Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Texas’ 2019 season provided no shortage of thrilling receptions, we’ve decided to rank the five most memorable.
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.
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 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. )
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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:
Tonight's Honorary Captains are officially in the building!
Welcome @ColtMcCoy, 2006 #valeroalamobowl MVP from @TexasFootball, and Alex Smith, 2005 @Fiesta_Bowl MVP from @Utah_Football! pic.twitter.com/UYXq2GuhRd
— Valero Alamo Bowl (@valeroalamobowl) January 1, 2020
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.
#Hookem commit @Billy2Bowman says he’s 100 percent committed to Texas. He’s talked to new DC David Ash and he’s known the new OC for years. Completely comfortable with his choice right now. Dynamic two-way talent. pic.twitter.com/ez6ZN1BGDL
— Mike Craven (@CravenMike) December 31, 2019
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?
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.
Imagine betting $100,000 on the Alamo Bowl… @BetThePigskin
(Via: @JimmyVaccaro) pic.twitter.com/8G4aUo2Yl7
— Barstool Bets (@barstoolbets) December 31, 2019
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:
All in. 🤘#ThisIsTexas #HookEm pic.twitter.com/XSoyuL9vnv
— Texas Football (@TexasFootball) December 31, 2019
Bleacher Report’s latest NFL Mock Draft predicts only one Texas Longhorn selection
In Bleacher Report’s most recent 2020 NFL mock draft, Matt Miller goes through the first three rounds and predicts only one Longhorn being taken in the top 96. Miller has the Buffalo Bills selecting safety Brandon Jones in the third round at 87 overall. The Bills secondary, currently led by Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer, gets some much-needed depth and physicality by adding the Longhorn in Miller’s mock.
In his four years at Texas, Jones has played in 44 games and tallied 232 total tackles, 3 interceptions, 2 forced fumbles, 3 fumble recoveries, 14 tackles for loss, and 7 passes defended. Jones is a hard hitter who plays with a physicality that leaves an impression on the offense. He would be a welcome addition to an already stout Bills defense that has recently undergone a reconstruction by head coach Sean McDermott.
Click here to check out the rest of Miller’s mock draft on Bleacher Report – which features an unsurprising top pick.
Texas Longhorns’ safety Brandon Jones released a hype video with highlights from his four years at Texas
It seems like everyone has their own videography team nowadays. Texas Longhorns’ safety Brandon Jones dropped a professional-looking hype video on his Twitter earlier.
Jones’ highlight reel includes interceptions, forced fumbles, sacks, and big hits. A lot of big hits. Check it out here:
Constantly Overlooked, but never forgotten. Stay woke🤫 pic.twitter.com/nTbRJt5htk
— Brandon Jones (@BlessedJones33) December 11, 2019
The senior safety has totaled 232 total tackles, 3 interceptions, 7 passes defended, 2 forced fumbles, and 3 fumble recoveries over the course of his four-year career at Texas.
Jones is a physical defender who isn’t afraid to fly around the field and put a hit on someone. He isn’t a day-one prospect in the NFL Draft, but he will get his chance on an NFL roster.
Former Texas Longhorn football players Quandre Diggs and Earl Thomas share rare distinction in the NFL
Earl Thomas and Quandre Diggs are two stud safeties who made their way through Texas. Thomas was the leader of the famed “Legion of Boom,” a moniker given to the Seattle Seahawks’ dominant secondary that consisted of Thomas, Richard Sherman, and Kam Chancellor.
Earl Thomas has since moved on and is currently the starting free safety for the Baltimore Ravens. Seattle replaced one Longhorn with another when they acquired safety Quandre Diggs from the Detroit Lions.
Since then, Diggs has become the first player with three interceptions in his first four games with the Seahawks since – you guessed it – Earl Thomas.
It’s a Texas thing. 🤘#ThisIsTexas #HookEm pic.twitter.com/SPlES3jIvd
— Texas Football (@TexasFootball) December 10, 2019
In his two years at Texas, Thomas made 97 total tackles and had 8 interceptions, two of which he returned for touchdowns. Diggs spent four years at Texas and totaled 220 tackles, 5.5 sacks, 11 interceptions, and 3 forced fumbles.
In the NFL, both Thomas and Diggs are impact players whose contributions don’t always show up in the stat sheet. Despite that, both are known playmakers and the statistics back it up.
