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 - Bill Self would have taken the Texas job two years ago
Grade: 3
Quick breakdown: I had a really interesting conversation with a KU source this weekend and the vibe I got from talking to this source was that there was an open door for Self to depart Lawrence in the last few years, but that window has likely closed for a variety of reasons. "I think he would have taken the Texas job two years ago," the source told me. "Things are a little different two years later. There are some health issues that exist that weren't as impactful as they probably are now." Apparently, Self played serious footsy with Oklahoma State in 2024 and only an enhanced commitment from KU in the way of Portal funds kept hm around. There would have been an even larger urge to explore two seasons ago with the Texas job had it been offered. But, 2023 and 2025 are just different moments in time in a world where timing is everything. According to the person I spoke with, there's a sense that Self could hitch his wagons to incoming 5-star shooting guard Darryn Peterson and walk off into the sunset and into retirement. (Ketch)
Rumor No.2: Chris Del Conte went out of his way to hide his interest in Sean Miller
Grade: 2
Quick breakdown: Everyone knows that Sean Miller was a guy that Del Conte coveted going back a number of years, but upon some self-reflection I found the execution of the hire to be fairly curious. In retrospect, the idea of hiring an NBA coach like Quinn Snyder or Billy Donovan made very little practical sense because of the inability to sit patiently for their seasons to end. Those two were never going to abandon their jobs. Duh. Yet, those were the names that were purposefully being tossed around and it wasn't an accident. You guys might not want to believe this, but you need to take it to the bank that long-time Texas columnist Kirk Bohls has CDC's ear. CDC LOVES newspaper guys. Just eats them up. Eight days ago, these were the names that Bohls was listing at Chron.com with the Texas job: Donovan, Snyder, Will Wade (saying CDC had moved on from him), Tommy Lloyd, John Calipari, Grant McCasland, T.J. Otzelberge, Rick Pitino, Jay Wright and Todd Golden ... no Sean Miller. I'm not busting Bohls' chops at all, but he didn't invent that list of names out of thin air ... not all of them. Same with my sources. Back in 2021, there was an occasional Mario Cristobal/James Franklin trial balloon that was floated during the season. Did CDC learn from that experience when both candidates that he loved were blown out of the water almost immediately? All I know is that in retrospect, Miller was such an obvious move. Yet, for weeks, his name wasn't being mentioned at all. My hunch is that it wasn't by accident. CDC was likely playing possum and all of us got possum cooties passed along by our sources, whether they were willing cootie-sprayers or not. (Ketch)
Rumor No.3: Texas will take a wide receiver in portal this spring
Grade: 1
Quick breakdown: Word is going around among current team members (at the wide receiver position) that the Longhorns absolutely will look to add receiver depth through the portal. In talking to sources this week, I've been told that taking at least one wide receiver in the Portal is viewed as a matter of when and not if. (Ketch/Suchomel)
Rumor No.4: Aaliyah Chavez raked in a seven-figure payday from Oklahoma when she committed on Tuesday
Grade: 2
Quick breakdown: That was the word going around on Tuesday morning before she announced her decision. That commitment was going to be very costly for whichever school she selected. (Suchomel)
Rumor No.5 : Jaime Ffrench is the early standout of the freshmen receivers
Grade: 2
Quick breakdown: We’ve heard mention of a few of the true freshman pass catchers making impressions, including Daylan McCutcheon, but the word going into spring practices is that it’s one-time 5-star Jaime Ffrench who had the best offseason and could be in line to make an early impact.
Rumor No.6: Texas has a couple of tight ends that it can count on
Grade: 3
Sources have indicated that the staff feels really good about Jordan Washington as a receiver but there is still room for growth for him as a blocker despite him weighing in at 268 pounds heading into spring practices. No real surprise there, but there’s also confidence in Spencer Shannon, whose specialty is more as a blocker. (Suchomel)
Rumor No.7: Brandon Baker will be the starting right tackle, and the interior of the OL is still a concern
Grade: 2
Quick breakdown: Interestingly, it was Andre Cojoe lining up with the ones during Tuesday’s portion of practice that was open to the media, but the talk we’ve heard of late is that Brandon Baker is the most likely starter at right tackle. There is concern at the center and guard positions … yes, that includes right guard where D.J. Campbell lines up.
Rumor No.8 : DeAndre Moore is valued in a same light as Jordan Whittington for his leadership
Grade: 1
Quick breakdown: We’ve heard Sark mention before how DeAndre Moore kind of models himself after Jordan Whittington and we heard it again behind-the-scenes this week. In fact, we’re told Moore was very active in coaching up the young guys at this week’s practices.
Other pieces of scuttlebutt to pass along...
* On the recruiting front, word is that Texas quarterback Dia Bell is nearly back to full strength after undergoing tightrope ankle surgery late in the fall. Bell has been moving well at recent camps, he’s been cleared to fully participate in his team’s conditioning programs and he’s getting very close to being back to 100 percent.
* Rumor: Texas is trending up for Kaydon Finley despite some Notre Dame buzz a couple of months ago. We’re still a bit leery of Notre Dame in this one, but there is confidence on the Texas side of things as well and with Finley returning to Austin on April 18 for an unofficial visit, that’s another notch on the Longhorns’ side of things. This one’s not settled, but people in Austin feel it eventually gets done for the Longhorns.
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