First Longhorn Junior Day Weekend Ends Without Early Commitments

by Scipio Tex on Feb 13, 2026 1:00 PM CST

Fact: Longhorn fans have consternation when we fill up with early commitments.

Fact: Longhorn fans have consternation when we don't fill up with early commitments.

Conclusion: Longhorn fans enjoy having consternation about recruiting.

If this is an indication of a staff with a more cautious and measured approach to recruiting, that will only accept early commitments from their most coveted prospects, and are comfortable working the slow-play game to allow young kids still in developmental bloom more time to differentiate, then count me as an advocate.

I also suspect:

That we'll end up with 6-8 early commitments before the summer anyway. Half of them high level OL.
Pickings are slim at a few positions in-state and we're going to do a deep dive on late-bloomers and looking at possible plays for OOS kids. That takes time.
We're only giving out 20 scholarships, so 3-4 mistakes are magnified in impact.
A young staff with energy and drive is less eager to settle for "might be good enough" when great is available with extra work and a longer recruiting cycle.
This staff is comfortable with their ability to pull early commitments away from A&M, OSU, TCU, Tech, out-of-state interlopers for late wants. Don't confuse an insurance policy with love.

Please feel free to speculate on who will be # 2.

Is this just another indication that we've made the program new?

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Comments

Lack of fiber in our diets, imo

@ccommand3r

by CMDR on Feb 13, 2026 1:02 PM CST reply actions

speak for yourself

f’ing metamucil…

by STLaw on Feb 14, 2026 12:22 AM CST up reply actions

can anyone shed some light on the "asset" report from this morning?

by Sweedish Nightmare on Feb 13, 2026 1:12 PM CST reply actions

I second this request!

by Hippie Killer on Feb 13, 2026 3:49 PM CST up reply actions

A positive sign of restraint, and other factors

I think it indicates a sense of restraint that we haven’t seen in a while - thankfully, the days of the “camp fevah!” offers are mostly behind us now. We also appear to have a much better idea about what we want to do from an offensive system perspective. No reason to offer marginal players that don’t fit what we need. It also speaks to the limited number of spots available for the next class and, I believe, a sense of some comfort about how the current roster looks.

Most of all, it speaks to the hunger on the staff to continue improvement and bust ass to make it happen. I’d guess that the days of complacent recruiting primarily via online recruiting videos is behind us now.

by Levander Williams on Feb 13, 2026 1:18 PM CST reply actions

Nods.

by Scipio Tex on Feb 13, 2026 4:45 PM CST up reply actions

"Barking Carnival":https://www.barkingcarnival.com

by Sailor Ripley on Feb 13, 2026 5:05 PM CST up reply actions 1 recs

I've posted this before

But it may shed some light on Harsins recruiting philosophy, anyway.

A couple of years ago I was flying from Salt Lake to Houston and a Boise coach was in the seat next to me - no, it wasn’t Harsin. Anyway, he was going to Houston to visit Pearland and talk to a kid that had already committed to Boise. I asked him if he was recruiting any other area kids and he he let me know in a hurry that Boise doesn’t “recruit”, Boise “evaluates”!

Interesting play on words, don’t you think?

"Statistics are for losers, I like winning games!" Will Muschamp

by Snide Aside on Feb 13, 2026 9:31 PM CST up reply actions

it appears to me...

that Mack has finally given up the last of his sub-optimal recruiting idiosyncracies.

I am happy to admit that I severely misjudged the degree to which Mack would be willing and able to change some of his ingrained behaviors.

"If God dwells inside us like some people say, I sure hope He likes enchiladas, because that's what He's getting."

by RedmondLonghorn on Feb 13, 2026 1:22 PM CST reply actions

Here's hoping

But I don’t think we’ll really know for sure until we come fully around on this class. There have been stories in the past of Mack overruling coordinators where they were in better position to make an up/down call. This year there didn’t seem to be any of that, but I am personally reserving judgment.

I think the key will be the continued communication with Raulerson. We need to keep up with him to keep him doing the pushing and applying the pressure in the right places for us.

"Statistics are like a bikini. What they reveal is suggestive, but what they conceal is vital." ~ Aaron Levenstein
twitter - @aaronbrotman

by Elm City Horn on Feb 13, 2026 1:28 PM CST up reply actions

perhaps remaining skeptical is wise

But the fact that the Texas class won’t be half filled by March 1st with a couple bona fide studs surrounded by a cadre of coaches sons, prospects whose sole strength seems to be that they are"good kids who graduate", and uninspiring CenTex reaches is encouraging.

"If God dwells inside us like some people say, I sure hope He likes enchiladas, because that's what He's getting."

by RedmondLonghorn on Feb 13, 2026 5:03 PM CST via iPhone app up reply actions

Wonder How He Could Have Won an MNC without current coaches? OMG

Change isn't good or bad it just "is". Don Draper of Madmen

by realmccoy on Feb 13, 2026 7:03 PM CST up reply actions

Reminds me of my golf swing

Just because I hit one or two correctly doesn’t mean I was swinging properly and don’t need to change and improve.

"Statistics are like a bikini. What they reveal is suggestive, but what they conceal is vital." ~ Aaron Levenstein
twitter - @aaronbrotman

by Elm City Horn on Feb 13, 2026 10:03 PM CST up reply actions

Vince.

And Colt, almost.

by danielt on Feb 16, 2026 3:24 PM CST up reply actions

Energy flows two ways

Mack has an obligation to energize his staff, but as a leader, it’s pretty electric when your people are doing things that blow you away and you can feel the culture of a team regenerating. It feeds you and you feed them back.

by Scipio Tex on Feb 13, 2026 4:47 PM CST up reply actions

That sounded very new agey.

I’ve been in Cali too long.

by Scipio Tex on Feb 13, 2026 4:49 PM CST up reply actions

I laughed all the way through Org Behavior

classes at UT b-school. Then I got out in the real world and worked at a number of different places with very different “cultures”. Damned if that shit doesn’t really matter…
Still think those Org Behavior/HR classes were a joke though.

"If God dwells inside us like some people say, I sure hope He likes enchiladas, because that's what He's getting."

by RedmondLonghorn on Feb 13, 2026 4:55 PM CST via iPhone app up reply actions

You forgot to include synergy...

"...the greatest growth occurs when the greatest number of mistakes are made consistent with survivial."
Dancoff's Law - Sydney Dancoff (Theoretical Physicist)

by steveholt! on Feb 14, 2026 7:46 AM CST up reply actions

Harness in the good energy, block out the bad.

Harness. Energy. Block. Bad. It’s like a carousel. You put the quarter in, you get on the horse, it goes up and down, and around. Circular, circle. Feel it. Go with the flow.

Robots are everywhere, and they eat old people's medicine for fuel.

by BrickHorn on Feb 14, 2026 9:16 AM CST up reply actions 1 recs

It is important to remember that

robots are made out of metal, and they are strong. be prepared when the metal ones come for you. and they will.

by Big(g) Ern on Feb 14, 2026 10:21 AM CST up reply actions

Confidence in Y2

It would seem the uncertainty last year had Brown & Co. pressing for early commitments in order to ground the up-in-the-air feeling that went along with the program turmoil and staff changes. A year later, with the program back on track and year-one recruiting having gone splendidly, I don’t think we are seeing cautious and measured so much as assured and deliberate. I understand no prospects were pressed for commitments during Junior Day but told to discuss with parents and coaches. Confident salesmanship, imo.

by OldTimeHorn on Feb 13, 2026 1:37 PM CST reply actions

A review of game day live threads will reveal that your theory applies to more than recruiting.

"I don't want no part o' yo' tight-ass country club, ya freak bitch!"

-BOJ aka HookTech (HT) on BON

by BurntOrangeJuice on Feb 13, 2026 3:06 PM CST reply actions

I think we lost a LOT of those fools when we switched over to SBN...

"...the greatest growth occurs when the greatest number of mistakes are made consistent with survivial."
Dancoff's Law Sydney Dancoff (Theoretical Physicist)

by steveholt! on Feb 13, 2026 3:34 PM CST up reply actions

Nope

They are here too. And they will find us.

"A lot of people look for the easy way to do anything, in swimming there is no easy way." - Eddie Reese

by SwimTexas on Feb 13, 2026 4:03 PM CST up reply actions

lol

I’m cautiously optimistic.

by Lincoln'sMullet on Feb 14, 2026 9:30 AM CST up reply actions

True. True.

by Scipio Tex on Feb 13, 2026 4:49 PM CST up reply actions

Off topic, but I was thinking earlier that there needs to be a repository of the best announcer calls of Longhorn games.

Two that need to be in there are:

“Bergeron. BERGERON. HA HAAAAA!”

“but instead they got a face full of Johnson!”

Everyone could relive the memory of a great win, or get a good laugh out of the funny ones and it would be interesting to see what quotes stand out in people’s memory.

"I don't want no part o' yo' tight-ass country club, ya freak bitch!"

-BOJ aka HookTech (HT) on BON

by BurntOrangeJuice on Feb 13, 2026 7:11 PM CST up reply actions

Prodigious clout?

Oh. Aggies, I apologize; I forgot you were there. You may go now.

by pleaseplaykindle on Feb 14, 2026 1:35 AM CST up reply actions

I'm confused. Did I come off as if I was issuing a directive?

I just meant it as a suggestion for a post. I was going makke a fanpost and ask peoole to offer their favorite announcer quotes, but I had just written a fanpost and didn’t want to be rapid fire fanposting.

"I don't want no part o' yo' tight-ass country club, ya freak bitch!"

-BOJ aka HookTech (HT) on BON

by BurntOrangeJuice on Feb 14, 2026 8:13 AM CST via mobile up reply actions

Watching Perkins run block makes me excited in mi pantalones.

Assuming his competition is good since his High School is Dallas area? I don’t know much about the Metroplex, since I’m a Houston/Austin guy. Plus his size looks like he’s ready made. The plays in which he pulled showed some mobility. Me likey.

"I don't want no part o' yo' tight-ass country club, ya freak bitch!"

-BOJ aka HookTech (HT) on BON

by BurntOrangeJuice on Feb 13, 2026 5:12 PM CST reply actions

He's the best OL prospect in the 2013 class so far

by Scipio Tex on Feb 13, 2026 5:59 PM CST up reply actions

Gray, Brown, and Mean Joe will enjoy some nice holes in the coming years.

That came out awkward.

"I don't want no part o' yo' tight-ass country club, ya freak bitch!"

-BOJ aka HookTech (HT) on BON

by BurntOrangeJuice on Feb 13, 2026 6:23 PM CST up reply actions

Prolly true though

Change isn't good or bad it just "is". Don Draper of Madmen

by realmccoy on Feb 13, 2026 6:31 PM CST up reply actions

Agreed

I will be happy as hell if we bring in both Perkins and James. If we land Robinson or Wilson (somehow) on top of that, I pledge to take Dagga to a game and let him use one of my AWESOME tickets.

Discliamer: Dagga is NOT allowed to go if he is creepy, still holds his mother’s Gucci purse, or wears Jorts. Creepy is broadly defined.

by STLaw on Feb 14, 2026 12:28 AM CST up reply actions

Lake Highlands plays some pretty good teams

I’m an Arlington Martin alum and I live in to metroplex…

"...the greatest growth occurs when the greatest number of mistakes are made consistent with survivial."
Dancoff's Law - Sydney Dancoff (Theoretical Physicist)

by steveholt! on Feb 14, 2026 7:50 AM CST up reply actions

This post and the comments pretty well nail it....

I am not upset at the lack of commitments so far. This staff is much more sure of where they are with current personnel on campus and what they are looking for in the 2013 class. The close-out of the 2012 class has to stoke their confidence that they can stay in it with the 5 stars while slow-playing some others to end up with a strong group.

by hh500 on Feb 13, 2026 7:34 PM CST reply actions