Big 12 Morning Rush: Recruiting update, Texas vs. Baylor showdown

Stay up to date with the latest happenings surrounding Big 12 athletics.

Stay up to date with the latest happenings surrounding Big 12 athletics.

Texas is pushing hard for RB L.J. Johnson and QB Maalik Murphy

The Longhorns have their sights set on five-star quarterback Maalik Murphy out of Gardena, California. Austin appears to be a very likely landing spot for one of the nation’s top 2022 prospects. On Sunday, Murphy posed for a picture with Texas commit and four-star wide receiver Armani Winfield.

The duo was training with Premium 7v7 in California over the weekend. Could this be a glimpse of the future?

Four-star running back L.J. Johnson appears to be torn between Texas or Texas A&M. 247Sports’ crystal ball predictions have fluctuated consistently, it now appears to be a 50/50 chance of either school landing the Cy-Fair playmaker.

Texas will host No. 2 Baylor on Tuesday, fans will be present

Shaka Smart’s squad is gearing up for one of the toughest matchups of the year. The Longhorns are scheduled to take on No. 2 Baylor at the Frank Erwin Center at 6 p.m. CST.

A select number of fans will be able to attend the game. Texas was ranked as the No. 5 team in the country last week prior to suffering a one-point loss to Oklahoma on Jan. 26.

It’s officially baseball season

The Longhorns officially conducted their first practice of the season on Jan. 29. Big 12 conference play begins on March 19 where Texas will travel to Baylor and Texas Tech will host Oklahoma State.

The No. 9-ranked Longhorns will join No. 3 Texas Tech and No. 10 TCU as the three Big 12 programs that will open their season in Arlington at the State Farm College Showdown. The event will take place from Feb. 19 to Feb. 21.