New NCAA Eligibility Rule Impact

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You are locked on Longhorns , your daily podcast on the Texas Long Horns, part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day . Welcome in, you're locked on to the Texas Long Horns. I'm your host BK Brad Kellner. Today's episode is brought to you by Odu. Great organizations win because operations matter and that's why you should get Odu. Try for free today at Odu. com slash locked on. That's ODO . com slash locked on. Which former five star has the most approved in twenty twenty six? We'll answer that question in segment two and then a breakdown on how the new NCAA eligibility rule will impact Texas that's coming your way in segment three . But first, let's do a quick Texas football recruiting reset and preview here because the next week or so could be really, really interesting for the Loronnghs. Texas already has a ton of momentum on the recruiting trail, and Steve Sarquesian and the Texas staff may be riding that wave for a little while longer. Official visit season basically wrapped up. Guys are going home, families are talking things through, coaching staffs are making their final pushes, and commitment dates are starting to stack up. And for Texas, there are several names to know and several timelines that are worth paying attention to. And all of these names that I'm about to mention I feel pretty good about most if not all of these players eventually picking the long horns. Now , not all of these are locks. Unfortunately, recruiting is never that clean, but Texas has put itself in very good position with a handful of targets who are expected to announce their decision soon. And if Texas hits on these, this twenty twenty seven class could look a lot different by this time next week . We'll actually start with a twenty twenty eight name here. That's Neiman Lawrence, four star quarterback out of American heritage in Florida. He's expected to announce today . Texas is one of the finalists along with Miami, Michigan, notre Dame , and Texas A and M. Again, we're talking about a class of twenty twenty eight player heal . So while Texas is still very much working through the twenty twenty seven cycle , this would obviously be a foundation piece for next year's class. That matters. If you followed recruiting, y'all know that quarterback recruiting works differently. If you can get your quarterback in early, you get a leader and you also get a recruiter, someone who can start talking to receivers and offensive linemen and running backs and other targets, someone who can help shape the entire personality of the class. Texas has treated Lawrence like a priority for a long time. You know, Steve Starkesian and AJ Millway, they don't just throw quarterback offers around to everybody. They are selective. Lawrence has been one of their top guys for a while . He's been to Austin multiple times. He's camped in front of the staff and the buzz heading into today's decision is very much in Texas's favor. Miami's in there. Again, notre Dame and Michigan and Texas and M are all there too, but if Texas is able to get this done and I'm hopeful we'll get the good news later today that would be a very nice early win for the twenty twenty eight class and it lets Stark start building that class around a quarterback that he really likes back to the current twenty twenty seven cycle . Tomorrow, Junior Tuopo will announce his commitment, a four star safety out of Alabama. Finalists include Texas, Alabama, Oregon, Indiana, and Auburn . This one has been really interesting because Texas was kind of working quietly on this one for a long time. The Longhorns weren't getting the most buzz early on in this recruitment, but behind the scenes, Texas kind of started to trend entering the summer. Tuopo took his official visit to Austin at the weekend of june fifth through the seventh and after that trip he said himself that Texas was the leader. Obviously good news. Now he had follow up trips to Auburn and Alabama , but as of now , those visits don't seem to have changed the top of his board. Obviously a good sign for Texas. When you're recruiting an Alabama kid, you know Bama and Auburn are both always going to be in the mix and you've got to survive those visits if they happen after yours. That home state pressure is real, but Texas seems to be sitting in a very strong position and this is a player the Longhorns would love to add to their secondary two pose six foot three hundred, one and ninety pounds ranked as a top twenty safety in the class of twenty twenty seven, confidence feels high with this one . Then on Saturday, keep an eye on Montreal Jackson, the cornerback out of Lakeview Centenialn up in Garland in a Metroplex. This one looks like a Texas versus SMU battle speaking of Metroplex. The Longhorns have been in a good spot here for a while. They offered back in December . They've been at or right near the top ever since Jackson took his visit june twelfth through the fourteenth. He actually canceled an OV he had planned to Old Miss this past weekend. That usually tells you something, usually a good sign, but SMU is still pushing. I wouldn't completely dismiss them. They want a corner, they've got money, they've been active and they could make a strong push here. Now, Texas has been steady and consistent. The long horns have been viewed as the team to beat for a long time. This would be a nice in state defensive back win like John Meredith. You love the five star headliner, but you need multiple corners. Montreal Jackson would actually be the third corner in this class along with the aforementioned John Meredith and Greedy James, six feet, one hundred and eighty pounds, a four star and a top thirty corner in the class. Then on Monday, we have Jason Johnson, four star defensive lineman out of Atasceta in the Houston area. Texas, LSU, Cal and Vanderbilt, the four finalists here. This feels like a Texas LSU battle, not a surprise considering those other two schools . A number of twenty seven and twenty eight recruitments feel like Steve Sarquesian versus Joey Freshwater AKA Lane Kiffen right now. Jason Johnson, this is one Texas fans should be watching very closely. The Longhorns have been trending here. Texas has been after him for a while . Jason Johnson loves Kenny Baker. He's gone on the record a couple of times and spoken very highly of Texas' defensive line coach. And we've talked about it a lot. Recruiting is relationship driven. These players want to know who's going to be developing them, who's going to coach them, who's going to get them ready for the next level and Texas has done a great job sort of selling that vision to Jason Johnson. Again, anytime LSU is involved, you pay attention. You don't wave them away . They've got great recruiting history, plenty of resources, but the buzz here for a while has been Texas. The attascosita Austin pipeline could become a real thing. It's starting to feel like it is. The long horns have had a lot of momentum on the D line with Tyler Alexander and Kasai Curry committing in the last week. If you add Jason Johnson, that defensive line board looks really, really good. That's how you build in the SEC . Then next Wednesday, I told you, we got a lot. We're rapid firing here. Brandon Sherard expected to announce a four star top twenty cornerback, another corner out of Shadow Creek High School, Texas , LSU, again, and Oklahoma, seemingly the finalists. This one is the furthest out as of right now . So maybe the hardest to handicap. Texas versus LSU is kind of what it feels like. LSU push ised hard . Oklahoma has been involved. Texas has stayed in the fight. We'll see what happens with Monte Montrey Jackson. If he commits, maybe that changes things. If he doesn't also could change things, does agreed James Stay committed? How many spots does Texas really have? How aggressive does LSU get? Those are the kind of questions that make this recruitment a little more complicated. Sherarts a player Texas likes. They offered the staff wants him, but it would not shock me if LSU won. It wouldn't shock me if Texas won. This one still feels like a true battle, what do we six days out from the july first announcement? Last name here, Lucas Roa, no decision date on him, but there's an expectation starting to brew that a decision could come within the next couple of weeks. Offensive lineman out of California, Texas, Penn State, Oregon, UCLA, feel like the four main schools right now. This is interesting because Penn State has family ties. His dad went there, several other family members went there. But coming out of Lucas Rowa's Texas visit, there's some optimism around the Longhorns. There are even people who believe that Texas might have the edge. I believe that Texas might have the edge. The Longhorns did a great job. Kyle Flood spent a lot of time with them. They sold the development plan. They sold the McComb School of Business . They sold the versatility. This would be a really strong offensive line pickup, a guy really could play, you know, all five, at least four of the five offensive line positions when he gets to college. So there you go. So big picture, Neiman Lawrence today, junior two opa ux, Montrejson Saturday, Jason Johnson Sunday. Brandon Char next Wednesday, Lucas Rowa, maybe in the next couple of weeks, maybe in the next couple of days. Point is this is a pretty significant stretch for Texas. And if the Longhorns hit on the majority of these names I mean his class is already up to number six in the country. How high will it go? Shark feels like Heisenberg right now. Nothing stops this drain . I don't want to deep dive into all these players. If they commit, we'll do individual episodes. We'll break down the fit and talk scouting report and this that and the other, but thirty thousand foot level, this stretch, a major opportunity for Texas recruiting. So buckle up . All right, love to get y'all's thoughts on all of those names in the comments below. Let's talk about the current team in a moment, which five star has the most approve in the twenty twenty six seasonal debate coming up on locked on Long Horns But first a shout out to our friends at Odu. Running a business shouldn't feel like you're trying to connect a bunch of systems that were never designed to work together. One app for account ing, another for inventory, another for sales, and somehow none of them talk to each other. That's where Odu comes in. Odu is an all in one business management software that brings every part of your business together in one powerful platform. From sales and accounting to inventory and marketing, everything works in one place . Helping your team move faster, stay organized and focus on growing the business instead of managing software. The best organizations know that success isn't just about talent, it's about having everyone working towards the same goal and that's true in sports just like it is in business. Texas talked about Kenny Baker , the job he's done on the recruiting trail since arriving to Texas, what a great hire he has been. Great decision by Steve Sarkeshan to bring him on board. Kenny Baker paying dividends in his first couple of years in Austin . Everyone's aligned with Texas. That's why recruiting has all the momentum that it does right now. Great organizations like Texas win because operations matter. And that's why you should get Odu. Try for free today at O du dot com slash locked on. That's ODO dot com slash locked on. Those precious magical memories you'll always cherish , the Disney Cruise Line. We cherish them too . Our ships are designed to help you discover those moments, whether it's seeing the wonder in your child's eyes , feeling that quiet spark of joy as they reach for your hand, or stumbling across that inside joke that's still funny years later. Make the memories that never leave you. Disney cruise line or magic meets the sea Welcome back. Locked on Longhorns your team every day, friendly reminder about the locked on every day your club. 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The question here is not necessarily who's the best player. It's not who the most' talsented. It's not even who is the highest ceiling. It's who has the most proof this season . And I think you can make a case for several guys. The first name that popped up in my mind Joanna Williams. Maybe the most obvious answer here. We've talked about him a lot because the talent is there whether it's football or baseball. This is one of the best pure athletes in the entire Texas athletics department. That's not hyperbole. That's how gifted this guy is. And when you look at him, you immediately understand why he is a five star, big frame, explosive, high level athlete . But now the question is simple. When does the production come? And to be fair, it's not all Jonas fa ult that he hasn't made an impact yet. He's just been injured. He hasn't had a clean path and unfortunately there's no way around it. His long horn career has been a disappointment. So twenty twenty six is a huge year for him. Texas has some questions at safety. Juliana McDonald and Derek Williams feel like they're two plug in starters right there, but some depth questions there. Joanna Williams might be the most physically gifted answer to those questions. And when you think about what Will Mushamp likes to do defensively, you think about versatility and size and speed and aggressiveness and playmaking ability, Joanna Williams checks a lot of boxes like I don't know if there's another safety on this roster with his athletic profile. That's why he's an easy candidate for this discussion. If he hits, he could change the defense, former top ten recruit in the country . But and I can already hear some of y'all typing in the comments, rolling your eyes, shaking your head. We've heard about the potential for years . Years . Now he has to turn all of that potential into snaps and then hopefully those snaps into production. He's top of the list a lot to prove. Hopefully he can do it. Then there's Lance Jackson. We'll stick with the defense. I think this is a strong case too. Jackson, not just some developmental guy buried on the depth chart, former five star Edge, playing in a position where Texas needs answers. We know Colin Simmons is the starting edge on one side , but with him attracting all the attention that he does, and opposing teams are going to slide protection. They're going to chip. They're going to build game plans around trying to slow down number one. That's going to create opportunities for the guy on the other side . Can Lance Jackson be that guy. That is the question. And also, I mean, is he a pass rusher? Is he a run defender? Is he an every down guy? We don't fully know p.ress Theure rate last season was a little over ten percent, not a leap, but solid against the run though. Some of the grades not so great. I think of Ethan Burke, who's obviously out of eligibility . He was really good against the run. Not the flashiest edge in the country, didn't put up a bunch of sack numbers, but dependable physical set the edge made Texas better. So what is Lance Jackson? Is he just a pass rusher? Hey, we'll take that if he's a elite pass rusher opposite Colin Simmons, that's going to help the Texas defense. Is he a reliable run defender? Is he both? If he is, Texas has something this feels like the year where there's flashes because we've seen some they have to become identity. He's a candidate for me. Brandon Baker, how about him? You know, this one maybe less about hype because Brandon Baker started every game last year for the Longhorns, but he's really, really important. If the All Fits of Line isn't better in twenty twenty six than all of the other excitement we have about Arch Manning and Cam Coleman and Relik Brown and Hollywood smothers and these other explosive players don't matter. The offensive line isn't good enough, then the whole thing gets harder. Brandon Maker a big key of that. Obviously moving from tackle to guard the move made sense. I liked it, but now he has to play like a guy who's got starting experience in the SEC, which he does, but at a different position, there can't be this long buildup or learning curve for Brandon Baker. That O line, especially the interior has to be a heck of a lot better than what it was in twenty twenty five. They couldn't run up the middle, too much pressure in archning spmacean and that's the worst kind of pressure when it comes right up the gut. Baker has to be a stabilizer. Doesn't have to be perfect, but if he can look like a five star , that would really , really help. If he can, and I know it's kind of the whole offensive line that needs to be good, but if he can be a big part of that then this offense can reach its full potential. If not, we'll be having the same conversations we had last year this fall and nobody wants that . Justice Terry , another name that I thought of. Probably the most interesting one here because it's partly about Texas, but also about the larger recruiting statement, if you will. Remember, Justice Terry's from Georgia, five star. Georgia really wanted him. He left the bulldog's backyard and came over the Bevo's house, chose Texas over the in state dogs, and everyone remembers that recruitment. Georgia fans remember it. Texas fans remember it. Other recruits remember it. Okay , what does that look like on the field? Terry has the talent, another former top ten recruit in America. We're not doubting that. He's got an incredibly high ceiling and my goodness, if he can reach that ceiling, he is a special player, but he also has dealt with some nagging injuries. So hasn't been dominant yet in large part because of that. But if he's healthy this year, it would really help if he could be a disruptive force, whether it's on the interior or a little bit on the edge of the Texas defensive line. They have other options. So he doesn't have to be awesome for this defensive front to be really good, but if he can be disruptive , look this is a team with national championship goals. If Justice Terry is playing his best football, that's going to push this Texas defense to another level. Also going to help on the recruiting trail too because if a Georgia kid leaves home, comes to Texas and develops into a superstar , that's powerful . That is very powerful. Could you throw Ryan Wingo into the conversation? Now he's done way more than any of the other guys that we've talked about. I mean, led Texas in every receiving category statistically last year , but man, if he could get more consistent, be more reliable week to week, clean up the drops, clean up some of those mental lapses, the talents there, the explosiveness is there. The NFL traits are obvious. This guy in his perfect world is gone after this year to the NFL if you can clean it up a little bit be more reliable and consistent for Arch Manning than he could be a first round pick or very close to it next year. So maybe not maybe don't have the most approved because he's already shown a lot, but he's got a lot to gain. He's in the most to gain conversation for sure. So I think those were four those were the four names that I thought of. Maybe Kolbe Black deserves mention here, former five star moving from corner to safety. We'll love to get y'all's thoughts . Who has the most to prove the former five stars with the most to prove Jonah Williams, Kobe Black, Brandon Baker, Ryan Wingo, Justice Terry, who is on your list. There's no bad answer. I don't think there's a wrong answer here. And it's cool that Texas has all these options. That means they recruit really, really well, but twenty twenty six needs to be the year where these guys stop being former five stars and start being current stars in college football. Texas gets that from some of these names. That's how this roster goes from talented to championship level . All right, we'd love to get y'all's thoughts in the comments below . Again, former five star recruits with the most approved in twenty twenty six. We've got one segment to go on a Thursday show . How does the new NCAA eligibility rule impact Texas very positively , I think, and I will tell you why coming up on lockdown Long Horns . USA knows dynamic duos can save the day, like superheroes and sidekicks or auto and home insurance. With USA, you can bundle your auto and home and save up to ten percent. Tap the banner to learn more and get a quote at USA. com slash bundle, restriction supply. I'm Neil, founder of Cleavroom. When I found ceramics, I realized my call wasing give others a space to be creative. So I set out to open my own studio. Having a chase ink card has allowed us to grow it and bring people together. Now we're molding a creative community . The Chase Inc. business cash card, you can earn up to five percent cash back on business essentials, so your business can go from here to possible. Chase for business, make more what's yours? Real business owner compensated for their participation cards issued by JP Morgan Chase Bank and MMFIC subject to credit approval, terms apply . All right, welcome back, locked on Long Horn, your team every day. Let's talk about a pretty massive NCAA change. Earlier this week it was an,nounced that the NC two A is moving towards a new five for five eligibility model. For those who maybe haven't done a ton of research on this topic and man, or wool, man , we've got changes to college sports happening like every day. So I don't blame you for not researching every single thing that happens . This is one of those that might not sound super exciting on the surface, but I will tell y'all, this five for five thing could be a really big deal for the entire Texas athletics department, not just football or basketball or the big three , the entire thing. The new model is pretty simple. Every college athlete gets five years of eligibility, no old school red shirts, no more worrying about whether playing in one game burns a year, no COVID years, no gray shirts. No more twenty eight, twenty nine year olds playing five years to play fine. And the clock starts either when the athlete first enrolls in college or at the beginning of the academic year after their nineteenth birthday, whichever comes first. That's the new world . And when you look at Texas athletics as a whole, this should be a net positive . The schools that benefit the most from this kind of rule are the schools that recruit well, develop well, and retain talent. And Texas does all of those things at an elite level. I mean, this is the best athletics department around the country. It's not Bern Oanger biased. Texas has won five of the last six directors cups, including the one in the twenty five, twenty six academic year. Long orange are stacking national championships and conference championships across multiple sports, elite coaches , elite resources, elite NIL infrastructure, elite facilities . So when you give every athlete an extra year of eligibility, the programs that are already strong, like Texas should be in a clear position to take advantage. Let's start with baseball and basketball. We're going to go through a few of these sports here and how it benefits . This changes the old red shirt framework in a real way. In the past, especially in baseball and basketball, if a player appeared in a game, that could cost him an entire year of eligibility. Now you don't have to worry about that. It's much more straightforward. You get five years to play five. That creates clarity, that helps with roster planning for. b Nowaseball , the very best players are going to leave and go pro early. That part probably isn't going to change, but everyone else on the roster, junior and senior transfers suddenly become more real and more valuable because you're not just getting an older player with experience. There's going to be a lot less rental players in the portal. You'd be getting guys with multiple years of eligibility left. That matters. And for Jim Schloss Nagel who is constantly trying to balance high school recruit ing and draft risk and portal needs and roster turnover, this gives Texas more options. The Longhorns are still going to try to sign elite high school classes and develop freshmen into stars. We've seen that with Valantis and Pac Man and Sam Coz art, but now when Texas goes to the portal might be able to find more proven players with more eligibility left. Again, less rentals, men's basketball. Same thing. I think it could change roster construction for Sean Miller. You might see Texas take shallower high school classes, I guess lower quantities probably a more normal way of saying it. Maybe one or two high school pieces and then find a bunch of veterans who have multiple years of eligibility because if a transfer is already proven that he could play at the college level and he's got eligibility multiple years of eligibility left, that player becomes much more valuable . So that helps the current roster too. I mean, you think of like Bo Ogden and Joe Stirling, two of the freshmen that Texas just signed. Those guys aren't viewed as one of Duns. They might be able to play five full years at Texas without worrying about red shirts or waversi. Development is great . Sean Miller is a great developmental coach. Most of the coaches at UT are great developmental coaches. That's going to benefit them. Women's basketball could be interesting because the WNBA has its own age and eligibility rul es. Players generally have to be twenty two or four years out of high school to enter the WNBA draft. So that's not going to change. But you know, if you're really if you're really good senior at Texas and you might not be a super high pick in the WNBA draft like Rory Harmon could have been a great example of this . She comes back to Texas for another year, make good NIL money, compete for a national championship, keep developing, build your brand. I care about women's college hooks more than I care about the WNBA. I care about Texas softball more than I care about the AUSL of disrespect. Like some of these women's sports, some of the Olympic sports, you got a bigger profile, you can make more money . You could be more famous if you stay in college . Like that's a real thing. So you know, maybe not for Madison Booker who's going to be a very high draft pick when she goes pro, but like Brea Cunningham is an exam ple, having an extra year could matter. Volleyball and softball. I think Texas could really benefit there too. Again, the NIL, the brand, the exposure, competing for championships, the platform that is Texas like Teagan Kavan , she could stay for two more years now. Katie Stewart, two more years, Kayden Henry, these are star players . Under the old model, they'd all be gone after next year. Now potentially spend five full years on campus. More people will talk about seeking Gavana, Texas than they will in the pro softball league. I truly believe that . That's huge for Mike White . You could stack talent, you could develop talent and it's going to reward you for doing that . Five year timeline, it is clean, it is clear . That's a nice pitch for Texas too for any softball or volleyball recruit and again a number of other sports stay five years, maximize your NIL, build your legacy , get a degree from Texas. That works for Jared Elliott and volleyball too. They got to Ellis Swindle and Tory Stafford and Carrie, Carrie Speeders , like they could stay. Pro volleyball is big, but I don't think a lot of those women are making as much as you could make an NIL at Texas. Not every school can make that same pitch, but the long horns can 't. Also from an academic standpoint here , if you graduate in three years, start a master's program , you can get two degrees in five years at Texas. And they got to work hard. It's not easy