Jameson McCausland

As expected, the SEC has officially extended invitations for Texas and Oklahoma to join the conference. The news comes following a meeting with all 14 presidents, who all voted in favor of offering membership to the Longhorns and Sooners. The only thing left for both schools to do is to accept the invitation. That will happen Friday during separate Board of Regents meetings the schools have scheduled. Things have moved quickly since the news leaked last Wednesday that Texas and Oklahoma had been discussing joining the SEC. On Monday, the presidents formally informed the Big 12 that they would not renew their grant-of-rights agreement after it expires in 2025. The invitation for Texas and Oklahoma is to begin play in their new conference in 2025, but it is expected that both schools will attempt to make the move earlier, perhaps as soon as 2022.

The OU Board of Regents are also meeting Friday.

We take a brief break from 'Texas to the SEC' talk and continue our position preview series with kickoff against Louisiana just 43 days away. Let's talk about the tight ends: Departures Malcolm Epps (Portal)- 3 catches for 42 yards and 2 touchdowns in 2020 Epps began his college career at wide receiver but was moved to TE prior to the 2020 season. He was used a red-zone target a handful of times throughout last season, but was never able to carve out a consistent role. He went through spring practice with the new coaching staff before opting to enter the portal and transfer to USC. Additions Ja'Tavion Sanders- #12 overall player in the country, #1 ranked ATH Juan Davis- #542 overall player in the country, #34 ranked TE Gunnar Helm- #663 overall player in the country, #34 ranked TE The Longhorns added some talent to the TE room from the 2021 class, headlined by Ja'Tavion Sanders. The Denton Ryan standout played DE and TE in high school, but will start his career on the offensive side of the ball. He has a chance of making an immediate impact and could see the field early this fall. Davis and Helm were both early enrollees who participated in spring ball. Both flashed during the spring game but are likely headed for redshirt years. Returning Players Sr Cade Brewer (2020 stats)- 15 catches, 169 yards and 2 TD's Jr Jared Wiley (2020 stats)- 9 catches, 166 yards and 1 TD Rs-So Brayden Liebrock (2020 stats)- 2 catches for 11 yards Texas will have plenty of experience returning as they welcome back Cade Brewer and Jared Wiley. Brewer will be entering his 5th season in the program and has 22 career starts. He appeared to drop some weight over the winter and looked more athletic throughout the spring. Wiley saw his snaps increase as the 2020 season progressed and has shown a lot of potential as a pass catcher. The big question with the junior will be if he is able to hold up in the run game and when he is asked to stay in for pass protection. If the answer to those two question are yes, then Wiley could be in for a big year. Liebrock is a little bit of a wildcard at the position. He battled injuries in 2020 but came to campus known for his pass catching ability. With a strong fall camp, he could be in line for role as a pass catching TE in Steve Sarkisian's offense. Outlook Several months ago, Sarkisian mentioned that tight end was one of the most important positions in his offense. Texas will be in 11 and 12 personnel the majority of the time on offense, so it makes sense that a premium will be placed on the position. Lucky for Sarkisian and offensive coordinator Kyle Flood, this is probably the deepest the Longhorns have been at TE in quite a while. The expectation is Sarkisian's system will be more tight end friendly, allowing both Brewer and Wiley to fit into roles that maximize their skillsets. Liebrock and Sanders are both likely to provide positive contributions as well, setting the table for what could be a productive year from the tight end room.

Texas added their 15th commit of the 2022 class Wednesday afternoon when Denton Ryan DB Austin Jordan pulled the trigger in favor of the Longhorns. The Denton Ryan product is ranked the 196th overall player in the country and 10th ranked safety, according to the 247sports composite rankings. Jordan had previously released a top 3 of Texas, Oklahoma and Ohio State. Jordan could profile to a number of different spots in the secondary, but his biggest upside might be at safety. He joins a defensive back class that already includes Bryan Allen Jr. and Jaylon Guilbeau. Terry Joseph and the rest of the Texas coaching staff will continue their pursuit of Denver Harris and Bryce Anderson in hopes of rounding out one of the best defensive back classes in the country.

We continue our series previewing each position group for the 2021 season. Today, we turn our attention to the offensive line. Departures Sam Cosmi (NFL)- 34 career starts, 21 of them at Left Tackle Reese Moore (Portal) Willie Tyler (Portal) Kyle Flood will have to find a way to fill a massive hole left behind by Sam Cosmi, who was a 3-year starter for the Longhorns. Cosmi anchored the Texas offensive line for the last 2 years and was a 2nd round pick by the Washington Football Team. The departures of Moore and Tyler were not a total surprise as both didn't see much playing time last year. Additions Hayden Conner- #391 ranked player in the 2021 class, 29th ranked OT Max Merril- #1086 ranked player in the 2021 class, 9th ranked OT Connor and Merril are both headed for a redshirt year. Herb Hand did not have a good year from a recruiting standpoint, but he did improve the Longhorns overall depth the last few years which will allow Flood to redshirt most freshman lineman moving forward. Returning Players Jake Majors (R-Fr)- Played in 3 career games with 2 starts Tope Imade (R-Sr)- Played in 8 career games Derek Kerstetter (Sr)- Played in 46 games with 37 starts Andrej Karic (R-Fr)- Played in 3 games with 1 start Christian Jones (Jr)- Played in 23 games with 10 starts Logan Parr (R-Fr)- Redshirted last year Tyler Johnson (R-So)- Played and started in the Alamo Bowl last year Isaiah Hookfin (R-So)- Played in 1 career game Rafiti Ghirmai (R-Jr)- Played in 13 career games Junior Angilau (R-Jr)- Has played and started 22 career games Jaylen Garth (R-Fr)- Redshirted last year Denzel Okafor (R-Sr)- Played in 48 career games with 14 starts Despite losing Cosmi, Texas will be returning 6 players with starting experience and have several more who could make positive contributions for a unit looking to take a big step forward in 2021. Christian Jones is the favorite to take over at LT entering fall camp after spending the majority of his time at RT a season ago. Jones has a high ceiling but will need to develop more consistency after struggling at times in 2020 against good pass rushers. The biggest wildcard of the group will be Derek Kerstetter, who is returning for a 5th season and has played all over the offensive line in his first 4 seasons. Kerstetter spent last season at center but could be moved to a guard spot or RT with the emergence of Jake Majors. Wherever Kerstetter ends up will cause a domino effect on the rest of the unit. If Kerstetter ends up at RT, it likely leaves Tope Imade and Denzel Okafor in a battle for the RG spot. Kerstetter at RG opens the door for Andrej Karic to claim the RT spot. The Southlake Carroll product flashed in the final few games of 2020 when he received extended playing time. Junior Angilau likely has a firm grasp on the LG spot. Outlook As a unit, Texas has to be better at protecting the QB than they were in 2020. The Longhorns OL struggled mightily against teams like Oklahoma and Iowa State who were strong along the defensive line and at linebacker. Sam Ehlinger was able to mask some of the issues with is scrambling ability, but Steve Sarkisian will be asking his QB's to stay in the pocket much more frequently which will place more of an emphasis on keeping either Hudson Card or Casey Thompson upright. Another important factor will be Bijan Robinson, who will make the jobs of the offensive lineman easier. If Flood can get the offensive line to be an above average run blocking unit, the Longhorns should see plenty of success running the ball. The expectations for the unit as the whole should be higher despite losing their best player. The Longhorns have depth at all 5 positions and Flood is regarded as one of the best offensive line coaches in the country. If Christian Jones to take the next step in his development and Kerstetter shows that he is the same player at guard or tackle that he was pre-injury, Texas should field one of the better OL units in the Big 12.

Pre-season camp is right around the corner, and it is only appropriate to start looking ahead to the 2021 season. HornSports will go position group by position group as we break down what to expect in Steve Sarkisian's first season. Let's start with the wide receivers: Departures (2020 stats) Brennan Eagles (NFL)- 28 receptions, 469 yards, 5 TD's Tarik Black (NFL)- 10 receptions, 240 yards, 1 TD Jake Smith (portal)- 23 receptions, 294 yards, 3 TD's Semi Departure: Brenden Schooler (moved to Safety)- 12 receptions, 140 yards, 2 TD's One of the first things Steve Sarkisian mentioned when he arrived on campus was that the Longhorns had way too many wide receivers on the roster. Even with Brennan Eagles and Tarik Black moving onto the NFL, the Longhorns entered spring ball with 14 scholarship WR's. Brenden Schooler quickly made the move back to safety, a position he played at the beginning on his career at Oregon. Some unexpected attrition occurred this summer when Jake Smith entered the transfer portal and 2021 signee Keithron Lee was arrested, putting his status with the team in limbo. Lee is no longer listed on the Texas roster. The loss of Smith was mildly surprising, but the junior had been battling injuries his entire career and missed all of spring practice with a broken foot. The loss of Eagles and Black to the NFL can be looked at a few different ways. Both are 6'3 and profile as big body possession receivers. Sarkisian has made it known he wants to get as much speed on the field as possible. Regardless of their potential fit if they would have returned, the loss of Eagles in particular hurts the Longhorns from an experience standpoint and leaves the Longhorns thin on returning production. Additions Casey Cain- #842 ranked player in the 2021 class, 129th ranked WR Jaden Alexis- #349 ranked player in the 2021 class, 56th ranked WR Xavier Worthy- #61 ranked player in the 2021 class, 8th ranked WR Neither Cain or Alexis are expected to make major contributions in their first year on campus, but Worthy will likely be in the rotation right away and could see an expanded role depending on how quickly he adapts to the college game. The former Michigan signee was able to get out of his letter of intent earlier this year and quickly signed with Texas. He has elite speed and could take on an even bigger role with Jake Smith departing. Returning Production (2020 stats) Joshua Moore- 30 receptions, 472 yards, 9 TD's Jordan Whittington- 21 receptions, 206 yards, 1 TD (rushing) Kelvontay Dixon- 3 receptions, 76 yards, 1 TD Kai Money- 10 receptions, 76 yards, 1 TD Marcus Washington- 4 receptions, 56 yards, 1 TD Al'Vonte Woodard- 4 receptions, 34 yards Troy Omeire- DNP; knee injury Moore, Whittington and Money are the only Texas receivers returning who recorded double digit catches last season. Moore and Whittington will be leaned on heavily, but both are still looking for consistency. Moore disappeared for long stretches after a hot start to 2020 and Whittington has battled injuries throughout his career so far. Speaking of injuries, Troy Omeire will be fully healthy when fall camp opens after tearing his ACL last August. The redshirt freshman dominated fall camp a season ago and was set to log plenty of snaps before getting hurt. Omeire, who stands at 6'3, is one of the few big body receivers Texas has on the roster. Outlook Texas has a lot of bodies and a lot of question marks with camp set to open up next month. If the Longhorns had to play a game tomorrow, 2 of the 3 starting receiver spots would likely go to Whittington and Moore. Dixon, Omeire, Washington, Money and Worthy will have opportunities to cement their spot in the receiver rotation. The big question will be how snaps are allocated. Tom Herman loved to rotate receivers, which is likely part of the reason Texas had so many scholarship players at the position. Sarkisian wants to his best receivers to receive as many snaps as possible, meaning the Longhorns will likely only have 4 or 5 guys they play regularly. The big x-factors will be the development of Worthy and how Troy Omeire performs. If both prove to be reliable targets, the floor for the position group rises significantly. If not, it would be another rollercoaster season for Andre Coleman's position group.

2022 is very important cycle along the offensive line for Texas after the Longhorns only signed two lineman in the 2021 class. Kyle Flood got the cycle started off on the right foot this evening by securing commitments from Cole Hutson (Frisco) and Connor Robertson (Austin Westlake). Hutson chose Texas over offers from Oklahoma, Texas A&M and others. Robertson picked the Longhorns over Stanford and Northwestern. Both likely profile as interior lineman once they arrive on the 40 acres. The pair of commitments brings the 2022 class to a total of 14 members. Flood will look to grow the OL class soon with elite OT Kelvin Banks set to announce his commitment Sunday between Texas, Texas A&M, Oregon and LSU.

Good ole Texas vs Stanford battle

The ideal scenario for Texas will be 6 solid innings from Stevens and then being able to hand the ball off to Quintanilla for the last 3.

All season long, Texas has shown the ability to bounce back and respond after getting knocked down by their opponent. The Longhorns did it again Friday night after a 5-2 lead quickly evaporated in the 8th inning. Ivan Melendez launched a 3-run homer in the top of the 9th to extend the Longhorns season another day with a 8-5 win over Mississippi State and force a winner-take-all game Saturday evening. How it happened? Texas appeared to be in control much of the evening. Zach Zubia put the Longhorns on the scoreboard with a solo homer in the top of the 1st before Mississippi State responded with a pair of runs in the bottom half of the frame against Ty Madden. A sac fly by Trey Faltine tied the score at 2 and the Longhorns took their first lead in the 5th on a RBI single by Mike Antico. Antico added another RBI single in the 7th and Ivan Melendez added additional insurance with a RBI single of his own to stretch the Texas lead to 5-2. Tanner Witt ran into trouble in the bottom of the 8th. Tanner Allen led off the frame with a double and then 3 straight 1-out walks forced home a run before Texas brought in closer Aaron Nixon. Nixon proceeded to give up a 2-run single to Brad Cumbest to tie the game at 5. Nixon escaped further damage and set the stage for a dramatic top of the 9th. Mike Antico worked a walk to open the frame and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt from Eric Kennedy. Zach Zubia then worked a walk, setting up the stage for Melendez, who crushed a 3-2 fastball into the stands in left-center to give Texas a 8-5 lead. The Bulldogs did bring the tying run to the plate in the 9th following a lengthy weather delay, but Nixon ended the game with a popout and groundout to preserve the Texas victory. What's next? Texas will get a chance to exorcise their demons by going up against Will Bednar this evening. The right-hander dominated Texas just 6 days ago by striking out 15 in 6 innings. The Longhorns will also likely see Landon Sims who has thrown 7 innings against Texas in 2 separate appearances this year and has combined to strike out 16. David Pierce did not commit to a starter following Friday's game, but all signs point to Tristan Stevens. The Longhorns #2 starter was not sharp in his lone outing at the CWS on Tuesday, but is the freshest starter Texas has. Stevens has come up big numerous times when the Longhorns have needed him this year. His sinker could play well against a powerful Mississippi State lineup. In the bullpen, David Pierce will have a fully rested Cole Quintanilla. Outside of Quintanilla, the Longhorns will have limited options. Tanner Witt and Ty Madden are both likely not available. Nixon could maybe provide an inning but would be pitching for the 3rd straight day. Pete Hansen, who started Thursday's game against Virginia, might be available for up to an inning.

Nixon and Quintanilla are both definitely available tonight. Quintanilla only threw 22 pithes and Nixon threw 14. I bet they could get multiple innings out of both if they had to.

Bednar wasn’t himself last weekend and I was wondering if Texas was catching him at a bad time with the potential of a big bounce back. He definitely is dealing early.

Madden looks like he has a good feel for the slider early. Great sign.

Texas is Omaha bound for the 37th time in program history and enters the College World Series as the highest seeded team remaining in the NCAA Tournament. As the #2 overall seed, the Longhorns cruised through the Austin Regional before sweeping South Florida in the Super Regionals. Now, David Pierce's team will look to bring home the 7th national championship in program history. Similar to regional play, the Longhorns will be in a 4-team double elimination bracket. The winner of the bracket will matchup up with the winner of the other 4-team bracket in a 2 out of 3 series to determine the national champion. Let's take a look at who is on the Texas side of the bracket: Mississippi State The Bulldogs and Longhorns opened the season at Globe Life Field and will meet again in the opening round of the CWS. Mississippi State took the opening game in Arlington 8-3. Ty Madden took the loss, allowing 4 runs (3 earned) in 4 innings. David Pierce said in his press conference earlier today that they have not settled on a starter for Sunday, but it would be surprising if Madden didn't get the ball to face Mississippi State for the second time this year. The Bulldogs will likely counter with lefty Christian MacLeod, who went 4 innings and allowed 1 run agains the Longhorns back in February. The Longhorns will also likely see right hander Landon Sims out of the bullpen at some point. Sims dominated Texas earlier this season, striking out 10 in 4 hitless innings. For the season, he has a 1.55 ERA with 85 strikeouts in 46 1/3 innings. At the plate, the Bulldogs are hitting .282 as a team and have 5 players with double digit home runs. RF Tanner Allen is hitting a ridiculous .392 on the season with 10 home runs and 62 RBI's. CF Rowdy Jordan serves as the leadoff man and is hitting .326. The Bullodgs are not afraid to run and have collected 68 stolen bases on the season. As a whole, Mississippi State hasn't changed a whole lot from the team the Longhorns saw in Arlington. The biggest challenge for Texas will be getting to MacLeod early because if the game gets to the 5th inning or later and the Bulldogs are holding a lead, Landon Sims will jog in from the bullpen and not many teams have found success against him this year. Tennessee The Volunteers will be making their 5th trip to Omaha and have made huge strides as a program since Tony Vitello took over after the 2017 season. An Tennessee will be carried by their offense as they rank in the top 5 in the country in home runs, doubles and walks. SS Liam Spence leads the way with a .339 average and has more walks (53) than strikeouts (49). On the mound, Chad Dallas is their #1 starter and has an 11-1 record on the year with a 4.10 ERA. The Vols do a strong bullpen, with all 5 of their most frequently used relievers having an ERA under 3.00. One interesting note with Tennessee is Mississippi State was not on their regular season schedule this year, but the two teams did meet in the SEC Tournament and the Volunteers run ruled the Bulldogs in 8 innings, 12-2. The pitching matchup that day featured Christian MacLeod against Chad Dallas, so the Volunteers can certainly put up runs in bunches against very good pitching. Virginia Virginia was one of the final teams to make the NCAA Tournament field and now find themselves in Omaha after an improbable run the last 2 weeks. The Cavaliers lost the opening game of their regional and super regional, but found a way to punch their ticket to the College World Series. Virginia will lean heavily on their pitching staff, which ranks 14th in the country with a 3.61 ERA. Andrew Abbott is the ace of the staff and has thrown over 100 innings this season with a 3.04 ERA. It is important for every team to win their opening round game, but for Virginia there is likely an extra emphasis on wanting to get a win with Abbott on the mound in the first game to help take the pressure off a pitching staff that has thrown a lot of innings the last 14 days. At the plate, RF Kyle Teel is the only player hitting over .300 but he has carried the offense at times in the NCAA tournament, including the game winning grand slam against Dallas Baptist in game 3 of the super regional. The Cavaliers will use some small ball (35 sac bunts on the season) to try to generate some runs and put pressure on opposing teams. While Virginia is the only non-national seed on this side of the bracket, they are certainly playing their best baseball of the season and have proved to be a scrappy bunch throughout the postseason.