Tag: longhorn news

Former Texas defensive lineman signs one-year deal with Eagles

Rotational defensive tackle Hassan Ridgeway has re-signed with the Philadelphia Eagles.

The NFL’s negotiating period began on Monday, which brought an ample amount of excitement to the sport’s world which has desperately needed it.

A former Longhorn happened to be included in the headlines. The Philadelphia Eagles reached a one-year deal with defensive lineman Hassan Ridgeway just before he was able to negotiate with other teams.

Ridgeway is a rotational defensive tackle who provides plenty of upside behind Fletcher Cox and Malik Jackson. Before suffering an ankle injury in 2019, Ridgeway played in seven games with the Eagles.

Prior to being selected by the Indianapolis Colts in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL Draft, Ridgeway was a four-year defensive lineman at Texas from 2012-15. He ended his collegiate career with 92 tackles, including 9.5 sacks and 18.5 tackles for loss.

The Eagles originally acquired Ridgeway in a trade last season. The 6-3, 305-pound playmaker can revitalize his career in Philadelphia as long as he can remain healthy.

 

 

University of Texas to ban all fans from attending sporting events

With the recent pandemic concerning the COVID-19 (coronavirus), the Big 12 conference and the University of Texas released rulings.

With the recent rulings by the NCAA concerning the tournament amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the University of Texas has also made their announcement.

This comes on the heels of the Big 12 limited fans from attending the Big 12 tournament currently taking place in Kansas City, Missouri. Per Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowles, schools will be limited to 125 fans per school.

Texas President Greg Fenves released an announcement regarding Spring Break.

I am writing to announce that I have decided to extend spring break for students by one week in response to the spread of COVID-19 (coronavirus). Classes will resume on campus on Monday, March 30, and students should plan on returning prior to that date.

The university will remain open, and the additional week of spring break will provide UT faculty and staff members time to prepare to increase “social distancing” on campus. As recommended by public health officials, social distancing provides guidelines through which individuals avoid group settings and mass gatherings, maintain a safe distance from others and follow good personal hygiene practices whenever possible.

COVID-19 represents a serious public health concern. UT is committed to the well-being of our community members and slowing the spread of the coronavirus while also supporting our students’ educational goals and the needs of staff and faculty members and students during these challenging times.

You can read the full release from President Fenves here.

The school pushing back spring break to March 30th brings into question the start of spring practice. The original start date was set for March 25th. The ban of attending home sporting events would last to the 22nd so that would not have factored in. However, the extension of spring break does.

We will monitor the situation and report the facts as they are made available.

NCAA Tournament updates amid Coronavirus outbreak

NCAA President Mark Emmert released a statement preventing fan attendance, while the College Basketball Invitational canceled completely.

The recent outbreak of Coronavirus (COVID-19) has now prevented fans from attending the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.

NCAA President Mark Emmert released a statement on Wednesday stating that only essential staff and limited family will be allowed to attend games. However, the situation will continue to be monitored and adjustments will be made on an as-needed basis.

Public health officials are taking the necessary steps to prevent large crowd gatherings in fear of the COVID-19 progressing in the United States. There was a legitimate chance that March Madness would be canceled completely, but ultimately Emmert felt confident to continue the event under these special circumstances after discussions with the Board of Governors.

A separate postseason inaugural tournament, the College Basketball Invitational, has canceled completely.

Although the College Basketball Invitational is on the lower tier of importance in terms of postseason tournaments compared to the NCAA Tournament and National Invitation Tournament, the cancellation speaks volumes in terms of what is to come with sporting events over the next several months.

Not having fans in attendance throughout the NCAA tournament will impact each team significantly. Texas still has a chance to become an at-large bid into the tournament, although fan attendance has not been their strong suit this season.

 

Kansas coach Bill Self predicts Texas to make the NCAA tournament

Kansas men’s basketball coach Bill Self believes that Texas has already done enough to receive an at-large bid into the NCAA tournament.

The madness continues.

Texas men’s basketball coach Shaka Smart led the Longhorns on a miraculous five-game win streak over the past month. In what appeared to be a disappointing season that had minimal hope, Texas began to creep into discussions regarding the NCAA tournament.

The hype was short-lived as Texas fell flat in the season finale at home to Oklahoma State. In doing so, the Longhorns finished the regular season .500 in Big 12 play and 19-12 overall.

Some believed Texas would need to defeat Oklahoma State in order to receive an at-large bid into the tournament, while others were confident Texas had already done enough to sneak in.

Kansas head coach Bill Self agrees with the latter. According to Dallas Morning News reporter Chuck Carlton, Self believes six teams from the Big 12 should be included in the selection process.

It’s quite an uphill battle for Texas to win the Big 12 tournament and receive an automatic bid. Kansas and Baylor are in a superior tier to the rest of the conference, while the Longhorns would still have to defeat a solid Texas Tech team in the first round to even make it to that point.

In terms of how successful Self has been this season with the Kansas program, his words carry a bit of weight. If you go at least .500 in conference play, you have a much higher probability of making it into the NCAA tournament.

The six Big 12 teams mentioned would include Kansas, Baylor, Oklahoma, West Virginia, Texas and Texas Tech. Four of those six programs concluded the season by going 9-9 in conference play. Texas Tech has the worst overall record of the six teams, but they also have a legitimate chance to make a statement in the Big 12 tournament.

Each of these six teams can make a great case for the NCAA tournament, it solidifies that Texas is still very much in consideration for an at-large bid this year.

 

 

Mock Draft Roundup: Draft Wire Projects Brandon Jones To Philadelphia

USA Today Sports’ Draft Wire is mocking Brandon Jones to Philadelphia, given their season the move would make sense.

In this weeks mock draft roundup, only one Texas Longhorns player is showing up in the top three rounds of the NFL Draft. If this were to hold true then Collin Johnson and Devin Duvernay and company would have to wait until day three of the NFL Draft festivities to find out where they will be continuing their football careers

Luke Easterling has mocked the Longhorns safety to join the NFC East and the Philadelphia Eagles with the 85th pick.

Tim Warner/Getty Images

Brandon Jones heading to Philadelphia makes a ton of sense, their secondary struggled throughout the year due to injuries and lack of quality depth. In their playoff matchup against the Seattle Seahawks, the Eagles saw D.K. Metcalf and Russell Wilson pick them apart.

With the future of Malcolm Jenkins remaining a huge question mark, the Jones selection fits here for the Eagles. Jenkins who just turned 32 is going into his 10th year in the league. Jones can come in provide depth and play special teams to be an immediate contributor.

Devin Duvernay continues to be overlooked but once the Senior Bowl and NFL Combine roll around, expect a lot more attention thrown his way.

 

Last-second line movement: late money coming in on Texas in the Alamo Bowl

Last-second line movement: late money coming in on the Texas Longhorns in the Alamo Bowl

Since the Alamo Bowl matchup has been set as the Texas Longhorns vs. the Utah Utes, the money line, spread, and total have continuously moved. On December 9 at BetMGM, the money line opened at Texas +210, the spread at Texas +6.5, and the total at 55.0. Since then, there have been a few aberrations including a quick shift to Texas +7. 

More recently, there has been a swing in the odds in Texas’ favor, meaning that a lot of last-minute money came in on the Longhorns. Just 45 minutes before kickoff, the money line shifted from Texas +225 to Texas +210, the spread from Texas +7 to Texas +6.5, and the total from 55.0 to 55.5.

Time will tell if putting any money on Texas was worth it, but at least one person is in big on Utah.

(Odds via BetMGM. Access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated 11/30 at 10:45 a.m. ET. )

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

NFL teammates stand in as honorary captains ahead of the Alamo Bowl

NFL teammates are on the field at the Alamo Bowl to represent their alma mater

As the Texas Longhorns are preparing to take the field against the Utah Utes in the 2019 Valero Alamo Bowl, two current NFL teammates are in the building to represent the opposing teams for the coin flip. The Washington Redskins’ Colt McCoy is representing Texas, while Alex Smith is representing Utah.

Colt McCoy is a legendary figure in Texas Football history and perhaps the greatest quarterback ever to sport the burnt orange on Saturdays. He set all the records that quarterback Sam Ehlinger is trying to break next season.

On the other side, Alex Smith’s career at Utah earned his way to being selected first overall in the 2005 NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers. Though Smith has had the more illustrious NFL career, the teammates are together on the field supporting their alma mater once again:

Texas recruit doubles down on his commitment to Texas

2021 Texas recruit doubles down on his commitment to Texas

Following a brief rash of de-committments from Texas’ future recruits, 2021 athlete Billy Bowman is bucking the trend and doubling down on his commitment to Texas. According to the Statesman’s Mike Craven, Bowman has known Texas’ new offensive coordinator for years and has recently spoken with Texas’ new defensive coordinator.

Out of Ryan High School in Denton, Texas, Bowman is a multi-position, multi-sport athlete. In high school, he played as a running back, wide receiver, punt returner, and defensive back on the football field while also playing basketball and participating in track and field.

Bowman is ranked as the 90th overall player in the 2021 class, as well as being a top 10 athlete and top 15 player in Texas. He chose to stay in his home state over Alabama, Arkansas, Notre Dame, Florida State, and other top programs.

Someone bet $100,000 on the Alamo Bowl – who are they this confident in?

Someone bet $100,000 on the Alamo Bowl – who are they this confident in?

Well, I’ve found one person who is awfully confident in how the Alamo Bowl will go. Someone just bet $100k on the Utah Utes to defeat the Texas Longhorns this evening in the Valero Alamo Bowl. A money line of -270 means that the $100k bet would pay out just $37,000 if it hits.

The bettor seems confident that the No. 11 Utes will make quick work of the Longhorns and, as far as this season is concerned, it doesn’t feel like the most outlandish opinion. Utah had an outside shot of the College Football Playoffs up until the last game of the season when they lost to Oregon 37-15. If they had won that game and a few more things had gone their way, they could’ve made an appearance in the CFP and undoubtedly put up more of a fight than OU did.

Watch: Texas football recounts the 2019 season in exhilarating video

The Texas Longhorns football Twitter account released a video recapping the 2019 season

The 2019 Texas football season had its’ ups and downs. The Longhorns started the season ranked inside the top-15, and there was optimism among the Texas faithful that Sam Ehlinger could take the next step and become a Heisman candidate, the defense ould tighten up, and Tom Herman could improve as a head coach. Unfortunately, the Longhorns couldn’t live up to expectations and finished unranked with a 7-5 record.

This season wasn’t devoid of memorable moments, however. After Texas blew the doors off the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs in week one, they lost to the future No. 1 ranked LSU Tigers by a score of 45-38. Texas played LSU as close as anyone has all season, especially after the Tigers walloped the Sooners 63-28 in the College Football Playoff.

Check out this compilation of memorable moments put together by the Texas Football social media team: