Category: Texas Football

Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian named to the 2024 Dodd Trophy watch list

Texas’s Steve Sarkisian named to Preseason Dodd Trophy Watch List for nation’s Coach of the Year Award

The Dodd Coach of the Year Award is presented annually to a college football coach whose team excels on the field, in the classroom, and in their community. The award is named after Georgia Tech legend Bobby Dodd who exemplified all three components and was first presented in 1976 when ironically Georgia Bulldog’s Vince Dooley was named the first winner.

In the award’s history, there have only been two multiple-time winners: Kansas State’s Bill Snyder and Penn State’s Joe Paterno. Mack Brown is the only Texas Longhorns head coach to have won the award in 2008. However, Steve Sarkisian hopes to bring the award back to the Forty Acres in 2024 as he has been named to the Preseason Watch List.

Sarkisian would become the first winner from the SEC since Nick Saban did it with the Alabama Crimson Tide in 2014. Mike Norvell of the Florida State Seminoles was the winner in 2023.

Texas defensive back Derek Williams Jr’s 2024 snapshot profile

A look at sophomore safety Derek Williams Jr. as he heads into the 2024 season.

Texas Longhorns wide receiver [autotag]Derek Williams Jr.[/autotag] heads into his sophomore season on the Forty Acres in 2024. One of the top safeties in the 2023 recruiting class saw the field plenty in his true freshman season. Overall, Williams appeared in 13 games for the Longhorns.

According to Pro Football Focus, Williams had the No. 7 best run defense grade, 77.8. That number was the highest among safeties on the team and he will be relied upon again in 2024 under the tutelage of defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski.

Preseason Derek Williams Jr. Profile

Hometown: New Iberia, Louisiana

Ht: 6-2

Wt: 193

247Sports Composite Ranking:

Four-Star | No. 4 Safety | No. 48 Nationally (2023 Class)

Class in 2024: Sophomore

Career Stats

Year Games Tackles Solo TFLs PBUs
2023 13 42 24 2.0 2
Via Stats Perform

Depth Chart Overview

We project that Derek Williams Jr. will be the starting safety opposite of Andrew Mukuba, who transferred from Clemson. He leads a talented room filled with young talent. Xavier Filsaime and Jordon Johnson-Rubell should see some snaps in rotation with Williams, however, the sophomore should get the bulk of the snaps at safety.

Derek Williams Jr’s Photo Gallery

Ryan Wingo among freshman SEC wide receivers expected to make instant impact

Ryan Wingo is expected to make an impact in year one.

The Texas Longhorns lost quite a bit of production from the 2023 team that finished with a trip to the College Football Playoffs after winning the Big 12 title.

The trio of Xavier Worthy, AD Mitchell, and Jordan Whittington tallied 172 receptions for 2,364 yards and 17 touchdowns. That equates to 13.7 yards per reception and these numbers don’t include standout tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders.

The staff did a phenomenal job with the transfer portal additions of Isaiah Bond, Matthew Golden, and Silas Bolden. The trio racked up a combined 140 receptions for 1,818 yards and 19 touchdowns. There is another newcomer that could pay dividends this season, five-star freshman [autotag]Ryan Wingo[/autotag].

The high school All-American finished his varsity football career in St. Louis with 129 receptions for 2,160 yards and 31 touchdowns. He also added a pair of touchdowns as a punt returner and one as a defensive back.

Recently CBS Sports listed Wingo among the top three freshman wide receivers who could make an impact alongside Auburn’s Cam Coleman and Alabama’s Ryan Williams.

What CBS Sports Said…

Wingo made four catches for 81 yards with a couple of touchdowns in the Texas spring game, which suggests he’s got the mettle to play an early role. Texas’ receiver room is immensely talented but vastly overhauled following the departures of Xavier Worthy, Adonai Mitchell and Jordan Whittington. Wingo will have a shot to establish himself within the position’s evolving hierarchy. He brings elite speed and has caught the eye of No. 2 quarterback Arch Manning, who may sling a lot of passes in Wingo’s direction during the 2025 season. “Wingo is going to be a stud,” Manning said. “He’s going to play a lot this year. He’s just everything you want in a wide receiver.”

Quick look at freshman WR Ryan Wingo

SEC top freshman WR impact list

  • Cam Coleman, Auburn Tigers
  • Ryan Williams, Alabama Crimson Tide
  • Ryan Wingo, Texas Longhorns
  • Mario Craver, Mississippi State Bulldogs
  • Mazeo Bennett, South Carolina Gamecocks
  • Hardley Gilmore, Kentucky Wildcats
  • Terry Bussey, Texas A&M Aggies

Red River Rivalry earns high grade from CBS Sports

As a result, the conference is now home to one of the biggest rivalries in college football, which many fans will highlight on the schedule.

When the 2024 college football season begins, the SEC will look a little different. The conference now includes two former Big 12 powerhouses, Texas Longhorns and Oklahoma Sooners. As a result, the conference is home to one of the biggest rivalries in college football, which many fans will highlight on the schedule.

CBS Sports ranked the top rivalries in the SEC, with the Longhorns and Sooners taking the top spot. Over the last decade, the rivalry has been full of fireworks because they are always competitive. Neither team has four in a row in the series since 2004. Eight of the last ten matchups have been decided by a single score.

Through 119 games, Texas leads the all-time series 63-51-5. On October 12, Oklahoma will get a chance to add to the win column when the Longhorns and Sooners meet at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas. The last time these programs faced each other, Oklahoma emerged with a 34-30 win in a matchup between two 5-0 teams.

While Texas and Oklahoma have everything a college football rivalry would want, CBS Sports highlighted a few other marque rivalries. The list included Alabama vs. Auburn, Mississippi State vs. Ole Miss, and Florida vs Georgia.

Texas and Oklahoma’s game this year will give fans in the SEC a firsthand look at one of the best rivalries in college football. Although the season is still weeks away, fans are counting down the days until these programs meet again.

Trio of Longhorns land in 2025 NFL mock draft projection

ESPN’s Matt Miller projects three Texas players to be selected in the first round of the 2025 NFL draft

After having no players selected in the entire 2022 NFL draft, Steve Sarkisian has got the Texas Longhorns football program back on the right track in producing NFL-caliber talent.

Running back Bijan Robinson, defensive lineman Byron Murphy, and wide receiver Xavier Worthy have all been first-round NFL draft picks over the last two seasons. There have been 13 other former Longhorns being selected during that time.

The 2024 season will be Sarkisian’s fourth year on the Forty Acres and he has undoubtedly the best roster he’s had. Texas is widely regarded as a top-five team in the country with almost everyone projecting a second consecutive Playoff appearance for the Longhorns. It certainly helps that he’s gotten a few recruiting classes under his belt, but the transfer portal has also made it way easier to rebuild rosters.

Texas lost several key contributors from last year’s team, but they still have several NFL-caliber players. ESPN NFL draft expert Matt Miller projects three Longhorns to be first round draft picks in 2025.

The first Longhorn off the board will be OT Kelvin Banks as the No. 5 overall pick to the Washington Commanders as they begin building the offensive line for Jayden Daniels. Miller says of Banks,

“If the draft were tomorrow, we’d be talking about left tackle and edge rusher as massive needs for the Commanders. That could change between now and April, but general manager Adam Peters could definitely address the blind side of the line; Washington has to protect quarterback Jayden Daniels after allowing 65 sacks last season (tied for second most). Banks is a prototypical left tackle with a powerful 324-pound frame, and the junior has allowed just two sacks over his two full seasons starting for the Longhorns.”

The 2025 draft was loaded at the quarterback position, but every single year there is always a need for quarterbacks. As a third year starter and one of the highest recruits of all time, QB Quinn Ewers will have all eyes on him. Miller projects that the New Orleans Saints will end up taking Ewers No. 10 overall saying,

“The 2024 season will be crucial for the future of starting quarterback Derek Carr in New Orleans and perhaps provide a window into what the team has in rookie fifth-rounder Spencer Rattler. At this time, it doesn’t appear that either quarterback is the future here. Ewers has talent worthy of a first-overall pick heading into his third season as a starter at Texas. At 21 years old, he has to cut down on poor decisions during games, but his accuracy, mobility and arm strength are that of a future NFL starter. Ewers threw for 3,479 yards and 22 touchdown passes last season.”

Despite not yet playing a game in the burnt Orange, former Alabama wide receiver Isaiah Bond is viewed as one of the three or four best in CFB. With WR Tee Higgins seemingly headed out of town, Miller projects the Cincinnati Bengals to use the No. 25 pick on Bond saying,

“Tee Higgins may have signed his franchise-tag tender, but that doesn’t mean the Bengals have a long-term resolution yet for the talented WR2. The Bengals drafted Jermaine Burton to replace Tyler Boyd but could still have receiver high on the list of needs during the next draft. Bond, a transfer from Alabama, will fill the Xavier Worthy role in the Texas offense with his elite downfield speed. He averaged 13.9 yards per catch with four touchdowns last season, even as the Alabama offense struggled to find consistency in the pass game. And in Steve Sarkisian’s system, Bond has huge potential.”

Contact/Follow us @LonghornsWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Sam Murphy on Twitter @SamMurphy02.

Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian ranked among SEC’s best

Where does Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian rank in CBS Sports’ Top 10 coaches in the SEC?

The Texas Longhorns and Oklahoma Sooners announced their move to the SEC nearly three years ago, yet even with the move becoming official on July 1st, it’s still hard to believe it’s real.

When the move was announced, many people believed the Sooners would have a seamless transition while the Longhorns would struggle, but the perception has flipped.

Brent Venables and the Sooners are coming off of a 10-3 season but will play arguably the hardest schedule in the country this year. It certainly does not help that Heisman Trophy candidate QB Dillon Gabriel transferred to the Oregon Ducks. All the while new starting quarterback Jackson Arnold struggled mightily in the lone game he started last year with three interceptions against Arizona.

Texas on the other hand is firing on all cylinders as they are coming off of a Big 12 title and CFP berth. QB Quinn Ewers will be back on the Forty Acres for his third year as a starter and many NFL draft experts project him to be a future first-round pick. Additionally, the Longhorns landed one of the best players in the country via the transfer portal this offseason in former Alabama Crimson Tide wide receiver Isaiah Bond.

However, the biggest thing Texas has working for them is that head coach Steve Sarkisian is quickly proving himself to be one of the best coaches in the country. After a losing season in year one, Sarkisian has gone 20-7 over the following two years with the Longhorns widely regarded as a pre-season top-five team this year.

As we head into the first season of the 16-team SEC, CBS Sports ranks the top ten coaches in the conference with Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian coming in at No. 3 on the list (No. 5 in all of college football) saying,

“Texas looks like it’s ready to hit the ground running upon joining the SEC. The Longhorns have steadily grown each year under Sarkisian, and it all culminated in a Big 12 title and College Football Playoff appearance in 2023. With quarterback Quinn Ewers back to lead the charge and an impressive transfer haul filling the gaps on a roster already laden with tremendous talent, the Longhorns have national title upside entering the 2024 season. A spot in Atlanta for the SEC Championship Game is the expectation, at the very least.”

Where Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium ranked among its peers

CBS Sports doesn’t think as highly about DKR as others.

Just a few weeks ago, EA Sports made headlines when it graded the toughest places to play in college football ahead of the release of the ‘College  Football 2025’ video game. The SEC was well represented as nine of the top 15 venues belonged to SEC teams. While the EA Sports rankings created some controversy, CBS Sports created its list, placing the Texas Longhorns in the top ten.

Although the Longhorns did not earn the top spot, they still joined an impressive company coming in tenth. The schools ahead of them were the LSU Tigers, Alabama Crimson Tide, Florida Gators, Tennessee Volunteers, Auburn Tigers, Georgia Bulldogs, South Carolina Gamecocks, Texas A&M Aggies, and Oklahoma Sooners. That was partly due to their schedule.

While Texas went 6-0 at home last year, its marquee opponents were Kansas and Kansas State. Before the 2023 campaign, the Longhorns had gone 9-4 over the past two seasons at Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. As the Longhorns look to rise in the rankings, they will get to prove themselves against one of the top programs in the nation.

During the 2024 campaign, Georgia will visit Texas on October 19. However, the fun does not stop there, as Texas will also host Florida and Mississippi State. If they can build on their success, then their place in the rankings may change next year.

For a team with high expectations, they will be looking to continue making DKR a hard place for opponents to succeed.

One bold prediction has Arch Manning to start at least one game

CFB expert makes a bold prediction involving backup quarterback Arch Manning.

As of July 1st, the Texas Longhorns and Oklahoma Sooners are officially members of the Southeastern Conference.

With conference realignment in full effect and the introduction of the 12-team Playoff, this year of college football will be unlike anything we have ever seen. However, the changes for the sport are for the best with regular season matchups like the Georgia Bulldogs traveling to Austin to take on the Longhorns or the Oregon Ducks flying out East to take on the Ohio State Buckeyes.

The changes coming make the sport almost impossible to predict, but I suppose that is what makes college football the best sport on earth.

Andy Staples of On3 makes 10 bold predictions ahead of the 2024 season including five teams from the SEC getting into the 12-team Playoff. However, his most interesting take was that he projects the Longhorns’ backup QB Arch Manning to start at least one game in 2024 saying,

“This is one I would prefer not to come true, and I don’t want anything to think I’m wishing ill on Texas starter Quinn Ewers. But the fact is Ewers missed three starts to injury in 2022 and two starts to injury in 2023. It’s also true that for a team to have the season Texas wants to have in 2024, that team would have to play 16 or 17 games.

Every playoff contender needs to be cognizant of its backup quarterback situation, and Texas probably is among the most comfortable with the idea of its backup coming in and winning games. Arch Manning looked quite grown-up when we saw him in the spring game, and coach Steve Sarkisian seems confident in Manning should he be needed.

Texas survived Kansas State by the skin of its teeth with Maalik Murphy starting last season. The Longhorns lost to Texas Tech with Hudson Card starting in place of Ewers in 2022. If something happened this season, Manning should be capable of keeping the offense humming until Ewers’ healthy return.”

QB Quinn Ewers is a third-year starter receiving first-round NFL draft projections, so it’s hard to imagine he loses his job, but Staples’ point about staying healthy for a 16 or 17-game season is something to think about.

Contact/Follow us @LonghornsWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Sam Murphy on Twitter @SamMurphy02.

On3 Sports ranks SEC coaches facing the most pressure in 2024

Which SEC coaches face the most pressure heading into the 2024 season according to On3?

College football has entered into a new era thanks to the transfer portal and the introduction of NIL, and being a college football coach has never been more difficult. Those difficulties are exasperated, especially in a league like the SEC where expectations are sky-high and time to succeed is limited.

Now, with the additions of the Texas Longhorns and the Oklahoma Sooners to the conference, that pressure is only going to be amplified.

Fortunately, Alabama legend Nick Saban is no longer in the picture, but Georgia head coach Kirby Smart is the new man to beat. However, Alabama’s new head coach Kalen DeBoer, and Texas’s head coach Steve Sarkisian will be entering the SEC for the first time this year and are both coming off of College Football Playoff appearances.

Heading into the 2024 season, On3 ranks the SEC coaches who face the most pressure this year. Arkansas’s Sam Pittman ranks No. 1 on the list coming off of a 4-8 season while Sarkisian ranks No. 7 saying,

“Sarkisian wasn’t even considered a Top 25 coach in the country before last year, and then he won the Big 12 Championship and took Texas to the CFP in easily his best year as a head coach.

Now can he do it again — only in a tougher conference? The pressure is on Sarkisian to prove last season was not a one-year wonder. The Longhorns have a stacked roster and will be a unanimous Top 5 team entering the season.”

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Texas target Riley Pettijohn reveals final four, commitment date

Four-star LB Riley Pettijohn set to announce commitment on July 6th

The Texas Longhorns 2025 recruiting class, already Top 15 in the nation, continues to get better by the day as they landed a huge commitment on Monday from four-star EDGE Smith Orogbo. However, the week is still just getting started for Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns as four-star linebacker Riley Pettijohn is set to announce his commitment on Saturday, Jul. 6.

Pettijohn is the No. 1 ranked LB in the class and the No. 33 overall player in the recruiting cycle according to Rivals. Despite offers from basically every major program in the country, Pettijohn has narrowed down his schools to Texas, Texas A&M, USC, and Ohio State.

As a Texas native, many of the experts think that the Longhorns are in the driver’s seat to land his commitment. The Longhorns have pursued the defensive side of the ball very heavily in the last two cycles and Pettijohn would be the cherry on top. I think there is a good chance that Pettijohn will end up earning a fifth star at some point this fall.

Contact/Follow us @LonghornsWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Sam Murphy on Twitter @SamMurphy02.