he obviously has to decide soon. The visits next week could tip things in one direction, but Texas is obviously all-in with Sark and PK set to visit on Monday.
*****
(Aaron/Zach)
* ICYMI -- Earlier this week OB broke the news that Notre Dame transfer LHP Will Mercer will miss the 2024 season due to an arm injury suffered late in the Fall. Mercer had CWS experience and was on track to be a key piece of the 2024 bullpen after a great fall.
* Texas is currently trimming its roster in order to meet the 40-man NCAA limit. Hayden Morris, Brandon Bertsch, MJ Sweeney, Ean Czech, Matt Zatopek, Lane Allen, Will Rigney and Oliver Santos are not expected to be with the team in 2024.
* The 2nd annual Carter Couch Toy Drive saw Longhorn fans donate over 1,000 toys, completely filling up the RBI Austin office, as the Longhorn Baseball team, friends, and family gathered to celebrate. Thank you to all the OB members that contributed!
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