(From Anwar)
Texas football coach Steve Sarkisian expressed optimism about his team’s winter conditioning program during a recent press conference.
“A year ago, we had to teach a lot in our winter conditioning program,” Sarkisian said. “We had to teach our fundamentals, our techniques. We really felt like we had to get better at our functional mobility. Not being a straight-line team fast, but having the ability to be functional, so we spent a lot of time there. And maybe we didn't lift as much last year as clearly, we are now. We're lifting more now and heavier weights than we did a year ago but part of that was because we had to get the technique right so that guys didn't get injured and so that guys could understand why they were doing what they were doing.”
Sarkisian also praised strength and conditioning coach Torre Becton for his work with the Longhorns this offseason. The head coach expressed his satisfaction with Becton’s work and the progression of his players during winter conditioning. Becton’s job is to get players ready for spring football, which is slated to begin on March 22.
I checked in with my source and two players have caught the attention of those inside the building this week.
Jonathon Brooks, RB
Bijan Robinson and Roschon Johnson are expected to receive the bulk of carries this season. That will leave Keilan Robinson, Jaydon Blue, and Brooks to compete for the remaining carries. So far, Brooks is turning heads during winter conditioning. Brooks is expected to battle Robinson throughout the offseason for the No. 3 spot. So far, Brooks has the attention of Sarkisian and his Longhorn coaching staff.
Justice Finkley, DE
Finkley has only been on campus a few weeks but is a newcomer who has energized the locker room. Finkley’s strength has been evident during workouts. I was told he looks like a player who has been in a college program for multiple years. In addition, Finkley looks like a player who could receive significant reps as a freshman based on how he has performed in winter conditioning. It is only February, but Finkley has people inside the building envisioning what kind of impact the freshman could have in the fall.
Meanwhile, Texas freshman running back Jaydon Blue is getting into shape after skipping his final year of high school football. As a result, Blue is working his way into college football shape. I do not sense that anybody close to the situation is worried since it is mid-February.
In addition, Texas redshirt freshman Quinn Ewers continues to impress everyone with his arm strength and accuracy. There is a belief inside the building that Ewers could have an exceptional 2022 season based on what they are witnessing during winter conditioning.
*****
Former TCU defensive end Ochaun Mathis revealed his top five list on Thursday.
USC, Texas, Ole Miss, Penn State, and Nebraska are the teams on his list. I was previously told Mathis would like to remain in Texas but wants to play for a program with a four-man front to showcase his pass-rushing ability.
As a reminder, Mathis, a two-time All-Big 12 selection, entered the transfer portal on January 12. He started in 34 games for the Horned Frogs and recorded 45 tackles, including seven for loss and four sacks in 2021. Before that, Mathis led the team with nine sacks and ranked second with 14 tackles for loss during the 2020 season.
What happens next?
My sources indicated they expect Mathis to arrange visits to each campus before making a final decision. Mathis is currently finishing his classes at TCU.
Student-athletes transferring once within the division can play immediately as long as they notify the school by the deadline. The deadline for fall and winter sports is May 1 every year. Spring sport athletes have until July 1.
According to those close to the situation, Mathis intends to announce his decision before the May 1 deadline. As of Thursday afternoon, Mathis had not scheduled a visit to UT. The Orange-White game will occur on April 23.
We will keep you posted.
*****
There will be enough Arch Manning updates from countless media outlets in the upcoming months to keep Longhorn fans occupied until the 5-star quarterback verbally commits.
You will see updates from team websites, national writers, and people who claim to have information. Some of the updates will be informative. Others will have partial truth. Every once in a while there will be a report that is from left field.
There was recently a report that stated Manning had narrowed his choices down to Alabama and Texas. Longhorn fans were delighted to learn their program was on Manning’s shortlist. It was a positive sign from a quarterback who is seemingly willing to give Texas football coach Steve Sarkisian and his program every opportunity to earn his commitment.
However, college football observers need to know Manning’s recruitment is nowhere near the finish line.
I checked in with multiple sources this week and learned Manning has not narrowed down his college choices. Manning’s main focus is on his high school basketball season. He intends to shift his focus back to football after Isidore Newman’s basketball season.
Manning’s top choices (in random order) are Texas, Alabama, LSU, Georgia, and Ole’ Miss. Each program is still in the hunt for Manning. I still do not anticipate Manning making a decision any time soon based on conversations I had with sources over the past two weeks.
Last week, I reported Manning’s goal was to verbally commit to a program in the fall. Here is a small recap for those who missed that report:
“Nobody in the college football world expected Lincoln Riley to leave Oklahoma for USC prior to his unexpected decision. Riley’s departure not only was a shock, but multiple Oklahoma players entered the transfer portal, which changed the dynamics of that football program.
“In addition, college football observers were surprised to witness Brian Kelly leave Notre Dame and join LSU. Kelly’s departure did not have the same ramifications as Riley’s departure. Nevertheless, Kelly left one of the premier programs in the country a few weeks before signing day.
“I learned the unexpected decision of two coaches who were leading successful programs and not in the hot seat is one of the main reasons the Manning family is not in a rush to make an early decision.
“One source close to the situation told me Manning does not want to commit early to a program and decommit if the coach leaves. When Manning makes a decision, he wants it to be his final choice.”
Clearly, anything can change in the world of recruiting. At this moment, the Mannings are not in a rush to decide.
Regardless, the Manning family remains interested in Texas and Sarkisian. Arch Manning and Sarkisian have a good relationship, which is helping the Longhorns. Getting the Mannings back on campus this spring would be another positive sign for Texas. I previously reported that the Mannings intend to visit multiple campuses this spring but may try to keep those plans under wraps to avoid the attention they received last year.
We will keep you posted.
******
(From Suchomel)
A few of you have inquired about Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns transfer linebacker Lorenzo McCaskill, who has expressed an interest in Texas, and we were able to catch up with him this week.
First, a little bit of background on McCaskill for those who might not be familiar with him …
At 6-0 and 220 pounds, McCaskill was a second-team All-Sun Belt Conference selection last year after recording 85 tackles, including 41 solo tackles. He also led the team in tackles in 2020. An inside linebacker, McCaskill is originally from Michigan and committed to Cincinnati out of high school but when things didn’t work out there, he played his freshman season at Holmes Community College before transferring to Louisiana.
He was a starter for the Ragin’ Cajuns in their game against Texas last year, recording 5 tackles and .5 tackles for loss. It was that game that helped put him on UT’s radar … at least the radar of Bijan Robinson.
“Bijan had set that up from when we had played the first game. Me and him had a relationship since then,” McCaskill said. “That’s pretty much been it. He wanted me over there. He felt like we can make each other better, make the team better as well.”
McCaskill has talked to the Texas coaches, but he said it’s been a while. In talking to him a little more, this one feels like it’s a race that the Longhorns can definitely win if the staff decides to push, but it’s still unclear just how much of a priority McCaskill is at this point.
“I talked to (the Texas coaches) once but it hasn’t been as much for now,” McCaskill said.
There are tentative plans for McCaskill to visit Texas in April, but locking that trip in is dependent on the two parties connecting again.
“I think that’s the plan. We haven’t got an official visit date set up,” McCaskill said.
Should Texas bring McCaskill in and offer, they’ll join a race that includes teams like USC, Missouri and Tennessee. Miami and Penn State have also been in touch.
“I’ve always been a Longhorn fan,” McCaskill said. “I think when we went over there - beside how hot it was. It was hotter than Louisiana. I’ve never played in a game that hot – I love the fan base, the environment. It would definitely be one of my top choices, but I don’t know exactly where I am on their board.”
We should know fairly soon what Texas wants to do here. Dead period lifts in March and McCaskill said he’d like to make a decision in March. Maybe April if he needs that much time. As for the experience of lining up on the others side of the line of scrimmage than Bijan, McCaskell said he gained a lot of respect for UT’s star back and would welcome the chance to play with him in the future.
“We were going at it. He’s a good player,” McCaskill said. “We were going at it. I think guys that work hard, they feed off each other. He definitely works extremely hard, is one of the best in the country.”
******
We’re still working to get in touch with Vanderbilt safety/linebacker transfer De’Rickey Wright, who entered the transfer portal on Monday and picked up a Texas offer on Wednesday.
This one is intriguing because Wright was a highly sought-after recruit coming out of high school, having committed to Alabama, Ole Miss and then Vanderbilt at various stages of the recruiting process. Wright didn’t fill up the stat sheet or log a bunch of playing time in his two years at Vandy, playing in four games in 2020 and eight games last year after missing time due to a suspension. He finished the 2021 campaign with 24 total tackles and 3.5 tackles for loss.
A Vanderbilt source we checked with this week said to not let the limited playing time and underwhelming stats be a turn-off. It sounds like if Wright can stay on the field, he has tremendous potential.
“He didn’t do much at Vandy because he was always in the doghouse but he was probably the most gifted player they had,” the source said.
We’ll continue to work on connecting with Wright. Oklahoma State jumped into the mix with an offer on Thursday.
******
Edge defender Billy Walton picked up a Texas offer on January 20, and the 2022 standout out of South Oak Cliff said the UT offer was one he’d been hoping to receive for a while.
“I don’t know what it was, I just always wanted an offer from them. I just like the school,” Walton said.
The 6-3, 210-pound Walton took a couple unofficial visits in January to places like SMU and TCU in January and he has a handful of stops he wants to make in March/April, including a trip to Austin.
“For sure, I want to get out there and see UT, first of all. Go back out to TCU and SMU, of course. I’m going to K-State on March 5. Texas Tech … spring is going to be big for me, recruiting-wise for sure,” Walton said.
Currently, Walton holds 19 scholarship offers. He’s keeping an open mind and will drop a top-10 or top-5 in the near future. Texas should factor into either of those announcements.
“It was really big for me,” Walton said of getting the Texas offer. “Growing up in Dallas, looking at Texas, I was like ‘Man, that’s real football.’ When I was growing up I wanted to go there for so long,” Walton said. “Before I got that offer, that was always going to be a top-five I wanted to go to. So when I got it, I was so shocked.”
Walton plans to take a few official visits in June and will likely hold a couple for next fall. He’d like to wait until his senior year to commit. He said he doesn’t mind going away from home to some extent, but doesn’t really want to get too far away from his family. He attended UT’s home game against Texas Tech and has also taken a visit to Texas A&M. Both schools have offered and Walton is intrigued by both programs.
“I know that they coach you, and the brand of football out there, it’s like imagine playing football for these fans,” Walton said of Texas. “They have top-five fans in my opinion. Walking out there, when I went out there and watched the game, walking through the tunnel, I felt like I was about to play. It’s just the atmosphere out there.
“I want to talk more to Texas A&M because again, that’s probably a top-five right now. I’d like to play football in front of their fans too, and they have great facilities. So them, TCU and SMU of course - the ones close to home.”
******
Cornerback Chance Rucker was another January 20 offer by the Texas staff, and he’s another who is intrigued by the opportunity to play ball in Austin.
“It felt great,” Rucker said. “I’m glad that it was in Texas so I can kind of stay somewhere close to home.”
Out of Denton Ryan, the Texas coaches stopped by to check on Rucker (and others) in January and he picked up an offer shortly after the staff got to do an in-person evaluation on the 6-2, 175-pounder. The Texas offer has the Longhorns in a strong early position.
“They kind of fit in at the top,” Rucker said. “I know they’re trying to bounce back from last season, add in more pieces. Especially after the 2022 class, adding some defensive players would be great.”
Texas, of course, signed Rucker’s defensive back teammate Austin Jordan in the 2022 class. Jordan mostly lets Rucker work his way through the recruiting process at his own pace, but said the two have talked about what led Jordan to pick UT.
“We’ve talked about it a little bit. He just tells me it’s a great fit for DBs and he enjoys it down there when he goes,” Rucker said.
In January, Rucker took a visit to Baylor and that trip has the Bears in contention. He’s hoping to pin down a date (or two) for a trip to Texas in March and April. The Rivals250 member says he’s planning to take his time with the recruiting process and doesn’t see himself making a decision until he’s able to take several other visits. He mentioned schools like Michigan State, Baylor, Texas A&M, Texas and Florida State as schools that have his early attention.
With good size and length for a cornerback, Rucker feels he brings a unique skill set to the position.
“I think my build, it’s just hard to come by. I’m tall, lengthy, have long arm reach,” he said. “I can play with bigger receivers. The 5-10 corners, sometimes they can have trouble with taller receivers.”
******
(From Cole Patterson)
2023 Dallas South Oak Cliff defensive back Malik Muhammad is one of the highly-rated prospects in a talented recruiting class inside the Lone Star State. The Rivals100 prospect has become a priority for several programs across the nation.
Texas is one of the schools standing out to Muhammad right now, with Alabama, LSU, Notre Dame, and Texas A&M some of the other notables that are heavily involved. The Longhorns do hold a family connection in Muhammad’s recruitment.
Muhammad’s cousin, Amina Muhammad, signed with Vic Schaefer and the women’s basketball program back in November. While that won’t be too big of a factor, Muhammad did say that it helps knowing that his cousin is a part of the university and is familiar with what Texas has to offer.
Sark and Jeff Banks are the two leading the recruitment for one of the best out of the Metroplex, with Terry Joseph also helping out in the efforts. Muhammad says that Texas has a “good staff over there” and that they hit him up pretty consistently.
The blue-chip prospect is set to visit LSU on March 5 when the dead period is lifted. Johntay Cook and Javien Toviano are two other DFW standouts expected to be in Baton Rouge that same weekend. Muhammad says he’s excited to meet with Brian Kelly and the new Tigers staff.
Texas A&M caught his attention with the signing class that they inked. Jimbo Fisher is one of several on the Aggies staff pushing to get Muhammad back on campus and in the boat. A&M is definitely a factor.
On Notre Dame, Muhammad says he is a big fan of Marcus Freeman and the staff. The Fighting Irish have done a great job recruiting the DFW, getting Denton Guyer safety Peyton Bowen in the class, while also being heavily in the mix for Muhammad, Rivals100 defensive back Ryan Yaites, and others.
Alabama hosted Muhammad on campus recently, his first trip to Tuscaloosa. The Rivals100 prospect met with Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide staff. Muhammad said he was impressed with the faciltiies and spoke well of Alabama DB coach Travaris Robinson, who the Tide hired from Miami.
Muhammad says that he hasn’t planned out his official visits yet and is still figuring all of that out. A national recruitment, Texas will be battling some heavyweights for the South Oak Cliff standout.
***
2023 4-star Arlington Lamar offensive tackle Isaiah Robinson was most recently on the Texas campus in January. The visit gave Robinson an opportunity to meet with Texas OL coach Kyle Flood, while also getting to speak with some of the players in the Longhorns’ program.
Robinson said that his Texas visit was “probably the most informative” one that he has taken. He was able to see the strength and conditioning program and gather some insight on what it would be like to a player in the Texas program.
Baylor, TCU, and Texas Tech all recently hosted Robinson on campus, too. Robinson says he is a fan of the new TCU staff and that he plans to make it back out to see the Horned Frogs in the spring.
USC is another program that Robinson says he has been in contact with. The Arlington Lamar prospect that he has not heard from Texas A&M since OL coach Josh Henson left for the Trojans. He plans to trim his list of schools down in the relatively near future.
***
An interesting quick note on Connor Stroh and Ashton Porter -- both competed in the Power Academy out in Arlington last weekend. Stroh earned offensive line MVP honors, while Porter earned an invitation to the 2023 UA All-American Game.
The two competed against each other in one-on-one drills. Afterwards, I asked the two of them who was the best player that they went up against. Without knowing what the other said (I asked them separately), they both said the other gave them the most trouble.
Both Stroh and Porter are key targets for Texas in the 2023 class. Kyle Flood and Bo Davis, respectively, have made the two priorities, and the Longhorns sit in good shape with both.
***
Rivals250 prospect Markis Deal also competed at the Power Academy. Despite many projecting Deal to play offensive line on the next level, Deal was strictly competing at defensive line. He moved very well in drills and showed off some of his athletic ability.
Deal told OB during the season that both Bo Davis and Kyle Flood have been recruiting him. He is open to playing either side of the ball if it gives his team a better chance to win, but Deal prefers to play on the defensive side.
The Garland Naaman Forest product took an unofficial visit to Texas in January for junior day. He has not yet decided where he will take his official visits.
***
Quick note on Johntay Cook ...
Cook is among the top priorities for Texas in the 2023 class at the wide receiver position. The DeSoto standout has spoken well of Sark’s offense, but he has wanted to see it work a little more on the field.
A big part of that is the quarterback position. In talking to Cook recently, he seems to be a fan of what Quinn Ewers brings to the table. Cook is well-aware of the talent that Ewers has.
“Quinn is a dawg. I've seen Quinn play in high school, and I know how good Quinn is,” Cook told OB. “People be doubting him, but that man can spin it. I can't wait to see what he do this year.”
Additionally, Cook has built a friendship with Xavier Worthy. Those two talk weekly, and Cook has said in the past he likes how Sark schemes him open and gets the ball into Worthy’s hands.
The better that Ewers and Worthy perform this season, the better chance Texas has in adding a talent like Cook to the equation.
Cook has not been shy about wanting to play with Arch Manning in college, so that's another factor to consider.
All of that said, it’s big for Texas to know that one of the top receivers on their board is a believer in Longhorns’ (likely) QB1.
******
(From Keenan Womack)
Chris Beard and Andrew Jones spoke to the media today at the Cooley Pavilion. Here are some of the interesting things that I heard.
ANDREW JONES
“After Baylor, you guys sort of answered your own call out. With that performance in Norman, what did you guys show, or prove to each other?”
AJ: I think we proved that we can bounce back when we play through adversity and together, you know, we can grind out games. That's probably one of the closest games we've been in all year. So that showed our togetherness, showed our focus. It kind of showed that it’s our job to do whatever it takes to win the game.
“Did you make a point to drive on your first two buckets? Obviously you were 4/5 from three, but your first buckets were taking it to the rack.”
AJ: It’s always good to see the ball going in early. But I'm really just taking what the defense gives me. The first couple of drives I took were late in the shot clock. They’re crowding me so I can’t get an easy shot. So, I guess I just, used my talent to create a shot.
“What do you guys take away from that trip to Lubbock?”
AJ: We move forward you know. Everybody knows what happened in Lubbock. That game didn't define us as long as we continue to get better and continue to grow as a team so we can make a push later in the season.
“What in your mind sticks out? What needs to be better?”
AJ: Everything. We were just a new team, a new group of guys and we just needed to learn to gel with each other, offensively and defensively.
“Andrew, can you share with fans how they can best support your foundation? Also, are you still in close contact with Dick Vitale?”
AJ: Oh yeah, I’m in close contact with him all the time. I try not to bother him because I know what that journey is and how difficult it is, you know, to be focused in the moment and then you have a bunch of messages and phone calls. But I reach out to him periodically just to know that, you know, he has my support …When it comes to the foundation, it's just more about who you are as a person and who you care about. It’s about being outside of yourself and donating to a cause that's bigger than basketball, and what life truly is. So, you know, I encourage everybody to continue to donate, you never know what people are going through next to you or across the world. You never know that your contribution can impact somebody drastically.
To donate to Andrew Jones’ V Foundation webpage, go to www.v.org/AJ1
CHRIS BEARD
CB: I also want to recognize Drew's basketball talent. He's in elite company now. He entered the 1500 Club. A dozen or so players on that list in Texas basketball history and I saw the name BJ Tyler pop up. We all know how good BJ was, one of the all-time greats. So you know, Drew continues to play really good basketball. He's made some great strides on the defensive end especially with his focus and willingness. And I think that the other night [he had] seven rebounds so you know, again, lost in this story a little bit how good a player he is, too. I always thought that was my responsibility to kind of keep bringing that up.
“Chris, what did you think of him taking it to the rack immediately? Kind of setting the tone of being aggressive taking it to them at the start of the game?”
CB: Yeah, we talk a lot about you know, shot selection and what kind of shots we're trying to get. And a guy like Jones, he's got a tough job, right? Because all the great ones do. I mean, it's not easy, being the best-player-type guy, so we definitely want him to shoot the three …We also want him to use his talent to get to the free throw line and be aggressive. Again, I talk to the guys all the time about: just think about LeBron like, every time he comes down the floor, he could probably get a good shot. But sometimes he's looking for that great shot and it's a team game. And guys like Drew do a great job of getting other people involved too. So a lot of respect for Andrew. I think he's playing really well right now.
“What did you learn in the first meeting [against Texas Tech], and what did your team need to improve upon?”
CB: Yeah, I've tried to think back here to our first game in Lubbock. Obviously, a great atmosphere for the home team. I thought our guys did a good job early, kind of withstanding the first kind of emotional punch to the game. Again, I understand the question, it was a great environment that night in a lot of ways. But we played in other environments like that, you know. This is Texas. So it's not like it's easy when we go to Allen Fieldhouse or down there to Waco or Gonzaga and other places. But our guys did a good job, kind of hanging around early, you know, they're going to try to throw that knockout punch on you when you're the visiting team in this league. Some stretch of the first half game really got away from us a little bit. We did a good job in the second half. I think we cut it to, I don't know, seven or eight points a couple of times and had some timely possessions with the ball, but came up a little bit short. Give Tech credit though. They beat us in the 40 minute game. We're gonna have to get a lot more productive and tough around the baskets with the rebounding game and they got really good players, and I think Coach Adams would be the first to tell you that, you know, this isn't going to be the coaches out there playing this gonna be the players. The privilege and honor to coach some of those guys, so I know as well as anyone maybe better than anyone how good those players are.
“Chris. What if anything, can you share about what you said to the fan at the end of the game?”
(video here: https://www.hookem.com/story/sports...rash-talk-ou-oklahoma-sooners-fan/6812892001/)
CB: I don't shy away from it. You know, I'm been coaching a long time. You know, during the games it's part of it, you know, teams rooting for their team, saying some stuff about the opposing team never had a problem with that really. Never will. But when the game's over and blocking off the court and somebody is within, you know, touching reach and we start saying things personal, I'm not gonna let that go by. I'm gonna, you know, take up for myself. And so, you know, to me, I just don't understand why it's a part of sports, you know, especially in Oklahoma guys. I coached at Seminole State College …You know, I’m always gonna take up for our players and I'm gonna take up for myself.
