Inside of our continued desire to create new weekly content pieces that add some spice to your daily choices of content pieces around Orangebloods and the rest of the Internet, I introduce "Truths and Lies".
In this new piece, we will discuss all of the various rumors going around in recruiting and around the world of Texas athletics. We're going to talk about the elephants in the room out in the open. Hell, we'll grade them on a scale.
It just seems to me that at our roots, this kind of discussion is what launched Orangebloods to what it eventually became in the first place. I hope you guys enjoy this.
Official Orangebloods Bullshit Meter
5 - Total and undeniable bullshit (Vince Young hurt his hand in a fight the night before Texas/OU)
4 - Probably bullshit, but we probably shouldn't be emphatic about it
3 - There's enough of a possibility of it being true, that we should file it away just in case.
2 - You think it's probably going to happen, but things can change in the blink of an eye. (It's Austin.)
1 - Total and undeniable truth
Let's get on with it.
Rumor No. 1 - Rodney Terry is out
Grade: 2
Quick breakdown: I talked to a key athletics department source on Thursday morning about this and was told that Terry was "probably" going to be replaced at the end of the season. "I believe CDC (Chris Del Conte) wants to make a change, but it's not a finality as far as I know," the source said. "It will be really expensive to buy Terry out, potentially buy out other coaches and their staffs, and then still give the new coach and his full team of staff members new deals. Tens of millions. We don't spend that on a whim. Terry still has some strong support and they have rallied that support. Remember the last week of Charlie Strong? It kind of feels like that."
Rumor No. 2 - Will Wade is a favorite for the job.
Grade: 4
Quick Breakdown: This is the rumor from two weeks ago that multiple members of the Orangebloods staff heard buzz about behind the scenes and we weren't sure how to truly discuss it on the site. Most of this seems to be coming from the other side of the state border between Texas/Louisiana and I would strongly contend that the former LSU head coach, who is still serving a show cause, has an agent doing solid work. The source I spoke with on Thursday about Terry said of Wade, "CDC collects trophies. Head coaches are his trophies. Wade isn't a trophy and I cannot see CDC wasting an opportunity to make himself really popular (by hiring a star name) by going with a dangerous wildcard. What part of CDC screams that he would covet Wade?" Fair enough.
Rumor No. 3 - Atlanta Hawks HC Quinn Snyder is a favorite for the job.
Grade: 3
Quick breakdown: Snyder is currently making $8 million per year with the Hawks, but he apparently doesn't have a buyout and that could be a huge element of what would happen in a post-Terry world. Saving $5+ million isn't inconsequential. "Watch him," another source told me this week. "He's the opposite of Will Wade. A current NBA head coach with a big name? They could compete against each other for the best suits in the athletic department. Watch him."
Rumor No. 4 - Chicago Bulls HC Billy Donovan is a favorite for the job.
Grade: 3
Quick breakdown: "Watch him, too," the source who commented on Snyder said. "Same deal. Makes about the same amount of money and there's no buyout."
Rumor No. 5 - Arkansas Razorbacks HC John Calipari is a favorite for the job.
Grade: 4
Quick breakdown: "That's the most expensive thing CDC can do," source No. 1 said. "I don't even know if that's doable to be honest."
Rumor No. 6 - Kansas HC Bill Self is a favorite for the job.
Grade: 4
Quick breakdown: Haven't heard anyone mention his name to me directly and when I reached out to a KU source this week, I was laughed at. So, there's that.
Rumor No. 7 - Alabama is a major threat to steal Dia Bell
Grade: 4
Quick breakdown: Adam Gorney reported this week: "The word is Alabama general manager Courtney Morgan is reaching out trying to gauge Bell’s interest in flipping him to the Crimson Tide and could be targeting the Texas quarterback in this class. Bell has maintained he’s locked in with the Longhorns but that might not stop Alabama from going after the Plantation (Fla.) American Heritage four-star quarterback, even after the Crimson Tide signed No. 1 Keelon Russell last recruiting cycle."
Bell seems locked into Texas and the Longhorns aren't playing footsy with anyone else at the position. If Bell got cold feet, I'm not sure that Alabama would be first in line when you consider the presence of Russell and the one-year head start he has in competing for the short- and long-term starting position. This is probably nothing to worry about outside of always remembering that schools across the country will be looking for a weakness in the Texas fortress any way they can in the name of getting a foot in the door with the ultra-coveted Bell.
Recruiting Scattershots...
* Looking for a sleeper name at receiver in the 2026 class? File away the name of Henry Harris. The 3-star wide receiver out of San Marcos has been in contact with the Texas staff and word is that if the Longhorns decide to jump into the mix with an offer, they would immediately move to the top of Harris’ list. Schools like Baylor, Houston and Texas Tech are among his offers.
* We’re roughly one month out from the spring transfer portal window opening on April 16. While we believe the majority of players who will leave the Texas program did so in the December window, we’re keeping an eye on the offensive line for one player we’ve heard will likely enter the portal.
* Alabama is the perceived leader for 2026 RB Ezavier Crowell but we’ve heard recently that Texas is in a better spot than most people realize. If things go well on Crowell’s upcoming spring visit, which they should, and again during his June official visit, don’t be surprised to see the Longhorns give the Crimson Tide a run for their money for the Rivals100 runner.
* Boobie Feaster will visit Texas soon but the Longhorns aren’t slotted to get one of his four official visits (Feaster has told OB he won’t take more than four). Six months ago, nobody would have expected that. On the surface, it may seem like Texas has slipped while others have surged, but we’ve heard this is more a mutual thing as the Longhorns have a handful of other targets they’re prioritizing. Could things swing back UT’s way with Feaster and would Texas take him? Of course. But coaches don’t always agree with the rankings of the recruiting services.
* Pay attention to which in-state targets have visits set up (both official and unofficial) and which ones do not. Just like Boobie Feaster, guys like Jamarion Carlton, Jordan Clay, Tiki Hola and Isaiah Williams don’t have dates locked in for a return to the Forty Acres, which is usually a tell that things aren’t trending up.
* Gorney also said of 5-star cornerback Havon Finney Jr of Chatsworth, CA this week: A battle between staying home and playing at USC (possibly with five-star teammate Richard Wesley) and going to LSU could be brewing for Finney, who recently reclassified to 2026. The word early for the Chatsworth Sierra Canyon standout was that the Tigers had the big edge but USC has shown him a lot of attention especially with its new recruiting staff. Ohio State, Texas and Michigan are also being looked at for officials.
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