Tag: Texas Longhorns

Longhorns recruit Dia Bell named Florida Gatorade Player of the Year

Over the last few months, he has shown why the future in Texas is bright

While Dia Bell is still over a year away from making his collegiate debut, he made headlines over the weekend. The talented junior who is part of the Longhorns 2026 class was named Florida’s 2024-2025 Gatorade Player of the Year on Friday. Over the last few months, he has shown why the future in Texas is bright.

During the 2024 campaign, Bell completed 71 percent of his passes for 2,597 yards. He also recorded 29 passing touchdowns and only threw six interceptions. While Bell was a human highlight reel with his arm, he also made an impact with his legs,

On the ground, he ran for 561 yards on 61 carries, averaging 8.4 yards per carry, and found the end zone five times. Due to his ability to make an impact in multiple ways, Bell was hard to plan against. That is partly why he drew the interest from the Longhorns and some of the top programs in the country.

During the recruitment process, Bell visited Ohio State, Penn State, and LSU before committing to the Longhorns on June 17th. Although the quarterback room is loaded for the foreseeable future with Arch Manning, Trey Owens, and KJ Lacey, Bell should get his opportunities.

This season, Bell has shown why he has the potential to be a special player, and his latest accolade shows why he is one of the best players in his class from Florida.

Former Texas LB Overshown tears ACL, MCL & PCL in Cowboys loss

Dallas Cowboys and former Texas Longhorns LB DeMarvion Overshown suffered a serious knee injury in a loss to the Cincinnati Monday night.

Former Texas Longhorns LB DeMarvion Overshown has suffered a serious knee injury. The Dallas Cowboys rising star has reportedly torn his ACL, MCL and PCL in his right knee and is scheduled to have surgery this week

Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy said the injury is “it’s of a serious nature” and “it’s not good.” It is feared Overshown tore more than just his ACL. Bengals center Ted Karras landed on Overshown’s right leg after blocking on a 2-yard run by Chase Brown in the fourth quarter.

Overshown was having a break out season in Dallas and is the Cowboys second-leading tackler. The Tyler native missed all of his rookie year in 2023 because of a torn ACL in his left knee suffered in a preseason game at Seattle.

The injury hit the Cowboys defense hard.  After the game, Micah Parsons was emotional. “I cried,” Parsons said. “It’s like my little bro, bro. He doesn’t deserve that, either. He really don’t. Just to understand what he’s going to go through and to be there for him physically, mentally. It’s just so challenging because of the year he was having. I really just don’t think that’s fair, either.”

Overshown is in year two of a four-year, $5.3M dollar rookie contract with a $920K signing bonus.

Former Longhorns QB to enter transfer portal again, looking for 3rd team

A former Longhorns QB is hitting the transfer portal for the second time in two years after leading his team to a bowl game.

Duke starting QB Maalik Murphy plans to enter the NCAA transfer portal according to ESPN. The former Longhorn will be one of the most sought after players in the portal after tossing a school-record 26 TDs this season.

Murphy, who has two years of eligibility left, led the Blue Devils to 9-3 record. He will not play in Duke’s Gator Bowl matchup with Ole Miss.

Landing Murphy was a transfer portal recruiting win for Duke coach Manny Diaz. Murphy picked the Blue Devils over a Oregon State, South Carolina and Baylor. This year, the Southern California native passed for 2,933 yards.

Murphy was the backup at Texas last year and started two games in relief of an injured Quinn Ewers, throwing for 477 yards and three TDs. His most memorable game was a 33-30 OT win over Kansas State in Austin. The Wildcats were led by current Ohio State QB Will Howard.

 

 

Longhorns former 5-star WR enters NCAA transfer portal

He was the 31st ranked player overall in his recruiting class

After leaving the Longhorns football program, Johntay Cook II has entered the NCAA Transfer portal. The former five-star recruit left the program in November and will now be looking for a new home. He was the 31st-ranked player overall in his recruiting class.

During his time as a Longhorn, Cook appeared in 20 games and hauled 16 catches. He recorded 273 receiving yards and found the end zone twice this season after not recording a receiving touchdown last year. Although Cook began his college career with high expectations, he struggled to separate himself in a Longhorns offense full of talent while battling injuries.

Before committing to the Longhorns, Cook drew interest from some of the top programs in the nation. That list includes Texas A&M, Oregon, Michigan, and Alabama. For teams in need of playmakers, Cook should be a popular target due to his pedigree coming out of high school.

While Cook’s career at Texas didn’t go as planned, he did show some encouraging signs this year. He averaged 22.8 yards per game after only averaging 9.7 last season. The De Soto High School product was also targeted more in the red zone.

When Cook initially came to Texas, he came alongside Arch Manning. The hope was that two would give the Longhorns a lethal tandem that could frustrate defensive coordinators. That will not be the case, as a change of scenery is now what is best. Texas A&M and Oregon are two teams to watch.

Big Ten refs to officiate Texas Football in first two rounds of CFB Playoffs

Texas Longhorns first two rounds of college football playoff to be officiated by Big Ten refs, instead of Big 12 or SEC officials.

The Texas Longhorns won’t have to deal with Big 12 or SEC officials in the first two rounds of the college football playoff. Longhorns fans don’t have great feelings about either conference’s official these days.

Instead, Texas will get refs from the Big Ten in the first round playoff matchup with the Clemson Tigers and (if Texas advances) in the Peach Bowl CFP Quarterfinal in Atlanta against the Arizona State Sun Devils.

Longhorns fans have bad memories about Big 12 refs feeling they were unfair towards UT after the announcement the program was moving to the SEC. Especially in the final season.

As for the SEC, it has been an up and down first season in the conference, but the SEC Championship Game seemed to have “uneven” officiating. Even Steve Sarkisian blasted the fairness of the officials his halftime walk-off interview when asked about the multitude of holding penalties called against Texas, “Well, hopefully they call them for a hold one of these times too.”

Obviously, it is unclear whether any biases, conscious or unconscious, were involved in either group. The Big Ten should at least be neutral. But that doesn’t mean everyone loves Big Ten refs.

Penn State fans were not happy with the officiating in the Big Ten Championship game against Oregon. Either way, it will be a change to have an officiating crew that doesn’t seem to have a dog in the fight.

Texas redshirt freshman EDGE/LB enters transfer portal

Texas red-shirt Edge/LB enters transfer portal.

Tausili Akana, the 6-foot-4, 220-pound edge rusher and linebacker for the Longhorns, entered the NCAA transfer portal early Monday, he confirmed to On3 Sports. The redshirt freshman will have three years of eligibility remaining.

A consensus four-star recruit from Laie, Hawaii, Akana was a late addition to Texas’s 2023 recruiting class, signing on Early Signing Day in 2022. He chose the Longhorns over Louisville, LSU, Oklahoma, and Texas A&M, all of which hosted him on official visits.

Akana held nearly 50 offers, including from Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, Michigan, Oregon, Tennessee, and USC. According to the 247Sports Composite rankings, he was the No. 123 overall player and the No. 10 linebacker nationally.

During his time at Texas, Akana appeared in one game, making his debut in the Longhorns’ home opener against Rice. He played six defensive snaps over two seasons and contributed on special teams, logging 37 snaps on kickoff coverage across eight games this season and recording two tackles.

 

Clemson QB Cade Klubnik returns home for long-awaited rematch with Texas’ Quinn Ewers

Former Texas product will return home to Austin to face the Texas Longhorns and Quinn Ewers.

The No. 5 Texas Longhorns are hosting the No. 12 Clemson Tigers at Darrell K. Royal later this month. The game comes after Texas, fell short of an SEC Championship against Georgia, 22-19.

The Longhorns were expected to make the College Football Playoff irregardless of the game’s outcome, and they did just that clinching a No. 5 spot in the final College Football Playoff rankings.

No. 12 Clemson, defeated No. 11 SMU for the ACC Championship on Sunday, 34-31. Advancing to the No. 12 spot, kicking out SEC team, Alabama. For some, on the Clemson team, coming to Austin might be an opportunity to play in new atmosphere and new town, but for Clemson Quarterback Cade Klubnik, it means returning to his home town.

Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik is set to return to his hometown of Austin, Texas, as the Tigers face the Texas Longhorns in the first round of the College Football Playoff on December 21, 2024. This matchup marks the first-ever meeting between Clemson and Texas on the football field.

Klubnik, an alumnus of Austin’s Westlake High School, led the Chaparrals to two state championships in 2020 and 2021. During his high school career, he set school records with 86 touchdown passes and 7,390 passing yards, surpassing notable Westlake quarterbacks such as Drew Brees, Nick Foles, and Sam Ehlinger.

The upcoming game also rekindles a notable quarterback rivalry. In the 2020 Class 6A Division I State Championship, Klubnik’s Westlake team defeated Southlake Carroll, led by current Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers, with a score of 52-34.  This playoff game serves as a rematch between the two quarterbacks, now leading their respective college teams.

Adding to the local connections, one of Klubnik’s former Westlake teammate is now on the Texas roster, offensive lineman Connor Robertson. Adding an extra layer of intrigue to the matchup.

The Texas Longhorns are set to take on Clemson from Austin on Saturday December 21st at 3PM. The game is set to be broadcasted on TNT.

Bracket Set! What CFB Playoff seed did Texas Football get?

The college football playoff committee has done the Texas Longhorns a favor in the seeding. What seed did UT get?

Texas’ 22-19 OT loss to Georgia in the SEC Championship Game cost the Horns the No. 2 seed and a first round bye. But the College Football Playoff committee didn’t punish the Longhorns too badly.

The Longhorns get the top at-large seed. UT is No. 5 and will host No. 12 seed Clemson in the first round. The winner will play Big 12 champ No. 4 seed Arizona State.

Georgia has been given the No. 2 seed and will play the winner of No. 7 Notre Dame and No. 10 Indiana.

Top seeded Oregon will face the winner of No. 8 Ohio State and No. 9 Tennessee. Boise State nabs the No. 3 seed and will play the winner of No. 6 Penn State and No. 11 SMU.

ACC champ Clemson is the lone conference champion that didn’t get a first round bye. ACC championship game loser SMU is actually seeded one higher than the Tigers.

College Football Playoff bracket: Who’s in, who’s out

  • No. 5 Texas vs No. 12 Clemson (Dec. 21 at 3 PM CT in Austin)
    – Winner will play No. 4 Arizona State (Jan. 1 at Noon CT in Peach Bowl)
  • No. 8 Ohio State vs No. 9 Tennessee (Dec. 21 at 7 PM CT in Columbus)
    – Winner will play No. 1 Oregon (Jan. 1 at 4 PM CT in Rose Bowl)
  • No. 6 Penn State vs No. 11 SMU (Dec. 21 at 11 AM CT in State College)
    – Winner will play No. 3 Boise State (Dec. 31 at 6:30 PM CT in Fiesta Bowl)
  • No. 7 Notre Dame vs No. 10 Indiana (Dec. 20 at 7 PM CT in South Bend)
    – Winner will play No. 2 Georgia (Jan. 1 at 7:45 PM CT in Sugar Bowl)

How many teams in College Football Playoff 2024?

For the first time, there will be 12 teams participating in the College Football Playoffs. There are five automatic bids for each of the Power Four conference champions and one to the highest-ranked Group of Five champion. The remaining seven slots are given to the seven at-large teams.

How to buy No. 5 Texas vs No. 12 Clemson College Football Playoff tickets

Whether you’re a fan of Texas, Clemson, or just college football, get your College Football Playoff tickets now.

The Texas Longhorns and Clemson Tigers are headed to the 2024-25 College Football Playoff.

The Longhorns were selected to be the No. 5 seed and will host the No. 12 seeded Tigers in Austin at 4 p.m. EST.

Tickets for the game are already available. At the time of publication, the cheapest available tickets for the College Football Playoff first-round matchup between Texas and Clemson cost $250.

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop Texas vs Clemson CFP tickets” link=”https://stubhub.prf.hn/l/G9ygYoJ/”]

Texas lost the SEC Championship in overtime against Georgia, the only team to beat Texas during the entire season, but has been a top team throughout the entire season.

Clemson played their way into the College Football Playoff with a last-second win against SMU in the ACC Championship.

Get your Texas vs. Clemson College Football Playoff tickets now.

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop Texas vs Clemson CFP tickets” link=”https://stubhub.prf.hn/l/G9ygYoJ/”]

How to buy No. 5 Texas vs No. 12 Clemson College Football Playoff tickets

Whether you’re a fan of Texas, Clemson, or just college football, get your College Football Playoff tickets now.

The Texas Longhorns and Clemson Tigers are headed to the 2024-25 College Football Playoff.

The Longhorns were selected to be the No. 5 seed and will host the No. 12 seeded Tigers in Austin at 4 p.m. EST.

Tickets for the game are already available. At the time of publication, the cheapest available tickets for the College Football Playoff first-round matchup between Texas and Clemson cost $250.

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop Texas vs Clemson CFP tickets” link=”https://stubhub.prf.hn/l/G9ygYoJ/”]

Texas lost the SEC Championship in overtime against Georgia, the only team to beat Texas during the entire season, but has been a top team throughout the entire season.

Clemson played their way into the College Football Playoff with a last-second win against SMU in the ACC Championship.

Get your Texas vs. Clemson College Football Playoff tickets now.

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop Texas vs Clemson CFP tickets” link=”https://stubhub.prf.hn/l/G9ygYoJ/”]