SAD NEWS: Longhorns Texas Defender definitely will not make it next season…
Report: College Football Playoff Planning Expansion to 14 Teams – Longhorns Tracker
Keep up to date with all the latest news surrounding the Texas Longhorns and college football.
The Texas Longhorns made it to their first every College Football Playoff in 2023, narrowly falling to the Washington Huskies for a bid to the national title game on a heartbreaking finish.
The playoff, which is set to expand to 12 teams next season, will see the five highest-ranked conference champions get automatic bids, with the next seven teams in the rankings filling out the rest of the bracket. The top four seeds will get a first-round bye.
But now, according to reports from ESPN’s Heather Dinich and Pete Thamel, the College Football Playoff is set to expand to 14 teams in 2026.
“The details of what’s expected to be a 14-team field won’t be determined until after the TV deal is done,” ESPN wrote.
Teams from the power conferences, as well as Notre Dame, are aiming to meet Friday for contract discussions.
MARCH 11 MILE HIGH ROACH According to multiple reports, former Texas Longhorns standout defensive tackle Malcolm Roach is set to sign a two-year $8 million deal with the Denver Broncos.
According to reports from Chris Tommason of the Denver Gazette, the Rams, Cardinals, Bills and Bengals all ‘expressed a lot of interest’ in defensive tackle Malcolm Roach since the beginning of the legal tampering period on Monday.
It was the Broncos, however, that ultimately won out for the former Horns star.
MAR 2 YOUNG GOAT? The debate for the best college quarterback in the BCS or College Football Playoff era will rage on for as long as it takes.
But one of the best to ever do it – former Auburn star Cam Newton – has weighed in, and he picked a Longhorn.
According to Newton, Texas legend, Vince Young is the best college quarterback to play since the year 2000, beating out names such as himself, Tim Tebow, Matt Leinart, Tua Tagovialoa, Johnny Manziel, and others.
“No. 1 in my list is Vince Young,” Newton said. “The Rose Bowl. What he was able to do that game, no moment was ever too big for him.”
While it is hard to argue against Young being the choice, one thing he doesn’t have that Newton, and those other names do is a Heisman Trophy.
That said, there are many that believe that Young should have won the trophy over Reggie Bush.
Either way, it is nice to see arguably the best quarterback in college football history get his due.
MAR 1 SANDERS RUNS 40 Former Texas Longhorns tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders is expected to be one of the first at his position selected in the 2024 NFL Draft. To help boost his stock even more, he’s taking part in the NFL Scouting Combine, and ran his 40-yard dash on Friday evening in Indianapolis.
Sanders finished with an unofficial 4.74 on his first attempt and a 4.69 on his second.
Take a look at his second attempt:
FEB 29 SWEAT FLIES At the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis on Wednesday, Texas Longhorns defensive tackle T’Vondre Sweat teased that he would surprise with his speed during the 40-yard dash.
“I’m just a big guy,” Sweat said. “A lot of people get scared of the numbers and all that, but when y’all see me move tomorrow, I think a lot of people are going to be surprised.”
And on Thursday afternoon, he did just that, running a 5.27 on his first attempt. He declined to run a second time.
Sweat also tested in other metrics on Thursday, hitting a 26-inch vertical and an 8′ 2″ broad jump.
Longhorns standout Byron Murphy also tested, running a 4.90 40-yard dash (1.69 10-yard split) on attempt one, jumping a 33-inch vertical, and a 9′ 3″ broad jump. Murphy’s second 40 clocked in at 4.8 (1.70 10-yard split).
FEB 27 CUNNINGHAM HOOKS EM After being ejected vs. the Texas Tech Red Raiders, Longhorns forward Brock Cunningham taunted the fans with hook’em horns after his ejection.
Texas Tech fans were not happy throwing debris onto the court.
Tech coach Grant McCasland spoke to the fans afterward on the arena microphone, telling them to stop.
“Everybody listen. Hey, right here. Everybody listen,” said McCasland. “Everything that gets thrown on the floor, we’re going to get a technical foul. Listen to me. It’s got to stop. It’s got to stop. Nothing else on the floor. Am I clear?”
FEB 16 MOCK MOCKS The Texas Longhorns are in the midst of winter workouts as they gear up for spring football next month.
And as is typically the case, the Longhorns football video team is on top of the action, recently releasing an exceptional video of the intense workouts.
In response to the video, former Texas quarterback Chance Mock lauded the physical change in the Longhorns players and managed to shade Texas A&M in the process.
“I’m just gonna say it… either the (Texas football) videography team is significantly better… or this team looks much bigger, faster, quicker, and explosive than the players in the video the Ags released yesterday,” Mock said on X.
The Longhorns, who are of course officially heading to the SEC this summer, are set to reignite their rivalry with the Aggies next season in College Station next November.
FEB 14 OMENIHU SPEAKS Tragedy struck on Wednesday afternoon when alleged gunmen opened fire during the Chiefs Super Bowl parade in Kansas City.
Following the shooting, one person has been confirmed dead with three others in critical condition.
Five other victims are also in serious condition, with an estimated total of 10-15 total injuries in the incident. Two suspects have been arrested and are in custody.
Following the shooting, former Longhorns defensive end Charles Omeninhu shared his thoughts and prayers with the victims and spoke out about American gun laws.
“Prayers for those affected at today’s parade,” Omenihu said on X. “A time of celebration ends in tragedy. When are we going to fix these gun laws? How many more people have to die to say enough is enough? It’s too easy for the wrong people to obtain guns in America and that’s a FACT.”
Omenihu played for the Longhorns from 2015-2018 and was named Big 12 defensive lineman of the year in his senior season. In 2019, he was drafted in the fifth round by the Houston Texans. He now plays for the Chiefs.
FEB 13 ESPN KEEPS CFP According to reports from the Athletic’s Andrew Marchand, the College Football Playoff and ESPN have reached an agreement on a six-year $7.8 billion extension to keep the event and the network together.
However, per the report, that agreement is still pending the resolution of specific issues for the CFP.
“The full contract’s completion is still contingent on CFP leaders finalizing details of the expanded format in the wake of the implosion of the Pac-12,” Marchand said. “The CFP’s management committee and board of managers have meetings scheduled for next week and continue to work through the complicated process of settling their outstanding issues.
“The ESPN deal will not be ratified until the commissioners and presidents vote on the structure and financials of the expanded CFP. ESPN senior vice president of communication Josh Krulewitz and College Football Playoff executive director Bill Hancock both declined to comment.”
The Texas Longhorns are coming off their first playoff appearance in program history last season, narrowly falling to the Washington Huskies on a heartbreaking final play.
The playoff is set to expand to a 12-team format next season.
FEB 11 LONGHORNS LEGEND TALKS ALS BATTLE Texas Longhorns legend and former Chicago Bears defensive tackle Steve McMichael was officially inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2024 on Thursday at NFL Honors.
But amid his lengthy journey to Canton, McMichael has been battling ALS since announcing his diagnosis in April 2021.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter shared an emotional mini-documentary of McMichael detailing his journey with the disease.
Take a look:
FEB 8 STROUD OVER BIJAN Texas Longhorns star and Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson had a stellar rookie season.
However, it wasn’t enough to earn him the post season honor of NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, with Houston Texans QB C.J. Stroud taking home the award on Thursday night.
Robinson was up for the award alongside Stroud, Lions standouts Jahmyr Gibbs and Sam LaPorta, and Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua.
FEB 7 SABAN TO GAMEDAY After more than a decade and a half with the Alabama Crimson Tide, legendary head coach Nick Saban is set to join the cast of ESPN’s College Game Day next fall alongside Rece Davis, Desmond Howard, Kirk Herbstreit, Lee Corso
“ESPN and College GameDay have played such an important role in the growth of college football, and I’m honored to have the opportunity to join their team,” Saban said in a release. “I’ll do my best to offer additional insights and perspectives to contribute to College GameDay, the ultimate Saturday tradition for college football fans.” and Pat McAfee.
ESPN has yet to announce his first assignment.
“Nick Saban is a singular, iconic presence in college football. He is also an extremely gifted communicator, who will immediately add even more credibility, authority and entertainment value to ESPN, including our esteemed College GameDay show,” ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro said.
FEB 6 LONGHORNS ANNOUNCE STAFF PROMOTIONS The Texas Longhorns are making some changes within their recruiting and player personnel staff.
The Texas Football X account tweeted out the news on Tuesday night, saying that coach Steve Sarkisian has officially announced the promotions.
Here are the following changes:
– Brandon Harris, General Manager
– John Michael Jones, Dir. of Player Personnel
– Taylor Searels, Dir. of Recruiting
– Kyndal Perry, Dir. of Recruiting Operations
Take a look at each staff member below:
JAN 31 SWEAT DOMINATES T’Vondre Sweat was arguably the Texas Longhorns top defensive player this past season, cruising his way to unanimous first-team All-American honors, the Outland Trophy and much more.
Now that he is off to the next level, Sweat has begun his NFL Draft preparation, beginning with the Reese’s Senior Bowl.
And by all accounts, Sweat is dominating the proceedings, crushing former Arkansas center Beaux Limmer during practice reps.
On the next rep, he can be seen dominating Texas A&M guard, Layden Robinson.
As it stands, Sweat ranks as a top 50 prospect and is a fringe first-round prospect depending on which expert you ask.
But if Sweat can continue to put up this kind of performance leading up to draft day, he should continue to rise up boards.
JAN 17 ‘STARTED FROM THE BOTTOM, NOW WE’RE HERE’ Former Texas Longhorns quarterback and assistant coach Major Applewhite is set to become the South Alabama Jaguars’ new coach, per a report from ESPN’s Pete Thamel.
Applewhite is being elevated from his current position as quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator to replace Kane Wommack as the Jaguars coach, who left for the defensive coordinator role at Alabama under Kalen DeBoer.
Applewhite, the 45-year-old Texas-Ex, quickly decided to end his playing career after being signed by the New England Patriots as an undrafted free agent following the 2002 NFL Draft, as he instead finished out school and became a coach.
After being a graduate assistant for two years at Texas, working under then-coach Mack Brown in 2003 and ’04, he spent a year at Syracuse, Rice, and Alabama before finding himself back in Austin for the next five years. Firstly as running backs coach before being promoted to co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks.
From there, after a year off from coaching, Applewhite spent three seasons at Houston before returning to Alabama for two seasons as an analyst, where afterward, he’d take the offensive coordinator job at South Alabama in 2021.
JAN 11 THOMPSON COMMITS TO OU Former Texas Longhorns quarterback Casey Thompson will be returning to college football for a seventh season, committing to the Oklahoma Sooners on Thursday.
It will be Thompson’s fourth team since 2021, leaving Texas and eventually transferring to Nebraska, followed by Florida Atlantic.
Thompson, who has thrown for 5,338 yards and 52 touchdowns in his career, will likely be a backup to Jackson Arnold in Norman.
He is a native of New Castle, Oklahoma, signing with Texas as a member of the 2018 class.
JAN 10 NO MORE SABAN The Texas Longhorns are set to enter the SEC for the 2024 football season, looking to make a statement in their first year in the conference.
And now, it appears that one major obstacle could be out of the way – or at the very least less of a threat – with legendary Alabama Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban set to retire, per a report from ESPN’s Chris Low.
Saban has reportedly already informed his team of his intention to retire.
Saban, who is arguably the best coach in the history of college football, now hangs it up after winning seven national championships, 11 SEC titles, 12 SEC West Titles, two Paul Bear Bryant Awards, and multiple other accolades throughout his pristine career.
The Longhorns were 1-1 against Saban in the last two years, with a resounding victory coming this past September in a 34-24 win in Tuscaloosa – a win that helped cement the Longhorns playoff case.
Per ESPN’s Pete Thamel, Oregon’s Dan Lanning, Washington’s Kalen DeBoer, Clemson’s Dabo Swinney, Penn State’s James Franklin, Florida State’s Mike Norvell, and Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman have been listed as potential replacements.
JAN 8 KROB TO DRAFT Another impact player for the Texas Longhorns is heading to the 2024 NFL Draft, with all-purpose back Keilan Robinson becoming the latest to declare.
“Thank you to everyone who has helped me get to where I am today,” Robinson said in his announcement. “I will be declaring for the 2024 NFL Draft.”
Robinson first transferred to Texas from Alabama ahead of the 2021 season, following Steve Sarkisian to the Longhorns.
In his time with Texas, Robinson rushed for 542 yards on 82 carries and had 332 receiving yards on 35 catches with 11 total touchdowns from scrimmage. He was also one of the most electric return specialists in the country running back both a punt and a kick for a score over the last two seasons.
Robinson could have conceivably earned a waiver year from the NCAA for another year of eligibility. Instead, he will enter the draft where he is projected as an undrafted free agent.
JAN 2 X VS LEON The Texas Longhorns and Texas A&M Aggies are set to renew their rivalry in 2024, but it seems that things have already started to kick off.
Following the Longhorns narrow loss to the Washington Huskies on Monday night, former Aggies Leon O’Neal Jr. and Texas star receiver Xavier Worthy exchanged jabs on X.
O’Neal attempted to call out the Horns for their loss, sending a dig in their direction.
“Them boys had one good year and stg they dynasty yall went 8-5 last year and 5-7 year before yall act like yall (expletive) don’t stink,” O’Neal wrote.
Worthy then responded in kind.
“Who tf are u?” Worthy said.
If nothing else, the stage in College Station next season is going to be one heck of an atmosphere.
JAN 1 MCCONAUGHEY SPEAKS The Texas Longhorns are set to take on the Washington Huskies in the College Football Playoff at the Sugar Bowl for a right to advance to the national title game in Houston next week.
In preparation for that game, longtime Longhorns fan Matthew McConaughey gave the team a pre-game hype speech, via his personal X account.
You can watch the video here:
DEC 3 HORNS TO NOLA The Texas Longhorns are heading to the College Football Playoff, coming in at No. 3 in the final rankings after their Big 12 Championship domination over Oklahoma State.
And when the rankings were announced, the Horns watch party might have been the loudest place in Texas.
You can relive that moment in this video below:
DEC 2 WORTHY HURT With the team up 42-14 in the fourth quarter, Texas Longhorns star wide receiver Xavier Worthy was injured while running after the catch in an attempt to reach the first down marker on third and long.
Worthy had a lower-body injury against Texas Tech, and appears to have yet another lower-body issue after the tackle.
Worthy was helped to the locker room shortly after the injury.
At the time of the injury, Worthy had six catches for 86 yards.
Worthy has been ruled out for the remainder of the game, after returning to the sidelines with crutches and a boot on his ankle.
DEC 2 RYAN WATTS OUT? Ahead of today’s Big 12 Championship in Arlington against Oklahoma State, Texas Longhorns cornerback Ryan Watts is not dressed to play as the Longhorns go through warmups at AT&T Stadium and is presumably out for the contest. He’s wearing However, the team has not provided an official word on his status.
Texas defensive back Austin Jordan has already been ruled out for Saturday’s game.
Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said Monday that Watts would carry a questionable tag ahead of the Big 12 title game. He suffered a back injury on the first play from scrimmage in the 57-7 win over Texas Tech on Nov. 24. He exited to the locker room and didn’t return.
In his potential absence, the Longhorns will rely on Malik Muhammad and Terrence Brooks at cornerback.
DEC. 1 TOO FAR – The Big 12 Championship game between the Texas Longhorns and Oklahoma State Cowboys is one of the biggest matchups of the college football weekend on Saturday.
And while there is certainly no love lost between the two programs, someone in Stillwater has now taken “Texas Hate Week” way too far.
According to the Oklahoma State student newspaper, The O’Colly, a dead longhorn steer was found in the front yard of the FarmHouse fraternity house. Per photos of the incident, the steer’s stomach had been cut open, with the message “(expletive) FH” painted on its side.
The Oklahoman newspaper has also reported that the carcass has been removed, and the Stillwater Police are actively investigating the crime.
NOV 30 JORDAN OUT Texas Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian provided an injury update when speaking to the media on Thursday ahead of Saturday’s Big 12 title game against the Oklahoma State Cowboys in Arlington.
Sarkisian noted that cornerback Austin Jordan will be out for the game, but from the looks of things, it appears that Xavier Worthy, will be ready to go.
Ryan Watts, who was listed as questionable on Monday, remains questionable on Thursday.
“Everybody else is pretty status quo from what I touched on on Monday.”
Watts got injured on the first play from scrimmage in Friday’s 57-7 win over Texas Tech. Worthy had to be helped off to the sideline on two separate occasions while Murphy got injured due to some friendly fire on the sidelines.
NOV 29 SAY WHAT PAUL? The Texas Longhorns will be fighting for their College Football Playoff lives this weekend against the Oklahoma State Cowboys.
Not only will the Horns need a win over Oklahoma State to stay in the discussion, but they also likely need a Florida State loss.
If that happens, Texas should be in. However, should Alabama beat Georgia in the SEC Championship game, Paul Finebaum thinks otherwise.
“To me, Alabama and Texas are razor close,” Finebaum said on ESPN’s Get Up. “I’ll give Alabama the edge for one reason, because they would’ve beaten the biggest bully in the land, and that should count for something. That game on September 9 is important, but it’s not very important to me, because in my eyes, looking at college football, I see a better team in Alabama.”
Despite Finebaum’s attempts to overlook the matchup in Tuscaloosa, the Horns won the head-to-head matchup over Alabama by double-digit points. And that cannot be ignored.
Not only that,
