Tag: Anthony hill

Texas players, former high school teammates pitch Bear Alexander to Austin

Georgia transfer DT Bear Alexander could potentially reunite with three high school teammates at Texas.

Transfer portal defensive tackle Bear Alexander has something in common with Texas tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders, linebacker Anthony Hill and cornerback Austin Jordan. All four played high school football for the Denton Ryan Raiders. And while Alexander may have his eyes on USC, the Longhorns could have a strong pitch to come back home to Texas.

Sanders and Hill are considered two of the more transformative players on the Texas roster. Both took to social media on Saturday to let the public know they are aware that Alexander is on the move.

Hill, who co-starred with Bear along the Ryan defense, tweeted to the big time player to “come home.” It’s unclear how fond Alexander is of the football program in Austin, but he’s certainly familiar with the impact Hill and Sanders bring to a football team.

Texas will aim to play on the appeal of reuniting with the three high school teammates and Georgia transfer receiver AD Mitchell.

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Texas Football: 12 takeaways from the Orange-White spring game

The offense put on a show unlike we’re used to seeing in the spring game.

The Texas Longhorns put their 2023 squad on display in Saturday’s Orange and White game. While we don’t want to make too much of the meaningless scrimmage, it looks like a handful of offensive players could be special.

The Texas offense went off in Saturday’s game. The most noticeable contribution came from the trio of Xavier Worthy, Jordan Whittington and AD Mitchell. Heading into the scrimmage, it seemed apparent that the wide receiver room was the strength of the team. That’s a testament to the work head coach Steve Sarkisian has done in receiver recruiting.

When Sarkisian took over at Texas, the cupboard was bare at receiver and offensive linemen. Those positions have vastly transformed as we saw firsthand in Saturday’s exhibition.

Texas’ top two quarterbacks made a number of plays as the offense looked better than usual in spring games. Quinn Ewers looked to have improved at the quarterback position, while Maalik Murphy proved able to step in and win games at the quarterback position.

Let’s look at our takeaways from the spring game.

How to watch Texas’ annual Orange-White spring game on Saturday

Arch Manning, Anthony Hill, Cedric Baxter, Johntay Cook and several others will be making their Texas debut on April 15.

Texas will host the annual Orange-White spring game on Saturday. Continue reading “How to watch Texas’ annual Orange-White spring game on Saturday”

Texas Football: Early enrollees continue to impress in spring practice

Texas’ freshman class is gaining the respect of the veterans.

14 players from Texas’ highly touted 2023 signing class are already on campus participating in spring ball.

Texas’ 2023 signing class ranked as the No. 3 overall class in the nation. It marks the best group Texas has signed since the 2010 cycle under Mack Brown.

Texas has seen multiple freshmen come in and make an immediate impact over the past couple of seasons. Wide receiver Xavier Worthy (2021) and offensive lineman Kelvin Banks (2022) earned freshman All-American honors for the Longhorns.

The trend of breakout freshman stars has a good chance to continue for Texas this upcoming season.

Former five-star Arch Manning, Anthony Hill, Cedric Baxter and Johntay Cook highlight a few of the uber-talented prospects who decided to enroll early for the spring semester.

It appears the newcomers are gaining the respect of the veterans around the program. When speaking with the media this week, many of the older players on the roster had nothing but praise for the Longhorns’ freshman class.

Texas Football: What we’re gathering from spring practice reports

We know more about the football team following spring practice reports.

Practice reports can be hit-or-miss in regard to what a team actually brings to the table. We saw that fact bear itself out under past football and basketball coaches.

There was a time when the Texas football coaching staff viewed the team as a playoff contender before falling flat in the regular season. Former starting quarterback Hudson Card, who could be primed to finish in the Top 10 nationally in passing yards at Purdue, was once viewed as an Aaron Rodgers clone. Those predictions were both swings and misses.

There are a few reports that have caught my attention and appear to have merit based on what we’ve observed and what makes logical sense. Here are a few things we’re picking up about the team as we approach the spring game.

Texas LB Anthony Hill mentioned as Big 12 newcomer to watch

Anthony Hill is set to make a splash in 2023.

Texas freshman linebacker Anthony Hill is getting national attention this offseason. Fox Sports college football analyst RJ Young deemed Hill one of his five Big 12 newcomers to watch.

Young said the following about the former Denton Ryan player.

At 6-foot-2, 225 pounds, a five-star in the 2023 class and No. 18 overall recruit, he could develop into the kind of destructive force Kenneth Murray Jr. was at Oklahoma in 2018 when he had 155 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss and four sacks.

Recently, the Fox analyst ranked Texas at No. 24 in his spring football Top 25. Ahead of Texas were No. 21 Oklahoma and No. 23 Kansas, both of which Texas defeated by more than 40 points away from Austin last year. Those predictions were somewhat bold. What’s not so bold is the assumption that Texas will need Anthony Hill to produce at the linebacker position.

Leading Hill’s position group is All-American linebacker Jaylon Ford. After Ford, there are a few question marks from the unit. David Gbenda is likely to be called upon to step up, but the Longhorns could need Hill to be a difference maker. If he plays up to potential, Texas could bring back a conference title trophy to Austin.

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WATCH: Texas freshmen discuss winter workouts, praise Torre Becton

Arch Manning, Anthony Hill, Cedric Baxter and others discuss their transition to the college level.

The Texas football social media account released a short video of the freshmen faces on campus discussing their transition to college and experiencing the winter workout program.

Torre Becton, Texas’ strength and conditioning coach, received high praise from several of the early enrollees. Former five-star quarterback Arch Manning specifically mentioned the physical progress he’s noticed since arriving in Austin.

Graduating early, it’s definitely been a great head start for me. Coach Becton and his staff have been very helpful. I’ve gotten bigger, faster, and stronger. He’s going to push you, and he wants what’s best for you. He asks you the first day you’re here, what do you want to do and what are your goals? He’s going to help you get there. That’s his job. He’s the best.

Here’s a look at the full video.

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Three burning questions for Texas football to answer in spring ball

Spring practice is a chance for Texas to put it all together before the 2023 season.

Texas football is getting into the full swing of spring practice. The Longhorns hit the field for the first time this week to kick off a crucial development time for the program.

Pressure is building on Steve Sarkisian to compete for a Big 12 title in 2023 before Texas moves to the SEC the following year. Texas took a take forward a season ago and has the roster to make another jump in the right direction.

Texas returns lots of production on both sides of the football, including starting quarterback Quinn Ewers, star wide receiver Xavier Worthy and All-Big 12 linebacker Jaylan Ford.

Spring practice is a chance for Texas to put it all together before the 2023 season. Here are three important question marks the Longhorns need to figure out in spring ball.

Texas Football: Freshmen looking the part in spring practice

These Texas freshman are going to push for early playing time.

Texas’ early enrollees are looking the part early on in spring practice. Continue reading “Texas Football: Freshmen looking the part in spring practice”

Jersey numbers of Texas football’s spring newcomers

Arch Manning will rock No. 16 as a Texas Longhorn.

An exciting group of newcomers breeds optimism for Texas football moving forward into the 2023 season. Continue reading “Jersey numbers of Texas football’s spring newcomers”