Tag: Texas Longhorn

Arkansas head coach has high praise for Longhorns ahead of Week 12 clash

When asked about the Longhorns on Wednesday, Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman had high praise for Texas and defended their impressive start

As the Texas Longhorns have been one of the best teams in the country, they have faced their fair share of criticism. That has partly been due to their schedule. While they have faced a few ranked teams, they do not have a win against any team currently in the AP or Coaches top-25 polls. This weekend, they will face the Arkansas Razorbacks, who are not taking the Longhorns for granted.

When asked about the Longhorns on Wednesday, Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman had high praise for Texas and defended their impressive start.

“It’s not their fault that they haven’t played, let’s say, a schedule like ours,” Pittman said. “We’ve played LSU and Ole Miss and A&M and Tennessee. The schedule’s the schedule and what they’ve done is done a damn-fine job with their schedule and they’ve got a good football team.”

While the Longhorns’ schedule may not be filled with wins over top-ten programs, they have faced plenty of tough teams. That list includes Michigan, Oklahoma, and Vanderbilt, which were ranked at the time Texas beat them. Those wins have stood out to Pittman.

“This is a damn-fine Texas team. I mean, you don’t go beat Oklahoma by 31 and Mississippi State by 22 and, you know, beat Michigan by 19, beat Colorado State 52-0, and have a sorry football team,” Pittman said. “I mean, you just don’t.”

As the Longhorns look to build on their success, they also have a chance to improve their conference record against the Razorbacks. So far this season, they have gone 4-1 in conference play, with their only loss coming against Georgia. In SEC play, Arkansas has not had the same success, going 3-3.

Regardless of what happens over the weekend, Pittman has shown that he already holds this Texas team in high regard.

NFL Draft: Texas RB Bijan Robinson earns high praise from Joel Klatt

“I think he’s very much in the same vein as Christian McCaffrey.”

Texas running back Bijan Robinson is expected off the board in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft. Continue reading “NFL Draft: Texas RB Bijan Robinson earns high praise from Joel Klatt”

Texas HC Steve Sarkisian dishes on how Nick Saban revived his career

Nick Saban gave Steve Sarkisian a chance when he needed it most.

Steve Sarkisian’s coaching career was in significant jeopardy after getting fired from USC back in 2015. Sarkisian dealt with struggles on and off the football field, most notably an alcohol issue that impacted his work life.

Looking to get back into the game of football, Sarkisian fielded little interest from any college or professional programs. Sarkisian was ready to take a job in TV before Nick Saban came calling.

The legendary Alabama head coach gave Sarkisian an opportunity in an analyst role. A low-paying analyst role was a major step down compared to his prestigious head coaching job at USC, but it was Sarkisian’s best chance to rebuild his career.

Sarkisian took the role with Alabama for the 2016 season, where he quickly earned the trust of Saban.

Former Alabama offensive coordinator and now Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin left the Tide for the FAU job ahead of the CFP national championship game. Saban chose to promote Sarkisian to call plays in the most important game of the year.

Sarkisian had a quick stint in the NFL with the Atlanta Falcons before returning to Alabama as the offensive coordinator in 2020.

Alabama won the 2020 national title anchored by a historic offensive attack led by Sarkisian, leading to Texas hiring Sarkisian as its head coach following the season.

Sarkisian went into detail about his relationship with Saban on “The Pivot” podcast. He credits Saban with “saving his coaching career.”

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LOOK: Archie Manning visits grandson Arch at Texas

Arch was recently paid a visit by his grandfather Archie Manning. 

Texas freshman quarterback Arch Manning is in the midst of his first spring semester at the college level. The former five-star is already turning heads by showing off his ability at team practices.

Arch comes from one of the more high-profile families in football. He was recently paid a visit by his grandfather Archie Manning.

Archie played college ball at Ole Miss before having an accomplished career as the quarterback of the New Orleans Saints. He is the father of NFL hall of fame signal-callers Peyton and Eli Manning, as well as Arch’s dad Cooper, who was forced to medically retire from football prematurely.

Football comes naturally to the Manning family. Arch is hoping to carve out his own path to success as a Texas Longhorn.

Arch shared a photo of him and his grandfather in Texas’ practice bubble on his Instagram.

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WATCH: Bijan Robinson congratulates Scottie Scheffler at Dell Match Play

Bijan Robinson was on sight to watch Scottie Scheffler at the Dell Match Play.

Two Texas Longhorn stars got together on Saturday at the Dell Match Play tournament at the Austin Country Club. Continue reading “WATCH: Bijan Robinson congratulates Scottie Scheffler at Dell Match Play”

Texas TE Ja’Tavion Sanders stepping up as a leader

JT Sanders is taking up a new role this offseason.

Texas tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders is coming off a first-team all-conference season in 2022. The sophomore played a huge role in Texas’ offense, hauling in 54 passes for 614 yards and five touchdowns.

While Sanders has been fantastic for Texas on the field, he is using this offseason to step up as a leader in the locker room. 247Sports reports Sanders is holding his teammates accountable through offseason training.

Texas’ offense needs a player like Sanders to take more leadership responsibility with Roschon Johnson and Bijan Robinson off to the NFL.

Sanders is approaching his money-making season in 2023. Another big season puts him in a position to be an NFL Draft pick next year. Before the pro scouts come calling, Sanders wants to leave Texas in a good spot going forward.

The Longhorns have an opportunity to have one of the top offensive attacks in the country. 10 of 11 starters return including quarterback Quinn Ewers and wide receiver Xavier Worthy.

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Texas Basketball: Sir’Jabari Rice sparking Longhorns’ success

Sir’Jabari Rice is the type of player Texas needs to make a run in March.

Texas basketball brought in Sir’Jabari Rice via the transfer portal over the offseason from New Mexico State.

The addition of Rice was overshadowed a bit by Texas bringing in Tyreese Hunter from Iowa State and five-star guard Arterio Morris. Expectations for Texas’ guard play this season has exceptionally high, but not because of Rice.

Fast forward to the middle of the season and Rice is one of the most impactful players on the roster.

Rice is playing himself into contention for Big 12 sixth man of the year with his play thus far. He is the only Big 12 bench player to record back-to-back 20-point games this season.

Rice provides a spark for the Longhorns every time he touches the court. His beautiful pump fake gets both opposing defenders and Texas fans off their feet.

In a game where Marcus Carr did not have much success scoring the ball, Rice picked up the slack, scoring 21 points to take down No. 11 Baylor. Rice is poised for the big moment and continues to come up clutch late in games for Texas.

Rice is going to play a significant role for Texas as they compete for a Big 12 title and a national championship.

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Quinn Ewers is in line to be the next star QB for Steve Sarkisian

Quinn Ewers has the chance to be special.

Steve Sarkisian broke the news this week that redshirt freshman quarterback Quinn Ewers is the Longhorns’ starting quarterback entering the 2022 season.

Ewers has been awarded the starting job after battling third-year quarterback Hudson Card over the course of the offseason.

The former five-star is in line to be the next star quarterback under Steve Sarkisian. Sark has one of the better quarterback resumes in his career, sending nine quarterbacks to the NFL as a play-caller. Tua Tagnoviloa and Mac Jones are the most recent successes from Sarkisian’s offense.

Ewers might be one of the most talented quarterbacks Sarkisian has ever worked with. He is one of the most highly rated recruits of all time and a perfect fit to run Sark’s system. Ewers, Bijan Robinson and Xavier Worthy make up one of the more exciting trios in college football.

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Former Longhorn Kris Boyd sets up fundraiser for Uvalde victims

The fundraiser has already reached over $16,000 in the span of about 24 hours. 

Former Texas Longhorns defensive back and now Minnesota Viking Kris Boyd is making a coordinated effort to support the victims of the tragic Uvalde shooting that took place at Robb Elementary on Thursday afternoon. Continue reading “Former Longhorn Kris Boyd sets up fundraiser for Uvalde victims”

Former Texas star Earl Thomas’ future with Baltimore is now uncertain

Former Texas safety Earl Thomas’ troublesome offseason may cause the Ravens to release him before the season begins.

Former Texas safety Earl Thomas may be released by the Baltimore Ravens after a troublesome offseason.

In April 2020, Thomas was held at gunpoint by his wife, Nina Heisser, after an alleged cheating scandal. In the court documents, Heisser alluded to the fact that Thomas had began drinking on a consistent basis.

His erratic behavior has unfortunately continued throughout Ravens camp. According to CBS Sports NFL reporter Jason La Canfora, Thomas’ participation in position meetings has been an issue.

It’s not just the off-field problems.

On Friday, Thomas was involved in a physical altercation on the field with fellow safety Chuck Clark. Several teammates believe that Thomas was in the wrong for the scuffle.

It appears that the Ravens could make a final decision on Thomas’ future as soon as Saturday. It’s not likely to end well considering the team’s leadership council does not want to tolerate that type of behavior.

The potential for team discipline such as a suspension has seemed likely, but it’s possible that Thomas’ career as a Raven could be over completely.

It can’t be an easy decision considering Thomas is a three-time first-team All-Pro and one of the most talented and productive safeties in the NFL. On top of that, his contract has more dead money right now than the Ravens have cap space.

Oddly enough, another former Longhorn could fill in for Thomas should he continue his career elsewhere. Ravens players have voiced confidence and strong support for DeShon Elliott.

Elliott was drafted by Baltimore in the sixth round of the 2018 NFL Draft. The rising safety compiled six tackles last season before being placed on injured reserve due to a knee injury.